Dennis Eagle - Eagle Eye - 2023 - Issue 1

The way we work is taking a subtle but purposeful change in direction.

For more than 100 years, businesses have published an annual report on their financial performance. Now we will report on our sustainability every year too.

The factors that have prompted this are alarming: climate change, pollution, depletion of natural resources, loss of biodiversity … the world faces major challenges and we all have a role to play in addressing this.

There is, however, more to sustainability than minimising our environmental impact. Hand in glove comes protecting the communities we work in and ensuring the way we do business is right and proper too.

I’m greatly encouraged that our customers share our determination to succeed.

Their plans vary, of course but a common theme among them is the transition to zero-emissions waste

and recycling fleets. And reassuringly, their targets reflect the urgency of the situation; they are ambitious.

Our approach is clear: ambitious targets require customer-focused solutions. We must work more closely than ever with our customers to find those solutions.

People, of course, are at the heart of sustainability. Our goals are to create a world where people can flourish and live healthy and prosperous lives.

After nearly 45 years working in this industry - a large part of that time with Dennis Eagle - I have decided it is time to retire, so this will be my last Eagle Eye article.

I am extremely proud to have been a part of a great team at Dennis Eagle. The success of our business is derived from many sources and the efforts of many people over time, and I am sure we will continue to go from strength to strength in the future and we will have the right answers and solutions for our customers’ requirements going forward.

What will I miss; people, our customers, our employees and our suppliers. The dialogue has been creative and interesting, sometimes stimulating, sometimes rambling but always entertaining..

Kevin Else Managing Director

EAGLE EYE MAGAZINE ISSUE 1 2023

Front cover image

Forty eCollects have been ordered by Westminster City Council, the largest single order of Dennis Eagle’s all-electric RCVs yet. The zeroemissions, 27-tonne 6x2 vehicles will operate from a new depot with full charging infrastructure. See page 04

Editor: Lee Rowland

Articles may be reproduced only with special permission from the publisher.

Contact us:

Lee Rowland

Sales & Marketing Manager lee.rowland@dennis-eagle.co.uk

Danni Nelson Brand & Communications Manager danielle.nelson@dennis-eagle.co.uk

Ketna Mistry

Digital Marketing Executive ketna.mistry@dennis-eagle.co.uk

Dennis Eagle

Heathcote Way

Heathcote Industrial Estate

Warwick CV34 6TE 01926 458500

I am extremely proud to have been a part of a great team at Dennis Eagle.

Record eRCV order

by Westminster

The order for the zero-emissions, 27-tonne 6x2 rear-steer vehicles comes after the eCollect went through extensive trials in 2022 in Westminster and they will be operated by Veolia in partnership with Westminster City Council.

The eCollect was the first all-electric fully integrated refuse collection vehicle when it was launched in late 2020 and more than 100 are now operating across the UK and Ireland.

Dennis Eagle’s Sales and Marketing Director Richard Taylor said: “We know how focused Westminster is on sustainability. With that in mind, these eCollects are designed and built in the UK and we are working closely with our suppliers and constantly reassessing our own business to ensure sustainability is at the heart of everything we do.

Councillor Paul Dimoldenberg, Cabinet Member for City Management, said:

“Air quality has consistently been one of the main concerns among our residents and the council is taking action to reduce carbon emissions and improve air quality across the city."

Forty eCollects have been ordered

City Council, the largest single order of eRCVs in the UK to date.

This new collection of zero-emissions collection vehicles, the largest single order in the UK, will help us achieve our goal of a Net Zero Westminster by 2040.

Winning on rural rounds

Twenty new RCVs have been delivered to Babergh and Mid Suffolk district councils for their joint waste collection service.

Babergh has 10 Elite+ 6x2 rear-steer narrow chassis with Olympus 19m3 bodies working from its Sudbury depot. Mid Suffolk has seven of the 6x2s and three Elite+ 8x4 rear-steer chassis with Olympus 27m3 bodies operating from Stowmarket.

Oliver Faiers, the Corporate Manager for Waste, Recycling & Fleet at Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils, said: “We get greater efficiency by the two councils working together. Serco delivers the collection services for both, which allows flexibility when needed.

