In the pipeline

The fastest emergency hose replacement service there is

Quarter 3 2010

Stalkingour

Quarry

Keen to be Green

Cont

ents

Published by Pirtek (UK) Limited35 Acton Park Estate, The Vale, Acton, London W3 7QETel 020 8749 8444 Fax 020 8749 8333 E-mail info@pirtek.co.uk

During the past few months, therehave been two major news storieshogging the headlines: the UKGeneral Election; and thecataclysmic oil spill in the Gulf ofMexico.Although at first glance these twostories appear to have very little incommon, they do share onecommon theme. The two partiesthat make up the UK’s coalitiongovernment both placed theenvironment at the very heart oftheir individual manifestos; whilethousands of miles away, theongoing (at the time of writing) oilspill is rapidly becoming one of theworst environmental disasters inrecent memory.Despite the fact that we areostensibly in or at least allied tothe oil business, Pirtek has nailedits credentials firmly to theenvironmental mast. The companyis currently working towardsISO14001 accreditation, a formalrecognition of environmental bestpractice that will complement ourISO9001 and OHSAS 18001certification.The company also offers a fullrange of environmentally-friendlybiodegradable oils and lubricantsto help protect rivers and watercourses from contamination in theevent of a fuel or oil leak.

Question Time 3New Kid on the Block 4Sittingbourne Opening

First Things First 5Local and National Service

Pink Floyd on New Tracks 6Getting Hitched 7Old train, New Life 8Larger than Life

One Step Beyond 9King of the Hill

All the Fun of the Fair 10Grid GirlsFeedback

Spice of Life 11Competition

BTCC Mid Season 12

In addition, Pirtek’s network of90+ dedicated Hose Centresacross the UK and Ireland canalso provide its customers withan oil collection service thatensures that even waste oils andlubricants are handled in a safeand green manner.And of course we offer a fullrange of oil spill containment andcleaning products includingeverything from drip pans andtrays, pads, cushions,containment kits, absorbentsocks and rolls, wood, clay andpaper granules and acomprehensive line-up of de-greasers, wipes and hard surfacecleaners. Not enough to dealwith the heartbreaking level ofdestruction wrought by the oilspill in the Gulf of Mexico,perhaps, but certainly enough tohelp deal with the day-to-day oilspills in your business.

Best regards

Kelvin RobertsChairman, Pirtek Europe

Pirtek Training Academy is delighted to announce that it is now an authorised provider of the Quarry PassportTraining CourseThe Passport Scheme has been written by and for the industry, and the training course is the product of a uniquecollaboration between EPIC - the national training organisation for the extractive and mineral processing industries- and the Safety Pass Alliance The quarry products, mineral processing and extractive industries training focuses on health and safety management of quarries, lifting operations,excavations and confined space and working at height. All contractors operating within the quarrying industry are now expected to hold a safety passport.Dates of upcoming courses will be published soon and will be available from Pirtek’ National Training, Health and Safety Manager, Martyn Smart(martyn.smart@pirtek.co.uk). In addition to this commitment to the extractive industries, the Pirtek training academy will be announcing further passportschemes in the near future for industry sectors including petrol retail, and food and drink and manufacturing.

A Passport to Safety

In the pipeline 3

Quarter 3 2010

To this end, the company has createda simple yet effective CustomerQuestionnaire that serves twodistinct purposes.“Firstly, it allows Pirtek to gauge thecore values that our customers bothexpect and demand from their chosenFluid Transfer Solutions provider,”says business development directorAlistair Wiggins. “Secondly, andequally importantly, it requirescustomers to draw a directcomparison between the serviceoffered by Pirtek and the lesserofferings from its local and nationalrivals.” Covering some 18 key areas, the formhighlights all of the keydifferentiators that are synonymouswith the Pirtek name – nationalcoverage, ETA one hour servicepromise – but also throws a spotlighton some of our less well-known andunique attributes:• Training• ISO 9001, OHSAS18001 andInvestor in People accreditations• Personal and product liabilityinsurance cover• Sector approval for specialistindustries• No use of sub-contracted labourThe questionnaire was successfullytrialled by Pirtek Reading and hassince been rolled out across thenational network of dedicated HoseCentres, all with excellent andpositive results.

Question TimeFor some companies, nationalcoverage and outright marketleadership would be enough. ButPirtek isn’t some companies. Infact, despite having lead the UKemergency on-site hosereplacement sector almost sinceits inception more than 20 yearsago, Pirtek continues tobenchmark itself against both thecompetition and against theperceptions and demands of itscustomer base.

Customer Questionnaire

Call 0800 38 24 38 · www.pirtek.co.uk

Pirtek Current Supplier

WHICH OF THE ABOVE WOULD GIVE YOU PEACE OF MIND?

