Constant evolution has been at the heart of Senseco Systems’ development since its creation in 2009. By continually adding new strings to its bow, the company is now able to provide a complete ‘one stop shop’ service that encompasses all aspects of fire, suppression and security.
This forward momentum has been achieved via organic growth and through the acquisition of businesses that have dovetailed neatly into the wider goals of the group collectively, which now numbers over 170 employees who help generate turnover of around £19m.
“While we have always been known as a fire alarms business, we are now able to offer so much more after the considerable expansion we have seen in recent years,” explains Lee Thompson, Director of Strategic Development. “Following recent acquisitions, which include sprinkler and gas suppression operations and an Alarm Receiving Centre, the breadth of services we can provide has increased significantly, meaning we can be one port of call for our clients, whatever their requirements.”
The growth that Senseco has enjoyed hasn’t come about by accident, with Mr Thompson placing the company’s ethos as the main determining factor: “Much of our expansion has been achieved on the back of our customer service and technical expertise. In addition to the acquisitions, the organic growth we’ve seen has stemmed from our ability to form strong relationships. These have been further enhanced by the additional services we’ve added to our portfolio. Being able to provide everything in-house gives us a major competitive advantage. Over the last 18 months our growth has really accelerated and we’re now able to offer our loyal customer base so much more.”
As it has grown Senesco has also been careful to maintain the competencies at the core of the business, underpinned by a range of industry recognised accreditations. These include LPS1014, the highest standard that can be achieved for fire detection and alarm. This ethos has also been applied to the businesses it has acquired too, as the fire sprinkler operation it purchased holds LPS1048, the gas suppression business has LPS1204 and the Alarm Receiving Centre has NSI Gold for CCTV, security and fire monitoring.
“Ensuring we hold all the necessary accreditations is really important to us as a group and helps to create another clear point of difference within the marketplace,” adds Mr Thompson. “We’ve just been awarded our NSI NACCOSS Gold Accreditation, which covers electronic security systems including access control, CCTV and intruder systems. This required a huge amount of work and involved security screening of employees. It’s an extremely detailed process that covers everything from the design and quotation through to implementation and handover, as well as two audits of our offices that went through all of our procedures and documentation. NSI also carried out two site surveys, one of which was at the National Gallery, where we’d completed a major CCTV installation and are in the process of carrying out a major access control upgrade. It was therefore an extremely thorough process and the auditors were highly impressed with the quality of the workmanship, the knowledge of the engineers and the engagement with the client.”
Senseco’s relationship with the National Gallery has become particularly strong as the venue moves towards its bicentenary in 2024. “A great deal is taking place behind the scenes and we’re working extremely closely with the gallery on this in preparation for their 200th celebrations. It is testament to the strength of the relationship we have built up with the gallery that we’re working with them on such long-term strategic projects.
“In addition to the National Gallery, we have been particularly busy within Canary Wharf and the City carrying out projects for businesses based there, whilst the data centre sector has also proven particularly fruitful. Again, our ability to offer everything in-house has been really useful. A significant proportion of this has been life-cycle work and while we do new build projects, the majority of our activities are on existing sites, which comes with its own challenges.”
Senseco’s ability to cater to the requirements of its clients has been based on the strong foundations it has put in place and the ongoing investment required to keep improving.
“We continually invest in the business and have increased our resources across the board. This is underpinned by ongoing training and we have recently secured Investors in People, which we view as massively important. We really value our employees and put huge emphasis on their well-being, particularly supporting their mental health and dealing with the after effects of the lockdown. We really invest in our people and this is reflected in our relationships with customers. We believe that if you look after your staff they’ll look after your customers.”
Senseco is also a great believer in developing young talent and every year it takes on new apprentices and in early 2022 it opened its new training academy at its head office in Gillingham, Kent, as Mr Thompson outlines: “It houses every fire system you can imagine, and also includes access control, CCTV, gas suppression and sprinkler valves. This is in addition to the external manufacturers and industry body courses that our staff attend. Being able to supplement this with in-house training has been really beneficial. At a time when there’s a serious skill shortage, it’s vital that we look after our staff and ensure they reach their potential. This helps engender high levels of loyalty.”
Mirroring the importance that Senseco places on looking after its own people, the company is also highly proactive from a corporate responsibility perspective. “The name Senseco includes ‘eco’ because we’ve always strived to be carbon neutral, which remains integral to our approach. We therefore do a great deal of work on the environment, as well as on social and governance, partnering with local charities. For instance, we now provide our employees with time off to volunteer for different charities. The marketplace is starting to place a much higher emphasis on these types of activity, which is something we’re fully behind.”
As its sphere of influence grows and with an ever-increasing portfolio of high-end projects and maintenance contracts under its belt, Senesco is looking forward to 2023 with renewed confidence having further bolstered the services it can offer to clients. “We want to continue to develop further, both organically and through acquisitions,” concludes Mr Thompson. “We are close to completing acquisitions in the north of the country and while previous acquisitions were designed to increase the range of services we can provide, the latest ones are more about extending our national coverage. We are acquiring a business in Leeds and we’re aiming to increase our presence in Manchester, where we have operated previously. This year we are also launching our Passive Fire Division, which inspects the likes of fire doors, fire dampers and fire stopping. It’s something that our clients have continually asked us about and we’re now able to cater for. It’s a growing marketplace and we have invested accordingly. In a year’s time I’m hopeful we’ll have much better national coverage and will have integrated the businesses that we’ve acquired into the group to provide our clients with an even better offering across the country.”
Given its track record, Senseco looks well placed to continue achieving its goals in 2023 and beyond.