TPL Vision
Replacing a long-serving Technical Sales Engineer for TPL Vision in Perthshire — finding a highly qualified candidate with the technical depth to sell complex OEM machine vision solutions globally.
Client Overview
TPL Vision is part of the international Wenglor Group, a specialist manufacturer of machine vision systems, sensors and industrial lighting solutions for automation and quality inspection applications. TPL Vision's engineering expertise is centred at its Perthshire facility in Scotland, where the team develops and manufactures specialist LED lighting solutions for OEM machine vision applications. The business sells to OEM manufacturers, systems integrators and dealers across Europe and globally, providing technically complex solutions that require deep application knowledge and the ability to engage credibly with automation engineers and procurement teams at major manufacturing organisations.
The Brief
When a long-standing Technical Sales Engineer left TPL Vision, the business needed to replace them with a candidate of equivalent technical depth — someone who understood the complex OEM-based machine vision solutions TPL manufactures, could support systems integrators and dealers across Europe and globally, and had the credibility to engage with technically demanding customers in the automation sector. The role was based at the Perthshire facility.
The Challenge
Two factors made this search particularly difficult. First, the location: Perthshire is not a major population centre for engineering or technical sales talent, and the pool of candidates willing to commute to or relocate to the area was limited from the outset. Second, the technical specification was specific — the role required not just commercial capability but genuine technical aptitude across a complex and specialist product catalogue, combined with the language skills and international commercial experience to support a global customer base. The combination of location constraints and technical depth requirements significantly narrowed the field.
What Sales Recruit UK Did
Sales Recruit UK mapped the machine vision, industrial automation and specialist lighting sectors for candidates with the required technical qualifications and sales engineering experience, focusing on those within a realistic commuting or relocation distance of Perthshire. The SRUK Fit Score process assessed candidates across technical product knowledge, OEM and systems integrator sales experience, international commercial capability, and the personal profile needed to take on a significant step up in career level at a specialist international business.
The Outcome
Sales Recruit UK shortlisted three candidates. One was offered the position — for him it represented a major step up in career level, and he was delighted to join the business. He has remained in the role and is performing well, bringing the technical credibility and commercial capability TPL Vision needed to maintain its position with OEM and integrator customers across its international markets.