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SITTING COMFORTABLY?
Page 52
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Truck seats might not seem the ideal basis for a growing business, but one small company is thriving by servicing this niche market.
TEK Seating was started in Kingston upon'llames by Jonathan Fleming in 1973; today it is run by his son Paul with a staff of 35. In 1993 a branch was set up in Melton Mowbray and three years later the southern operation moved to Tunbridge Wells.
The company has now outgrown this site and CM recently attended the opening of its new HQ on the town's Decimus Park trading estate.A major factor in the move was the recent acquisition of Godalming-based office and home seating specialist SitSmart.
Core activity
Vehicle seating remainsTEK Seating's core activity; it specialises in road transport, construction plant, agricultural machinery and marine seating. From the Melton Mowbray site it supplies small-scale manufacturers,such as those making specialist military vehicles. The bulk of its turnover though comes from the sale of replacement seats, it can replace Isringhausen, Grammer, Recaro and KAB, ie most of the trucks on the road. Manufacturers with own-brand seats are also catered for.
Value and availability
The advantages to operators include availability, with a wide range available from stock or at short order, and low cost. We were shown a top-of-the-range truck seat with a leading chassis manufacturer's price tag of £1,400 which TEK could supply for £650. As an example ofTEK's wide range of products we checked out an MI-compliant single-pedestal swivelling seat with integral belts, suitable for ambulance crew.
AlthoughTunbridge Wells is primarily a distribution operation it does have a workshop for repairs and alterations. During our visit the team was working on a batch of 10 cloth trimmed seats, two of which were to he tilted with vinyl covers.These were made up by the trim shop at Melton Mowbray. Next on the list was a consignment of seats with worn-out covers from Lex Transfleet Airside at Gatwick.
A van delivery and collection service is kept busy with journeys, including a weekly load into and out of Felixstowe docks. With its flexible approach to a specialist market, this is one company that is certainly sitting pretty.