6 minute read
FINANCE
The financial reasoning of large businesses investing considerable sums of money in building and developing team development is often questioned. In transport is the secret of financial success not simply the ability to minimise costs and maximise revenue and then gain the financial surplus tax efficiently?
The captain of a good team, or the boss of an effectively operating business that is full of team spirit will pick a group with various talents and abilities. To do all jobs within the business, overall success is best achieved by delegating the work, either because of a time constraint on the skipper, or, because of the technical (or mundane) nature of the work, it is best done by others.
Most small to medium transport firms are family businesses, they operate a top down approach to management, and a proven belief that all workers must be supervised in order to get acceptable returns for wages paid. No outside party or employee will have a share in the business, and it is preferable to own 100% of a small low margin entity than to be a stakeholder in a larger entity where control is diluted.
Financial gain is possible by building a team culture even in a medium sized Irish transport business whereby all employees have respect for one another (often it’s the employees who lack respect for employers who bear all the business risk). Having a team culture means the workload of surveillance and checking is replaced by a group ethos that the business’s results and survival are in the hands of all employees. These employees get feedback on how they are performing and how the business is doing, and then there is a culture of pride in the business. Imagine a business where pilferage and absenteeism is not tolerated by the workers and is effectively policed by the staff themselves?
The economic benefits of team building are lower maintenance and fuel costs, stronger customer retention, business leads, elimination of theft, lower staff turnover and agreed work practices and productivity that benefits hard work.
Multi-national companies take work groups and place them in an environment where they have to assist one another to overcome challenges and succeed. It can be very interesting to see five senior managers cast into a boat and sail under the instructions of a teenage girl who is stronger, quicker and more resourceful than these five heads, collectively they have to work together and take instruction from an expert who will assist them to work better as a team.
Team leaders in business, as in sport, are determined, clear minded and assertive but not aggressive. Even in rugby, losing the head by the Captain shows weakness and ultimately can cost the match. Having a business operate as a team, with an assertive team leader (the boss) can provide the financial gain from 100% supervision without having the extra hours and the drain on any one individual. If a work environment can be created where bottom line is maximised and it’s not fully dependent on any one individual, there is a far more valuable entity established, a far more enjoyable work environment, and an entity that will weather financial difficulties far better.
The biggest single issue in creating a team environment in transport is changing the boss’s mentality on how the business should or could be run, and even how to interact with staff. Dependent on what the future for the business is, and the ultimate size and value of it, the development of both a management team and workforce team are crucial in this process. A limited number of transport companies operate this team culture successfully. It’s interesting to see genuine pride in the company uniform, an open management style and feedback from drivers that will not tolerate poor performance as it impinges on their earnings and overall status of the business. Suppliers to the company are also part of the team, as are customers, so collectively, the business has a common goal that links all parties.
From a financial point of view team building improves the bottom line, it reduces the risks in the business and makes it more secure re business continuity or sale. There is something very rewarding to hear back from external sources that staff have pride and respect for the business they work in.
Team building makes financial sense
Playing its ‘Part’ at Home & Abroad
Expert Truck Dismantlers & Sales, based at Williamstown, County Galway, continues to go from strength to strength.
Expert Truck Dismantlers supplies new truck and trailer parts and used truck parts to a broad customer base, all over Ireland. The past two years have seen the company expand with a dedicated new Truck and Trailer Parts Sales Department at its store. This addition has seen a dramatic increase in sales, with new customers added to the company’s portfolio.
Top trade brands’ products such as WABCO, Winnard, Hella, TRW, Mann-Filter, Meritor, Textar are always in stock, as are leading names in the truck industry like Volvo, Scania, Renault, DAF, Hino, MAN, Mercedes-Benz and Iveco. With a large trailer parts selection also available such as ROR, SAF, BPW and Mercedes. In fact, thousands of product lines are available off the shelf to ensure a speedy dispatch. Expert Truck Dismantlers & Sales have just launched a new online store www.experttruckdismantlers.com - with the large selection of new truck and trailer parts and used parts selling fast and being added to on a daily basis. All of these new and used parts feature the OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) number to make searching for the right part even easier for the customer. The time and effort spent developing the online store has paid off, along with its eBay Store is also keeping sales flowing and attracting customers from all over the world.
Right from the start, business owner Padraig Smyth has concentrated on offering superior customer service. As a result, a quick and efficient service is provided to all customer enquiries, sourcing parts and offering next day delivery nationwide. Expert have two delivery vans on the road full time, backed up by courier services to ensure all deliveries are carried out on time, be it pallet, box or parcel.
Concurrently, Expert Truck Dismantlers & Sales have taken its business worldwide, exporting complete trucks and used truck parts to places as far away as Asia, Africa, Australia, South America and the Middle East. All makes and models are dismantled and prepared for export, with great care applied to packaging and loading for the long journeys ahead, an approach which has assured repeat orders. Whatever the export method required: CKD, RoRo, Open Top or Closed Containers, the overseas order is carefully dispatched. Again, the superior customer service applied has played a major role in the successful business relationship with its overseas customers, leading to repeat orders.
Speaking about the ongoing progress of his business, Padraig said: “I am very grateful to all our customers for the success of our business to date. Our aim is to continue in what we are doing and grow the business even further. Thanks to our excellent team here, Expert Truck Dismantlers is becoming a force to be reckoned with.”
For further details contact Padraig and his team at Expert Truck Dismantlers & Sales through the hotline number +353 94 9643482 087-6556448 Email: parts@experttd.com www.experttruckdismantlers.com
