Matt Pearce is the Managing Director of TM Services and TM Machinery Sales, and has been part of the business for 27 years. “It doesn’t feel like that long,” he laughs, “but when I look back, I’ve pretty much done every job along the way.” Matt originally started on the service side of the business before moving into sales, and from there progressed into his current role, giving him a deep, hands-on understanding of how the company operates at every level.
What Matt enjoys most about his role is the variety it brings. “No two days are ever the same,” he says. “One day I might be dealing with customers on the machinery sales side, the next I’m helping resolve an technical issue, and the next I’m working on new procedures, policies or technology to keep the business moving forward. That variety is what keeps it interesting.”
Like many leaders in a growing independent business, one of Matt’s biggest challenges is making sure long-term planning doesn’t get lost in the day-to-day. “In a small business there’s always something that needs attention,” he explains. “You can easily get dragged into solving today’s problems, so I have to be quite disciplined about carving out time to step back and make sure we’re still heading in the right direction overall.”
When it comes to his strengths, Matt points to his ability to adapt quickly. “I tend to pick new things up pretty fast,” he says. “Whether it’s new technology coming in or a problem that needs solving, I enjoy getting stuck in and finding a practical solution. That’s always been important in this industry, because things don’t stand still for long.”
For Matt, success isn’t about chasing rapid growth. “We’re a mature business, so success for us is steady, sustainable growth,” he explains. “It’s about making sure the business is secure, but still moving forward, and that our people enjoy working here.” He is particularly proud of the company’s low staff turnover. “We’ve got people who’ve been with us a very long time, and that says a lot about the culture we’ve built.”
One of the things Matt is most proud of is the long-term relationships TM Services and TM Machinery have developed with customers. “We’ve got customers we’ve been working with for over 30 years,” he says. “Some bought machines from us 20 or 25 years ago and come back again, and in between we’ve been supporting them with servicing and spare parts. It’s that loyalty and trust that really stands out for me.”
Matt also highlights the trust placed in the management team by the owners of the business. “We’re very fortunate that the owners trust us to run the business on their behalf,” he explains. “That gives us the freedom to make decisions we know are right, whether that’s fixing a problem or taking the business in a new direction.”
That sense of trust extends throughout the company. “We try to empower our team in the same way,” Matt says. “If someone sees something that could be done better, they’re encouraged to speak up, either to me or their line manager. We take those ideas seriously.” He believes this open approach is key to the company’s success. “We lean heavily on our team’s experience and expertise, and that’s how we deliver a really strong service to our customers.”
After nearly three decades with the business, Matt remains as committed as ever to building on what’s already there. “If we keep looking after our people and our customers,” he says, “the rest tends to take care of itself.”
Sean Taylor is the Sales Manager at TM Machinery Sales, bringing more than two decades of hands-on industry experience into every conversation he has with customers. “I came straight into the woodworking industry from school as an apprentice,” he explains. “I did a four-year apprenticeship up to advanced craft level and stayed with the same company for 17 years, working on the machines and in the tool room.”
After years on the shop floor Sean moved into machinery sales, which he describes as a steep but rewarding learning curve. “Sales exposed me to a lot of other industries, which really helped broaden my understanding,” he says. Alongside this, he became involved in apprenticeship training within the woodworking sector, before eventually returning full-time to machinery sales. “Sales is definitely the part of the job I enjoy most,” he adds.
Sean has been Sales Manager at TM Machinery for six years and is responsible for the day-to-day flow of machinery enquiries. This includes customer consultations, machine demonstrations and helping businesses identify which solution is genuinely the best fit for their needs. What sets Sean apart is the balance he brings between commercial understanding and practical experience. “As a sales guy, you’re speaking to two very different people,” he explains. “You’ve got the business owner who wants to know what the return on investment will be, and you’ve got the operator who wants a machine that works properly day in, day out.”
Having spent many years as a time-served machinist himself, Sean is able to relate directly to the challenges operators describe. “I’ve stood in front of the machines and had the same problems,” he says. “So when someone explains an issue, I’m not guessing – I’m suggesting solutions based on experience.”
The variety of enquiries is one of the parts of the role Sean enjoys most, along with the confidence that comes from representing products he believes in. “It makes a big difference having a strong product range,” he says. “I can talk confidently about the machines, the warranty and the backup because I know the aftersales will actually happen. That’s huge when you’re advising customers.”
For Sean, success isn’t measured by closing a deal. “The sale itself isn’t the success for me,” he explains. “Success is when a customer comes back. When they’re happy with the machine, happy with the advice they were given and happy with the aftersales support – that’s when you know you’ve got it right.”
He points to a recent project as a good example of this approach in action. A customer approached TM Machinery with ongoing issues around a machine and extraction system that others had insisted were suitable. “When we went in and looked properly, it was clear neither was fit for purpose,” Sean explains. “We recommended changes that went against what they’d previously been told, but they trusted us. It’s now installed, working exactly as it should, and off the back of that they’re now looking at ordering several more machines.”
For Sean, that outcome sums up what TM Machinery is about. “It’s a good company to work for,” he says. “We’ve got good products, strong backup, excellent service and we genuinely look after our customers. On top of that, it’s just a nice place to work.”
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