FMJ Facilities Management magazine providing industry-specific intelligence to FM and property professionals
Until January 2023, YorPower, PPSPower and Glenace all operated as successful independent companies in their own right. Then came the long awaited announcement from Stephen Peal that the merger was complete and YorPower is now the Group name for all aspects of back-up power:
· Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) systems
· Diesel generators
· Control panels
· Installation, commissioning and repairs
· Planned preventative maintenance
· UK and export sales
In August last year, Stephen Peal stepped into the role of YorPower Group Managing Director – a statement of intent for the group of companies to operate as one family. All people now use the same systems, have full visibility of everyone in the different companies and know how each person goes about their job as they all work towards the same goal.
“You could say that the master plan was right there from the beginning, because the PPSPower branding actually looks very much like the YorPower brand,” Stephen states. “So now we’ve taken the logical step of bringing those brands together. For some time, many of our communications have been dual-branded so that people can start seeing the brands together.”
The vision statement for the group is ‘To be the most trusted provider of UPS, generator and control panel solutions’. ‘Trusted’ is a word that has always been synonymous with the YorPower family. In the back-up power industry, companies depend on continuous power – any power failure, even momentary, can be disastrous. That’s why having a reliable and trusted provider of back-up power solutions is so important and YorPower is proud to be that trusted name for a growing number of customers.
Working as a complete provider of back-up power solutions, YorPower has a customer base both in the UK and overseas that continues to increase (the company has over 31 dedicated generator dealerships globally). And with the recent reorganisation for increased efficiency, that future looks bright.
The goal now is to build brand awareness without losing sight of the group’s main priority – delivering full back-up power solutions to its customers.
People first
Employee engagement has been key in facilitating a smooth merger. Lack of resource is a common problem industry-wide and YorPower and PPSPower have always had a strong retention rate. Stephen Peal is keen to look after his people and understand what motivates them and, conversely, what may stop them from achieving their full potential.
Several years ago, Stephen became a Mental Health First Aider (MHFA) and has since supported many employees and helped other managers in the business to deal with performance management issues in a much better way. He has since become a MHFA ambassador and promoted the need for this within the businesses via video and interviews with industry press.
This qualification has helped Stephen to improve his leadership skills because having an understanding of mental health has enabled him to better understand each of his staff as individuals, exploring ways in which they can be better understood and develop professionally and personally. Naturally an employee who feels understood and valued will perform better. This, in turn, enables Stephen to make the right approach to each person individual, and the team as a whole, more effectively.
“If we can make sure people feel valued, they are lifted, they’re driven, and they’re more aligned with what we’re trying to do. They feel respected and part of it all,” he explained.
Ultimately, the hope is that this progressive approach will help YorPower to become an industry-leading employer – the business that people want to work for.
Targeting net zero
Stephen Peal’s ambitious plans for YorPower extend to its carbon footprint, and he has been working closely with environmental, facilities management and software expert neutral carbon zone, which helps businesses to achieve their net zero goals.
“Now that we have brought the businesses together, we’re creating efficiencies that move us towards more of a carbon-efficient situation – because we’re being more effective and more efficient as an organisation,” he explains.
The next step is to establish and share the carbon footprint of YorPower’s services, and to include a price for carbon offsetting in quotations. This would enable the business to support its customers as they began their own decarbonisation journeys.
Mr Peal sees a clear relationship between these efforts to reduce YorPower’s carbon footprint, and his work on employee engagement.
“A carbon-efficient business is an efficient business,” he comments. “Looking after and retaining people makes for an efficient business. When people are engaged, they care about getting the job done, and they care about the customer.”