“We are largely rural communities and the Dennis Eagle Narrow trucks are ideal for us as they can get into tight places much more easily.”

Pink to make you think

What’s bright pink, weighs 26-tonnes and travels the streets of South Kesteven, in Lincolnshire? It’s a bin lorry, of course but with a second role encouraging women to regularly check for early signs of breast cancer.

The RCV, a 6x4 Elite+ with a 21m3 Olympus body and Terberg OmniDEL Xtra bin lift, was handed to South Kesteven District Council by Regional Sales Manager, Matt Horwell (pictured). The truck is in the colours of the ‘Wear It Pink’ campaign to back a support group formed by breast cancer survivor and council employee Rachael Bradley.

Rachael said: “I know first-hand what it’s like to suffer this dreadful disease and I have lost friends and family to it. I am absolutely over the moon to think that we will have this truck spreading such a vital message day in and day out – I am so grateful to the council".

eCollect reaches landmark

The 100th eCollect produced in Warwick has been delivered to Nottingham City Council – who received the very first one built in 2021. The all-electric vehicle is now in service with both public and private sector operators – large and small –in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

Since Nottingham received its first, it has ordered more as its recharging infrastructure became available. It now has 20 eCollects in a 55 RCV fleet, putting it in the vanguard of councils transitioning to zero-emissions collections.

“Of course, we were very proud to be the first,” said Andrew Smith, Assistant Manager (Fleet) at Nottingham City Council.

“But in the nicest possible way, we don’t even think about them now. They just do what they’re designed to do –collect the waste. And that’s a sure sign of success.”

it's more than green Sustainability:

At Dennis Eagle, we used to be asked questions like ‘how green is that RCV?’, usually meaning ‘what are its carbon emissions?’. And we were rightly proud of our low-emissions Euro 6 diesels and later, our zero-emissions eCollects.

But if it had taken a mine’s worth of coal to generate the electricity needed to make a fleet of these ‘greener’ vehicles, would we even have bothered developing them?

So, instead of talking about green products, people now want to know how green the process of producing them is. The company’s whole carbon footprint and the supplier chains’ carbon footprints are very relevant. And sustainability goes way beyond this.

If the world carries on using up natural resources at the current rate, experts predict we will reach a point this century where we can no longer meet demand. Clearly, we have to recycle them.

The plan of action

The United Nations has set targets to decarbonise our economies. Individual countries have formed plans and introduced legislation to achieve this as well as to recycle and to protect and restore the natural environment. The UK Government has set a target for our economy to be ‘carbon net zero’ by 2050.

Businesses and other organisations are changing the way they work to lower emissions and reduce waste. Consumers are also being encouraged to modify their behaviour and change their lifestyles.

In short, every country, every organisation and every person is being given the responsibility for helping to save the planet.

Working together

Local authorities – our customers – have set targets too, including decarbonising fleets and producing zero-emissions. Private operators have similar goals. To achieve this, they all need to fully understand the sustainability of the products and services they purchase.

So, we must ensure the sustainability of our activities is completely clear to our customers. And we need our suppliers to provide the same transparency for us.

To help achieve this, we’ve prepared our first annual Sustainability Report. This initial report sets a benchmark against which our progress can be assessed. It will highlight aspects of our business which we need to improve, alongside others where we can learn from success.

But there is more to sustainability than

our environmental impact. The report focuses on three areas: Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG). Businesses and other organisations around the world are being urged to follow a similar framework.

• The Environmental aspect encompasses our impact on the planet, from climate change to water management.

• The Social element considers our impact on each other and how we can improve the well-being of individuals and communities. It includes issues ranging from promoting race and gender diversity to increasing customer satisfaction and employee engagement.

• Governance impacts upon almost every aspect of our work, from what is morally right and fair to what is safe and legal. Issues it raises are as diverse as board composition, data security, management structure, pay scales and anti-corruption practices.

