WMS

A Message from Lord Pickles and Lord Blunkett, followed by WMS's best practice article

The ability to listen and learn from one another has always been vital in parliament, in business and in most aspects of daily life. But at this particular moment in time, as national and global events continue to reiterate, it is uncommonly crucial that we forge new channels of communication and reinforce existing ones. The following article from WMS is an attempt to do just that. We would welcome your thoughts on this or any other Parliamentary Review article.

Rt Hon The Lord David Blunkett

Rt Hon The Lord Eric Pickles

www.wms-gb.com

THE PARLIAMENTARY REVIEW

Highlighting best practice

46 | WMS

Michael Sussex, managing

director

The WMS senior

management team

Starting a new business is daunting, but when Michael

Sussex established Westcountry Maintenance Services

(WMS) in October 2007, the economy was experiencing

a particularly serious downturn. Although it was a particularly

difficult time, he strongly believes this has contributed to the

successful business it is today. Starting in a recession meant

that WMS had to tailor everything to clients’ requirements,

trade keenly and keep overheads to a minimum, and, moving

forwards, they have continued to trade with these principles. He

started the business after an MBO, and was fortunate enough

to novate all previous customers across, which provided them

with a solid foundation to continue.

I started my career as a carpenter and joiner through an apprenticeship scheme,

and then continued to supervisory level before moving into management. My

understanding of site logistics and what things are like on the ground has helped

to contribute to our success. From the outset, my wife Anthea, who has extensive

experience in finance, has been our finance director, and a massive asset to the

business.

Family values

Our approach right from the offset has been not to be the largest company, but

to aim for high standards, flexibility and quality. Our company values are honesty,

trustworthiness and a constant focus on delivery. This in turn has led to establishing

FACTS ABOUT

WMS

»Managing director:

MichaelSussex

»Established in 2007

»Based in southwest England

»Services: 24/7 responsive,

planned and cyclical painting

and decorating, alongside

commercial and heritage

refurbishment for local

authority bodies, housing

associations, architects and

surveyors

»No. of employees: 78

»Regularly work with around

80 subcontractors

»www.wms-gb.com

WMS

47WMS |

BEST PRACTICE REPRESENTATIVE 2018

strong, long-term relationships with

clients, which are built on honesty and

a high level oftrust.

We aim to run WMS as a family

business by working as a team and

treating everyone as an integral part

of what we do. We are certified as

Investors in People, and the values

from this accreditation fit with exactly

how we want to run our business. We

want employees that are efficient and

can work as a team, and we endeavour

to retain these people by supporting

them and making sure they feel

valued. All management operate an

open-door policy, and are encouraged

to support their team, which provides

positive working conditions where all

employees are valued and encouraged

to develop their skills.

Employing new people can be difficult

at times, and we work with our clients

to headhunt the correct people within

the marketplace. This approach has

reaped rewards with our clients,

and together, we have been able

to continually improve what we do.

We recognise that the construction

industry workforce is generally getting

older, and the need to train more

tradesmen is of paramount importance

to our future. This is why we actively

work with local schools to support

work experience, and aim to take on at

least four apprentices eachyear.

Remaining local

It is important that we remain a local

SME contractor. Over the years, I have

seen many large organisations “talk

the talk”, but fail when it comes to

delivery. On several frameworks, we

have been the smallest contractor, but

by doing what we say and delivering a

programme both on time and within

budget, we have been able to increase

our work packages to become the

largest. Being a smaller company

means that we have a smaller chain

of command; clients know that all our

staff live within the local community,

and, therefore, we are responsible at

all times for what we deliver. At the

end of the day, I always try to remain

available.

This also means that the cashflow

stays within the local community.

Planning a job

It is important

that we remain

a local SME

contractor. Over

the years, I have

seen many large

organisations

‘talk the talk’

but fail when it

comes to

delivery

“

THE PARLIAMENTARY REVIEW

Highlighting best practice

48 | WMS

When we work in our area, 63p in

the pound goes into the regional

economy, as opposed to 40p when a

national company carries out contracts.

We actively look to support local

subcontractors and suppliers. If we win

a new tender, we work with our clients

to use smaller subcontractors, taking

them under our umbrella, offering

programmes such as health and safety

training. We also inform them about

preferred payment schemes, which,

in turn, help them to take on larger

contracts and grow their business.

