r&s august 2010 web

August 2010 Number 433 £4.00 www.bar.co.uk

Britannia Conference 48 Relocation in the Canaries 56 Wage rates 62

Conference Report part two 14

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NewsFROM WATFORD

August 2010 Removals & Storage 5

Contact Details: Editorial Contribution on all aspects of the Removals & Storage industry are welcomed, together with photographs if appropriate. Please contact The Editor, Steve Jordan:Tel: 01908 695500 Fax: 01908 690099Email: [email protected] By post: Removals & Storage, The Words Workshop Ltd 26 Swanwick Lane, Broughton, Milton Keynes MK10 9LD

Contact Details: Advertising For all enquiries and bookings, please contact Marianne Lee: Tel: 01908 695500 Fax: 01908 690099Email: [email protected]: The booking deadline for all display advertisements is the 10th of the month preceding publication.

Removals & Storage is subscribed to by members of the British Association of Removers in the UK and Overseas.

Subscriptions: Additional subscriptions are available from BAR at: Tangent House, 62 Exchange Road, Watford, Hertfordshire WD18 0TG. Tel: 01923 699 480 Fax: 01923 699 481 E-mail: [email protected]. Current annual subscription is £48.00 in the UK and £72.00 overseas.

Disclaimer: Opinions expressed in Removals & Storage are notnecessarily those of the British Association of Removers, or of its publisher.

All rights reserved: No part of Removals & Storage may be scanned, reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form without the prior written permission of the publisher.

President: Reg HackworthyDirector General: Stephen VickersCompany Secretary: James FalknerEditor: Steve JordanAssistant Editor: David JordanNews Editor: Nikki GeeFeatures Editor: Charlotte FreestoneRemovals & Storage is designed on behalf of The British Association of Removers by: I Like. Tel: 01908 675854, Email: [email protected](To contact R&S, see details opposite.)

The British Association of RemoversTel: 01923 699 480 Fax: 01923 699 481 E-mail: [email protected]

Members will be aware that The Removers Benevolent Association (RBA), a registered charity, offers

support to needy persons connected with our industry. The Rules of RBA were recently revised and updated by the Trustees, but at the core, the criteria for assistance to be offered is to ‘necessitous persons, including their spouses and dependant children, who are or have been employed continuously for a period of not less than two years by a current member of the British Association of Removers.’ Donations, of course, are always welcome towards the good work of the charity, but on this occasion this is not a plea for money, you will be pleased to hear. Rather it is a request that you bear RBA in mind, and draw to the attention of staff in Watford, anyone you may be aware of who is in need of assistance and who meets this criteria.

A sincere thank you is owed to those members who responded so promptly to the request from Head Office for details of the Customer Satisfaction Surveys that are carried out under the Office of Fair Trading approved BAR Code of Practice. This information is a key part of the information provided in the Annual Report that is made to OFT. There was also an element of chasing involved, perhaps inevitable but both time consuming and tedious all the same, but members will be aware that those involved in domestic removals, whether in the UK or overseas, have an obligation to collect this information as a matter of course under the Code. The admirable speed with which many members responded to the request showed that it can be done without a great deal of trouble. While on the subject of the OFT, they have recently issued a press release drawing attention to an independent report entitled ‘Consumer Codes Approval Scheme: Evaluating Consumer Experiences’. Does this sound a little too dry? Well, actually, it is very interesting and worth reading when you have a few moments, to get a flavour of how the Codes can improve

performance and image, and are valued by customers. See the ‘News and Updates’ section of the OFT website: www.oft.gov.uk.

On page 47 is a report from FEDEMAC regarding developments within the European parliament to extend the scope of the Working Time Directive to include self-employed drivers. The aim is worthy, certainly no one wants exhausted drivers falling asleep at the wheel, but it is important that the industry is not hampered with overly burdensome legislation, and BAR has been active in lobbying, together with colleagues at the FTA and RHA, to ensure that the new measures are as workable as possible when they are introduced.

The BAR Young Movers go from strength to strength, with the latest of their highly enjoyable events held on Friday 18 June, where 12 eager attendees tried out their skills at go-karting. Business sessions involved a presentation by Chris Waymouth of QSS on Standards, and a course on health and safety issues, before putting their networking skills to the test while watching the England football team in action on TV. Despite this, a good time was had by all, and the next event will be held in Watford in October. An apprenticeship scheme specific to commercial moving is currently in development by Loren Webster here in Watford, in consultation with the Commercial Moving Group. Interestingly, it has recently been announced that some £150m of government funding is being moved from the Train to Gain programme to Apprenticeship schemes aimed at those aged 19 and over. So, access to funding for these kind of apprenticeships should be more available than has been the case in the past.

New BAR Membership Certificates have recently been designed, and those members who renewed and paid their subscription promptly by 31 July should now have received these in hard copy. Electronic versions, in pdf, are also available, by e-mail on request.

No: 433 August 2010 www.bar.co.uk

This month:Editor’s Column 6Industry News 6-13FTA welcomes foreign lorry charge planNew flight fee fearsUK housing market update

Conference report 14-25CMG chairman’s addressBeth Goodyear, BIFMCMOTY 2010 AwardsNew BAR presidentColin Crooks, GreenworksJason Ruehland, FMACommercial Moving Apprenticeship launchPeter Middup, PFM MagazineMike Jones, BT Local Business

BAR News 26-29Conference survey resultsBAR Services on corrugated board gradesYorkshire Area meeting

CMG News 31-35Profile: Phil OramCMG golf tournament

Training News 36-43Movers on wheelsChanges in apprenticeship funding

European News 44-47EU VAT refund mechanismNews Roundup

Britannia conference report 48-51Letters 52People News 52And another thing ... 53Competition 53 Articles 54-62Profile: Britannia Appleyards of HullFeature: Relocations in the CanariesThe Euro 6 challengeProfile: PHS TeacratePackexe: Designed for a purposeWage rates

Memberships 63Diary Dates 65Feature Schedule 65

Article submission: 5th of the month preceding publicationBooking of display adverts: 10th of the month preceding publicationBooking of classified adverts: 10th of the month preceding publication

Booking of trade adverts: 10th of the month preceding publicationArtwork for adverts: 15th of the month preceding publication

Copy and advertising deadlines 2010

On the cover: Matt Purdie officially hands the BAR presidency over to Reg Hackworthy

Removals & Storage August 2010

Industry News

6

So, here we are in August, the mid-summer rush is in full swing, telephones glowing hot, overtime rates through the roof and vehicles that haven’t seen the yard for weeks. Is that the way it is

or, not quite.It’s very easy to get locked in a bubble, so wrapped up in your own world

that you never get the chance to see beyond. If you have done well this summer is it because the recession is over or just because you have been successful in gaining market share? If the summer has been slow, expectedly or otherwise, are you missing out or is the work just not out there yet?

Over the last few months R&S has been running a regular housing survey that has demonstrated that the market should, theoretically, be easing. But has that found its way to moving companies yet? Reports from people I have spoken to vary. Some say that they are busier than ever before – some that there is a long way to go before they return to the heady days of a few years ago.

