ADAM BROOKSBANK
PRODUCT MANAGER
GEOSYNTHETICS – A PERSONAL TOUCH
LIVING THE GEOTECHNICAL DREAM
We recently celebrated National Apprenticeship week at TCS with a blog from one of our former apprentices, Connor Parkinson, who is now a fully-fledged member of the sales team. It struck a chord with me as my son will be a school leaver this year and he too is looking to embark on an apprenticeship. This soon had me reminiscing about my own career and realising 2019 marks 20 years since I left secondary education and embarked on an apprenticeship of my own.
After a couple of years trying various industries, and quickly learning that motor vehicle mechanics was not for me, I moved into a business apprenticeship with a manufacturer of drainage and gas venting geocomposites, where I started as a sales support administrator. The construction and civil engineering sector quickly grabbed my attention and I found something that was not only interesting but also challenging. In the early 2000’s geosynthetic materials were still seen as some new age technology, despite being around for a couple of decades at that time. I was particularly interested in how these materials replaced traditional construction methods I began a largely self-taught journey of the products and their applications. Upon completing my apprenticeship I moved into a full-time sales role dealing with an array of products including erosion control mats, geocomposite drainage layers and geomembrane liners to name just a few.
After five years I was approached by a specialist sub-contractor of geomembranes and bioengineering products, to become National Sales and Contracts Manager. I had no experience of contract management or sales management, but off I headed from sunny Holmfirth in West Yorkshire down to the beautiful Cambridgeshire countryside. At 22 years of age, this was a daunting experience but one I really enjoyed. Here I learned more about geomembranes and the various applications of these materials including lining of attenuation tanks, baffle curtains in underground reservoirs, lake and pond lining. I also gained experience in the different types of membranes such as HDPE, LLDPE, PP (Polypropylene) and EPDM including why different polymers suited different applications. From requiring high chemical resistance that HDPE offers for applications such as contaminated ground, to the flexibility of PP geomembranes and the ease of installation over HDPE in demanding and awkward shaped applications. I also learned more in-depth about the bioengineering side of the industry which included coir erosion control mats such as our Techmat CN and CB ranges, pre-established coir pallets and rolls, brushwood faggots, rock rolls, and floating islands. Moving to a new part of the country in a new role helped to shape who I am today and enhanced and expanded my product knowledge.
Moving on I joined CMS as part of the geotechnical products sales team distributing polymer paviours, geogrids, grass protection matting, woven and non-woven geotextiles, and other geotechnical solutions. Following a takeover by SIG and a move in premises from Warrington to Manchester, I was installed as sales manager for CMS which then became SIG Geotechnical, after three successful years building the business and helping with the integration into SIG I joined Mark Maloney and Philip Cox, two previous directors from CMS, who had set up Technical Civils Solutions.
JOINING TCS GEOTECHNICS
The TCS brief was simple, Mark and Phil had identified the growing geotechnical market and wanted someone with my knowledge and expertise to join the business and grow this sector. This was a huge challenge – holding small stocks of geotextiles and geogrids and being known predominantly in the North West, the lure of being able to help create something from scratch and the challenge of showcasing TCS and it’s product range to a wider audience throughout the UK was one I was unable to turn down. I set about building a suite of products to provide geotechnical solutions to a now growing customer base, turning around enquiries in a timely manner and delivering products and solutions available from an expanding range of stock. TCS continued to grow and went from strength to strength as the business grew to become TCS Geotechnics, a leader in the supply of geotechnical products and systems. TCS has now become distributors of Tensar geogrids, Terram non-woven geotextiles, drainage geocomposites, Bodpave polymer paviours, and Grassprotecta grass protection mats, Lotrak wovens and the Formpave Aquaflow geotechnical ancillaries including Inbitex, SC Membrane and SC Intergrid amongst others. Nine years on from starting with TCS I am proud to be a part of a fantastic team of individuals and working for a progressive company with a great reputation within the industry. Here’s to the next 9 years.