Using the report

This first report, based on 2020 and 2021’s operations, is focused on our activities in the UK. Many of our staff here have been involved in gathering figures and setting up reporting systems. Our operations in North America are not included. They are expanding all the time and new

It’s a word many of us are going to be hearing and using a lot more but ‘sustainability’ is not a fad or business jargon. It is here to stay and it will impact on us all, especially in our work.

activities are being established so data generated would not yet provide a meaningful benchmark.

Our UK data is also focused on ‘Scope 1’ and ‘Scope 2’ emissions in this first report. These are emissions from sources we control, such as fuel in our fleet of vehicles and emissions from the generation of the electricity we use in factories and offices.

‘Scope 3’ emissions will be considered for the next annual report. These are not directly produced by Dennis Eagle but by those working both up

and down the supply chain, from the extraction of iron ore to make the steel for our products to the use of them by our customers and their endof-life disposal.

It is a massive task but an important one. Our staff will use the report to drive improvement in all areas of our activities. And our customers will use it to make informed decisions about the suitability of our products and services.

Going forwards, appropriate parts of this report will be included in our tenders and the report itself will be

published in full for our stakeholders to see.

Consequently, the report is crucial in helping us to reach both our sustainability and commercial goals.

Scan this QR code to read the first Dennis Eagle annual Sustainability Report.

Terberg Electric

Bin Lifts

The First Steps to a Sustainable Future

One of Terberg’s major success stories since 2011 has been the development of the electric powered bin lift range. This market-leading bin lift continues to deliver the exceptional user experience synonymous with all Terberg products, along with the benefits of lower operating costs and a reduced impact to the environment.

The electric powered bin lift now accounts for more than one third of Terberg bin lift sales in the UK. This figure continues to increase as customers become aware of the benefits to both their carbon footprint and operating costs.

In addition, the Terberg electric bin lift is almost silent during its operation.

Recent field trials conducted over four-weeks provided accurate fuel usage and carbon reduction data with impressive results.

Reduced fuel consumption

During the trial both the OmniDEL Hydraulic and the OmniDEL Electric lifts were used on the same vehicle and on the same collection route. In each two-week period, the vehicle travelled around 2,700 miles, emptied more than 12,500 bins and collected 275 tonnes of waste.

The trial vehicle was monitored remotely using Terberg Connected Remote Services solution with all recorded data checked by cross referencing with the end user’s own internal data records and verified by them.

The results of the trial showed a notable 9.7% reduction in the vehicle’s fuel consumption. This reduction alone would equate to an annual carbon saving of 3,500kg CO2e per vehicle which again, is an exciting and impressive result.

Terberg Matec UK’s General Sales Manager Kevin Forbes said: “We are all acutely aware of

the environmental responsibilities and goals of both Terberg and our customers.

“Our aim is to achieve this via innovative development and practises and our electric bin lift makes an immediate and significant step towards long-term environmental aspirations as well as reducing costs.”

Safety is paramount

The design of the electric bin lift range mirrors that of Terberg’s market-leading hydraulic bin lifts. All mechanical and operator control components are identical on both ranges.

This commonality ensures operator familiarity and flexibility and training is the same for the electric and hydraulic models.

As with all Terberg products, comfort and safety is of paramount importance. The electric lifts operate with no need for the engine to be revved, making a quieter environment around the vehicle.

As a result of the significant operating noise reduction, the electric lifts also cause less disturbance for the general public and are better suited for operations in areas that are noise-sensitive, such as schools, care homes and hospitals. The same advantages also apply to time sensitive collections from domestic properties in the early mornings or evenings.

Kevin added: “Safety, efficiency, reliability and Terberg’s excellent performance reputation have made our hydraulic and electric lift ranges market leaders.

“That coupled with the need to deliver our environmental commitments, confirm that the Terberg electric powered bin lift range is a proven, no risk, affordable solution for customers on their journey to a more sustainable future.”

In with the new

Plant Manager Steve Spence explains how they take changes in their stride on the Blackpool production line

There is a widely held belief that people don’t like change. But at Dennis Eagle, it happens all the time … changes in the way we work, new processes, product development. Yet even in this constantly evolving environment, many staff have remained with us for a long time. Is it somehow in our DNA that we –the people who work here – actually embrace change?