So what’s your point of view? Is the recession over, are we scrambling up the mountain only to go sliding down the other side as the sometime predicted double-dip comes in to bite us. Or maybe you don’t much care! Perhaps one of the benefits of a downturn in business is that it makes us all feel bullet proof – if we can survive that we can survive anything, so why worry. Please let me know.

Meanwhile I hope you enjoy this August issue of R&S lovingly prepared as always by the team in Milton Keynes. In its pages I trust you’ll find something for everyone including a report on the Britannia conference and, of course, part two of the BAR conference including all the CMG-related presentations. May I draw your attention too to the article on page 62 on wage rates in the transport industry. This will help you to benchmark your wage rates to other areas of the industry to test whether you are keeping up or falling back. As the industry picks up and companies start to recruit again, it’s vitally important that you protect your most precious asset.

With the aid of a little deft planning, and totally capable staff, I am just about to head off for a few days in the sun (that is if the weather’s nice in Wales). I hope the summer’s not been disappointing for you either.

Steve Jordan

THE

Editor’sCOLUMN

Brand new PHS DatasafePHS Datasafe has re-branded and will now be known as PHS Recordsmanagement. Along with the new name, the brand colour has also been changed.

Along with the new name, the brand colour has also been changed. Staff uniforms are

now green and vehicles are sporting new livery. Even the literature has been spruced up and the website given a spring clean and a new address www.recordsmanagment.co.uk.

Since being acquired by PHS Group in 2008, the records management company has built three new strategic state-of-the-art storage facilities allowing UK-wide coverage in what has been a very busy period for PHS Recordsmanagement. It is hoped that the new name and branding will more accurately reflect the services the company offers including secure storage of

documents, records and computer back up tapes, file management and destruction date advice.

Nick Burke, Commercial Director of PHS Recordsmanagement said, “We wanted to re-brand the business to reflect the complete range of services we provide,” said Nick. “It’s also an opportunity to refresh our image and take the business forward as we look to invest further in our infrastructure and service.”

The latest investment in PHS Recordsmanagment comes in the form of a bespoke customer online access system, Pinpoint, which is about to be launched. It has been designed in response to client requirements and makes access to their accounts even easier.

Dublin-based Allen Removals & Storage Ltd recently undertook two celebrity

moves: the singer Ronan Keating and the CEO of Ryanair, Michael O’Leary.

Ronan Keating was moved from a house within the Malahide area of Dublin to a local house, with a small volume taken back to storage. The move took three days to complete but was quite difficult for the crew as they had to pack thousands of CDs and were working with a constant barrage of flashes from photographers’ cameras. Eamonn Finn, Managing Director of Allen Removals said, “The move

was very difficult as access to the new unfinished house wasn’t complete and there were numerous builders still on site, which makes a smooth move very difficult, however everything was completed on schedule.”

For Michael O’Leary, Allen Removals were returning the contents of a period house back from storage where they had been for a year. The job took eight days to complete and there were in excess of 150 paintings that had been packed and stored in Allen’s custom made picture crates, all of which had to be unpacked and re-hung.

Eamonn Finn said, “This was a tough move as all the paintings had to be uncrated and re-hung

back in their original positions and a strict time schedule had to be adhered to.”

Two celebrity moves for Allen Removals & Storage Ltd

Ronan Keating Michael O’Leary

Chriz Mudzingwa shows off the new logo, vehicle livery and staff uniform

August 2010 Removals & Storage

Industry News

7

NEVER RISK LENDING YOUR DISCBy Backhouse Jones

A recent case has shown how the Traffic Commissioner will come down hard on anyone who illegally operates

vehicles under loaned operator discs.The case in question related to an operator

who had borrowed operator discs from two other businesses. The investigation took a year to complete but it certainly shows how serious such an offence can be.

It all started when a vehicle was stopped by the police. It was found that the owner was performing a journey for hire and reward without a PSV Operator’s Licence. Other offences were alleged which included using a vehicle as a PSV where passengers were standing whilst the vehicle was in motion and having no tachograph and therefore failing to keep a record whilst using the vehicle on an EC regulated journey.

The operator had, prior to be stopped by the police, made an application for an Operator’s Licence which was still pending. In the meantime he borrowed a disc to use on another vehicle from a different company and had run under this borrowed licence for a number of months. It only came to light that the disc had been lent after the vehicle was inspected at a vehicle testing station. Subsequently the operator’s premises and vehicles were inspected and another borrowed licence was discovered.

At a Public Inquiry, the Traffic Commissioner came to the conclusion that the operator had attempted to deceive and mislead the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) and therefore did not have the necessary repute to hold a PSV Operator’s Licence. Should he look to another business, he is unlikely to be granted an O-Licence for at least three years.

As a final note, the two operators who lent the discs were also called to the Public Enquiry. One of them was held to have tarnished his repute while the other actually lost his repute in that role whilst the repute of the company was tarnished. Certainly a big price to pay for what was originally thought to be a small favour.

Motorists are to find they are faced with a heavy financial burden if defending themselves from alleged traffic offences.

Previously, those defendants acquitted by the courts would have their ‘reasonable costs’ met, but recent changes to the legislation mean that

costs will only be paid at legal aid rates – 10-15% of commercial rates.

Transport lawyers are warning that this could mean innocent drivers cannot afford to defend themselves and could end up pleading guilty for financial reasons. This has particular impact on transport operators as all convictions must be reported to the Traffic Commissioner, which could potentially affect an Operator’s Licence.

Meanwhile, drivers will now be hit by a £15 fee called a Victim Surcharge when they receive a fixed penalty notice. Critics argue that most motoring offences are victimless.

Malcolm Bingham, FTA’s Head of Road Network Management Policy said: “Foreign lorries make a considerable

impact on UK roads, which has so far gone unpaid. This is in stark contrast to the rest of Europe where road pricing is evident in the majority of member states. To compound this inequality, foreign trucks tend to fill up with diesel

bought outside the UK, where fuel duty is far lower, putting domestic companies at a greater commercial disadvantage. So, in principle lorry road user charging will help to level this rather uneven playing field.”

An LRUC scheme would in practice be levied at the same amount for all lorry drivers, foreign and domestic, so it is important that the scheme is revenue neutral compared to current levels, which can be achieved either through lowering fuel duty or vehicle excise duty.

Bingham concluded, “As well as bringing fairness to commercial road users, the LRUC must also bring clear tangible benefits to transport operators, meaning that all revenues generated are ploughed back into maintaining and improving the road network. After all, by alleviating congestion, for example, it is not just commercial deliveries that will benefit but the environment, local residents and other road users too.”

FTA welcomes government plans for foreign lorry charge

An LRUC scheme would level the playing field in principle, says the FTA

Slipped disc -Lending or borrowing an Operator’s Licence will only lead to pain

Legal burden for hauliersBy Backhouse Jones

The Freight Transport Association (FTA) has welcomed government proposals to introduce a tax on foreign lorries but insists that for a lorry road user charging scheme (LRUC) to be worthwhile it must bring tangible benefits to commercial vehicle operators.


