Briggs equipment UK - The Interview
Your ideal materials handling partner
Formerly known as Finning Materials Handling, Briggs Equipment UK is the UK's sole distributor of Caterpillar¨ counterbalance and warehouse equipment. With its headquarters in Cannock, Staffordshire and depots in Liverpool and Scotland, Briggs Equipment provides a nationwide service delivering market-leading products with unrivalled maintenance and support to customers across the spectrum of UK industry sectors.
Briggs Equipment UK became part of Sammons Enterprises in September 2006, following Sammons' acquisition of the materials handling business from Finning UK Ltd. Sammons Enterprises is one of the largest privately-owned companies in the world with diversified operations and investments in financial services and equipment distribution, with assets in excess of US $30 billion. With its headquarters in Dallas, Texas, Sammons has over 4,000 employees worldwide.
Richard Close joined Briggs UK as Chief Executive Officer in September 2006, following the acquisition. Backed by the resources of its new owners, he remains committed to building its partnership with Caterpillar and becoming customers' first choice of service provider. Richard spoke to Warehouse & Logistics News.
WLN - In practical terms, Richard, what changes have been made at Briggs Equipment UK since the acquisition by Sammons?
Our first priority was to break the business from Finning, to which it was still interlinked. First, we changed the internal and operations procedures to the Briggs way, which is based around different parameters - Briggs is a highly ethical, honest organisation, and we have the IT platform to deliver this integrity. Second, we changed the sales emphasis to long term contract hire.
Cat remains our manufacturer but Briggs is a service provider, driven by what the customer wants. It's been a major transformation, but we're already eighty percent of the way to becoming a true service organisation.
WLN - How much are you invested in developing the UK business?
We've spent over £5million in the last year on putting the IT platform in place. We're also investing heavily in customer service and management development training. Year one has been about establishing an operating infrastructure, so we can press the pedal for organic growth in year two.
WLN - How do you plan to achieve this growth?
My priority is to deepen our relations with existing customers. We're backing this up with fostering a culture of putting the customer first and developing new methods of selling and introducing new service products.
WLN - Is there a corporate vision for Briggs Equipment in the UK?
Yes, we want to be the first choice of service provider - when people think materials handling, whether purchase, sale, problem solving or business development, we want them to think Briggs first.
Manufacturers' priorities are to fill production slots and use customers as a means to do that: we're there to satisfy customers' needs, and this new structure gives us the ability to deliver the ideal service to our customers.
WLN - How do you see yourselves against other service-led suppliers?
We're passionate about delivering a level of service no-one has seen before. We want to be the Marks & Spencer of the forklift business, with customers prepared to pay a premium for our services. One reason the forklift market is so price-competitive is that customers don't believe any of us deliver service: no one has a reputation for doing so. We have customers who have deferred to us from the big manufacturers, because their focus is not on service delivery. We're changing our culture and coming up with innovative new service products - the forklift is only a means to deliver this. Entering a contract with Briggs is a fluid process - as the customer's business grows and changes we will adapt our service.
WLN - Are you investing in training and learning?
Yes. We have a new Apprentice Training Scheme which enables school leavers to complete a three-year training programme, which includes a business element. We took on ten apprentices this year and the programme is geared to produce highly skilled mobile engineers with the opportunity to specialise.
WLN - I gather from all this that there's been something of a cultural transformation at Briggs. Can you tell us about it?
Organisationally, we've introduced an open, honest and flatter management structure. There were several management layers before, now there are three layers of people altogether - employees, first line management and directors.
WLN - What's it like working at Briggs now?
You'd have to ask the staff! We stand with our employees, work with them and share with them. We have an open communication style: we can tell our people everything, as we're not bound by stock market confidentiality. We share our Profit and Loss figures every month and talk about short term and medium term strategy. When we bought the company, we took a week out and visited all the employees, including our depots in Scotland and Liverpool. We also have regular company meetings and monthly employee newsletters.
WLN - When did you get involved as CEO?
