The fastest emergency hose replacement service there is

In the pipelineQuarter 1 2013

Every one a winner

Contents

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

Colest Journey 2Lots of Bottle 3Flying High 4Life’s a Gas 5Piling on the Pressure 6Quick Thinking 6Road to Recovery 7Uplifting Service 7Merry waves of Windsor8Flight of Fancy 10Pump up the volume 12Paint it White 13Clean Sweep 14All Change 15Bucket List 15Retiring Type 16Hardcore Service 18Hair Today 18Playing Safe 19Competition 19BTCC 20

As one year draws to a closeand a new one begins, it istempting to look back; toreminisce; to relive the ups anddowns; and to regret themissed opportunities and themight-have-beens.But, as the expression goes,the past is for reference, notfor residence.And so, as 2013 begins, Pirtekis gearing up for what promisesto be another challenging yetexciting year.Although the recession stillgrips large parts of theeconomy, there is a very realsense that its teeth haveblunted and its bite hasbecome less severe. Indeed,there are actually reasons foroptimism.The news that oil exploration inthe Mariner Field in the North

Sea not only helps safeguardUK energy supplies, it alsohelps safeguard thousands ofjobs linked directly andindirectly to the offshoresector. The Hinkley B nuclearpower station buildingprogramme, the HS2 rail link,and the demand for moreairport space will provide theUK construction industry witha much-needed and long-overdue boost. And news thatNissan’s new luxury car will bebuilt here in the UK and thatJCB has just rewarded all itsstaff with an unexpectedfestive bonus suggests a gooddeal more positivity in theengineering and manufacturingsectors.Of course, the climb back topre-recessionary levels ofactivity and profitability will be

long, slow and arduous. Andeven those economists thatfavour rose-tinted spectaclesare not anticipating any suddenupsurge during 2013 or even2014.But it does – at long last –appear that the worst is over.And those companies andindustry sectors that havescaled back, grown leaner andmeaner, will be among the firstto emerge from the financialdoldrums.So we wish all our customers ahappy and hopefullyprosperous New Year.Best regards

Kelvin RobertsChairman, Pirtek Europe

A Brighter Future

In the last issue ITP, SirRanulph Fiennes was featuredin the last great polarchallenge, crossing Antarcticain winter. After years ofpreparation, the expedition isnow underway.On 6th December, theicebreaker SA Agulhas set offfrom London for the Antarctic,carrying more than 100 tonnesof kit required for the world'sfirst ever attempt to cross thecontinent in winter.Pirtek Wolverhampton helpedwith the preparation of thesledges and received apersonal thank you from SirRanulph himself. “Very many

The Coldest Journey aims toraise US$10 million for Seeingis Believing, an internationalinitiative that is tacklingavoidable blindness. You canhelp make a real difference bymaking a donation today, whichwill be matched by StandardChartered. Learn more aboutSeeing is Believing - theprojects, the people, the impact- by visitingwww.seeingisbelieving.org.

thanks indeed to Pirtek and toyour great colleagues for yourvital help and support forMartin, Brian and for theExpedition without which we’dhave been in a tricky positionat the last moment before theoff. Hopefully our website -www.thecoldestjourney.org -will keep you up to date on ourprogress in 2013/14 (assumingwe do progress!) 1,000 Thanksand Very Best Wishes, Ran”

The Coldest Journey

In the pipeline 3

Lots of BottleIn recent years, recycling by the general public has become morewide spread, but industry has been on the reclamationbandwagon for many years. One company in particular standsout in the field of glass recycling.The UK produces some 8 billion bottles and jars a year. If justover two thirds were recycled, it would save over 1.8 milliontonnes of raw material and approximately 500,000 Megawatthours of energy. The UK glass industry has the ability to use over1.55 million tonnes of recycled bottles and jars a year, theequivalent to 4 billion bottles and jars. For nearly 90 years Berryman, the UK’s largest purchaser andrecycler of waste glass, has been the leading company in buyingand recycling all types of glass. It has pioneered new methods ofcollection and treatment to make sure that glass can be put touseful second life, from closed loop systems to make new bottlesand jars to construction products, insulation and many otheruseful products. Berryman works closely with local authorities and wastemanagement companies to ensure efficient transportation andfair pricing in glass recycling. The company also operates cullettreatment plants in Knottingley, Doncaster, London, Kent andSouth Kirkby near Wakefield.

Berryman also recycles some of themore unusual glass products. Rolledand polished glass contains fewimpurities, and is used in themanufacture of mirrors, windows andthe automotive industry. In fact glassfrom car windows and screens, despitebeing laminated with plastics or as inbuilding products, where it isreinforced with metal, are highlysought after. The glass is crushed andplastic impurities removed by vacuum.Even glass that cannot be reused fordomestic products is recycled in theconstruction industry, where it iscrushed to Type 1 and 2 and used as amix in tarmac sub-base and surfacing. The Berryman glass waste transfer

near Dagenham is a key part of a nationwide collection servicethat handles 600,000 tonnes of glass waste for recycling. Glassfrom the depot's eight trucks is sorted by type before going toYorkshire for reprocessing or being exported to Portugal viaRidham Docks in Kent.Pat Honeywell, one of the site operators had called PirtekThurrock in to replace the hydraulic hoses on a replacementbucket for his Volvo wheel loader. "This is typical of one of themany little jobs that we constantly call Pirtek out for,” he explains.“They help keep this depot running smoothly." This is a sentiment echoed by depot manager, Keith Sendall."We've used Pirtek Thurrock since it opened but we've been aPirtek customer for many years simply because of theexcellent service they give,” he concludes. “If wehave a hydraulic failure anywhere in thecountry, one phone call to PirtekThurrock solves it.”

