10 | Plant & Works Engineering www.pwemag.co.uk June/July 2023 Insight Can you explain the T-Cards concept. PH: T Cards is a very simple idea where you have important details noted on a card that can be moved around a board. The key “identifier” information is visible whilst the card is in the T Board. When the card is taken from the board you can have as much or as little additional information. The card’s location on the board communicates to anyone who looks at that board the status of that task or item. It is “information at a glance”. Can you tell me about the history behind the creation of T-cards, how your father developed it, and how you got involved. PH: The idea of T Cards originally came from France in the 1950’s. The first system was called Strafoplan, a modular system with 5 different sizes. We still have the patents and the tooling for this system. The system was introduced into the UK in the early 60’s with Peter Williams Business Machines in Erit, Kent being the main supplier in the UK. My Father, who had a small printing company, knew the sales reps of Peter Williams through playing golf. He was asked if he could print on a T Card as it was a difficult and costly thing to do. He found a way of printing both on card and NCR (or duplicate) sets where you could have a copy of a card in more than one T Board. Over the years he built a successful company, but all the while he was building knowledge of how companies manage their processes. He became a supplier of the T Boards as well as the T Cards and the product became less important to Peter Williams, so they sold the system to him. First my sister, Sarah became involved with the business, she had been a consultant for the Industrial Trainee Board in the late 80’s and early 90’s and when that was replaced, she came into the business to help Fred. Her experience gave a big boost to the business. A few years later I got involved albeit, rather by accident, although I always felt an affinity with the T Cards product. I grew up with it having helped dad in the workshop from an early age. Dad also went out and installed the systems for some clients, I used to go as his assistant. It was a great experience going to all these different types of companies. In most cases they didn’t realise he was the boss and was just “the fitter” and sometimes receive a tip for his enthusiasm and help in getting them setup. They wouldn’t happen now a days. What was your father’s background? PH: Born in 1935, he went to school locally in Addington. Left school when he was 14. He was Conscripted into National Service with the RAF serving in Egypt during the Suez crisis. De-mobbed he trained as a paper maker at the Reeds Papermill in Aylesford Kent. His mother was widowed during the war after his father was killed in an accident whilst on duty as a local policeman. He was checking the local area one night but was killed when a German Bomber dropped its bombs on a local pub which he was “inspecting”. He had previously been a successful businessman and left a plot of land where my Father would later build our factory. Dad soon left Reeds and after working as a salesman for a die stamp stationery company decided to setup his own print business in 1964. Did you always want to join your father in the business? PH: No, I intended to have my own career having specialised in Packaging Technology and was working in Germany advising companies on Packaging Legislation – “Der Grune Punkt”. At the time all the exgraduates I spoke to dreamed of having their own company and I thought; well, there is one already waiting there for me to make an impact”. In 1994 my father had fallen ill, whilst my sister Sarah was pregnant with her first child. We all spoke and Sarah said, “if you had ever thought about joining the business soon would be a good; time so, take some time to think it over and let us know in a couple of months”. I did not hesitate to return to the UK and help with the business. What have been your most memorable moments working at the company? PH: There have been so many exciting moments, each day is always different. In the beginning I was really pleased with developing the profile and branding of T Cards Direct. For the first 10 years I mainly spent time 60 years of information-at-a-glance! Phil Heine is celebrating T-Cards Direct’s 60th Anniversary. Developed by his father, the company has played an important role in the engineering sector throughout this period and PWE caught up with Phil to learn a bit more about the concept and history of the company. T-Cards Direct’s online system in operation L-R: Phil, Sarah and their mum
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