MIDDLESBROUGH
Leadership – Fleet Factors directors Mark James( left), Katrina McManus and Dave James.
on it – a nod to the company’ s origins and an eye-catching reminder of that“ quality, service, value” mantra.
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 in neighbouring Stockton.
And it’ s still very much a family business, with the late Mike Hunter’ s sons both on the board – Barnaby as director and Joe as MD.
Joe said:“ We’ ve become a one-stop shop for facilities management and the philosophy is to keep it simple and customer-focused.
“ If a customer wants it, we find it, as well as managing their procurement, looking after their paperwork and reducing their administration costs.
“ But the most important factor of all is our people – and we made sure we built our team around that Teesside work ethic.”
And it’ s a commitment to its people, as well as the quality of service it provides, that continues to serve it so well.
As we talk to three of its six strong directorship team, who all hail from nearby Grangetown – 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( Youth Opportunities Programme) in 1979 earning £ 20.50 a week. Forty-five years on, he’ s still here – and just as dedicated about doing his best for the team.
He told This Is Tees Valley:“ We ' re still 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.”
Mark enthuses about the sheer variety of services Fleet Factors now provides.
He said:“ Although people predominantly recognise us as being motor parts and truck and trailer specialists, we now supply everything from fully embroidered PPE to garage equipment and paint to the refinish market, as well as the facilities management side.”
And Katrina, who designed the 50th anniversary logo, stresses that being part of Fleet Factors isn’ t just about day-to-day business- it also tries to do as much as it can for local communities. The Fleet Factors Community Fund was established by Fleet
Factors to support charitable causes and community projects primarily focusing on local needs within the communities surrounding their depot sites.
“ Since it began, we have donated to food banks, hospices, youth clubs, hospitals, community centres, local schools and many more,” she explains.“ Fleet Factors are also proud patrons of The Teesside Charity.”
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.
Dave said:“ It becomes more than‘ just a job’. We’ ve got lots of family members – we might have five or six families that have three, four, five people working for us, so Fleet Factors is just like a big extension.
Mark added:“ 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 the young people.
“ And that’ s why we like to promote within, because you know what you ' re getting and they buy into the beliefs of what Fleet Factors is built on.”
In short, a firm built on quality, service and value – and a commitment to its staff and customers.
Visit fleetfactors. co. uk 75