Gloucester-based TBS Engineering continues to bolster its reputation as a global leader in the provision of battery manufacturing equipment – not least through innovation in the design and assembly of its state-of-the-art technologies and machinery, but also in the ongoing support it provides for its customers, through its dedicated aftermarket division.
What started as a close-knit sales team of four working out of Cheltenham's Lansdown Industrial Estate is now a network of more than 18 staff working across three continents – with its UK team now based at TBS headquarters at Gloucester Business Park – providing some of the world's leading battery manufacturers with services from the sale of spare parts, to technical support.
SoGlos talks to senior aftermarket manager at TBS, Daniel Parker-Gage, about the support the division provides for customers, and how it has become a major part of the overall company's success – responsible for around $20 million of its more than $50 million in annual turnover.
Dan – tell us about TBS Engineering’s aftermarket division.
The TBS Engineering Aftermarket Division launched in 2022 and has evolved from a small Gloucestershire-based team into a global network supporting customers across the lead-acid battery industry.
Our role is simple: to keep our customers’ equipment operating reliably by providing aftermarket spare parts, technical support, service, account management and streamlined logistics.
Today, the division has more than 25 employees working across our global network of locations:
- TBS UK – Gloucester, Gloucestershire, our global headquarters
- TBS China – Qingdao, established in 2009
- TBS USA – Kutztown, Pennsylvania, established in 2018
- TBS Mexico – Monterrey, established in 2024
- TBS Italy – Como, established in 2025
- TBS India – Pune, launching in 2026
While our teams are geographically dispersed, we operate as one global aftermarket network, sharing knowledge, resources and best practice to provide consistent support to our customers.
Why did TBS establish a dedicated aftermarket division?
Our customers rely on TBS equipment for critical manufacturing processes, so our relationship with them doesn't end when a machine is delivered.
We recognised that there was a significant opportunity to provide a more focused and proactive aftermarket service – one that could support customers throughout the life of their equipment.
Having a dedicated aftermarket division allows us to concentrate specifically on customer uptime, responsiveness and long-term support, while also creating an important recurring revenue stream that supports the wider growth of TBS.
What are the advantages of having a dedicated aftermarket division?
For our customers, it means having a team focused specifically on keeping their equipment running and responding quickly when they need support.
One of the biggest lessons we've learned is that being close to our customers matters. Having people and stock closer to the markets we serve builds relationships and trust, while giving customers reassurance that reliable support is within reach when they need it.
For TBS, the aftermarket also provides an ongoing relationship with customers long after the original equipment has been installed. That gives us an opportunity to understand their changing requirements, identify areas where we can improve our service and develop new solutions that benefit both the customer and the wider business.
How has the division expanded in recent years?
The growth has been significant. What started as a relatively small team in Gloucestershire has developed into a global network, with the establishment of regional hubs in Mexico, Italy and India alongside our existing operations in the UK, USA and China.
We've also grown our teams across customer service, account management, technical support and logistics, allowing us to provide a much broader level of support across different regions.
Alongside the physical expansion, we've invested heavily in digital solutions.
Our TBS Customer Portal, for example, gives customers direct visibility of stock availability, lead times and pricing, as well as the ability to create quotations. They can also view open orders, invoices, quotations and account performance information in one place.
This removes a lot of the unnecessary back-and-forth traditionally associated with requesting pricing or checking order information, making the customer experience faster and more transparent.
What has been the key to transforming the division from a small Gloucestershire-based team into a global network?
For me, the key has been listening.
It's very easy for a business to assume it knows what its customers want. In reality, the best solutions often come from simply listening to what customers are telling us.
We try to understand not just what the problem is, but why it is causing difficulty for the customer. We then look at whether it is an isolated issue or part of a wider trend, analyse the information and use it to improve our processes, services and tools.
That creates a cycle of continuous improvement.
Collaboration has also been fundamental. Although our teams are spread across different countries and time zones, we work closely together on customer issues and improvement projects. Our regional teams bring local knowledge and relationships, while our global network allows us to share expertise and resources.
That combination of global capability with local presence has been a major part of our transformation.
What is your vision for the future of the division?
Our vision is to build on the strong foundation we've created and continue making it easier for customers to do business with TBS.
A major focus will be increasing our global supply chain capacity and regional stock availability, helping us reduce lead times – something our customers consistently tell us is one of their highest priorities.
We'll also continue developing our digital tools and customer platforms to make the aftermarket experience more transparent, responsive and efficient.
Ultimately, our goal is to become an increasingly valuable partner to our customers, rather than simply a supplier of spare parts.
The aftermarket division will also play an important role in TBS's wider global expansion. As TBS continues to grow internationally, our ability to provide strong local service and support will become increasingly important.
We want our customers to know that wherever they are in the world, TBS is there to support them.
