Busch UK Pumps Up The Volume

As the one year anniversary of managing director Ian Graves’s arrival approaches, Telford based Busch UK takes stock of a period which has seen the company develop into a more proactive, people focused organisation.

Busch’s UK operation, established in 1971 and based on Hortonwood, focuses on the distribution and servicing of a comprehensive range of vacuum pumps, low pressure compressors and systems which are manufactured in Germany, the USA and Switzerland.

Ian’s objectives when he took over the reigns were to implement a step change in Busch’s capabilities and a widening of activities. He planned to strengthen the customer focus with dedicated strategies for internal processes, people development and new IT systems.

The customer focused orientation has now spread right through the organisation and embedded itself in the very culture of the UK company.

Ian says: “The company has come on leaps and bounds in what is essentially a fairly small amount of time. We’ve gone from a very reactive situation to one where we are listening to our customers and providing them with solutions that directly address their requirements.”

Busch’s UK headquarters is home to the operational and marketing team as well as a workshop in which dedicated service engineers carry out repairs and restoration work.

Increasingly, Busch’s customers are using the Shropshire centre to bring back to life equipment which might otherwise have been discarded.

One of Ian’s first initiatives was to recruit marketing manager Parmjeet Dosanjh who works closely with him to ensure his vision is achieved. “I felt it important that we bring in someone to spearhead our marketing and Parmjeet has worked wonders in conceiving and implementing a strategic marketing plan.”

Ian has ensured every employee is given the opportunity to develop and grow. The company is currently working towards the Investors in People award having invested heavily in staff training. Internal training is provided on company products and technology, and funds are made available to staff interested in pursuing professional qualifications.

Busch is also working with Salford University in Manchester in support of a specialist course in pump engineering due to run from September this year.

One initiative the company is particularly proud of is its Productivity Week, where workshops focus on teamwork and breaking down barriers between departments. Ian says: “Our staff are now more knowledgeable, confident in their ability to perform a good service and ultimately happy in their work.

“Communication is essential and I’ve made inter-departmental meetings a mandatory addition to the monthly calendar, as well as introducing a company Intranet and newsletter.”

Busch’s investment in its workforce has been recognised at this year’s Shropshire Business awards where they were runners up in the People Management category.

Appreciating the need for a strong online presence the company launched an updated version of its website www.busch.co.uk in the winter, containing easy to navigate information on products, systems, services and applications.

The next phase of the Busch’s strategy is to maximise sales opportunities among the existing customer base and to gain greater market share in its new and existing market sectors.
To help achieve this, Ian has recently appointed a new sales manager, Mark Sumnall, to lead the charge.

Mark joins Busch from Sheffield based RM&C Ltd where he held a similar position having previously built a name for himself as sales and marketing director for energy controls group, 02.