Quarter 1 2013

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There is something wonderfully evocative, not to mention loud,about the sound of a 27 litre Rolls Royce Merlin engine. But whenyou see it attached to a Mk9 Supermarine Spitfire that is doing ahigh speed, low level pass followed by a victory roll over theiconic Biggin Hill airfield, it is impossible not to smile at such abeautiful sight.Biggin Hill is home to a remarkably high number of privatelyowned historic aircraft from the Second World War, with theBiggin Hill Heritage Hanger Ltd housing some of the mostnoteworthy and indeed airworthy examples.There are two examples of a Mk9 Spitfire, a Mk 16 and a rare Mk1that took eight years and £2 million to restore. These sitalongside one of only two airworthy Hurricanes in the UK, whilst atiny 1943 Piper Cub and a massive 1941 Harvard trainer at reston the apron outside.Pirtek has had a long association with the Spitfire through ownerPeter Monk, who's operations and restoration work at Duxfordbrought him into contact with Pirtek Cambridge. When Monkmoved operations to Biggin Hill in 2011, Pirtek Erith wasapproached to provide hydraulic and fuel lines for the ongoingrestoration work on the Mk1. "We knew we could ask Pirtek to supply the high tech partsrequired to bring the aircraft back to an airworthy condition. Theirwork on the Mk1 was excellent so we knew they were the rightpeople to call in for the Mk9. They take a lot of care whenworking on the airframe, knowing that the majority of the partsare original. We called them in on this occasion to provide 1.5"stainless steel fuel lines from the engine and the main tank, aprocess that entails one of the guys working inside the crampedcockpit, we also needed small 3/4" SCV hoses for the fuel filters,"says engineer Paul Agger. "With a restoration taking two people,on average one and a half years to build the airframe and a furtherone and a half years to fit out, you have to get it right. Each ofthese planes is worth £2.75 - £3 million and a huge amount oftime and effort is poured into each one to bring them back toairworthiness. We specify the best for each aircraft knowing thatwith the hoses, they won't need to be pressure tested inside theregulation six-year period. We have just had a new Spitfireairframe delivered for our next project. We will start the rebuildafter this one is completed and I am sure Pirtek will be involved inthe refurbishment."

Flying High

Above a Mk9 about to go off on on a testflight from Biggin HillLeft The joys of connecting a Spitfire fueltank, Pirtek’s Darren Edenborough & GaryWoodhouse with BHHH engineer Paul Agger.Below right Peter Monk (left)

In the pipeline 5

Quarter 1 2013

With natural resources dwindling, recycling has never been morerelevant or important. Modern reclamation policies make thewasteful landfill programmes of the past look appalling. Notonly are vast areas filled with material that could have beenrecycled, but the landfill site is often of little industrial oragricultural use because of escaping greenhouse gasesgenerated from the rotting material deep underground.Where a landfill site has reached this stage it is comforting to findthere companies who can turn this situation to good use. At the341 hectare Cory Environmental Mucking landfill site, close toStanford-le-Hope in Essex, the Australian company EnergyDevelopment is currently extracting the methane and convertingit into electricity. Up until 2011, the former gravel pit was a convenient dumpingground for Central London's waste. Convoys of barges wouldmake the 30 mile trip down the Thames to empty Westminster'srubbish in the neighbouring county's countryside. Tipping has nowceased and the majority of the site has been capped with 1.2million m3 of soil in preparation for full restoration as acountryside park. However the material dumped over the yearshas been decomposing with dire environmental side effects.Landfill gas (LFG) is generated by decomposing organic matter inrefuse tips. It consists of greenhouse gases - methane andcarbon dioxide - mixed with water vapour and organic compounds.However, the substantial methane content of landfill gas enablesit to be used as a power generation fuel. The commercial use oflandfill gas as a fuel requires LFG to be extracted at a reasonably-consistent flow and quality. Energy Developments has achieved this by drilling a pattern ofvertical gas extraction wells linked by underground pipes to a gascollection facility. The entire system is maintained under avacuum, inducing landfill gas to flow into the collection

Life's a Gas

facility where gas processing reduces moisture and filters out fineparticles. The processed landfill gas is then used as a fuel ineither gas engines or gas turbine generators. The powergeneration facilities are connected to a power grid to enable thesale of any electricity produced. It is estimated there is enoughgas being generated at Mucking to keep the plant on line until2029.Tucked away in a corner of the site, the Energy Developmentfacility, consisting of 18 gas turbine engines, works 24/7, 365days a year converting the methane to 20 MW of electricity. Themassive V20 and V16 engines are all independently housed insound-insulated containers. There are Ten Deutz and twoCaterpillar units on site with the rest made by General Electrics'Jenbacher division, each generating £8,000 worth of electricityeach every day.The Mucking site is under the supervision of site supervisor JeffThursden. "We are really proud of this site and the environmentalwork it does. But maintaining it is a major concern as any unit thatis off line is a major financial loss for the company. It isimperative to ensure everything works to its maximum efficiency.We have scheduled preventative maintenance programmes inplace, with all the engines undergoing a monthly service, with a750 litre oil change every three to four weeks. At 4,000 operatinghours the engines undergo a major service and decoke. To ensureeverything works we have to have a good suppliers to provide theback up for the company," he explains. "Pirtek certainly falls intothe category of preferred supplier. We have a superb workingrelationship with the company with both Colin May and GregFoxon at Pirtek Basildon bending over backwards to provide anexcellent service. I would think just about every hydraulic hosereplacement on site has been done by Pirtek. They also supply allour stainless steel hose work. As I've got to know them over theyears I've come to realise just how big their range of materialsreally is. They have supplied me with all sorts of fixtures andfittings down to the more mundane things such as jet washes,and concrete detergents. Whatever I ask for, Pirtekwill source it. They even brought me out abucket and mop recently!"

Pirtek Basildon’s Stuart Willis giving a sense of scale at the newly capped site

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As one of the UK's leading piling contractors, Rock & Alluvium -now part of the GallifordTry group - has offered constructionpiling solutions since 1963. It has a policy of using specialistcomputerised Soilmec piling rigs rather than adaptations ofexisting excavators.Although a Pirtek national customer, the company’s Londonmaintenance depot handles breakdowns and servicing throughoutthe country, through Pirtek Thurrock. "It's an easy option," saysplant and yard foreman, Chris Howell. "I get a hydraulic failure ona rig at the other end of the country - I simply phone PirtekThurrock who arrange to get it fixed from one of Pirtek's 90dedicated nationwide Centres. What could have been a logisticalproblem for me is now a problem for Pirtek, but they always comeup trumps, so I don't feel that guilty."Howell says that his company’s relationship with Pirtek stretchesback some two decades. "We have worked with Pirtek for over 20years and it's great to see how they provide such good back up forour company,” he continues. “We have a broad spectrum ofmachines, ranging from 30 to 56 tonnes, with some very smartnew rotary pilers that can go down to 32 metres. These will drillthrough most soils but in London and the surrounding areas it'smostly London clay and you need to go down a long way to get astable foundation. And we have the right machines for the job,including a brand new Soilmec CR30."Despite operating a methodical preventive maintenanceprogramme, Howell says there is always unforeseen wear, tear anddamage to deal with. “Where we could get a real problem is if therig goes down, sitting alongside it, is a lorry filled with 8 m3 ofsetting concrete in its drum. It can't be tipped on site and youcan't just dump it, it has to be poured. I can't afford to have amachine down. At £4,000 an hour, it's simply not an option,” ChrisHowell concludes. “Pirtek is an excellent company to have onhand to provide parts, replacements and general hydraulic service.They provide all the usual fixtures, fittings and hoses we getthrough on general servicing, plus they now supply our hydraulicoil and have even designed pump valves for our concrete agitatorlorries. But where they really score is on service. I'm sure that if Itried hard enough I could beat them on price but I have never in 20years found a company that comes close to Pirtek on service andcommitment. We trust Pirtek to get things right. And they do!”

