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AGGREGATES & HAULAGE Training and technology improve safety and efficiency for haulage fleet In the August 2005 issue we reported on the installation throughout the Hills Haulage fleet of Siemens VDO’s FM300 On Board Telemetry System. At that stage the use of the system was limited to vehicle tracking. This allowed the shipping staff to know where their vehicles were at any given moment enabling them to inform customers of expected delivery times as well as optimising shipping. During 2006 Hills Haulage, Siemens and the vehicle manufacturers have worked closely together to use the additional product features that enable monitoring of how and when the vehicles are driven. The vehicle manufacturers have also provided additional training to assist drivers in getting the best out of their vehicles. Furthermore throughout November all the drivers received training on SAFED (Safe and Fuel Efficient Driving). This is an example of cross divisional co-operation as the training was carried out by SAFED assessors from the Waste Division who ran half day sessions for each driver. Fuel costs are the fleet’s single biggest annual spend, however, the combination of the technology, the training and a fantastic effort by the drivers is already yielding an improvement of 1mpg in some cases – which does not sound like much, but translates into a cost saving of as much as £3,500 per year for each vehicle! Neil Watts, Transport Co-ordinator, using the new Siemens system Garry Mulcock, LGV Driver Haulage overhaul Over the last 18 months the Hills Haulage fleet, based at Shorncote quarry, has undergone an overhaul. The impressive line-up now boasts ten new eight wheelers and two new artics which have replaced older and costlier vehicles. John Warner, Transport Manager (far right), taking delivery of the final new vehicle with (left to right) Mark Bullows, Account Manager MAN Trucks, Colin Wenban, LGV Driver, and Mike Bull, Sales Executive MAN Trucks Ode to John Here is John Warner our transport man, Tries to do lots of things if he can. Looks after the drivers, Neil & Linda too, But there is one more thing he has to do. The roller towel in the gents needs to be replaced, So come on John, do it with some haste. “I don’t know how to do it” John said to Fran, She replied, “Come along with John Warner, Transport Manager me then young man” Into the gents they did go, Progress it was very slow! Quite a bit later out they came, Johns little face was etched with pain. “Have you managed to change it” we did say, “Of course I did, that’s made my day” So excited was John with what he had done, We thought it was time to have our fun. A certificate was then awarded to him and a couple of Mars Bars too, So proud was he for learning to change the roller towel in the loo!!!! 6 intouch
Special design drainage material gets the green light In September the aggregates sales team were approached by Bachy Solentanche, one of the world’s leading contractors in foundation and underground engineering, to design a specialised drainage material to be used at the new Blunsdon Bypass. The specification they wrote for the contract was unique and could not be supplied by any other company in the area. It not only had to be correct for ground conditions, but also for a brand new drainage trench machine which had been commissioned to work on the project. After lengthy consultation a new product was created using a mixed pea shingle and Compton Bassett washed sand to fill the trenches. Hills was also commissioned by McAlpines, who are managing the Blunsdon Bypass project, to supply the material for the haul road and site compound. This was done using a recycled stone from Shorncote. Top: The product being delivered to the site. Middle: The mix is loaded into a mobile conveyor Bottom: The drainage trench machine laying the pipes and infilling with the special mix Quarry Safari a big hit Shorncote Quarry proved the perfect venue for a group of visitors to Keynes Country Park who were offered the chance to drive four-by-four vehicles over a ‘lunar’ landscape. The Quarry Safari was run by motor dealers Pebley Beach in conjunction with The Cotswold Water Park Society and Hills. Participation in the safari was free and queues formed as groups of people came to traverse slippery slopes, muddy water splashes and rugged rubble terrain. “It gave the people the opportunity to look behind the scenes at a working quarry and have access to areas that are normally out of bounds to the public,” said Mike Brunsdon, the dealer principal of Pebley Beach. “Of course it was also a perfect opportunity for them to see what the range of Suzuki off-roaders are capable of. Most of all, it gave visitors a chance to have a lot of fun! The response to this event was great, and we will definitely hold another Quarry Safari in the future.” Gavin Walton, Business Manager for Hills Concrete Aggregates Review of 2006 We began the year by supplying the new Dobbies Garden Centre at Cirencester with both limestone and our processed Topsoil. At Easter we supplied clay for the embankments to the long awaited A419 road improvement at Commonhead for McAlpines - a joint venture with the waste division, with the clay coming from Chapel Farm. In the summer Network Rail released a contract to restore Challow Rail embankment. This involved transporting muck on Hills Haulage vehicles from the site to Bowling Green and then taking Class 1A limestone from Bowling Green back to the contract for embankment fill. In Oxford we obtained a 20,000 tonne contract to remove muck from Churchill Hospital for Raymond Brown Construction and we provided a similar service for P J Carey as they built a new extension for BMW at Cowley. We end the year with the loss of one of the sales team, Gavin Walton. In truth he moved within the quarry, approximately 100 yards away to the Concrete plant where he took up his new post as Business Manager. We would like to take this opportunity on behalf of the aggregates team to wish him every success. intouch 7
Page 1 and 2: intouch THE HILLS GROUP NEWSLETTER
Page 3 and 4: HILLS NEWS Shareholder & Management
Page 5: Timber frame homes an eye opener Hi
Page 9 and 10: Think about it - reduce, reuse, rec
Page 11 and 12: ’ sts Michael Booth, whose pictur

intouch - Hills Group

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