in the pipeline - summer 2012

The fastest emergency hose replacement service there is

In the pipelineQuarter 3 2012

Riding High

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Contents

Published by Pirtek (UK) Limited35 Acton Park Estate, The Vale, Acton, London W3 7QETel 020 8749 8444 Fax 020 8749 8333 E-mail [email protected]

On the Udder Hand 2National Need 3Meat of the Matter 3Showing their Metal 4Keep on Trucking 5Breaking the Mould 5Cutting Edge 6Under Pressure 6Credit where it’s due 7Top of the Pile 7New Broom 8So you think you know Pirtek 8Racing Away 9Growth at a Rate of Knots 10All Shipshape at Heysham 11By Hook or by Crook 12Driving Force 12Land Locked 13Safety First 1 13Safety First 2 14Cast Iron Case 14Uplifting Experience 15Charity Bike ride 16In the Navy 18Tanked up for Charity 19Rocket Science 19BTCC 20

If the construction industry isthe barometer of the UKeconomy, then the UK quarryand extractive sector is amicrocosm of constructionsentiment. When constructionand civil engineering workloadis up, quarries are a hive ofplanning applications,extensions and large-scalecapital equipment purchases; ifconstruction is down, materialsstockpiling and extendedreplacement times ofequipment are the order of theday.

Sadly, the past few years haveseen a great deal ofrationalisation in the UK quarrysector, and those companiesthat continue to ply their tradein this highly competitivesector do so against a much-

reduced cost base that placesincreased emphasis onextending the working life ofequipment whilst minimisingunforeseen downtime.

Thankfully for Pirtek, thistrend plays to our strengths.Across the parts of the Pirteknetwork that operate withinthe traditional centres of UKquarrying activity, we haveinvested heavily in theadditional training required toearn a Quarry Passport.

Indeed, our National TrainingCentre is accredited to deliverthe training required to achievethis exacting standard,ensuring that our quarry-focussed MSSTs are suitablyknowledgeable to work within aquarry environment and that

they are equipped with theindustry-specific personalprotective equipment (PPE)necessary.

So when we arrive at theHillhead exhibition in Buxton(19 – 21 June 21 2012, StandU3), our exhibition unit may beout of its usual comfort zone atthe foot of a working quarry.But for the men and women ofthe Pirtek network, it will belike a home away from home.

Best regards

Kelvin RobertsChairman, Pirtek Europe

Closing in on our quarry...

Never one to refuse a challenge,Jason Woods from PirtekWorcester/Kidderminster alongwith Pirtek Oldbury’s Rob Greasleyhave taken on the Scally Rally2012 in aid of Help for Heroes.Milking the publicity for all it'sworth, their car, a very tired andbattered metallic green DaewooLanos, has been reliveried as a cow,complete with eyelashes! TheDaemooo is born. In true Top Gear style, the ScallyRally is an untimed Banger Rallyand driving challenge (not a race)driven on open public roadswithout using the motorways. Thecriteria for entry is any car costing£250 and under, any car pre 1989and any 2 litre 2 door car for under£500 is eligible. Jason and Robhave entered the £250 and undercategory. The car had to go as itwas sold ‘no rally boy mods!’ Eachday, the driving is accompanied bya challenge. Each team is awardedpoints that are totalled up on thefinal day to give the overall winner. The four day event starts on 29th

On the Udder Hand

June in Caernarfon, North Walesand finishes on day one - hopefully- in Lytham St Anne's in Lancashire.Supposedly the 180 mile coursevia Snowdonia should take justover six hours but the organisershave suggested a few diversionsalong the route such as a trip to thesummit of Snowdon by train!

Day two is a bit longer at 250 milesand includes the best the LakeDistrict can offer before going onto Dumfries. Day three and thejourney is back to 180 miles onroute to Inverary via the Clyde ferryat Gourock. Finally on day four the contestantsface a gruelling but picturesque270 mile journey to Fort William ina projected and very optimistic sixhours 20 minutes. If you would liketo support Jason and Rob, visitwww.justgiving.com/scally2012.

In the pipeline 3

Quarter 3 2012

National Need,Local Solution

The name Dunbia is unlikely to be well known to most members ofthe public, but its products most certainly will be. The NorthernIreland-based company is a major food processing companysupplying the majority of the major meat retailers in the country,and counting Sainsbury, Asda and Boots among its customers.The company’smodern Prestonprocessing facility -one of seven in the UKand Ireland -comprises of abeef/lamb abattoirand de-boning facility,plus a separate retailpacking operation,that processes up to1,500 cattle, 10,000lambs and 600 tonnesof retail packedproduct per week withproducts even findingtheir way toScandinavia. To keepthe facility workingrequires somepowerful hydraulic equipment and someequally efficient maintenance support,which is where Pirtek Preston fits into thestory. Called on to the site some 18 monthsago because of failings of an incumbentsupplier, Pirtek Preston found there weredefinitely areas for improvement. One ofthe first projects was to supply a miniswaging machine to cope with in-house hoserepairs up to 1/2". The power packs that run the equipment onthe abattoir lines are put under enormouspressure each day. Maintenance managerMick Robb asked if Pirtek could come upwith a service schedule to maintain thepower packs every 6 months. This includeschanging the hydraulic oil and filters as wellas any other repairs that need doing.‘They have attended our breakdowns on timeand have supplied a variety of fixtures,ferrules, fittings and hoses on site,’ saidMick Robb. ‘Since Preston MSST JohnOsborne has been doing our servicing, thepower packs have run far more efficiently.Mick concluded, ‘They will work round ourschedules and never complain about theworking surroundings. Equipment that wasbeing neglected has been restored andworking much more efficientlywithout breakdowns."

The Meat of the Matter

A-Plant is one of the biggest and best-known plant hirecompanies in the UK. Although a Pirtek national account, it is upto the national network of dedicated Pirtek Centres to ensurethat all the company's hydraulic equipment needs are met at alocal level.For instance, Pirtek Oldbury services the A-Plant BirminghamPowered Access centre. "We've used Pirtek for as long as I'vebeen with A-Plant, and that's 13 years. We have some prettyimpressive workshops here, with more than a dozen engineersservicing over 400 pieces of kit. This used to be solely a poweredaccess depot but recently, client demand has brought all sorts ofnew equipment on site. We can now supply diggers, dumpers,rollers and telehandlers as well as the retaining our massive fleetof MWEPs, booms and platforms," says workshop foremanRichard Halls. "We use Pirtek for all sorts of things now. They doour routine maintenance and repair supplies but in recent yearsthey have supplied spill kits, quick release couplings, provided fuellines, power washers and even sorted our ram repairs. Althoughwe have three mobile fitters on the road, it is often moreeconomical and faster to ask Pirtek to service a damaged machineon a customer's site, than to divert one of our fitters to a remotelocation. It's a better use of our resources and it takes thepressure off our staff."Richard says that, as a supplier of equipment that is driven bythird-party operators, the condition in which the machines are

returned is not alwaysideal. And once again,Pirtek provides thesolution. "It’s fair to saythat our equipment can beaffected by extremeconditions on somecustomer sites. This iswhere Pirtek are souseful,” Richard Hallsconcludes. “They arriveon time and equipped withall the right parts to getthe job done first time.Their quick responsemeans a machine can bereturned to service in avery short time.”