Piling onthe

Pressure

Quick Thinking

The success of the Pirtek BTCC race team has obviouslyrubbed off on Pirtek Ellesmere Port, as the Centre havetaken a new delivery vehicle, but kitted out in the samelivery as Andrew Jordan's independent title-winning Honda."The Centre thought we should use the BTCC car to helppublicise the company. Especially as Andrew and the teamhave often taken the BTCC car to Pirtek events, exhibitionsand openings where Pirtek and the team have gained a lot ofuseful publicity. We have just emulated the BTCC effect,”says Centre Manager Paul Johnston. “Our car is every bit asmuch a sales tool as the proper thing. Although the car lookssplendid decked out in the Pirtek racing colours, it isintended as a practical vehicle. We purchased a standard 2.2Honda with a diesel engine, so that it could be used on sitesto negate the possibility of 'sparking' that might occur with apetrol engine, and it's powerful enough to negotiate mostsites."Pirtek Ellesmere Port is already famous for its “TeamGorgeous” publicity stunts but says the BTCC-style car hasattracted even greater levels of interest. "The eye-catchinglivery certainly turns heads wherever it goes. We showed itoff at the last BTCC meeting of the season at Brands Hatchand it had a brilliant reception. Even Andrew Jordan said itwas 'absolutely mega'. Customer reaction has been superb.We are, of course, aware of the safety aspects of showing offwhat appears to be a racing car on suburban roads. Thepolice have been made aware of its existence and it has beenchecked to ensure it is totally street legal. But that doesn’tstop the occasional boy racer who would like a race. We haveto make it clear that this is a normal car on a delivery run, andbesides, we would be at a distinct disadvantage anyway witha boot full of fittings and hoses!”

Quarter 1 2013

In thepipeline 7

Road to RecoveryMaking claims about a product can often be dismissed as marketing speak. Buthaving those claims proved is perhaps the best endorsement it can receive. Acase in point proved the value of a vehicle marking campaign being carried out byPirtek Belfast.Although fitted with a Datatag system, thieves chanced their arm when theyrecently stole a digger at Ballymena. Although the vehicle was recovered atPomeroy, proving it was the same vehicle was extremely difficult.It was only the Datatag system that finally proved that it was indeed the stolenvehicle, as PSNI Autocrime Officer Martin A Kerr explained. "The worrying thingabout this was the lengths the criminals went to in order to clone the identity ofthe machine. Even JCB struggled to differentiate the labels as the quality of thestampings were fantastic. Fair to say that this would have passed even a thoroughroadside examination,” he says. “As the lead examiner in the case, I can attest thatthe Cesar system certainly made my job easier. I can't go into too much detail asthe case is still 'live' but the digger has now been positively identified."The Datatag system consists of high visibility tamper-proof deterrent signs on thevehicle, one of which covers a transponder. There is another transponder hiddenon the vehicle plus the vehicle is literally randomly covered in unique microdotmarkers. The microdots can identify the vehicle even if it is cloned or broken downinto spare parts. Cesar can be, as in this case, fitted retrospectively, to protectanything from a quad bike to an excavator. Customers should also take heart fromthe fact that Datatag have a 100% prosecution record.

Uplifting ServiceHaving a Pirtek national agreement means that no matterwhenever or wherever a hydraulic fault occurs on a piece ofequipment, there will always be a Pirtek centre nearby to rescuethe ailing vehicle.

Such is the case with American giantBriggs Equipment, which seems to haveforklifts on hire in every corner andenvironment possible in the UK. Theforklift in question this time was a Cat 16working at the PTS Plumbing Warehousein Dagenham, Essex. The operator hadnoticed wear on the main lift hose andhad called in Pirtek Thurrock to replacethe hose before it failed. MSST Lee Steadarrived on site and agreed the hose hadalready shed its outer cover and would

have to come off. Although a fairly long hose it wasn't a long job,the only problem being that the end fitting wouldn't fit over theguide rollers. After a session with a hacksaw, the offending hosewas removed and new hose manufactured. However the sameproblem would obviously be encountered when refitting the newhose, so only one end had the ferrule fitted. Stead had theforklift driven as close as possible to the back of the service vanso that the hose could be put into position and the other endfitted. "Thank goodness these are long hoses, there was justenough slack in the hose to get it to the crimper in the van," Steadsays. Half an hour later the hose was fitted, tested and signed offmuch to the delight of the warehouse manager who had beenlooking at an ever growing pile of bathroom fittings thatwould have had to have been moved by hand,had the repair not been carried outquickly.

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According to the old adage,“there is nothing new underthe sun”. That may be so, buttaking an old idea and puttingit to a new use qualifies asoriginal thinking. Even ifPrince Phillip doesn't think itwill work!

Merry Waves of Windsor

Southeast Power Engineeringhas designed and constructed ahydro-electric powergeneration scheme consistingof a pair of hydroelectricturbines installed in theRomney Weir below WindsorCastle, between Eton andWindsor, with the Castle itsprimary customer.Hydropower generation at theRomney weir has beeninvestigated by a number ofcompanies over the years. Butuntil Southeast PowerEngineering stepped in, no-onehad been able to make such ascheme economically viable. The company is using a newdesign and constructionconcept using two Archimedesscrew turbines. These turbineswill be capable of generatingmore power than designspreviously considered and bethe first of their type insoutheast England. It is hopedthat they will, in fact, be thefirst of three similar projectsearmarked for the Thames.The scheme consists of two, 4metre diameter Archimedesscrew type turbines, eachweighing 70 tonnes.Occupying two bays in the weir,they were installed inDecember 2011, and will beproducing electricity at the endof 2012/early 2013. Howeverthe 1 km long 11,000-voltcable connecting the systemtransformer to the castleinstallation transformer had itsown logistical problems,requiring two environmentallysensitive 15 cm diameterhorizontal tunnels to be drilledup to 10 metres below thesurface, under the river bed andthe nearby railway line,.

