Having not been tipped off in advance, it was something of a surprise at Vendex North to see Angus McKenzie on the Abbeychart stand. After all, he’s an espresso man, through and through – isn’t he?

‘Left Field’

At first glance, the job of General Manager at Abbeychart appears to be a ‘left field’ career choice for the BSA Director formerly known as ‘Mr Kimbo’. In his new role, he’ll be playing a much wider field: Abbeychart is a leading supplier of component parts, spares and accessories to operators and OEMs in the vending, coffee, espresso, soft drinks, water and brewery sectors.

‘Abbeychart are experts in liquid dispensing and the company is set-up to work with customer’s designs to supply parts for hundreds of applications, from Vending and Coffee Machines to Soft Drinks and Water Dispensers’, Angus said by way of introduction.

‘When we met for exploratory talks it was immediately clear that Abbeychart were very keen to do more within the espresso sector’, Angus said. ‘Evidently, I have a strong DNA in espresso, but there are also other sectors in which I felt that my professional network could deliver useful synergy. By that, I mean machine manufacturers, service companies, vending operators and the catering industry, which I’ve served for many years. Catering is an example of a sector that is particularly diverse and complex, in which I feel genuinely integrated’, Angus said. ‘Abbeychart have done well there over the years but in my view, the company has a way to go before reaches its full potential.’

Challenge

So what was it that persuaded Angus to accept the challenge?

‘The more I investigated, the more I understood that there’s a wonderful foundation in place upon which to build’, he said. ‘There’s a terrific skill level up above within the parent company and they’re keen to give me the freedom I need to make a difference. They made it clear that they value my entrepreneurial spirit to achieve, with their support, ambitious expansion plans. That was a consistent message throughout our discussions and it was clear to me that although I’d be taking on a huge challenge, success is a realistic prospect. That excited me and that was why I signed up for the journey.’

As you’d expect from ‘the man with a plan’, Angus has very clear objectives for the short, medium and long term…

‘The first thing I need to do is to make certain that everybody understands, with complete clarity, who we are and what we do’, Angus said. ‘In this business, perception is everything. In my previous company, for example, we only knew Abbeychart as ‘the guys who sold Flojet.’ People are not always sure what else is in our remit. To begin with, everything will be secondary to changing that perception. By achieving this goal we will open a lot of doors which, in turn, will be the catalyst for our other objectives to fall into place.

Our focus will be exclusively on the machine side

‘Medium term, it’s my intention that Abbeychart is seen in the industry as a viable alternative partner for espresso spare parts’, Angus said. ‘Our focus will be exclusively on the machine side. Because of our excellent technical support, our back-up workshops and our dedication to service, I’m sure we can make an impact in what is, after all, quite a mature market. We’re not about to dramatically shake up the industry; but we do believe that we can add value in this sector and not just hold our own, but be competitive and successful. We’ve set out our stall to achieve that by offering additional services, such as grinder refurbishment and boiler descales, to the trade only. I also feel very strongly that we can support the rise of some of the smaller, independent businesses that make up the backbone of the UK coffee sector. We can work with these smaller concerns by giving them, in effect, ‘an extra pair of arms’. In fact, we’ve recently recruited a member of our team whose background is in espresso, to strengthen our knowledge in this sector.’

A new network of contacts and clients

Longer term the recent acquisition of the Wurlitzer spare parts business will enable Abbeychart to foster and develop a new network of contacts and clients in Europe, forming business relationships with service companies, vending operators and machine manufacturers. ‘We want to be seen in Europe and in the UK as a one-stop shop; from design, through to installation and after sales service, for customers across a wide range of market sectors’, Angus said. ‘We want to bring to post-Brexit Europe a proud British badge and become a prominent player on the European stage. We can and do work at a fast a pace with full accountability and integrity on European projects.’

So much for Angus’ plans for the future: I was also interested in his view of where Abbeychart is right now…

World class

‘I would describe the company as being rich in talent, experience and enthusiasm’, he said, ‘that is ready for a new phase of direction, with the unity of vision that will be required to exploit the wonderful range of opportunities that are out there. The diversity of clients and the portfolio of big brands that Abbeychart boast really is world class but I’m sure we can do even better. We can work smarter, we can communicate better and must be at the leasing edge of innovation. Abbeychart was built up by its founder Peter Best with a tangible spirit of innovation and invention’, Angus said. ‘Everyone in the business must understand that it is imperative that we innovate continually and everyone in the business has a role to play in that process. It’ll be a team effort. There is an Innovation Forum already in place to share ideas and to encourage a mind-set founded on innovation. Abbeychart needs to be a catalyst for change, not just a follower of trends.’

Angus McKenzie will remain a Director of the BSA in his new role. ‘I’m pleased to say that Abbeychart is now a fully-fledged member of the BSA and a proud member at that’, Angus said.