Professional Builders Merchant

Q How did you get into the industry and to your current position?

I have been involved in the pollution control industry for more than 30 years, practically all of that time with Klargester. I started out as a merchant merchandiser in the South West of England and was the fourth representative the company ever employed; I have been in sales and sales management ever since. I took on the role of Sales Director in 2008.

Q How do you feel the industry has changed in recent years?

In the early days the industry largely comprised of small independent manufacturers often operating on a local basis and quite often specialising in single product areas. Klargester became the first truly national supplier with depots in Scotland, Buckinghamshire and Devon, and the first really to embrace several products sectors.

We built our reputation on septic tanks and evolved into treatment plants, separators, pump stations and numerous other products
We were also the very first company to introduce packaged pollution control products to builders’ merchants, against significant resistance in those early days. One of my first jobs in the business was to establish a series of regional stocking distributors.

Like many products, in the intervening years, pollution products have become more commoditised and there is less distributor stocking now than there has ever been. We have changed our business model to deal with this and we now offer national distribution from three depots within 3-5 days, and the significant majority of our sales now go straight to site. However those merchants that do stock continue to enjoy real success.

Q What are the current challenges facing your company?

De-regulation within the pollution sector is a threat to the whole industry. As long ago as the 1980s, it was recognised that the inappropriate use of septic tanks — and in particular poorly designed or constructed soakaways — caused pollution to ground-water and water courses.

In 1993, a report generated by CIRIA confirmed this and made recommendations about improvements.  Revised building regulations and further government guidelines issued in March 1999, fully supported and monitored by the Environment Agency (EA), led to change and demonstrated real progress.

However, in 2010, the regulations for the permitting and monitoring of domestic installations was centralised and local monitoring by the EA was largely abandoned. Product selection is now largely in the hands of the installer. The early evidence is that there will again be a greater use of less expensive septic tanks and I believe a return to problems of the past with septic tank soakaways failing.

Undeniably, there is a commercial penalty to Klargester if we sell septic tanks instead of treatment systems, but having visited many hundreds of sites in the last thirty years where homeowners are living with septic tanks systems that will never work, I know the regulators are repeating mistakes of the past.

Q What has been your biggest challenge so far?

The current economic circumstances have been difficult and have thrown up all sorts of challenges, but working through them has been rewarding. However, the biggest challenge is ongoing and common to many market leaders — in setting the benchmarks, you become a target; the challenge is to maintain leadership in core areas to refresh and advance continually.

In recent years, we have significant advances with new products and without doubt the next big opportunity for Klargester and merchants alike is rainwater harvesting. We are very bullish about this sector as it present a selling opportunity for every new house built in the country, every social housing project, every commercial project and — increasingly — every property refurbishment.
The challenge for us is to make rainwater harvesting understandable, and we are a long way down that road now.

Q Which individual has influenced you most in your career?

Too many to mention!  I have worked for and alongside many good people and have tried to learn something from everyone. I remember three particular pieces of advice from two directors and a customer.

After only 12 months in the business, the then Sales Director told me I was doing well and if I kept working hard I could have a long career with Klargester — prophetic. The second piece of advice was from a previous MD: “Listen to everyone’s opinion but form your own and act on it.” However, the third and probably most important was from an engineer named Tom Trow who worked for Severn Trent Water Authority. His advice: “Never take your customer for granted.”

Q What has been the highlight of your career to date?

Indisputably, it has been playing an integral and important part in the development of the Klargester name as a heritage brand in the UK. It has been a life’s work. We have done that by developing a widely-specified brand, and by building a sales team that develop those specifications into sales for merchants
However, after all these years there is still nothing quite as good as winning an important order — or quite as bad as losing one.

Q Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?

Continuing my life’s work!

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