Simon Tullett trading as Simon Tullett Machinery Ltd set up in business in 1990 with a little bit of financial assistance from the father in law and hasn’t looked back since. Landscape & Amenity Product Update caught up with him at his base in Aston Cantlow, Warwickshire and found a man content with his lot and loving what he does.

Simon commented “ I started with a very good product in the SCAG range and we have grown together to where we are today with a turnover approaching £3m. The SCAG product range is highly regarded and recognised as being well engineered. In my opinion it’s the product that sells.

We don’t sell on price and I am not prepared to buy business. We sell what is a very good product, very hard. I am a big believer in the maxim ‘try before you buy’ and we travel the length and breadth of the country giving demonstrations to our existing and potential customers”. Simon Tullett Machinery Company Limited (STM) is the sole distributor of SCAG equipment in the UK and several European countries, the UK distributor of Humus mulching equipment, UK distributor of Mählers Bemab street sweepers, snow ploughs and spreaders and also the UK distributor for the Boki range of Gravediggers from Kiefer.

Simon continued “My philosophy is that whilst the economic outlook may be difficult at present the grass still has to be cut and machinery is always needed to cut it. I do believe that the UK ground care market will remain robust based mainly on the municipal sector.

We do sell a very good product range but I am always conscious of providing a well run back-up spares service and we have in place, both in house and through our dealer network of over 20 outlets, a spares service regarded as second to none. At our operation here in Warwickshire we probably hold at any time spares to the value of £300k. I am a big believer in our dealer network but we do sell direct to the end user in Scotland. We have to continually look at the service we offer.

The ground care market is very competitive and we are always looking at ways of adding value for the client. We have recently introduced the addition of a complementary tool kit with every machine to make the users life easier. They are increasingly becoming the driver of the purchasing decision. Control of costs is also vital to the running of an efficient business and we have only had one price increase in the last four years.

My time these days is mostly spent as support for the sales team who do an excellent job for the business but I am kept busy in other areas of the company. My Golf has definitely suffered as a result. but I do unwind with shooting in the winter months and I also have a love of woodworking put to good effect in and around the family home.

The industry we are in is mostly what I would describe as friendly and competitive but sometimes we suffer from dubious actions. Personally I am really only interested in our own business and feel we are doing ok. I am a strong believer in exhibitions and although they come at a cost I see them as an essential part of our sales and marketing effort. I am a fan of Saltex in particular.

We will continue to support the shows which give us product exposure to potential new customers and also the opportunity to entertain and thank our existing customers. We continue to look for ways of adding the right product to our range and have recently introduced the Niko remote controlled bank mower which is capable of working at angles of up to 50degrees” Simon concluded by making the point that all debts had been paid.

For more information on STM products & services visit www.st-mach.co.uk