Take Steve Spence, our Plant Manager at Blackpool where all our cabs are made. He’s been in the truck business for 35 years – 17 years with Dennis Eagle having joined from Leyland Motors and – as he’ll tell you – he’s still learning.

“We’re producing 28 or more cabs a week now, up from 24 a couple of years’ ago and we’ve achieved that by finding efficiencies. The head count is up too but there are always changes to be found that help us do things more efficiently.

“These are not just aimed at improving productivity but other things too, such as emissions, energy consumption, time, the health and wellbeing of staff, their diversity and skill sets.

“In manufacturing and engineering, you get used to constant changes and we adapt quite easily. We’re constantly considering all our products, never standing still. Like our production line, we keep moving.

“The cabs themselves are always

evolving and now that we’re expanding rapidly in the North American market, demand will only increase for the ProView cab which has its own set of production challenges.”

The US market is completely different from the UK and other markets Dennis Eagle operates in. The biggest difference Steve and his team had to adapt to was the 12 volt system but the ProView also has a unique interior, different comforts and both dual and single steer options. And there are core principles that this new truck shares with other Dennis Eagle models. It provides low-entry

came in three phases, starting with prototypes, them bespoke builds while we learned how to put it together, then incorporating it into the production line.

“Fortunately, it’s a very versatile line. We have six different ProView cabs and some take longer than others to build.”

Equally challenging was the development of the Elite+ which has become hugely popular with our UK customers since its launch last year. Blackpool now turns out more Elite+ cabs than any other product.

to a walk-through floor, it’s very comfortable – “almost car-like,” says Steve – and there’s plenty of room for the crew.

“The switches are right beside you, air-con, electric windows, comfy seats, local handbrake … everything in easy reach,” says Steve. “Our work with the ProView cab

“We started building the Elite+ in earnest early in 2022 but the development took place over the couple of years prior to that,” added Steve.

“It was a big change from the Elite but the team welcomes changes. Anything new is always interesting – but mostly we were just really proud of it.”

Now we're expanding rapidly in the North American market, demand will only increase for what is a very different cab.

Making inroads in Australia

The trucks – 144 in total – are all Elite 6 6x4 wide chassis with air suspension. One hundred of them have dual controls, the other 44 have right-hand steering. And for Penske, the orders are both a vote of confidence in the vehicles and a slight change in strategy to meet developments in the marketplace.

Penske Australia’s Head of Fleet Shannon Mair explained: “We are aiming to double our revenue and the volume we sell by 2025.

“Right now, there are a couple of big contracts coming up. There’s also the usual steady flow of smaller batch orders and some of our efforts to retain as well as conquest certain corporates and municipalities have also paid off.

“But one significant factor that has changed is what leads customers to place orders.

“We used to say ‘cash is king’ but since Covid, being able to fulfil an

order has a taken on a really important weighting. When customers assess our quote, it is vital to meet contract startup time-frames, especially where one of our corporate clients is replacing an incumbent contractor.

“So we really need to be ahead of the game with a steady pipeline and vehicles on the ground, ready to go.”

Penske has been working with Dennis Eagle since 2009 – initially under the guise of its previous owner Transpacific

Our factories have received additional major orders from Australia in recent months, reflecting both the market’s growing appreciation of Dennis Eagle and the ambitions of Penske Australia, the importer partnering us Down Under.

Industries. The first Dennis Eagle trucks were sold in 2011, since then sales have steadily grown and the brand has become well known in the waste management industry.

And Shannon is confident that Penske won’t have any difficulty selling the Elite 6 trucks: “The waste and refuse landscape is changing slowly and we are seeing increased demand for improved ‘Direct Vision’.

“The Elite 6 provides that, with full panoramic and unincumbered vision from both RHS and LHS positions in our Dual Control variants. Of course, this is reinforced by the 5-star Direct Vision Standard rating from Transport for London.

