When the AEMT last visited TEC Electric Motors in 2016 (see Journal 16-2), they were operating from a 65,000 square foot site with stock levels of over £2 million. Three years later, their stock levels have grown exponentially to £12 million, and they have consolidated their warehouse and offices into a purpose build site on the Hartlebury Trading Estate, Worcestershire.
TEC Electric Motors is a true success story, where continued investment and growth has seen the company relocate twice in the past 12 years to keep pace with the needs of its customers. Managing Director, Scott Edwards has no doubt that the company’s achievement is rooted in an enthusiastic team that always puts the customer first.
They are one of the UK’s largest electric motor distributors, offering a wide range of products from stock as well as custom built motor units, gearboxes and inverters. With nationwide coverage, the company offers a true 24/7 breakdown service that delivers even on New Year’s Day!!
Established in 2006, the vision was to create a motor distribution company that could be relied upon to provide excellent customer service backed by a wide range of high quality, reliable products. The business model was a success and within two years the company had outgrown its original premises and made its first move to accommodate the expanding stock inventory.
Expanding business
By 2011, the warehouse was overflowing and demand continued to grow necessitating the purchase of an additional site - making space for the new gearbox department and the specials division. All the while the team continued to grow and with each new addition, came increased product sales.
With a well-established headquarters in the Midlands, the next step was to open the TEC North branch near Sheffield in 2013. This was closely followed by establishing a base in Scotland one year later with the opening of their Glasgow branch. Each of the satellite branches has a mirrored stock profile, albeit in reduced quantities, which ensures customers’ needs are always met 24/7 365 days a year.
In 2018, the company achieved its biggest year in terms of sales, surpassing the £17 million mark, a major achievement in just 12 years. So, how has this been achieved? Scott Edwards explains: “There is no doubt that everything we have accomplished is a result of teamwork; we have created a group of people that are dedicated to delivering customer satisfaction.”
Team building
In fact, when it comes to the sales meetings, everyone is invited to take part and see what the company has achieved, where it is planning to go and how they will get there. Everyone is involved in hitting the sales targets, from the warehouse staff to the sales team and the technical support department.
Gareth Richardson, Sales Director, explains: “It is important that we listen to everyone when it comes to making improvements in our processes. In many cases, simple changes can make a big difference, so we make sure every employee has the opportunity to contribute their suggestions.
“The team we have built over the years is very loyal, to the point that several have relocated their families when we have moved to new premises. That loyalty is repaid by the facilities we provide at work and our continuous efforts to improve the working environment.”
The team ethic is encouraged throughout the company and employees will often rotate jobs, learning new skills and making sure that every role can be covered when staff members are on holiday or sick. Taking on new roles brings a fresh perspective to the job and often results in process improvements.
Stock holding
Over the years, TEC has increased its stock levels, to the point where it now has over £12million worth of stock ready to fill customer orders. This is made up of gearboxes, standard motors as well as special builds that are developed in partnership with customers.
In contrast with most distributors, TEC holds motors up to 630 kW on the shelf and the technical team can make a variety of modifications that may be necessary to meet the requirements of an application. With full machining capabilities, motors can be modified with new shafts, encoders, brake units and cooling fans where necessary on reduced delivery times.
The warehouse contains both single and three phase motors as well as ATEX rated designs, a range of gearboxes and variable speed drives to match most applications. In addition, further products are available from Europe, where a joint venture holds around €50 million worth of stock.
With distribution key to their strategy, TEC have ensured warehouse locations in the North, Scotland, and Wales, to supply a growing number of re-sellers including AEMT members such as Beatsons Fans and Motors, Wilson’s, Francis Chambers, Taylor and Goodman, CPMR, Bellwood and numerous others. This growing mass of suppliers are all part of their overarching strategy to have a TEC motor available to anyone within 50 miles.
Bespoke solutions
TEC Electric Motors has expanded its capability to include design changes to existing products, the creation of bespoke motors as well as the delivery of matched motor/gearbox combinations.
Working with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) TEC has developed bespoke motor designs that are a perfect fit for specific applications. Each solution can be supplied with marine or offshore C5M custom paint applications.
Having created the ideal motor solution, TEC also works closely with the OEM to establish the correct stocking levels to ensure that the production line always runs smoothly. Forward planning is a speciality at TEC and it is an essential part of delivering a reliable service to every customer.
This is enhanced by the flexible approach that TEC uses to ensure customer needs are met. Apart from providing a managed inventory that can cope with increased sales, the company also ensures that every delivery is best-suited to the customer’s needs. For example, if a forklift is not available to unload the delivery, TEC will make sure that the shipment is delivered by a tail-lift lorry; a small point for some, but this attention to detail can make all the difference in customer satisfaction and retention
Going the extra mile
Of course, making planned deliveries is relatively straightforward. What really counts is the level of service when a customer has a more urgent requirement. Unfortunately, electric motors rarely break down at convenient times, so having a loyal TEC distributor network that honours the 24/7 promise is a major benefit.
This was illustrated in a recent case where a customer called TEC at 08:30 on New Year’s Day with an urgent request for a replacement motor. The warehouse was open within half an hour and a courier was arranged to collect and deliver the motor the same day. As a result, the customer’s operation was back up and running by 1:45pm.
Gareth continues: “This high-quality service helps to develop and convert emergency breakdown enquiries into regular, loyal customers, who know they can depend on us to always deliver. Of course, loyalty only goes so far in business, but with our high-quality products, competitive pricing and unfailing customer service, we have created a model that has delivered success year on year.”
As the business continues to grow, TEC continues to listen to its customers and put plans in place to meet new demand. David Ede, Business Development Manager, explains: “The next step is to increase our stock of medium and high voltage motors, to meet the demands of the water, mining and aggregates industries, amongst others. This is an area where, typically, there can be long lead times for new or replacement machines and this is something we want to address.”
Consolidating success
TEC Electric Motors has been careful to build the necessary business infrastructure and put in place dedicated and experienced staff to ensure that every customer receives the level of service that they require. Scott Edwards concludes: “Everything we do is designed to improve the service we offer to our customers. We can deliver cost-effective solutions whatever the situation; from emergency replacements to inventory management and long-term manufacturing supply, anywhere in the UK and Ireland