Team Talk

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IN THISISSUE

The Suttons Group Magazine

John Sutton, Suttons group ceo

Suttons Group and British Sugar have been awarded the ‘Partnership Award’ at the prestigious Motor Transport Awards. The event, now in its 29th year, recognises innovation, outstanding service, efficiency and quality in UK supply chain and logistics.

The judges commented: “It’s a clear, outstanding, winning entry – with a professional submission, covering every aspect of the criteria stipulated with evidence presented in a clear manner. The entry shows how the two companies have developed into a partnership that has transformed both businesses.”

The judging panel also commented: “There’s evidence of working together to get excellent results – both companies are involved in managing the partnership.” Suttons’ entry gave evidence of the formation of an Alliance steering group featuring representation from both companies. This openness extended to sitting down to discuss their cost bases to better identify areas of opportunity. Judges praised this shared accountability and the documented shared cost savings. The Alliance has also promoted health and safety and there have been zero lost time injuries in more than 670 days.

Other areas that impressed the judges included an initiative, led by a jointly employed project manager, to improve vehicle payload. As one of the judging panel said: “This is an excellent partnership. I’m struggling to find any negatives.”

Suttons and British Sugar win Motor Transport’s Partnership Award

In September we acquired IS Logistics in Singapore. This represents a very positive step in implementing our strategy of investing in infrastructure on the ground in key locations to better service our customer needs. Since acquiring the business we have successfully implemented a significant business win with Shell, which involves local warehousing and distribution along with drumming activities. The acquisition now gives us the platform to develop into a significant player in the region.

Also in September, we acquired Imperial Tankers in the UK. This follows our strategy of developing the leading shared user chemical network in the UK. It also represents the biggest acquisition in the Group’s history and significantly increases our scale in the UK chemical logistics and supply chain market. The acquisition will allow us to offer a more comprehensive service to our customers, providing a broader geographic base as well as more flexibility to manage varying levels of demand.

Both of these acquisitions bring strong teams of people who I am pleased to welcome to the Suttons Group and I will hopefully meet you all over the coming months.

Whilst all this is going on, it is important that we do not lose focus on our core business and values. With this in mind we have recently completed this year’s safety week where we spent focussed time discussing safety issues and spending time with drivers, workshop and operations staff understanding their viewpoints.

During the year, the company has introduced a number of initiatives which are aimed at improving engagement within the workplace. It is pleasing to see so many Star Awards being nominated where people are demonstrating our company values of Commercial Focus, Integrity, Performance, Personal Responsibility and Teamwork. We are also making great steps towards including you in many important business decisions, seeking your feedback and acknowledging that in many cases you are best placed to tell us what you think about certain issues.

As always, we will have many challenges in the second half of this financial year. We have strong competition in all of the markets we operate in but I feel that key to our success is the strong emphasis we all place on customer service. I see many messages of thanks and gratitude from our customers, and this isn’t always when our teams or an individual has gone above the call of duty. It is often when we have simply dealt with a problem that has helped our customer, or acted professionally to resolve an issue that may just seem like part of the job for us, but actually, it makes a big positive impact for our customer.

Our standards are key to our success and they are recognised globally in our sector. Suttons isn’t just a transport provider. We add value. We have the highest standards of quality and integrity and this makes our customers want to work with us.

Thanks to you all and keep up the good work!

Regards,

John Sutton

Dear Colleagues,

We are now just over half way through the financial year which has been busy and challenging so far. We continue to drive forward in line with the strategic plan that we developed during last year. This has led to two very important strategic acquisitions for the Group which we completed over the past few months. At the same time we have needed to keep focussed on our core business so that we continue to drive growth for the Group.

Following on from the launch of the Group’s strategy earlier this year, Suttons has demonstrated its commitment to growing the business through three significant acquisitions in the last nine months. The first was Han Chi Logistics, a Shanghai based trucking company in late 2013 and most recently IS Logistics in Singapore and Imperial Tankers in the UK.