“In the domestic refuse industry, we always see a demand for safer and

more environmentally friendly vehicles. And while Euro 6 only becomes mandatory in Australia in November 2024, Penske Australia and Dennis Eagle elected to be early adopters of the Cummins B6.7 Euro 6 engine technology.

“When we made the transition to Elite 6, it also added a raft of safety features to the vehicles that have been welcomed by our clients. The lowentry design allows for easy ingress and egress with one-step entry and exit to the nearside kerb and not to the traffic side. And the Advanced Driver Assist Systems, including emergency braking and electronic stability control, were welcomed features over here.

“There is also the low total cost of ownership. Oil draining used to be every 500 hours. Now, with the Euro 6 engine, it’s twice as long for engine service intervals, halving these costs. That, coupled with excellent fuel efficiency from the Cummins B6.7 engine and its environmental credentials, make it a winner.”

Of course, the selling of the trucks is just one part of the jigsaw puzzle. Supporting the operators is vital and Penske Australia is very well placed to do that.

“We have 14 locations across Australia and New Zealand and an even larger network of independent dealers in addition to that,” added Shannon.

“There are 66 in all, and between them they cover sales, parts, service and breakdown and we can provide inhouse contact maintenance too.

“And there’s one other important aspect that goes down well with customers: that is the clear commitment from Dennis Eagle to continuously invest in improvements to the product, including driver comfort, safety and efficiency. Everyone appreciates that.”

The transition to Elite 6 added a raft of safety features that have been welcomed by our clients.

Shannon Mair, Head of Fleet

Making food waste work

Warwick and Stratford district councils are early adopters for new weekly collections

As operators across England gear up to new regimes governing food waste, Warwick and Stratford district councils were among the first in the UK to introduce weekly collections.

Their shared 123+ Collections service, operated by Biffa, was launched on August 1st 2022 and a crucial part of the service focuses on food waste.

The system has bedded in successfully, providing both authorities with a reduced carbon footprint and significant savings. And while the full service involves 51 vehicles, including 33 Dennis Eagle RCVs, it is the 18 Terberg ORUS trucks that deal with food waste.

Between them, they visit 126,000 residential properties every week where the service has the capacity to collect 10,000 tonnes of food waste each year. The waste is sent to Severn Trent Green Power’s Coleshill anaerobic digestion facility on the outskirts of Birmingham.

Circular economy

The anaerobic digestor breaks the waste down to produce biogas which is either converted into electricity or simply sold as biogas. Of course, using biogas as an energy source does create CO2 but it avoids releasing carbon that’s locked up in coal, oil and fossil gas.

The Coleshill facility can treat up to 50,000 tonnes of household and commercial food waste each year, which is enough to generate 2.4 megawatts of electricity. And it uses

waste that would have been buried in landfill at great cost and lost from the circular economy. It also produces fertiliser as a valuable biproduct, which is needed to combat another manmade problem: the decline of soil fertility.

But it is the environmental impact of the whole process that is most significant to many people. Left to decay naturally, 1kg of food waste typically produces 2.5kg of CO2 emissions.

More potent

By that measure, the 6.6 million tonnes of food wasted by UK households would break down to produce around 16.5 million tonnes of CO2 emissions. But the breakdown of food waste is more complex than that and the results are even worse for climate change. In the absence of oxygen, food waste that goes into landfill risks breaking down to produce methane (CH4), which is 25 times more potent as a greenhouse gas than CO2

Simply stopping food waste going into landfill can be a major step forward in our battle against climate change. But to put food waste to good use producing energy is even better.

The key to the success of the operation lies in efficient collection and the types of vehicles used are at the heart of this. Warwick and Stratford chose ORUS 7HDs which are designed with nimble, efficient food waste collections in mind.

The leak-proof body is essential but by having a very quick and efficient

cleaning system, it provides operators with the flexibility to easily switch to other waste streams.

The rear-mounted bin lift can accommodate any EN-conforming two-wheeled or four-wheeled containers ranging from 120 to 1280 litres and up to 500kg. Bin lift controls are located on both the near-side and off-side of the vehicle for convenience and safety.

