Tate Consulting’s success builds with Asda deals

A YORKSHIRE engineering and management consultancy has just delivered a hat trick of multi-million pound projects for Asda, part of the world’s largest retail brand Walmart – Rachel Covill talks to the man behind Tate Consulting.

SHANE Tate is constantly eyeing up new opportunities.

It wouldn’t be unusual to find him on site as part of a team delivering multi-million pound retail distribution centres in the morning, followed by an afternoon moving newborn deer in his Land Rover at his successful deer farm venture in North Yorkshire.

Mr Tate, who came from humble beginnings as the son of a South Yorkshire coal miner, started his consultancy career at global, design, engineering and management company WSP before launching his own consulting engineering business Tate 13 years ago.

Since then the ’boutique’ firm has gone from strength to strength with a roster of clients including Asda Walmart, GVA, The Restaurant Group and Tesco Pension Fund.

Tate Consulting has worked with Asda for more than a decade, advising the supermarket giant on how to meet its target to reduce carbon emissions by 20% by 2015, as well as delivering core consulting engineering services.

The business has just finished work on a major project for Asda. The latest in the series of developments is a £50m Asda chilled and frozen distribution centre in Bristol, and like its predecessors in Rochdale and Grangemouth, is one of the most environmentally sustainable buildings of its kind in the UK.

Tate Consulting worked closely with Asda to deliver the energy and sustainability solutions as well as the building services engineering, infrastructure and fire engineering services for the scheme.

Mr Tate said: “Our core consulting engineering services focus on maximising value and minimising the environmental impact, creating change that will lead to value for our customers. It’s our mission to make new and existing buildings as simple and as energy efficient as possible.

He added: “We’re proud to be helping Asda achieve one of the world’s most carbon efficient buildings. There can be few consultancies of our size delivering on such a scale and pace.”

On top of this, Mr Tate, who is also the founder of Yorkshire-based Harris Construction Management, found the time to launch a successful deer farm venture at the aptly named Tatefield Hall in the Royal Forest of Knaresborough – the same land William the Conqueror would ride hunting stags hundreds of years ago.

Having transformed the estate over the last 12 months or so, the Tate family now has a breeding herd of more than 100 deer and has agreed to supply venison to a major retailer.

The opportunities seem endless for Mr Tate, although he admits he finds it difficult deciding which ventures to pursue and which are best left.

“I suppose that is what I do often find the most difficult,” he said. “Opportunities present themselves all the time and the hardest thing is deciding which to go for and which to walk away from but more often than not it’s instinct that guides you to the best decision.

“There are so many opportunities but not enough time, it’s always the way.”