Latest News

January 2016

Tecalemit Stores and Despatch Manager Colin Ravensdale has worked for the company since 1973, during which we’ve had three different sites, five Managing Directors, and several recessions!

Colin started work with the company at the age of 19, after a short spell working for the railways and as a landscape gardener.

In those days, apparently, we had our own Job Centre, at the site we then occupied in Forder Valley Road, Plymouth.

Colin simply walked in and was employed as a packer.  He worked his way through the grades, eventually becoming a supervisor with a team of 40, before being appointed to his current position … a mere 15 years ago!!

It’s worth just thinking about that span of time – people who worked for the company for 30 years have been and gone, several of them many years ago!   Some are still friends, even though they’re no longer working for Tecalemit.

Colin has many stories about the company – including the good and the bad.

“At the Belliver site the drains were too narrow and in heavy rain the water gushed up through manhole covers flooding the shop floor and warehouse,” he remembers.   “The current site, with its modern design and facilities, is a world away from that!  It was like moving to another planet when we came here!”

He remembers the recession in the 1990s, when he and colleagues regularly worked seven days a week and pulled all-nighters to get critical orders out to customers. Today’s software-driven systems with their built-in scalability make it much easier to deal with peaks and troughs in the buying cycle.

Nowadays, Colin and his team despatch on average 40 parcels and 3-4 pallets of goods a night, plus a further 15-20 pallets through hauliers. Their highly computerised system is based partly on tablets – something he couldn’t even have dreamt of in 1973.

And retirement?  Hmm, he might consider it if he wins the lottery, he says – otherwise it’s a good few years off!  But he has given it some thought, he revealed … plans include buying a camper van and exploring France!

1973 – the year Colin joined Tecalemit.

1973 was a world very different to the modern one and for those customers and employees now in their 20s and 30s it might be challenging to imagine themselves in that environment.

There were no websites, no desktop computers, and no internet … all documentation was done on paper.  But Ceefax made its tentative first appearance, and if you don’t know what that is, Google it!

There were no mobile phones for the public, although on 3 April, executives of Motorola made the first mobile telephone call from handheld subscriber equipment to their collaborators in Bell Labs.

The UK still had a major car industry, and the Northern Ireland conflict was in full flood (100 soldiers died the year before and the mainstream parties tried to reach a political settlement in The Sunningdale Agreement, which ultimately failed).

It wasn’t a great year for the economy but it was a golden year for British TV, with the emergence of programmes that are still fondly remembered (and in some cases still being broadcast).  They included Some Mothers do ‘Ave ‘Em, Last of the Sumer Wine, That’s Life! and Whatever Happened to The Likely Lads? 

Are You Being Served? began a regular series following a successful pilot in 1972.  The pilot episode of Open All Hourswas broadcast and the ambitious Ascent of Man underlined the BBC’s supremacy in ‘serious’ broadcasting (Thames Television’s answer was The World at War).  Pat Phoenix (‘Elsie Tanner’) left Corrie after 13 years.  There was no cable or satellite TV, and with less choice and only a handful of Terrestrial broadcasters, audiences into the tens of millions were much more common.

The Morecambe and Wise Christmas Special that year featured cameo appearances by Yehudi Menuhin, Rudolf Nureyev, Laurence Olivier and Andre Previn.

Here’s a flavour of what else happened that year:

• The UK entered the European Economic Community.
• The Austin Allegro, VAT, The British Library, LBC, Pizza Hut, and Pink Floyd’s seminal Dark Side of the Moon album all made their appearance.
• The Government warned of possible petrol rationing because a Middle East oil crisis was restricting supply; the maximum speed on motorways was reduced to 50mph to conserve fuel; and following industrial action by the miners and a resulting coal shortage, a Three Day Week came into force at Midnight.

October 2015

Tecalemit will be attending the Mechanex Show at Sandown Park on the 10th & 11th November, come and visit us stand: E18.

Tecalemit will be exhibiting 2 new items from their extensive range of workshop testing and servicing equipment.

The new MDS-X emission tester is the most advanced DVSA approved emission tester in the UK. Approved to OMIL Class 00 4Gas analyser and Class 1 Category smoke meter with options which include NOx modules for both Petrol and Diesel engines.

Also on display is the new GTR 3000 8 camera wheel alignment system. GTR 3000 incorporates industry leading technology, generating accurate repeatable measurements and is simple and easy to use.

April 2015

Tecalemit Garage Equipment will be exhibiting at the Andrew Page Auto Insider Show on the 14th May 2015 at the Sandown Park in Surrey. We will be on stand: L4 from 10am – 5pm.