The vehicle also has an innovative rear pannier system which allows quick and efficient hand-loading as well as the use of a slave bin which can load without delay.

Together, this system ensures the fastest loading times can always be achieved which ever containers are being emptied, from the smallest of hand-loaded food caddies to the largest four-wheeled bins.

The robust body is made of steel yet has an impressive payload and can be mounted on a wide range of chassis. It is available in sizes from 7 to 14 cubic metres, making it suitable for chassis from 7.5t to 16t GVW. Warwick and Stratford chose the Isuzu 11-tonne chassis.

Reliability and efficiency

The vehicle also features a packing system which pulls food waste loaded at the rear towards the cab to maximise the load. But the same system also provides compaction for dry waste streams with a ratio of 3:1. And the smooth-sided body tips from a steep angle which ensures it is quickly and efficiently emptied.

Warwick and Stratford vehicles tip their loads at waste transfer stations into 20 cubic yard containers which are taken to the anaerobic digestor by the operator Biffa for Warwickshire County Council.

Warwick District Council’s Portfolio Holder for Neighbourhood and Leisure Councillor, Moira-Ann Grainger, said: “In order to improve our recycling rates and reduce the amount of waste going to landfill, we set a high bar for

our 123+ service in terms of reliability and efficiency. It was important for us to select vehicles that could fulfil our objectives, particularly as we are covering a much wider area and number of households than we were previously.

“We are, therefore, delighted to have contracted local Warwick based company Dennis Eagle.”

Terberg Matec UK’s Managing Director

Will Marzano said: “The joint operation between Biffa, Warwick and Stratford is a great example of how the negative impact of food waste can be turned around into a positive result.

“Operational efficiency, however, is essential. We have not only provided the vehicles but have the experience, the resources and tried-and-tested support systems in place to ensure that operations like Warwick and Stratford’s work smoothly.”

Working smarter

New efficiencies help Leeds Service Centre thrive as demand grows

A new Regional Service Manager, Gareth Allen, took over at Leeds last year – and just in time because the centre is currently busier than ever.

As well as routine servicing and specific repair and maintenance contracts, the team at Leeds has been busy ‘backfilling’ – helping other local authorities get vehicles through MOTs.

They’ve also been repowering diesel RCVs to convert them to electric RCVs – including two for Tower Hamlets –and refurbishing older vehicles to give them a new lease of life under the Aftermarket’s Dennis Approved Used scheme.

And, according to Gareth, the secret of their success is simple: “Work smarter, not harder.”

Gareth, who hails from Yorkshire, joined in March 2022 and has made a few changes to the operation to simplify things.

“We’ve got an exceptionally good team here and they do work hard –they deserve all the credit for how well we’re performing. All I’ve done is try to make their work easier for them, freeing them up to get on with it.

“We’ve got so much going on here that we need to work very efficiently, it’s essential. And as a fresh pair of eyes coming in, I’ve been able to spot a few things we could simplify and change for the better.

“Of course, everyone’s keen on those kinds of changes. They all take pride in their work, they like to do every

job really well – no matter how big or how small – and so making it easier for them is always appreciated.”

Gareth’s workshop team consists of six workshop engineers and an apprentice. Eight Field Service Engineers work from the centre along with two Contract Engineers based at Hambleton District Council. And although they are running at close to full capacity, plans are afoot to expand the scope of operations.

“There is still room to improve,” added Gareth.

“We’ve identified what we want to do and these will save significant time which will allow us to turn certain jobs around even quicker and take on more work. It’ll be good news all round.”

Gareth Allen, a fresh pair of eyes.

R&M extension won for Hillingdon

A new two-year contract extension has been won by the Aftermarket team looking after the London Borough of Hillingdon’s entire vehicle fleet.

The fleet of 240 vehicles is the largest Repair and Maintenance contract the Aftermarket team runs and a further 40 vehicles are maintained on an ad hoc basis. They range from vans and sweepers to minibuses and coaches. All the RCVs are Dennis Eagle vehicles.

A five-year contract was originally awarded to Dennis Eagle

in 2018 and involves six contract engineers on site, a contract manager and two administrators. Further contract support is provided by the central contracts team in Aldridge. The two-year extension takes the contract until May 2025.