We are always keen to support local

projects and organisations. Social value

is a vitally important part of what we

can provide, and, currently, we are

supporting a number of projects either

for the associations we are working

with, or local community projects such

as the Mayflower 400-year celebration

bonfire in 2020, hosted by the Great

Torrington Cavaliers.

Going forwards

It is important that we take on projects

that fit with our skill set. While

we are always striving to find new

opportunities within the marketplace,

it is important that we do what we

are best at. We always need to evolve,

challenge ourselves and look to

innovate further, but by delivering on

familiar projects, we have grown year

on year when the funding available

has diminished through social housing

rentcuts.

Having this ethos has set us apart from

many competitors as one of the best

providers for social housing and local

authorities within the South West.

Recently, we have started to take on

larger one-off refurbishment projects,

such as working in Great Torrington

to refurbish the town hall through

a grant-aided project supported by

the National Lottery. In 2015, we

diversified slightly by purchasing a

specialist painting company, Williams

and Martin, based in Cornwall. This

has strengthened our existing painting

skill set and capabilities in the county.

Have we been successful? I think so.

In 2007, we employed six people, and

achieved a turnover of over £2 million;

this year, however, our workforce is 78

strong, and we expect our revenue to

reach £10 million. More importantly,

we have put ourselves in a position to

take on larger projects and support our

existing clients in all areas of our work,

whether a contract is commercial,

residential or heritage, whether it’s

refurbishment, painting or decorating.

We’re now operating throughout

the South West with a dedicated

workforce supported by a strong

management team. This growth is

against industry standards and bucking

the trend of our local economy. This

is something I am personally very

proud of, and I look forward eagerly to

another ten years of WMS thriving.

While we are

always striving

to find new

opportunities

within the

marketplace,

it is important

that we do

what we are

best at

“

WMS team at work

www.wms-gb.com

This article was sponsored by WMS. The Parliamentary Review is wholly funded by the representatives who write for it. The publication in which this article originally appeared contained the following foreword from Rt Hon Kwasi Kwarteng.

Rt Hon Kwasi Kwarteng's Foreword For The Parliamentary Review

By Rt Hon Kwasi Kwarteng

This year’s Parliamentary Review reflects on a tumultuous and extraordinary year, globally and nationally. As well as being an MP, I am a keen student of history, and I am conscious that 2020 would mark the end of an era. It will be remembered as the year in which we concluded Brexit negotiations and finally left the European Union. Above all, it will be remembered as the year of Covid-19.

In our fight against the pandemic, I am delighted that our vaccination programme is beginning to turn the tide – and I pay tribute to the British businesses, scientists and all those who have helped us to achieve this. But the virus has dealt enormous damage, and we now have a duty to rebuild our economy.

We must ensure that businesses are protected. We have made more than £350 billion available to that end, with grants, business rates relief and our furlough scheme supporting more than 11 million people and jobs in every corner of the country, maintaining livelihoods while easing the pressure on employers. The next step is to work with business to build back better and greener, putting the net zero carbon challenge at the heart of our recovery. This is a complex undertaking, but one which I hope will be recognised as a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Through the prime minister’s ten point plan for a green industrial revolution, we can level up every region of the UK, supporting 250,000 green jobs while we accelerate our progress towards net zero carbon emissions.

With our commitment to raise R&D spending to 2.4% of GDP and the creation of the Advanced Research & Invention Agency, we are empowering our fantastic researchers to take on groundbreaking research, delivering funding with flexibility and speed. With this approach, innovators will be able to work with our traditional industrial heartlands to explore new technologies, and design and manufacture the products on which the future will be built – ready for export around the globe.

And I believe trade will flourish. We are a leading nation in the fight against climate change. As the host of COP26 this year, we have an incredible opportunity to market our low-carbon products and expertise. Our departure from the EU gives us the chance to be a champion of truly global free trade; we have already signed trade deals with more than 60 countries around the world.

As we turn the page and leave 2020 behind, I am excited about the new chapter which Britain is now writing for itself, and for the opportunities which lie ahead of us.

Rt Hon Kwasi Kwarteng
Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy