Despite pressure from aggressive competition, Everywhen worked around the clock to find a tailored solution for a fast-growing operation working in high-risk environments.
Case study: How Everywhen supported a complex water infrastructure specialist through growth and change
Who is UnitSpark?
UnitSpark is a specialist engineering business working at the heart of the UK’s water infrastructure. Established in 1988, this family-owned organisation now works in the forefront of bespoke mechanical engineering, serving the engineering and water sectors with fabrication, welding and engineering services. You can read more about them here.
Working in high-risk environments and with stringent safety requirements, their insurance programme needed to be responsive and carefully managed.
The challenge
Everywhen had already worked with UnitSpark over the years but after a major acquisition, UnitSpark almost doubled in size overnight, adding more complexity and risk into the mix. At the same time, internal personnel changes meant the people responsible for managing their insurance shifted, creating a lack of continuity in our relationship.
When a new financial controller joined and took ownership of the insurance programme, this marked a critical moment. They brought fresh perspectives and wanted to explore alternative broker relationships.
To add to the pressure, we also faced competition from an aggressive broker already targeting the account, with formal marketing mandates issued across the programme just months ahead of renewal.
This challenge gave us the opportunity to showcase how Everywhen does things differently. We were ready to reinforce the trust we’d built and deliver a strategy fit for a growing, high-risk business.
The approach
Everywhen acted immediately.
Right from the start, we prioritised building a strong relationship with the new financial controller, quickly arranging a face-to-face meeting to understand both the business and his expectations in detail.
Because these things take time, we didn’t just act on renewal. We started working with UnitSpark months in advance, giving us time to work strategically, rather than reactively. This was a time of near-daily communication with the goal of understanding and shaping the significant volume of data and technical detail required.
At every stage, we put the client first.
We listened.
We challenged assumptions.
We didn’t default to existing placements.
Given the nature of UnitSpark’s work, we knew the market would be limited. So, we made a deliberate strategic choice to target a small number of insurers who we know had the capability and appetite to support the risk properly.
AXA quickly emerged as the strongest fit to build a tailored solution for UnitSpark. We worked with them to explore added value opportunities such as claims rebates, long-term pricing stability and a structured two-year agreement that provided valuable continuity for the client.
The solution
The result was a programme that delivered exactly what UnitSpark needed – both immediately and for the future.
By focusing our efforts and working in genuine partnership with the insurer, we secured a competitive and clearly structured renewal that reflected the scale and complexity of the business. The two-year deal provided stability during a period of change, while additional features such as interest-free credit supported cash flow and operational flexibility.
We knew this wasn’t about price. It was about building a solution that worked. A policy that aligned with the client’s growth and strengthened their resilience.
Despite significant competition and a complex risk profile, we retained the account and reinforced our trusted, long-term relationship.
The outcome
“Right from the start, the Everywhen team worked closely with us, taking the time to properly understand our business risks. The renewal process was in-depth, handled early, professionally and with real attention to detail.
This meant that the end solution was exactly what we needed and the team were not afraid to seek out alternative options to our previous arrangements in order to ensure we got the best package available. It was competitive, clearly structured and designed to work for us both now and in the long term.”
Antony Gudgeon, Financial Controller, UnitSpark
The information contained in this article is for general information purposes only. It does not constitute legal or other professional advice and cannot be relied upon as such. Should you have any queries, we recommend that you consult the appropriate professional adviser. The links provided in this document are for reference only. Please note that we are not responsible for the content of any linked site.