Aftermarket General Manager (South) Robin Turner said: “We’re delighted to have won this extension. We work very closely indeed with Hillingdon – it’s really a partnership –and we get excellent support from our central team too. Altogether, it’s a combination that simply works.”

New Contracts Manager

Andy Clisham has been appointed as the new Contracts Manager covering seven Repair and Maintenance contracts in the south of the UK.

Andy, 41, oversees and supports the operations in Portsmouth, Reading, Hertsmere, Slough, Kensington, Hillingdon and Bridgend.

He has extensive experience in the industry. He joined Dennis Eagle in 2008 as a Field Service Engineer, working out of Manchester for customers across the north-west of England.

He also has experience assisting on the Technical Desk and in training, including helping set up the Aftermarket operations for Dennis Eagle Inc in North America.

Away from work, Andy is married with three children. He enjoys a wide range of physical activities which include martial arts, football, and general keep fit.

Andy said: “I’m delighted to get this role – it really is a dream job.

“The seven sites have great teams working on them. I’m in contact with each of them every day. My job is really to support them which means it’s a leadership role but it helps that I understand the trucks so well, thanks to my background and I can be hands-on when necessary.”

Bringing experience to his new role, Andy Clisham

New manager develops

Nigel, who has forged a career in the waste and recycling industry in the UK, was previously a Contract Manager with Dennis Eagle’s Aftermarket team in the UK. There, he looked after repair and maintenance customers across southern England and Wales.

He took up his new post in October quickly and had to adapt to a different way of working.

“The first things that strike you when you make a move like this are what’s new – and it is a very different culture in the US.

“The scale of everything is vast. Customers work in different time zones and are usually far apart, so you can’t just call in when you’re passing by. Dress code is casual – even shorts in the summer, when it can get very hot in Summerville. That’s quite a change after wearing suits for work.

“But the core challenge remains the same: providing the very best customer service in the industry.

“A lot of the skills needed here are immediately transferable from the UK and there are aspects of the work I do in the UK that we can introduce over here.

“We have appointed two new Service Technicians who are working out of our Summerville headquarters. They’re supporting our dealers both at their own sites and remotely from our base.

“We’re also developing our Electronic Parts Catalogue (EPC) which will make it quicker and easier for dealers to order parts.

“The ProView is a very advanced vehicle in the North

Nigel Garlick has been appointed as Dennis Eagle Inc’s

Nigel Garlic (main picture) is developing the Aftermarket service of Dennis Eagle Inc with training for dealers (pictured) playing a crucial role.

Manager

US services new Aftermarket

Going to New Orleans for WasteExpo

Two ProViews will be put under the spotlight at WasteExpo, the continent’s leading waste and recycling event, in New Orleans from May 2-4.

The first has an REL Air Flo body on a left-hand-drive chassis and the other an ASL (side loader) NewWay body.

Dennis Eagle Inc President Geoff Rigg said: “The ProView is still relatively new to the market so this is a great opportunity to show it off. And we can tell customers and dealers about other developments of our business that are rapidly gathering pace.”

American market and it’s attracting a lot of attention but we need to make sure the support we provide matches that, and that’s where my role is focused.

“I’m getting to know our dealers and the different ways they work. I’m putting systems in place to make it easier for them, developing stores, warranty admin and more technical support.

“Training for our dealers is crucial – things like computer diagnostics over here are at a different stage of development.

“But the people I work with and the customers I meet are very friendly, welcoming and receptive to our plans. They’re excited about what we have to offer and I’m relishing the challenge.”

New orders from Calgary and Rush

ProView sales continue to grow. Calgary, in Alberta, has ordered 24 more trucks via our dealer Glover International Trucks after ordering 32 last year.

Rush Truck Centers, the largest dealership in the US, has ordered 34 ProViews – 10 for Bridgeport, Connecticut, 12 for bodybuilder EZPack and 12 for other bodybuilders.

And our dealer Hardline Equipment has 32 vehicles going into Denver over the next six months.