Transport & Logistics Issue 138 by T & L Online

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ISSUE 138

TRANSPORT &LOGISTICS T H E

I N D U S T R Y

F O R WA R D

ISSUE 138

D R I V I N G

TRANSPORT & LOGISTICS MAGAZINE

LOGISTICS OF THE FUTURE? VIRGIN PLAN TO BOLDLY GO... SCOTTISH WATER ALWAYS SERVING SCOTLAND

HS2 ECONOMIC KICKSTART OR MONEY DOWN THE DRAIN?

BRITISH GAS LOOKING AFTER YOUR WORLD

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THE STANDING START ARE YOU SECURE?

BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY word of warning this month. We all know how important security at

warehouses and holding areas is but we are consistently seeing thieves use innovative ways to get around the usual locks, keys and CCTV. The issue was highlighted last month when a group of crooks broke into RT Keedwell haulage yard with their own tractor and made off with a trailer containing

50,000 bottles of wine. The incident occurred in Uddingston near Glasgow and police are appealing for help to

PUBLISHER: Noah Quirke

track down the culprits. According to reports, the thieves broke into the holding yard at

EDITOR: Daniel Stephens

some time between midday on Saturday and 8.20am on Sunday. They attached a trailer to their cab and drove away.

FEATURE MANAGERS: Adam Foster Shane Kelly

the most basic security measures are being ignored. So it is important to ensure you are

ART EDITOR: Steve Williams

taking every care to make the goods in your possession as secure as possible.

DESIGNER: Kate Webber ` CONTRIBUTORS: Jeff Senior Rob Samuels Matt Waring PRODUCTION: Vicki Lindsay Lisa Pollinger ADMINISTRAT0R: Charlotte Lewis ACCOUNTS: Nick Charalambous Transport & Logistics Magazine is published by: NQ Publishing, 3 Brook Street Huddersfield HD1 1EB Tel: +44 (0)1484 411 400 E-mail: noah.quirke@nqpublishing.com www.tandlonline.com

It highlights the dangers of storing goods in warehouses. However, we are seeing that

For example, did you know that the majority of warehouse thefts are carried out, or aided, by staff? So do some background checks, look for experience, and get to know your employees. It is also important to punish minor cases of negligence as turning a blind eye can encourage a much larger theft. The design of your warehouse is also important. Try to ensure there are no more entrances and exits than are absolutely needed, especially around receiving and shipping docks. Any entrances or exits that aren’t necessary should be securely sealed. Also, restrict and control the movement of visitors and make sure each and everyone is signed in and out. There are a number of products on the market to help you out. Surveillance cameras are ideal but if you want a cheaper option, fake cameras do act as a deterrent. You must also implement a comprehensive inventory control system as anything that goes unrecorded can further encourage individuals to steal. The recent Uddingston case is still open with Detective Sergeant John Cameron, from Hamilton Police Station, urging anyone who “may have witnessed anything suspicious on Saturday afternoon into Sunday morning either at, or near, the haulage yard to come

Transport & Logistics Magazine is published by NQ Publishing. Company registered in England & Wales. All material is the copyright of NQ Publishing. All rights reserved. Transport & Logistics Magazine is the property of NQ Publishing. This publication may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form whole or part without the written permission of a director of NQ Publishing. Liability: while every care is taken in the preparation of this magazine, the publishers cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of information herein, or any consequence arising from it. In the case of company or product reviews or comments, these have been based upon the true and honest opinion of the Editor at the time of going to press.

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forward, as they may have information that is vital to this inquiry.” DANIEL STEPHENS EDITOR

TRANSPORT & LOGISTICS MAGAZINE

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CONTENTS

INSIDE SECTIONS

NEWS ANNIVERSARIES LOGISTICS OF THE FUTURE FLEET REVIEW SUPPLIERS RAIL COMPANY PROFILE WASTE AND RECYCLING PALLET NETWORK TECHNOLOGY CARBON EMISSIONS LOOKING BACK AT...

4 8 20 24 42 44 48 50 52 56 62 64

FEATURES News The latest top stories

Owens Road Services 40 years of customer satisfaction

Arkellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Brewery 170 not out

Virgin Galactic To boldly go...

Fleet Management Commander of the fleet

British Gas Looking after your world

Scottish Water Always serving Scotland

Apetito Award winners

McCulla Keeping cool

Star Refrigeration The future of industrial refrigeration

HS2 Economic kickstart or money down the drain?

Lantern Recovery Specialists Not just any service provider

Chartered Institution of Wastes Management Setting professional standards

Palletline Quality service

Masters Logistical Services Masters of logistics

Xplore Technologies The Most Rugged Tablets on Earth

Glasgow City Council Sustainable Glasgow

Looking Back At... Sir Frank Whittle

VIRGIN GALACTIC

XPLORE TECHNOLGIES @TandLMagazine 2

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CONTENTS

SCOTTISH WATER

HS2: ECONOMIC KICKSTART OR MONEY DOWN THE DRAIN

BRITISH GAS

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OWENS ROAD SERVICES

TRANSPORT & LOGISTICS MAGAZINE

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NEWS

THE CHALLENGE OF ULTRA-LOW EMISSIONS The Freight Transport Association has welcomed the inclusion of freight in the government’s publication, Driving the Future Today – A Strategy for Ultra Low Emission Vehicles in the UK – but remains concerned that not enough funding support or focus is being allocated to the HGV sector. It says the strategy, authored by the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV), aims to deliver a growing fleet of ultra-low emission vehicles and to provide a network of charging points and other infrastructure to encourage uptake, although its focus is primarily on cars. “There is no denying that the UK should be pushing ahead with making our cars more carbon efficient, but HGVs provide a vital role in delivering the goods for our economy and

also need to decarbonise,” FTA’s Climate Change Policy Manager, Rachael Dillon, explains. “In order for the UK to see a significant uptake of alternatively-fuelled or low-carbon HGVs, we need more financial support and incentives. Historically though, funding has been mainly allocated to private car users.” FTA underlines that the Department for Transport has recently pledged an additional £500 million to fund the provision of ultra low emission vehicles and supporting infrastructure up to 2020. “Previously, vans have also been a recipient of funding through plug-in van grants, which is welcomed as many goods are delivered using this mode. To date, however, just £6.5 million

has been allocated to HGVs to help fleet operators to utilise alternative fuels and low-carbon technologies.” The OLEV is set to launch a call for evidence later in 2013 to inform the development of the 2015-2020 package of support for ultra-low emission vehicles. “FTA welcomes the strategy’s acknowledgement of the challenges for take-up of ultra-low emission technologies for and OLEV’s commitment to look further at incentives for the sector. The trade group adds that it would like to see the inclusion of more funding options from government for HGVs to ensure that freight can contribute to carbon reduction and will respond to the call for evidence.

GOVERNMENT NAMES OPERATOR NEW MERCEDES-BENZ OF FOREIGN HGV ROAD LEVY CITAN’S IN GLOBAL DEMAND THE UK government has announced the appointment of Northgate Public Services to develop and operate the foreign operator payment system for the HGV road user levy. A new time-based user charge for HGVs at or above 12 tonnes using the UK road network will take effect on 1 April 2014. The payment system will enable foreign operators or drivers to purchase the levy in advance of entering the UK through a number of sales

channels including online, telephone and at point of sale terminals. It will also create a database to enable authorities to identify hauliers who have not paid. “Getting the foreign operator payment system right will be crucial to the success of the levy. The system will be easy for foreign carriers and their drivers to access and straight forward to use,” said Transport Minister, Stephen Hammond, said ina statement.

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WITHIN days of setting its first 25 new Mercedes-Benz Citans on the fleet last March, van rental specialist Global Self Drive had seen them all snapped up by two major account customers. The fast-growing company, which recently opened a new corporate office at Stansted to serve operators based in and around London, has since purchased another 52 Citans from

East Anglian dealer Orwell Truck & Van, as well as 29 Mercedes-Benz Vito models and 54 Sprinters. Global Self Drive’s Citans have all been Long-bodied 109 CDIs with 90 hp diesel engines. Meanwhile, most of this year’s 136 hp Vito models have been Compact and Long vans, while its 129 hp Sprinter Mediums and Longs have been supplied as panel vans and chassis cabs.

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NEWS

BATTERIES INCLUDED

NETWORK Rail and its partners have begun work to create a prototype battery-powered train. This could see trains running on battery power over non-electrified lines, before charging at terminal stations, or using their batteries to run over diesel lines in otherwise electrified parts of the railway. The potential to spread the benefits of quicker, more efficient electric trains, whilst not having to put up miles of wiring, would be cost-effective and sustainable. Network Rail’s director of network strategy and planning Richard Eccles said: “We see this project as an important element of our strategy of increasing the electrification of the rail network, delivering improved sustainability whilst reduc-

ing the burden on the taxpayer. “If we can create an energy storage capability for trains, electric traction can be introduced to more parts of the network without the need to necessarily extend the electrification infrastructure. “As the principle funder and delivery manager, we have done a great deal of feasibility work before reaching this stage, both to define the outputs we seek from the trial and to build confidence in the project across the industry. “We are working with our partners to drive this innovation forward." Funding is coming from Network Rail, the Enabling Innovation Team (hosted by the Rail Safety and Standards Board) and the Department for Transport.

WHISKEY FREIGHT THE WHISKY industry on Speyside is starting a two-month trial to improve the use of rail freight with the aim of reducing road traffic and emissions. Two weekly trains will replace 29 lorry trips to take whisky to Grangemouth. Casks and grain will be transported north in the same containers. Several producers are working on the Lifting the Spirit project, alongside Highlands and Island Enterprise, Moray Council, and the Highlands and Islands Transport Partnership.

The trains are running from Elgin, and HIE is investing £30,000 in the project. Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead said: “The area covered by this trial is home to 77 distilleries which produce 85% all of Scotch malt whisky. “That equates to a lot of freight on Scotland’s roads. The Scottish government is keen to see more goods moved by rail or water, where this is commercially viable, to ease traffic congestion and help the environment. “I welcome this project and look forward to seeing its results.”

BEST AND BRIGHTEST ENGINEERING APPRENTICES THE INSTITUTION of Engineering and Technology (IET) has today revealed the finalists in a new international competition to recognise the best and the brightest apprentices and technicians. The nine finalists are now set to join Liz Bonnin at a prestigious London Awards ceremony, where the winners will be announced. The brand new Apprentice and Technician Awards scheme aims to raise the profile of the good work

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that apprentices and technicians contribute to engineering businesses. The finalists were selected across three categories: IET Apprentice of the Year; IET Technician of the Year and IET Armed Forces Technician of the Year. All of the individuals shortlisted displayed outstanding engineering or technical understanding and ability and were also recognised for their ambassadorial roles in schools, through volunteer work and as role models.