Outside of the UK, Suttons International is committed to providing regional logistics and supply chain expertise and infrastructure as well as international reach for customers. The acquisition of IS Logistics Group (ISLG) is a significant step as the company continue to build the business in logistics hubs and petrochemical manufacturing zones across the world.

John Sutton, Suttons Group CEO said:

“Having a logistics asset base is essential for us to serve our customers more effectively. Infrastructure on the ground will enable us to grow the successful business we already have in Singapore and provide our customers with an even wider range of logistics and supply chain products and services.

“The acquisition is an ideal fit for Suttons. Combining the services offered by each company will enable us to provide a truly exceptional customer experience that is focused on added value, innovation and service.”

Operating from three locations in Singapore, ISLG provides supply chain and logistics services to the chemical manufacturing industry. The company’s services include road transport through its own fleet of vehicles, significant warehousing space with drumming facilities and additional value adding supply chain activities to large multinational chemical manufacturers and global 4PL supply chain providers.

Suttons on the acquisition trail

In the UK, Suttons completed the largest acquisition in the company’s history when it took ownership of Imperial Tankers on the 1st September. Founded in 1989, Imperial Tankers has a road tanker fleet of over 200 tractor units and 350 tanker semi-trailers. The company is a highly regarded and well-run operation, managed by a dedicated, knowledgeable and professional team. Headquartered in Stockton-on-Tees in the North East of England, the purchase of Imperial has dramatically grown the size of Suttons’ UK business.

John Sutton, Suttons Group CEO said:

“Combining our two organisations has created the largest chemical tanker fleet in the UK. This strength, together with our many other value adding products and services, will enable us to deliver an unrivalled service to our customers. Suttons and Imperial both serve the UK’s highly developed and competitive chemicals sectors. We believe that by combining our two companies we have created a much stronger, more flexible and competitive organisation, better placed than any other company in the sectors in which we operate to serve the needs of our customers.”

Suttons secures contract extension with Air Liquide

BASF PETRONAS Chemicals, a joint venture between BASF SE of Germany, the world’s largest chemical company, and Malaysia’s state owned petroleum company, Petroliam Nasional Berhad (PETRONAS), has extended their partnership with Suttons International by signing a new contract for the intra-Asia transport and operations of glacial acrylic acid.

Suttons has extended its partnership with Air Liquide UK Limited, a subsidiary of the Air Liquide Group, a world leading supplier of gases for industry, health and the environment. Suttons will provide all bulk gases transport from Air Liquide key operational sites across the UK to the company’s national customer base. Suttons will also collect a number of products from mainland Europe to be distributed in the UK.

Dave Sharp, Air Liquide Transport Manager said:

“We are delighted to extend our working partnership with Suttons. Air Liquide UK has stringent requirements and criteria which have to be met without exception, to ensure we offer safe distribution for all our bulk gases combined with service levels second to none for our customers. Suttons has demonstrated that they are more than capable of this and combined with their operational flexibility and ability to grow and adapt with us, we are pleased to have them as our transport providers.”

PQ Corporation, the leading global producer of silicate, zeolite and other performance materials has renewed its bulk transportation contract with Suttons. Suttons is PQ Corporation’s exclusive carrier of silicates in the UK and distributes its products throughout the country from the company’s manufacturing plant in Warrington.

Frans Claessens, PQ Corporation’s procurement manager said: “We selected Suttons based on its strong past performance and added value it provides through ensuring all our road transport activities are optimised and operating as smoothly and efficiently as possible. The company’s large depot network gives us the added flexibility we need to successfully provide a first class service to our customers.”

Glacial acrylic acid is highly sensitive to heat and to transport in bulk requires specialist equipment capable of monitoring and maintaining product temperature during transit. When Suttons first began working on this contract more than 15 years ago, the company’s engineers designed and commissioned a fleet of bespoke super insulated ISO tank containers fitted with sun shield components and data logging equipment to maintain product temperature during transit and storage. Since the partnership began, the dedicated fleet has doubled in size as Suttons continues to demonstrate the value they can provide on such a technically and operationally demanding contract.

