I had the pleasure recently to go and meet some of the team at Bishopsgate’s new workshop facility in Warrington. Bishopsgate’s focus has always been on providing added value services and this has, in the main, been delivered by our road crews. But we have been quietly developing and extending the number of added value services that we can provide back at base.
Some tasks are clearly better handled within a workshop environment where access to the internet and specialist equipment and machinery is easily accessible. And while our focus had previously been within the banking sector it is very clear to me now that our technicians and engineers have been quietly going out and offering our clients a much broader and affordable range of engineering services.
Whether this has been to install many different types of locking mechanisms to safes, commissioning ATMs, carrying out pre delivery inspections of cash counting machines, updating firmware for High Street Banks or assembling exercise bikes to facilitate indoor cycling classes live and on-demand., it is abundantly clear to me that our team has the skill set and most importantly the aptitude to take it on. As Mark Darlington, The Workshop Supervisor, explained to me, “I am quietly confident that we can do most things engineering – we just need to be trained on their specific product”
Mark joined Bishopsgate eight years ago having spent the previous 23 years working as a Warrant Officer within Her Majesty’s Courts Service. Initially this was out on the road but Tim Bloch, Bishopsgate MD, also shared the vision about expanding and developing the number of engineering services we can offer so he asked Mark to join the team
After 2 weeks intensive customer product training, it was back to the workshop as he was thrown into the deep end…with no armbands. Did he sink or swim? Mark took the role by the scruff of the neck and made it work. Moving into our new facility in Warrington, Mark set up the new workshop, wrote all the new ISO9001 procedures and created a team ethic that has proven to be a real success. Mark was quick to say to me that the key word is team. Some of the work is ‘technical’ which is where Jeff’s knowledge, capability and experience gained through many years working with major manufacturers in the security and banking industries is invaluable. We are supported by other cross trained personnel so that we can readily flex our resources in line with the changing demands of our clients. Nathan Harvey, the clients key account manager helps with the ‘commercials’ to make sure everything is affordable and brings the opportunities to us for evaluation.
It is very clear to me to see the importance of Mark, Jeff and Nathan’s role in the business as it enables us to provide a real end to end service that includes not only these engineering services but also the collection, storage, refurbishment, delivery, parts retrieval and/or WEEE disposal.
If you can see an opportunity for your business and have never really considered Bishopsgate as an option, speak to Graham or Nathan and let us see if we can help.
Mark’s words still resonate with me, “We just need to be trained on their specific product”
