Happy Birthday Bearmach
This year Bearmach turn 60. Find out how it all began
Everybody knows that Land Rover celebrates its 70th this month, but did you know that April is also the 60th birthday of a company that has made its name by keeping those Land Rovers running reliably? That company is Bearmach. Every day, thousands of Land Rover owners around the world fit Bearmach accessories and parts to their vehicles, confident in the knowledge that they are using a trusted brand whose name is synonymous with quality. But few know the interesting history behind the company, which this year celebrates six decades as the leader in its field.
The Bearmach story actually begins over 60 years ago, in the narrow streets of the Turkish capital, Istanbul, during the post-war years. Here, in the noisy and bustling bazaars, 16-year-old Karabet Torosyan started out in the automotive industry by selling contact points and condensers. It quickly grew into a successful family business, which he named Motomach. He opened prestigious showrooms in Taksim Square, from where he sold Massey Ferguson tractors and spare parts, as well as importing R&M (RHP) bearings.
In 1956, Karabet Torosyan moved to Germany, from where he travelled to Latin America and the Middle East, assessing business opportunities. “My father identified a demand for parts for British-made vehicles, including Bedford, Hillman, Rootes and Land Rover,” recalls his son, John Torosyan, who was a young boy when his father opened Bearmach’s first premises in the UK on April 24, 1958.
Bearmach is born
The name Bearmach came from two of the biggest products they sold: bearings and machinery. Nice and simple – just like the new company’s ethos, which was quality and value. And it was on those pillars of commercial wisdom that they built their reputation in a fast-growing business.
The company started with offices in Holborn, London, and a warehouse about two miles away. Two years later they moved to 78 Buckingham Gate, directly above the offices rented by Conservative MP Ted Heath, who ten years later would become Prime Minister. Heath’s boss at that time was PM Harold Macmillan, who three years earlier had told the nation that they had never had it so good. As Heath watched the hive of export activity conducted from the Bearmach premises, he must have agreed that Britain was booming.
By 1962, the company had grown and moved to bigger premises at Southpark Road, Wimbledon – a large, twostorey building with 3000 square feet of floor space for offices, warehouse and packing departments. For four years, Bearmach had been supplying mainly bearings and electrical parts for Hillman cars, Bedford trucks and Land Rovers, but by now the exports consisted mainly of Land Rover parts.
Worldwide demand
As their customer base grew, it was clear that there was a huge global demand for spares for these hard-working vehicles. By 1966, when the company was forced to move to an even bigger premises – a 7000 square feet warehouse at London Road, Tooting – Bearmach was concentrating solely on Land Rover parts. By now, the staff had grown to five.
In 1971, Bearmach strengthened its European sales by supplying a major Land Rover outfit in Switzerland and in 1972, exports to Africa also began. That same year, John Torosyan left school and joined the family firm full-time. Until now, Bearmach had concentrated solely on exports, so John was given the task of creating a home market. “My first British customers were Brownchurch and Aylmer Motors in Highgate,” he reminisced.
“It was clear that the business was expanding very fast and we had already outgrown the new warehouse with nine staff. So, in 1974, we took the decision to move to Cardiff, to be closer to the Rover Company, and took a lease for five years on a 21,000 square feet unit at Trecenydd Industrial Estate in Caerphilly. Exports to Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and Europe were in full swing and soon we took on more staff. We now had a team of 13.
“Having set up the UK market, I travelled extensively from
“There was a huge global demand for spares”
“Bearmach became the market leader in Land Rover accessories”
1975, adding Iran, the Philippines, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa to our overseas markets. In 1977 we purchased our first computer.
“We now had 18 staff and again were fast running out of space, so in 1979 we purchased our 66,000 sq ft Maindy Road premises, occupying 40,000 square feet initially and letting the lower levels to the Trojan Engineering company, which we later bought. In 1981, we shut down the manufacturing operation, but we made good use of the space to develop a full range of accessories.”
At that time, Land Rover was part of the troubled and cash-strapped British Leyland empire and scarcely had the resources to build its two models – the Series III and the Range Rover (which had been launched in 1970) – and certainly couldn’t develop its own range of accessories. Bearmach was eager to fill this vacuum and soon the BM range of accessories were flying off the shelves. Branching out
That same year, Bearmach grabbed the attention of the motoring world when their stand at the Automechanika show in Frankfurt, Germany, featured a very special Land Rover, equipped with an array of exclusive BM accessories.