Pirtek Oldbury MSST Richard Ranger (left) and A Plant works foreman Richard Halls

Preston MMST John Osborne left, with Dunbia maintenancemanager Mick Robb

www.pirtek-europe.com

With the intriguing name of Less Common Metals Ltd, LCM is a companythat can boast of being only one of two companies in the world in thesame line of business. The company was founded in 1992 to cast rare earth alloys and producehigh purity indium. LCM was acquired by Meldform Metals in 1996 butthen separated out as a wholly-owned autonomous business, which wasbought by Canadian Great Western Mineral Group in 2008.LCM currently process yttrium, lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium,neodymium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium and erbium asVacuum Remelted (VR) products with impurities of >0.05%. The companyalso produce scandium, praseodymium, neodymium, samarium,gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium and lutetium as“sublimed products” with impurities of >0.1%.The technology involved in rare earth processing goes back to processesdeveloped at Hartwell for the British nuclear industry. Today the processis used to separate 16 elements into raw components that can be alloyedwith iron and used in high energy products, such as electric car batteriesand engines, wind turbines and super magnets used in 'green' products.The latter has particular significance as they used to replace gearboxes inturbines making them far more efficient and cost effective.LCM is currently moving into new custom made 6,100 m2 facilities inEllesmere Port that will provide employment for 150 people. The facilitywill be home to the existing furnaces and five new ULVAC furnaces thatwill produce 4,000 tonnes of specialist alloys every year.The company has already moved its 20 year old, 30 kg crucible 'Big Blue'furnace - used to pre-strip alloys prior to the casting and manufacture ofspecialist steels - to the new site. LCM spent five weeks refurbishing it

during installation. This has meant installing 300 metresof hose; not to carry oil, but water at 2.5 bar pressureand with a flow of 250l/min, to cool the furnace. PirtekEllesmere Port not only undertook this work but alsodesigned and manufactured a complex manifold maincooling block. This has two main inlet feeds at thebottom of the manifold and 34 cooling outlet hosesranging in size from 1 1/4, 3/4", 1/2" and 3/8". Pirtek hadjust a week to complete the work, which was undertakenby Mark McTigue, the company’s hydraulic engineer, withthe assistance of his apprentice Ryan Cruickshank. LCMhas also purchased the first state-of-the-art ULVACfurnace from China but were dismayed to find thecooling system supplied bore a striking resemblance to aHeath Robinson invention. Again Pirtek and MarkMcTigue were called in to see if they could rescue thesituation. Mark is currently producing drawings prior tothe manufacture of a new cooling system. These planswill be taken to China so that the existing system can be

rebuilt to UK standards. LCM contracts manager Andy Gibb has beenimpressed with Pirtek's input on the project."When we moved the old furnace, it was obviouswe needed to install a new cooling system. Weshowed Pirtek what we needed and theydesigned and manufactured a completely newand bespoke manifold block, which is a work ofart. It really is a beautiful piece of engineering.So when we purchased the new ULVAC furnace,and found that the cooling system was sopoorly built, Pirtek was the obvious choice to

provide the solution,” Gibb concludes. "We have used Pirtek for manyyears for all sorts of hydraulic work but recently we have been using theirmanufacturing and design skills and they have come up trumps again. Thisis where you realise what a huge range of skills the company has to offer."

Showing theirMetalMark McTigue and Ryan Cruickshank and

the refurbished ‘Big Blue’ furnace

Below, the Pirtek designed and manufacturedcooling block Opposite, Ryan with the first of 5 new ULVACfurnaces he will be looking after

Mark and Ryan and the‘Heath Robinson’ coolingsystem they are redesigning

In the pipeline 5

Quarter 3 2012

Based in Oldham, the trucks of TTX are acommon site on the surrounding roads.Resplendent in their bright blue and limegreen livery they aren't exactly easy to miss,but recently one truck in particular hasbecome somewhat more eye-catching thatthe rest of the fleet.

The truck in question is an adapted Renault tractor unit, which hasbeen raced by Luke Taylor of the TTX Motorsport Truck RacingTeam. 2010 was Taylor's first season driving in Class B of thechampionship. It was a baptism of fire, the first race taking placeat the fearsome Nurburgring in Germany. Purchased in 2010, theunit has had the engine moved back and lowered to improvestability and the chassisstiffened, but it is a basic 5.5tonne Renault Premier truckwith an 820 kW engine limited to160 km/hour. That is stillpowerful enough to get roundBrands just 9 seconds slowerthan a racing car, even though ithas the added disadvantage ofbeing left-hand drive just tomake life more awkward."Pirtek Oldham has been involved with us from the start of thedevelopment of the racing truck. They've been involved with thepower steering pipes, all the hydraulic pipes and the fuel lines.It's an ongoing programme though,” Taylor says. “We use Pirtek

for all the usual maintenance andbreakdown work with thegeneral fleet, so they were anatural choice for the racingtruck. They have been a long-standing supplier and we usethem simply because they arebrilliant."

Keep on Trucking

Dudley-based plastic injection moulders SG Dieplas is one of thosepioneering engineering companies who seem to be able to make justabout anything (so long as it's made out of plastic).There can be few companies that boast such a diverse and disparateproduct range. The SG Dieplas portfolio includes keys for Ford cars, guitarplectrums, letterboxes, birdfeeders, control system boxes, steeringbushes, radiator taps, locker locks, luminous laser gun clays, drain pipeclips and even golf bag bottoms. The company not only designs all themoulds to customer specification but is also able to manufacture all thedies in its own workshops. Owner George Ward obviously takes greatpride in the products. "The company has survived in spite of ferocious FarEast competition simply because we can respond to customer needs. Weoffer technical advice and can deal with all sorts of special requirements.We do everything from design to manufacture. We are fast and flexible,and we’re quite prepared to make small batches at short notice, but thatmeans we need to be operational at all times," he says. However, this was not the case, when recently one of the injectionmoulding machines sprung a major hydraulic leak in the middle of animportant run. With their local hydraulic supplier closed down and unableto help, Ward remembered a sales call from Pirtek Oldbury some weeksearlier, and a phone call brought MSST Richard Rainger to the companywithin a few minutes. Unfortunately the damaged hose had unusualfittings, which meant that on this rare occasion, the hose couldn't bemanufactured on site. However, Richard quickly phoned through therequirements so that the Centre could make it for him. He then returnedto the Centre, collected the hose and had it fitted within 43 minutes of thecall out!George Ward admits that the Pirtek performance was impressive."Pirtek pulled out all the stops and had us up and running wellwithin the hour,” he concludes. “If we have a problemin the future, Pirtek Oldbury will be ourfirst point of contact."

Breaking theMould

George Ward and a Vauxhall Astra steering bush he was recently asked to produce, behindhim are some of the myriad of moulding blocks the company have machined in house

Left to right Alex Martinez, Pirtek OldhamDepot manger, Luke Taylor of TTX and AndyBrereton, Pirtek Oldham trade counter


As part of its austerity measures, the Government has demandeddramatic cuts, and local authority grants have been severelycurtailed. But when you’re at the sharp end of this dilemma, it'sreassuring to know there is a sympathetic supplier at hand.Andrew Doig is the workshop supervisor with Edinburgh CityCouncil. He provides what can only be described as a superbservice to the public. Andrew’s department services every assetthe council owns - that's 800 vehicles - although he admits thathas dropped from over 1,000 in recent years as the Council goeswithout certain vehicles or gains more productive use from theremaining fleet. In the course of the day, Andrew and his team will serviceeverything from a Corsa car to a tractor, an excavator or grittinglorry. He treats every department within the Council as acustomer and gives them optimum value for money, a fast turnaround and excellent service. “If a gritter breaks down in themiddle of the night, it has to be repaired there and then. But wemight be in the middle of a dozen other maintenance jobs at thesame time. And they will all be urgent. It's hard work keepingeveryone happy,” Andrew explains. “As the budget cuts have comeinto play, we have lost some of the workforce and vehicles are not

Cutting Edge

Under PressurePirtek Ashford has just celebrated its20th anniversary. Set up in April 1992and located in the Garden of England,the Centre covers East Kent and EastSussex, from Ramsgate in the north to Hastings in the south.Originally part of the franchisecovering Erith, Mitcham and Medway, itis now run by Licensee Daniel Peters,who took control nine years ago.Peters spent 15 years working forCromwell before being tempted towork for Pirtek as sales manager.When David Cowpie - the originalLicensee - decided to sell the Ashford

franchise, Daniel jumped at the chance and has never looked back."The Ashford Centre really has gone from strength to strength. I have areally great team working with me, which has been acknowledged

recently with our Senior MSST, Steve Barrett, winning the Pirtek MSST of the Year runner-up prize,” Daniel says. "Everyone knows Pirtek in

the plant sector, so to grow the Ashford Centre business, we have beenlooking at new business opportunities, particularly in the agriculturalfields that surround Ashford. With well over half of our territoryclassified as rural, it made sense to introduce ourselves to the localfarming community. That has really paid dividends and we have a lot ofnew accounts in this sector. Farmers andagricultural contractors have appreciated the fastturn around using the mobile workshops,especially when they have an expensive piece ofhired equipment sitting idle in a field, in the middleof nowhere."But, having conquered his local agricultural sector,Daniel Peters is not yet ready to rest on his laurelsand is already looking at additional services tooffer customers. "As a new venture we now offerhigh and low hose pressure testing andcertification, which has proved very popular withthe fuel, nuclear power, marine and pharmaceuticalsectors,” he concludes. “Just another instance ofPirtek innovation."

being replaced. This means they require more maintenance work,but by a smaller maintenance crew. But we will continue toprovide the best possible service because the people ofEdinburgh deserve that. Where we can become more efficient, wedo, and where we can economically outsource, we will. We haveEcon gritters, but there is only one Econ engineer in Scotland - andboy is he in big demand.”Another key example of Andrew’s “outsource where appropriate”mantra is in his relationship with Pirtek. “If we get a hydraulicfailure away from the depot, it makes economic sense to use anoutside provider rather than take one of our engineers away fromother urgent work. That is pure efficiency as well as a better useof resources. Keeping the gritters on the road is a feat in itself,and knowing Pirtek will rescue a problematic vehicle is a Godsend.We have tried the opposition and prices can become verycompetitive but Pirtek are reliable, they deliver the service, have agreat rapport with our engineers and provide a real priorityservice,” Andrew Doig concludes. 'Their emergency service isbrilliant. If we are out in the snow, then I know Pirtek is as well,providing that vital back up to provide the services the people ofEdinburgh have come to expect.”

