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We went behind the scenes at TPS Gatwick to chat with newly appointed TPS Centre Manager, Daniel Boulter, about how he is settling into the role. Having taken over in August, Daniel is already implementing plenty of new ideas and initiatives, with his aim to keep TPS Gatwick among the high-flying centres in the network.
How are you settling into the new role?
I took over TPS Gatwick in August. Since taking over in the role I have introduced a few changes to the system, but the general consensus seems positive so far... or at least that’s what they tell their new boss!
Tell us more about the team?
We have 25 in the team. They are a good team and I have been nothing but impressed since I joined. We have been having a regular monthly get together, dress down Fridays and there are plans to begin an inter-branch football tournament as well. The team is very focused with everyone aware of what they are here to do, what our shared goals are and the part they have to play in achieving them.
What other initiatives have you introduced?
TPS and our investor group, Harwoods, both place a strong value on sustainability, so we are looking to become more efficient and environmentally conscious in the way we work. We are constantly asking if something needs to be printed, using in-house suppliers to create a much more stable recycling scheme, installing eco-friendly hand dryers and moving almost all of our reporting to a digital environment. They are gradual changes but combined they will have a dramatic effect on both our carbon footprint and our business efficiency.
Tell us about your customer base?
We cover a fairly large region and TPS Gatwick effectively slots in to cover the territory between TPS Croydon and TPS Brighton. It’s a strong region with seven Volkswagen Group specialists alone in our area. We also work with smaller sized operations but who still have Genuine Parts requirements. For instance, one customer operates out of a small unit with one ramp, but still buys over £100,000 of parts, such is his insistence on using Genuine Parts. We also have tuning and performance centres among our customers, including QSTuning and their halo vehicle, the Audi R8 V10.
That sounds intriguing, tell us more about QSTuning?
QSTuning are a long-established tuning and performance specialists. They are real Genuine Heroes to their customers as they go above and beyond the standard specifications which puts their customer vehicles in a completely different league to most. The Audi R8 V10 belongs to Alex Collins, son of owner Kim Collins, and is a twin turbo fed monster putting over 1400bhp to the ground! While that is an absolute beast of a car and won this year’s Brighton Speed Trials, they do also cater for the more run of the mill service and maintenance for their customers. This is where we come in, with Volkswagen Group Genuine Parts being top of the list for any job! They buy 90% of their parts from us and they say we are crucial to their business.
What do you think generally appeals about TPS Gatwick to your customers?
The strong customer relationships we build are one of our key plus points. It’s about being Genuine Heroes to our customers through delivering excellent customer service. It’s why I have been encouraging the team to get out and visit customers, get to know their businesses more and find out how we can best meet their business needs. We go above and beyond for our customers by ensuring they get the right parts, on time and fitting first time for the required job in hand. We take great pride in achieving that goal and it’s the benchmark for always delivering great customer service.
Finally, what are the plans for the future?
We are already a well-established TPS Centre, so the plan is to keep doing what we do well, remain efficient and look to stay ahead of the curve. It’s important to keep it as simple and efficient as possible, while always remaining fully committed to delivering excellent service to our customers. If we do that, it’s win-win all around for everyone involved.