John recalls: “The vehicle was an 88in fastback soft top with a full rollover bar, 2.25 turbocharged petrol engine, vacuum-operated overdrive, rear spare wheel carrier, integrated winch and bumper, with spotlights, removable lamp guards and uprated suspension. No such Land Rover had existed until that show in 1981. It was so technically advanced that the Land Rover’s own engineers became extremely nervous.
“By 1986 the US market had also been established and for the next three or four years, we shipped a container of accessories to America every two months.
“Bearmach became the market leader in Land Rover accessories. Our accessory catalogues were – and still are – the most comprehensive, offering personalisation to all Land Rover owners. All our efforts in developing the range were now bearing fruit. But again, we were running out of space and, as a temporary measure, we had to put shipping containers in the car park to cope with the expansion.
“The business grew rapidly in all divisions with all sectors performing well, plus added business from the Ministry of Defence, this again put undue stress on space. Despite the Maindy Road building being 66,000 square feet, it was on several levels with poor access and the full area could not be utilised. It was therefore decided to move again in 2002 to a premises in Bedwas.” Dedicated to innovation
Bearmach’s product development at this time featured design innovations in brake discs and hoses, suspension, steering, axles and specialist items. These included carbon kevlar brake discs, which were drilled, slotted and ventilated for better dust, heat and water dissipation, and stainless steel braided hoses.
Suspension developments included polyurethane mountings and bushes for greater durability, plus heavy-duty
springs, twin shock absorber mountings and air suspension upgrades. To improve steering, Bearmach introduced greaseable ball joints for longer life and heavy-duty track rod tubes that could be straightened after impact and which eliminated the use of a steering damper.
All this was in addition to items that aided longevity, like galvanised chassis and heavy-duty radiators and silicone hoses, as well as must-have accessories like roof racks and protection bars. And throughout all this, Bearmach still continued to expand and in 2005, it was named Welsh Exporter of the Year in the Business Awards for Wales.
New owners, same philosophy
In 2007 the company was acquired by Grove Industries, who have continued the Torosyan family’s search for growth. That same year, Bearmach launched the Hawkeye diagnostics tool, which won rave reviews by bringing stateof-the-art modern Land Rover engine diagnostics to the masses.
In 2008, with space yet again at a premium, additional premises were purchased: an extra 45,000 square feet, close to the existing premises in Bedwas, Caerphilly. The intervening years have also seen big changes in the way the world did business – which the company demonstrated in 2016 by opening the Bearmach China office.
Last year, Bearmach’s new rebranded website – bearmach. com – went live and the updated and improved Hawkeye Total diagnostics tool was launched. Bearmach now has over 150 members of staff.
Bearmach’s Sales and Marketing Director, Stuart Truckel, says: “Bearmach is constantly improving and developing components that are more durable. We care about the customer and the products they are buying from us. We have introduced a three-year warranty on Bearmach branded parts to support this, which is backed up by in-house quality control and inspection to IS0 9001:2015 standard, in addition to MOD approval”
Bearmach supplies a large choice of OEM, own-branded and replacement parts, for modern and heritage Land Rovers, including Series II and SIII parts and a wide choice of accessories and heavy-duty parts that improve on the original material and or design. “There are over 15,000 lines available for immediate dispatch,” adds Stuart.
“Over many years and throughout the numerous changes of ownership that Land Rover has endured – the Rover company, British Leyland, British Aerospace, BMW, Ford and Tata – Bearmach has steadfastly kept its vehicles running around the world. Supplying competitively-priced parts ensures cost-effective repairs, prolonging your Land Rover’s life by many years. The introduction of a three-year warranty on our own-branded parts, gives our customers the extra confidence and peace of mind when purchasing Bearmach.”
We’ll leave the final words to Stuart: “Our highly experienced technical team dedicate themselves to innovation and new product design and are responsible for introducing many highly successful new products to market, making us one of the world-leading suppliers we are today.”
“Bearmach is constantly improving and developing”