HOW GOOD IS YOUR CURRENT HYDRAULIC HOSE SUPPLIER?

Two week residential Induction Training Programme for all engineers

Health and Safety Training team (NEBOSH qualified)

Engineers trained on Risk Assessment

City and Guilds accredited 2340-53

Centres working towards SAFE contractor approval

ISO 9001 Approved Company

OSHSAS 18001 Approved Company

Company working towards ISO!14001

National Coverage

ETA!1 hour

Personal and Product Insurance Liability to £5m

Sector approval for various industries

Investor in People accredited

Link–up registered supplier

M.O.D Approval

Registered with Environment Agency

BFA (British Franchise Association) member

NO SUB CONTRACTORS USED

www.pirtek-europe.com

Having previously acquired Rugby Cement in 2000, the purchase of RMC in 2005 gave CEMEX afurther foothold in Europe and made them one of the biggest building material companies in theworld. After the purchase, CEMEX earmarked the Northfleet site in Kent for a £2.5m development andinvestment programme. As a result of that investment, the site’s 40 staff today produce astaggering 600,000 tonnes of finished products a year in a highly efficient aggregate processing,ready-mix, paving and bagging operation on the relatively small 2.0 hectare site.Adam Johnson, Deputy Wharf Manager explained how the site has been transformed, "CEMEXdemonstrated its long-term commitment with a major investment in the new plant and it has totallytransformed production. We can produce in 10 hours, what it took 16 hours to make before, and ourenergy consumption has been halved.” Johnson reports that CEMEX even lowered the height of the new plant to make less of an environmental impact on the skyline. Around 6,000 tonnes of sea-dredged aggregates from the Kent and Sussex coast are brought in three times a week by ship. These materials is loaded into a static Pegson Autocone crusher before passingthrough a static Powerscreen screener in a three-way split for a 20 and 10 mm gravel products and sand. The finished products are rehandled by two Volvo L180 and one L150 loading shovels. However, the site’s equipment all has to work at maximum efficiency to ensure that the new highstandards of product quality and output are maintained, a problem CEMEX has solved byincorporating Pirtek Medway into its maintenance programme."As efficient as the new plant is, there is bound to be wear and tear and the occasional hose orcomponent failure. I just have to phone Pirtek Medway and they are on site, usually well before the 1hour ETA promise, and mostly within 40 minutes,” Adam Johnson concludes. “Their MSST will arrivearmed with all our standard components. Pirtek Medway is well-organised, efficient, and well-versedin all aspects of health and safety, a key consideration for CEMEX. They give us simple solutions toour problems.”

New Kid on the Block

As the Thames Gateway Initiative has gained momentum in recent years, its effect has been veryapparent to Rochester-based Pirtek Medway. "Many of the traditional industries may have disappearedfrom North Kent but there are an astonishing number of new companies moving into the Gateway area,which extends into the neighbouring borough of Swale,” says Pirtek Medway Licensee Tracey Newman.“The new Eurolink development at Sittingbourne has meant that we have a much wider spectrum ofcustomers over a considerably wider catchment area.” To cater for these extra customers, the team behind Pirtek Medway opened a new dedicated Hose Centreat Sittingbourne on April 29th. “The new Centre has been totally driven by local customer demand,”Newman continues. “We aim to provide not just a better and more convenient mobile hose service but atrade counter that will be second to none." Jason Colville, Medway Centre’s assistant customer relationsmanager, who will be based at Sittingbourne, echoed these sentiments. "The trade counter has involved alot of research with local companies, to make sure we can provide exactly what they need. With a diverseclient base that includes cement mills, paper manufacturers, docks and pharmaceutical plants, we willneed to stock just about every one of the 18,000 line items on offer from Pirtek to ensure that we canmeet our customers’ specific needs.” Centre manager Darren Blake who will be heading up theSittingbourne team, confirmed that a lot of research had gone into the location of the site. "Basing thenew Centre in Sittingbourne means that we can provide a trade counter and mobile repair service right inthe heart of Swale, but we now have a much easier access to the Isle of Sheppey, which makes responsetimes to the docks and all the associated industries much shorter." Pirtek Racing-sponsored driverAndrew Jordan and his Vauxhall Vectra took a day off from British Touring Car Championship andappeared at the opening , much to the delight of the guests and visitors, before they made their way toBrands Hatch for the weekend's racing. Contact details: 01634 297 080, Unit A2 Smeed Dean Centre, Castle Road, Sittingbourne, Kent ME103EW.