Workshop manager Andrew Doig

In the pipeline 7

Quarter 3 2012

Vibro Menard, now part of the Soletanche Freyssinet geotechnicalcontracting group, employs a truly unique method of providing stablepiles and foundations. The company’s specialist equipment is oftenremodelled from basic excavators, usually with a little help from Pirtek."I don't refer to John Osborne - our Pirtek engineer from Preston - as anMSST. He's now our on-site hose manipulator," says Graeme McLoed, siteengineer at Vibro Menard's site at Preston. "There is a good examplesitting outside. This was a standard Komatsu 450LC, but we have altered ita trifle and John has done all the hose work.” To describe the Komatsu asslightly altered is something of an understatement as the entire front ofthe machine had been removed and replaced with a piling assembly."The company has been going for 18 years under one guise or another andhas come up with some very innovative engineering piling solutions. Wehave Vibro Stone Columns, which are designed to improve the load bearingcapabilities of in situ soils and to reduce settlement. We use a vibratingprobe to introduce a granular aggregate through either top or bottomfeed. Then there is an auger system employed in Controlled Moduscolumns that are used on weak soils or near existing

Top ofthe Pile

structures. Vibro Concrete columns are a cheap alternative to piling insoft soils. We also manufacture Bi-modulus column equipment, which usesgranular and solid material for footings where a stone column isinappropriate in very soft soils. Then we manufacture equipment forproducing vertical or wick drains which are used to stabiliseembankments,” Graeme explains. “But at the heart of the company is theVibrocompaction system where we can introduce granular aggregate byvibrating probe. We even have a similar method utilising vacuumconsolidation. All of this is very specialised, and we often call in PirtekPreston at the design stage before we even get to manufacture. There arelots of competitors to Pirtek, but I'm not sure if there is anyone that canprovide the same service. I am notorious for wanting things done right - that's my way, but John knows exactly what I want. We have an extremely good working relationship because John does such a good job."

Winning the Pirtek Franchise of the Year award isgenerally something to shout about, particularly as itcentres on sound management. However Pirtek CrawleyLicensee Steve Constable remains modest despiteaccepting this year's award.“This is very much a team effort. It’s an award for the entireCentre,” Steve says. “We have an excellent team, from thegirls in the office who keep the wheels turning smoothly inallocating the work through to invoicing; the Trade Counterwho supply all the weird and wonderful parts needed, andmost of all, the MSSTs who will cope with whatever thecustomers throw at them. We have superb customer retention whichproves we are reacting to customer needs and this has led to sustainedgrowth through the past year, not easy in these economic times.”Despite those tough economic times, Pirtek Crawley has continued toinvest, recruiting and appointing sales manager Steve Byrne who is able togo out and have face-to-face meetings with customers. “Appointing asales manager has brought its own rewards. It enables us to show theenormous range of Pirtek products and services directly to the customerand, as a result, we now get the opportunity to quote for work that mightpreviously have passed us by, simply because customers were unaware of

our capabilities in certain specialist areas,” Steve Constable concludes.”The 1 hour ETA from the initial call to arrival on site is at the very heart ofour service. We like to think we do such a good job that we becomeinvaluable to our customers .”

Credit Where It’s Due

Vibro’s Graeme McLoed left, with Preston MSST John Osborne

Despite arriving at 7.30am for the photo, there are still two members of staff missing - theywere already hard at work on customer sites. Within five minutes of this photo being taken allof the MSSTs were out on calls!

Like many UK councils, Ashfield District Council has borne the brunt ofgovernment cutbacks . A little outside help in these circumstances goesa long way, as Pirtek Mansfield discovered.David White, Transport Services Manager for Ashfield District Counciltook on his role six years ago when the council was deemed to be failing,"We had many issues which needed correcting urgently" David said. "Afterjust nine months we had put enough correctional procedures in place, andwe earned an 'Excellent' rating from VOSA. " David has a very stoicapproach to problems, so when he heard that his budget had been cutdrastically, he simply looked at ways to run his department even moreeconomically. "Ashfield District Council is part of a county-wide buyingconfederation which allows disparate groups to pool their buying powerfor capital equipment purchases. This standardises equipment, andspares, and we get a common vehicle to work with such as a Dennis refusetruck or a Ford Transit. This in turn cuts down on training," he explains. "Wenow have a vehicle replacement policy that means vehicles have to be atleast six years old before they are even considered for replacement.However our maintenance team do their best to keep council vehicles

Pirtek is so well knownfor hydraulic hoses andfittings that it’s easy toforget that the companyis expert in other fieldsas well. Pirtek Cork hasseveral specialist piecesof equipment that couldsave companies afortune.Its top of the rangeErcolina pipe bender iscertainly the best

machine on the market and was originally purchased for pipe manipulationwith an OEM client that manufactures conveyors and crusher kits. But ithas a myriad of other uses. This impressive piece of kit can bend stainless,mild, galvanised and passivated steel pipes with diameters of between sixand 42 mm, manipulating them into intricate shapes ideal for replacementexcavator pipes amongst other things. Although most of the pipes aremanufactured at the Cork Centre, it is possible to lift the unit into a service

So you think you know Pirtek?van and take to a customer site for urgentrepairs. This has been particularly useful for buscompanies when remanufacturing powersteering hoses, and on marine sites where all theship pipe work seems to be unique. Pirtek Corkhas even used it on military applications and ithas more than proved its worth on industrial siteswhere hydraulic power packs have to be movedand the steel pipes extended. Pirtek Cork also has two mobile pot filters forhire. The larger six-pot unit was recently usedaboard a navel vessel to separate seawater thathad ingressed into the hydraulic system of the stabilisers. The unit wastaken aboard and the system filtered and cleaned at sea. Pirtek then ranan oil analysis programme to verify the process had worked. The smallertwo-pot filter is ideal for in-house factory filtration and for use withvehicle fleets where oil can be flushed and filtered in an economic fashionto save a fortune in replacement oil. Pirtek Cork will run a three and sixmonthly oil analysis to check on contamination, ensuring that the highquality required in hydraulic systems is not compromised.

NewBroom

running as long as possible. With over 1,000 items of equipment rangingfrom Astra cars to 32 tonne tippers, that can amount to huge savings. Butit also places an additional strain on the maintenance crews." David Whitestated, “The only time I will outsource a service is to a specialistcontractor, hence our use of Pirtek. We do not have the capability tomanufacture hydraulic hoses, nor do I wish to keep spares and stocks thatsimply become another costly overhead. If I employ Pirtek Mansfield toattend the vehicle where it has failed, it is repaired quickly, returned toservice faster than we could effect a repair, and we have retained ourprecious maintenance crew servicing on our own work. That is efficientuse of resources and is very cost effective,” he concludes. "We don'ttender but we constantly review prices. We have used other hydrauliccompanies but we findthat Pirtek provides asuperior service and afaster response. If I wanta vehicle repaired, I simplypick up the phone andmake it Pirtek's problem.And with a contingency ofjust two refuse trucks toplay with, I know theywon't let me down."

