SERVICES
Loyalty- directors Mark James, left, Katrina McManus and Dave James say Fleet Factors is more a family than a workforce.
But it’ s about so much more than parts and sales nowadays, with roles in marketing, accounts, health and safety, IT, sales, stock inventory and warehousing all part of the Fleet Factors operation.
And key to it all is the Fleet Factors team – 420-strong and one that has the“ quality, service, value” mantra instilled in it from the start.
Of those 420, around 100 are based on Teesside – 85 at Middlesbrough HQ and the others at Portrack Lane, Stockton.
And as we talk to three of its six strong directorship team, Grangetown trio Dave James, Katrina McManus and Mark James, it’ s clear it’ s more of a Fleet Factors family than simply a workforce.
Take Dave, for example. A proud Teessider, he joined on a YOP in 1979 earning £ 20.50 a week.
Forty-six years on, he’ s still here, munching on a Upex pie as we talk and just as dedicated as he’ s always been about doing his best for the team.
He won the Lifetime Achievement award at the second annual Tees Business
Awards but he’ s too modest to mention that as we chat, preferring instead to talk about the job and the people he works with.
He said:“ We’ re passionate about what we do and we want that passion to shine through in the young people we bring in.“ When you see some of the people who are still with us now after more than 20 years’ service, and you see the jobs they do and the people they’ ve matured into, it’ s satisfying for the board to see that we’ ve been able to give them an opportunity, but they’ ve been strong, talented and willing enough to grab hold of that opportunity.
“ We invest heavily in young people and the older people we employ have generally been here for a very long time.
“ So if there are enthusiastic young people out there looking to try and stabilise a career for themselves, then as a company, we’ ve got 50 years’ history that can be endorsed by the length of time some of our people have worked for us.“ We want our customer base to see that we are an investor in Teesside.”
One reason the firm has grown so much, he believes, is because of its Teesside foundations.
He explained:“ As we moved into other areas, we predominantly exported Teessiders to develop the business.
“ Their work ethic and methods took Fleet Factors into those other areas and helped make us successful.”
Mark, who first joined Fleet Factors in 1990, enthuses about the sheer variety of services the firm now provides.
He said:“ Although people predominantly recognise us as being motor parts and truck and trailer
We’ re passionate about what we do and we want that passion to shine through in the young people we bring in.”
specialists, we now supply everything from fully embroidered PPE to garage equipment and the refinish market, as well as the facilities management side.”
And Katrina, who started at Fleet Factors 36 years ago and designed the 50th anniversary logo, stresses that being part of the company isn’ t just about dayto-day business.
Social events are organised for staff, including golf days, football tournaments, charity walks and a recent bowling event at Hollywood Bowl which saw staff from around the country get together to celebrate the company’ s 50th anniversary.
Fleet Factors are proud patrons of the Teesside Charity, there’ s also an ongoing programme of helping good causes through its community fund, with the likes of the James Cook Hospital, Zoe’ s Place baby hospice, Grangetown Boxing Club, and many local schools and foodbanks among the beneficiaries.
But at the heart of Fleet Factors’ enduring success is a commitment to customer service – and, 50 years on, it remains like one big family, albeit a more far-flung one nowadays, that stands by its people.
Mark said:“ We’ re still as passionate about working here as when we first walked through the door and that’ s what we try to instil in our young people.”
Visit fleetfactors. co. uk
The voice of business in the Tees region | 103