Pirtek Sittingbourne

CEMEX’s Adam Johnson (right) andMedway MSST!David Bennett

Jason Colville (left) and Centre Manager Darren Blake

Quarter 3 2010

5In the pipeline

At first glance, running a modern busfleet depot seems akin to one vastlogistical juggling act. The WestbournePark depot of First Bus is no exception.With 200+ Wright-bodied Volvo B7 and10s, a fleet of heritage RM and RMLPark Royal-bodied Routemasters, 27engineers and hundreds of drivers toorganise, it seems like an instant recipefor ulcers.However, First Bus is blessed withworkshop manager Tony McNair tokeep things running smoothly. But hisjob is not without its challenges. Withonly six pits and two lifting bays,keeping up with regular maintenanceand safety checks means themaintenance staff already work extrashifts, and actually work 24/7 and evenat weekends. This is a remarkable feat,particularly as the depot rebuilds itsown engines and is in the midst of anongoing filter programme todramatically reduce smoke emissionsfrom the Volvo engines. “We can only have a 10 percent of thefleet out of service at any one timethrough scheduled work. Anyunscheduled downtime couldpotentially be a disaster and undo all ourhard work and careful organisation.Although the maintenance crew worksflat-out and the fact that we carry ahuge array of parts and stock, we stillget caught out occasionally,” McNairsays. “That’s where Pirtek Park Royalfits into our plans. They are alwaysprepared to help and dig us out of anyhole we find ourselves in. I can almostguarantee if a hydraulic part fails, it willbe some oddball fitting we don’tnormally hold in stock. But Pirtek will,

and their response will be close toinstant. It’s like having InternationalRescue on permanent call!”First Bus is the UK's largest busoperator with over 8,500 vehicles,carrying three million passengers everyday. They are part of the FirstGroup plcwhich, in turn, is one of the world'sbiggest transport groups with 130,000staff in Europe and North Americaresponsible for a staggering 2.5 billionpassengers a year. In the last threeyears, First Bus has invested over £325million in new buses including low-floorbuses that offer easier access forpushchairs, wheelchairs and the elderly.It is one of the youngest fleets in thecountry with an average age of 8 years.The entire fleet has been converted torun on ultra low sulphur diesel fuel toreduce emission levels and improve theenvironment. The company has alsosignalled its intent to convert the entireUK Bus fleet to five percent biodieselwhere supply is available, while closelyfollowing the development of hybridtechnology.Such developments place additionaldemands upon Pirtek Park Royal. But,according to Tony McNair, they areequal to the task. “They supplyhydraulic hoses, power steering hoses,fan hoses and transmission hoses andhigh temperature Teflon compressedair hoses for the air brakes and airsuspension for the fleet, as well as airhoses for the plant. But it isn't enoughto just provide parts,” McNair concludes.“Pirtek Park Royal have engineers wecan trust, and that is vitally importantbecause of the safety implicationsinvolved."

First Things First

When emergency and non-stock hoses and assemblies arerequired by construction equipment giant Komatsu’s UKheadquarters, they have devised a novel and high-speedsolution. "It's very convenient," says Tom Dobson, actingservice supervisor with a smile. "Pirtek Redditch is justnext door and our engineers have been known to phonethem up and then walk to the boundary fence while theparts are passed through."While Komatsu’s customers up and down the country donot benefit from quite the same level of convenience,Pirtek Redditch remains Komatsu’s phone call of choicefor on-site emergency hose repairs. Komatsu is one ofPirtek’s many national accounts which means that a singlephone call gives the company instant access to the fullPirtek national network of 90+ dedicated Hose Centres."Nothing can beat passing hoses through a fence. Butwhere Pirtek Redditch really comes into its own is applyingthe ‘Anytime. Anywhere. ETA One hour’ Pirtek servicepromise right across the country,” Dobson continues.“They respond to our customer service calls every bit asquickly as we do. In fact, in many instances, there is aPirtek MSST on the customer’s site in 40 minutes or evenless. Their response is very, very good." Tom Dobson has worked with Komatsu for 13 years andremembers Pirtek Redditch Licensee Andy Connell whenhe was an MSST himself. "We had good service fromAndy then, and we still get it now. Pirtek have held theaccount through sheer dedication and commitment,” heconcludes. “They know our needs, our stock range and ourcurrent MSST, Mark Sayers, is as good as gold. It’s apleasure to work with an engineer who is capable ofthinking outside of the box and who sharesour dedication to customerservice."