Industry News

9

Forecasters are predicting a more positive outlook than fi rst expected for European automotive production during the next four

years, with a strong indication that output will return to the pre-recession highs of 2007 by 2014.

According to the latest ‘European Car and LCV Production Outlook Report’, commissioned by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, the recovery in production volumes has been underpinned by better than expected performances from several vehicle manufacturers and specifi c models. It is expected that European volumes in 2010 will reach 17.2 million units compared to 16.1 million in 2009. By 2014, production volumes are expected to grow to reach 20.4 million, back to the levels achieved in 2007.

Paul Everitt, Chief Executive of SMMT, said, “Although vehicle production volumes across Europe fell by more than 2.8 million units in 2009, there is increasing confi dence regarding 2010 and beyond, thanks to the acceleration of new model programmes and the strong performance by many vehicle manufacturers over the fi rst quarter of 2010.”

FTA sets standard with secure-load guide for vans

With overloading by far the most common offence found among light goods vehicles (LGVs), the

Freight Transport Association (FTA) has published its best practice guide for transport managers on the safe securing of loads and equipment in vans. The guide provides realistic and practical advice, clarifying compliance standards for operators and helping them to improve their drivers’ safety.

Worryingly, the LGV overloading prohibition rate found by traffi c enforcers increased from 55% in 2007 to 67% in 2009 (VOSA).

James Hookham, FTA’s Policy Director said, “With many of its members running vans as well as trucks, FTA recognises the strong need for consistent and clear guidance regarding the safe securing of loads, especially in the face of more onerous operator liability.”

“We wanted to fi ll the void in guidance with meaningful advice based on realistic data to not only improve the safety of drivers and passengers in commercial vehicles, but also remove any legal ambiguities, so that operators know exactly where they stand.”

FTA commissioned the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) to conduct the research project – jointly-funded by members of FTA’s Utilities Working Group – which, unlike previous research, accounts for the typical forces experienced by an LGV and its load in a collision. While the Department for Transport’s (DfT) code of practice on load retention only accounts for deceleration forces of 1G, as found in normal driving conditions, a serious collision can generate more than 20 times this force.

FTA used TRL’s experience of analysing road traffi c accidents within the UK to identify the real risks of unsecured loads in everyday situations.

James concluded, “While the frequency of injuries caused by loads in accidents is comparatively low, the consequences of such incidents are of the gravest concern. Our research will provide much needed guidance to operators and users, especially important in the face of corporate manslaughter legislation.”

Visit www.shop.fta.co.uk/c-8-books.aspx for more information or to place an order.

The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA) has called on the UK government to abandon any idea of replacing the existing

Airline Passenger Duty with a new per-aircraft fl ight fee.

TIACA has written to the secretaries of state for business, transport and the environment in response to rumours that the government is planning the change and warns that it would result in higher taxation across the air cargo supply chain, increased costs for manufacturers and consumers without delivering any new environmental benefi ts.

Secretary General Daniel Fernandez said, “We understand the per-plane fee would ostensibly be imposed for environmental reasons, as a means of addressing aviation

emissions of greenhouse gases. While details of the proposed new fee structure are not publicly available, we believe it is unlikely that any of the revenues derived would be directed to environmental betterment and are more likely to go to UK general funds.”

Daniel continued, “This would impose a tax on the air cargo sector at a time when it is still reeling from the economic downturn and recent shutdowns of European airspace due to the volcanic eruption in Iceland and negatively affect not only airlines but forwarders, shippers and the many businesses that depend on airfreight to run their operations smoothly. Ultimately, any additional costs will be borne by the consumer through higher prices of goods shipped by air.”

Aircraft fl ight fee would damage air cargo industry

TIACA is warning against a new per-aircraft fee

European automotive production bounces back

SMMT Chief Executive Paul Everitt


Industry News

10

London Councils and Transport for London (TfL) have launched a three-month consultation

on levels of penalties for motorists who commit parking and traffi c contraventions.

The level of fi nes is reviewed every four years. The last consultation, carried out in 2006, resulted in the introduction of the two-tier parking system in July 2007. This means all contraventions on TfL roads and the more serious contraventions on London borough roads incur a higher penalty than other contraventions.

Londoners and other interested parties will be asked whether they think the two tier system works or whether there should be a single level of penalty charge. They will also be asked for their views on how much penalties should be for:• Contraventions of parking regulations; • Moving traffi c contraventions including in bus lanes and yellow box junctions; • Release from wheel clamps; • Contravening the London Lorry Control Scheme; • Bonds paid by persistent evaders appealing against one or more of their penalty charge notices;

• Storage and disposal charges.

Following the consultation, a fi nal decision will be made by Transport for London and London Councils’ Transport and Environment Committee on 9 December, 2010. This will be approved by the Mayor of London and the Secretary of State for Transport. It is intended that the new penalties will come into effect from 1 April, 2011.

Chair of London Councils Transport and Environment Committee, Councillor Catherine West said: “We know that parking penalties are a contentious issue and we are encouraging everyone to have their say in this consultation. We must ensure penalties are at the right level to deter motorists from stopping the fl ow of traffi c by parking illegally or carrying out dangerous manoeuvres which put other road users at risk. We also recognise motorists, like everyone else, are facing tough times and we want to be as fair as possible in parking enforcement.”

The consultation runs from 1 July until 30 September, 2010. To have your say, visit: www.londoncouncils .gov.uk/lcandtfl consultation or call 020 7934 9907.

Drivers to have their say on parking penalties in LondonDrivers are being invited to have their say on how much motorists should be charged for parking and other traffi c offences.

Brian Munro, Operations Director, Fife Group, took this picture while on a recent trip to Rhodes. Brian came across the vehicle parked up on the beachfront in Lindos and suspects that the vehicle had perhaps been used to move goods from the UK at some

point. He said it still looked in reasonable condition and was being used more as a storage container for sun loungers, etc. Brian said, “I just thought it was a strange place for a UK removal van to be and that somebody amongst the BAR members may have more info on it?”

Beach hut

Consultation web page and downloadable document


Industry News

11

The Fork Lift Truck Association (FLTA) will be holding its annual Safety Conference on 22 September, 2010.

As a key safety event in the fork lift truck industry, experts from a wide variety of fi elds will be delivering seminars on crucial issues giving attendees a comprehensive understanding of the requirements and recent changes in safety law and best practice. The event is always fully booked so register now to avoid disappointment at:

www.fork-truck.org.uk/safety-conference.The FLTA is also calling for nominations for its FLTA Awards 2011. As well as the four product categories in the Pick of the Year, there are a range of individual and team awards for which anybody can enter themselves or their companies. For rules of entry and nomination forms visit: www. fork- truck.org.uk/awards-enter. Nominations must be received by 30 September for consideration.

Fork Lift Truck Association

Figures for the number of casualties reported to the police in 2009, published by

the Department for Transport, reveal that the number of deaths on Britain’s roads fell from 2,538 in 2008 to 2,222.