To ensure all operational safety and shipping standards were adhered to, and to provide a more flexible service, Suttons

installed a dedicated team based at BASF PETRONAS Chemicals’ Kuantan facility to oversee all activities. The team oversaw all technical and maintenance requirements, shipping and handling, tank cleaning, road transport, demurrage, documentation and in the event of an emergency, a knowledgeable 24/7 emergency response team.

Jochen Krapp, Suttons International commercial director said: “The increase in capacity and contract extension demonstrates BASF PETRONAS Chemicals’ satisfaction and trust in Suttons to manage this vital supply chain. Our enlarged dedicated fleet of bespoke tank containers gives us an even greater ability to support them through times of peak demand and react rapidly to their changing requirements.”

BASF PETRONAS Chemicals extends partnership with Suttons

PQ Corporation renews contract with Suttons Group

BASF PETRONAS Chemicals’ Kuantan facility

Michael has worked for Suttons Group since 2005 and previously held the position of HR director which also included overseeing the Group SHEQ and commercial workshop functions. Michael has been a main Board director at Suttons for the past five years and an integral driving force behind the company’s recent string of acquisitions, and year on year growth according to Group CEO John Sutton:

“I am particularly pleased to announce Michael’s appointment. He is a highly respected and experienced member of the Suttons’ leadership team and his contribution since joining the Group Board has been significant.

“Michael brings an extra dimension to our UK Tankers business and his knowledge and skills will be essential as we look to considerably grow the road tanker logistics business, both in the UK and Europe.”

Commenting on his appointment, Michael said: “I am delighted to be given the opportunity to lead Suttons Tankers at such an exciting time. Suttons has a strong reputation in the marketplace, committed to innovation through its product offerings and developing customer focussed solutions. I will be looking at how we can take this to the next level by enhancing the services we provide with a focus on service, innovation, flexibility and safety.”

Michael Cundy,Suttons Road Tankers managing director

Suttons Road Tankers appoints new managing directorMichael Cundy has been appointed as the new managing director for Suttons Road Tankers.

Who better to ask about PPE than the people who wear it day in day out? Recently Suttons held a review of PPE suppliers and began to update the core list of kit we have for our drivers. To get a better understanding of what was needed beyond legal compliance, we held a driver forum chaired by operations director Steve Hassall, asking groups of drivers what they thought of our current kit and where they felt improvements could be made.

On the back of these discussions Suttons procurement specialist, Deborah Doolan and health & safety manager Dave Ashton, engaged with a number of suppliers who each provided us with PPE kits to trial. The kits were tested over a number of days by Suttons’ drivers Stephen Whitlam (Hull), Kevin Cone (Hull), Gary Ritchie (Widnes) and Martin Reynolds (Thornaby).

The PPE and work-wear was put through its paces by the drivers to test the performance of each item in workplace situations. Drivers then gave feedback to Deborah covering the strengths and weaknesses of each supplier.

As a result of this feedback we have selected J.K. Ross as our preferred supplier. Staff from J.K. Ross were on hand at several depots during Safety Week to demonstrate the clothing and PPE to drivers and answer any questions. This new kit is of considerably higher quality than previous PPE and thanks to the input from our drivers we know that the clothing works well, is comfortable and most importantly, will help keep us safe.

Suttons recognise that the comfort and suitability of work-wear and PPE is an important issue. Making feedback a key element in selecting our new supplier is part of our commitment to listening and inclusive management.

Congratulations to Suttons’ Hull depot for winning the Freight Transport Association’s Road Worthiness Award 2014.

The award recognises excellent standards of vehicle safety, condition and maintenance standards in the UK. They are designed to encourage and reward high standards of compliance with vehicle condition legislation and achieving this award highlights the efforts made by Suttons’ Hull depot to keep its fleet safe, legal and compliant.

