After over 40 years of occupancy at their Minworth site, SMT GB has moved the Birmingham team into a larger, more modern and strategically superior site in Brownhills, West Midlands.
“Thanks to the success of our support services, we had outgrown the old site”, comments Regional Service Delivery Manager Richard Baker. “A larger facility was needed in order to support our growth ambitions and to deliver the best in class service support for our customers”, continues Richard.
At 17,227 square foot, or 1.72 acres, not only is the new Birmingham site 48% larger than the previous Minworth site, it also benefits from modern and well-thought-out workshop facilities that are accessible from both sides of the building, with improved access for delivery vehicles.
This greatly improves onsite efficiency and ergonomics, while also increasing the workshop capacity by five times compared to the old site. The new facility has 10 workshop bays equipped with new tooling and equipment that incorporates the latest technology and safe systems of work. Richard goes onto say: “In conjunction with the increased capacity, we have recruited additional workshop engineers and continue with developing a team of apprentices onsite as well as at college.”
The new site has also benefited from a vertical storage system, maximising floor space by 85% and providing 99.9% accuracy with increased capacity for essential parts and tooling.
The new site’s close proximity to several major motorways, including the M6 Toll, ensures SMT GB is able to provide better coverage to the local and national customers that the Birmingham facility serves. The new location also provides the ability to support key current and future national infrastructure projects, such as HS2. Located at the new site are the HS2 support team, who schedule and plan service support through a dedicated team of engineers. Each engineer has a fully customised and equipped 4×4 vehicle, enabling them to travel safely onsite.
The location move has also met with the approval of the Birmingham Customer Support Centre’s support staff, who benefit from the newly fitted and modern two-storey office facility attached to the new site. “It’s a pleasure to come to work in such a nice place” comments HS2 Service Co-ordinator Mohammed Zahir, who is the latest employee to join the team.
While the new site boasts state-of-the-art facilities, SMT GB’s ambitious sustainability goals ensure that there is still room for improvement to be made. Commenting on the work planned for the future, Richard Baker says: “Our aim is to make the site carbon neutral through various improvements such as renewable energy generated onsite, waste water recycling and employing various energy saving devices. We also aim to create an eco-friendly garden by planting more pollinators in green spaces and creating natural habitats for insects, animals and birds.” Concluding, Richard adds: “All of these objectives not only contribute to a better working environment for our team, it also supports our aim of becoming a carbon neutral company.”
SMT GB markets Volvo Construction Equipment products, together with K-Tec articulated hauler scraper boxes, in Great Britain. There are eight strategically placed Customer Support Centres, a dedicated National Used Equipment Centre and a network of utility equipment dealers to ensure high quality customer support is maintained throughout the country.