The number of children killed fell by 35% from 124 to 81.The number of road users seriously injured fell by 5% to 24,684 and the number of slightly injured casualties fell by 4% to 195,194.

Cyclist deaths fell by 10% from 115 to 104, but the number of cyclists seriously injured rose by 6% from 2,450 to 2,606. Cycle traffi c levels are estimated to have risen by 4%.

Kevin Clinton, Head of Road Safety at RoSPA said: “Overall, the

fi gures are good news. The reduction in deaths represents another very large fall on top of that achieved in 2008. In two years, we have seen a fall in road deaths of more than 700.

However, The Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) said that it is important that this reduction must not be compromised by anticipated cuts in government spending.

Neil Greig, the IAM’s Policy and Research Director, said that the IAM’s main concern is that road safety is an easy cut in the light of the public sector spending problems. “We must maintain budgets if this downward trend is to continue and we are to make Britain’s roads the safest in the world,” he said.

Road accident fi gures down

Road deaths have fallen by more than 700 in two years

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Industry News

13

The BVRLA – the trade association for the UK vehicle rental and leasing association - has advised Chancellor George Osborne

to abolish the tax disc and allow the purchase of multi-year Vehicle Excise Duty (VED).

The suggestions came in the association’s submission ahead of the emergency Budget on 22 June, 2010. More than 34 million tax discs are produced, printed and distributed annually and the BVRLA believes that eliminating them could save the government over £90 million each year. The use of automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras and continuous registration laws mean there is no longer a need for tax discs to be displayed on windscreens. With first-year vehicle excise duty rates rising significantly for high-emission vehicles, to £950 for some cars, Treasury officials have previously expressed concerns that high-value discs could increasingly be targeted by thieves. “Not having to display a tax disc would bring us into the 21st century and reduce the burden on fleet owners, who would no longer have to distribute them to drivers or retrieve them when they were seeking to obtain a refund,” said BVRLA Chief Executive, John Lewis. “It would help the government make instant progress in its plans to cut government waste and the money could be invested in modernising some of the DVLA’s antiquated systems and working practices.”

The BVRLA believes that introducing the ability to purchase multi-year VED would save the industry up to five million pounds in administration costs each year, as well as improving the cash flow to the Exchequer and reducing workload at the DVLA. “Having previously shared our proposals with the DVLA, we know that it is equally keen to see this measure pursued,” Mr Lewis added. Elsewhere in its submission, the BVRLA outlined a number of simple changes that the government could make to the current company car tax regime in light of its ‘simpler and more efficient’ agenda. In particular, it calls for a removal of the current 3% diesel supplement in benefit-in-kind tax for company cars and fuel. “Removing this historically out of date, pollution-related penalty would accelerate further corporate adoption of these vehicles and help to push company car emissions even lower,” said Mr Lewis. “We accept that, in the current economic climate, there may be a need to make compensatory adjustments to the benefit-in-kind base lines in order to maintain the tax take.”

Interdean achieves ISO 14001 accreditation

Interdean International Relocation was awarded ISO 14001 Environmental Management System accreditation in

January 2010.This internationally recognised environmental

standard demonstrates that Interdean is fully committed to reducing its impact on the environment as well as operating in accordance with relevant environmental laws and regulations.

The accreditation builds on Interdean’s Carbon Management & Audit programme that was introduced in 2007 and has been verified by external company Environmental Resources Management (ERM). Interdean was the first relocation company to complete an annual audit of its carbon emissions and a reduction plan. Details are published in Interdean’s Annual CSR Report.

Crown opens in Denmark

Crown Relocations has opened a new branch office in Copenhagen. The office will be guided by branch manager Martin

Heder-Kampff, who is fluent in English and Danish, and has an extensive background in sales and the start-up of new operations. He will be responsible to Patrik Eriksson, Regional Manager for Crown Scandinavia.

Heder-Kampff said, “Crown is already working with several large Danish multinational companies around the world and we see further great potential in the market. Establishing our own office will allow Crown to develop these client relationships further and enhance our service offering to meet customers’ needs.”

The Danish office has a fully operational warehouse, is located approximately nine miles (15km) from Copenhagen’s international airport and will focus on relocations and records management. Crown’s expansion in Scandinavia includes offices in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

Wot! No tax disc? UK HOUSING

MARKET UPDATE

To keep BAR members informed of the changing conditions in the housing market the R&S will be compiling a monthly update of the most important facts and figures taken from the Halifax House Price Index.

June 2010Average House Price for June: £166,203 - down 0.6% on the previous month - up 6.3% on last year.

House prices fell -0.6% in June This followed May’s 0.5% decline.

House prices in June were 6.3% higher on an annual basis As measured by the average for the latest three months against the same period a year earlier. This figure is below the 6.9% increase in May, which was the highest since October 2007 (8.9%).

Prices are 7.5% above their April 2009 trough Despite the modest decline over the past few months the average house price is now £166,203; 17% below its August 2007 peak.

The increase in the number of properties for sale is curbing the upward pressure on house prices Estate agents have reported a sharp increase in instructions from new vendors following the recent abolition of HIPs, reinforcing the recent trend as more homeowners have been encouraged to sell following the improvement in house prices in 2009.

Housing market activity has easedBank of England industry-wide figures show that the number of mortgages approved to finance house purchase – a leading indicator of completed house sales – were largely unchanged between April and May, at a seasonally adjusted 49,800. Approvals in the three months to May, however, were 3% lower than in the preceding three months, indicating a modest softening in housing market activity.

In separate research, Halifax found that the cost of owning and running a home in the UK has declined by 6% over the past two years Between April 2008 and April 2010, the average annual cost associated with owning and running a home fell by £544 from £9,564 to £9,020. In real terms (i.e. after allowing for retail price inflation), the cost of housing has fallen by 9%. Housing costs in the UK are now equivalent to 27% of gross average full-time earnings, down from 30% in 2008.

The fall in the cost of housing since 2008 has been driven by a 19% (£881) decline in mortgage payments (interest and capital repayments)The average mortgage rate paid by existing borrowers fell by 2.13% between April 2008 and April 2010 from 5.80% to 3.67%.

(Statistics taken from the Halifax House Price Index June 2010)

The BVRLA has advised the Chancellor to abolish the traditiional tax disc


BAR CONFERENCE REPORT BRISTOL 2010

BAR Annual Conference

Bristol 2010Day two of the BAR conference 2010 in Bristol, as usual, focused primarily on speakers for the commercial moving market. This feature follows on from day one, reported last month.

Rod began by saying that since August 2009 membership of the CMG has been increasing. He said, “I was determined

to raise the profile of the CMG in our marketplace and promote it to members.”

He said that to raise this awareness the Council has developed partnerships with BIFM and FMA. With BIFM, the CMG branded Good Practice Guide has been developed and is now available on the BAR website as well as being given to 12,000 FMs. In reference to FMs, Rod said, “We have secured articles in their trade magazine, FM World, attended their conference promoting the CMG and the quality standard BS 8522 to raise awareness amongst FMs.” BIFM has also agreed to have a full page web link on their website as a members’ tool for them and the CMG is now in discussions with them about allowing CMG speaker attendance at selected Area meetings.

