Milestone moment at ConSpare

13 December, 2024

Left: James Bullock recently celebrated his 40th anniversary at ConSpare; Right: James Bullock in the early 2000s

First published in the December 2024 issue of Quarry Management

Nottinghamshire concrete experts celebrate 40th anniversary of chief executive officer James Bullock

Concrete batching plant equipment and spare parts suppliers ConSpare recently celebrated the 40th anniversary of their chief executive officer (CEO), James Bullock, in a major milestone for the Sutton-in-Ashfield-based family business.

Having initially joined the company as a sales administrator in 1984, he later took over from his father, Jim Bullock, as managing director of the firm in 1995. Having held this position for 28 years, he led the company to a record-breaking £10 million turnover in his final year as managing director, before transitioning to CEO in 2023.

As a longstanding contributor to and expert within the industry, James Bullock has been an active member of the executive committee of the Materials Handling Engineers Association (MHEA) since 2015, and was president of the Association for the last two years.

In celebration of the significant anniversary, he reflected on four decades of hard work, the changes he has observed within the business and the concrete industry, and the trends that will impact the future of concrete batching plants around the UK.

‘Celebrating 40 years at ConSpare is quite a surreal moment for me. I can’t quite believe I’ve been working here for over four decades. That’s a long time and I‘ve witnessed a lot of change over the years, but I still love what I do and am as enthusiastic as when I first joined the business,’ he said.

‘One of the key strengths of our business has been just how well my brother David and I have worked together for so many years. Right from the outset, we had very complementary skill sets and made a great team. With support from our sister Alison, and subsequently my son Tom, who joined us eight years ago as the third generation, this has been a real family affair. We all recognize the huge amount of hard work and dedication that our 45-strong team has put in, plus our close working relationships with longstanding industry partners and supporters, who’ve all contributed so much to our company’s growth and long history.

‘When I first sat in the sales office in 1984, I joined a team of three full-time staff and we turned over £400,000. Back then, there were no computers, mobile phones, GPS, and so many of the other things we take for granted these days; it was a very different world running a business. Customers would call us to report breakdowns or problems with the plant, looking for spares or a technical solution to get the plant back up and running quickly. Although we’ve grown a lot since those days and added many new products and site services to our range, we still provide that essential service to the industry to this day.

‘Building on the foundations laid by my father, we’ve gone on to introduce innovative products which have had a positive impact on the industry. I’m proud of our contribution to help improve safety, productivity, and working conditions on so many sites nationally. We’ve also played a role in supporting most of the biggest infrastructure projects ever undertaken in the UK.

‘One of the most significant changes at ConSpare that I have seen was the strategic shift in mindset from breakdown fixer to process improver. We realized the value in our vast experience, which we learned whilst solving plant problems over so many decades. Rather than focusing on fixing breakdowns after they happened, our team became more proactive in helping customers find plant bottlenecks and providing equipment and smart maintenance solutions to optimize plant performance before they broke down, and our slogan ‘Make it better’ was born.

‘Within the last couple of years, we’ve seen real change in the industry as our customers focus on reducing environmental impact and using better plant design to improve the day-to-day working conditions of site staff. We are well placed to help in both of these areas based on our understanding of the concrete production process, and that’s why I’ve transitioned to CEO so that we can push ahead and help make the industry better in new ways.’

ConSpare recently launched their second white paper, which examines the direct link between batch plant performance and the well-being of site staff. This built on the firm’s previous report that demonstrated the significant amount of CO2 that could be cut by improving the performance of concrete batching plant equipment – helping to reduce raw materials required, power usage, and maintenance interventions.

Having taken over as managing director in the recent restructure, David Bullock also celebrates a year of leading operations at ConSpare, with additional responsibilities having been distributed to company directors Tom Bullock, Steven Wing, and Darren Kershaw.

‘As the industry embraces all aspects of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) standards and looks to decarbonize further, huge change is needed to help the Government and industry achieve their ambitious net-zero targets by 2050,’ said James Bullock. ‘With all of our expertise and experience built over so many decades, I’m confident that ConSpare can remain a voice for innovation and best practice for the 2,000 batching plants in the UK for generations to come.’