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NEWS

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NEWS

PIC FAST-CASUALCONCERNED DINING CONSUMERS MARKET SHARE GROWS OVER PLANNED EU PILOT RULES NEW European rules allowing airlines to keep long-haul pilots on standby for longer hours are causing concern amongst UK consumers, a poll shows. A survey for the British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa) found that 89% of people would be concerned at the effect the planned rule changes would have on pilot fatigue. A vote of the European harmonisation regulations covering the limitations of pilot flights times is due to be voted on by MEPs on October 24.

Balpa general secretary Jim McAuslan told The Times yesterday: “The British public are understandably concerned about their pilots being awake for 22 hours before landing a plane under new EU rules. “Evidence shows this is similar to being four times over the legal alcohol limit for flying.” The union says the regulations could allow a long-haul pilot, up at 6am and scheduled to fly a 12-hour service at 8am, being pressed into service to fly at 4pm after an eight-hour delay to the flight, landing at the

ROYAL MAIL SELL-OFF

The UK government has signaled the start of the privatisation process of state-owned postal utilty, Royal Mail. An Intention to Float notice was published by the London Stock Exchange and an Initial Public Offering (IPO) could take place within weeks putting it on a potential collision course with the biggest industrial action in years. The floatation could value Royal Mail at between £2.5 billion and £3 billion but the government

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has not decided exactly how much of the postal operator it intends selling, only that it will be a majority stake. This will depend on market conditions and the level of demand for the shares. The Communication Workers Union (CWU), has voiced its opposition to the float and is poised to ballot its members. The outcome of the ballot will be announced on 3 October and it is widely expected that union members will vote for industrial action.

equivalent of 4am the next morning, the newspaper reported. Current UK rules cap the length of duty time and landing an aircraft to 18 hours. A Civil Aviation Authority spokesman said: “We think the new European flight-time limitation regulations maintain the UK’s current high safety levels and will actually increase safety for UK passengers travelling on some other European airlines. “This view is informed by expert opinion based on scientific principles, operational knowledge and regulatory oversight information.”

PUSH TO GET MORE FREIGHT ONTO EUROPE'S WATERWAYS The European Commission (EC) has announced new measures to get more freight onto Europe’s rivers and canals. It underlines that barges are amongst the most climate-friendly and energy efficient forms of transport but currently they only carry about 6% of European cargo each year. The new proposals intend to realise the ‘unused potential’ of Europe’s 37,000 km of inland waterways, enabling freight to move more

easily and lead to further greening of the sector, as well as encouraging innovation and improving job opportunities. The Commission is proposing to remove significant bottlenecks in the form of inadequately dimensioned locks, bridges or fairways and missing links such as the connection between the Seine and the Scheldt river systems which are hampering the sector’s full development potential.

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ANNIVERSARY OWENS ROAD SERVICES

f o s r a e y 0 4CUSTOMER

SATISFACTION For more than four successful decades Owens Road Services has experienced consistent growth built on solid family values and has been committed to customer satisfaction.

any companies start small with a single vehicle and then expand their fleet and activities as the business becomes established. In the case of Owens Road Services, that growth has been relentless since the company started forty years ago and has created a company that is barely recognisable from the one in 1973. The original business started moving furniture using a Bedford TK van. After a period of steady growth, the big change came in the 1980s when the company gained customers in the automotive and steel industries that over the years have required it to ensure a continuous flow to the supply chain to satisfy just in time manufacturing processes. More recently, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s become heavily involved in the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector, where products have a short shelf life and need to be replenished frequently.

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ANNIVERSARY OWENS ROAD SERVICES

The overall outcome is that Owens Road Services is firmly in the big league, having moved from small jobs and clients to regular contracts for blue chip companies such as Nestlé, Kimberley Clark and the major supermarket chains. But the operation remains based on family values and an emphasis on providing a quality service with reliable delivery at competitive rates. “We have a steel division that is about a third of the company and the other two thirds are fast moving consumer goods and the pallet networks,” explains Managing Director Huw Owen. “We are the biggest haulier in Wales for the steel industry and we have been since the 1980s. We take the steel out of the steel mills up into the Midlands, the Northwest,Yorkshire and the Northeast. That’s mainly automotive industry linked.” In fact, it’s pretty much an even split in the business nowadays, comprising the well-established steel division, the newer FMCG business that largely covers food,

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“WE ARE THE BIGGEST HAULIER IN WALES FOR THE STEEL INDUSTRY AND WE HAVE BEEN SINCE THE 1980S” HUW OWEN MANAGING DIRECTOR drink and toiletries, plus membership of the Palletforce network.The latter is an important element in the operation because the overall aim is to deliver full loads within a triangle that stretches from South Wales across to London, up to Manchester and back down. Huw says: “Outside that triangle, if we have an odd pallet for Cornwall, the Northeast or Scotland, that’s where the overnight pallet network is brilliant. We deliver all the full loads ourselves and all the bits and pieces that are left, we brush them all up and put them into the pallet network, which works very well. If we have an odd pallet to go down to Exeter or Brighton, we use that.”

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ANNIVERSARY OWENS ROAD SERVICES

“It’s more than just that,” adds brother Eurof Owen, who is the Commercial Director. “We actually do a full pallet network for the postcodes we’re on, which are CF and SA. It’s not just the work we can’t get onto our own trucks. We have a dedicated fleet on Palletforce to do local collections and deliveries daily and we have a trunker going overnight to the hub.”

“WE LEASE ABOUT HALF THE FLEET OVER A TWO YEAR PERIOD AND WE PURCHASE THE OTHER HALF OVER A THREE YEAR PERIOD” EUROF OWEN COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR

DEDICATED VEHICLES The Palletforce trucks are part of an overall fleet that comprises 240 vehicles that include rigids and tractor units plus around 500 trailers.The diverse nature of the work means the fleet has vehicles dedicated to the different activities, with specialist ones to carry steel, artics for the Palletforce trunking and smaller trucks for delivery and collection, plus vehicles for the FMCG work that often cover longer distances. There has been a conscious effort to upgrade the fleet and keep it modern. That saw 100 new vehicles, mainly Renaults, MANs and Mercedes, taken on in 2011-12 with the outcome being that around 60% of the fleet is less than one year old. About 200 new Montracon trailers were also acquired in 2012-13, amounting to some 40% of the entire trailer fleet. Eurof says: “We lease about half the fleet over a two year period and we purchase the other half, normally over a three year period. We try to renew every three years but on some contracts there are local deliveries and so we may keep them on for five years because they do less mileage.” The policy of frequent renewal helps fuel efficiency with a lot of the older trucks having been replaced by

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ANNIVERSARY OWENS ROAD SERVICES Euro 5 versions. The aim over the last three years has been to obtain vehicles that offer the best fuel consumption and that’s been helped by a combination of driver incentives and training. “At the minute, we have fuel escalators in place and they apply to the majority of the contracts we have with blue chip companies,” remarks Eurof. “It’s brought pressures on pricing but increases in fuel mean this is now a significant proportion of our operating cost.”

OWN WORKSHOPS Overall fuel efficiency and reliability are also greatly helped by proper maintenance and Owens Road Services has the advantage of operating its own workshops in Llanelli and Newport, manned 24/7 by fully

trained technicians. “We look after our own fleet first and foremost, then we do some outside work as well,” comments Huw. As part of the Llanelli workshop, there’s a fully accredited tachograph centre that opened in 2006. Here, the company handles both analogue and digital tachographs, offering vehicle specific calibration, equipment servicing, report production and reminders of due services. The latest service at Llanelli is a state of the art Authorised Testing Facility (ATF) that was opened in April 2013 after a £250,000 investment. The work involved the refurbishment of the site, upgrading of the building infrastructure, groundworks and tarmac surfacing plus the installation of equipment that includes a pit and pit jack, rolling road, shaker plates, headlight tester and brake tester. The new facility, which replaces a recently closed test station nearby, will be operated by VOSA staff. It will be open daily for the testing of public service and heavy goods vehicles, although around one third of its capacity will be taken up by Owens’ vehicles.

STORAGE FACILITIES Transport and distribution of a variety of goods remain the main services, however. As well as the diverse fleet, those services are backed up by extensive storage facilities that were increased in 2010 through the acquisition of the former Panasonic site in Baglan. That’s a 140,000 square feet modern warehouse facility with modern offices, five dock levellers, 2,000 racked spaces and other facilities. Huw says: “We have somewhere in the region of half a million square feet of warehousing altogether and we store a lot of the products and deliver on a just in time basis for the regional distribution centres.” The operation of the fleet is made more efficient through an investment in technology that includes route planning software, in cab communications and satellite tracking systems fitted to all vehicles with CAN bus infor-

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ANNIVERSARY OWENS ROAD SERVICES

TRANSPORT & LOGISTICS MAGAZINE

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ANNIVERSARY OWENS ROAD SERVICES

mation to analyse performance and enable performance improvements. All proof of delivery notes are scanned and made available to customers via a secure area of the website so they’re aware of completed consignments. The quality and extent of the services provided have resulted in a number of high profile contracts, including a significant agreement with Kimberley Clark starting in May 2013 for transport from multiple sites to the South West and South Wales. There has also been a breakthrough contract with Amazon, signed in February this year, making Owens Road Services the primary haulier for goods from the fulfilment centre in Swansea to all parts of the UK except Scotland. Those contracts simply add to the many, as Huw stresses, that provide regular work for the company’s fleet: “We have them signed up for as long as we can, although not more than two to three years. But some of them have been customers for forty years, which is quite an achievement in itself. They know we’ve been around for a long time and the sort of service we provide. If they call, we’re available.” The intention is to continue to be around and maintain that same level of service although, given the con-

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THE CONSISTENT GROWTH ACHIEVED SO FAR HAS BEEN BASED ON A NUMBER OF FACTORS THAT HAVE INCLUDED FAMILY VALUES, A QUALITY SERVICE AT REASONABLE COST AND INVESTMENT IN THE BUSINESS. tinuing problems with the economy, there are no immediate plans for major expansion. Instead, the aim is to continue to provide a first class service for the blue chip and other customers on the books. The consistent growth achieved so far has been based on a number of factors that have included family values, a quality service at reasonable cost and investment in the business. Huw, however, believes it’s also due to the way the business has developed to the extent that it now operates from six locations. He says: “I think the location of our depots is a big part of it. We cover the M4 corridor in South Wales, from Llanelli all the way up as far as the Severn Bridge. Then we have a depot in Droitwich and one in Wrexham, providing a focused local service. All those places are manned 24/7 so we feel we can offer a better and more complete service than many of our competitors because they tend to be more like a five day operation. It’s something our customers require and we always aim to meet that.”