Nottingham and Mansfield franchiseeSteve Maguire left, with David White,transport manager at the AshfieldDistrict Council depot in Mansfield


In the pipeline 9

Quarter 3 2012

The Relentless International North West 200 is Ireland’s largestoutdoor sporting event, attracting crowds of 150,000 as well asthe biggest names in motorbike racing. Taking place in May, thespectacular and beautiful circuit runs between the towns ofPortrush, Portstewart and Coleraine – home to the famousGiant’s Causeway. However, like the Isle of Man TT, it has had its fair share of spills.To help cut down on the accidents, Pirtek Belfast sponsored thenew chicane at Mathers Cross, which is almost as famous as theNorth West 200 itself, and not one for the throttle-shy riders. Itis the most spectacular corner on the course and historically it hasproven one of the most dangerous and difficult to perfect. With the North West being the premier racing event in Ireland, itbecame the obvious choice for Pirtek involvement. And the Irishmotor enthusiasts certainly get their money's worth at this event,as the race sets out in three groups of anything up to 15 riders,unlike the TT when riders are released individually on timed laps.As a result the North West is far more spectacular. Amazinglyeven with a crowded and narrow circuit, Martin Jessop hit anunbelievable 208mph on his Ducati 1198 in first practice. Mervyn Whyte MBE, Event Director said, “The 2012 RelentlessInternational North West 200 has been hailed by fans as one ofthe best ever, with World class racing once again returning toNorthern Ireland. This leading motor sport event is also becomingever more attractive for companies wishing to become sponsorsand give their brand the tremendous exposure that the NorthWest 200 offers. Companies such as Pirtek, who for the first timethis year sponsored the Mather’s Chicane on the famous nine miletriangle circuit and look set to be back for next year’s races. Wevery much appreciate Pirtek becoming involved with the 2012Relentless International North West 200 as the sponsor of theMather’s Chicane section of the circuit and we look forward toworking with the company in the future”.The meeting took place in a rare oasis of sunshine, which meantthat the racing took place at top speed and the hospitality offeredto guests and customers alike took place in the dry! Pirtek Belfastenjoyed a big boost of publicity, plenty of trade enquiries and achance to say thank you to loyal customers. It was such a successthat Pirtek will almost certainly be back in 2013.

Left - Pirtek even got a plug at the pit lane entrance as (1) Alistair Seeley, (6) William Dunlop, (86) Cameron Donald and (5) Bruce Anstey hurl past

Howard Bull (Pirtek Belfast Sales Development Manager) with 90s motorcycle ace Carl Fogarty

Above - Start of Race five on Saturday afternoon

The Belfast Pirtek team (L to R) Dave Cater, John McCourt, Alan Craig, Connor Doherty, Colin Deane, Howard Bull, Stephen Purssell, Cathy Doyle, Debbie Pritchard, David Adams

Brian Patterson, Service Manager for HeynForklifts was competing as aprivateer, with his son (right)acting as mechanic.

Racing Away

Formed in 1996 as part of the giant Clipper Group, Seatruckwas the first company to offer a dedicated freight serviceacross the Irish Sea. Such was the demand that the companynow operates four new high-speed, purpose-built ferriesbetween Warrenpoint, Larne and Heysham.The four new 5,300 tonne, 50M Euro German built ferries (twoin operation, one about to be delivered and one being built)have increased Seatruck's capacity from 90,000 to 130,000trailer units on each ferry, and provide a faster crossing from 9hours down to 8 hours by increasing the speed from 15 to 21knots. This has resulted in a 20 percent growth in freight traffic.Seatruck now claims a 20 share of the Irish Sea crossing trafficcompared with just 3.7 percent in 2004."The new 142 metre ferries mean that Seatruck can offer 150trailers per crossing rather than the original 68 on the olderferries. Like our competitors, we have a four-hour turn roundat the end of each journey with a longer Saturday to Sundayevening non sailing slot. These are our maintenance timeswhere we rely on Pirtek Penrith," says Seatruck superintendent,Steve Lear. "There is very little point in trying to keep all thehydraulic spares we need for the ferries in stock; we wouldneed a huge stock of materials and some of the hoses are datesensitive, which means they would almost certainly have to bedisposed of if they weren't used within the allotted time. Thisis where we use Pirtek's expertise. We hold a small range offrequent-use hoses that Pirtek make and store for us on site.Alternatively, we warn them a ferry is coming into port needinga replacement part, and they are on the dockside when wearrive. The old hose is removed, a replacement made and fitted.They always arrive with the right hose and fittings and I knowwe will have an effective hose replacement done on the spotthat is often better than the OEM part.”Lear says that Pirtek’s ability to supply such a wide variety ofhoses, assemblies and other allied items is a key to theirsuccess with Seatruck. "We know that whatever we throw atPirtek they will come up with a solution. This year we have hadthem work on winches and mooring rams, hydraulic hoses tosprinkler systems,” Steve Lear concludes. “Pirtek Penrith alsocarried out a detailed hose audit. All the hydraulic hoses onboard were inspected and labelled, so that if a part fails, isdamaged or needs replacing, our engineers can phone in theorder and it will be waiting for our fitters. That has saved a lotof time and proved very convenient for the company. We didn'tget to be the biggest freight carrier across the Irish Sea byaccident but by careful planning, and I'd like to think we chooseour suppliers in the same way. We've been a long timecustomer of Pirtek because they know how we work and whatwe need to make our operations successful."


Growth at a Rate of Knots

Over the past 20 years, Pirtek have become renowned for th is just one of 10 industry sectors that the company work wit is so valued that they service two of the biggest rivals on th However, each of shipping companies has unique operating m

Top - The Seatruck Panorama at Heysham about to take a fresh load to BelfastCentre - Zaczek Gregororz (Greg) - C/O, Pirtek Penrith’s MSST Peter Croff and AworskiWkodzimierz (Wolf) - bosunBottom - Peter pauses alongside part of the newly refurbished ramp hydraulic piping

In the pipeline 11

Quarter 3 2012

On the face of it, the closure of the Fleetwood-Belfast ferryroute sounds like another tale of recessionary demise. Itwas, in fact, a rationalisation of Irish Sea ferry services thathad been instigated months earlier after DFDS had bought-out Norfolk Lines and were in turn purchased by Stenna Lines.In June 2011, the UK Competition Commission followed thelead set by its Irish counterpart and formally approved StennaLine’s takeover of the DFDS routes between Birkenhead andBelfast and Heysham and Belfast. The approval concludedsixth months’ of discussions, investigations and rulings.During this time, the two routes had been operated by aseparate company, known as Stenna Line Irish Sea Ferries.The four ships across the two routes have already beenrenamed and are now known as the Stenna Mersey, StennaLagan, Stenna Scotia and Stenna Hibernia. The Scotia (Englishengineers and Polish crew) and Hibernia (Dutch engineers andPolish crew) were taken from the DFDS Rotterdam route andnow run from Belfast to Heysham. At 142 metres in length andcapable of carrying 120 trailers, the ferries were built in 1996and are biggest that can get into Heysham. Each will havemoved in excess of 100,000 trailer units each last year. Thetwo 13,000 tonne ferries powered by 10,400 kW turbines, runat 18 knots for the 8 hour trip, and have a fairly exactingexistence on the near 200 kilometre journey, with only a fourhour turn around window at the end of each journey. "We haveto be fairly self supporting" says the Hibernia’s chief engineer,Marcel Schoon. "We have a crew of 21 including the sevenofficers who maintain the ship at sea, and we carry a fairnumber of spares for any work there. The ships are very welllooked after but we use Pirtek for all our hydraulic parts,hoses and fittings. We plan all our maintenance in advanceand order any parts so they are waiting for us when we dock.We use our own fitters on board to do any work. We have beenvery pleased with Pirtek Penrith, especially with the shortdelivery times." This is a note picked up by Stenna Line's Steve Docherty, one of25 Stenna staff at Heysham responsible for the running of theships. "We simply can't afford to lose a sailing. The knock-oneffect takes days to sort out, so the ships have to run to maximumefficiency,” Docherty asserts. "We have been a longstandingcustomer with Pirtek simply because they know we have a shortturn around at the end of each trip with the only decentmaintenance slot occurring after 5 pm on Saturday when the shipis docked until Sunday at 9 pm. All our repair work has to besorted in that time. Any major work will be dealt with when theship is dry docked at the end of every year. We regard Pirtek verymuch as part of our logistic train and they manage to supply all ourhydraulic needs, sometimes at very short notice. We areimpressed with their work and response."

All Ship Shape at Heysham

heir hydraulic work with plant, but it should not be forgotten that this thin. In this special feature we show that Pirtek Penrith’s marine work he Irish Sea freight route operating out of the same port of Heysham.

methods and needs.