Paul Blakeston, depot manager at Hull was presented the award by Theo de Pencier, FTA’s CEO and said: “It is obviously very important for us to ensure that our drivers are safe in the vehicles they drive and that the vehicles themselves meet legal requirements in safety and efficiency. Fleet compliance is always an area of focus for all of our depots and this award reflects the importance that Suttons places on compliance and road safety.”

Drivers help select new personal protective equipment (PPE) and work-wear

Hull Depot wins FTA’s Roadworthiness Award

FTA CEO Theo de Pencier presents Suttons’ Hull depot manager Paul Blakeston with the Roadworthiness Award

The safety week campaign is focussed on engagement and trying to include as many employees as possible in the activities. This year activity included safety conversations, driver ride-alongs and group feedback sessions.

Once again the Board was heavily represented in the campaign with Widnes chemicals driver Tony Eager being accompanied by CEO John Sutton, who remarked “I have been on ride-alongs with our drivers on a number of occasions and the experience is always a valuable way for me to see first-hand the hard work and challenges faced every day. I’m keen that there are clear lines of communication between our drivers and management teams and exercises like this are a great way to promote that.”

Safety week this year was timed to coincide with the launch of Think Safe – Be Safe and staff took part in briefing sessions and discussions on what the new programme is all about.

The main goal of safety week is for managers to gain a better understanding of what’s working safely, what operations look like on a daily basis for our drivers and to listen to feedback about where improvements to our safety culture can be made. This could be anything from a change in management approach or just a defect on an individual vehicle or site. All comments and ideas were documented, collected and will be investigated. The individuals who raised them will soon be contacted with feedback and, where appropriate, details of the actions we are taking to resolve the issues raised.

The success of this year’s campaign lay in engaging with more people during the week than in any of the previous events. We would like to thank all those who took part and provided us with some great ideas and valuable insight into the day to day operations of our company.

Think Safe – Be SafeThe Think Safe behavioural safety programme began in 2006 and has played a key part in the reduction of safety incidents at Suttons. October saw the launch of the next phase of the programme, Think Safe – Be Safe, and the obvious question is “So what’s new?”

Much of the success of Think Safe was built around training programmes and near miss reporting. They are still relevant

and will continue to be a key feature of Think Safe – Be Safe. This next stage will focus on improving safety culture by encouraging a set of agreed safe behaviours. A safety culture can be described as ‘the way things are normally done here’, so by consistently adopting these safe behaviours, managers and staff will be helping to improve our safety performance.

The behaviours reflect a mixture of established safety principles and feedback from drivers and other staff about where they thought the company could improve the management of safety. The safe behaviours are:

• Communication - Open, honest, regular and taking account of the views of more staff. Positive engagement, involving more people and listening to their ideas.

• Recognition - Wider recognition of safe behaviours and good safety performance from managers.

• Useofequipment - Ensure we always use the right equipment, it is properly inspected and maintained and PPE is comfortable and provides appropriate protection.

• Taketimetoworksafely - Avoid taking short cuts. Give people the time to complete tasks safely. Never pressurise people to take unnecessary risks. Stick to safe operating procedures

• Challengeunsafebehaviours - Give people the confidence to challenge where they feel work is unsafe. Ensure staff and managers accept a challenge to working practices in a positive way.

• Health&wellbeing - Demonstrate care for the health and safety of our co-workers. Promote healthier lifestyle choices in and out of work.

You may have noticed that these behaviours make up the acronym CRUTCH. Adopting these CRUTCH behaviours will support safe working and help move our safety culture to the next level.

Safety week is backOctober saw the return of safety week, with members of the Suttons management team getting out and about across the country to talk about safety with drivers, office and workshop staff.