Among the products on display will be the Tecalemit laser wheel alignment system with database and our environmentally friendly clean up parts washer system. Also on the stand will be our 3.0t low rise scissor lift and new to the range on display will be the heavy duty Elite induction heating tool.

All products can be viewed on the Tecalemit website www.tecalemit.co.uk or for additional information call Tecalemit sales on 01752 219111.

April 2015

Richard Ashley Carter February 2nd 1935 – March 29th 2015

It was with much sadness that we announce the passing of Richard Ashley Carter, Tecalemit Sales Manager from 1987 and still working in a consultative role at the time of his death on March 29th 2015.

Richard was a much loved and respected colleague, mentor and friend whose encyclopaedic knowledge of the automotive industry left many in awe.

For a large part of his career with Tecalemit Richard specialised in turnkey projects designing and fitting out new workshop facilities with compressed air, lubrication and fume extraction systems to work alongside the workshop tools and equipment manufactured by Tecalemit.

Richard’s career in the garage equipment industry began in 1967 with Kismet Ltd of Bedford. There are many colourful tales of his time with Kismet but he was renowned for his prolific ability to sell workshop equipment. In 1980 Kismet was acquired by Laycock Engineering, among the principal assets was Richard or ‘RAC’ as many of us knew him. Laycock Engineering was in turn acquired by Tecalemit in 1987 and RAC moved seamlessly into the Tecalemit sales organisation undisturbed by the changes going on around him.

Richard continued. Working in his ever gentlemanly manner, generating reams of hand written correspondence to clients, suppliers and colleagues, Richard’s letters and notes became famed throughout the business. Richard had an easy going charm that eased him through the most difficult negotiations. No one who worked with him can recall even the slightest loss of composure, never a raised voice and challenges always dealt with complete calm and professionalism.

After his ‘official’ retirement in 2000, Richard was straight back to work, after a 2 week holiday, in his new consultant role and he continued this association until the time of his passing.
We all have fond memories or Richard and send our deepest sympathies to his family and friends.

Richard’s funeral will be held on the 24th April at 2.45pm, Crownhill Crematorium & Cemetery
Dansteed Way, Milton Keynes Buckinghamshire MK8 0AH

Philip Cledwyn
Sales & Marketing Director Tecalemit Garage Equipment Co Ltd

March 2015

Tecalemit is attending the Coach and Bus Live Show on the 30th September & 1st October and displayed on the stand you will find a variety of equipment, including 7.5T wireless mobile column lifts from Finkbeiner.

New this year will be our Haweka heavy duty wheel alignment, designed for use on buses and coaches and now offering, as an optional accessory, an ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control) calibration system. Also on display will be our lubrication station and DE9700 commercial vehicle brake tester, approved for both ATF and ATL testing. Visit us on stand B7 and speak to our knowledgeable salesmen who will be delighted to answer any questions about our products and service.

Tecalemit is the only equipment manufacturer to employ a nationwide team of service engineers, offering a unique level of service to all its customers. It also has an established network of overseas agents and distributors retailing and supporting its products throughout the world.

All products conform fully to all EC requirements and UK Department of Transport specifications.

February 2015

Sheffield garage owner Martin Dawson was all set to self-build an extension to his Neepsend garage in 2012 – but thieves had other ideas.  They stole the extension.

Now, more than two years after originally planned, the facility has finally opened.

Mr Dawson owns STM Automotive in Parkwood Road, and the extension was designed to create more space for the growing business – and to house a brand new, state-of-the-art MoT facility that would be one of the most sophisticated in the North.

In addition to servicing, repairs, diagnostics and body painting, STM Automotive specialises in the restoration of classic cars – and the sort of work which other garages find difficult, time-consuming or expensive.

It also carries out a lot of subcontracted work from garages around South Yorkshire, which is why more space was needed – but the MoT facility represented a heavy investment in a completely new area of operations.

“We intended to do as much of the building work ourselves as possible,” said Mr Dawson. “We had more than £20,000-worth of specialist steels supplied and they were cut to shape, prepared and ready to go in – when the whole lot was stolen, including the wagon that delivered them.”But Mr Dawson was not beaten – he ordered new steels, enhanced site security – and even slept in a caravan on the site for six months to ensure that the replacement materials weren’tstolen before they were installed in the building.

After a lengthy delay, the brand new MoT bay finally opened this month (February).  It is equipped with the latest computerised equipment from high-end British manufacturer Tecalemit and is so efficient that the entire operation can be run by a single fitter.