Local andNationalSupport

Tony McNair (l) and Park RoyalMSST!Coryn Brown with one ofthe Heritage fleet Routmasters

Morton Connell (l)sales managerfor PirtekRedditch withKomatsu’s TomDobson

At first glance, there seems to belittle connection between a 70sprogressive rock band and theBulgarian railway. But PirtekRedditch has customers with justsuch an unlikely association.Some years ago, the BulgarianRailway Company (BRC) exploredthe possibility of acquiring surpluselectric trains in the UK andoperating them in Europe. One ofthe models earmarked for possibleuse was the West Coast class 87sthat had been recently retiredfrom UK service. Using the rollingstock intermediary Romic, theremaining 87s were purchased andstored at Long Marston airfield atStratford by Electric Traction. Butmore of them later.BRC originally intended shippingthe locos to Bulgaria forconversion but decided to see ifthey could be converted in the UK.They approached Glenn Edwards,managing director of ElectricTraction which is based on the site,to tackle the refurbishment. ForEdwards, a long-standing loco fanand AC Locomotive Grouppreservations company member,this was an opportunity to mixbusiness with pleasure. Settingaside the sentimentality,refurbishment also made soundfinancial sense. A new train wouldcost BRC £3.2 million; arefurbished one £250,000. Andthe scrap value of thesediscontinued trains was just£18,000. But refurbishment was not without

its challenges. "These are trainsthat were built in the 60s and theyseem to have just about every oddconnector conceivable somewherein the body. One of the reallytroublesome parts was the carbondioxide extinguishers fitted to theroof, they had some really weirdBSP fittings,” Edwards recalls.“But Pirtek Redditch came to ourrescue. In fact, it got to the pointwhere I would call up Pirtek andsimply say 'find me one of these'hand over the part, and hope.Without fail they have managed toeither locate or make every partwe needed. They came up trumpsevery time.” The refitting involved considerableelectrical and mechanical work toreturn them to operational service.This work has involved Pirtek atevery stage as they replaced everyhose on the hydraulics, braking andfire systems, countless seals,rubbers and battery fixtures and infinding connectors, some so oldthey had Whitworth threads. The 18 month programme has seenthe locos stripped back to baremetal, new floors and cabsinstalled and finally repainted inthe national carrier's livery, whichprompted a slightly tongue incheek suggestion, as Edwardsrecalls. "We discovered that oneof the carriers was Floyd Rail. Weasked if it was anything to do withthe rock group, to which theanswer was no, but their managingdirector was a big fan. Wesuggested that we finish the next

batch of locos in black with a vividpink band around the train andchristen them the 'Pink Floydclass'. They loved the idea and thetrain was suitably finished in thenew eye-catching livery." “As a rail fan, it's nice to know wehave given these locos a new leaseof life." Edwards says. “Therefurbishment wouldn't have beenpossible without Pirtek. It wasvery satisfying working with themand I think they got as muchenjoyment out of producing an oddpart and seeing it work, as we did,”Refurbishing Bulgaria-bound trainsin Stratford is one thing.Delivering them to their finaldestination is quite another. Enteranother Pirtek customer, heavyhaulage specialist, Allelys, whichuses a six-axle, 130 tonne, 25metre Goldhoffer trailer pulled bya DAF 8x4 tractor unit to move thePink Floyd. Both units havehydraulic lifting and suspensionunits for easy loading. TransportManager Robert Ford explained hisconnection with Pirtek, "We run anational account through PirtekRedditch because they give thecompany such good cover in theUK and Europe. We get a goodpricing structure from them andtheir response time is excellent,always within the 1 hour ETA,”Ford asserts. “They are thehydraulic specialists and we haveentrusted them with our hydraulicrepairs for years."Which brings us back to LongMarston-based Motorail Logistic, a

Pink Floyd on New Tracks

Above, TheClass 87 goingthrough amajor faceliftbeforebecoming thePink Floyd.

Below, aselection ofrail hosesmade atRedditch andSwindon

(l) Morton Connell, sales manager atPirtek Redditch with Steve Dunmore of Motorail Logistics

Glenn Edwards of Electric Traction

www.pirtek-europe.com

In the pipeline 7

company that repair, refurbish andstore rolling stock for the UK railnetwork and which currently hasalmost 1,000 rail wagons “instock”. Pirtek Redditch works inconjunction with Pirtek’s centre ofexcellence for rail-relatedinstallations at Pirtek Swindon,replacing the brake and air hosesas well as the quick release

couplings. Together, they replacethe components on up to 150wagons every year. Pirtek Redditch collects the hoses,dispatch to Pirtek Swindon whichin turn repairs or replaces eachhose and delivers it back to PirtekRedditch within 24 hours. "Wehave been a Pirtek customer for 2years and I simply can't complainabout the service. They are very

Midlands-based demolition specialists theArmac Group has responded swiftly anddecisively to recent changes in theregulations governing the use of semi-automatic quick hitches to speed up thechangeover of buckets and attachments.And Pirtek Birmingham was there to lenda helping hand. Following several on-sitedeaths that were attributed to semi-automatic hitches causing excavatorbuckets and attachments to fallunexpectedly, a number of the UK’s majorconstruction companies took the decisionto ban the devices. Determined tobecome the UK's first fully-compliantdemolition company, Armac respondedimmediately, upgrading its 22-unitexcavator fleet that covers the 13 to 70tonne operating weight range, and runninga series of Quick Hitch Safety trainingworkshops. “This significant investmentdemonstrates our commitment to healthand safety and best practice,” says groupoperations director Adrian McLean. “Itrepresented a significant capital outlay,