Dafen Ind Estate Dafen, Llanelli South Wales SA14 8QE www.owens-logistics.com Tel: 01554 754465

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ANNIVERSARIES: ARKELL’S BREWERY

170

NOT OUT

Arkell’s Brewery has remained true to the principles of loyalty, quality and tradition set down by its founder 170 years ago, but it has also adapted brilliantly to the changing world around it.

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ANNIVERSARIES: ARKELL’S BREWERY hen you have a relatively small fleet that doesn’t cover many miles, you don’t face all the same problems that most transport companies do. However, when you operate a chain of pubs and supply to the licensed trade, as Arkell’s Brewery does, there are a completely different set of challenges to contend with. Arkell’s Brewery has an estate of some 106 public houses and hotels with accommodation amounting to around 500 bedrooms that are mainly in and around the Swindon area. Consequently, the output of the brewery, a Victorian steam brewery which has been operating for 170 years and is Swindon’s oldest business, goes weekly within Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire, with less frequent trips to wholesalers and other outlets. To support that, there’s a fleet of four Volvo FL6 14 lorries that are on the road every working day plus a fifth that’s used for wholesaler runs or when one of the others is being serviced or repaired. The reduction in size of the pub market due to various factors has cut the fleet and drivers by a third while the rather limited catchment area, with most of the outlets being within 45 miles of the brewery, means annual mileage is relatively low. Together, these have several implications, one of which is on the age of the fleet, with the financial constraints of the industry

Transport Manager Dave Paginton with his assistant Maria Duckett

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meaning the vehicles aren’t replaced as frequently as they once were. Transport Manager Dave Paginton recounts: “We replaced one last year that was 22 years old. That one was scrapped because it wasn’t worth any money and it had about 350,000 kilometres on the clock after 22 years, so that indicates the mileage they do. Our latest lorry has a cleaner engine than the others but, because our fleet does tend to get quite aged, our oldest lorry at the moment is N registration, which means we got it in 1995. The engines don’t really get the use so the one from the 22 year old one went into one of the other vehicles because it was more cost-effective to swap them over than it was to have it repaired.” Because mileage is relatively limited, fuel usage is correspondingly low and so the

company’s tank is topped up with 2,000 litres of diesel on average every two weeks. That means the cost of fuel isn’t a major concern although all runs are nevertheless made as economically as possible. “We have set routes with a set number of pubs on each one,” remarks Dave. “If anything else comes in aside from the normal deliveries, we will put it on the best possible route to minimise people having to go too far out of their way.”

DIVERSE PRODUCTS All inbound goods come on supplier vehicles, with ingredients going straight to production and other products, such as draught lager from other brewers, going into the warehouse along with the company’s own cask and bottled production. Dave says: “We carry quite a few different lines and these are often

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ANNIVERSARIES: ARKELL’S BREWERY

affected by trends. If something has national advertising on TV, suddenly everybody wants to buy that product. So we get it in and then people tend to switch to something else so we have to change again. As a result, we end up carrying many different lines and the problem is storing them all. Orders are phone in, we then pick them, put them out onto the loading bay and then the draymen load their lorries how they want because they know which way round they’re going to do things.” Most products are handled manually, both within the warehouse and on and off the lorries. That’s been the subject of manual handling CPC training although, to an experienced drayman, most of it is a matter of common sense and self–preservation. The age of the fleet means proper maintenance is important and that’s handled by a self-employed

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mechanic who undertakes all servicing and repair work on site or at another company when additional facilities are needed. Although Arkell’s Brewery may not have the same challenges as other transport operations, that’s more than counteracted by other problems specific to the licensed trade. It does have some financial benefits against the larger breweries in terms of duty but has to deal with the rise of the micro breweries that don’t have the same overheads but gain trade often through selling obscure brands at cheaper prices. There’s also the cost of maintaining the company’s large pub estate that has to be balanced against other expenses for a relatively small company operating in a challenging market. “We just carry on through, hope the trade doesn’t get any worse and will hopefully show an upturn at some point,” remarks Dave.

Arkells Brewery Ltd Kingsdown Brewery Swindon SN2 7RU www.arkells.com Tel: 01793 823026

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ANNIVERSARIES: ARKELL’S BREWERY

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virgin:feature 2 10/09/2013 11:54 Page 20

LOGISTICS OF THE FUTURE: VIRGIN GALACTIC

TO BOLDLY

GO...

The dream of regular flights into space has taken a step closer to reality with Virgin Galactic

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LOGISTICS OF THE FUTURE: VIRGIN GALACTIC pace tourism may seem a futuristic concept but it could happen as early as 2014. Once established, the aim is to run scheduled flights and use the technology for other commercial purposes. Virgin Galactic started in 2004, although it was realised long before then people had a strong urge to experience space. “Many Virgin businesses start where we think we can make a positive difference in people’s lives,” recounts Commercial Director Stephen Attenborough. “The limited access to space we have enjoyed for the past half-century has achieved amazing things but we've only scratched the surface. Developing space’s potential fully can only come if we radically change the way we get there. We're trying to not just start a new and fantastic company but to spawn a new industry.” Initial progress was slowed because a fundamentally different technology was needed to provide space travel in a safe and commercially viable manner. That came through a company

winning the Ansari X Prize for the first non-government organisation to launch a re-usable manned spacecraft and Virgin Galactic entering into agreements to take the technology to the stage of offering commercial space flights. That technology, as Stephen explains, delivered the WhiteKnightTwo carrier plane and SpaceShipTwo: “We couldn’t put ordinary people into space using ground-based vertical launch rockets. They’re the wrong design from safety, cost and environmental perspectives. We have an air launch system using a carrier aircraft to get through the thickest part of the atmosphere; aeroplanes do that really well! It’s not a conventional looking aircraft but can achieve an altitude of 50,000 feet and launch the spaceship on the edges of the atmosphere, so we don’t need lots of rocket fuel at ground level. “If anything goes wrong in the first few seconds after the spaceship’s air-launch, we can glide back

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to the runway, sort out the problem and start again. That’s a huge safety advantage. Air launch also means we need a comparatively small rocket motor in the spaceship because we've already cleared the thickest part of the atmosphere. It's a very efficient and safe system and air launch was a big part of our decision to go forward.” The fleet is being built by the Spaceship Company in Mojave, the plan being to initially build five spaceships and three carrier aircraft, basing them at Spaceport America in New Mexico where Virgin Galactic is the anchor tenant. From there, the first commercial flights will take place and build up in frequency as the programme becomes established. Virgin has around 650 people signed, each paying $200,000 for their space flight. By involving them early, the company is aware it can better fulfil the experience they’re expecting. That involves a rocket ride to space at speeds

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LOGISTICS OF THE FUTURE: VIRGIN GALACTIC

reaching 3.5 times the speed of sound and weightlessness where they’ll float around the cabin. Customers want a life changing experience and they’ll receive astronaut wings to prove they’ve achieved space altitude. Although the cost is not inconsiderable, it’s a fraction of the $40 million to be part of the Russian space programme and doesn’t require six months of training. Instead, there’s four days of preparation and a medical to ensure customers can travel.

INTENSIVE TESTING The WhiteKnightTwo has flown 130 times while the spaceship has tested re-entry almost thirty times and underwent its first powered flight in April after numerous ground-based rocket tests.

“It will be the most tested space vehicle ever,” claims Stephen. “We must get commercial service right from day one – we can't gradually improve safety. On 29th April, the whole system was integrated and operational. We broke the sound barrier for the first time, which was an important test for the spaceship’s airframe and the flight went perfectly. That was the last big piece of the technical test programme. We now just need to do a few more powered tests, fit the interior, move the operation to New Mexico, receive a commercial licence from the FAA and we’ll be ready to start.” At that point, Virgin Galactic will go into commercial service with any competition reckoned to be five years or more behind, so it has the opportunity to establish its presence and

WE’D LIKE TO HAVE SAFE, REUSABLE ORBITAL VEHICLES DELIVERING CREWS OR HOLIDAYMAKERS TO ORBITAL STATIONS AND THEN LOOK AT PUSHING LONG HAUL AVIATION ABOVE THE ATMOSPHERE

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progress further. Stephen says: “We expect to prove we can take ordinary people into space and bring them back safely within a profitable environment. We’re also now developing a satellite launch vehicle using much of the same system and philosophy, meaning we'll be able to drastically reduce the cost of launching a small satellite and offer a much more customised service than currently available, far less constrained by the cost and availability. “We’re going to use SpaceShipTwo for science research and are looking at how we push on using our resources, experience, expertise and funding for orbital flights. We’d like to have safe, reusable orbital vehicles delivering crews or holidaymakers to orbital stations and then look at pushing long haul aviation above the atmosphere, by which I mean point to point travel, transcontinental travel by space. We don’t have that ability or the vehicle for that yet, but if we take the right steps first and do everything in the right way from day one, we think progress toward the next goals will be rapid.” www.virgingalactic.com

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LOGISTICS OF THE FUTURE: VIRGIN GALACTIC

SPACEPORT AMERICA A unique business requires a very special home and Virgin Galactic will have just that at Spaceport America in New Mexico. Back in 2005, Virgin Galactic and the State of New Mexico announced that they had reached an historic agreement which would see the building of a state funded $200m spaceport on a 27 square mile area of land in the southern part of the New Mexico “the Land of Enchantment”. Virgin Galactic will establish its headquarters and operate its space flights from Spaceport America, the world’s first purpose built commercial spaceport which is now under construction. Spaceport America will provide cutting edge facilities and a wonderful location for fledgling astronauts to realise their dreams. Construction is now well under way and the New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA) recently dedicated the newly completed nearly two-mile long “Governor Bill Richardson Spaceway” at Spaceport America, representing significant progress towards launching commercial customers into space from the desert of New Mexico. The facility has been designed by world renowned, UK based Foster + Partners who won an international competition to build the first private spaceport in the world.

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fleet management:feature 2 14/09/2013 13:35 Page 24

FLEET REVIEW: FLEET MANAGEMENT

COMMANDER OF THE FLEET Managing a fleet of company cars is no mean feat and is recognised as a profession in its own right

anaging a fleet of company cars is no mean feat and is recognised as a profession in its own right. The Association of Car Fleet Operators (ACFO) has initiated a series of professional qualifications for those in charge of company vehicles. With 3.4 million company cars on the UK’s roads, running a fleet of company cars means having a handle on a range of issues to ensure the effective running of the car pool. Julie Jenner, chairman of AFCO, says: “The job of managing a fleet of company vehicles continues to grow in complexity and is becoming ever more part of an organisation’s short and long-term strategy.”

