Member Spotlight – Total Specialist Maintenance
Company name: Total Specialist Maintenance
Company representative: Suzanne Saynor
Job title: Head of Business Development & Marketing
What services do you deliver to the water jetting industry?
Water jetting forms an important part of the specialist maintenance services we provide across the UK’s infrastructure.
We carry out hydrodemolition, industrial cleaning, surface preparation and concrete removal, predominantly within the water sector, but also across highways, rail and other critical infrastructure.
What makes us slightly different is that water jetting is usually one part of a much bigger solution.
We prepare the asset using water jetting before carrying out concrete repairs, waterproofing, protective coatings or structural refurbishment. It means clients can deal with one specialist contractor from start to finish.
What new service developments should we look out for from you in the next year or so? Ones you can tell us about, of course.
Rather than launching lots of new services, our focus is on strengthening the balance of the business.
Over the last few years we’ve seen significant growth within the water sector, and over the next 12 months we’ll be putting the same emphasis into developing our structural waterproofing and concrete repair divisions.
Those capabilities have always been part of who we are, and we’re investing in people, training and equipment to ensure they continue to grow alongside our water business.
Ultimately, our aim is to remain a specialist contractor that can support clients across multiple infrastructure sectors while maintaining the same high standards of delivery, whichever service they require.
What are the three most important elements of service delivery for your customers and why?
The first is competence. Specialist work needs specialist people, and there’s no substitute for experience.
The second is communication. Infrastructure projects rarely go exactly to plan, so keeping clients informed and making good decisions together is essential.
The third is reliability. If we commit to delivering something, our customers need complete confidence that we’ll do it safely, professionally and when we said we would.
What have been the business highlights for Total Specialist Maintenance over the last 12 months?
It’s been another year of steady growth for us. We’ve expanded our directly employed workforce, invested further in plant and equipment and strengthened our position.
Joining the WJA is another important step. It reflects the standards we expect of ourselves and our ambition to keep improving.
Tell us something that you think anyone outside the industry will find amazing about your products and/or services or what they can achieve.
Most people have no idea how much of the UK’s infrastructure is hidden. Every day, specialist contractors are working inside reservoirs, tunnels, culverts, treatment works and other structures that the public will never see.
They’re some of the country’s most important assets, yet most people don’t even know they exist. When they’re maintained properly, nobody notices. That’s exactly how it should be.
What’s the biggest change in technology or process you have witnessed in your product / service sector in recent years?
The biggest change has been the quality of information available before work even begins. Advances in inspection technology, surveying and asset data mean we can understand the condition of structures in far greater detail than we could a decade ago.
That’s changed the way projects are planned. Instead of relying on assumptions, we’re making decisions based on evidence, allowing repairs to be more targeted, efficient and, ultimately, more effective.
In a similar way, what do you think will be the biggest changes or challenges you will face over the next 10 years?
Looking after an ageing infrastructure network while attracting enough skilled people into the industry.
The technology will continue to evolve, but experienced people will always be the biggest asset any business has.
What are you most proud of about the way your team supports your customers?
Their attitude.
Our people take ownership, solve problems and genuinely care about delivering the right outcome. They understand they’re working on assets that communities rely on every day, and they take that responsibility seriously.
Why did you decide to join the WJA?
Because we believe good industries are built on shared standards. The WJA has done a huge amount to promote safe working practices, recognised training and professionalism. We wanted to be part of that community rather than simply watching from the outside.
What advantages do you expect to get from being a member of the WJA?
We’re looking forward to learning from other members, sharing our own experiences and staying close to developments within the industry. No business has all the answers, and organisations like the WJA help everyone improve.
What do you think are the WJA’s key achievements?
Raising standards.
The association has helped make competence, training and safety central to professional water jetting, which benefits contractors, clients and the industry as a whole.
Why is it important to have a member organisation for the water jetting industry?
Because specialist industries need a collective voice. The WJA brings together manufacturers, contractors and clients to share knowledge, improve standards and help the industry move forward together.
What key issues do you think the WJA should focus on over the next three years, and why?
Continuing to attract new talent into the industry while maintaining the high standards it’s become known for.
Sharing technical knowledge and promoting innovation will also become increasingly important as infrastructure continues to age.
If Total Specialist Maintenance were an animal, what kind would it be?
A beaver.
Its spends its life working around water, building and maintaining structures. We spend our lives fixing other people’s structures, so choosing an animal that’s famous for building them felt appropriate. Hopefully our workmanship lasts a bit longer though!
Is there a final point you’d like to make?
We’re delighted to be joining the WJA and look forward to contributing to the industry.
If you’d like to find out more about Total Specialist Maintenance or discuss how we can support your infrastructure assets, we’d be pleased to have a conversation. www.tsm-ltd.co.uk enquiries@tsm-ltd.co.uk