I was previously President of Europe at Nacco and before that with Lex, where I was on the 'retail' side, so I know both points of view - manufacturer and service provider. When Finning came on the market, I got together with Briggs in the US to acquire the Finnings business in the UK.
 WLN - This interview will appear in our FLTA Safety Conference guide. How important is safety as part of the Briggs Equipment proposition?
Safety is highly important - if we can't help provide a safe environment for our clients' employees or their customers, we've failed. We have expertise in site surveys and safety advice about products and on-site operations. Most customers these days have the same philosophy and want to exceed the basic minimum safety standard.
WLN - How do your solutions incorporate safety?
We provide equipment and procedures designed for individual clients, supported by full documentation and training. We take into account all the technical aspects in designing solutions, including specifying and enhancing trucks for particular applications, provided through our in-house specialists. For example we provide items such as intelligent clamps for handling white goods. It comes down to ensuring we understand the client's business and acting as consultants rather than salesmen.
WLN - How easy is it to suggest a client changes the way they work, if the situation demands?
It's much easier if you can show that the present set-up is unsafe and a potential risk. It's much more convincing than showing how they can save money, but ideally you should do both!
WLN - What are you doing at the FLTA Safety Conference?
We're highlighting the importance of thorough site surveys and presenting our new warehouse product range, the new Cat reach truck. For the record, the Finning environment we inherited was highly professional and very safety conscious.
WLN - Are you involved with FLTA and other industry bodies over and above this?
Yes, I'm now Vice President Development and Member Services of BITA. Briggs Equipment UK actively supports industry bodies like FLTA and BITA, and we'd like to do more. BITA plays a major role in developing and enhancing the engineering aspects of industrial truck products, including safety, emissions and quality, and setting industry standards.
WLN - Going back to safety, what specific safety-related services do you offer clients?
We carry out risk assessments, including testing of portable appliances and Health and Safety audits. We work with customers to reduce accidents and damage costs: safety is a clear concern across our customer base. We have a big training operation at Cannock, and our engineers also go on site.
WLN - In your drive to be customer-led, you have set up a new division based on a customer's specific needs. Can you tell me about this?
A customer in the road transport industry had issues with its ancillary equipment on its commercial vehicles and needed a truly national level of service for the tail lifts and other vehicle-mounted lifting equipment (VMLE) fitted to its fleet of over 10,000 commercial vehicles. Since May we have had the contract to manage and maintain their fleet, which we service through our new VMLE Division. We have mobile service engineers operating from Aberdeen to Exeter. Based in Cannock, it's a niche service, which we intend to develop by offering it to major customers alongside our core forklift business.
WLN - Turning to the specific CAT products you sell in the UK, can you tell me about any new innovative products?
The most important one is the new NR14-25N reach truck range, which replaces the old Cat reach trucks. They are all electric, with lifting capacity from 1.4 to 2.5 tonnes. The new trucks offer high visibility masts, which look very different: the hydraulic cylinders are in the mast profile, giving the operator greater accessibility and visibility. Of the other safety-related features, the cab has an overhead guard; the drive speed progressively reduces as the mast extends; there is curve control and progressive steering; the battery is on rollers for quick changing.
The new range is available now and the safety aspects of the new range are being presented at the FLTA Conference on 27th September.
WLN - Looking at the bigger picture, what external factors do you see impacting on the Briggs Equipment UK business?
The first question is whether the industry will undergo more consolidation. Linde Materials being bought by private equity is the biggest issue. Manufacturer-driven distribution is polarising between big operators like Toyota and Linde and niche players like Nissan and Doosan-Daewoo. With more polarisation to come, there's an even bigger opportunity to provide excellent customer service, which is the gap we want to fill.
The other big external factor is China. Most large brand names manufacture lift trucks from small factories around Europe: in five years' time China will be here in a big way.
WLN - Finally, where do you see Briggs Equipment UK going from here?
Ultimately, the Briggs proposition is to guarantee a level of customer satisfaction not previously seen in the industry.
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For further information about this company's activities in the warehouse and logistics industry please contact:
Briggs Equipment UK Ltd
Tel: 08702 430 067
www.briggsequipment.co.uk |
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