“THE JOB OF MANAGING A FLEET OF COMPANY VEHICLES CONTINUES TO GROW IN COMPLEXITY AND IS BECOMING EVER MORE PART OF AN ORGANISATION’S SHORT AND LONG-TERM STRATEGY.” Financial issues are of major importance to anyone looking after an organisation’s company vehicles. Whether they are leased or purchased, cars being appropriated for employees will signify a big investment and it is important to ensure value for money in such dealings. David Rawlings, an automotive consultant with management consultancy Deloitte, says: “With a saturated marketplace, there are excellent deals to be had, and with the huge choice of vehicles on offer, organisations need to be aware of the costs of a car.” It is also very important to have a good knowledge of tax issues, as most company car drivers are ignorant of their responsibilities in this area. Sound, practical advice given to employees upfront will often avoid costly tax bills having to be settled months and sometimes years later.

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Those in the driving seat need to have a strong awareness of an array of issues involving company vehicles. With depreciation accounting for two-thirds of a vehicle’s whole-life costs and amounting to some £13.3 billion for UK companies over a normal three-year lease period, significant care needs to be exercised when it comes to offering choices of company cars to employees. The close management of tender relationships is also important in ensuring that organisations offering company vehicles do so in a responsible manner befitting the organisation’s culture. Like any procurement project, due diligence needs to be undertaken when defining who will supply the cars, while also ensuring all negotiations are fair and equitable. A topical issue that is becoming more and more mainstream is the environment. Some organisations are opting to move away from the company vehicle model completely, offering instead other financial incentives to employees. But industry experts argue that in some cases this is down to penny pinching rather than going green. For organisations that stick with the proven route of company cars, more and more are choosing models with smaller engines and powered by the right fuel. Big changes brought about by the 2007 Corporate Manslaughter Act have meant even more responsibility being landed on the fleet manager. As well as having a duty of care for an organisation”s drivers, safety continues to be an ongoing issue for companies operating a vehicle scheme. According to recent research from ACFO, those most likely to flout the Highway Code are company car drivers. With 63 per cent of those caught using mobile phones while driving being in this category and 33 per cent of accidents involving company vehicles, the job of promoting driver safety would appear to be an ongoing one for fleet managers. The demise of the company car has long been written about, but with the UK’s love affair with the automobile and the fact that 56 per cent of employees are in favour of the car as an employment benefit, the job of looking after the company car fleet will be around for a while yet.

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FLEET REVIEW: FLEET MANAGEMENT

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british gas:feature 2 10/09/2013 14:00 Page 26

FLEET REVIEW: BRITISH GAS

LOOKING B AFTER YOUR WORLD British Gas is the current leader in providing safe, reliable electric vehicle charging solutions for Britain’s businesses

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ritish Gas is the current leader in providing safe, reliable electric vehicle charging solutions for Britain’s businesses. The company offers a tailored solution for all types of business, whether for a sole trader or for a fleet of vehicles, and provides the complete end to end solution from recommending grant funding sources to installation of the charging point. It recently commissioned a study by the UK’s Transport Research Laboratory that revealed companies could significantly reduce their running costs. Indeed, fleet costs could be reduced by an average of £350,000 with carbon reduction savings in excess of five per cent by replacing one tenth of a current fleet with electric models. Certain sectors could make further savings when switching just ten per cent to electric vehicles such as heavy industry and the emergency services. According to the study, which looked at the combination of percentage cost and carbon reduction savings, the sector which could gain the most benefit is the financial services industry. Colin Marriott, Fleet General Manager at British Gas, said: “This report shows that businesses, under

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FLEET REVIEW: BRITISH GAS

pressure to reduce both costs and carbon emissions, cannot afford to ignore the benefits of electric vehicles. Electric vehicles offer us so many benefits as a business that we’re introducing them into our own fleet and aim to have 1,400 by 2015 as part of our drive to reduce fleet carbon emissions by 25 per cent.” Financially, unsurprisingly, it is the transport and distribution sector that stands to make the most out of electric vehicles. The report noted the possibility of a £486,000 annual saving when converting ten per cent of the fleet to electric, or a £2.43m gain if fifty per cent of the fleet was electric. This obviously requires suitable conditions for the vehicle and the service required. The most suitable conditions for purely electric vehicles would include low urban mileage, minimal or reducing load profile, and a frequent return to base or other charging facilities for an extended stop. The characteristics of the fleet are also important given that electric vehicles save money in a variety of ways. For example, on running costs, electric vehicles are cheaper on a per-mile basis than petrol while pure electric vehicles require less servicing because of their fewer moveable parts. The recent report advised fleet managers to take into consideration annual mileage, vehicle duty cycle, types of vehicles used and the price of fuel and electricity. In addition, another benefit is that companies can take advantage of reduced taxes. Electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids pay less road tax, pay lower Vehicle Excise Duty and no London congestion charge. The government is also looking at more ways it can provide more incentives to companies for the use of electric vehicles which will almost certainly bring further gains in future. Currently, the government’s Office for Low Emission Vehicles and the Carbon Reduction Commitment provide ample reason to “go green”.

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British Gas is a key provider of charging points and has therefore an important role to play. Currently it is the preferred supplier of electric vehicle charging solutions for Toyota, Vauxhall, Mitsubishi Motors, Hitachi Capital Vehicle Solutions, Renault and Nissan. For these clients British Gas provides a range of services. It works with a range of charging point suppliers including Pod Point, Chargemaster and Elektromotive to install a variety of charging equipment, and installed hundreds of charge points for commercial and public sector organisations

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FLEET REVIEW: BRITISH GAS last year alone. It provides a range of fixed and variable energy tariffs for businesses, and can provide green energy at price parity for larger companies. In its own fleet, British Gas switched from an operating lease to outright purchase in 2012. Colin Marriott says it was five months in the planning and it capped a particularly challenging 12 months for the fleet, which faced some tough CO2 targets and a growing focus on safety. Currently, the company has a fleet of 13,000 vans and 2,500 cars which ranks as the third biggest in the country. Given the fact any change in funding method would have major implications when dealing with a fleet this size, Colin says the decision wasn’t taken lightly. “Assessing what is the right financial approach in a big business like ours is a huge decision,” he says. “As it is today, outright purchase is the best thing for us.” He expects to make a sizeable annual saving as a direct result of changing the funding method. It will also give British Gas greater flexibility over operating cycles and more control when setting residual values. Although the biggest environmental benefits British Gas can deliver as an energy company are in helping customers to reduce their carbon emissions and decarbonising electricity generation, it’s vital that it reduces the environmental impact of its own operations. Therefore, British Gas has set ambitious environmental targets such as reducing its internal carbon footprint by twenty-five per cent by 2015. This enables it to innovate and trial new technologies for reducing carbon emissions from its properties, fleet, and from

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business travel. In turn, this has helped the company to lead the consumer market and engage its own employees in understanding environmental issues. British Gas also works to minimise other environmental impacts, such as waste, water and resource consumption. Robust, independently audited Environmental Management Systems enable it to manage these impacts and measure progress against its targets. The employees help it to meet targets by changing their behaviours and encouraging others to do the same. This commitment is further highlighted by the company’s aspiration to be a leader in the use of electric vehicle technology, with ambitious plans to equip its operational fleet by 2015 with more than 1,000 electric vans. With no tailpipe pollution or greenhouse gas emissions, electric cars are a great environmental way to travel. British Gas was one of the first companies to register a Leaf vehicle in the UK, and has been named by Nissan as the preferred supplier for installing charging points around the country. Tel: 0800 048 0202 www.britishgas.co.uk

BRITISH GAS HAS SET AMBITIOUS ENVIRONMENTAL TARGETS SUCH AS REDUCING ITS INTERNAL CARBON FOOTPRINT BY TWENTY-FIVE PER CENT BY 2015

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FLEET REVIEW: BRITISH GAS

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Scottish Water :feature 2 14/09/2013 10:04 Page 32

FLEET REVIEW: SCOTTISH WATER

ALWAYS SERVING SCOTLAND Providing 1.3 billion litres of drinking water every day, Scottish Water is a publicly owned company, answerable to the Scottish Parliament and the people of Scotland.

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FLEET REVIEW: SCOTTISH WATER

nlike its counterparts in England, Scottish Water is a publicly-owned company and the way the business operates has delivered great benefits for the people of Scotland. “We’re driven on customer service and efficiency,” comments Head of Transport Bill Nicholls, “but they are not mutually exclusive. Over the last ten years, we reduced our costs by £180 million in real terms while at the same time doubling our customer performance levels against a defined set of indicators. By focusing on customer service and efficiency, our customers have amongst the lowest water charges while at the same time our Customer Experience scores are amongst the highest in our sector.” The company provides 1.3 billion litres of drinking water and takes away 840 million litres of waste water each day for the whole of the Scottish mainland and its islands. That spans a wide area and covers heavily populated areas

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“WE’RE DRIVEN ON CUSTOMER SERVICE AND EFFICIENCY, BUT THEY ARE NOT MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE.” BILL NICHOLS HEAD OF TRANSPORT within the central belt as well as low density regions and remote communities. Scottish Water owns its vehicle fleet comprising almost 1,153 light goods vehicles and 145 heavy goods vehicles, with various vehicles and different features due to the diverse areas covered and the range of services provided. Bill says: “The majority of our water and waste water services and laboratory sampling are provided in-house and we have many different teams requiring tailored vehicles to operate. At the smallest end, we have Berlingo sized vans, the middle range includes the Vauxhall Vivaro

sized vans while at the top of the range we have the HGV tipper grab and tankers. The fleet supports every activity and the specialist vehicles vary from small refrigerated vans collecting water samples from reservoirs to articulated combinations transferring trailer loads of waste. Function-specific vehicles are used for densely populated areas and multi-functional vehicles and teams to cover many eventualities where population is sparser. Remote areas require 4x4 vehicles, with winter tyres fitted to some vehicles for the last three years.

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FLEET REVIEW: SCOTTISH WATER

The maintenance of Scottish Water’s fleet is provided by T.O.M., a Scottish based company with head office in Airdrie. For a fixed price, gain share contract, it services all the fleet and has the challenge of providing servicing from Shetland to Dumfries, including 6-8 week checks for HGVs. The fitting out of all vehicles is carried out by BOTT at its Scottish facility in Cumbernauld. “We take a lot of care fitting out vehicles to meet the requirements of the business customer,” says Bill. “As you might imagine, the range of specification can vary significantly although, at around 50 varieties, we are overdue for some rationalisation. “I have been impressed with the partnering attitude of both T.O.M. and BOTT. I know that together we can deliver an excellent fleet service which always delivers safe and reliable vehicles to our internal customers and maximises the effective use of customers’ charges.”

