CES (UK): aftermarket emissions are more than just the right part

In every area of achievement, a passion for what you are doing is an important ingredient for success. This even applies to the humble automotive exhaust and was the case in 1984 when Howard Warren and Charles Cotton established CES (UK) Ltd. The two men’s love of cars and motor racing helped drive CES (UK) on to become a significant presence first in the British exhaust aftermarket and then as a supplier of an enviable range of aftermarket vehicle components. Tyres & Accessories recently spoke to CES (UK) managing director Steve McCann, who shared how this original passion is still propelling the company on the course of continued growth.

“When the company was set up in 1984 the watchword was ‘never say no’ – originally this applied to our exhaust range and it quickly grew,” McCann recalls. “Customers who knew our reputation then started coming to us with their requirements in other areas and on the back of this we branched out. In this way we have gone from being a 100 per cent exhaust company to emission products accounting for about 20 per cent of our business and other products the remaining 80 per cent. We have always had what people need; the only items we don’t deal in are tyres and body shop products.”

Today CES (UK), a member of the Parts Alliance, is a £50 million turnover business with 17 sites located in the North West, Midlands and North Wales between Liverpool in the north and Telford in the South, plus locations of the Isle of Man and Anglesey. From these outlets CES (UK) supplies a full aftermarket range that includes an exhaust and catalytic convertor line-up it is proud to call the country’s widest stock range for national distribution. These days the company no longer manufactures specialist exhausts; its focus is upon supplying all major brands plus its DriveTec group brand, with an emphasis upon the proprietary and premium brands.

“Our proposition is all about quality and service,” McCann explains. “Of course that doesn’t mean we’re not interested in price, but we believe the key to success is in finding the correct balance between the three.” With the brands it supplies, CES (UK) says it covers the entire vehicle parc on exhaust and emissions. “We deal in everything, from fast sellers to ultra-slow sellers plus products for classic and performance vehicles,” he expounds. “Even competitors come to us for certain exhaust units as they know we’ll have it. And if we don’t have it, we can have it made. That’s a service nobody else will do. We do it as it’s a matter of pride and a product of the owners’ passion and “never say no” attitude. We go the extra mile.”

The managing director notes that market volume for exhaust pieces has “dropped significantly” in recent years: “We first really noticed this in 2006. A lot of this decline in demand comes down to the quality of the original equipment units fitted to new vehicles. The quality is much better and the technology therefore has a lower replacement rate.” However this reduced quantity, he adds, has been compensated for in a couple of ways. “The value of these replacement units has increased and the range offered has increased significantly. Long gone are the days when a couple of dozen fitments sufficed. Now garages themselves stock little or nothing in the way of exhausts.”

Meeting these stock needs is one of the key roles CES (UK) performs – Steve McCann comments that orders can be delivered from one of the company’s sites within hours and any demand that can’t be satisfied locally can be sourced from the CES (UK) central distribution site in Chester. A further important function for CES is the training it provides. McCann notes that the days when an exhaust was an uncomplicated, standalone unit are long gone. Instead of just exhausts, these days CES (UK) deals in “air to air” systems, namely the entire system between the air intake and the tailpipe: “Keeping up to date is important,” he states. “Emission components are all part of a system now and these days there are two types of garages – there are those that continue serving a shrinking market with the traditional technology and there are those that are embracing the new systems technology. Garages that choose to move forward with this second approach must invest in equipment and training.”

To illustrate the complications of vehicle repair these days, the managing director explains the typical procedure for replacing an injector on a modern vehicle; not only is the correct diagnostic equipment required, staff also need to be trained in its use. And in addition to sourcing a good part, the part then needs to be coded with the right data code in order for it to work in the engine. To provide the training garage operators need to handle such a repair process and keep pace with a fast-evolving industry, CES (UK) operates its own IMI (Institute of the Motor Industry) certified and approved training centre. “Providing the right service requires garages to keep up to date in a number of ways, therefore we’ve set ourselves up as a support organisation for the garages,” McCann comments. Each year CES (UK) runs an annual training programme: “Two years’ ago it was air-to-air, last year chassis safety. Now we are running diesel common rail training. This is also all about emissions.”

In addition to training its customers, CES (UK) invests in keeping its staff abreast of the very latest technologies. According to McCann, staff account for around half of those attending courses at the company’s training centre. CES (UK) also employs its own behavioural trainer who performs a large amount of staff training. “Garages are told to invest in new technology but we need to support them,” he elaborates. “Therefore we need our own staff training. This is necessary, for example, to provide the right advice through our emissions helpline – we provide a lot of customer advice through this. It’s a value added service.”

Customer training is complemented by a further, recently added service – tool hire. As Steve McCann explains, a factor preventing some garages from embracing the latest industry developments is the outlay involved in being adequately equipped for specialised jobs. “When a customer phones us needing a part to perform a fairly specialist job, we don’t just ship it out and then leave them to fumble about with less than optimal tools. The job may need a tool costing £100 or more, and they can hire the tool from us for a surcharge. This is a pilot programme we’ve began at our Rhyl site. Not only do customers appreciate the extra service we offer them, it often also benefits us as they end up being so pleased with the tool that they purchase one from us.”

It’s all about passion and people

Far from being ‘extras’, services such as training and tool hire are what CES (UK) is about. Steve McCann describes the company as a “selling and customer service organisation” whose primary job is to provide its customers with front end service, technical support and backup. The reason for its success in these areas is, he adds, down to the calibre of the CES staff: “It’s all about passion and people. Many of our staff have been with CES for a long time and know the products. Mixed with this are younger staff who want to make a career with us. We are structured to accommodate internal staff development and promotion and strive to identify talent within our company as much as possible. This is something that has helped us achieve double-digit year-on-year growth.” 

