Advance Machinery Installation specialise in the installation and relocation of plant and machinery throughout Ireland and the UK.

Name: Bill Lawrence

Company Name: Advance Machinery Installation Ltd 

Address: 40a Glenavy Road, Crumlin, BT29 4LA

Tel: 028 9445 3428

Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  

Web: www.advancemi.co.uk

Started: 6 May 2010 

Background

After graduating I joined the heavy transport department with Lyons Tetley in Middlesex, moving then to Bullens Distribution as Contract Manager.  I relocated to Bristol in 1989, joining Vanguard Engineering as Operations Supervisor and was promoted to Operations Manager in 1990.  I relocated to NI in 1995 and worked for Montgomery Transport for 18 months before rejoining Vanguard in Antrim as operations Manager, later moving to Belfast after Pickfords acquisition.

What was your motivation for going into business?

I knew the industry and had made good contacts so just thought it was the right thing to do.  I was looking for a new challenge and this was it.

What does your business involve?

We specialise in the installation and relocation of plant and machinery throughout Ireland and the UK and have the experience and skills to offer a quality service for the relocation of a single machine through to a complete factory move or re-organisation.  We pride ourselves on the delivering a first class service from the survey stage through to quotation and execution of the project on time and within budget.

What support did you get in starting up?

I remember calling in to Antrim Enterprise Agency and enquiring about a sage trainer as I knew this was an area I had to look into before the business got off the ground.  I spoke initially with Kerry and as a direct result participated on the Go for It Programme which provided me with a wide range of knowledge on the key aspects of running a business, in particular the development of a business plan and cashflow for the first 12 months of the business.  In addition to this I received mentoring support which came at the perfect time as I wanted to look into getting ISO 9001 accreditation to allow us to tender for large contracts.  I received support from a specialised mentor who enabled me to put together the necessary paperwork systems and in particular the internal auditing procedures to achieve this accreditation. We would never have been able to do it, and certainly not in the time scale that we did achieve it in, without this support.  It has been vital to our business growth.”

What is your biggest success to date?

Attaining ISO 9001 Accreditation as this has opened up new doors for us and will directly impact the overall growth of the company.

Where is the business now?

There are a further two directors involved in the business with me, each bringing their own level of expertise and knowledge to the business. We now have 6 members of staff.   

What’s the next step?

To increase the number of services that we offer, so we are moving into, storage, haulage, export packaging, and shipping.

Any advice?

Be prepared to learn from anyone and everybody, if you learn just one thing from a seminar, lecture, course etc. it’s worth it.  Always have your eyes open to possible sales opportunities wherever you are, and whatever the circumstances. Know your customers, research and research again, and know your competitors even better.