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There’s an annual spend of £8 million capital investment covering a replacement policy of five years for vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes and seven years for HGVs. However, the operation of the fleet is under review. “We’re looking at the new challenges and objectives which will face us over the next regulatory period and have spent the last three months doing serious improvement planning,” recounts Bill. A survey of current operations has shown the current fleet is generally in good condition with good levels of legal compliance although there are other opportunities for improvement. The big challenges will be around cultural change, the more straight forward of which will be in the fleet management value chain. The big cultural changes will see drivers being treated as valued customers and in turn drivers taking on board the personal responsibility for their vehicle. It’s in no-one’s interest for

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FLEET REVIEW: SCOTTISH WATER

customers’ charges to be wasted or drivers’ safety to be put at risk due to avoidable accidents. The fleet is administered using a variety of systems that include Masternaut tracking. Bill says: “We are not making the best use of information systems critical to delivering an effective and efficient fleet service.We hope to apply new and more integrated systems which gives us much more real time information on our vehicles.”

EFFORTS TO CUT CARBON EMISSIONS ARE PART OF ENFORCING OVERALL TARGETS THAT CASCADE DOWN THROUGH THE BUSINESS.

HEAD OFFICE Castle House 6 Castle Drive Carnegie Campus Dunfermline KY11 8GG www.scottishwater.co.uk Tel: 0845 6018855

The aim is to deliver appropriate data quickly so relevant information can be identified and acted upon. It’s part of the wide-ranging and ongoing review to improve fleet efficiency that has included fitting speed limiters to vehicles and trialling functions of Masternaut to report driver performance by monitoring harsh acceleration and braking. Efforts to cut carbon emissions are part of enforcing overall targets that cascade down through the business.They fall mainly on the construction side, with the company being the biggest construction employer in

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Scotland with an annual spend of £500 million. It’s also one of Scotland’s biggest energy consumers, spending £40 million a year, and has a £6 million annual fuel bill. The latter prompted moves to reduce cost, extending to trialling alternative fuel technologies such as hybrids, electric vehicles, CNG and an LPG/diesel blend.The company also worked with ITM Power at its Glasgow site, producing hydrogen from ionised water to fuel a specially constructed van. No products have so far proved sufficiently mature or practicable for Scottish Water’s needs.

SETTING PLANS The root and branch review of transport is now almost complete and has resulted in a plan setting out what is to be done and areas to be targeted. From now, as Bill recounts, the real work starts:“There are things we have to design and build. We’re going to have to specify, buy and install a new fleet management system, which is probably going to be an eighteen-month lead time. “We’ve already started harmonising our specifications and looking at how we better dispose of vehicles. But the driver behavioural element is probably going to be a year’s journey to get the systems in place, obtain the information and introduce a proper behavioural change for drivers. I am absolutely certain that working with our drivers and our partners, we will deliver on our mission to ‘Always Deliver Safe and Reliable Vehicles to our Customers’.”

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apetito:feature 2 11/09/2013 13:23 Page 38

FLEET REVIEW: APETITO

AWARD WINNERS

Apetito is an award-winning, global organisation providing frozen food and catering solutions to care homes, local authorities and hospitals petito is an award-winning, global organisation providing frozen food and catering solutions to care homes, local authorities and hospitals. With over five decades of experience, it has expanded its service over the years to include frozen meal delivery via its franchise Wiltshire Farm Foods and private hot meal delivery through local authorities with Apetito Services. Working with Ortec and Iso Track, Apetito has optimised its delivery process through an automated planning and scheduling solution coupled with a transport management system. “We don’t have a huge fleet and yet we have to cover the UK everyday,” comments Neil Emery, Director of Customer Service and Distribution. “Typically, the average number of deliveries per customer per week is two and we do that through a fleet of 43 vehicles nationwide. One of the things that was clear to us when we sat and had a good look at this back in mid-2009 was that our whole delivery planning and execution activity was fairly unscientific.

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apetito:feature 2 11/09/2013 13:23 Page 39

FLEET REVIEW: APETITO “What we wanted to achieve through some decent technical smarts was the ability, within our customer service offer constraints, to plan our delivery routes and make them as efficient as they possibly could in terms of kilometres run per case delivered. But also, the benefits as a consequence of that is less rubber used in your tyres and the big one - burning less fuel. “We engaged in a selection process, talking to a number of players in the market and eventually selected a partnership between Ortec (with its short rec automated planning and scheduling solution) and Iso Track (for the use of its Advanced Transport Management System).” Neil says he is very happy with the system. “It enables us to optimise, within the constraints of the customer’s given delivery windows and the size of vehicle they can receive, the order file and limit the number of kilometres that each vehicle runs. It also limits the number of vehicles that we need on that given day. “That has the twin advantages of both financial performance and of taking fuel miles off the road. We started developing the system last April and it was ready to roll by the end of November. We’re now in the process of a four month roll out across the entire UK.We’re expecting, over the next two to three years, more than fifteen per cent improvement in our kilometres run per case delivered.”

ADVANTAGES One of the key advantages of Ortec’s product was the ability to put a carbon emissions calculator into the scheduling systems so not only does Apetito receive key performance data to measure costs, it can compare and contrast different delivery strategies to ensure financial and environmental costs are at their most efficient. Similarly, the Iso Track system helps to manage Apetito’s actual performance against planned performance. Tel: 01225 807 270 www.apetito.co.uk

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McCulla Ireland :feature 2 12/09/2013 10:45 Page 40

FLEET REVIEW: MCCULLA cCulla Ireland Ltd provides expert temperature controlled haulage and refrigerated storage across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Its expertise in transporting chilled, ambient and frozen goods has put it at the forefront of refrigerated transport, leading to logistics and haulage awards. With over forty years experience in the haulage industry McCulla operates a modern fleet of vehicles, all equipped with inbuilt tracking and temperature monitoring systems. McCulla can therefore provide up to the minute information about the location and condition of clientsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; products. Able to avail of over 90,000 square feet of chilled and frozen storage as well as a recently installed ambient store, McCulla also offers excellent storage solutions for its customers. As well as this it has recently updated its Warehouse Management System, using the industry leading Accellos One programme that includes voice activated picking which ensures unmatched accuracy for customers. The company believes what makes McCulla a better option than any of its competitors is the experience, commitment and enthusiasm of both its management and staff. The Business Development team led by Noel McCulla is constantly striving to take the company to the next level. Complemented by a dedicated frontline services team including Customer Services which keeps the client up to date as well as its traffic planners who ensure customersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; products get to their destination as quickly and efficiently as possible. Behind the scenes its warehouse operatives,

KEEPING

COOL McCulla Refrigerated Transport offer temperature controlled haulage & refrigerated storage across Ireland, the UK & Europe

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McCulla Ireland :feature 2 13/09/2013 15:21 Page 41

FLEET REVIEW: MCCULLA stock controllers, accounts department and invoicing make up the rest of a truly terrific McCulla team. McCulla Ireland operates a fleet of 102 trailers, each with twin evaporators and variable stow bulkheads for carrying different products at different temperature bands. It also operates 75 trucks, 44 tonne artics and a few sprinter vans, as well as urban city trailers to accommodate the growing contracts requiring store level deliveries in town and city centres, with its most recent purchase of twenty Euro V 2013 Mercedes Actros. The average age of the fleet is three years for tractor units and five years for the trailers. It has developed a new policy in line with the corporate strategy of the organisation to replace tractor units after five years of service, with seven years of service for trailers. McCulla is committed to having a high standard of vehicles on the road and to guarantee this it has developed an eight-week service regime for both tractor units and trailers. This not only makes certain it has a healthy fleet but it also keeps the company legal under the terms of its operator’s license. Coupled with this it has delegated the servicing of the Mercedes to the approved Mercedes dealer which inspects each vehicle every six weeks.

RAISING PRESSURES With raising pressures from government bodies to ensure that McCulla is complying with all aspects of its operator’s license the company has invested heavily in the development and implementation of a maintenance package. This package comprises of the most recent technology to enable McCulla to be as up-to-date as possible in regards

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to the maintenance of the fleet. With the introduction of these measures it ensures that an airtight system for the maintenance department is in place, as well as creating a costing profile for each of the trucks and trailers. The system offers three advantages.

EASIER Firstly, it allows for the daily walk round checks to be sent electronically to the system no matter where in the world the fleet may be. This makes it easier to identify defaults and ensures that they are rectified. Secondly, it updates all service records and planned services, tyre changes and oil changes as well as planning for PSV. The system is directly linked to the traffic system therefore it ensures that all trucks are inspected within the time frame. Thirdly, the maintenance system allows for costing to be monitored and controlled, giving better indication of when trucks need replacing. The implementation of this technology has greatly improved the efficiency of the maintenance department and the servicing of the fleet. In today’s fast paced and impersonal culture, its family roots still heavily influence the McCulla business. The company has married technologically advanced facilities with a personal and hands-on service. This combination offers a unique experience for staff and customers alike. The company offers a pro-active, quality and genuinely flexible service and is committed to investing in partnerships with customers. McCulla strives daily to deliver “superior solutions from a unique customer focussed team”.

Head Office McCulla (Ireland) Ltd Blaris Industrial Estate Old Hillsborough Road Lisburn BT27 5QB www.mcculla.co.uk Tel: 0845 301 1059

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Star:feature 2 11/09/2013 11:43 Page 42

SUPPLIERS: STAR REFRIGERATION

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Star:feature 2 11/09/2013 11:43 Page 43

SUPPLIERS: STAR REFRIGERATION

THE FUTURE OF INDUSTRIAL REFRIGERATION

IS YOUR BUSINESS READY? orld recent events regarding the review of the F-Gas Regulations and the potential phase-down of HFC refrigerants, following the political and environmental agenda, have increased the industry’s awareness about new legal and technological developments — to ensure that the ongoing updates to international protocols and EU legislation have minimal impact in businesses’ operations and pockets. Star Refrigeration is running a halfday roadshow in Glasgow, Leeds and Reading to help end-users planning plant installation, replacement or maintenance for 2014 prepare for the changes. On the 4th July 2007, the European Fluorinated Gases Regulation (F-Gas) came into force. The objective of this regulation was to reduce the emission of fluorinated gases into the atmosphere. These gases have high global warming potentials (GWPs) that can be thousands of times more potent than carbon dioxide, and a reduction in releases will help towards Europe’s commitment to cutting green house gas emissions.

MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS F-Gases are used as refrigerants in cooling, freezing and heating equipment. The F-Gas Regulation introduced mandatory requirements for the refrigeration industry including leak checking, record keeping, engineer training/certification and equipment labelling – since these gases contribute to the global warming effect, it is imperative that reduction of refrigerant leakage is regarded as a central task for the RAC industry. Although the reduction of F-Gas emissions under the European Regulation 842/20006 on certain fluorinated

STAR REFRIGERATION ROADSHOW 2013 THE FUTURE OF INDUSTRIAL COOLING & HEATING: REAP THE BENEFITS. GLASGOW 24TH, LEEDS 25TH, READING 26TH SEPT

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greenhouse gases is already fully implemented in the UK, the European Commission has reviewed the existing regulatory framework and proposed further legislation to strengthen existing measures to control the supply and use of F-Gases in order to cut F-Gas emissions by 80% of today’s levels by 2030 across Europe. This means that many businesses within the cooling and heating industry will likely have to take a different approach to how they are going to manufacture and maintain equipment in future , and customers are going to have to become more energy efficient aware than ever before.

