NEWS
Stars – the Tascomp team at their premises in Stockton .
UNDER THE
RADAR
WORDS : COLIN YOUNG PIC : CHRIS BOOTH
But global stars Tascomp are ready to raise local profile
When your client list includes a
multitude of businesses and industries from across the globe , perhaps it is easy to forget that your best customers are right on your doorstep .
Since 1981 , the team at Tascomp have supplied control and monitoring systems from their Billingham base to businesses in the manufacturing and process industries all over the world .
Managing director Ashley Tizard , one of a number of long-serving senior members of the Tascomp team , knows the company has made its imprint globally . Now , after recognition in the Tees Tech Awards , they are looking to make the same impression in the Tees region .
Unprompted , Ashley can reel off an impressive rollcall of the organisations and products that rely on the company , which is based on Belasis Hall Technology Park .
“ We deal with so many different customers and industries ,” Ashley says . “ I ’ ll give you a whistlestop tour of some of the companies we work for and the different types of products they have . I hope you have good shorthand .”
Thankfully , there is a recording device on hand as he races through the clients , barely pausing for breath as the diversity of their business base becomes apparent . Here goes … Tascomp supplies control systems for manufacturers of pharmaceutical drugs , fighter canopies , power stations clutches and engines .
And for manufacturers of air filters , sausages , pillows , greeting cards , car parts , luxury handbags , sandwiches and high-end office furniture .
Let ’ s not forget those in the industries of air traffic control , roofing joists , slug pellets , stair lifts , vending machines , recycling plants , titanium products , respirators , cardboard packaging , patio decking and medical curtains .
And , last but not least , for those who produce barbed wire , vitamins and supplements , steel products for the nuclear industry , Fisherman ’ s Friends , Martini - I ’ ve thrown those ones in as recognised company names – whisky bottling , rail fixings ...
“ The spread is huge and always interesting ,” reflects Ashley . “ When you are on the frontline providing support , in one day you might deal with five different customers , each in a different industry .
“ One of the first companies I worked with when I joined 29 years ago was Cummins Engines and we are still working with them now .”
Darlington-based Cummins is just one of the local businesses Tascomp has assisted . Now , after being finalists for Company of the Year at the Tees Tech Awards , and as the company looks to celebrate its 40th year , the intention is to spread the word – or the letter P to be precise – to more businesses across the Tees region . The three Ps are at the core of Tascomp ’ s success over the last four decades and these systems are the envy of their global competitors .
Tascomp makes use of its own supervisory control and data acquisition ( SCADA ) software , the latest version of which is Prodigy . They are also the developers of PlantRun and PAMS software and systems .
PlantRun – OEE , machine downtime and manufacturing information systems
Prodigy – industrial automation SCADA software , test automation and control systems
PAMS – alarm management systems for airfield equipment
Ashley adds : “ We ’ ve been here for nearly 40 years and are an established international company but we are probably an unknown quantity in the local area . We want to change that .
“ We can sell our systems anywhere . We sold systems in Saudi Arabia and South Africa last year , but at the same time we can do a better job if we do it locally .
“ We employ graduates and apprentices from Teesside and if we help improve manufacturing in the Tees Valley , it will generate more work for us and mean we can employ more staff from the university and local colleges .
“ It becomes self-sustaining and helps the whole region . There is payback for everyone in the long run and it should keep rolling .”
Find out more at tascomp . com
40 | Tees Business