Manufacturing Web Design & Digital Marketing for Col-Tec

With over 3,000 machine installations in more than 80 countries, Col-Tec has been a driving force in horizontal collation for many years. Under Chairman Michael Bailey — who was awarded an MBE for his contributions to British industry — the company has placed British-built collators on the global stage.

In March 2024, managing director Paul Bailey, Michael’s son, who has spearheaded the company since its 2000 inception, wanted to drive their online presence to new heights. Paul’s goal was to attract more new business to the website and create greater connections and partnerships with their global market of customers and suppliers. That’s why he turned to b4b.

So far together, we’ve designed and built two new websites – one for the UK and the rest of the world, and one dedicated to the North American market. We’ve successfully created and executed new SEO plans, expanded content, and devised high ROAS Google Ad campaigns. As part of the new UK site build, we engineered an advanced 3D globe module page to display Col-Tec's worldwide reach of completed projects – from Indonesia to the Dominic Republican.

Col-Tec had two core website challenges. Their UK site was originally built on a bespoke content management system (CMS) which had become outdated, preventing faster modern design and coding techniques. The US site was built from scratch, having no prior digital presence in the US domain. The site was specifically designed to reflect the US and North American horizontal collation market.

The audiences for both sites were clear. It consisted of operations managers and procurement leads seeking specific machine capabilities. Due to this, the sites needed to offer quick access to technical details. On any site, clear navigation is essential, but the content and layouts must also inspire confidence.

We collaborated with the Col-Tec team to rebuild both sites in WordPress. This change simplified daily content updates and ensured a consistent and enhanced user experience. The page layouts were updated to display machine categories with greater clarity. Furthermore, we introduced a custom enquiry form to gather leads for bespoke collator builds.

To showcase Col-Tec’s global reach and its installations around the world, we created a unique interactive tool.

Inspired by Google Earth and the NORAD Santa Tracker, our team built an interactive 3D globe module from the ground up. It highlights the specific locations of Col-Tec’s installations in over 80 countries. This provides visitors with direct evidence of the company’s scale and credibility.

The module integrates seamlessly into both UK and US sites, and empowers users to explore installations by geography, sector, and volume. It also fits with the overall brand story on Col-Tec’s blog and their ongoing dedication to British manufacturing. The world installations page reiterates Col-Tec’s position as a world leader in horizontal collation technologies.

Col-Tec operates in a high-value B2B market where the quality of leads matters. Our goal was to help their team connect with the right prospects in the right regions. To achieve this, we had to use messaging aligned with their commercial priorities.

As part of the website relaunch and ongoing campaigns, we implemented a joined-up digital marketing strategy across SEO, PPC, and email marketing. The focus was on improving visibility, attracting decision-makers, and driving measurable business enquiries.

• Account Management: Senior account manager Bart at b4b enjoys a close working relationship with Paul. From supporting, project-managing, and delivering Col-Tec's online business goals, to reaching out to traditional press contacts with special client requests, we go the extra mile to ensure the client’s needs and expectations are met. Moreover, it shows the deep level of trust the client has in Bart to communicate and be an ambassador on Col-Tec's behalf.
• Search Engine Optimisation (SEO): We rebuilt the site’s architecture and page structure around high-intent search terms. These included keywords like horizontal collators and custom-built collating machines. Our copywriters tailor blog content to support key service pages. This helped Col-Tec rank for specific, low-competition queries that international buyers search for.
• Pay-Per-Click (PPC): Our Google Ads strategy was segmented by region and product type, with campaigns running across the UK, Europe, and North America. Every campaign is built with results in mind and refined in partnership. We would then review lead quality in real time with Col-Tec’s team and adjust campaigns to maximise conversion and reduce wasted spend.
• Email Marketing: We create bi-annual email marketing campaigns ranging on a diverse number of topics that Col-Tec wants to promote. From campaigns targeting trade dealers to invitations to special house events, our team is experienced in designing and writing engaging email marketing campaigns that have resulted in leads and high levels of engagement to the site and Col-Tec's office.

he impact was felt across the sales pipeline. After launching the site and rolling out the campaign, Col-Tec began receiving more enquiries. They saw clear boosts in engagement, lead quality, and everyday marketing performance.

Here’s what we achieved:

• Higher quality enquiries across the UK, European, and North American markets
• Streamlined PPC structure that reduced wasted spend
• Greater buyer engagement with site features (e.g. the 3D globe)
• Improved internal control over updates and marketing content
• Consistent brand experience across multiple territories

If you’re exploring how to modernise your manufacturing site or scale your marketing, take a look at more of our work to see what’s possible.