FREE CPD CERTIFIED EVENTS Star Refrigeration, is running a series of free CPD certified events that aim to provide a summary of the main problems affecting end users of large cooling and heating systems. The subjects will range from R22 phase out (it is banned from Jan 2015) to heat recovery (delivering free-hot water from cooling systems), energy saving, f-gas regulations to better maintenance. The CPD certified event will be taking place in Glasgow, Leeds and Reading on 24th, 25th and 26th September respectively, and Star’s senior experts will shed light on the issues that may affect end-users if the phase-down begins to take full effect. David Blackhurst, MD Star Technical Solutions, has prepared a presentation on regulatory and legislative compliance to identify and share advice on how to counteract major issues that are expected to arise.The event will also be attended by David Pearson, Director of Innovation at Star, who will share his extensive knowledge on heat recovery by using large refrigeration systems to deliver heating and reduce energy bills. Branch Manager Andy Smith will be demonstrating his expertise in the field of maintenance showing the results from a survey Star carried out in nine customers sites across the UK. Finally, Group Sales & Marketing Director Rob Lamb, will be talking about achieving the lowest total cost of ownership. Free registration is available at www.starrs2013.com. Spaces are provided on a first come, first served basis limited. All registrants will be entered into a draw with the chance to win one of 3 free iPads.

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HS2:feature 2 13/09/2013 10:28 Page 44

RAIL: HS2

HS2

ECONOMIC KICKSTART OR MONEY DOWN THE DRAIN? The recent media has been inundated with criticisms of HS2 in terms of expense and benefits. Andrew McNaughton, Technical Director of HS2 argues why it is needed. 44

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HS2:feature 2 13/09/2013 10:29 Page 45

RAIL: HS2

ost people view the next big rail development as being all about increased speed, which is understandable when the project and the company running it are named High Speed 2. But, insists Technical Director Andrew McNaughton, it’s not really about that: “It’s high capacity rail but, when building a new line, you may as well build it to go fast because the incremental cost is quite small. We reckon the difference is about 10% to build something for the 21st Century.“ It is a controversial and expensive project, with one argument being the money would be better spent improving the existing network. That effectively means continuing to patch up a system developed in Victorian times that is already at capacity and associated with that is on-going disruption to services.

INCREASED TRAFFIC The preferred alternative is to build a completely new line largely independent of the current network, offering advantages that include connections for big cities necessary for economic growth. Having all long distance journeys between major cities on one line and operating at the same speed ensures maximum usage

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and frees the existing railway for increased commuter and regional traffic. It will also, as Andrew stresses, help the freight industry: “The existing network was mostly designed for freight and rail freight logistics centres have been developed on it. Rail freight growth is being held back by lack of capacity so, when we start running High Speed 2, the released capacity will be used for freight and regional commuter traffic.” Criticisms of HS2 are many, which is inevitable for what will be the largest project in Europe. The planned completion date, however, compares well with the fifty years to complete the motorway network while the estimated cost is about the same as for two motorways of the same length while requiring only half the land needed for each one. And since it’s a totally new development using accepted European standards as well as building on experience gained in fifty years of high speed rail development, it will work efficiently and at required speeds from the start. “The line must work on day one and for the next hundred years,” comments Andrew. “We have a whole life design covering construction and maintenance to the right quality. High speed rail has a safety record unparalleled in transport, achieving that by being a new transport system rather than speeded up old rail. It

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HS2:feature 2 13/09/2013 10:29 Page 46

RAIL: HS2 was introduced in Japan in 1964 and no passenger has ever died on a high speed train on a high speed line; we have no intention of changing that. It's designed from first principles for safe travel and from that comes reliability because we don't have the compromises of adjusting an old railway.”

BENEFITS AND IMPACT It is a long process that has so far produced a route that is reasonably settled although open to further refinement. Andrew says: “There have been balancing options between the benefit from capacity and reduced journey time against the relative impact on people and the environment. The other factor is cost, not only of construction but for the next 150 years of operation.” The Bill that goes through Parliament will leave various options open, such as the eventual choice between ballasted and slab track that depends on ground conditions. It’s a balance between noise and speed while providing a stable base for what will be a very heavily used railway. A conservative approach is being adopted to design, generally assuming the worst and using a technology proven for higher speeds than envisaged. There’s the need to meet concerns of people over the environment, encompassing wildlife, historical sites

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and ancient woodland among others. The aim is to counter conflicting opinions with facts and that itself leads to an internal challenge. “We have to assimilate and manage the quantity of data needed to develop a transport system,” explains Andrew. “That's not just the engineering data but fourteen types of environmental data; existing information about ground conditions, water conditions, flood plain design, bats and noise contours. We have tens of terabytes of data to turn into information we can design with rather than it existing in an uncoordinated fashion”

ON TARGET The project is currently on target, with the first stage being submitted to Parliament at the end of 2013 and the second phase undergoing formal public consultation. Andrew is certain the protracted process is well worth the effort: “The country is growing and that growth will be in cities. This is a 21st Century solution to transport between cities, driving economic growth rather than having overloaded motorways and railway lines. It frees capacity for freight on the existing networks and it's important that people and freight can travel between cities. The country needs capacity and we won't achieve that by patch and mend and incremental bypass.”

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HS2:feature 2 13/09/2013 10:29 Page 47

RAIL: HS2

The optimism of the announcement of HS2 is now being met with a growing tide of opposition

HS2 HIGH-SPEED RAIL NETWORK PHASE 1 AND 2 LONDON TO MANCHESTER

NOW 2hr 8m

HS2 1hr 8m

SHEFFIELD

LONDON TO BIRMINGHAM

1hr 24m

49m

TOTON

LONDON TO LEEDS

2hr 12m

1hr 22m

LONDON TO SHEFFIELD

2hr 9m

1hr 10m

MANCHESTER TO BIRMINGHAM

1hr 25m

41m

LEEDS TO BIRMINGHAM

1hr 58m

57m

LEEDS

MANCHESTER

MANCHESTER AIRPORT

Meadowhall

East Midlands

BIRMINGHAM

London Euston

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Lantern Recovery Services :feature 2 13/09/2013 14:39 Page 48

PROFILE: LANTERN RECOVERY SPECIALISTS antern Recovery Specialists offers a range of services for breakdown and recovery, commercial and European recovery, vehicle transportation, plant movement, van rental, training services and vehicle sales. Established in 1966, LRS has over 40 years’ experience in breakdown and recovery services. Over this time the company has built an enviable reputation with a network of over 500 agents throughout the UK and Europe. Maintaining professionalism and the highest standards, the company’s agents are all trained and accredited with either RRRA, AVRO or RRHA registration and PAS43/ISO certified. In 2008, the Road Haulage Association launched RHA Rescue, a new rescue and recovery service tailored to its members’ requirements. RHA Rescue is provided through Lantern Recovery Specialists and caters for all vehicles that RHA members or their staff own or operate. Members of the RHA’s own Rescue and Recovery Group will be given first call on incidents in their area. Ray Coleman said “Our new strategy for the delivery of these vital services will benefit our recovery operator members as well as our haulier members, making it truly a service for members by members.” The RHA’s Rescue and Recovery Group’s members will benefit from a first call service in their area so if a vehicle belonging to a RHA member breaks down the chances are it will be a fellow member who comes to the rescue.

NOT JUST ANY SERVICE PROVIDER Lantern Recovery Specialists has been in the business of breakdown and recovery since 1966, building up a network of over 500 agents throughout the UK and Europe

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Lantern Recovery Services :feature 2 13/09/2013 14:56 Page 49

PROFILE: LANTERN RECOVERY SPECIALISTS Richard Goddard, the RHA Rescue and recovery Group’s Chairman, commented on Lantern’s leading role, saying: “I am delighted that one of our own members has been appointed to manage this vital RHA service. It proves beyond doubt that members can work together, regardless of their specialist sector within the UK transport industry.”

OWNER’S CHOICE RHA Rescue has become known to the Highways Agency and the police as Owner’s Choice in the event of an accident. This means that members will have the option of using RHA Rescue as the preferred recovery operator. Displaying the RHA Rescue sticker in the vehicle windscreen will assist the Highways Agency and police to avoid any unnecessary delays in getting the vehicles recovered or back on the road. In addition to the breakdown and Recovery sector of the business, Lantern have diversified over recent years and their Corporate Services division offer tailor-made 24/7 call-handling and tele-marketing services to a wide range of customers from accident management and insurance companies to despatching security response units. Sophisticated technology enables Lantern to adapt their systems to integrate with the customer’s giving seamless in-hours or outof-hours services. Also within the Corporate Services is the On-Site Servicing Division providing a fleet of mobile garages available to work on customer’s premises saving time

and money. This comprehensive mobile maintenance and repair service is for all classes and makes of vehicle. Lantern can cover the customer’s vehicle’s annual test from booking the appointment through to taking the vehicle through and manage the service sheets to meet operator’s licence requirements. Training is an integral part of Lantern’s success and as in addition to industry related training, they teamed up with Leicestershire-based RME Consultancy Limited, a leading training provider, to deliver the NVQ Level 3 Driving Goods Vehicles training scheme. This qualification compliments the core modules of the Institute of Vehicle Recovery and the drivers CPC and covers areas such as Health & Safety, Customer Care and Safety at the Roadside. All of Lantern’s 90 recovery technicians have now gained their qualification and have noted the benefits of the independent assessment. Mark Henderson, a technician at Lantern, noted, “It was really good to have my performance assessed as it gave me an opportunity to demonstrate the skills and experience I have developed in my job.” Paul Chapman, IVR Instructor and Head of Training at Lantern say’s, “All of our recovery technicians are qualified to IVR standards relevant to the category of vehicle and job they undertake. This external assessment carried out by an independent assessor verifies they operate to the professional standards required by both the transport and recovery industry in their day to day duties?”

Lantern Recovery Specialists PLC Lantern House 39-41 High Street Potters Bar Hertfordshire EN6 5AJ Tel: 0844 247 60 90 www.lanternrecovery.org

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Chartered Insititure of Waste :feature 2 10/09/2013 14:25 Page 50

WASTE AND RECYCLING: CHARTERED INSTITUTION OF WASTES MANAGEMENT

SETTING PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS The Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM), is the professional body which represents waste and resource professionals working in the sustainable waste and resource management sectors worldwide.

