Bishopsgate joins pan-European joint venture

London-based Bishopsgate Specialist Installations is the only UK firm among 11 operators to join a pan-European cooperative specialising in the distribution and assembly of high-tech goods. Part of the Ward Thomas Group, Bishopsgate underwent a selection process last year to join Teneso Europe SE, which stands for 'technical network solution'.

The joint venture is the brainchild of German operator Simon Hegele and aims to provide specialist two-man deliveries, which include the installation and return of old equipment, largely to IT, health and telecoms customers.

Udo Scheffler, deputy MD of Teneso and director of business development at Simon Hegele, tells MT: "Our multinational blue-chip clients were demanding a pan-European solution so we needed to find a way to offer this.

"We began analysing all the potential service providers in each country about 18 months ago. In the UK, although Bishopsgate wasn't the largest, we felt it would put in the highest level of support and had the right skills in technical distribution."

All 11 partners have invested in the joint establishment of Teneso, which is registered in Karlsruhe, Germany. The level of investment is based on each company's size.

Bishopsgate MD Tim Bloch says: "We wanted to raise the bar in quality for technical distribution in Europe and be able to tap into very specialist, proven expertise in vertical markets; Teneso is an organisation that can provide the kind of advanced logistics our clients require throughout Europe."

Initially, the network will cover Germ-any, France, Italy, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, Spain/Portugal, UK, Belgium, Switzerland and Austria, but Teneso's long-term aim is to cover all 27 countries in the EU, plus Turkey.

"Clients are asking for support in Eastern Europe, so that's our next target. We're currently analysing potential partners in Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Hungary," adds Scheffler.

Bloch adds: "Every shareholder in Teneso provides the services in their country within a strictly defined service level agreement and policy. All equipment, procedures and manpower have to meet certain standards of excellence."