In every area of achievement, a passion for what you are doing is an important ingredient for success. This even applies to the humble automotive exhaust and was the case in 1984 when Howard Warren and Charles Cotton established CES (UK) Ltd. The two men’s love of cars and motor racing helped drive CES (UK) on to become a significant presence first in the British exhaust aftermarket and then as a supplier of an enviable range of aftermarket vehicle components. Tyres & Accessories recently spoke to CES (UK) managing director Steve McCann, who shared how this original passion is still propelling the company on the course of continued growth.
 
“When the company was set up in 1984 the watchword was ‘never say no’ – originally this applied to our exhaust range and it quickly grew,” McCann recalls. “Customers who knew our reputation then started coming to us with their requirements in other areas and on the back of this we branched out. In this way we have gone from being a 100 per cent exhaust company to emission products accounting for about 20 per cent of our business and other products the remaining 80 per cent. We have always had what people need; the only items we don’t deal in are tyres and body shop products.”

Today CES (UK), a member of the Parts Alliance, is a £50 million turnover business with 17 sites located in the North West, Midlands and North Wales between Liverpool in the north and Telford in the South, plus locations of the Isle of Man and Anglesey. From these outlets CES (UK) supplies a full aftermarket range that includes an exhaust and catalytic convertor line-up it is proud to call the country’s widest stock range for national distribution. These days the company no longer manufactures specialist exhausts; its focus is upon supplying all major brands plus its DriveTec group brand, with an emphasis upon the proprietary and premium brands.

“Our proposition is all about quality and service,” McCann explains. “Of course that doesn’t mean we’re not interested in price, but we believe the key to success is in finding the correct balance between the three.” With the brands it supplies, CES (UK) says it covers the entire vehicle parc on exhaust and emissions. “We deal in everything, from fast sellers to ultra-slow sellers plus products for classic and performance vehicles,” he expounds. “Even competitors come to us for certain exhaust units as they know we’ll have it. And if we don’t have it, we can have it made. That’s a service nobody else will do. We do it as it’s a matter of pride and a product of the owners’ passion and “never say no” attitude. We go the extra mile.”

The managing director notes that market volume for exhaust pieces has “dropped significantly” in recent years: “We first really noticed this in 2006. A lot of this decline in demand comes down to the quality of the original equipment units fitted to new vehicles. The quality is much better and the technology therefore has a lower replacement rate.” However this reduced quantity, he adds, has been compensated for in a couple of ways. “The value of these replacement units has increased and the range offered has increased significantly. Long gone are the days when a couple of dozen fitments sufficed. Now garages themselves stock little or nothing in the way of exhausts.”

Meeting these stock needs is one of the key roles CES (UK) performs – Steve McCann comments that orders can be delivered from one of the company’s sites within hours and any demand that can’t be satisfied locally can be sourced from the CES (UK) central distribution site in Chester. A further important function for CES is the training it provides. McCann notes that the days when an exhaust was an uncomplicated, standalone unit are long gone. Instead of just exhausts, these days CES (UK) deals in “air to air” systems, namely the entire system between the air intake and the tailpipe: “Keeping up to date is important,” he states. “Emission components are all part of a system now and these days there are two types of garages – there are those that continue serving a shrinking market with the traditional technology and there are those that are embracing the new systems technology. Garages that choose to move forward with this second approach must invest in equipment and training.”

To illustrate the complications of vehicle repair these days, the managing director explains the typical procedure for replacing an injector on a modern vehicle; not only is the correct diagnostic equipment required, staff also need to be trained in its use. And in addition to sourcing a good part, the part then needs to be coded with the right data code in order for it to work in the engine. To provide the training garage operators need to handle such a repair process and keep pace with a fast-evolving industry, CES (UK) operates its own IMI (Institute of the Motor Industry) certified and approved training centre. “Providing the right service requires garages to keep up to date in a number of ways, therefore we’ve set ourselves up as a support organisation for the garages,” McCann comments. Each year CES (UK) runs an annual training programme: “Two years’ ago it was air-to-air, last year chassis safety. Now we are running diesel common rail training. This is also all about emissions.”

In addition to training its customers, CES (UK) invests in keeping its staff abreast of the very latest technologies. According to McCann, staff account for around half of those attending courses at the company’s training centre. CES (UK) also employs its own behavioural trainer who performs a large amount of staff training. “Garages are told to invest in new technology but we need to support them,” he elaborates. “Therefore we need our own staff training. This is necessary, for example, to provide the right advice through our emissions helpline – we provide a lot of customer advice through this. It’s a value added service.”

Customer training is complemented by a further, recently added service – tool hire. As Steve McCann explains, a factor preventing some garages from embracing the latest industry developments is the outlay involved in being adequately equipped for specialised jobs. “When a customer phones us needing a part to perform a fairly specialist job, we don’t just ship it out and then leave them to fumble about with less than optimal tools. The job may need a tool costing £100 or more, and they can hire the tool from us for a surcharge. This is a pilot programme we’ve began at our Rhyl site. Not only do customers appreciate the extra service we offer them, it often also benefits us as they end up being so pleased with the tool that they purchase one from us.”

Far from being ‘extras’, services such as training and tool hire are what CES (UK) is about. Steve McCann describes the company as a “selling and customer service organisation” whose primary job is to provide its customers with front end service, technical support and backup. The reason for its success in these areas is, he adds, down to the calibre of the CES staff: “It’s all about passion and people. Many of our staff have been with CES for a long time and know the products. Mixed with this are younger staff who want to make a career with us. We are structured to accommodate internal staff development and promotion and strive to identify talent within our company as much as possible. This is something that has helped us achieve double-digit year-on-year growth.”

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