I have been in charge of Suttons’ It department for 14 years. In that time I’ve seen the emergence of remote working, mobile phones getting smaller only to now get bigger and smarter, an ever increasing need for data security, zero downtime and It developing from being a service that supports the business into an integral part of the products and solutions we provide to our customers.

for most people, It means one thing, it’s the voice at the end of a phone when the computers not working. at Suttons, this voice is available 24 hours a day, wherever you are in the world and more often than not can help you on your way in a matter of minutes over the phone.

there are occasions however when it’s not that simple, times when the issue cannot be sorted with the click of a mouse and the issue needs to be logged and dealt with in a controlled and calculated manner. It’s at these times people can feel some frustration with the It department, holding us in the same regard as traffic wardens and estate agents.

the It department’s role within Suttons covers many areas across the business. I’d like to take this opportunity to give you a brief overview of some of the duties and responsibilities that voice on the end of the phone performs every day and recognise the contribution the It team makes to the business, in roles which often go unseen.

1. Data managementSuttons produces and consumes huge amounts of data, whether that’s emails, quotes, files or technical documents. Secure data storage is crucial, and our need to store high volumes of data has increased dramatically. keeping this data secure from prying eyes, accessible from anywhere, and safely backed up is of paramount importance. the job of Suttons’ It department is to ensure that this happens effortlessly. Most people only ever stop to think about this when something gets deleted by accident or an important document goes missing from years ago. at Suttons we back up our data every day, we invest huge sums of money and time in ensuring that our users never lose a file. If you stop and ask yourself ‘when was the last time the systems were unavailable?’ you probably can’t remember, and that means we’re doing our job.

2. Virus attacksthe It department ensures your computers are safe from the ever growing list of virus threats. every day we see new and more complex viruses and in this increasingly problematic area, it’s our job to stay one step ahead. our role is to provide a combination of centralised anti-virus management, and an ear to the ground on emerging threats.

3. Software faultseven the best piece of software will experience annoying bugs and faults. we’ve all experienced issues that make no sense, happen at random and defy any logic. the kind of technical issues that can sap hours from your important day, trying to either fix, or work around. usually the It department will have experience of these niggling issues, and for the seriously technical challenges, they can often design or write a technical solution to your problem. 4. SecuritySuttons has a lot of sensitive information such as financial and hr details which cannot be shared. the It department manages access rights and keeps track of who can see what. Security is not just about ensuring that internal data is safe, but also the external threats from hacking or malicious attempts at disruption. It’s frustrating to try and access something that we need, only to get a warning message to say that we are not allowed. this is simply because we place huge value on the privacy and security of our employees data and we have strict procedures in place to make sure only authorised people can access certain data.

5. Maintenancethe It systems that Suttons uses are the engine of the company and like any other engine, it needs maintenance and updating to keep it working at peak performance. we endeavour to complete updates, and upgrades out of office hours, sometimes working through the night to ensure zero disruption to the business. this issue is compounded by having global operations leaving only a time window between 10pm and midnight BSt for changes. If an emergency change is required it is impossible to satisfy all countries as a lunch time window in one country is 9am in another. we endeavour to keep these changes during office hours to a minimum.

6. Driving the business forward with new solutionswe continue to streamline the business, through It services most recently through a new operating version of citrix with windows 7. we are already testing windows 8 and office 2013 and Microsoft have just released a beta testing of windows 10 which we are looking at. It is always a challenge for the department as we are often forced by vendors to upgrade as they no longer support earlier releases leaving the business vulnerable to attack.

Suttons has a constantly evolving infrastructure and requirement for new technology. the latest additions being Mandata for tankers, Sage x3 accounts and soon to be released raM for the international division. all of these new systems are tested and released to the business with minimal disruption to you the users.

one more project is underway to provide the group with an Intranet. how often do you search for information or a controlled document? where do we get information on what is happening around the world and who are all our staff? what do they look like? . . . It’s always good to put a name to a face. currently this is difficult and is being addressed via a global company intarnet. I believe this will transform how we all interact with each other and will be the first system you will see every morning when you login to your computer.

the role of Suttons It department has changed significantly over the last 10 years. our customers demand the latest solutions and our job is now to not only keep the systems running but to be a strategic enabler supporting business development and our customers. we have a strong team at Suttons and I believe we are well placed to meet the challenges that face us on a daily basis.