Getting Hitched

Armac’s Richard Taylor and Birmingham MSST WayneWoods

but we felt that it was a worthwhileinvestment considering some of thehigh profile fatalities associated withsemi-automatic hitches.”McLean reports that Pirtek Birminghamplayed a key role in the fleet upgradingprogramme, MSST Wayne Woodsreplacing and standardising all the new2.5 metre Quickhitch hoses that nowincorporates a non-return value. Thishas simplified all the hoses throughoutthe Armac fleet, ensuring they can bereplaced quickly and efficiently in theevent of damage or failure. "We alwaysuse Pirtek. They are fast, efficient andon the ball. The health and safety issuesconcerning the new Quickhitchassemblies were dealt with very quicklyby Pirtek Birmingham,” concludesArmac site manager Richard Taylor.“The standardisation of the fittings andhoses has saved us a considerableamount of time and money as they canbe pre-manufactured and kept on sitefor future use."

reliable and their prices comparevery favourably with thecompetition,” concludes MotorailLogistics’ Managing Director SteveDunmore. “All of the units are pressuretested and we have never had afailure. We often need to putunits back into service at veryshort notice and Pirtek alwaysrises to the challenge."

Left, Floyd onroute toBulgariathanks toAllelys.

And some ofthe 1000wagonscurrently instorage

Quarter 3 2010

Old Train, New LifeWhen you have a 50 year oldlocomotive that has been left standingfor 10 years, it is little wonder thatcoaxing it back into life might present afew problems. Brett Pearce, MSST forPirtek Chesterfield, has been involvedin several such projects for HarryNeedle Railroad Company (HNRC) atthe company’s Barrow Hill depot nearStaveley in Derbyshire. The company started in 1990 by hiringshunters, but now fulfils a marketdemand by providing locomotives forcompanies where a purchase would beunviable. The locomotives are rescued,stripped down, the engines rebuilt orreplaced before the six-month longprocess of returning the loco to activeservice. The company owns 150+locomotives that are in various states ofoverhaul, the biggest privately ownedtrain fleet in the country. “The biggest challenge with overhaulson this scale, is finding appropriate parts

that meet today's health and safetyspecifications. Luckily we have Brettand Pirtek Chesterfield to fall back on,”says manager James Williams. “Theyhave been able to provide silicon andfire retardant hoses as well as water,coolant and oil hoses, to say nothing ofthe work they have done on the brakingand fire systems.”According to Williams, PirtekChesterfield has risen to everychallenge HNRC has thrown at them.“When we were overhauling a class 47,we discovered it had some weird

www.pirtek-europe.com

hydrostatic hoses that powered thecooling fans directly from the engine.These were specified at 2,000psi.Pirtek Chesterfield even managed tofind a solution on those. But it’s theirability to work alongside our hirecustomers that really sets them apart,”concludes James Williams. "We have 15locomotivess out on hire at the momentto the likes of Corus, Lafarge andNorthern Rail. Together with the Pirteknational network, Pirtek Chesterfield isable to look after our locomotives,regardless of their geographic location.”

(l) MSST BrettPearce andJames Williamsof HNRC

With the exception of its terriers, theysay that everything in Yorkshire is biggerthan the rest of the UK. And that iscertainly true of Tarmac's Swindenquarry near Grassington, Yorkshire. Located within the boundaries of theYorkshire Dales National Park, Swindenwas transformed in 2000/1 by a £15minvestment, which saw a totaltransformation of the site. The crushingplant and offices were moved from theentrance to within the confines of thequarry; the entrance roads were surfaced;new dust suppression measures wereimplemented; and the entire workinglayout of the quarry rethought. The endresult is a landscaped and screened sitethat is virtually invisible to the outsideworld. In 2008 the quarry was furthertransformed with the introduction of asingle CAT 5130B face shovel, a 220tonne Metso LT160 track-mountedmobile crusher, and one of the longestmineral conveyors in the country.Together, these replace the fleet of rigiddumptrucks previously charged with

