NEWS EXTRA
TALKING ABOUT MY (NEXT) GENERATION
21 years after it was first established, off-mains drainage specialist Marsh Industries is developing for the future, as Fiona Russell Horne found out.
TIMING IN BUSINESS, as with comedy, can be everything. Steve Boyer, taking stock of the newly expanded Bridgewater site of Marsh Industries, the off-mains drainage specialist he and wife Pauline founded from their spare room in 2005, says: “It’s time. It’s the right time.”
What ‘it’ refers to is the restructuring of the company, announced at the end of January. This will see Boyer moving on from his role of managing director, taking a more strategy-focused, back-seat role as chairman. Lydia Beaumont, the Boyers’ daughter, moves into the managing director’s chair, having been commercial director. Son-in-law Ollie Beaumont moves up to sales director from national sales manager, while son-in-law Michael Harrison, currently business development manager, moves to an expanded role of business development director. Blake Croker will be site director at the Bridgwater operation, Kresnnick Hoxhaj fulfilling the same role for the Northamptonshire site. Julie Langford, formerly finance director at NMBS, will continue as financial & management advisor to Marsh, working closely with the board of directors and the senior management team, providing strategic financial insight and management expertise. Marsh Industries is family- owned and run, but it’s also a family company. Everyone who works there is part of the Marsh family, whether they be Boyer- related or not. “One of the things that I think has set us apart over the years has been the strength of our people,” Boyer says. “We’ve got a really good sales
to continuous improvement and operational excellence. Marsh›s Bridgwater site now operates from 6am - 10pm, these extended manufacturing hours ensures the Bridgwater team are now better positioned to manage increased demand, improve flexibility, and maintain consistently high service levels during peak periods. Boyer says: “I think we’re in really good shape. We’re profitable, we’ve been ok through this latest bout of recession. Covid didn’t affect our reserves. We’ve been able to continue to grow. We’re not carrying outside shareholders; it’s just the family. Nor do we owe the bank loads of money. We really do control our own destiny as much as a UK company can, bearing in mind all the external factors.”
team now. And I think one thing you’ll find in Marsh is we hang on to our people. I really believe that is helping us. We don’t have a churn of staff, we aren’t constantly having to retrain, and bring new faces in. Everybody we do bring in is from the industry. We haven’t felt the need to recruit someone from, say, Boots UK, on the grounds that if you can sell paracetamol, you can sell septic tanks. That’s not our way.” As well as the commitment to people, Boyer believes that investment in product quality is another thing that makes Marsh stand out amongst the competition. “We have 25 European Norm certificates, probably more than anyone else in our sector. We also have our own in-house pattern makers, a
February 2026
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father and daughter team, John and Jenny, who make all our moulds and models.”
The restructuring comes hot on the heels of a development at the Bridgwater site with the introduction of a dedicated back shift, increasing overall capacity and strengthening service levels for customers across the UK. This strategic investment enables the Marsh’s Bridgwater site to operate extended hours, increasing manufacturing output and enhancing dispatch efficiency. As a result, customers will benefit from faster lead times and quicker deliveries, helping projects remain on schedule and reducing downtime on site. The introduction of a second shift forms part of Marsh Industries’ ongoing commitment
A big push for the immediate future will be large pump chambers, something the investment in the Bridgwater site will facilitate. Beaumont says that lead times will become more essential. “I think the market will start to pick up, and when it does, everybody want everything yesterday. That’s where we’re going to score with our big sewage treatment plants and separators, because we’ve invested in the ability to cut those lead times, compared with others in the marketplace,” she says. Boyer adds: “And I think similarly, we will see through government legislation, more demand for big harvesting units from developers. Again, the work we’ve done on lead times will really put us in a good place.” Beaumont says: “We stuck to what we know best. We’re very single-minded in terms of sectors. We’re focused on a very niche product portfolio and we consolidate that; we improve it and polish it. But we haven’t been lured into saying, oh, well, we’re going to do oil tanks or we’re going to do this and that. Let’s stick to what we do - off mains drainage – and do it well. That has served us well now into 21 years.” Boyer adds: “That is a major thing. Pride in who we are, what we are and the market we serve. Commitment, and longevity. We’re still a family firm, but the family and the company have grown, and will continue to grow together.” BMJ
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