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aving gone through several changes of name since its formation in 1898, the current one doesn’t fully describe the CIWM’s activities. “It’s not just waste collection, transport and treatment,” remarks Deputy CEO Chris Murphy. “We touch on energy, climate change, logistics and water usage and our technical skills go far beyond waste. We are a resource organisation and that’s the same for waste companies now because they’re dealing with resources of value.” CIWM is a members’ organisation and most of its 7,000 members are individuals who are, or are working towards, chartered waste manager status. To become members, they need a degree level qualification, five years’ industry experience and must satisfy a professional interview. The organisation provides support to help them achieve that and members must also complete twenty hours continuing professional development (CPD) annually. That enables CIWM to vouch for members’ credibility and expertise, further enforced by a code of practice and disciplinary procedures. The Institution supports the industry and its members by promoting best practice through influencing,

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WASTE AND RECYCLING: CHARTERED INSTITUTION OF WASTES MANAGEMENT

informing and developing skills. Its activities include training, awards ceremonies, recruitment and exhibitions. Head of Marketing Adrian Arnold adds: “We run conferences for networking and sharing best practice. We produce frequent news from a policy or technical perspective and provide detailed technical support, reports and studies into varied subjects.We have special interest groups that solve particular problems or discuss specific issues.” Members look to CIWM to influence government to produce the best legislation without imposing unnecessary restrictions. “We work to make sure the legislation is appropriate,” recounts Chris. “Before it comes in, we educate members through workshops, seminars or publications to warn of forthcoming legislation and ensure it’s addressed.” There’s a Waste Smart course aimed at those who create waste, informing them of their responsibilities and the opportunities to cut costs through reduction, reuse and recycling.That’s particularly relevant as sending waste to landfill is becoming increasingly expensive and the organi-

“IT’S NOT JUST WASTE COLLECTION, TRANSPORT AND TREATMENT, WE TOUCH ON ENERGY, CLIMATE CHANGE, LOGISTICS AND WATER USAGE AND OUR TECHNICAL SKILLS GO FAR BEYOND WASTE.” CHRIS MURPHY DEPUTY CEO sation wants to spread the word, particularly to SMEs that are unable to devote huge quantities of time dealing with that which they throw away. Waste Smart offers practical and simple advice that will save time and, ultimately, reduce costs.

IMPROVED RECYCLING UK recycling rates have improved from 10% ten years ago to over 40% now, helped by the availability and increased use of technology, a rise in public awareness of resource scarcity and driven by tax legislation. CIWM is keen for government to increase targets and, to achieve them, it’s encouraging greater partnership working. It’s also, as Adrian recounts, trying to achieve something more fundamental: “We’re getting involved

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in behaviour change by stopping people throwing things away. It’s at the heart of being proud of the environment you’re living and working in.” Part of the criteria for its Royal Charter, received ten years ago, is an international profile. About 5% of members are abroad and it’s increasingly working overseas to help improve recycling and educate generally. But the overriding objective is overall improvement. “We want to move from a waste to a resource philosophy,” says Chris. “We want to stop thinking about how to get waste dumped and to segregate it, keep it clean and get it back into the circular economy.” www.ciwm.co.uk Tel: 01604 620426

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Palletline:feature 2 12/09/2013 14:08 Page 52

PALLET NEYWORK: PALLETLINE allet networks have grown considerably to the point where there may be too many. Palletline was the original one and, although it may not have the biggest volume, it’s generally considered the market leader for service quality. Palletline started when a group of hauliers met at a central point to swap pallets for distribution. That’s evolved to something altogether bigger but, insists Managing Director Kevin Buchanan, the original ethos remains: “The founding principle of hauliers supporting each other to benefit them and customers is fundamentally what we’re about.The model is more sophisticated, very technology driven and we lead in that as we led in establishing the sector. We do things properly in providing quality services, being robust, reliable and having a sustainable model to share fairly and equally the income generated.” Members being shareholders is unique to Palletline and means it’s careful about who joins.

QUALITY SERVICE From single pallet delivery through to full load consignments, we have the right solution to deliver your goods safely, reliably and effectively at a time to suit you and your customer.

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Palletline:feature 2 12/09/2013 14:08 Page 53

PALLET NEYWORK: PALLETLINE Prospective members must meet its high standards operationally, financially and culturally, buy shares and sign a members’ agreement. “Being a member of Palletline has to matter and you must be committed,” stresses Kevin. “You have to be a good partner for others because our ethos about collaboration and sustained cooperation enables a much better collective organisation than individually.” Members are continually evaluated by assessing over fifty KPIs to ensure high standards are met. In return for that, Palletline manages the network across four hubs using technology that includes tracking every pallet over nine points from members’ depots to the point of delivery using GPS digital sensor capture. Palletline’s methods have driven growth of 20% over two years and a further 25% this August. That level of expansion requires a constant remodelling of delivery areas because higher volumes often lead to members requiring

smaller areas to retain balanced trunking. The outcome is members delivering more pallets over a smaller area with the benefit of less mileage for greater volumes. The growth, in Kevin’s view, is solidly based: “People need a robust and reliable solution. Companies are nervous about losing customers so place their distribution solutions with a provider they can rely on. Although we may not be the cheapest, it's recognised there’s reliability and the added value in what we do.” Exisiting added value is constantly increased, with a recently introduced direct exchange facility enabling movement of larger consignments between members rather than via the hubs, reducing costs while retaining full track and trace. Various other actual or planned developments are aimed at supporting members

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through central purchasing for increased buying power, health and safety, and sales and marketing. A European service is already well established but there are plans to further develop this plus introduce a consolidation product for large organisations and evening deliveries to homes. These seem certain to build on Palletline’s reputation and drive growth higher. “We’re a unique co-operative with industry leading innovation and technology,” remarks Kevin. “We have the most efficient operating model, enabling us to check pallets more than others for the lowest damage and claims ratios in the sector. We are reliable, sustainable and deliver quality, which is what customers want.” www.palletline.co.uk Tel: 0121 7676870

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masters:feature 2 12/09/2013 11:50 Page 54

PALLET NETWORK: MASTERS LOGISTICAL SERVICES

MASTERS OF

LOGISTICS

Masters Logistical offer a comprehensive range of logistical solutions and distribution services

e believe that what is most important to our customers is that we truly understand their needs,” claims Masters Logistical’s Managing Director Paul Upton. “Our policy is therefore to remain flexible to meet those needs — whatever they are. We can make things happen at short notice and we can adapt to their needs quickly. All our customers get a quality service at a fair price so we’re sustainable to be here for them in the future. We also do our absolute level best to keep things simple because we know everyone hates small print and red tape.” This approach has certainly helped Master’s through the recession as transport companies struggled to maintain volume and profitability when prices were being slashed and costs were increasing. The company was formed by the merger of courier and haulage businesses in 2004 and has since added around

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Unit 1, 19 Ely Road Stretham, Ely Cambs CB6 3JJ www.masterslogistical.co.uk Tel: 01353 648222

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100,000 square feet of warehousing space to its distribution operation as well as joining Palletline in 2006.

GROWING BUSINESS The amalgamation with Palletline, as Paul confirms, has been crucial to the company’s success: “They saw us as a good opportunity due to our attitude and the way we run the business; we’re family oriented and we care about what we do.That was the catalyst for us to move up into a bigger league because we had a dedicated area to deliver and it brought in new business and additional customers.” For certain customers, Masters has regular contracts to transport packaging and point of purchase materials from manufacturer to customer and palletised seed grain from producer to farms. The warehousing side has grown steadily alongside the distribution growth so the company can provide a complete service including picking and packing of var-

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masters:feature 2 13/09/2013 14:59 Page 55

PALLET NETWORK: MASTERS LOGISTICAL SERVICES

ious commodities. “We handle bulked stack as well as pallets in racking, fitting in whatever the customer needs,” comments Paul. “We have one unit with open floor space, which has multiple non-stack items or bulk stack, two others with about 5,000 pallet spaces and two other units where we store things like crates until they’re ready to ship.” There’s also a new warehouse being built to replace an existing facility. Paul says: “It’s a brand new building with around 2,500 racked pallet spaces. It will be a very modern facility suitable for any type of product customers want to store.”

PALLETLINE BENEFITS Besides the flexibility of being able to handle anything from a full load to a single pallet, Palletline membership provides other benefits for Masters: • Being able to use the services of member companies knowing the level of service will be high and enabling it to take on a wide range of business. • Maximising the use of its eighteen-strong fleet by dual running the trunkers so they’re at Palletline overnight and do other work through the day. • Having six vehicles dedicated to Palletline but being able to move the fleet between the different sectors to improve overall vehicle utilisation. Paul summarises by saying: “We like to feel we don’t need to provide extraordinary things, just ordinary things delivered in an extraordinary way.”

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XPLORE:feature 2 10/09/2013 11:28 Page 56

TECHNOLOGY: XPLORE TECHNOLOGIES

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XPLORE:feature 2 10/09/2013 11:28 Page 57

TECHNOLOGY: XPLORE TECHNOLOGIES

THE MOST RUGGED TABLETS ON EARTH Xplore Technologies, maker of the most rugged tablets on Earth, has been in the business of developing, integrating, and marketing industrial grade rugged tablets for over 15 years. e’ve listened to what our customers were saying,” says Sandy McCaskie, Director of EMEA for Xplore Technologies, referring to the company’s new RangerX Android tablet. “It’s been designed with the corporate, enterprise and government user in mind. People are realising it’s a product that’s been designed for them rather than us taking a consumer product and changing it.” The product in question is a natural progression for a company that’s been designing rugged tablet PCs since 1998. The latest one reflects employees’ wishes to use familiar products while at the same time fulfilling corporate needs.The RangerX manages to do that by incorporating several options and being designed from the ground up rather than being an adaptation of a consumer device. Perhaps its most striking feature is it’s a truly rugged device and that, as Sandy emphasises, results from design and stringent testing: “We drop it from height, perform ball bearing tests to ensure the screen survives bangs and it’s protected against wear and tear you’d expect in the field.You can buy jackets

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for tablets but they don’t change the product inside so we’ve made ours rugged from the inside out. The chassis has the computer bolted to a wafer of magnesium that gives flexibility, protection and rigidity.” The outcome is the life of the RangerX should be at least the three years most corporates expect, even given the conditions in warehouses and the knocks associated with business use. The principle of longevity applies equally to the battery, which can be replaced by the user rather than by the manufacturer. That avoids the cost of spare units to cover while machines are away.