“It’s amazing technology and it makes MoT work very fast, and very accurate,” said Mr Dawson.  “Thanks to the thieves, it took over two years from placing the order to having the kit installed, but it was worth it in the end to have one of Yorkshire’s most up-to-date MoT facilities.”

February 2015

Tecalemit Garage Equipment will be exhibiting at this year’s CV Show at the NEC, Birmingham on the 14th – 16th 2015.

Tecalemit will be exhibiting servicing equipment selected from their extensive range. On display this year will be the ATF Approved testing equipment, Lubrication equipment, and lifting equipment. New to the Tecalemit range is the heavy dutyElite Induction heating tool, a serious piece of equipment for the CV workshop.  We will be delighted to meet with you on our stand to discuss any requirements for workshop equipment Stand 4F41.

All products can be viewed on the Tecalemit website www.tecalemit.co.uk or for additional information call Tecalemit sales on 01752 219111.

February 2015

Tecalemit Garage Equipment will be exhibiting at the Andrew Page Auto Insider Show on the 16th October 2014 at the Five Exhibition Centre in Farnborough. We will be on stand: H2 from 10am – 5pm.

Among the products on display will be the Tecalemit Laser Wheel Alignment system and our environmentally friendly clean up systems, the Eco friendly biological Parts Washer and the Bio Clean up system, which can be demonstrated on the stand.

Also on the stand will be our popular entry level Tiro Tyre Changer and Wheel Balancer Package.

All products can be viewed on the Tecalemit website www.tecalemit.co..uk or for additional information call Tecalemit sales on 01752 219111.

October 2014

Tecalemit Garage Equipment will be exhibiting at this year’s Eurobus Show at the NEC, Birmingham, on stand: F70 and will be showing several workshop products. The DE 9700 ATF approved brake tester with latest generation software will also be on display as well as the Tecalemit Eco friendly biological Parts Washer.

Tecalemit will also be exhibiting selected products from the extensive range including Finkbeiner ‘cable-free’ hydraulic mobile column lifts. Finkbeiner column lifts have a global standing as the benchmark in quality and performance and the latest generation incorporate a host of technical features which set them apart from competitor products.

Emission testing equipment and a large selection of Tecalemit’s renowned Lubrication products complete the line-up. All products can be viewed on the Tecalemit website www.tecalemit.co..uk or for additional information call Tecalemit sales on 01752 219111.

July 2014

By Philip Cledwyn, Tecalemit Sales and Marketing Director

As you’ll be aware Unipart Automotive has gone into Administration and was a distributor of Tecalemit equipment.  This short paper explains briefly how that impacts on Tecalemit.

It hopefully goes without saying that I and all my colleagues at Tecalemit have personal friends and acquaintances at Unipart Automotive, who have lost their jobs, had fundamental and unsought changes to their working lives, or whose future is uncertain, and we feel very much for them at this time.

However, the impact on Tecalemit itself, and Tecalemit customers, is limited.  Here’s the position:

Financial

The financial impact isn’t a consideration – we were aware of the problems, stopped supplying Unipart Automotive some time ago, and had assertively reduced their credit position with us.  When it has all shaken out, yes, we’ll be owed some money, but the amount involved is annoying rather than critical.

Interruption to supply

There’s no interruption to supply of Tecalemit equipment  – customers can deal with any one of our distributors or should they need further technical advice they can talk to a Tecalemit sales person, call us or email us (01752 219111 /sales@tecalemit.co.uk) and we’ll be delighted to help.

Our analysis of the situation

The final point I would make is that there has been an excess of resellers for some time which no market sector could sustain in perpetuity.

I wouldn’t have wished this on Unipart Automotive and feel greatly for the friends who worked for the company and whose position is now difficult; but purely from a business perspective we believe it will restore vigour and strength to the market and may even be the saving of some other companies.

There will doubtless be some froth and turbulence in the market for a while but then it should settle down with greater stability than before.

The loss of a reseller is administratively inconvenient but the fact is that the relationship with Unipart Automotive was already over and the market is now undergoing changes to accommodate the new situation.

I regret the impact on the Unipart Automotive employees but some kind of substantive shake up in the market was inevitable.  It would be preferable to achieve that through strategy and corporate activity rather than in this brutal way, but change had to come.

Philip Cledwyn

Sales and Marketing Director

tecalemit.co.uk / +44 (0) 1752 219111 / sales@tecalemit.co.uk