Spartan Motor Factors by tpg media

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE

Truck and PSV specialist motor factors Partic has some four decades of experience providing the servicing, replacement and hard parts that keep its customers’ fleets at work

The company s deep understanding of the pressures and stresses of it client base can be traced back to founder Christopher Robin Beard, who cut his teeth in the haulage sector before setting up Partic in 1979

He ran a fleet of trucks from the family farm,” explained Jack Beard, Christopher Robin’s grandson and Partic s operations manager, who adds that his grandfather was known locally as ‘Bob,’ rather than being named after a famous children’s book character

“He ran about ten wagons and had a lot of the work transporting breeze blocks My grandfather was one of the first guys to put a crane on the back of a truck ”

Frustrated by the difficulties he experienced sourcing parts to keep his vehicles at work, Bob began sourcing components directly, which in due course led to his beginning to supply other hauliers with components, and in due course this element of the business became increasingly important

Soon the Beard’s farm premises became the centre of a fast-expanding parts supply operation, although Jack confesses that in the very early days working conditions were quite basic “One of the guys who worked there was known as ‘Thermos, because he always had a Thermos flask It could be a bit cold!”

EXPANSION

By the time Bob’s son Ian had returned from university and joined the business, parts supply rather than haulage had become its core activity, and with that change came the need to expand In due course the company took on premises in Newark with 6,000sq foot of floor space and much improved comfort levels for staff and customers alike

Thermos flasks could now be left at home

Expansion has been a company watchword ever since To increase storage a further industrial unit has been secured at Newark, in the process doubling floor space and creating a beneficial knock on effect in terms of the quantity and variety of parts carried Partic also moved to expand its geographical reach, taking over a rival business in Lincoln

The company has since opened depots in Nottingham and Worksop, linking them with sophisticated back office and logistical systems to generate further efficiencies in supply and speed of parts distribution

Further expansion has seen customers served from sites at Melton Mowbray and Coleville in Leicestershire, so truck and bus operators in the heart of England can now make use of its suite of services and offers Complimentary to this core business has been the acquisition of a radiator and fuel tank refurbishing operation, and Partic continues to examine further potential avenues of growth and areas where it can enhance the service it provides to an ever-expanding client base

At the core of the business has been servicing the needs of tractor unit and trailer operators, but latterly the company has developed a strong passenger service vehicle portfolio Given the engineering similarities between trucks and PSVs and the intensive nature of their working lives, this has proved to be a comfortable fit Through all these developments the business model has remained consistent Partic specialises in the supply of quality OEM components and lubricants rather than cut price pattern items

LOCAL MARKETS, NATIONAL REACH

Constant stock monitoring and analysis means that the company is able to work both on a national and local level We try to have a broad range of parts, but the stock we keep will vary between depots,” said Jack Beard “Thanks to local operators’ preferences there are concentrations of vehicle types For instance in Newark we have a lot of customers who need Daf parts That s less of an issue in Works op

“We keep a wide range of items, from filters to body parts, and more specialist things like exterior mirrors (which are often vehicle-specific) These days we stock things like clothing, foot ware hand wash and radios There isn t a lot that we don t carry ” Specialist items are also kept in stock “We stock expensive valves that might only be wanted once or twice a year, but customers will need them, so we make sure they’re on the shelf,” said Jack Beard

He adds that the company takes pride in its ability to order a batch of parts rather than a single unit if this is what the customer needs Partic’s warehouses operate fleets of over thirty delivery vans that fan out in sectors that are around a 25 mile radius from their home bases, where possible offering same day delivery with a 5pm order cutoff and next day delivery after that

The company is also a member of the UAM United After Market specialist motor factor buying group, which gives its clients nationwide access to parts, so should a vehicle hit trouble away from home, Partic can source appropriate high quality parts from accredited motor factors outside its normal trading area, leading to seamless billing and the ability to quickly return trucks to operation

““Our customers know that prices will be the same wherever they are,” said Jack Beard.

STILL IN THE FAMILY

Today Partic is still overseen by the Beard family. When Bob retired he enjoyed an active life after returning to his first love of farming (although until recently his wife XXX continued to look after Partic’s books). Today his son Ian is managing director. Grandson Jack, who also spent time away from the business to study XXX at university, is also fully engaged with steering the company. Both Ian and Jack know the business inside out because they’ve worked in most areas of it.

With a 70-strong headcount of staff the company has an enviable skills base, with many employees having been with the business for twenty years plus. That expertise has been fed back into ensuring that clients get the parts they want quickly and efficiently.

With a view to ensuring continuity and creating a skills and knowledge base for the future so that these skills are passed on and developed, Partic is working towards an apprenticeship scheme for parts sales that will give a new generation the knowledge and interpersonal skills needed to serve some of the aftermarket’s most demanding customers.

IT’S ALL IN THE NAME

The Beard family and their staff have a strong sense of responsibility for their clients. After all, contracts, business success and jobs all depend on their providing the best service and best range of components possible. Partic’s reputation depends on their skills too, and that means dealing efficiently with an ever-changing set of challenges.

“No two days are ever the same,” said Jack Beard, “but that’s why the job is always interesting.” As for the company’s distinctive name: “It’s short for ‘parts for artics,” said Jack Beard, although as it customers know, Partic does a lot more besides.

A truck in the workshop doesn’t earn money.

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