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GWM

22nd February 2007
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Page 58, 22nd February 2007 — GWM
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BUSTERS

Jenny Callen is one of the best known faces in road transport: she features in the adverts for Jennychem truck cleaning materials. The firm recently moved to a bigger base so Colin Barnett went to Snodland to meet the woman behind the success story.

One of the defining images of the road transport scene for many years has been the Jennychem advert adorning the rear cover of various trade publications — including CM— with the enticing smile of the eponymous Jenny adding a touch of glamour to the world of truck cleaning chemicals. So when we were invited to take a look at Jennychem's new premises, we wasted no time in accepting the opportunity to look more closely at this unusual firm (all right, we wanted to meet Jenny too).

The story began with the young Jenny Crouch leaving school with a handful of Alevels to start an exciting career in accountancy with Lloyds of London. However she soon realised that this wasn't very exciting at all, and within a month had left to look for an alternative.At this time, her industrial chemist father Mike ran a company manufacturing cleaning chemicals for the dairy and bakery industries. Jenny considered working in parallel with him but in a different sector and decided on transport.This was confirmed by a period of research into the needs of garages and transport firms. which convinced her that there was a market.

It was 1986, at the peak of Margaret Thatcher's administration.A key feature of Thatcher's policy was the Enterprise scheme, which paid £40 a week for a year to start-up businesses. Jenny signed up and began selling her father's own-recipe traffic film remover (TFR) around her local area in Kent.

Sustained growth Two years later the now-famous advertising campaign started, enabling the firm to expand its coverage out of the county. It continued to expand steadily until it had outgrown the original premises in Rochester.This coincided with the imminent compulsory purchase of the site for redevelopment so the search began for new premises, with the added attraction of the council paying the removal expenses.

Jenny had been aware of a former Target Express warehouse in Snodland, Kent, between the M2 and M20 (and, at the right time of day, only a few minutes from the M25), but its owners wanted to rent it out.When they changed their mind and offered it for sale, Jenny snapped it up.

The new base is larger than Jennychem currently needs so part of the warehouse and yard is let to operator Alan Firmin, whose new premises are across the road.This arrangement is ideal,as Firmin's Palletforce arm not only uses but also delivers Jennychem products. Jennychem makes it own chemical products on site, under the supervision of Mike Crouch. As many as three 3,500-litre batches of various chemicals are made each day.The firm has expanded its portfolio to include a variety of ancillary products, but chemicals still account for more than 80% of the firm's business— and half of this is'! FR.

Right chemistry Our own memory of TFR is of a product that removes traffic film, but also does a good job of removing paint — or at least its shine. Mike Crouch assures us that his modern formulation uses much less caustic soda (sodium hydroxide) than before. He adds that it uses more EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) than the more usual NTA (nitrilotriacetic acid) as the sequestron or wetting agent in its TFR; Jennychem is the sole importer of this vital ingredient.

This means that Jennychem's basic TFR Ultra product is gentle enough to be used on car pain twork.The recipe is continually being refined, but TFR Ultra can also be varied to suit individual customers' needs.TFR Ultra Germicidal is a variation that offers foodgrade levels of hygiene inside a vehicle as well as effective external road grime removal. Another option is a mixture with no caustic soda that is fully biodegradable.

Jennychem is an unusual business, not least because it achieves its £2.5m turnover without a single sales rep. Sales to its 100)0 customers and small distributor network are generated almost entirely by the adverts and repeat business, although a vvebsite WWVIA ennychem.com —is now adding to that traffic.

Jenny (now Callen) oversees the sales; the only time anyone else from the 12-strong workforce goes out is when an engineer demonstrates a pressure washer at a potential customer's premises.

As well as pressure washers, ancillary products include workwear and PPE, first aid and chemical spill kits, lubricants and workshop consumables, and cleaning materials and equipment.

At its new home, Jennychem looks set to maintain its steadily controlled expansion and continue to brighten up magazine rear covers for some time to come.And with 10-week-old Stephanie already installed in the boss's office, the female management dynasty also looks assured. •


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