The IT Department:Working round the clock to keep the systems available and our data secure

Rob Sutton, IT Director

Suttons Tankers appoints new HR managerKathleen Johnson has been appointed HR manager UK Road Tanker division, reporting to Steve Roche, Group human resources manager. As well as her day to day HR duties, Kathleen is tasked with raising employee engagement and the awareness of the benefits of an engaged workforce within UK Tankers.

Kathleen has significant experience from her previous role as HR business partner with Fed Ex & Fed Ex Express, providing a full HR support service to the North East, North West and Scottish regional operations with responsibility for approximately 650 employees.

Please join us in welcoming Kathleen to Suttons and in wishing her every success in her new role.

In September, two teams from Suttons’ Hull and Widnes depots competed against each other in a golf tournament at the Manor Golf Club near Leeds. This was the second time the tournament has taken place and the Hull depot managed to retain the trophy by five points to three. The tournament was organised by Suttons driver Steve Whitlam from Hull depot, and Tommy Hall, driver trainer from Widnes depot. Steve and Tommy hope to get more Suttons’ depots and office staff involved in next year’s event to play for the Suttons Cup.

Suttons depot golf tournament

Mark Thornton and Neil Carrigg awarded Managing Safely CertificateCongratulations to Mark Thornton and Neil Carrigg who have received a certificate for the IOSH accredited course - Managing Safely.

IOSH Managing Safely training adds to both Mark and Neil’s experience in the business and provides a superb grounding in the practical actions needed to handle health and safety in the workshop.

Well done to Group business support officer, Claire Darcy, who has successfully completed the annual Tough Mudder challenge for the third year in a row. Tough Mudder events are held all over the world and consist of a 12 mile long military-style obstacle course designed to challenge participants both mentally and physically, encouraging them to work together in their teams to complete each of the obstacle challenges together. Obstacles are aimed at addressing common human fears such as water, fire, heights and electricity and are designed for group participation and the building of teamwork.

Completing the course is a fantastic achievement as around 22% of participants don’t make it to the end.

Claire is now looking into the possibility of entering a Suttons team in next year’s event and is keen to hear from anybody who is up for the challenge. If you’re interested please email her at claire.darcy@suttonsgroup.com

Claire Darcy completes gruelling ‘Tough Mudder’ challenge

Claire after successfully completing Tough Mudder!

L-R, Neil Carrigg and Mark Thornton being presented their Managing Safely certificates by Suttons workshop manager John H. Sutton.

Driver trainer Tommy Hall and

driver Steve Whitlam

The Hull and Widnes depot golf teams

DavidCundy,BritishSugar - For commitment in a time of significant transition and exemplary attention to detail and going the extra mile to demonstrate all of Suttons’ Core Principles.

AlanWoodcock,BritishSugar - For acting in line with Suttons’ Core Principles particularly Personal Responsibility, Integrity and Teamwork to prevent a potential safety incident.

TerryHales,BritishSugar - Getting the tank wash back on line promptly and averting a potential delay for customers.

Michael Alker, Distribution/Drumming - For his excellent contribution and support to the team during the implementation of the R.F. bar code reading system.

Michael Fox, Marketing - For assisting the US office in preparing some high quality, focused presentations to present to customers.

RonnieEllison,AndyFaulkner,SimonHateley,Engineering/Tankers - For their assistance, dedication and very long hours in helping to reposition a chlorine barrel safely.

AlanThornton,AirLiquide - Recommendation from both Marston’s Brewery and Air Liquide following a problem with a delivery that Alan went out of his way to overcome with a positive can do attitude, patience and care.

Mick Topping, Engineering - Recommendation from Mexichem following a problem off-loading an ISO tank. Mick went out of his way to provide detailed information needed to resolve the problem and the issue was overcome quickly and efficiently to the benefit of both Mexichem and their customer. Great commercial focus.

