A FAMILY AFFAIR See Petrol Post Driver and check out the Westermann range of equipment at
www.spapowermachinery.com.
just wasn’t suitable. So in 2015, three years after we took the product on, we came out with this design which allows for larger and differently shaped posts up to four inches.”
SPA has had the exclusive right to market the Easy Petrol Post Driver throughout Europe since 2012. That’s a pretty sizeable territory, so how many are you selling nowadays?
“We’re currently on serial number nine thousand and something. The majority of those sales have been since 2015. It now averages around a thousand units a year and it continues to grow – we sold over 1,100 last year,” says Laurie.
The power machinery and landscaping businesses sit side by side on a south Sheffield industrial estate, Laurie running the former and brother Alex the latter – Simon still comes in at least three days a week, while mum Pamela looks after the company accounts. This paints a cosy picture, although families don’t always get along so famously. Laurie only joined the firm ten years ago, so how has it been?
“It’s been amazing,” Laurie answers without hesitation. “My brother and I are very close in age – I’m the eldest, but Alex is probably more the grown-up. SPA has been the conversation around the dinner table since we were tots. As a teen, I’d come in to help with the filing and accounts, while Alex would in the workshop. It’s been part of our lives for as long as I can remember. We genuinely get along like four sides of the same coin – we all have different roles, which I think helps!”
Speaking of assistance, how have your physics qualifications been of use in your role?
“My education has been very advantageous in helping me to sell technical machinery. You wouldn’t believe the number of times that I’ve had to get into an engine to investigate why a carburetor isn’t working properly, or why a belt has become slack. Physics involves a lot of mathematics, but it also gives you a great understanding of how things work.”
Even without the benefit of tertiary education, I should think a predilection for machinery is a common theme throughout
plant & tool hire. Moving on, and Westermann is a more recent addition, joining the SPA range in 2018. It isn’t an obvious choice, so what’s the story there?
“As a company, we like to buy direct from manufacturers and, at the very least, have the UK distribution rights for every product that we take on. We were never going to buy a different type of lawn mower, as there are already plenty of those. We prefer products that fill gaps in the market, which perform jobs in a different way or operate more safely, and the Westermann range helped to achieve that. Westermann is a close second after the Post Driver.”
SPA now markets much of the Westermann portfolio in the UK and Ireland, the most popular in hire being the Honda-powered WR870 Moss Brush. Also likely to prove popular, the sub-£1,000 WKB330 clears right up to walls and kerbs, with a battery version coming soon. With the landscaping business experience and such equipment in the range, haven’t you ever been tempted to design your own?
“Not as such, but we have helped to research and develop many of the products that we sell. It’s all about application in this country, so we designed different tools and adaptors for the Post Driver. Westermann was predominately selling to farmers, but we took the product on knowing that we could develop it for UK weed and moss contractors – our moss is completely different to moss in Germany, by the way.”
They are obviously doing something right, the entire business growing from around £600K ten years ago to turning over around £4.5m p/a presently. The preference for finding and marketing products that fill niches, or do things differently, is to be admired. Lastly, then, what’s the shape of the business going forward?
“It’s always going to be a family firm, says Laurie. “We are a four-part ownership, with a great succession plan. Alex and I always say that we could do with another couple of brothers and sisters, as there’s never enough time to do everything. Both brands are still relatively new, so our plan is to keep growing, finding new customers and new markets. However, after 40 years it’s fair to say that we have found our groove.” n
The Petrol Post Driver is indeed 'Easy' to use.
SPA Power Machinery - Profile
Post Driver attachments have been designed for UK & European users.
but it also gives you a great understanding of how things work
‘‘
Physics involves a lot of mathematics,
’’
October 2022 - Executive Hire News 29
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