Bottom (l-r) - In the control room, Kesvan Esveld - 3rd engineer Jan Treulr - 2nd engineerMarcel Schoon - chief engineer

Close co-operation between Stenna & Pirtek Penrith means that the ferries run at maximum efficiency

As soon as the ferry docks, PirtekPenrith are ready and waiting withany spares


Founded in 1956, Chorley-based C.P. Davidson & Sons Ltd has builtan enviable reputation in the maintenance, refurbishment and supplyof municipal equipment; most notably refuse collection vehicles inthe seven to 32 tonnes class. With an extensive fleet of vehicles onhire, the company also handles over 600 pieces of equipmentnationwide on contract maintenance from 11 nationwide sites.CPD acquired the Telstar Winter Road Maintenance Equipment brandin 2009 and now produces a range of gritting bodies and equipment.The company diversified further and now holds stock for Telstar,Semat, Translift and Rotopacker, is a distributor of Seddon and Ivecoparts, and are Cummins engine diagnostic and Wabco brakingsystems engineers.John Osborne from Pirtek Preston is in regular contact with CPD,especially the Preston depot, which services the 80 SuezEnvironmental/Sitar refuse trucks based across Lancashire."Pirtek service our breakdowns, and help me keep everything on theroad. We have to deal with a broad spectrum of work on just aboutevery aspect of the body and chassis. Refuse trucks are notoriousfor getting damaged, although our designs seem to be cutting downon the vulnerable areas. However the hydraulic systems go through alot of movement and the hoses have a lot of wear and tear as aconsequence. To put it bluntly they get a real hammering in service,"explains CPD Preston contracts manager Stephen Davidson. "Pirtekwon our work from another company because their service was somuch better. Their preventative work and superior products have cutdown on the number of call outs, but we also have the luxury ofknowing we can call them out night and day and send them off to aremote location to effect a repair. I can also use Pirtek Preston as aone stop call out centre for breakdowns out of area. We get coverageat night and I know they carry all the right equipment on boardincluding PETUA hose. If Pirtek prices are anything to go by, we weredefinitely overcharged by our previous supplier. Now, not only do Iget lower costs, but I get better service as well.”

By Hook or by Crook

When you drive onto the Forddistribution site at Speke onthe outskirts of Liverpool, youcould be forgiven for doing adouble-take. For there,beneath the Ford flags flyingproudly overhead are row uponrow of Tata-built Land Rovers.

The site is controlled by JLR Transport, a Fordsubcontractor that is alsoresponsible for the distribution of the 300 Fords bought on to the site bytrain every day, as well as the stored Land Rovers. JLR has a fleet of 62trailers operating out of Speke, each with an average load of eightvehicles on a 2-3 multi drop programme to be completed during a singleday. The bulk of the fleet are two-year old Volvos, the remainder beingScanias with an average age of six years. However, the company’s fleet ofLOHR trailers are around 12 years old and are, therefore, moresusceptible to hose failures through sheer wear and tear. Mike Schmidt,transport engineering manager for JLR, oversees a crew of eight at the10-bay full length fitting facility. He admits that car transporters arenot the easiest vehicles to maintain. "Because the decks are so exposed,the fixtures and fittings are very prone to corrosion. There are plenty ofhoses on the vehicles and trailers and they are often extremely long, sowhen one does go, it often means removing metres of decking to get to it.The hose lengths on the Volvos aren't quite so long but they have morerams. Needless to say there is a constant supply of vehicles undergoingmaintenance in the workshops. As a result we often have PirtekLiverpool in here two or three times a week on everything from ramreplacements to hose repairs," Schmidt says. "We run a very tightpreventive maintenance programme. There is a daily inspection, a six-week inspection and all the normal service programmes in place, but youcan guarantee we will still get an on the road failure atsome point. I use Pirtek Liverpool because they are onsite within half an hour and they can be used as anational contact point for a breakdown anywhere in thecountry. We have been a long-standing customer ofPirtek and I'm pleased to say it's because of the servicewe receive. You only have to look at the storage facilityoutside with4,000+ cars on thesite and you willsoon appreciatethe logisticsconcerned. Youhave to make sureeverything runssmoothly andPirtek help us dojust that."

DrivingForce

Director Stephen Davidson left at the Prestonworkshops with Preston MSST John Osborne

CPD’s Andrew Strange left at Chorley withPreston MSST John Osborne

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Quarter 3 2012

Pirtek Redditch, deep in the Heart of England and about as far from thesea as it is physically possible to be, is the last Pirtek Centre you wouldexpect to have a marine customer. However, ABC Leisure Group Limited which has been building andoperating a hire fleet for over 35 years, called in Pirtek Redditch to supplythe hydraulic systems for their new-build narrow boats. Situated on theBirmingham - Worcester canal at Alvechurch in Worcestershire, ABCbuilds steel-hulled narrowboats, complete with all the modernconveniences such as bow thrusters, which make manoeuvring the 20metre, six berth vessels so much easier. As a new concept, these vesselsare shared-ownership, enabling customers to part own a narrowboat foras little as £12,000. "This concept has proved extremely popular," saysproduction manager Paul Bridgewood. "We are already building our fourthboat and use Pirtek for all the hydraulic work. The 32 kW Kubota/Betamarine engine powers the hydraulic system. Pirtek has installed a block inthe engine compartment that operates all the components including thebow thrusters at the other end of the boat. This entails three hosesrunning the entire length of the boat, to the suction delivery hose to thepump, the return value to the 'Bowman', which uses canal water to cool theengine, and the suction delivery hoses for the propulsion units."Remarkably the installation is done in two halves on different days, usuallytaking just five hours to completely install all the hydraulic work. David

Land-LockedTop left, David Morris of ABC Leisure (left) Pirtek Redditch MSST Mark Sayer and SalesManager Morton Connell admiring the latest addition to the ABC fleetAbove right Mark is squeezed into the tiny engine compartment Below left, the bow thruster unit, below right the Kobuta engine with numerous Pirtek hosesattached and the Pirtek block that keeps the hydraulic hoses in order

David Morris (left) and production manager Paul Bridgewood of ABC Leisure

Morris, team leader in charge of the installations, has nothing but praisefor Pirtek. "Every time Pirtek does an installation, they bring in new ideasthat make life easier for ABC during the construction,” he concludes. “Theyare very proactive with plenty of engineering suggestions, precisely hequalities we look for in an engineering partner."

Safety First 1After a gruelling18-monthprocess, PirtekSouthampton hasbecome the firstPirtek Centre toachieve SafeContractoraccreditation.

The certificationrecognises veryhigh standards ofhealth and safety practise amongst UK contractors and involves a hugeprocedural programme that ranges from achieving exceptional healthand safety standards that involved in-depth questionnaires,certification proofs, policy statements, company structure andorganisation through to details such as communication with staff.

There are training programmes to be observed and even the coststructure of the company is investigated. “As Pirtek already holds ISO9001, OHSAS 18001 and ISO 14001, the company are MoD approved,registered with the Environment Agency, accredited with City & Guilds2340-53, are part of the Investor in People programme and all the all thestaff are qualified in H&S,” says Southampton Sales Manager NickEdwards. “This seemed like the only accreditation we didn't alreadyhold. We realised just how long the process would take, but it does givethe company added credibility on government and local tenders andcertainly helps when bidding for national accounts as it shows a highlevel of competence that is nationally recognised.”This is a view echoed by Southampton Licensee Kieron Sullivan. “Here inSouthampton we have a lot of local competition. I thought the SafeContractor Accreditation would make us stand out from the crowd andgive our present and future customers the knowledge that they aredealing with the Premier hose replacement service on the south coast.Safe Contractor accreditation will enhance the company’s ability to attract new contracts and its commitment to safety will be viewed positively by its insurers when the company liability policy is up for renewal.”

The Falkirk based company has a regular collection contract withCaterpillar-owned Progress Rail Services at Queensferry. The state-of-the-art foundry makes a range of castings for theconstruction equipment giant’s huge range of excavators. Theprocess requires huge amounts of casting sand that is collectedand recycled by Morton Demolition. The company also has a contract to process the waste castingsteel, which is often too large to be reused in the furnaces. This isremoved using conventional chain lift skips and taken back to aprocessing yard where it is cut up using excavator-mounteddemolition shears. Recently the company was using a new MAN skip lorry to collect a


Morton Demolition could have been forgiven for thinking that a brandnew truck might be unlikely to break down. But the company received adouble-dose of 'Murphy's law' on a recent contract.