A new trade magazine aimed at commercial property developers and commercial agents is being launched in the summer; the CMG have already agreed a series of articles and endorsements.

Rod said that they are also working with various procurement groups such as universities, NHS and local authorities and associations to promote the CMG and the quality standard. “This has proved successful. I have had feedback that various members are now able to tender for jobs in these industries that they would not have been considered for before.”

Rod went on to talk about the new section of the R&S, dedicated to the CMG. “For the first time ever a report of all of the Council’s meetings is included in this section, advising our members

and the whole industry of what we are aiming to do.”

The development of the training course has continued and the grounds for a CMG apprenticeship established. Completion of the apprenticeship and introducing two management modules will be a priority in the next year.

Rod continued, “It is good to see the continued interest and involvement of our members. Over 70% of our members believe that there is a commercial benefit in achieving the certificates available.”

“In the forthcoming year we will continue to work with customers in the marketplace to increase their awareness and allow us the opportunity to secure more work for members. Increasing the membership is also a high priority and we will be going out to our Areas to present to them.” The marketing committee has developed new exhibition materials, a generic CMG Powerpoint and leaflets for use at exhibitions and when trying to encourage new members.

Rod mentioned that he would like to increase the amount of CMG information in the R&S and actively encourage member participation in these pages.

“Communication with the members must become clearer,” he said. “And we will ensure that clear lines of communication are established to allow them to be more involved in the group.”

Other priorities mentioned were: the completion of the apprenticeship and the introduction of the management module to it; the continuation of marketing the CMOTY and the production for all members of a dedicated ‘terms & conditions’ for the CMG.

Rod Seeland:CMG Chairman’s address Rod began by thanking the Council for their hard work and support in his first year of office.

Determined to raise the CMG profile - Chairman Rod Seeland



Beth began by asking the audience, “What do you think is most important to facilities managers? Do you think cost saving is

the most important thing or do you think it is quality?” The audience strongly voted in favour of cost saving.

Beth agreed that cost saving is important to FMs however she also said that when they are choosing a partner that they will be working with repeatedly over a long period of time they are always looking for quality.

This means a company that will be on time, arrive at the right location with the right equipment, be smart and professional and exceed expectations whilst still sticking to the budget. Beth said, “Although I might be talking to you, the managers and supervisors, before the actual move, I probably won’t see you on the day. I will see your staff and I want to be sure that all of the information I gave you has been passed down to them to make the move go smoothly. I will have given you a brief of what will need doing. Fully brief your staff with the same information so they are ready to go as soon as they arrive without any direction from me.”

Beth continued, “The bane of a facilities manager’s life, when it comes to a move, is crates and labels. Make sure they get to us when we ask for them and arrive with the crates before the day of the move.” It is important to deliver these to sensible places so they are not an obstruction.

Beth revealed that one thing that causes FMs a huge amount of stress is labelling. Beth appealed to movers to help FMs and their staff find a way of labelling crates and items clearly so anonymous objects and crates do not arrive

at the new location.Those working in Facilities Management are

always very busy with a move being just one aspect of their role. On a day-to-day basis facilities managers have to deal with numerous aspects of the business including: contingency planning; office equipment; procurement; car parking; lease management and cleaning, to name a few.

“My question to you is how can you help? What opportunities might there be for you?” said Beth. “Things like waste. At the end of the move can you help the FM with the waste and exceed their expectations.”

Beth pointed out that the FMs you are dealing with might do a move once every five years meaning that even if you are working with an experienced FM they are still relatively inexperienced in moving. “We want you to be our expert,” Beth said. “You are the people who do this every day, you know how it should be done. Please don’t be frightened to tell us how we should be doing it. Give us your top tips.”

Beth appealed to those who are members of BIFM to use their membership effectively. “With your membership you get full access to the website which has loads of information. There is also a forum used by facilities managers to ask questions. On here facilities managers are asking things like, ‘who would you recommend for a move?’ or asking for ideas and inspiration.” What a great opportunity for you to tell them your ideas and make contact.

The BIFM has 12,000 members based across 12 regions. It also includes 15 special interest groups. To find out more about the BIFM visit www.bifm.org.uk.

Understanding what facilities managers wantBeth Goodyear, BIFM

CMG SurveyRod Seeland

The council asked David Bunting to undertake an independent survey regarding membership. A copy of the

full report is available from the commercial department in Watford.

Every member of the CMG was contacted for this survey either by phone, e-mail or both to determine their opinions on the Group in order for the council to determine appropriate action. 80% of members participated in the survey.

The first question was: Do you agree with having a standards based CMG? 89.5% of respondents said yes. “This recognises the council’s decision and proves we have given our members what the majority wanted,” said Rod.

“One thing I will say is that some of the councils need to raise the awareness of the Standard,” Rod continued. “We need to reach the target of all tenders and procurements requesting BS 8522.”

When asked whether they read the CMG section in the R&S 97% or respondents said yes. Rod said that this shows that the CMG have a great medium to get CMG news over to the membership. It is important that CMG members know who to contact should they need to ask questions about the CMG. The individual CMG profiles in the R&S seek to do this. He did say, however, that they need help to fill these pages and called on the members to report any news or information to him.

Following on from the previous question, members were asked whether there is any particular content they would like to see in the CMG section. “We received over 30 suggestions for content,” Rod said. “We will be taking all of your suggestions back to the marketing committee to discuss and improve the section.”

Rod said that the new website needs work and he hopes that the entire Association can work on this together. “It is new and we do hope to develop the website so that members can benefit from it.”

Over 70% of CMG members believe there is a benefit in winning one of the certificates on offer. “This demonstrates that the Commercial Mover of the Year competition holds great importance to the membership. They see a real commercial benefit here for any company,” Rod commented. The sub-committee strive to improve the competition each year using comments and suggestions from members.

Rod thanked the members for taking the time to complete the survey. “We are always working to develop the CMG further, and all the issues raised by the survey will be addressed,” Rod said. “Once again, there were some great suggestions. We do listen to members and all of our hard work with the council will continue. We are all here to improve the Group and make it work for us.”

“We want you to be our expert”- BIFM’s Beth Goodyear

David began by saying that for the 2010 competition the format changed somewhat, recognising views expressed

at the 2008 conference. David listed the most significant changes:1. The corporate move category was removed.2. Three categories were reduced to one – that of a one-off commercial move.3. There would be only one over all winner and no runners up.4. Potentially there could have been nine finalists last year. This year that has been reduced to three.5. Two of last years judges were dispensary meaning two new judges were introduced to the competition.6. One of those judges, Chris Waymouth, the Chief Executive of QSS, was brought in specifically to mark a mini audit of the BS 8522 standard with the finalists.7. The marking system changed.8. The BAR Director General, Stephen Vickers was appointed as invigilator. 9. The use of the word ‘Wow”, in the context of “the wow factor” was removed.

The three judges selected by members were: Chris Ford, Director General of the Facilities Management Association; Chris Waymouth, the Chief Executive of Quality Service Standards; and David Bunting himself, a member of the

BAR Board with vast experience of the market place and the competition itself.

