Positive charge from Eriks+Wyko
March 1st 2008 Wyko officially becomes Eriks as
of April this year. An intense period
of activity has followed the Dutch
outfit's Ł139m purchase in
November 2006, according to
marketing director, Steve
Bodsworth, who describes the deal
as "all upside", and hinted the
acquisitive firm is eyeing further
OEM targets within the UK.
"It's not just a new name above
the door but a huge increase in
product, service provision and
know-how," claims Bodsworth,
who has overseen the Eriks +
Wyko rebranding across all
technology and service channels,
ensuring each of its 24 UK facilities
provides a uniform approach.
To ensure the firm lives up to its
new strapline ('Know-how makes
the difference') in the future,
Bodsworth also announced a new
apprenticeship programme: Eriks
hope to bolster its current roster of
15 apprentices to 100. Bodsworth
describes this as "succession
planning from the bottom up" and
says the firm is actively seeking
"the right" 16 and 17 year olds.
Apprenticeships will be one of
the key focuses of 'Eriks on tour'
later this year, when the company
will visit major customers, colleges
and universities, sports events etc.,
in a tour bus. The plan is to recruit
up to 45 new members in 2008
across three disciplines:
Commercial Management Training
Programme; Service Centre
Apprenticeship Scheme (both two
year programmes); and a full fouryear
Electro Mechanical
Engineering Apprentice scheme.
In its native market, (Holland)
Eriks' business is currently a 50-50
split between MRO and OEM
operations. Wyko's is currently
98% MRO. While unlikely to exactly
mirror the Dutch operation,
Bodsworth says a 60-40
MRO/OEM split in the UK within
the next five years is achievable.
He says the cash-rich firm will
achieve this by strategic
acquisitions and that discussions
with several OEMs are already
underway. More articles from ERIKS UK: | 