Larger Than Lifehauling limestone from the quarry facethat extend to a depth of 40 metres.Obviously the adoption of such largeplant effectively means all forms ofextraction are in one basket, so it isvital that all the plant is operational, allthe time. "We are processing upwards of 80,000tonnes from the weekly blast. Everypiece of equipment is vital to theprocess and we can't afford to haveunscheduled downtime,” says sitemanager Brian Lockey. "To ensureeverything works smoothly we have anextensive preventative maintenanceprogramme and daily inspections,which soon highlight any prospectiveproblems. But we also look at how wecan make the equipment operate moreeffectively. That's where PirtekBradford fits into our plans soeffectively.”Lockey says that PirtekBradford has played a key role acrossthe entire Swinden equipment fleet.“They don't just come out for the usualhose and valve repairs. They

completely re-piped the Metso crusher'spedestal hammer and moved the controlvalves on the crusher body so they couldbe easily accessed,” he continues. “They have been out to the Atlas Copco

drill rig and replaced hydraulicreturn lines and they haverepaired the loading shovels andsupplied hoses for a smallswager.” Having experienced thebenefits of Pirtek’s service on acallout basis, Tarmac’s Swindenoperations has formalised thearrangement even further.“Pirtek Bradford’s MSST JasonCrabtree suggested that it wouldbe more cost effective to make-

up and store certain assemblies on site toavoid some of the callouts and helpreduce travelling time,” Brian Lockeyconcludes. “This has worked beautifullyand is just another instance of how Pirtekhave helped our working practises."

(l) MSST JasonCrabtree andsite managerBrian Lockey

9In the pipeline

Quarter 3 2010

One Step BeyondToton sidings at Sandiacre, just south ofNottingham might seem a slightlyincongruous setting for the key hub of amajor UK aggregates producer. But thenarrow 800 metre long site deals with1.5 million tonnes of granite railwayballast every year. Not only does thesite handle the 1,700 tonne capacitytrains delivering new ballast, but it hasto deal with 750,000 tonnes per annumof used ballast.The new ballast comes from the hugeLafarge Mountsorrell quarry inLeicester, the second largest in England,and is unloaded at Toton. From here itis reloaded onto smaller trains anddistributed as far afield as Doncaster,Birmingham and Melton Mowbray. Previously the used ballast simply wentto landfill, but this had provedenvironmentally unacceptable andprohibitively expensive. “We investedin a crushing, screening, and recyclingprogramme that has conserved massiveamounts of material,” says site managerDave Flower. “We’re currently

The East Leake CEMEX quarry south ofNottingham is perched on top of a hill,but in a fairy isolated location, making itideal for supplying local collectcustomers. The site provides 20 – 4 mmand 10 – 4 mm gravel products, twosand grades and two specialist mixedballast products through its Pegson 900cone crusher. The products areespecially popular for ready mix,blacktop and pipe bedding applications.The 16 hectare facility is already aparagon of environmental workingpractices, having achieved ISO 14001accreditation. CEMEX has installedcovered and rubber clad conveyors, andenclosed the plant to reduce noise.Dust suppression has been increased,and the site has even adopted differentworking hours to avoid surges in theNational Grid power supply, earning alower electricity tariff as result. Thesite now supplies on demand, ratherthan stockpiling, which has cutoverheads and vehicle movements, and

processing just over 95% of all theballast but it is our stated aim toincrease that to 100% within the nextfew years.”Flower admits that that mammothoperation is “lean and mean”, involvingthe minimum amount of men andmachines. “On customer demand wecan have our machines working 24/7,365 days a year. This means that if anyone of the excavators or wheel loadersgoes down unexpectedly, we need anemergency service, instantly,” he says.“For the past 14 years PirtekNottingham has provided that service.”Flower readily admits that he isextremely demanding, a fact thatspeaks volumes for the relationship hehas with Pirtek Nottingham. "I can'tafford to have bad contractors on site,and they soon get removed if they don'tcome up to standard. Pirtek not onlyprovides the right service, they have theright gear and the right attitude,” DaveFlower concludes. “Ian Rigley, ourMSST, is one of the old school. If it isn't

on the van, he'll make it from scratch.He’s a really good bloke who'll go thatone step beyond.”

has even installed low power pumps,lights and heaters to greatly reduce thecarbon footprint of the site.The company’s green credentials havelead to some strict methods of workingas assistant site manager Bill Newtonexplains. "Obviously the site is alreadygoverned by very stringent nationalmethods of working, mineral and waterextraction, lake water levels as well asthe restoration of the site,” he says.“But being located on the top of a hillplaces additional demands on usbecause anything that leaks into the soilup here will ultimately end up in thewater system at the foot of the hill. Sowe are ultra careful to avoid any spillsand contamination."To further protect against oil leaks fromthe company’s equipment fleet, CEMEXhas turned to nearby Pirtek Nottingham.“To ensure that we run efficiently andwithout any contamination problems,we use Pirtek Nottingham to provide allour hydraulic services. They are very

quick to respond and always comeequipped with the parts to deal with anybreakdown or pollution issue,” BillNewton concludes. “They are veryaware of our specific health and safetyissues and very knowledgeable ofsafety procedures. Just watching theirengineers proves their competence. Ifwe had any reservations about usingthem, they simply wouldn't be on site.”