Seventeen entries had been received by the closing date of 29 January. On Tuesday 2 February these 17 entries were opened in front of the judges and the BAR Director General. The three judges then considered each entry independently of the other judges by reading through the entries twice, awarding marks against the criteria of: budgets; schedules; overall quality; client participation; communication process; project management; flexibility and innovation. Each criteria were given marks out of ten with the maximum available at this point being 240.

The marks were then given to Stephen Vickers for evaluation and a league table was produced. At this stage, the company in the lead had received 203/240. The company in second place had achieved 196 and three companies had ties in third place achieving 187 marks each. David said, “This presented the judges with somewhat of a dilemma as, according to the rules, there can only be a maximum of three finalists.”

Marking was revisited with judges challenging each other on decisions made. After some slight tweaking there was still a three–way tie. Finalist status was therefore allocated to the top two companies only. Those two companies were

CMOTY 2010Presented by David Bunting



Certificates of Merit: Representatives from certificate winners MJF Business Services, Delivery Services, Premier Moves, Reloc8 and Robinsons Business Moving

David Bunting talked delegates through the judging process beefore announcing the finalists and winners



New BAR PresidentReg Hackworthy took over as BAR President at the BAR conference in Bristol. He enters the record books as the longest-service vice president in BAR’s history after the presidency became a two-year appointment in 2008. Ian Studd takes over as vice president and is planned to take over the presidency in 2012.

BCL and Pickfords Business Moving.The next step was to award certificates of

merit, incorporating the three companies tied at third place and adding two more, making five in total.

Those five companies achieving a certificate of merit were:1. MJF Business Services2. Delivery Services3. Premier Moves4. Reloc85. Robinsons Business Moving

A representative from each of the five companies came forward to accept their certificates from Rod Seeland, Chairman of the Commercial Moving Group, and Chris Waymouth.

David then invited Phil Evans of BCL and Mark Herrington of Pickfords Business Moving to receive their finalist certificates.

David went on to explain that two more stages of judging had to take place. Firstly, the client visit and, finally, the mini-audit of BS 8522. At the end of the client visit there was only one tenth of a mark separating the two finalists, making the mini-audit of the BS 8522 critical. At the end of this final stage one company had achieved 24/40 and the other 32/40, meaning that there was a clear winner once this was added to the previous marks.

The overall winner of Commercial Mover of the Year 2010 was announced at the gala dinner that evening: Pickfords Business Moving.

Winners: Top: Rod Seeland, Simon Johns and Ryan Squirrell of sponsors Reason Global present the CMOTY trophy and plaque to Mark Herrington; Below: the Pickfords Business Moving team

Matt Purdie – the outgoing president – hands the chain of office over to Reg Hackworthy, the incoming president

Reg Hackworthy – formerly the BAR’s longest-serving vice president – with Ian Studd, the new vice president, who will take over the BAR presidency in two years



Greenworks has been going for ten years and is the only organisation that focuses on providing furniture for non-profit

organisations, other charities, schools and health organisations and Third World countries.

Colin said that the company has an extensive and growing network of depots including depots in London, Wolverhampton and Scotland. Greenworks also has the largest overseas export programme to developing countries of any organisation in the field. He said, “We have so far sent over 400 tonnes of vitally needed school and office furniture to developing countries across the globe.”

Colin said that the company’s objective is to provide a complete re-use and recycling facility

for any leftover furniture and electronic waste BAR members’ clients might have. He said, “We want to work with BAR members to provide a creative solution because we know that out there, in the market there are lots of new options coming through and we can certainly work with you to offer the optimum solution.”

Greenworks’ offer to BAR members is to partner with them, disposing of furniture and unwanted items. Colin continued, “We don’t compete with your logistics. We provide the distribution of the products once they are at our warehouse for ongoing use. You’re the experts and have the credibility in removals; we have the knowledge and the credibility in the environment and social responsibility.”

Partner presentationColin Crooks, CEO of Greenworks

Jason said that the FMA are pleased to be linked to BAR. “The great thing is we are linked to BAR. BAR are very picky about

their partners and the reason they bring in the right partners is because that makes good business sense to you guys.”

Jason spoke about one of their upcoming networking events ‘Contractor Vs Client’, happening on June 9. “This will be a fantastic even that hasn’t been done before. We will talk about the state of play in facilities management today.”

Jason went on to describe the potential these events have for furthering your business. He gave the example of a removals company attending one of these events, meeting numerous people along the way. These included:• Client X who had a tough time convincing the company’s CEO to replace the furniture throughout their key sites. She had comprehensively put the business case together but with capital expenditure down there was no money to put towards this.• A small supplier selling handheld scanning devices.

The company is presented with a huge opportunity. It could offer free new furniture to clients based on a lease agreement of five to ten years. As part of that the company might

choose to throw in free servicing and a choice of a colour change during the contract. That solves the problem for the client saying she can’t afford to buy in furniture.

Another idea follows: cash for existing furniture within buildings. Jason explained, “What he comes up with is that on a maintenance contract company B will give for your current furniture, maintain and service it. All of a sudden they are buying assets within the company’s building.”

The company goes on to develop a web application with the small supplier that allows customers to register their assets seamlessly, with the company’s staff logging its whereabouts on the handheld devices.

“My point is that as a business, by coming to one of our networking events, he has come up with a cracking idea which sees his business change,” Jason said. “Come to the next event. It’s not just business as usual at the FMA and I think you’ll find it can make a difference if you come down,” concluded Jason.

With your commercial clients, Greenworks can help their corporate social responsibility. Colin believes this is key as businesses are keen to demonstrate to their stakeholders that their brand has respect for society and the environment.

“We promise to maximise the benefit of the unwanted furniture or items by re-selling it, re-using it, exporting it, donating it or through re-manufacturing it by taking the components and re–building it into new pieces,” Colin said. “That will be a very interesting prospect to your clients as a lot of them will be looking at their carbon footprint.”

Colin continued, “We have found that the furniture in your clients’ buildings can be an enormous benefit to the third world. When you go to somewhere like Sierra Leone you wonder what help furniture can have in a place where they have between a 70 and 80% level of AIDS, where one in eight women die during childbirth and where one child in five will not make their fifth birthday. It is an unbelievable level of deprivation. What can office furniture do in a society that is so ravished by disease?”

Colin spoke of a visit to Sierra Leone pointing out that when he went to visit a school there were no desks or chairs. “You can see an instant need for basic furniture.” Greenworks was able to supply this school with chairs and desks, but also metal filing cabinets filled with books to protect them from the wet weather experienced in Sierra Leone. This has led to the literacy rate increasing by 50% at this school within a year, all because the school had somewhere to hold books.

“This is the level of poverty that most countries we go to live in. The furniture from your clients can literally transform these people’s lives,” Colin concluded.

