— About 3Q
Quality service.
Quality people.
Quality products.
We're an independent engineering supplier in Blackburn, looking after the people who keep North West factories running — for fifteen years and counting.
Blackburn HQ
Est. 2009
Founded
2009
Headquarters
Blackburn
Team
22
Active SKUs
180k+
On-time
98.7%
Sectors
6
— The short version
An independent, with people you can actually phone.
3Q started in 2009 with a simple hunch: that an independent engineering supplier with deep stock and people who actually know the products would always out-serve a faceless catalogue.
Fifteen years on, we look after manufacturers and MRO teams across food, paper, chemical, water, automotive and renewables — from a single SKF bearing to a fully managed line-side store.
We back the bench with two partners under our roof: Ultimate Industrial for catalogue depth, and our sister business 3Q Engineering Solutions for fabrication and on-site work.
— What we stand for
Four things we won't compromise on.
01 / 04
Independent by design
No corporate scripts. No upsell quotas. We'll tell you when the cheaper part is the right part — and when it isn't.
02 / 04
Stock you can rely on
Deep local stock of bearings, seals, drives and consumables, backed by next-day access to 180,000+ lines.
03 / 04
Engineers, not order-takers
Our counter team have spent time on the shop floor. Send a photo, a worn part, a sketch on a fag packet — we'll work it out.
04 / 04
Built for partnership
From a single SKU off the counter to a fully managed line-side store, we scale to how your team actually works.
— Our story
From a unit off Whitebirk to a six-sector supplier.
2009
Three lads, one unit
Mick, Dave and Pete open 3Q in a small unit off Whitebirk with a trade counter and a van.
2013
The counter grows up
Stockholding doubles. Hose and fluid power come in to serve the local food and paper mills.
2017
Ultimate Industrial
We join the buying group — unlocking catalogue depth and pricing that punches well above our size.
2020
Stores, on your line
First managed-stores contracts go live with vending machines and barcode replenishment.
2023
Engineering Solutions
Our sister business spins up: fabrication, machining and on-site engineering — under one roof.
2026
Today
22 people, six sectors and a reputation we've earned the slow way — one job at a time.
— On the floor
180,000+ lines on call. The right one out the door before lunch.
— What we do
More than a parts catalogue.
01
Trade counter
Walk in, walk out. Same-day pick on anything stocked, before 3pm.
02
Account management
A named contact, agreed pricing, KPI reporting and quarterly reviews.
03
Managed stores
Line-side stores, vending, kanban, barcode replenishment — your way.
04
Technical support
Bearing ID, drive selection, seal kits, obsolescence cross-references.
05
Fabrication & machining
Through 3Q Engineering Solutions — guarding, brackets, shafts, repair work.
06
Logistics
Next-day UK delivery, scheduled drops, emergency breakdown cover.
— The team
Three teams. One phone number.
When you ring 3Q you get a person, not a phone tree. Whoever picks up will either know the answer or fetch the person who does — usually within the same call.
Stores, despatch, goods-in
Operations
Keep stock accurate and orders out the door. Same-day on anything picked before 3pm.
Quotations and accounts
Sales & accounts
Your day-to-day people for pricing, lead times and scheduled orders.
Applications engineering
Technical
Specifying replacements, troubleshooting failures, sourcing the awkward stuff nobody else will.
— Brands & partners
Authorised stock from the names that matter.
- SKF
- NSK
- Schaeffler / INA
- Gates
- Loctite
- Tsubaki
- Bosch Rexroth
- Ultimate Industrial
— FAQs
Common questions.
- 01Do I need a trade account to buy from 3Q?
- Nope. Anyone can buy from the counter or request a quote online. Trade accounts unlock agreed pricing, 30-day terms and managed-stores services.
- 02What areas do you cover?
- Based in Blackburn. We deliver across the North West every day, with next-day UK-wide delivery on stocked lines.
- 03Can you help identify an obsolete or unmarked part?
- Yes — send a photo or drop the part in. Cross-references, obsolescence and bearing/seal ID is daily bread for us.
- 04Do you offer on-site fabrication or engineering?
- Through 3Q Engineering Solutions: guarding, brackets, shaft repair, machining and on-site fitting.
— Work with us
Ready to put 3Q on your approved supplier list?
Open an account, request a quote, or just drop in. We'll keep the kettle on.