(l) NottinghamFranciseeSteve Maguireand assistantsite managerBill Newton atthe awardwinning EastLeake quarry

Dave Floweroverseeing one of the 1700tballast trainsarriving

Nottingham FranciseeSteve Maguire (l) and Dave Flower

King of the Hill

www.pirtek-europe.com

The thought of 22 coachloads ofBrownies – over 1,000 of them -being disappointed by a key ridebeing out of action was simply toomuch to bear for Mick Coleman,the operations manager of the 32hectare Diggerland attraction nearCastleford in Yorkshire.During a safety check the daybefore the attraction was due toopen, the JCB machine used for the'Spin Dizzy' ride blew a hose.Requiring an immediate repair outof hours didn't present a problemfor Coleman, as he knew Pirtekoperated 24/7.Pirtek Wakefield MSST ChrisFenton was duly dispatched to thepark, and 'Spin Dizzy' was soonback in action, just in time for thearrival of the demanding Browniesthe following morning. Coleman

As if repairsaren’t enoughof a problem

withouthelpers like

these!

(Ex cub)Wakefield

MSST!ChrisFenton

definitelycomes

prepararedto deal with

all problems,including a really mini

JCB

CallingAll GridGirls

Earlier this year, Pirtek Racing andleading motorsport website crash.netgot together to offer one lucky lady thechance to be a grid girl for AndrewJordan. The lucky winner that time wasJody Brewis (pictured).But we’re pleased to announce that we’rerunning the competition again, and we’lllet you know the winner in the next issue.

was suitably impressed."Originally, Chris just popped in ona courtesy visit, but his timing wasimmaculate because we werehaving trouble locating a leak onanother machine. Within minutesChris had found the leak andrepaired the hose,” Mick Colemanconcludes. “Realising that we’dfound our hydraulic expert, westarted to use Pirtek Wakefield foremergency hose and valve repairs,as well as a diagnostic service,which was particularly usefulbecause all the machines arerestricted to make them suitablefor children. With anything up to100,000 visitors per annum, wecan't afford to take any chances orto have unscheduled downtimethat would disappoint thechildren."

For a major national transport companyto bother to phone through a thank youto Pirtek Newport after an emergencycall out speaks volumes for bothcompanies. Specialist transportcompany, David Watson Transport has120employees, nearing 100 vehiclesand operates from five national depots.The company’s Colchester branchnormally deals with Pirtek Ipswich withwhom they have enjoyed a long andtrouble-free relationship. But when oneof their specialist self-loading cranelorries - a 40 tonne Volvo FM380 6x2rigid Cormach 4044E6 nicknamed“Morpheus” - developed a faultyhydraulic T-valve on the massiveredevelopment site of the former steelworks at Ebbw Vale, they realised that a

Feedback

local solution would be moreappropriate. The log of the event makesinteresting reading. David Watsoncalled Pirtek at 14.29; the Pirtek MSSTLloyd Boddington was on site at 15.02;and the vehicle was repaired by 15.14.An impressive performance but evenmore so considering that Boddingtonhad only been with Pirtek for twomonths and was in a completely newarea. "Our driver actually called into theoffice to say how impressed he waswith the repair to his crane loader,”says Emily Carter, assistant servicemanager for David Watson. “PirtekNewport had responded extremelyquickly and the MSST was both happyand helpful. I thought I should pass thaton to Pirtek as a thank you."

A fullyoperational‘Morpheus’back inbusiness, and new boyMSST LloydBoddingtonwho came tothe rescue

All the Fun of the Fair

11In the pipeline

Quarter 3 2010

CompetitionThe Spice of Life

Variety, it is said, is the spice of life. Ifthat’s the case, things must get prettyspicy around Pirtek Derby which, like itsfellow Pirtek Centres, boasts anincredibly broad and diverse range ofcustomers.Take, for example, HW Martin, a localcompany with national interests thatinclude waste transfer, trafficmanagement, de-vegetation onrailways, safety fencing on motorways,plant hire, two truck franchises, as wellas the fencing business upon which thecompany empire is built. “We place huge demands on oursuppliers. We operate a nationalservice and we expect our supportservices to operate along the same lines.We are a Pirtek national account, whichgives the company emergency coverthroughout the UK, but it is operatedthrough a single point of contact - PirtekDerby," explains plant manager GeoffKearsley. "This one-stop facility hasmajor advantages for both parties and itworks well for cost control andmanagement. We have built up anextremely close relationship with PirtekDerby over the past five years, and theyremain the most effective hose servicewe have used. We are very satisfiedwith their service, In a nutshell, they’vedone everything they said they would."About as far removed from plant hire,must be Mirage Machines of Derby. Thisspecialist portable machine

