Passion and excellence – the 30-year success mix

15th August 2014

Passion and excellence – the 30-year success mix

Neil Wilson
Photo by: Goscor

“Passion and excellence are an unbeatable mix in the character of an organisation,” says Goscor CEO Neil Wilson.

“These are the ingredients that have made us successful for the past 30 years and, I have no doubt, will do so for the next 30 years and more.” The Goscor Group philosophy is  to distribute quality equipment, with brands that are leaders in their respective markets.

This philosophy extends into the aftermarket, where Goscor provides backup service that matches the excellence of their product. “Great products are the basic prerequisite for a great business. The secret is to build a service culture around those products that adds real value to customers. And the mortar of that culture is passionate people,” says Wilson.  

He adds that one of the important reasons for the group’s success has been the entrepreneurial spirit that has been sustained in the business since inception. “Thirty years back when George Siddle started Goscor, times were tough. There was very stiff competition and every deal had to be fought for. George knew that each person had to act as though the business was his or her own and we have managed to preserve that vital spirit,” Wilson says.  

In line with this philosophy Goscor’s decision to ‘split’ the business, giving the various specialist divisions their own identity and focus, has paid off. “In these virtually separate business entities we have been able to build the expertise that has made them market leaders. This specialisation has been a feature of our success,” Wilson says.

Today Goscor is divided into Goscor Cleaning Equipment, Goscor Access Rental, Goscor KLG, Goscor Lift Truck Company, Goscor Hi-Reach, Goscor Power Products, Goscor Rental Company, and, most recently, Bobcat, all of which you can read about in this feature.


Looking back over the 30 years there have been many highlights in the life of Goscor. “One of these is undoubtedly the acquisition by Imperial of a controlling interest in Goscor. This has helped us in so many ways, not the least of which being access to capital, which is so important to a company like ours that trades, inter alia, in high-ticket capital equipment,” Wilson says.

He adds that the internal Imperial business has also been a real boost. “Our business units are getting more and more opportunities to prove themselves with other Imperial Group companies and successes in this ‘market’ have been significant.”     

Another important highlight for Goscor has been the massive growth of Goscor Lift Truck Company and especially the growth of its Crown brand, which has become the Group’s flagship brand. “Crown has been a huge success - it is now the number one in its field - and is one of our great achievements.”

Wilson says that the future of the group is bright. “With long-term ‘partnership’ as the underlying driving force of our relationships internally and with our suppliers and customers, I have no doubt that, if we stick to the fundamentals as we have in the last 30 years, Goscor has a great future and will become a major industrial equipment division in the Imperial Group.