Cast Iron Case

load of sand. “The vehicle was hooked up and starting to pull thebin onto the back of the lorry when a hydraulic hose burst. Icouldn't believe it. This was a hose that had only just beenreplaced the week before under the manufacturer’s warranty, andnow it had blown the end off the replacement hose,” recalls driverNat Hill. “We didn’t have the time to get a replacement from MANor to argue over what had happened. The truck was stuck in themain entranceway, with the load half on the back. There was noway to move the truck or drop the load off to move out of the way.There was only one solution - a Pirtek call out. They wereextremely quick, especially as this was the day of the big stormand the closure of the Forth Bridge. They soon had the MANrepaired and the skip loaded and out of the way. The MSSTrefilled the hydraulic system, and even cleared up the spill. I wassuitably impressed, and very relieved.”

Despite some of the worse weather to hit Scotland in recent years, Pirtek Edinburgh managedto dodge the traffic chaos outside caused by the closure of the Forth Road Bridge in gale forcewinds. It was just as well as the Morton skip truck couldn’t have picked a worse place to grind to

a halt - bang smack in the middle of the main thoroughfare through the factory.

Safety First 2SHEFFIELD Tigers recently announced a three-way safety partnershipwith South Yorkshire Police, Fire and Rescue and Pirtek. In a programme to try and make the City's roads safer for motorcyclists,fans had the chance at a recent race meeting to try out a range of drivingand motorcycling simulator equipment as well as having the opportunityto seek advice to get around Sheffield safely. Chris Lewis, MotorcycleCasualty Reduction Officer for the Safer Roads Partnership said“Motorcycles make up 1% of traffic on the roads but account for almost20% of all road related casualties. We’re attending the Speedway track topromote the importance of road safety.” Keith Watts from South YorkshireFire & Rescue said “Working in partnership with Sheffield Speedway andPirtek is a great way to promote the importance of road safety. During2011 there were 30 people killed on the roads of South Yorkshire, theSafer Roads Partnership is determined to reduce these figures furtherand attending events such as this is just one of the approaches that wetake. Watching the speedway races is exhilarating but members of thepublic should remember that when they head home the speed limits onpublic roads are there for a reason.” Machin added: "We will work togetherto try and make the City's roads safer and that will begin with the SouthYorkshire Police and Fire and Rescue team at Owlerton on Thursday. Weare delighted to be a part of such a strong campaign and we look forwardto working with both Pirtek and the guys from the Fire and Rescue team."

Making a change from driving the Pirteksponsored BTCC car, Andrew Jordan took totwo wheels and helped promote the safetycampaign at the Sheffield Tigers ground at Owlerton

In the pipeline 15

Quarter 3 2012

Works manager Sean Carney is all too aware of theversatility of the new variation when it was on a recenthire. "One client who had it booked in for three weeks,saw it in action with the winch attachment and promptlyhired it for 6 months! It has only just finished on a BAMrail project at Reading where it proved invaluable onbridge construction,” Carney says. “To say we have beenvery pleased with the versatility of the winch attachmentis a huge understatement. We now also have a man cageattachment, which is equally clever and a real boon forthe pillar erection. ”Taking just minutes to attach using a quick hitch, the three tonne ManitouArgento winch attachment has a lifting capability of three tonnes at anoperating pressure of 220 bar. With a reach of 21.5 metres, thecombination of a small forklift/’crane’ is proving a very economicalternative to a mobile crane. It was the very flexibility of this combinationthat has helped Carney secure work in a unique Clancy Docwra project forthe Portsmouth Water Company at the Highwood Reservoir near theItchen Valley Park at Southampton. The £3.9 million project is the first ofits kind in the country, where a reservoir is to be roofed as a quality controlproject to reduce incidence of Trihalomethanes (THMs). If successful, thiswill be used as the model for all exposed reservoirs in the country. The135,000,000 litre reservoir is a fresh water storage facility, storing waterfrom the nearby River Itchen. Water goes through a six-part cleaning andtreatment process before being pumped to the Portsmouth area forpublic use. As civil engineering formwork experts, Carney Constructionhas been tasked with building 115 2 x 2 metre pillar bases around theperimeter of the reservoir in the 10-week project. However where the'crane' comes into its own is in the construction of the internal pillarbase construction. The reservoir is divided into two parts, with onepart dry at present. This is being used to store the steel prior to theconstruction of the formwork. The Manitou is being used as a forkliftto transport the steel around the site and then fitted with the winch tolower the steel into the reservoir. The internal bases will be 7 x 7 metresand carry a 6 metre roof column. When the bases have beenconstructed in the dry sector, it will be filled with water from the otherhalf, which will be drained. This process will take a week. 'There is oneaspect you have to take into consideration when working over water andthat is avoiding any potential contamination from engine or hydraulic oils.When we proposed using the winch attachment for the work we couldn'ttake any chances and had Pirtek Reading replace the hydraulic pipework.Prior to mobilisation on site, all plant machinery to be used at theHighwood reservoir was fully serviced, inspected and any necessary hosesor couplings that may have been worn or damaged, changed at our yard tominimise any risk of contamination. Pirtek Reading ensure that all thehydraulic equipment is fit for purpose and leak free. I wouldn't thinkof using anyone else for this sort of work. Portsmouth Water trust usto take care of their resources and we trust Pirtek to ensure we don'thave any leaks,” Sean Carney concludes. “We've used them for yearswithout a problem, they are just like us, real experts."

Modestly described in the advertising blurb as a rotatingtelescopic forklift, the Manitou MRT 2150 M Turbo is a clever andvery useful piece of construction kit. But it’s even cleverer whenit’s given the lifting capabilities of a crane, asCarney Construction will testify.

An UpliftingExperience

Is it a forklift, no it’s a crane - well technically it’s a winch.No matter what form Carney Construction have the MRT

2150, Pirtek Reading ensured that it was safe to workwithin the reservoir confines without the risk of

pollution


Ealing

ParkRoyal

DocklandsBasildon

Maldon

Colchester

Harwich Hook of HollandRotterdam

Utrecht

HoutenArnhem

Cologne

Xanten

Dusseldorf

Although Pirtek UK has built its reputation upon its ability to react instantlyto those in need of emergency on-site hose replacements, behind thescenes the company supports a variety of charity fundraising activities, witha specific focus on The Prostate Cancer Charity.

Day1The Pirtek Charity Cycle Ridebegan at Pirtek UK stopping atPirtek Park Royal to meet AndyWilliams and his team. Continuing toPirtek Docklands with the first stopfor the Pirtek support van to pick upBarry Wicks who got a punctureabout a mile from the centre. A quick repair, a bacon sandwich and a coffeeand on to Pirtek Basildon and a second opportunity for the support van tocome to the rescue of Phil Brown from Pirtek Sheffield who suffered aknee injury. A very successful day of 50+ miles ended with the team a littlebit saddle sore but still smiling.

Day 2 And the team set off from PirtekBasildon and head for Maldon. Colin Mayfrom Basildon couldn't bear to miss out so hedecided to join the team for another day,despiteclaiming tohave lots of

work to do. Arriving at Maldon and someteam pics outside the local police station.The team then head for Colchester,picking up speed on the country lanes,there's even a bit of healthy competition

for the lead with Andrew Jordan and AdamBall (racing car drivers are so competitive).Lead by Kelvin Roberts the team head intoColchester for fish and chips before pressingon for Harwich. The first incident for the daycomes when Andrew Jordan suffers apuncture (something he should be quite usedto), but he quickly jumps onto the spare bike

and presses on. A secondincident follows when thesupport vehicle is stopped by the localpolice and taken off for a vehicle check -all clear. We take time for a quick photoopportunity with the local police and‘Team Gorgeous's Paul Johnston. Withhours to kill before boarding the ferry,

the team head into the local bike shop to buy some accessories todecorate Alistair Wiggins bike, who wasjoining the team on the ferry. Everyonesays their goodbyes to Colin May and to‘Team Gorgeous’ and head off. AndrewJordan suffers yet another puncturebut he manages to ride onto the ferry.