Partner presentation Jason Ruehland, FMA

Colin Crooks

Jason Ruehland

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Loren has already begun work on the Domestic Moving Apprenticeship with Paul Fox, Fox Moving & Storage and Richard

Dolan, Greens Removal & Storage. Loren introduced the CMG Training sub-committee: Rod Seeland, Phil Oram, Kevin Mack, Neil Rogers, Andy Carr, Robert Poyner, Loren Webster and Martyn Minker, together the project team have designed a structure for the qualifi cation to include a Level 1 Award, a Level 2 Certifi cate and a Level 3 Diploma. The qualifi cation includes the following modules:

Award:• Health, safety and security at work; • Introduction to manual handling and vehicle loading for commercial moving; • Introduction to warehouse operations for commercial moving; • Introduction to site protection for commercial moving; • Speaking confi dently at work; • Wrap and pack goods in a logistics environment.

Certifi cate: • Health, safety and security at work; • Manual handling and vehicle loading for commercial moving; • Warehouse operations for commercial moving;• Introduction to site protection for commercial moving;• Communication in teamwork;

• Wrap and pack goods in a logistics environment;• Regulations in commercial moving.

Diploma: • Structure of the commercial moving industry;• Take responsibility for health, safety and security at work;• The supervision of manual handling and vehicle loading for commercial moving;• Planning and monitoring site protection in commercial moving;• Managing warehouse operations in commercial moving;• Manage the wrapping and packing of goods in commercial moving;• Operational administration in commercial moving;• Maintain the safety and quality of goods in a logistics environment;• Building working relationships with customers;• LGV Driver Essentials – JAUPT registered Driver CPC Periodic Training module (elective module, not mandatory).

The structure is designed to enable removals personnel to complete the apprenticeship scheme, whether they are new to the industry, experienced or progressing to/involved in team leadership or supervisory roles. Loren then spoke of the Apprenticeship Framework. She described how there would be elements of the programme to cover functional skills such as literacy, numeracy and ICT. Loren spoke of how the Diploma part

Commercial Moving Apprenticeship launchAt this year’s BAR conference Loren Webster, BARTS Training Manager launched the BAR Commercial Moving Apprenticeship scheme and announced the plan to design one for each of the functional groups.

of the qualifi cation had been written to include a Driver CPC module to enable personnel to gain seven hours of their Driver CPC training within the qualifi cation. Loren then talked briefl y about ways in which delegates could gain understanding and evidence this - some examples of these are:• Structured learning, e.g. classes, training sessions, coaching, seminars and tutorials;• Practical work in the workplace;• Information retrieval in learning resource centres, libraries or other locations, in other words undertaking research;• Expected private study and revision;• Work-based activities which lead to assessment;• Practice, gaining, applying and refi ning skills to achieve threshold level of competence;• Relevant ICT activities;• All forms of assessment;• Programme planning;• Educational support and mentoring.

Loren gave information on how to apply for funding through the Skills Funding Agency and asked that any members wishing to gain advice on this should feel free to contact her and the BARTS team for information. She talked about the qualifi cation PTLLS (Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector) and how this would benefi t any managers looking to take on an apprentice. This is not mandatory to the delivery of any training but Loren had found it useful and, in the near future, Loren and the Training sub-committee would be taking a qualifi cation to enable them to assess the performance and learning of apprentices to help members and reduce their costs. Loren explained that the Apprenticeship would be on-the-job training and an on-the-job qualifi cation except for the Driver CPC module which would have to be conducted at BAR Headquarters.

Loren fi nished the presentation by explaining the plans for the CMG Training sub-committee, these are; to build a CMG commercial moving qualifi cation appropriate for schools and colleges to attract young people to the removals industry and also an exciting new qualifi cation to be part of the Apprenticeship at Level 4 for managers in the removals industry.

Members of the CMG Training sub-committee: Neil Rogers, Kevin Mack, Robert Poyner,Loren Webster, Phil Oram and Rod Seeland



Darren Frostick from the Red Group once again took up the challenge to ride to the annual BAR conference

in Bristol on May 13. This year he rode for two nominated charities, those being Centre Point for homeless teenagers, and the Removals Benevolent Association.

The designated starting point was Cadogan Tate’s HQ in Acton Lane NW10 and ahead lay a 120 mile route predominantly along the A4 before entering Bristol along the A420.

Initially the going was slow due to traffic lights, and it was not until Darren cleared Newbury that he could get his average speed up. The rest of the ride went without incident apart from some hard climbing in the last 20 miles, no doubt made worse by the 100 miles already in his legs. Darren finished the day having used 6,472 calories, did

3,200 feet of climbing with a total ride time of 6:41:14

The Red Group would like to say a big thank you to all the companies and individuals who donated so generously to the cause, which managed to raise over £1000.

Plans have already started for next year’s ride to Manchester. If anybody is up to joining Darren for the challenge then contact either Darren or Caroline Frostick at Red.

Peter began his presentation by saying that PFM is the UK’s oldest facilities title with its 25th birthday approaching next year.

PFM conducted its first moving trends survey in 1997. There have been 15 to date with the last being on 10th May this year. The survey is sent out via the Internet to 3000 facilities managers, selected at random from two different databases. The company began using this online survey software last year to speed up the process. The fieldwork for the most recent questionnaire began in April and Peter said that they are still receiving questionnaires back.

PFM had received 320 questionnaires back by 10 May and the figures to follow have been compiled from these.

The survey showed that 84% of FMs who responded were responsible for the internal or external relocations of their organisation. Peter said, “That means that in the main these are

the guys you need to be communicating with. But you should be aware that other departments, such as finance and HR, are involved as well.”

23% of respondents said that they use an external relocations advisor, with 32% of these using a move management company and 23% a property consultant. “None of the FMs who have responded said that they talked to relocation contractors if they needed independent advice,” Peter pointed out. “This is down from 12% last year. This may be a worrying statistic to you. They may just see you as external service providers so maybe you can do a bit more on that.”

The survey showed that key factors when appointing a removals contractor were the company’s previous experience and also the price. Interestingly, the importance of being a member of the CMG had gone up from 31% to 41%, but the importance of being a BAR member

Moving Trends SurveyPeter Middup, PFM Magazine

had fallen from 52% to 43%. It was the first time the survey had included a question about the BS 8522 accreditation and 40% of respondents already regarded it as a key factor when appointing a removals contractor.

Respondents were asked what additional services they would consider buying from a relocations contractor. 87% said that they would consider purchasing crate hire; 70% said they would buy storage and 64% said they would pay for move management as a service rather than just the relocation job. Peter said, “There is a big demand for single suppliers. There is no reason why FMs would not purchase all of those services from one company.”

88% of FMs said that they had had an internal move in the past 18 months. “I know the market has been going through a tough time,” said Peter. “But, the moves have been going on. They have just been small moves.” So small in fact that only 15% of those that had moved had used an external contractor, compared to 35% last year.

External moves in the last 18 months were up from 44% to 58%. Peter said, “We found this was largely because people were downsizing their buildings or moving all staff into one building.”

This time 50% used an external relocations contractor. Performance on these moves by the contractors was rated as being between good and excellent with companies keeping to the move schedule. Removals companies fell down on the initial proposal document and the post move de-brief.