TEMPERATURE EXTREMES The rugged nature of the device extends to it withstanding extremes of temperature without performance degrading. “Most computers are designed for optimum speed and battery life at room temperature,” comments Sandy. “When you go above or below that temperature, you impact how fast the processor is running and the screen can get darker. The RangerX is designed to work at -20ºC to +60ºC

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TECHNOLOGY: XPLORE TECHNOLOGIES

“MOST COMPUTERS ARE DESIGNED FOR OPTIMUM SPEED AND BATTERY LIFE AT ROOM TEMPERATURE. THE RANGERX IS DESIGNED TO WORK AT -20ºC TO +60ºC WITHOUT ANY NOTICEABLE DEGRADATION”

without any noticeable degradation. If it’s left in the cab of a truck, the temperature can rocket on a sunny day while leaving it in a boot can make it pretty cold. Our tablet is designed to work in those extremes.” RangerX is an Android device and so has a familiar interface to many people. It also has the quick start-up users expect and a high resolution screen with a 178 degree viewing angle that can be seen clearly even in bright sunlight. Storage capacity of 192 gigabytes against a typical 32 gigabytes gives corporates sufficient space to add and expand programs that can be applications they’ve developed previously due to the industry-standard operating system. It’s also relatively lightweight at 2.2 pounds and that, coupled with the ten hour battery life between charges, an ergonomic carrying handle and accessories that include vehicle mount and carrying straps mean it’s a versatile device that can be used in various situations.

SOME FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS? HOW PORTABLE ARE XPLORE’S TABLETS? Because Xplore tablets are so rugged, they can be taken anywhere. They can handle water, dust, debris, salt fog, extreme temperatures, and much more. Their functioning design allows you to carry one in your hand or carrying case while walking, in your vehicle while driving, or on your desktop. WHAT ABOUT USING A LAPTOP? Laptops are portable – but that’s all. The display hinges can crack when dropped, they're susceptible to overheating, and often can't be viewed well in direct sunlight - and you don't dare get them dusted, muddied or wet. In contrast, Xplore tablets can be dropped (even onto cement), have sunlight viewable screen, and can be hosed off if wet or even tossed in a water bucket. It is also more powerful than most laptops and desktops, and can connect via a keyboard or mouse for use in the office.

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WHAT ARE THE MOUNTING OPTIONS? Xplore tablets can be mounted on motorcycles, cars, helicopters, forklifts, tanks, carts, or walls. The light-weight, industrial strength mounts are easy to install and integrate, backward compatible with previous Xplore generations, and cross-industry compatible. HOW COMPETITIVE IS THE PRICE? At first glance, Xplore tablets appear to be priced similarly to other rugged PCs, when in reality you get more. More power, much greater durability and the most standard features – so you don't pay extra for features you need to use every day. HOW FLEXIBLE IS THE DRIVE SIZE? Xplore supports up to 80GB SSD, or you can use two SSDs for 160GB total. In addition, Xplore tablets have tool-less access to the Solid State Drive (SSD), making it quick and easy to swap drives for storage, or OS within minutes.

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XPLORE:feature 2 14/09/2013 10:21 Page 61

TECHNOLOGY: XPLORE TECHNOLOGIES

COMMUNICATIONS CAPABILITY A big feature of the RangerX is its communications capability, which includes RFID, Bluetooth 4, WiFi, USB2 and HDMI connectivity with one gigabit Ethernet and an integrated FM transmitter. All that ensures the device can communicate and exchange data with a central system and that, for example, audio instructions can be heard through a vehicle’s radio even in a noisy truck cab. The many features make the RangerX an ideal device for transport and logistics operations because, as Sandy points out, it combines several functions in one rugged tablet: “Currently, drivers have a hand held device to record proof of delivery and separately have satellite navigation. The RangerX can capture the time of sale and proof of delivery but also be a navigation system so it’s getting more data to the driver from a logistics point of view. “It enables them to be more efficient, which in turn gives savings and productivity. There can be extra data

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such as GPS, delivery road maps and geophysical data. There’s a massive logistics industry of people delivering to home addresses who can take this unit out of the truck, track where they’re going and record proof of delivery. It’s convenient and all about saving time.”

INNOVATION RECOGNITION In short, it’s a rugged and flexible device packed with features that include enough communications options to make it ideal for cloud computing. The thinking behind it has propelled Xplore Technologies into third place behind Samsung and Apple according to an ABI Research survey on the most innovative tablets for the B-to-B market. That, however, doesn’t mean the company is resting on its laurels. “We won’t be stopping here,” confirms Sandy. “There are several products coming down the line where we’re looking at specific areas to help customers. It’s about keeping their people in the field working productively.”

Xplore Technologies 14000 Summit Drive, Ste 900 Austin TX 78728 www.xploretech.com Tel: +1 888 449 7567

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Glasgow City Council :feature 2 10/09/2013 15:42 Page 62

CARBON EMISSIONS: GLASGOW CITY COUNCIL lasgow City Council has been a frontrunner in reducing large-scale public sector carbon emissions for a number of years. In a report at the end of 2012, Alastair Brown Head of Sustainability and Environment at the council detailed its widespread, and successful, use of electric vehicles. The council currently has thirty electric Peugeot partners on lease through the UK Governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ultra Low Carbon Vehicle Demonstration Programme. Of these vehicles, fourteen have been sub-let to other public bodies including Strathclyde Police, Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) and Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA). The remaining sixteen vehicles are in service in the council fleet. In addition, the council operates four Nissan Leafs, two electric street sweepers and a Goupil obtained via the Scottish Governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Electric Vehicle Procurement Support Scheme. This low carbon fleet benefits Glasgow in a number of ways. It provides early access to subsidised, low-carbon vehicles for use across the city, while encouraging localised air quality improvements as electric vehicles emit no NOx, SO2, CO and CO2, helping meet EU air quality requirements. It is also a great showcase for the city of Glasgow, showing it to be forward-thinking region with ambitions to become one of the most sustainable cities in the future. With the Commonwealth Games on the horizon it is also allowing Glasgow to host the lowest carbon Games. Alastair also highlights the fact involvement

SUSTAINABLE

GLASGOW Glasgow City Council has been a frontrunner in reducing large-scale public sector carbon emissions

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Glasgow City Council :feature 2 10/09/2013 15:42 Page 63

CARBON EMISSIONS: GLASGOW CITY COUNCIL with and encouragement of this programme could ensure that the building blocks for EV production in the city are in place for 2014. Other benefits include around £2 million of funding coming to Glasgow for vehicles and charging infrastructure. In addition, the reduction in fuel consumption and emissions from the internal vehicle fleet shows the council to be leading by example in terms of improving the environment within the city. The SPT was among the first transport organisations to pilot the use of electric cars.The project, in conjunction with Glasgow City Council and Scottish Power, saw two batterypowered Peugeot ePartner vehicles put into use. Swapping diesel-fuelled cars for electric has helped contribute to SPT’s commitment to reduce its carbon emissions. The electric cars have a battery range of between 80 and 100 miles and will be primarily used by SPT’s bus team to inspect stops and update timetable information across the greater Glasgow area. They will be based at SPT’s Buchanan Bus Station, where two charging points have already been installed. The three-year trial usage of the vehicles is part of a wider plan to upgrade the existing vehicle fleet at a cost of £163,000. Gordon Maclennan, SPT Chief Executive, said at the time: “SPT is always keen to find innovative ways to reduce our carbon footprint and also

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reduce our costs. Electric vehicles have the potential to be a serious alternative to traditional fuelpowered cars for local journeys and we are keen to see these battery-powered vehicles in action. “If successful, they could prove to be a valuable addition to our fleet and a serious alternative to the diesel car that we can opt for in future.” These examples are the tip of the iceberg in terms of Glasgow’s energy and carbon master-

This groundbreaking integrated approach increases the opportunities available, reduces risk and boosts the positive impacts of each project that is undertaken. Following analysis of the city’s resources, infrastructure and energy demand, major opportunities have been identified, in addition to sustainable transport, which include combined heat and power/district heating; waste to energy sys-

“SPT IS ALWAYS KEEN TO FIND INNOVATIVE WAYS TO REDUCE OUR CARBON FOOTPRINT AND ALSO REDUCE OUR COSTS” plan. Sustainable Glasgow is the name given to the overall strategic plan for the city’s future energy infrastructure and carbon emissions. The aim is to reduce carbon emissions through improved energy management and the development of new, integrated systems that will deliver a clean, low-carbon energy infrastructure. By looking at the city as a whole, these proposed energy systems can be designed so that they support each other, holistically, technically and financially, while meeting Glasgow’s requirements for growth and supporting the needs of its communities.

tems; renewable energy; smart energy networks; and energy management. These opportunities have the potential to deliver significant carbon emission reductions as well as being both technically and commercially feasible, enabling Glasgow to reduce its carbon emissions by thirty per cent within ten years at the same time as creating jobs, tackling fuel poverty and regenerating the city.

www.glasgow.gov.uk Tel: 0141 287 2000

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Looking back at...

SIR FRANK WHITTLE In our regular column we take a brief look at some of the great pioneers, innovators and technology that has helped shaped Britainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s transport system

ithout Frank Whittle we would have no air travel as we know it today. Air Commodore Whittle was an ace engineer in the British Royal Air Force who single-handedly invented the turbojet engine. Ever since a young age, Whittle demonstrated a keen interest in engineering, particular of the flying kind. He was originally turned down by the RAF but persisted, eventually earning a place on the officer training course and excelling at his studies. His thesis, which would form the blueprint for the jet engine, earned him a place at the prestigious University of Cambridge where he received a First Class Degree. Whittle recognised that planes would need to fly higher in order to achieve long ranges and high speeds. At the time, in the 1920s, piston engines and propellers were not up to the task of flying at high altitudes where air resistance is lower. His original theory called for rocket propulsion or gas turbines driving the propellers. Following early tests he found that a fan enclosed in the fuselage to generate a fast flow

of air to propel a plane could be the ideal solution. Patenting the idea himself he began construction of a prototype in 1936. It was until 1941 that the new engine would make its first flight. The USA quickly grasped the potential of the new technology and acquired details of its construction. General Electric then put together its own jet engine with the XP-59A

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Airacomet going airborne two years before the British Meteor became operational. The jet engine was a success. Both in Britain and the USA, both countries embraced it. Whittle retired from the RAF in 1948 (receiving a knighthood that same year) and went to work in America at the US Naval Academy at Annapolis. He died in 1996.

www.tandlonline.com

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ISSUE 138

TRANSPORT &LOGISTICS T H E

I N D U S T R Y

F O R WA R D

ISSUE 138

D R I V I N G

TRANSPORT & LOGISTICS MAGAZINE

LOGISTICS OF THE FUTURE? VIRGIN PLAN TO BOLDLY GO... SCOTTISH WATER ALWAYS SERVING SCOTLAND

HS2 ECONOMIC KICKSTART OR MONEY DOWN THE DRAIN?

BRITISH GAS LOOKING AFTER YOUR WORLD