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Above, the 70tonne screws being installedand the compound where Pirtek first spottedthem after work for Jackson Civils. Left the screws awaiting the final hydraulicconnection but showing the newly repairedand extended piersBelow, Royal customer - Windsor Castle

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In the pipeline 9

Quarter 1 2013

The project saw the two end pillars of the weir rebuilt to house thecontrol rooms and 12 metre long Archimedes screws. This had tobe done as part of repairs to the weir made by the EnvironmentAgency. The screws were lifted into position using a bargemounted crane. To safeguard the 12 varieties of fish in theThames, the screws will have rubber edges and turn at 22 revs aminute. Alongside the screws is a new £100,000 fish tube toallow salmon, trout and eels to migrate to the upper reaches ofthe river.When completed, the scheme will produce two million kilowatthours a year, which is enough to power 500 homes. When WindsorCastle shuts down during the night, the ‘spare’ energy will bepumped into the National Grid. It is estimated that the complexwill save 790,000 kilos of CO2 a year and provide a stable cost ofgenerating the energy needed by the Castle.The idea to generate electricity from the flow of the Thames wasfirst suggested 20 years ago. And although a planning applicationwas first submitted six years ago David Dechambeau, managingdirector of Southeast Power Engineering, recalled an exchangewith Prince Philip just a year ago. “When I told him I was the oneputting in the hydropower system for Windsor Castle, he looked atme and said, 'No you're not,’ I realised this is an argument I can'twin.' So I said, ‘I don't understand’ and he said, ‘No you don'tunderstand, people have been trying to do this for 20 years, you'llnever get it done’. I said, ‘I understand sir, but I can tell you I willput that hydropower system in this year no matter what. I'llpromise you’."True to his word, the £1.7 million project has been installed and isbeing piped up by Pirtek Slough under the supervision of projectmanager Tim Spring of Romney Hydropower (the project vehicleof Southeast Power Engineering). Although Jackson Civils constructed the major elements of thehydro-electric plant, Romney Hydropower called in hydraulicspecialists Pirtek to provide the hydraulic connections from thefive on-site power packs that operate the sluice gates, the controlroom screw braking systems, and the positioning rams operatingthe main screws.Pirtek Slough had already been providing hydraulic supportservices to Jacksons when they were asked to provide practicaland design assistance on the installation of the hydraulicoperating system.

"They were so helpful. They have already provided a major part ofthe stainless steel hydraulic installation during June and Julywhere the sluice gate rams were piped up and connected to thepower house power packs supplied by Hydrapower,” Springrecounts. “Their MSST Andre Bishop installed 70 metres of 18mm pfm stainless steel pipework that was fitted inside the girderframework holding the rams, over 7 days."There is however a small matter of access to the site. AndreBishop had to manually carry every component and tool the milealong a muddy footpath before starting work. It was suggestedthat the service van could be loaded by crane onto a barge andfloated to the site, but Bishop didn't like the idea of the van beingmarooned on the river at night. As a result, every pipe of the firstphase was designed, cut and manufactured on site to ensureextreme accuracy in every component.Pirtek Slough is now completing the final phase of the projectwhich will see the last power pack manhandled onto position ontoa rebuilt plinth between the two screws. The power pack will bedismantled, as the smallest component weighs 80 kg, and movedinto place where it will be reconstructed, bolted into place andfilled with oil. This will then be connected at one end to thepowerhouse, and on the other to the two sets of screw rams. Thiswill entail removing the steel flooring panels and lowering thepower packs by rope pulleys. For the final installation, Andre Bishop will have to work above theriver whilst connecting the 60 metres of 10 mm of stainless steeltube for the positioning screw rams. He will have to be harnessedto the sluice gates and every tool will have to be tied on to avoidlosing any of them in the four metre deep river which passesthrough the sluice gates at a rate of 104 m3 a second. Andre willhave the added disadvantage of wearing a life jacket as well as theusual PPE kit.“Because this installation had to be constructed aroundconstraints of the repair work on the weir, it is possibly not themost efficient layout of the equipment, something Pirtek areinvestigating” Tim Spring concludes. “Pirtek has been incrediblyhelpful, and that has been proved by their attitude with the finalinstallation. They are prepared to manhandle the two powerpacks at the control room, build plinths for them both, connectthem up and fill them with over 200 litres of oil. They are thenprepared to build a structure around these to make them

Below, some of the 70m of stainless steelpipework, all carried to the site by hand overa mile of muddy track. Right, the as yetunconnected ram that controls the positionof the screw in the river, and the new ‘fishtube’ .The gangway to be removed and thesluice gates already piped in

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We treat flying to a distant destination with such nonchalancetoday that we often forget the sheer logistics required tomaintain a modern fleet of passenger jets. It is not until you seethe British Airways critical engineering facilities at theSpeedmarque Centre in Hayes in Middlesex, that you get aninkling of the expertise involved in keeping the fleet in the air.

Flight of Fancy

To gain some idea of the scale of the facilities at Hayes, there are150 technicians on site with about 50 support staff. Betweenthem they handle 400-450 components per week and cope with a5,000 unit component range. The facilities consist of a machine and process centre, workshops,paint shop, non-destructive testing department, flow testing fordrive generators, hydraulics and rams, a fuel shop that deals withvalves and caps to the PAG FMU (Pump and Governor & FuelMetering Unit) for the gas turbines, a section that refurbishes theoxygen and nitrogen bottles for the emergency slides, emergencydrop down masks and portable first aid gas bottles, and finally thewheels, brakes and tyres department - once described as a giantKwik-Fit centre - which deals with these units for the entire BAfleet.Components can be removed from anywhere in the world and sentto Hayes for repair or refurbishment. To ensure the companydoesn't operate with massive overheads caused by componentssitting on shelves, the facility has its own Inventory Managementthat determines the parts flow path. They keep stringent controlof the parts flow ensuring a high turn round to ensure less sparesare held on site.Every week the facility will handle between £200-300,000 worth of work on generators, £250,000 on pneumaticspares, together with work on 30 brake assemblies and 150wheels (which are replaced after 700 landings). Each 747 tyre is

Stuart Moon Shane Randall747 wheels to 221 psi filled with nitrogento reduce fire risk

Test rig that may use x20 hoses at anyone time

Refurbished engine mounts

Generator test rig, IDG test rig for25,000 flying hours (4-5 years flying) Hose test rig