manufacturer was foundedin 1993 by brothersRichard and George Silkand enjoyed particularsuccess in a range of flangefacing, milling, portableband saws, boring and hottapping pipelineapplications beforebecoming part of Acteon in2006. Although themachines are based on tried and testeddesigns, each project is bespoke andinvariably different as they are built forspecific applications. For instance theSDU (Single drill unit) is a sub-sea singlepin drill, remotely positioned by a ROV,using a hydraulic clamp. The spindleoperation also involves an automaticrelease that needed careful design.Pirtek Derby were consulted on suitablestainless steel valve blocks and hoses,and through their involvement on thatproject, became an OEM to Mirage. "Pirtek Derby has become an integralpart of our manufacturing andmaintenance programme," saysproduction manager, Richard Barlow."Not only do they respond immediatelyto any emergency, they are also part ofour design team on time critical projects.They give a first class service, whichenables us to react to our own customerrequests. Pirtek Derby is far more thana hose supplier, they are more like anoutsourced engineering service.”

Kev Jacques(l) withRichardBarlow ofMirageMachines

GeoffKearsley ofHW Martin (l)with DerbyTechnicalSalesrepresentativeKev Jacques

Pirtek Racing is offering one luckyreader the chance to win a pair oftickets to join the team for thefinal race of the British TouringCar Championship season that willtake place at Brands Hatch onSunday 10 October.

To enter, just answer the followingsimple question: Pirtek recentlyopened a new dedicated HoseCentre at Sittingbourne. But onwhat date did the official openingtake place?

Please email your answer toinfo@pirtek.co.uk. The winnerwill be drawn from the correctentries on 07.09.10.For further information, go towww.pirtek.co.uk.

To celebrate the official openingof the new dedicated Hose Centreat Sittingbourne Pirtek Racingheld a special prize draw to win apair of tickets to see AndrewJordan in action at Brands Hatchthe following weekend.

First out of the hat was CliveRoossien of David Wood BakingLtd (pictured centre) whotogether with son Jamie (left) enjoyed a fantastic if somewhatdamp day of racing.

Congratulations Clive.

In the pipeline

UK 0800 38 24 38 ROI 1800 74 78 35 www.pirtek-europe.com

As the 2010 Dunlop MSABritish Touring CarChampionship (BTCC) reachesit half way point, the newlyestablished Pirtek Racing teamcan reflect on a successful startto their debut season. With 30 points already on the board, thecombination of the BTCC’s brighteststar Andrew Jordan and the establishedrace-winning Vauxhall Vectra hasalready proven itself to be a formidableforce in this season’s championship. After a successful launch atBirmingham’s NEC in January, the teamset to work on an intense schedule oftesting to get to grips with the packageof the brand new TOCA supplied NGTCTurbo engine in the Vectra before thefirst round took place in early April. The high-speed Thruxton circuit inAndover saw the start of the 2010BTCC season and Pirtek Racing’s Jordankicked the season off in superb stylewith an incredible performance inqualifying. The youngster stormed hisway to fourth on the grid, placinghimself ahead of previous BTCCChampions Jason Plato and Matt Neal,before running within the top ten in allthree of Sunday’s races.The BTCC circus then moved on to theRockingham oval circuit in Corby for thesecond round of the season. In only their

Off to aFlying Start

second event, the Pirtek Racing teamtook home a triple point’s score afterthe unpredictability of the Britishweather supplied the BTCC with threethrilling races for the fans.The third round at the historic BrandsHatch Circuit in Kent is the nearest to a‘home’ race for Pirtek UK, which wasreflected in the turnout as a largenumber of Pirtek guests came along tocheer on the team. With the Pirtekmerchandise colours lighting up thedrizzly conditions at Brands Hatch,Jordan once again went on to score wellwith two top five finishes in the races.“I’m so pleased with how things aregoing so far this season. The carshowed it had potential in preseasontesting and it just keeps getting betterand better as we continue to makedevelopments. We knew coming intothe BTCC as a new team could be achallenge, but so far we have shownourselves to be consistently within thetop five, and our pace is exactly wherewe wanted to be,” Andrew Jordanreflects. “We are all working so hard tomove forward and I’m sure we can onlyimprove as we learn more about the carand grow as a team.”For further updates, please followAndrew Jordan on the social networkingsite, Twitter:www.twitter.com/andyjordanbtccor pirtek-racing.co.uk

Race CalendarSunday 20 June Croft, North Yorkshire Sunday 8 August Snetterton, Norfolk Sunday 22 August Silverstone, Northamptonshire Sunday 5 September Knockhill, Fife Sunday 19 September Donington Park, Leicestershire Sunday 10 October Brands Hatch, Kent