FEATURE
Printing – SBT offers an in-house branding service for all PPE and workwear .
Products on top – SBT sells and leases vending machines , which can act as an inventory management system for your firm ’ s staff to easily access engineering , PPE or hygiene products .
We are adapting and growing to ultimately reduce costs , improve lead times and increase effectiveness for our customers . technical and digital side that goes with it .
“ When we introduce things like vending machines on site and scanned product inventory management , which is a lot more data-driven , you have two separate worlds – procurement teams and your engineers – so as a trusted single-source supplier , it ’ s all about finding that middle ground .”
Sitting in the back office , Martyn and Pat admit it ’ s a world away from when they set the firm up .
Pat said : “ When we started , it was just me and Martyn . I was inside and he was outside , doing sales .
“ Often , to call me back , he had to find a red phone box on the corner with a phone that worked !
“ We didn ’ t have computers or mobile phones and every invoice had to be hand-written – but we ’ ve managed by continually adapting .”
Martyn added : “ We don ’ t think anything of it , really – you just adapt and get on . And it will be different again in 10 years ’ time .”
In the here and now , though , business is booming , with the SBT team recently enhanced by the recruitment of level 3 business administration apprentice Jordan Fletcher , who came via Stockton Riverside College , new full-time delivery driver Barry “ Baz ” Haggas and , in external sales , Trevor Heselton .
Sales boss Dan stresses they ’ re a service-first supplier , saying : “ More and more customers expect more and more from you , so it ’ s not just ‘ get an enquiry , choose a part from the shelf and ship it out ’ – it ’ s now the full service that goes with that .
“ There ’ s a big emphasis on sustainability now and we help customers achieve their goals .
“ So , rather than firms getting 20 products from 20 suppliers and receiving 20 deliveries on site , from a single-source supplier like us , they get 20 products from one supplier .
“ And because it ’ s one delivery , one supplier , one van , one invoice point and one purchase order , it ’ s all hidden cost savings to the customer .
“ And while you might get next-day delivery from your current supplier , how about same-day delivery from SBT ? With more than £ 1m of product on the shelf , why wait ?
“ From critical spares to expert technical advice , people can count on us – backed by our dedicated manufacturing partners to keep your business moving without disruption .”
Another real success has been the SBT shop – relocated from its previous site on Middlesbrough ’ s Riverside Park and full of an ever-changing range of branded workwear , PPE , tools and engineering parts , as well as offering an in-house branding service for all PPE and workwear . Since it opened last October , there ’ s been a 60 % increase in footfall and a 145 % increase in orders .
Because you can just drop in , rather than having to book an appointment , and because of the vast amount of stock held on site , the chances are a customer will either go away clutching what they wanted , or having placed an order for it .
You can even buy or lease a vending machine – not for crisps and chocolate ,
but as an inventory management system for your firm ’ s staff to easily access engineering , PPE or hygiene products .
And if stock isn ’ t selling , it ’ ll quickly be moved off the shop floor .
Martyn explained : “ We ’ ve introduced the full range of Scruffs footwear , for example , because we realised the footwear we had in before wasn ’ t what people wanted , so we move as required – we won ’ t stock a range that doesn ’ t sell . It ’ s all about what the customer wants .
“ We ’ re fairly quick to see what ’ s moving and what isn ’ t – we don ’ t just leave it there and hope it will sell if the evidence isn ’ t there .
“ And feedback for the store ’ s been really good . People pass it on to their organisation and the word spreads .”
Indeed , the shop is another example of how SBT skilfully bridges the gap between the old and new engineering schools .
Dan added : “ During this period of change within our old-school traditional ways and modern digitisation , we are constantly evolving as a business .
“ We are adapting and growing to ultimately reduce costs , improve lead times and increase effectiveness for our customers .”
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