Bowers Group has welcomed a few new additions to the company. Chris Baker joined the UK sales team as West Midlands area sales manager, and Dan Beaulieu has taken the position of East Midlands sales manager. In addition, former Mobile Metrology Centre demonstrations manager Dan French will be moving into a new role as South West sales manager.
Dave Smith, UK & Ireland sales manager commented: “We are really pleased to welcome the new recruits and wish them every luck in their new roles. We are currently experiencing an exciting phase in the growth of the business, and I’m excited to be able to drive the team forward during this time.” (L-R Chris, Dan F, Dan B)
This year, the Spear & Jackson Group are supporting Sheffield Children’s Hospital Charity Snowflake appeal, and will have their very own twinkling snowflake on the side of the Children’s Hospital over the Christmas period!
Supporting the charity in this way helps fund new facilities, vital research, specialist equipment, and goes towards assisting a comfortable, engaging setting to help thousands of children from across the UK and beyond. The snowflake switch-on takes place on 2nd December, and once lit-up we will share a picture of our snowflake for you all to see.
With social media being so very important to any business these days, Robert Sorby was delighted to announce its 8,000th YouTube subscriber in October. In a business where demonstration films are incredibly important, we’re proud to say our YouTube channel is a go-to resource for thousands of customers.
With a sign up average of more than 100 new subscribers each month and an incredible 14,000 films views every 30 days, our channel is on target to hit 2 million views by April.
The Spear and Jackson brand is a valuable asset and one that is proving very attractive to other companies in the home and outdoor living markets. The brand licensing partnership initiative began in 2014 and continues to gain momentum. This summer the S&J team attended the Brand Licensing Expo in Las Vegas to spread the word and seek licensing opportunities in the North American market.
Meanwhile back in the UK the following new licensees have recently joined the programme, including; ESG Eurosonic Group – High performance floor cleaners, KLR – Knife sets and Multi-Tools, and Xanlite – Outdoor lighting.
The Tea Room at Beamish Museum is the latest high-profile attraction to have its heating system protected with a BoilerMag XT industrial filter. G Roe Heating and Plumbing Services Ltd installed the BoilerMag, as well as three Ideal EvoMax 60kw LPG boilers, in the plant room of the museum’s Co-Operative buildings block, with the greatest demand coming from its
popular Tea Rooms.
Managing Director of G Roe Heating and Plumbing Services Ltd, Greg Roe said: “We consider installing a BoilerMag standard practice when we install any commercial plant, as it helps protect the new boilers during their working life. Although we always flush, clean and chemically treat the water during binstallation, the BoilerMag offers long term protection against sludge developing in the system. Any build up on sludge can decrease the output and efficiency of the boilers, so the BoilerMag helps the boilers perform efficiently long term. Modern boilers are becoming more compact, so have smaller water ways as a result. A smaller waterway is easier to become blocked, so the BoilerMag offers great peace of mind.”
Eclipse Magnetics has launched its new product guide which includes a variety of new items including magnetic workshop tools, magnetic pick up and retrieval tools, welding aids, and workholding and lifting products. Steve McAllorum, Sales and Marketing Director at Eclipse Magnetics said: “We are constantly striving to offer our worldwide partners new, innovative products which add value to their portfolios. We have, therefore, developed a new diverse selection of tools which apply magnetism to solve everyday problems in a wide variety of applications.”
Eclipse Magnetics has also launched the new Autofiltrex range of cost effective, automated filters. Available in 3 different sizes with features including fully automated cleaning and a magnetic reclaim unit, the range is ideal for most ferrous machining applications such as grinding, honing, lapping, forming and quenching. Described as the latest generation in cost-effective, high performance filtration, the Autofiltrex was exhibited at EMO Exhibition in Hannover, where it received high levels of interest and great feedback.
Students at the University of Wolvehampton’s School of Engineering are using a range of metrology equipment from Bowers Group, including Moore and Wright hand tools, to ensure the quality build and maintenance of Formula 3 cars. As the UKs first professional student motorsport team, the University of Wolverhampton Racing Team (UWR) is the only racing team to compete in the F3 Cup and the AR Morgan Challenge that uses students to design, manufacture, and race in a competitive environment.
Bowers Group is the official Metrology sponsor of the University of Wolverhampton Racing Team (UWR), and has donated over £10,000 of metrology instruments and hand tools to the team of engineering students, both for use in their dedicated temperature-controlled Metrology Lab and in their Live Project Area.
A busy Summer of prospecting for new business has seen the S&J team travelling extensively to develop new markets across the globe.
An initial business lead from our sister company ETM in Jiangmen has resulted in Qing Mu Metals of Hong Kong coming on board as distributor for Eclipse Professional Tools. Previously a distributor of a competitor, Mr Pon and his team were impressed by the quality and performance of the Eclipse range. Qing Mu have already doubled sales in the region and further range extensions look set to continue.
In Nigeria we recently held a dealer meeting and training program in partnership with C Woermann and subsequently a roadshow where the dealers in Onitsha conclusively demonstrated that the best performing Hacksaw blade was the Eclipse Predator. New Eclipse marketing materials are being prepared to help with further promotion in the region.
Meanwhile back in the UK and after a difficult couple of years following a change in ownership, Homebase are now firmly back with S&J products for 2020. Homebase have chosen S&J to underpin their garden tool offering in Digging, Cultivating and Cutting Tools. The range will be introduced in 600 stores starting in Spring 2020.
Bowers Group is pleased to announce the recent important changes to the structure of its management team. On 1st October 2019, Martin Hawkins was promoted to UK Sales Director, a step up from his previous role of UK Sales Manager. In addition, Dave Smith has been promoted to UK & Ireland Sales Manager, having previously held the title of Key Account and India Country Manager.
Steve White, Bowers Group Managing Director said: “We have implemented a number of changes to the structure of the Bowers Group Management team in order to refocus our efforts for the new financial year. Both Martin and Dave have been integral to the growth of the group during their time in the business, and I am very confident that both are ideally positioned to take their new roles forward with confidence and success.”
Martin Hawkins joined Bowers Group in 2016 in the capacity of UK Sales Manager and has been heavily involved in the development of the UK sales strategy, as well as driving the UK sales team forward during significant times of change and growth. As UK Sales Director, Martin will be responsible for driving the overall UK sales vision, developing key growth sales strategies, tactics and action plans, and leading the UK sales team to achieve their targets and objectives.
Dave Smith joined Bowers Group in 2017 as Key Account and India Country Manager. After significant sales success, Dave now steps into Martin’s former role as UK & Ireland Sales Manager, taking responsibility for key accounts, business development opportunities, and the management of the UK Area Sales Manager network.
After over 46 years of service, Eclipse Magnetics’ Production Manager Bob Buxton, has retired. Bob first joined the company in 1973 as a Technical Apprentice. He was just 16 years old. Bob spent his first-year training off the job, followed by an additional two years on the job in various departments, as well as attending Granville College and Sheffield Polytechnic (now Sheffield Hallam University) for day release education.
After completing his training, Bob decided to work in the Quality Assurance department. Then, after some time, he transferred to a role as Production Supervisor at Eclipse Magnetics, where he spent many years. Bob then took on a new challenge as Sales Manager for Industrial Magnets, before finally moving into his role as Production Manager to complete his working career.
Kevin Martin, Operations Director at Eclipse Magnetics said: “Bob has been a loyal, hardworking, and dedicated employee throughout his time with the Group and it has been a great pleasure to work alongside him. I would like to thank Bob for his contribution and commitment during his employment with Eclipse Magnetics, and I wish him every success and happiness in his retirement.”