EricHanks,DarrenRoberts,Tankers - For preparing the Cart Marking trucks and attending the ceremony in London in July. Their care and attention meant that the trucks were in tip top condition and a credit to the company in its 60th Anniversary Year.

Julie Whitmore, Purfleet - Recommendation from TOTAL for “providing first class customer service and putting in an amazing effort.”

AndyShovelar,AirLiquide - Following an RTA incident on the M11, Andy who was first on the scene acted instinctively and professionally to prevent further injury, pulling his truck across two of the lanes to protect the crashed car. He also administered basic first aid, tended to and reassured the injured parties who were trapped in their car until the emergency services arrived.

JohnTurner,LeroyBlack,TonyFoster,JurisKulikovs,BritishSugar - For their contribution to the training of new British Sugar drivers. They all showed great flexibility and team spirit by adapting their shift patterns to suit the requirements. They all also delivered training of an excellent standard and received positive feedback from all involved.

CarynDacey,LornaHuddlestone,IainCoulson,JoannaMitchell,Michael Fox - Group/Fitting/Tankers - For their contribution to the new Group strategy roll out, specifically acting as ambassadors to support the launch of the strategy and the Core Principles, proactively running discussions with their teams and others to promote and receive feedback on the Core Principles.

congratulations to philipp Smith, group engineering support manager for reaching his 45th anniversary working at Suttons.

To mark the occasion Philipp was congratulated by The Suttons Group main Board in front of a large gathering of his colleagues, keen to acknowledge his impressive achievement.

Philipp first joined Suttons in 1965 as an apprentice fitter, leaving in 1968 for a brief time, before returning in 1969 to begin one of the longest consecutive terms of employment in the company’s history.

During his time at Suttons, Philipp has worked in a number of areas across the business including workshop manager, assistant fleet engineer, Group quality manager and engineering administration manager. He has put a great deal of effort into developing his skills through successfully completing his business improvement Postgraduate Diploma and becoming a member and associate of a number of important trade associations.

Today Philipp is Group engineering support manager within our Suttons Tankers division and he shows no signs of slowing down any time soon!

On Saturday 6th September, Suttons Stragglers, a team of nine employees from our Widnes office successfully completed the annual TrekFest challenge. To say TrekFest is tough is an understatement and it certainly tested the fitness, stamina and mental strength of everyone taking part.

The challenge was to complete a 27.5 mile hike across Derbyshire’s Peak District in under 12 hours. Not only did our stragglers have to conquer the challenging course but the weather also played its part in making the hike as tough as possible. Torrential rain, thick fog and heavy winds battered the hikers for much of the day and combined with heavy backpacks, blisters and sore muscles, our team had to work together and spur each other on to make sure they completed the course on time.

The stragglers were made up of staff from both our UK and international divisions and spent a long time training for TrekFest, determined to start and finish the event together. Their hard work paid off and at just after 9pm the team crossed the line, exhausted but thrilled to have taken part in such a unique event raising an amazing amount of money for such a deserved charity. The stragglers would like to thank everyone who supported them in their fundraising.

Congratulations again to the team on such an impressive achievement.

Congratulations to all our Star Award winners

Philipp Smith celebrates 45 years at Suttons Group

Philipp is congratulated on his 45 years by the Suttons Holding Company Board, from L-R Andrew Palmer, Terry Stockley, Keith Broom, John Sutton, Philipp Smith, Tim Broadhurst, Michael Sutton, Robert Sutton, Clare Kerry

Suttons Stragglers finish 27.5 mile hike and raise £4,160 for Water Aid

If you have a story for Team Talk, please email Michael Fox at michael.fox@suttonsgroup.com

At the beginning of the challenge from L-R Rhys Johnson, Tony Leighton, Ben Ellis, Rebecca Roberts, Hannah Ford, Michelle Ellison, Karen Shields, Jo Dexter and Helen HobinThe stragglers crossing the

finishing line!