Tibbetts Group Managing Director Update – January 2025

In the first instalment of our quarterly Group Managing Director Updates, Jonathan Tibbetts celebrates the previous year and considers what 2025 will bring at The Tibbetts Group.

January is typically a time for reflection and looking forward to the year ahead. At The Tibbetts Group, we are continuing to examine the tangible steps we can take to support our customers, colleagues and community in 2025.

The previous year provided us with the stability and clarity needed to reinforce our existing relationships and processes, and build new ones too. We are not a transactional business; we pride ourselves on combining quality engineered products and components with exceptional customer support. Therefore, it is imperative that we continually develop our systems to meet customers’ evolving needs and empower our people.

To support this, I am proud to share that our recent 2024 Customer Satisfaction Survey yielded outstanding results, and an overall improvement across all three divisions – TGL, BFC and Powell Gee – from our previous survey. On average, our customers rated seven key themes across each division either ‘Good’ or ‘Excellent’. These included: availability, delivery, technical support, range, quality, sales and marketing, and the ease of dealing with us – an overall score of 93% achieved, which is fantastic and reflects the hard work we put in. I would like to thank everyone who provided this vital feedback, as well as all colleagues for their efforts in achieving this accomplishment.

As a family business, our values remain a core aspect of our culture. We ensure that our people are well looked after and are here for tomorrow, as they are the ones who will drive the Group forwards in 2025. It was a pleasure to convene last June at our annual Summer Social, as all colleagues enjoyed entertainment and food in a relaxed environment, and at the same time our directors communicated a clear pathway for the coming 12 months in the annual “ONE Communication”. This year’s event promises to be better than ever; I look forward to sharing more details very soon.

Similarly, we were honoured to host our first-ever TGL Sales Agent Day in 2024. My father was a Sales Agent in 1982 when he founded the business and began its development into what is today, so I understand Agents’ importance to colleagues and customers. We are proud to have a diverse pool of TGL Sales Agents, six in total as we continue to grow our global footprint, all of whom are committed to showcasing our value-added clutch and transmission products around the world.

I enjoyed meeting with our international connections at Automechanika Frankfurt last September, 10 years on from our first exhibit. Our offering generated great feedback, and we have already began planning interesting ideas for the 2026 event.

I am also excited for the Group to continue the acquisition-based strategic growth which saw our BFC division expand considerably last year. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with everyone at In2 since we integrated their wire suspension range into our product offering at Redditch. I pride myself on maintaining touchpoints with customers, and we are currently developing our digital touchpoints for those interested in our wire suspension kits – a new, intuitive online tool will be available soon. Likewise, BFC recently moved into supplying standard and bespoke fasteners to the Petrochemical sector; this niche market is one which we have aimed to enter for some time.

Additionally, BFC built positive relationships at Perimeter Protection 2025, showcasing a security range which I believe is one of the best in the market, with many new products available.

In recent years, the subject of sustainability has been a consistent focus. That’s why at The Tibbetts Group, we are making measurable commitments to our environmental responsibility through the use of our ESG (Environmental, Social & Governance) Framework. This effort has already paid dividends; our recent switch to renewable energy across all offices and warehouses is a significant achievement in our carbon reduction journey.

However, we know that smaller but meaningful actions can make a big difference too. From reusing incoming packaging to advising colleagues on how they can improve their waste management, we can help to reduce our individual and collective impact on nature.

A new year is a time for planning and potential growth. 2024 was a productive time across the Group, as we served our valued customers with good stock availability, short lead times and ongoing support.

January has begun in the same vein, as Powell Gee celebrated the reveal of a comprehensive new product catalogue. This important resource is a testament to our experience and expertise, and is available online and in print. I believe Powell Gee’s continued investment into sustainable moulding is a major step change for the sector, underlining the Tibbetts Group’s commitment to pursuing new technologies in pursuit of our sustainable goals to add value to our customers supply chain.

Now is the time to consider the next steps for us to provide value-added engineered products and add value to our customers’ supply chain, so that we remain the supplier of choice with high quality and competitive prices. With exceptional colleagues and suppliers by our side, I’m looking forward to navigating 2025 with further growth on the horizon.