Nitrogen bottles for testing Oxygen bottles

Rig for starter motors

In the pipeline 11

valued at around £1,000.BA's Component TechnicalEngineer, Stuart Moon, hasworked with Pirtek Slough formany years. "We have a verygood working relationship withPirtek Slough and our day-to-day reactive work with them isgreat,” he says. “However, to capitalise on a completely differentaspect of their service, we recently used Pirtek to prepare aproactive total hose management programme for our hydraulicand pneumatic testing facilities. Pirtek's Shane Randall producedan extremely detailed survey of the hoses used at present, andhas presented me with a 16-page programme that will see closeon 500 hoses replaced during an 18-month period on the test rigsused at Hayes. As we have a good relationship with Pirtek, theywere the obvious place to go. This is very much an evolutionaryrather than revolutionary safety programme." Stuart says that one of the first challenges facing the Pirtek teamwas the painstaking task of identifying and replacing the existingassemblies entirely. "Because the testing department has run forso long, there was little indication of the age of some of thepneumatic hoses, so it was decided to identify and then replacethe entire hose assemblies,” he explains. “The range of hoses usedwill in future be reduced to just four common lengths, all fittedwith quick release ferrules so that extended lengths could beproduced without the need to keep excessive amounts of hoses instock. The element of safety has played a large role in thedecision to replace the hoses, especially as they often operate at3000 psi. The need for the sheer number of existing test hoses is

because we can be simultaneously testing on up to five rigs, eachrequiring in excess of 20 hoses."Although BA has a lot of long serving staff who know the safetyparameters of the equipment, new staff have to be taught thedangers of working with highly pressurised airlines. The companyhas an excellent safety culture that is reinforced throughout thefacility. Again, Pirtek has supported BA's safety programme bysupplying teaching DVDs and Martyn Smart from Pirtek's NationalTraining Centre at Digbeth will shortly be instigating a hydraulicsafety training scheme for new staff. To date Pirtek has replacedjust about every pneumatic and hydraulic hose in the wheelsection and is currently looking at redesigning the tyre inflationcage hose mountings to increase safety margins and reduce turnround times. "We could replace every component on an aircraft except the dataplate! We can supply a complete nose to tail service. At presentwe would like to expand the facilities and take on more work fromoutside parties. Certainly no other MRO has our depth ofcommercial expertise combined with our truly global capabilities.We know the job inside out. We already provide mechanicaloverhaul facilities for more than 20 OEMs and offer a preferentialservice for Airbus and Boeing operators,” Stuart Moon concludes.“Pirtek is a vital link in our business. I couldn't wish for anythingbetter from a supplier. We get about 95 percent of the call-outsanswered within the 1 hour ETA by our regular MSST Steve. Assoon as we call him, he's here and the job's done. Everything is offthe shelf from the service van. He knows our requirements andalways comes fully-equipped.”

Quarter 1 2013

RB211 test unit RB211 test unit

Low pressure high flow testunit working at500lb/minute, fill anaverage living room in asecond to 400 degrees C

Non Destructive UV testing rig Wing flat screws

Left Leading edge drive , there are 16 perjumbo at £25,000each

Total refurbishment

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Pump up the Volume

Pumping fuel from a bowser to a vehicle should be simple enough.However Pirtek provided a much simpler, neater and safer solutionfor H&B Drainage of Basildon by replacing a real tangle of hoses.H&B is a specialist drainage contractor that subcontracts to waterboards, providing jet vans for clean ups, council works, grit bins,drain covers and ground works. The company runs a fleet of tipperswith Hiab loaders, Terex backhoes and numerous smaller items ofspecialist kit. The vehicles are fuelled from two bowsers at themaintenance depot at Basildon. Pirtek was asked to provide a fuelreel and hose to replace the existing hoses, allowing the fuel hoseto be rolled separately from the tank, providing a much neater andcleaner method of fuelling the vehicles.However, things don't always run as scheduled. Having collected aspecially fabricated wall-mount for the reel, Pirtek Basildon MSSTAndy Rosson was diverted to repair an Indeco hydraulic breaker ona Takeuchi TB125 that was being used by subcontractorLittlewoods, on the Birse project for the A130/A13 interchangeimprovements. With sparse location instructions, Rossen foundand repaired the breaker within the hour so it could continue toinstall safety barriers on the new road.Arriving on H&B's site, Rosson discovered that the reel had to bedismantled and the hose feed turned round to enable a clean hosefeed. Working in extremely cramped conditions and balanced on thefuel tank, the wall bracket was affixed to the soft cinder blockinternal wall with some impressive bolts that went right through thewall. The modified reel was then mounted and bolted in place, nomean feat considering the weight of the unit. A 10 metre 3/4"fuelhose was then fitted and the pump nozzle attached. The bowserwas then cut through and a two metre hose from the pump to thereel attached. The end result delighted the customer, especially

when Pirtek managed to negotiate£150 off the retail price. With a jobwell done Andy prepared to returnto base and home but even then hewas asked to rescue a DoosanDX80R working for BellwayHousing. The main bucket feed hosehad sprung a leak and they were

desperate to finish their project before the end of the day. It turnedout to be a routine replacement and Andy eventually returned withthree happy customers instead of just the one.

Below What Andy had to contend withLeft A somewhat neater solution

In the pipeline 13

Quarter 1 2013

Paint it WhiteFaced with Government cuts and austerity measures, ChelmsfordCity Council has been looking at news ways to make a limitedbudget go further.

Street Care and Performance manager Tim Eaton-Fearne said therewere some obvious and fairly simple things that helped his budgetgo further, "Not painting the corporation vehicles for a start.Instead of spending £800 per vehicle we left them white. They stilllook smart but we saved a lot of money. With a zero budgetincrease this year, questions had to asked about expenditure withcheaper and more efficient ways of doing things had to be found."The Council use the Government buying framework to purchasevehicles. They are kept as long as possible and are leased to avoidcapital expenditure, but only until they become unviable on spares,when they are disposed of. Most of the council’s 100+ vehicles arerelatively new which reduces maintenance. These range from 2.5tonne compact sweeper to a 32 tonne refuse vehicle. The councilstreet care vehicles now operate on a four-day week but worklonger hours; the sweepers now start at 4 am! The fifth day is givenover to maintenance work and repairs. A rigorous preventive maintenance programme ensures thevehicles are well maintained which has reduced the number ofunexpected failures and enabled the contingency in the refuse fleetto be reduced to just two vehicles. However when a vehicle failure does occur, the exceptionalresponse from Pirtek Basildon has greatly helped keep the councilfleet on the road as Eaton-Fearne explains. “It is not unusual tohave a response in 10 minutes from our MSST Andy Rossen. I likePirtek's reliability and the speed with which they sort things out,” hesays. “They often think outside the box and provide an

excellent engineering as well as hydraulic service. I know I can pickup the phone and they will provide the solution. It's not unusual tosee Andy in here two or three times a day. Pirtek enables me to doall of the hydraulic repairs without keeping an enormous stock ofhoses and fittings. We have been a longstanding customer ofPirtek; they simply provide a service I cannot better. Which is just aswell because the phone would melt from complaints if we didn'tpick the bins up."Eaton-Fearne reports that the Pirtek back-up service integratesseamlessly with his own in-house operations. “We have four HGVbays and four light goods vehicle bays in the workshops, plus theMoT testing facility. This tests our own vehicles as well as the city'staxis and we are now testing outside company vehicles to improveour income. Every council vehicle is serviced every eight weeks, 13for the smaller sweepers. That means 10 vehicles a day will comethrough the doors, and they are all dealt with by just six engineers.These guys are the real heroes; it's just a shame their hard workisn't more widely recognised. It is imperative that vehicles areturned round quickly and that is where Pirtek are so efficient,” hecontinues. “All the vehicles are given a daily visual check but Andyalso does a total hose management check when a vehicle comes in

