Case study Teepee Electrical Ltd Harnessing today’s business challenges to enable growth and job opportunities for the future Interview with Managing Director, Steve Clarke 29 Azets SME Barometer Report Summer 2021 Teepee Electrical was founded as a private business around thirty years ago originally as a B2B manufacturer and supplier of harnessing, cabling systems and panel assembly to a thriving bus and coach building industry in the UK at the time. The business diversified into other growth sectors such as the rail sector, ultimately selling the business to a private company within that sector in the late 80’s. The business was brought back into private ownership in 2002 and now boasts a skilled workforce of over 50 staff supporting a diverse spread across their customer base in the aviation, renewable energy, travel, rail, emergency services and automotive sectors with customers including Jaguar Land Rover. Diversification in the products they focus on as well as sectors has been key to growth so as not to be dependent on any one sector or large customer. This also benefits the business through client reassurance in relation to IP, design and confidentiality and so have tended to grow out by targeting one major customer and their market rather than a number of customers in any given sector. Covid effect: Because manufacturing could not work from home, initial shutdown was tough. However, early on the business was identified as havingkey workers due to work in the blue light sector and expertise wasdrawn upon to support indirectly the NHS by being involved in the Ventilator Challenge just before Easter 2020. The Challenge involved multiple manufacturing businesses to scale up fast and offer Wiring assemblies as part of a package – which saw Teepee produce inexcess 5000 assemblies. It was a sobering, once in a generation operation and I am proud of all my colleagues who dug deep, worked hard over holiday weekends and became an integral part of a literally, life-saving project at the height of the crisis. I will never forget briefing 50 people in a car park, socially distanced, masked up on regular occasions to ensure we primarily best protected one another to stay safe! and at the same time serving the critical sectors we work within – how best we would continue to deliver their requirements? Steve Clarke Contents Contents Contents Contents download report download report Foreword Summary of findings About the study Key findings Economic outlook Business outlook UK levelling up Opportunities and threats Priorities ahead Investment and borrowing Government support International trade and Brexit Personal impact About Azets Foreword Summary of findings About the study Key findings Economic outlook Business outlook UK levelling up Opportunities and threats Priorities ahead Investment and borrowing Government support International trade and Brexit Personal impact About Azets Foreword Summary of findings About the study Key findings Economic outlook Business outlook UK levelling up Opportunities and threats Priorities ahead Investment and borrowing Government support International trade and Brexit Personal impact About Azets Foreword Summary of findings About the study Key findings Economic outlook Business outlook UK levelling up Opportunities and threats Priorities ahead Investment and borrowing Government support International trade and Brexit Personal impact About Azets Foreword Summary of findings About the study Key findings Economic outlook Business outlook UK levelling up Opportunities and threats Priorities ahead Investment and borrowing Government support International trade and Brexit Personal impact About Azets Foreword Summary of findings About the study Key findings Economic outlook Business outlook UK levelling up Opportunities and threats Priorities ahead Investment and borrowing Government support International trade and Brexit Personal impact About Azets Foreword Summary of findings About the study Key findings Economic outlook Business outlook UK levelling up Opportunities and threats Priorities ahead Investment and borrowing Government support International trade and Brexit Personal impact About Azets Foreword Summary of findings About the study Key findings Economic outlook Business outlook UK levelling up Opportunities and threats Priorities ahead Investment and borrowing Government support International trade and Brexit Personal impact About Azets Foreword Summary of findings About the study Key findings Economic outlook Business outlook UK levelling up Opportunities and threats Priorities ahead Investment and borrowing Government support International trade and Brexit Personal impact About Azets Foreword Summary of findings About the study Key findings Economic outlook Business outlook UK levelling up Opportunities and threats Priorities ahead Investment and borrowing Government support International trade and Brexit Personal impact About Azets Foreword Summary of findings About the study Key findings Economic outlook Business outlook UK levelling up Opportunities and threats Priorities ahead Investment and borrowing Government support International trade and Brexit Personal impact About Azets Foreword Summary of findings About the study Key findings Economic outlook Business outlook UK levelling up Opportunities and threats Priorities ahead Investment and borrowing Government support International trade and Brexit Personal impact About Azets Foreword Summary of findings About the study Key findings Economic outlook Business outlook UK levelling up Opportunities and threats Priorities ahead Investment and borrowing Government support International trade and Brexit Personal impact About Azets Foreword Summary of findings About the study Key findings Economic outlook Business outlook UK levelling up Opportunities and threats Priorities ahead Investment and borrowing Government support International trade and Brexit Personal impact About Azets Foreword Summary of findings About the study Key findings Economic outlook Business outlook UK levelling up Opportunities and threats Priorities ahead Investment and borrowing Government support International trade and Brexit Personal impact About Azets Foreword Summary of findings About the study Key findings Economic outlook Business outlook UK levelling up Opportunities and threats Priorities ahead Investment and borrowing Government support International trade and Brexit Personal impact About Azets Foreword Summary of findings About the study Key findings Economic outlook Business outlook UK levelling up Opportunities and threats Priorities ahead Investment and borrowing Government support International trade and Brexit Personal impact About Azets Foreword Summary of findings About the study Key findings Economic outlook Business outlook UK levelling up Opportunities and threats Priorities ahead Investment and borrowing Government support International trade and Brexit Personal impact About Azets Foreword Summary of findings About the study Key findings Economic outlook Business outlook UK levelling up Opportunities and threats Priorities ahead Investment and borrowing Government support International trade and Brexit Personal impact About Azets Foreword Summary of findings About the study Key findings Economic outlook Business outlook UK levelling up Opportunities and threats Priorities ahead Investment and borrowing Government support International trade and Brexit Personal impact About Azets Foreword Summary of findings About the study Key findings Economic outlook Business outlook UK levelling up Opportunities and threats Priorities ahead Investment and borrowing Government support International trade and Brexit Personal impact About Azets Foreword Summary of findings About the study Key findings Economic outlook Business outlook UK levelling up Opportunities and threats Priorities ahead Investment and borrowing Government support International trade and Brexit Personal impact About Azets Foreword Summary of findings About the study Key findings Economic outlook Business outlook UK levelling up Opportunities and threats Priorities ahead Investment and borrowing Government support International trade and Brexit Personal impact About Azets Foreword Summary of findings About the study Key findings Economic outlook Business outlook UK levelling up Opportunities and threats Priorities ahead Investment and borrowing Government support International trade and Brexit Personal impact About Azets Foreword Summary of findings About the study Key findings Economic outlook Business outlook UK levelling up Opportunities and threats Priorities ahead Investment and borrowing Government support International trade and Brexit Personal impact About Azets Foreword Summary of findings About the study Key findings Economic outlook Business outlook UK levelling up Opportunities and threats Priorities ahead Investment and borrowing Government support International trade and Brexit Personal impact About Azets Foreword Summary of findings About the study Key findings Economic outlook Business outlook UK levelling up Opportunities and threats Priorities ahead Investment and borrowing Government support International trade and Brexit Personal impact About Azets Foreword Summary of findings About the study Key findings Economic outlook Business outlook UK levelling up Opportunities and threats Priorities ahead Investment and borrowing Government support International trade and Brexit Personal impact About Azets