Ballyclare has announced a raft of strategic appointments as it focuses on further expansion in the UK market. The family-owned company, based in Cheshire, has long been a reliable supplier of high-quality PPE to UK Fire and Rescue Services (FRS), securing major contracts with significant end users including the North West Region, All Wales and All Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Services. After a decade of strong expansion across Europe, including success in Poland, Benelux and Germany, Ballyclare is now setting its sights on extending its market share at home. The recent appointments form part of a broader strategy to gather top-tier expertise from around the country, in order to deliver unmatched quality, customer service and value to FRSs in the UK. The four new employees have all been drawn from PPE supplier Bristol Uniforms, and bring with them a wealth of experience in firefighting PPE to complement the existing talent at Ballyclare. Philip Tasker has taken up the role of Global Sales Lead for Fire and Security, following 23 years at Bristol Uniforms where he led the sales team as UK & Ireland Sales Director. His role will involve strengthening relationships with fire services in the UK and overseas and spearheading new business initiatives. Edward Shepherd has been appointed as Supply Chain Lead and will be managing the company’s production and distribution processes to scale up efficiency. He brings with him 18 years’ experience as Service Operations Director at Bristol Uniforms. Ian Mitchell, an industry expert with 19 years’ experience leading Bristol Uniforms as Joint Managing Director and Bell Apparel as Managing Director, has joined Ballyclare as a Consultant. Alex Williams held an integral role at Bristol Uniforms for 12 years supporting the Joint Managing Directors, and now takes up a key position with Ballyclare in Sales and Customer Support. The new appointees join an already highly experienced team at Ballyclare, which includes Deborah Hudson, Head of Product Development; Mark Brophy, Technical Manager; and Lee Porter, Fire Service Manager, who collectively have provided more than 50 years of service to the company. Hansjürgen Hübner, Director at Ballyclare, comments: “Our strength at Ballyclare has always been in collaborating closely with customers, listening to their needs and applying our expertise, working in partnership with them to deliver tailored solutions. In recent years, we’ve achieved exceptional success with this formula in Europe, now it’s time to bring that expertise to the new UK collaborative framework that will be out for tender later this year. “We’re delighted to have gathered a team with deep UK market knowledge and excellent industry connections so we can deliver a level of quality, customer service and value for money unmatched by any other supplier.” In addition to managing long-term contracts with FRSs in key regions of the UK, Ballyclare currently supplies more than 200 brigades across Poland, and handles fully managed services for a host of German cities such as Hamburg, which alone has around 5,500 professional and volunteer firefighters. The company’s in-house manufacturing facilities in North Africa mean it has full control of production, enabling swift and efficient delivery across Europe and the UK. Professional managed services are offered in multiple locations across the UK, providing a 360-degree service which takes care of garments from design and manufacture to washing, repairing and end of life. Philip Tasker, the new Global Sales Lead for Fire and Security, comments: “Ballyclare is reinforcing its reputation for innovation and performance by building the best team to scale up its operations. We’re here to form lasting relationships with fire services across the UK, who can trust us to listen, respond, and deliver exactly what they need to keep their crews comfortable and protected. “We will continue to boost our investment in customer service in the coming weeks, because a strong, well-resourced team is essential to backing our UK fire services on the front line.”