Spelsberg UK celebrated its 20th anniversary in October. Chris Lloyd, managing director, explains how looking back will help him to prepare for success over the next 20 years
Spelsberg UK was first set up in October 1997 to support the growing popularity of the German brand in the UK. Engineers and installers recognised the quality of the product and the advantages of specifying plastic over metal construction. With a large stock holding, a catalogue with thousands of standard designs and an existing support base, the company enjoyed success from the start.
Now, 20 years on, Spelsberg UK has sold approximately 16,000,000 enclosures, junction boxes and distribution housings to customers in industries as diverse as rail, construction, manufacturing and defence. The key to the success has been the ability to remain flexible and listen to the needs of the customer.
In particular, since 2010 the business has placed a strong focus on customised solutions and engineering support. Significant investment has been made in its in-house CNC capabilities and an assembly line has been built so that customers can reduce on-site assembly costs and increase productivity. The service has become so popular that machined and assembled solutions now account for approximately 50% of all product out the door.
The key result of our focus on customised solutions has been the shift in the relationship that we have with our customers. We’ve always placed a priority on customer service, but now we’re working in partnership with our clients throughout the design, specification and installation stages. This gives them a better service and better product, and it gives us a greater understanding of their product requirement. As a result, we’re able to launch new products onto the market and further increase the flexibility of our products.
By acting as a design partner, rather than a simple supplier, we’ve been able to grow the business during a tough decade and help our customers to grow too. As we look towards the next 20 years this is the key lesson in my mind.
