Out and about with cat

Rob Hooper and Spencer Parkin explain to CAT how innovative use of IT can make you stand out from the crowd.
Shepshed Auto Spares, also known as SAS, operate in a similar way to its elite combat troop abbreviation namesake where precision and efficiency is key. The three directors who started SAS, all worked together at the Birmingham-based wholesaler Motor City, and in 1999 decided to try their hand at Motor Factoring.

Joint owner Mark Walker talks to CAT about realising his dream of owning a garage. From the age of 14, Walker has wanted to own a garage, after working at a backstreet workshop helping out. By the time he was selling new cars for Peter Gilder Audi in Sheffield, he believed it was a dream he no longer wanted

Husband and wife team Matt and Gill Hanson talk CAT through how a 10-year-old’s dream became a reality in new state-of-the-art facilities. Starting an independent garage is not easy at the best of times, but making the jump from working on your own to employing a team is very much another, as Matt and Gill Hanson will testify

Alistair Richards talks CAT through how his factoring business has weathered recessions and survived two decades of ups and downs. He has spent almost 30 years in the motor trade, and seen a lot, but 10 years working for a supplier shaped his dream to run his own motor factor with brother Andrew

Peter Black takes CAT through his 40 years in the automotive industry and 30 years in retail.
He started in the motor trade 41 years ago for a company called Kettering Tyres, under the management of colourful character Peter Unwinn. Soon after starting out in the industry he ended up managing a branch of Kettering Tyres in South Wigston, Leicester. Little did Black know that he would be the owner of that shop 10 years on.

Shettleston Road and Dunlops Auto Shop in Glasgow are celebrating their ruby anniversary together since Fred Dunlop first opened the store at number 1218. His history in the East End of Glasgow actually goes back a further ten years as he actually started work in the area with his father at Macintosh & Dick, a Ferodo distributor

Last year’s CAT Award Large Factor of the Year winner Craig McCracken has not been resting on his laurels and we visit him following a rebrand and relaunch

Paul Clark explains why family comes first for EEC and how the Union Jack helps sell products even to German customers who appreciate UK quality

One day Paul Hambleton will inherit an empire. He’s married to the daughter of Maypole Ltd founder Stuart Howe, and he’s got big plans for the company. Maypole Ltd is firmly entrenched in its core business of manufacturing and supplying trailer components and towing accessories.

After two wonderful years working on CAT Xavier Auto Clinic in London is actually the first proper ‘under the arches’ garage I’ve visited.

As the rumble from the 10.35 from Waterloo subsides, I ask owner Phil Xavier how he got into the business: “My father was a mechanic and between school I helped him out in the workshop. That’s how we started off.