for servicing or repair. He will inspect the hoses while the vehicle isoff the road, makes recommendations or replaces any suspect hosethat might have been damaged or is showing excess wear."In addition to these regular Pirtek services, Eaton-Fearne says thatPirtek has also been involved in the council’s environmental efforts.“Rather than landfill domestic refuse, Chelmsford City Council hasits own four hectare recycling centre,” he asserts. "We achieved a51.8 percent recycling rate, processing 37,000 tonnes from15,000,000 collections last year. The council recycles plastics,glass, metal, paper, card and textiles. The machinery in the yardleads a punishing existence but we know that if anything goes downwe can rely on Andy to put it right.”

Street Care and Performance manager Tim Eaton-Fearne

Terry Barfield Workshop manager

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Pirtek products are tough, ask anyone. But when Pirtek Medway wasasked to supply some tough hydraulic hoses for a road sweeper, eventhey were amazed at the novel use the hoses were put to.Medway MSST Pete Russell is well-versed in supplying oddcomponents, fittings and hoses to London-based nationalaccount Quattro Plant. Founded in 1989, the Quattro Group is now one of the largestoperated-plant companies in the UK, with a turnover in excess of£50 million. The company’s policy of organic growth saw themmove into the rail market place in 1998, and waste managementand civils hire in 2003. The company further strengthened itsposition with the acquisition of BCL Rail Services in 2008 andKent Sweepers in 2009. The 10 national depots mean that they arenever more than two hours away from delivery to a customer inEngland by low loader. There are a further two depots in Scotland. The company’s Kent depot, based at Rochester, is just a fewstreets away from the Pirtek Centre and is a regular port of call.Although that makes the 1-hour ETA easy to stick to, theroad/rail vehicles present more of a challenge, as Quattro’smanager Gary Youseman explains. “There is an interesting array

of kit in our yard at any one time: road sweepers; gritting lorries;dozers; access platforms; and road/rail excavators. And thevariety doesn’t stop there. For the road/rail machines alone, weoperate units from Mecalac, JCB, Neuson, Case, Komatsu, Terex,Doosan or Philmore conversions. And the number of uniqueattachments they use is extraordinary. That’s why we use Pirtekto meet our hydraulic needs. I’m quite happy for them to havethe logistical nightmare of keeping all those components,” hesays. “But, even by our standards, I did set them a challengerecently with a rotary sweeper array. The OEM brushes simplywore through in no time. So Pirtek replaced the brushes withlengths of hydraulic hose and it works a treat. I’m sure Petethought I was bonkers at the time, but I couldn’t think ofanything that was as flexible and as strong as the Pirtek hoses.”Youseman reports that this “can do” approach typifies hiscompany’s experience of working with Pirtek. “It’s not just theday-to-day repairs they are good at. They constantly source allthe odd ball rail bits, and on one occasion recently - when wewanted a part for a trailer and the lead-time was weeks – Pirteksimply went away and made it for me. At the moment we areundertaking a conversion of the Komatsu excavators to takequick release hoses, which has meant replacing all the ends onthe machine’s ridged hydraulic system. However swapping fromone attachment to another is now faster and more efficient, soit’s well worth the effort,” he concludes. “Pirtek Medway act asour national contact point. We use them for all our local workand deal with about eight other Pirtek Centres for the rest of thecountry. The rail side of the business is often conducted at nightand at weekends, and it’s good to know that I can phone PirtekMedway and get a machine repaired in Manchester or Bristol -24/7. They simply get it sorted. We never have any problemswith Pirtek, and they really put themselves out. They have neverlet me down.”

Clean Sweep

Left, the road sweeper assembly made from Pirtek hosesAbove left , new quick hitch fittings, part of an ongoingrefurbishment programme of the Komatsu road /rail excavatorsAbove right, be it a dozer or a mini sweeper, Quattro will have one

Gary Youseman

In the pipeline 15

Quarter 1 2013

When Tony Allam took over Pirtek Glasgow in August 2012 itsignalled some unique and interesting changes for theGlasgow territory, one of which will shortly be Pirtek’s firstfemale MSST.Pirtek Glasgow’s operating territory covers the city centre ofGlasgow to Hart Hill on the M8, from Moffat in the South toFalkirk and Grangemouth. With an established core ofnational customers that include GAP, A-Plant, NationwidePlatform, BAM Ritchies and material handlers Briggs, andToyota, new owner Tony Allam has been exploring how toexpand the client base with some resounding successes as heexplains. “We are moving into the food and beverage sectorwith positive results from Devro, Wiseman Dairies, TenantsBrewery and Morrison Bowmore. But we have also beenlooking at static site work with the plastic injection mouldingfactories showing a keen interest as well. We have now takenon a full-time business development manager to drive saleswith a view to expanding the number of service vans in 2013.One of these will be manned by our first lady MSST.”Running Pirtek Glasgow marks a major career change forAllam but, he says, the success of the operation comes as nosurprise. “For 20 years, I owned and ran a haulage companyin Nigeria, running a tanker fleet for ExxonMobil and anotherfleet for oil field haulage, moving land rigs and chemicalsupplies. Our main clients were Halliburton, Panalpina andthe Bollore Group transporting outrageous loads over verydemanding territories. When I sold the Nigerian companiesand returned to Scotland I already knew about Pirtek and itsreputation as the best hydraulic company in the UK, so I wasdelighted to find Glasgow would be available,” he concludes.“With my past experience, I was able to ensure we provideda very high quality service, by doing the job wellfirst time, completing it safely, andgiving real value for money.”

All ChangeBucket ListIt would seem that the film Bucket List, which featured twopeople with a list of things to do before they died has inspiredthe staff at Pirtek Redditch.Sales manager Morton Connell decided to compile his own liststarting with driving a Ferrari around a race track as the numberone item. As a present, his family booked a session at Silverstone,where he spent the morning in the class room being instructed inhow to drive a Ferrari 360.He then spent 5 laps in a Racing Megane with an instructor whoassessed his driving abilities. This was followed with 5 laps in theFerrari with the instructor who gave valuable advice beforeletting Morton loose on his own..Morton admits it was extremely enjoyable and he achieved a verycreditable B rating for his performance. Out of a class of 30 only 2achieved a higher mark. Speed down the straight - 132mph!Morton says he has just 4 more to do, next on the list, something alittle less dangerous - taking the wife to Australia. he would alsolike to own a Jag XFR but thinks that winning the lottery will bethe only way of achieving that.