Day 3 Andeveryone is awoken by "don't worry, be happy"being played throughout the cabins at 6am - atune that we couldn't get out of our heads forthe rest of the day - thanks Stenna!! A quickbreakfast and then repair Andrew Jordan'spuncture, before heading off into Holland -Alistair Wiggins proudly riding his bike, which

had been creatively decorated by his team mates.The first quick stop is to meet Michel Schutte andPeter De Ru from Pirtek Benelux who will be theguides for the next leg. They are armed with orangeHolland novelty hats for each team member to wear.The team cause quite a stir outside the train station

and become atourist attractionfor a coach party who all want theirpicture taken with the riders - KeithHardy, Adrian Richards and MartinLindsay even try to take over the coach,only to be removed by the disgruntledcoach driver! At the hotel they are

Giving Something Backpart 2

Grand total raised by Pirtek so far2011 - £16,821.17 & 2012 - £6,343.00

£23,274.17

In the pipeline 17

Quarter 3 2012

welcomed by Kok Langerakand Bianca Van Boven fromPirtek Benelux who havearranged high tea before aminibus collects everyone for a boattour around Rotterdam harbour inthe sunshine. As the day draws ineveryone heads back to the hotel for

a few well earned beers in the sunshine, except forAlistair who orders a tomato juice - his body is atemple after all. A few members of the team head forAmsterdam central by train. Upon arriving inAmsterdam the group head for a local Thai restaurantwhere ordering proves

to be interesting and nobody is really surewhat will arrive. After dinner they head offinto a lively Amsterdam to take in some ofthe well known "sights" of the city whichcertainly proves to be interesting....

Day 4 Kok Langerak joins the team for aquick photo before they head off. As thisroute is mostly cycle paths, the support vanleaves the team to go it alone but Kelvin loadsup his bike with the emergency repair kit incase anyone gets a puncture (our money wason either Andrew or Barry!) The first stoptakes us to Krimpen aan den IJssel which is

along the canal path and very scenic,Adrian, Keith and Martin attempt to steala pedalo and Alistair nearly falls of hisbike - to the amusement of the rest ofthe team. More group pictures beforepressing on for a well earned coffee -this is where Alistair does actuallyfall off his bike and suffers a leg

injury (it's not as bad a he says it is). The weather is starting to improveand with the sun beating down theteam press on, everyone is still on topform and enjoying the day - next stopPirtek Utrecht where we all receive awarm welcome, drinks, sandwichesand cakes, Adrian even treats us all toan ice cream. We arrive in Houten,quick shower and down for dinner.

Day 5Lead by Jort Paauwe, the team head off forrefreshments at Kok Langeraks house complete with aPirtek flag in front garden. We are greeted by Biancaand Kok from Pirtek Benelux who are the perfecthosts with drinks, pastries and cakes at the ready. Fedand watered the team head off for Ede where they buysandwiches and pastries for a picnic in the forest withthe sheep. Barry Wicks picks up another puncture. After the picnic andcycling for some 90 minutes in 30+degrees heat, the team finally arrive atthe hotel in Arnhem tired and hungry.Quick shower and change and off intotown to a Turkish restaurant, Kelvineven takes the time out to help thebusy waiters by fetching his own breadbasket for the table We cross the

border into Germany tomorrow and Martin Lindsayplans on changing into his kilt on the bridge, that's if hestill fits into it after all the food he's eaten!

Day 6 And the team, lead by Jo Gasper, press on to reach the bridge whichwill take us into Germany, with AndrewJordan and Martin Lindsay taking thelead, they arrive first followed by therest of the team with Alistair in the rearwith Heidi. Martin quickly changes intohis kilt for a photo opportunity beforeMuhlenhof and a spot of lunch. Afterstopping for lunch for 2 hours (service

was a bit slow), the team press on to miss the rain and arrive back at thehotel in Xanten just as the thunder stormbegins. All up to the rooms to change at backdown for dinner at 7.30pm!

Day 7The rain seems to have cleared so it’soff to Dusseldorf. It's Andrew Jordan’sbirthday today so the team serenade himwith Happy Birthday over breakfast beforesetting off lead by Jo Gasper. Keith Hardy has the first puncture of the dayso the support vans are called in (we also have a German response vantoday). It takes 6 men to carry out the repair whilst Andrew Jordan adoptsa lying down position to supervise. Next stop Dusseldorf where the teamare greeted by the licensee who has prepared a barbecue and even

supplies some cold beers for the thirstycyclists. Andrew Jordan is presented with abirthday cake complete with the image ofthe Pirtek Racing car and is once againserenaded with Happy Birthday, beforeheading into the centre of Dusseldorf tosample the local beer and celebrate Andrewsbirthday properly – the camera stayed in the

hotel this evening!

Day 8 The last day ofcycling with the finaldestination of Cologne.

The first leg of today's ride is some 18km and includes a ferry trip acrossthe River Rhein (hope nobody falls overboard).....Today is a relatively shortride but with the sun beating down it makes for a difficult ride. At the firststop Alistair decides to do a bit of off-roading on his bike and nearly fallsoff (again), before deciding on sunbathing. The team set off for CologneCathedral, the official finish, everyone excited, but also a little sad that itwill soon all be over. The weather seems to be getting hotter with MartinLindsay wearing his kilt with pride, a sight to behold! And finally the finishline, everyone finishes with a smile on their face and a well earned lunch.Keith Hardy practices his new found German, and orders a special dessertfor Bernd Weber who accepts it graciously and with a big smile. Berndhands out medals to the whole team. It's been a fantastic experience foreveryone involved with some laughs along the way and some new foundfriends. More importantly, we have helped to raisemoney and awareness for The Prostate Cancer Charity!


Science fiction fans couldbe forgiven for expecting aship christened Enterpriseto be boldly goingsomewhere in outer spacerather than floating aboutin Portsmouth Sound.However, HMS Enterpriseis a 3,470 tonne, 90 metreEcho class multi-rolehydrographic surveyvessel.Enterprise and sister ship Echo were the first Royal Navy ships to be fittedwith azimuth thrusters, a configuration of propellers placed in pods thatcan be rotated in any horizontal direction, making a rudder unnecessary.Both the azimuth thrusters and the bow thruster can be controlledthrough the integrated navigation system by a joystick providing very highmanoeuvrability. Complete control and monitoring for power generationand propulsion, together with all auxiliary plant systems, tank gauging anddamage control functions is provided through the integrated platformmanagement system (IPMS), accessible through workstations around theship.

In the Navy

Left part of the naval hose certification processand one of the heat shrink metal ID labelsdesigned by Pirtek Portsmouth

H88 - HMS Enterprise

Pirtek Portsmouth MSST Chris Manwaring on route to HMS Enterprise

A question of quality - rubber bellows replaced by Pirtekwith stainless steel bellows

The Enterprise is designed to be at sea for 330 days of the year, so anymaintenance has to carefully planned and carried out expediently whenthe vessel is eventually in port, as she was in May. Having spent sixmonths planning a parts replacement programme with the NavalDockyard at Portsmouth, Pirtek Portsmouth were put on the spot recentlywhen it was found that work on the Enterprise couldn't be completed atPortsmouth and she would have to be moved to another yard to completethe work. “The only problem with that is that we had a huge list of partsand hoses to replace over a scheduled two-week period, and that was nowreduced to just one week so she could be moved on time," says PirtekPortsmouth General Manager Mat Wye, “Virtually all the systems on theEnterprise had replacements parts to be fitted, including the bowthrusters, fuel hoses, hatch hydraulics, winches, generators, air hoses,breathing systems, stabilisers and even the sewerage plant had workscheduled. Pages of parts in fact.”However, Pirtek Portsmouth had the situation in hand as all the hydraulichoses have a unique naval code that is translated onto the Pirtek systemfor easy identification. All Pirtek hoses also carry a special navalreference on a metal collar (designed and fitted by Pirtek Portsmouth)that is heat shrunk onto the hose. The PFM, flexi and metallic hoses wereall made in advance and because the MSSTs carry 'T' cards are all fullypassed for work in the Dockyard, work began in earnest as soon asEnterprise docked. And despite the abridged time slot, all work wascompleted in time.“The Navy has been regular customers for over 10 years, but we don'tactually have a formal contract with them as in the past. They call us inwhen they have a specific requirement now. But we have been busier thanever this year, having recently completed work on one of the new Type 45destroyers. In fact I think we must have worked on the majority of thesurface fleet based at Portsmouth by now. It is not unusual to be calledout at odd hours for a repair, and that's where Pirtek really score, as noneof our competitors can offer this sort of comprehensive service,”Portsmouth MSST Chris Manwaring said. “It isn't a case of straightreplacement work. We have replaced the rubber bellows on the vesselwith vastly superior steel ones, which won't perish in future. That'spreventative maintenance at it's best. Quality and traceability are alsokey factors in our work. All of the hoses have to be rig tested, certificatedand then tagged. We are currently going for the new defence standardapproval, the DEFSTAN 47/32 testing regime where 50 hose types aremanufactured in batches of three identical hoses. These are tested bybeing filled with water in the Techmaflex test rig and brought up to normaloperating pressure and held for a minute. The second hose is then testedat twice the normal pressure and the third hose tested to destruction,which is usually in excess of 1200bar, which is pretty scary when theyfinally go. A 4 to 1 safety factor is the norm, I'm pleased to say our hosesgo way beyond that, which is good news for the sailors.”

