He's climbed a volcano to upgrade firmware, fled through jungle to escape a jaguar attack, and regularly finds himself in precisely the wrong place at the wrong time - welcome to the world of Keith Edwards, Managing Director of TES Wireless Communications.
Evading the close attention of big cats is not a regular must-do task, but the sense of job satisfaction and pride Edwards achieves, even under such extreme circumstances, is guaranteed every working day. And he is something of a conundrum: Risk averse, yet drawn towards danger and unpredictability. He's a dab hand at playing it safe, but also a lover of the wild oceans and their deep unknowns. All curiosities that can be traced back to when he first thought about a career pathway.
At the outset of his working life Edwards wanted to be a Radio Officer in the Merchant Navy. The job served two purposes - he wanted a role that carried zero risk of getting his hands dirty and a career that fuelled his love of the sea. "With so few jobs at sea I found the closest thing, working on naval communication systems for Marconi Communications," he said.
"Workshop life was great for a short while, but I wanted to be at the front end of radio systems so I became a field engineer for a national trunked radio network, National Band 3. This gave me an insight into system planning and the challenges of real RF issues to investigate and solve. Working remotely and on my own meant I had to be fully prepared before leaving for a hill top site, and I put every effort into resolving issues when on site. The Plan, Act, Check, Enable work ethos has stayed with me from those early days and remains as essential and useful as ever."
Although he sometimes finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time, Edwards's life story is just as much about being in the right place at an opportune moment. "In the early days we were lucky enough to be working with a local company, Fylde Microsystems in Blackpool, which had just designed the first commercially available trunked radio system," he explained. "Our strengths in deploying systems to site and maintaining them established us as their global sales and support office. This gave us access to long-term UK and international clients. Fylde Microsystems was subsequently purchased by Sepura and we have established a strong relationship supporting its existing systems."
TES was formed in 1991 following a management buy out of the Communications and Engineering Services Department of North West Water (now United Utilities). "We rented office space from North West Water and still looked after its regional multi-site radio system, and we were able to pick up commercially viable project work," noted Edwards.
"Due to organic growth in 1997 we moved to larger premises, increasing our workshop, storage and office space overnight. In our 25th year we still provide global support for radio systems, though the technologies we support now include MESH networks, DMR and TETRA digital radio and of course analogue systems such as conventional and trunked."
With military precision Edwards has developed a structured business model with defined roles for each department, allowing the skills and strengths of staff to reach their full potential. This strategy has helped TES to generate impressive growth in turnover and profit during the last two years. Staff numbers have grown circa 15 per cent over the period, partly because the firm now undertakes all of its own climbing and rigging activities.
"In most deployments a radio design is only as robust as the accuracy of its installation," commented Edwards. "Hence, a move towards taking ownership of our core offering, from design to full on-site implementation, means that we not only reduce the risks we also maximise the peace of mind the client has from engaging the with TES brand."
Radio Frequency (RF) planning (the sums that make radio systems work) is often described as both an art and a science. "While the laws of physics can define RF behaviour in a given circumstance, each individual deployment can be greatly affected by the environment within which it is installed," explained Edwards. "For example, building materials, expanses of water and flora such as trees can all impact on radio performance. Modern radio systems involve a lot of IP configuration and set up, so a true troubleshooting radio expert needs a broad range of skills."
For many years TES has been known as a high tier systems designer, but recent investments in brand, buildings, equipment and staff have opened up broader sales opportunities which are reflected in a healthy order book. "TES clients generally seek a life-time solution," added Edwards. "This means we not only design, install and commission systems, we also maintain them. While we always see maintenance as planned preventative activities, our investment in core skills and knowledge means that we can easily demonstrate the ability to trouble shoot when needed. It is only by investment in these skills that we are able to offer attractive SLAs for critical systems, such as a four-hour response."
Not surprisingly, TES has experienced a strong increase in maintenance business. Another area of growth that dovetails with TES' strengths is the provision of alternatives to leased lines. "Our recent offering of 'Leased Line Killer' brings together our RF planning, deployment, and maintenance skills," he explained. "TES has already undertaken numerous leased line replacement projects that have saved clients significant sums with paybacks over short periods. We see this as a significant growth area.
"The broader roll out of the Leased Line Killer is a priority. However, the main challenge is addressing perception. There is an established way of delivering this service and while a radio-based alternative offers significant cost savings and an equally, if not more, robust service, it is never easy to change an established way of thinking."
Point-to-point and point-to-multipoint links are the fastest growing market for TES, with its one-stop-shop offering making it a credible and safe solution for link deployments. "Our services include, design, installation and commissioning, post deployment 24/7 support and preventative maintenance," added Edwards. "Along with all the back office services such as licence management, training, and project management."
Attaining the trinity of 9001 Quality Management, 18001 Health & Safety Management and 14001 Environmental Management certification with BSI has been essential for TES to demonstrate its commitment to a higher standard of operations, especially given the corporate nature of most of its clients, perhaps more so post-recession. "In the post 2008 world it is clear that businesses need to fully research and justify purchases," stated Edwards. "So TES has evolved its strategy to more clearly offer RoI information such as the tax impactions of various ways of funding and more creative ways of achieving our client's objectives."
For example, hire of radios and systems often proves to be a cost-effective solution for more budget sensitive clients. "We have seen strong hire business over the last couple of years," noted Edwards. "Another part of our growth strategy is to use our experience to focus on certain sectors including security, transport, financial, government and petrochemical. In 2016 we have already gained or delivered systems or contracts with First Manchester, Astra Zeneca, UBS AG, Blackpool Transport and BP."
Despite the risky situations Edwards sometimes runs up against in his day-to-day activities, TES has always been risk averse, following a strategy of organic growth rather than exceeding its ability to self-fund. "This may seem like the safe option but we are as stable and commercially strong as we have ever been," he said. "Our stability is the key to the long-term relationships we have with clients and suppliers. There is little point chasing turnover if it places your company and client relationships at risk. We also cherry pick our work, aiming at the blue chip market. This is why having the internationally recognised standards for management systems and stability is crucial and encourages referrals."
TES is large enough to have critical mass and target corporate clients, but retains the fleet-of-foot flexibility common to smaller firms. "We like the fact we know everybody's name, and we have, for the last 25 years, retained a homely culture," commented Edwards. "We are often described as an external in-house communications department. This only ever works with the strongest of professional skills and experience and a culture driven by honesty and integrity.
"I am lucky to be involved with a company where every day is different and I get to work with a varied client base. To choose one achievement above another is impossible. Every system deployed feels as good as the first one many years ago. On a personal level, it's the relationships with clients and suppliers that makes my job so much more enjoyable."•