Not be outdone MSST JohnGriffin has managed to getthrough 9 of the 10 items on hislist - he deliberately left thetenth one to last, a freefallparachute skydive!. Jumping outof a perfectly servicable planeat 1200’ does sound insane butit at least completed John’s list.

www.pirtek-europe.com

After 18 years and more than 22,500 individual jobs, NottinghamMSST Ian Rigley is finally retiring.

When he started at Pirtek Derby, Ian Rigley had no idea he wouldbecome something of a legend amongst his customers. His engineering background and knowledge of engines made hima natural field engineer. He built upon this and became a railwayexpert at Nottingham along the way. An example of this wasdemonstrated when Pirtek Nottingham pitched to re-hose aFastline (Jarvis) rail tamping unit. The incumbent suppliers had claimed the job could be completedin so many days and at a set budget; Rigley said it wasn'tpossible and with the team at Pirtek Nottingham produced asurvey of all 224 hoses and landed a new customer because ofhis honest approach. He subsequently spent 370 hours replacingthe hoses. “In this business, you know what you are good at and you simplyget on with it. I've always enjoyed work, especially designingand then building something,” he says. “If something isobviously wrong or fails when it shouldn't, you don't just replaceit, you look at why the component has failed and put it right byimproving it. There is little point in copying someone else'smistake."Rigley says he particularly enjoyed working on the big machinesand often took on the work on the face shovels at the local pits.

Retiring Type

Ian with Gerald Milord and the experimental cement wagon. Below, Ian often moved the hydraulics on the wagon, having toturn a somewhat ramdom set of fittings into something a littlemove organised

In the pipeline 17

Quarter 1 2013

However, it was his eye for innovation earned him many admirers.A local authority had problems with a fleet of new £160,000Mercedes gritters in 2002. Rigley redesigned the 56 metres ofsteel oil hoses on a test vehicle. That worked so well he didanother nine vehicles. It was described by the customer as “awork of art.”Ian Rigley says that his speciality was custom manufacturingpipes for Volvo and Scanias where replacement parts are nolonger supplied by the OEM. They simply come with an attachednote - take to Pirtek for manufacture!Looking back at some of the engineering problems Rigley hasovercome shows a staggering diversity. He would cure apermanent drive PTO problem on Dennis refuse trucks thatprevented 140 litres of hydraulic oil emptying over the ground onone day and on another, repair a vintage Foden 2 stroke pumpingengine used for keeping a coal mine from flooding. One of Ian's great loves is vintage cars, and he was often askedfor by name to work on rare vehicles such as a 308 Ferrari, an evenrarer Metro 450 hp, 4x4 6R4, Stirling Moss's 1958 F1 racing car,on one hand, to fitting power steering to a vintage Rolls Royce toenable the owner to park it. He frequently manufactured partsfor the Nuttall Racing team. He says he must have re-hosed everyperformance car you can think of from E types to Lamborghinis He also recalls silver soldering a tiny 3 mm pipe for a Mercedes self-leveling suspension - pipes thatwere smaller than a match head.Not all machines found favour with Ian Rigley. He has a particulardislike of mini diggers where, he says, you need to be a snake with3 wrists to undo some fixtures. But necessity is the mother ofinvention and Ian simply invented his own spanners to solve theproblem. Skip lorry legs presented him with an access problem thatprompted the manufacture of an adapted crows foot spanner.And quick hitch joints led to the development of a super spanner;a cut down army surplus spanner, bought locally for a £1.Customers have been sad to see Ian Rigley hang up his tools andhave a lot of fond memories such as Balfour Beatty's rail planttechnical development manager, Gerald Milord. “It’s all aboutservice with Ian. I can remember we had a problem cleaning railson a project in Chile. Ian and I hand-built a cleaning trolley byhand that solved it. He re-piped a cement wagon to enable us tostrengthen the body for a crash test. Nothing was too muchtrouble and he always had a solution at hand.”This was the feeling echoed by Dave Flower, site manager atFrimstone's Toton sidings where railway ballast is recycled. "Ianis always spot on; always a star; always goes the extra mile. I can'tfault him, nothing was too much trouble. If he couldn't get a part,he'd simply make it. He’s as good as gold and we’ll miss him.”This sentiment was echoed at DB Schenker's rail facilities atStapleford. “Ian was outstanding. A brilliant engineer whoalways did such a good job,” says production manager WayneBuckley.At the Cemex Attenborough, quarry manager Vanessa Smithsonobviously has a soft spot for Ian Rigley. When she spotted himworking on a truck a few doors away from her home she made hima cup of tea. "How could I not? Ian is always on hand with asolution. A great guy to work with.”So will Ian Rigley be retiring quietly? Not a chance. “A bit oftravelling first, indulge my twin passions of fishing and shootingthen I shall look for a project such as a motorbike in a box, thatwants to be sorted,” he concludes. “But I'll stay in touch withPirtek Nottingham because they have my favorite lathe!"

Ian with Wayne Buckley at DB Schenker at Stapleford

Ian with Vanessa Smithson at Cemex Attenborough

Ian with Dave Flower at Frimstone’s Toton sidings

www.pirtek-europe.com

When you run one of the busiest recycling centres in thesoutheast, it is imperative that everything runs smoothly. With thehelp of a ‘top notch' MSST from Pirtek Greenwich, H Sivyer Limitedmanage to do just that.Sivyer's recycling centre is situated alongside the A102 Blackwalltunnel approach road, just across from the O2 Centre. To say it isbusy is something of an understatement, as anything up to 400vehicles will be loading and unloading from the site every day - 80of which will be Sivyer's own tippers.The site is divided into two parts, the A site deals with the reallyheavy material that needs to be processed before being broughtinto the B site for crushing and recycling. Much of the yard isneatly stacked with stockpiles of clean and precisely sizedmaterial, which considering the appalling weather of late is no