If a company has ever moved liquidsor powders around the country,whether they’re food stuffs,chemicals or hazardous waste, thechances are they have used BP McKeefry (BPM), one of the UK'spremier tanker transportercompanies with over 200 specialistvehicles in operation.During its 35 year history, BPM hassupported a variety of charitablecauses, but this year it has pulled outall the stops and repainted two brandnew articulated tanker trailers, one inIreland for a hospice and the other inthe UK in support of the Marie CurieCancer Charity. Dedicated to providing end of life care and support for cancer sufferers,the charity has an intriguing history. In 1948, when the Hampstead-basedMarie Curie Hospital was transferred to the NHS, a group of committeemembers from the hospital decided to preserve the name of Marie Curiein the charitable medical field. This was the beginning of the Marie CurieMemorial Foundation − a charity dedicated to alleviating suffering fromcancer today − today known as Marie Curie Cancer Care. Director Andy Hare explains the thinking behind using the tankers as giantbillboards. “Rather than paint the tankers in our usual corporate colours,we thought we could put them to better use by promoting the Marie CurieCharity. They are pretty eye catching at the best of times, but in the newlivery they are almost unmissable and should help raise the profile of the

charity by giving some much needed publicity. As an added fundraiser wethought we would ask some of our suppliers if they would like to sponsorthe tankers as well,” Andy says. “We looked through our blue chip suppliersand naturally Pirtek appeared. Although the company head office isbased in Swatragh in Northern Ireland, there are four regional depots inEngland, and as I operate out of Basingstoke, Pirtek Reading was our firstport of call. We only approached good quality companies and havingworked with Pirtek for a great many years, we readily added Pirtek to thatlist. Pirtek Reading licensee Darren Squire readily agreed to support ourcause and the Pirtek name will be proudly featured on the tanker insupport of a great charity.' Further details on this fantastic charity can befound at www.mariecurie.org.uk.

Tanked Up for CharityIn the pipeline 19

Quarter 3 2012

Rocket ScienceWith 90 dedicated Centres strategically located around the UK andIreland, customers should find they are reasonably close to a Pirtekengineer, wherever they are. However, the relationship between H&MCompressors and Pumps and Pirtek Basildon seems somewhat closerthan most, in every sense of the word, as they’re only 30 metres apart.H&M is a family run company started in 1980, and now run by thefounder's son Paul Hennan. The company has become specialist suppliersof air compressors, pumps and motors, supplying Worthington, Ingersoll-Rand, Atlas Copco, HPC, Hydrovane, Broomwade, Grundfos, Mono, Wilo,Flygt, Ebara, Calpeda, DAB, Stuart Turner, ARO and Blagdon products.Even with a staff of just 10, who provide specialist servicing, repair andrebuilding services, the company has established an impressive client listthat includes Express Newspapers, Ford, numerous City banks and amyriad of small local companies. But the jewel in their crown is GardnerAerospace. Gardner Aerospace is the UK's largest independent aerospacemetallic manufactured details supplier, with revenues of £100 m, eightmanufacturing sites and over 700 employees, 250 of them

spread across three Basildon facilities. Gardner Aerospace machines,fabricates, treats, assembles, and repairs, small to large precision parts,kits, sub-assemblies in soft, hard, and exotic metals, and has all of therequired engineering tools, ovens, processes, and quality approvals insupport. Walking round the milling centre at Basildon, customers can't failto be impressed by the 27 cutting edge milling machines busily workingaway on parts for Boeing, GKN and Airbus in one part of the factory whilstmanufacturing military and satellite components in another. To gaugetheir success, the company has grown fourfold in the last 15 years anddoes work for practically every majoraerospace company including BAe,Rolls Royce, Augusta Westland,Fokker, Bombardier and LockheedMartin. To retain contracts for such aprestigious client list and ensure workis carried out on schedule, it isimperative that all the specialistmachinery is working to optimum efficiency. So when H&M received a callto say that a key five-axis turning centre had a hydraulic problem, theyturned to Pirtek Basildon to provide the solution as Paul Heman explained.“Gardner is our customer but we asked Pirtek to provide a specialist third-party hydraulic service. We have worked with Pirtek for years and trustthem implicitly - even with our biggest client. Pirtek of course came uptrumps and had MSST Dan May on site in minutes. The machine inquestion was a 45tonne £900,000 Mazak Integrex e1600v which wasproducing guidance systems for US F18 jets,” he concludes. “I'm pleasedto say Dan repaired the Mazak straight away and we had a very happycustomer as a result. We use Pirtek because we know their products and can rely on them to provide the service when we need it most. Definitely a question of trust all round.”

In the pipeline

And there’s evenmore to come

20


Competition

BTCC 2012 ProgrammeOulton Park 10/Jun/2012Croft 24/Jun/2012Snetterton 12/Aug/2012Knockhill 26/Aug/2012Rockingham 23/Sep/2012Silverstone 07/Oct/2012Brands Hatch GP 21/Oct/2012

With the British Touring Car Championship well under way, ‘In the Pipeline’ is offering one lucky reader a chance to win 2Pirtek Racing Experience tickets to a BTCC event at a circuit oftheir choice. To be in with a chance, just answer the followingquestion: Which city did the 2012 Pirtek Charity Bike finish in? Please email your answer to [email protected]. The winner willbe drawn from the correct entries on 30.06.2012. Good luck.And congratulations to Sophie Coulter-Maltby from York whowon 2 BTCC tickets by correctly answering the competition inthe previous edition of ‘In the Pipeline’.

There is much that was new for Andrew Jordan and Pirtek Racingover the opening races of the 2012 Dunlop MSA British TouringCar Championship. But what had not changed was the incrediblerace action, superb TV and media coverage and all-roundexcitement that is the trade mark of Britain’s biggest and bestmotorsport show.The start of the new season delivered a big challenge for Andrewand the team, with a brand new Honda Civic prepared to the latestNGTC (Next Generation Touring Cars) regulations and anenormous amount of work went in to get a pair of cars ready forAndrew and his team mate Jeff Smith.In front of a huge crowd and a live TV audience for the openingevent at Brands Hatch, the Pirtek Honda Civic made a superbstart and Andrew left the Kent track with two second places and asixth place to give Pirtek Racing its strongest ever start to theseason. A fine day’s work from driver and team put Andrewimmediately into the title race and he slotted into third in theoverall points, only headed by the big two names in the BTCC:Jason Plato and Matt Neal.After three of the season’s 30 races, Pirtek Racing topped boththe HiQ Team Championship and the Independents’ Team Trophyand Andrew was top of the Independents’ Trophy with Jeff infourth. It was a stunning opening weekend for the team anddrivers.But nothing ever stands still in the BTCC and a fortnight later theaction switched to Andrew’s home track of Donington Park.Though he consistently ran at the head of the action and retainedthird place in the overall standings with a fifth and two sixthplaces, Andrew declared it a frustrating weekend in the topsy-turvy world of the BTCC.Low ambient temperature caused problems getting heat into theslick racing tyres and Andrew was caught out at the start of theopening race when the rear of the car broke away and he lostseveral places as a result. Later in the day, Andrew also lost timeat the first corner. In the middle race of the afternoon, Andrewwas hit by another car and speared across the gravel, so it was aday of fighting back up the order.The third race weekend of a very busy month took the BTCCpackage to the Thruxton circuit in Hampshire and Andrew turnedin a stunning qualifying lap in tough conditions to claim poleposition for round seven. However, race day proved to be a realchallenge after an incident at the first corner of the opening racepitched the Pirtek car into the barriers.That left Andrew fighting back up the order once more and hefinished the day on a strong note with fifth place in the final race,while his Pirtek Racing team mate Jeff Smith started the event atthe tail of the grid but raced hard all day and finished ninth in thethird and final race as appalling weather made the day reallytough for all the drivers.Although only the Brands Hatch weekend really went to plan,Andrew and the Pirtek squad have demonstrated superb potentialand now the team fully intends to capitalise on that speed as theBTCC season resumes in June after a spring break. There areseven race weekends and 21 races still to run before the seasonwraps up back at Brands Hatch in October and the Pirtek cars aregoing to be in the thick of the action.

in the pipeline - summer 2012

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