News
10 years of making a difference
fuel oil market
Initially working from a spare room, the company moved into an industrial unit at Kirkstall Forge in Leeds, an area first occupied by the Cistercian monks of Kirkstall Abbey 800 years ago.
“At this stage the team would not have believed that within 5 years the company would be the UK market leader in its field,” said sales & marketing director, Andy Spencer.
“But MechTronic’s three years at the forge saw the development of the first mechanical metering solution, the new VisiFlow manifold and the revolutionary SPGI (Smart Product Grade Indication System). It also delivered the MaxFlow electronic metering system with its simplified one cabinet approach that the industry now considers the bench mark.”
In 2007 when the River Aire burst its banks flooding the MechTronic building, the company moved to newer city centre premises which had the added benefit of parking for Leeds United matches!
Listening to customers, doing the simple things well and innovating
Further investment in cutting edge IT enabled the development of a facility in which rapid proto typing could be carried out. Coupled with the team’s flexibility and drive, these new resources allowed the company to take ideas from the field and bring them to market as products they could sell very quickly.
“MechTronic’s philosophy has always been to listen to customers, do the simple things well and to innovate,” said Andy. “This philosophy resonated with fuel oil distributors giving us a unique approach that would eventually deliver a fresh new look to the industry.”
In addition to first-class products, the company quickly realised that after sales support was just as important and MechTronic Technical Support was born. Known as MTS, this service team has rapidly increased in size in response to demand for planned/unplanned maintenance packages, similar to those offered by vehicle manufacturers. “The UK-wide team now has 12 people dedicated to providing class leading customer service,” added Andy.
Anniversary activities
Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, MechTronic will unveil its new OptiMate metering control system. “The next major step in the evolution of metering and delivery control, it will reflect big operational savings for distributors and much improved compliance with HMRC requirements on line contamination,” says Andy.
In June, 12 employees will cycle almost 80 miles in just one day for charity – some customers are rumoured to be tagging along too. Later in the year, all employees are invited to a day at York races.
“Time flies – that saying has never been truer, especially for those that were present when MechTronic was formed 10 years ago,” said Andy. “In the time ahead, the team looks forward to working with customers old and new to help ensure our industry is a more cost effective and safer place to be.’’