Hardcore Service mean feat. Sivyers produce a clean type one (75-100mm) plus 10,20 and 40 mm products from the recycled crushed material. The site will frequently dispatches 55,000 tonnes of recycledmaterial a month from the 2 hectare site, with a guaranteed 1,000tonne a week leaving by barge to the East Tilbury land reclamationsite. The Greenwich site copes with waste management, wasteremoval and the production, haulage and delivery of recycledaggregates, primary aggregates and hydraulically bound materials(SMR). There are 28 pieces of kit on site including a Terex jaw andimpact crusher, a pair of 36 tonne S190 triple-deck screeners, twosingle-deck screens, a 34 tonne R155 vibrating screener, a 61tonne 621RE topsoil trommel, six Volvo and Hyundai loadingshovels, five excavators and a volumetric mixer. Although thereare 11 employees on site, the fleet is serviced by just two fitters,and they work “al fresco” without a covered workshop."There is a constant need to maintain the yard vehicles. On top ofthe scheduled maintenance done under a planned preventivemaintenance programme every 200 hours, the vehicles work totheir absolute maximum. The real problem is often damage iscaused through trying to separate rebar from construction anddemolition waste, material falling from the conveyors, wear andtear from vibrating machinery - particularly the screens andcrushers,” says site service manager Mark Waller. “ There isn'tenough room to keep contingency machinery here, apart from itnot making economic sense to have unproductive kit sitting round.So everything has to be kept working. That’s easier said thandone, so we often call in our favourite engineer, Kevin Kearneyfrom Pirtek Greenwich to help."Waller reports that Kearney is a regular visitor to the site. "Wesee him here two or three times a day, his response times areamazing and he will give us priority help, often asking the otherGreenwich MSSTs to pick up his calls so that he can help us out.Nothing is too much trouble, even if we give him some dreadfuljobs to do, such as replacing screener hoses which run from oneend of he machine to the other with countless cable ties inbetween,” Waller continues. “He does loads of quick release hoseswhich seem to be prone to damage, plus all the O rings, adaptors,gate valve and spill kits, as well as all the regular replacementhydraulic hoses."Waller says that the service from Pirtek Greenwich in general andfrom Kevin Kearney has altered his initial opinion of Pirtek. “Westarted using Pirtek after a cold call some 18 months ago. I didn'ttake it too seriously at first as I assumed they would be tooexpensive. I was pleasantly surprised to find that Pirtek wereprepared to look at our needs, and our usual replacement hoserequirements and worked out a deal for us. So we get superbservice at a great price. Can't say better than that."

1st place for best Mo – DanWood from Pirtek Cambridge

Hair Today

2nd place Steven Green fromPirtek Norwich

3rd place Graeme Collings fromPirtek UK

As usual the guys atthe Pirtek Centresjoined in the annualMovembercompetition to raisemoney and awarenessfor The Prostate CancerCharity. The ‘Pirtek Hustlers’team managed to raise £1170between them.

In the pipeline 19

Competition

Quarter 1 2013

With the BTCC seasonsuccessfully concluded, ourlast lucky winner of 2012was Graham Lomax ofPolyflor Ltd who gave thecorrect answer of Knockhillwhen asked at which racecircuit did Pirtek Racingdriver Jeff Smith obtain hisfirst podium?For our first competiton of2013 and a chance to win 2 Experience day tickets to a race of their choice, justanswer the following question: Which trophy did AndrewJordan win in the BTCCcompetition in 2012?Please email your answer to info@pirtek.co.uk. The winner will be drawn from the correct entrieson 28th February 2013 Good luck.

Pirtek Glasgow is celebrating achieving accreditation underthe Safecontractor pre-qualification scheme.Safecontractor is a third party accreditation scheme thatassesses a company’s health and safety arrangements. Many major clients recognise the scheme and accept theSafecontractor certificate as confirmation of competency aspart of their own pre-qualification and procurementprocesses. Over one hundred and seventy major nation-widebusinesses, from several key sectors, have signed up to usethe scheme when selecting contractors for services such asbuilding, maintenance, refurbishment and mechanical work.Client organisations that sign up to the scheme can access thedatabase, enabling them to vet potential contractors beforethey set foot on site. These clients agree that, as users of thescheme, they will engage only those who have receivedaccreditation.“The Safecontractor scheme has been brought in as a quickfilter for subcontractors by a lot of our clients andprospective clients. In fact, Linde Forklifts has insisted thatas of January 2013 only Safecontractor accredited supplierscan work for them. John Nicoletti of Linde MH Scotland wasvery happy with our commitment,”says Pirtek Glasgow’s TonyAllam. “Thanks to Pirtek’s processes and the risk analysisthat were already in place and the fact that we adhere to ISOstandards meant the procedure was actually prettystraightforward. We are now the only company providinghydraulic repairs in the Glasgow area with it.” Tony Allam says that, although it is early days, he is alreadyseeing a positive reaction from his customers. “Our existingclients are happy that we have joined and we are looking atnew clients like Greggs Plc who are client members,” heconcludes. “Gaining accreditations is the best way ofdifferentiating ourselves from the independent suppliers wecompete against.”

Playing Safe

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In the pipeline

The champions!20

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The Independents’ Drivers Championship title for Andrew Jordanand the Independents’ Team Championship made it a fabulouslysuccessful season for Pirtek Racing in the 2012 MSA BritishTouring Car Championship.Once again, it was asensational season for thebiggest and best championshipin British motor sport. Over350,000 fans watched theaction from track side across10 events and more than 10million watched the dramaunfold on TV, both live and inhighlights programmes. Withmore than six hours of livecoverage of each and everyrace day, it is an unrivalledpackage.Equipped with the latestHonda Civic, resplendent in itseye-catching Pirtek livery,Andrew enjoyed a superbseason and ended the year as aclear champion in the hard-fought and prestigious Independents’Drivers Championship. He scored points in 27 of the 30 races andonly failed to finish three times: twice due to driving errors byother competitors. Only 2012 overall champion Gordon Sheddenhad a better finishing record.Within Andrew’s tally were eight Independent wins and a further11 Independent podiums as he comprehensively out-scored hismajor rivals Rob Collard, Tom Onslow-Cole and Mat Jackson. Bythe final race, he was a massive 69 points clear.In overall terms, Andrew established himself as the biggest rivalto the BTCC ‘big three’ of Shedden, Matt Neal and Jason Plato. Hewon at Snetterton and took a further eight overall podiums as hefinished fourth overall, only 30 points behind Plato. His stunningpace was best demonstrated in qualifying, where only Plato had abetter qualifying record across the 10 race meetings.With Jeff Smith racing hard in the other Pirtek Racing entry, theteam won the Independents’ Team Championship after a toughbattle with Redstone Racing and eBay Motors, two of the mostestablished teams in the championship.

In the final race weekend of the season, Andrew settled thedrivers’ title in the penultimate race and had a clear target forthe deciding race of the year. “The last race was all about theteams’ championship,” he said. “It was a great day and winningthe drivers’ title was the realisation of the ambition we set outwith at the start of the season. To win the Independent teams’championship when we’d gone to Brands behind on points wasreally good for all the guys at Pirtek Racing.”After such a successful 2012 campaign, Andrew and the team arealready making their 2013 ambitions clear: Andrew wants tochase the overall BTCC title!