35 Years of Success: Celebrating CTS' Milestone Anniversary in Business

Over the years, there have been significant turning points for the company, and as we celebrate, we want to take a moment to look at how we grew from an independent company to running three companies under the CTS Group.

We took the opportunity to interview our Managing Director Matthew Terry and let him tell us more about the CTS success story.

You can watch the full interview with our Managing Director below and learn more about the CTS journey or read the summarised version of our interview in the article below.

Established in 1987 by Mike Terry, father to Matthew Terry, Centre Tank Services initially sold products such as brass fittings and pipe ware. But in 1989 this changed after an encounter with Italian manufacturer Piusi resulted in an interesting partnership, and CTS decided to enter into the fuel dispensing equipment market. Here is how our Managing Director remembers our first meeting with Piusi: "Our first involvement with Piusi was a chance meeting at an overseas exhibition. They were leading with a small aluminium trigger nozzle, known in today's market as the Self 2000 nozzle, a product we have since sold thousands of. A couple of years later, CTS was appointed as Piusi's UK Exclusive Agent, and we have worked closely on product developments since then."

As the company continued to develop, it wasn't a surprise to learn that a holding group in the fluid handling industry had been watching CTS's successes closely and, in 1988, jumped at becoming involved. "Centre Tank Services were the third company to join the Flowmax Group," Matthew says. "The group, which we are still a part of today, has grown extensively over the years and now comprises of 15 companies from the UK and overseas, which are all involved in the fluid handling market." Being part of a group allowed us to further strengthen our market position and offered CTS the strategic and financial backup of being part of a larger group.

As Centre Tank Services grew through the years, acquisitions became firm in our minds, and that's how in 2012, The CTS Group was initiated after acquiring Castle Pumps, a marine and industrial pump supplier near Nottingham. But we didn't stop there. In 2018, The CTS Group ventured further into the pump market and acquired a company called Whisper Pumps, a leading independent water pump supplier. Building a network of companies operating in different sectors of the fluid handling industry allowed us to provide new opportunities for our employees, with some working for all three group companies. However, what is even more exciting is that Matthew explained his plans to acquire further companies over the next two to five years, describing it as 'an exciting time' for the CTS Group. As we continue to grow, it is exciting to think about where our company will be in the next 35 years!

35 years in business is quite an achievement, but we know that we couldn't have done this alone. Matthew thanked customers, both existing and new, along with suppliers, for their continued support. He also wanted to take a moment to appreciate all the hard work behind the scenes, saying: "I also want to thank our brilliant employees. I believe all the way through my involvement at CTS, we have had an extremely strong team. So thank you to all involved."

As leading supplier of fluid handling equipment for 35 years, Centre Tank Services want to take the opportunity to thank everyone that has been part of our journey for the past years. Here’s to the next 35 years!