FMs actively planning a move in the next year was down 9% on the previous year to 43%.

Peter concluded, “To summarise, I think that next year is still going to be a tough market, but the opportunities are there. Budget cuts in FM departments have and will put pressure on you to cut your costs. When you’re tendering don’t just talk about price think about value as well, but be aware that you’ve got to show how efficiently you can run the job.”

Peter Middup ofPFM magazine

Cycling to the conference

Darren about to set off for Bristol and the conference from Cadogan Tate’s HQ in NW10, and (left) arriving at the hotel in Bristol around six hours and forty minutes later.

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The world is changing rapidly,” Mike said. “We increasingly need more information wherever we are.”

Mike began by talking about Tradespace which he described as “Facebook for grownups” and a place where companies can promote their business. This free product has gained just under 250,000 members within a year for which BT had to build a new platform to keep up with demand. “It’s a place that people can go to to tell people about your business. You can post videos and photographs from your business, compile new updates and write blogs about your company, which are one of the cheapest ways to get your company name up in the Google rankings.”

Tradespace allows you to build a community depending on your area of interest. Mike gave the example of domestic movers saying, “If you set up a community with local estate agents in your area and they all have a Tradespace, it might just be a way of extending your reach to them as a potential supplier. This works in the same way for commercial movers.” In April alone there were 43,000 searches for the word ‘remover’ or ‘removals’ on the site. That’s a lot of opportunity.

Tradespace also allows for an online trading presence. For £15 a month those with a retail outlet, selling packaging for example, can sell their product on Tradespace.

Smart Search was the next product Mike discussed. He said that Smart Search offers you a proactive route to getting you up the Google search engine. Instead of costing thousands of pounds it costs from £75 a month to £350 a month depending on the kind of package you choose. The product works by tracking back the route a visitor to your website has used to get to your site and what words they have used. “You will get an audit of your site and we will

make some suggestions as to how you can improve the key words you are using. It will also take any money you are spending within your monthly budget and spend that on words that it thinks will help you get up the search engine and fi re people into your site.”

Mike went on to talk about BT business phone lines. He said, “If you want to pay £15 per month per phone line and have free calls to UK, international and mobile numbers, you need to talk to me.” He ensured that this is a real tariff!

Everyone would like their broadband to be quicker than it is. Mike explained, “The further you are away from the telephone exchange the slower the broadband gets.” BT will be spending money to increase the speed of broadband. Mike said that if you only have one broadband into your business that could be a mistake. “For the sake of £20 I think you’ve qot to have two. For no other reason than if your broadband is disconnected it takes the supplier ten days to reconnect it. That’s thanks to Ofcom.”

BT hope to get 40 megabyte broadband to

businesses. “If we can do that lots of things will happen,” said Mike. “We are going to spend two and a half billion pounds in the next two years employing the right fi bre to increase your broadband speed. If we can replace the copper wiring with fi bre that will increase your connection speed. That will enable upload speeds of 10 meg. Two million customers, by the end of the summer, will have 30 to 40 megabyte broadband. This will give you the ability to host applications that you currently have to buy like Word and Excel.”

BT are also looking to push further into the television market. BT will add Sky1 and Sky2 to your package for £20 from October. They are also looking at providing on-demand movies for a fee onto your phone bill.

In order to make this progress BT need to dig up the roads and replace copper wiring with fi bre. “There was a time when we could just march in and dig the road up,” Mike said. “We can’t do that now. Every time we want to lay fi bre we need planning permission, pay money for disruption and coordinate with the gas and electricity people so there is only one delay. That extends the deployment process for us.”

Mike said that the industry is evolving all the time. “Over the term of your next contracts in these areas things will change. You won’t have a telephone system anymore. You will have broadband in your offi ce and your telephones will connect to that. You can get eight telephone lines down a broadband.”

Mike continued, “We need to tidy your organisation up and unify your communications. With this your mobile voicemail messages, your faxes, your e-mails and your landline voice messages come into the same box.” Mike promises this will not only save you money in the future, but also your time.

Product launch and partner presentationMike Jones, Managing Director of BT Local Business

“ We are going to spend two and a half billion pounds in the next two years employing the right fi bre to increase your broadband speed.”

Mike Jones

Realising the need for more and more information -Mike Jones ofBT Local Business


BAR News

After the BAR conference in Bristol, BAR conducted a satisfaction survey of both the delegates and the exhibitors to fi nd

out what people liked best and what was most useful. This is what people said:

DelegatesDelegates were asked to rate all the aspects of the conference from 1 – 5 (5 being high) in the general categories of: • Marketing, booking and information; • Hotel services and facilities;• Speakers;• Exhibition;• Events;• And a general overview.

No aspect of the marketing and booking system received ratings under 3.5 with the quality of the advertising and promotional material and general information all being rated over 4.0. In this category the availability of the conference desk came out lowest.

The quality of the hotel services was rated highly by everyone with an overall score of 4.16 with the quality of the rooms and the attentiveness of the staff both being rated at an impressive 4.41. All areas of the hotel’s activities (catering, check in, concierge services, etc.) were rated highly with even the lowest individual score being over 3.8.

There were more speakers than ever before at a BAR conference yet all of them were rated highly for content and style. Presentations made by BAR staff were received best, perhaps predictably as these will always have the greatest direct relevance to the audience. However the presentations by James Backhouse and Mike Jones (BT) were rated particularly highly, with

Brodie Clarke (UK Border Force), Chris Waymouth (QSS), Mike Lamplough (Pickfords Self Storage), Beth Goodyear (BIFM), and David Bunting (CMOTY) all being extremely well received as well.

Delegates were asked to rate the exhibitors’ stands for content, service and whether they had plans to use the exhibitors’ services. Only two stands received a higher rating in the ‘use’ category than the ‘content’ and ‘service’ (BT and QSS/BSI) suggesting that these were considered to be essential partners. Other stands doing particularly well in this category with scores of over 3.25 included BAR Services, CMG, Basil Fry, Reason Global, Active Supply & Design and Steel Storage.

The Young Movers event came out statistically on top overall in the events category with the Welcome Evening, and the FA Cup event running a close second. Although the venue and catering at the Gala Dinner were rated very highly the event’s overall score suffered perhaps because some delegates found the band to be too loud at the end of the evening.

The cost of the Manchester 2011 event has been frozen at 2010 levels and, on this basis, the overall view was that most of the 2010 delegates will be coming to Manchester next year.

ExhibitorsExhibitors at the conference were asked to complete a different survey that asked about the quality of their experiences at the conference. Again they were asked to rate aspects of the experience from 1-5 with 1 meaning ‘very poor’ or ‘strongly disagree’ and 5 being ‘very good’ or ‘strongly agree’. The overall rating for the BAR’s booking process, staff assistance, information about exhibitors to delegates, and

Product of the MonthThe new OFT badge

BAR Services Ltd, Moor Hall, Sandhawes Hill, East Grinstead, Sussex RH19 3HQ Tel: 01342 870087 Fax: 01342 870072 Email: [email protected]

Displaying the OFT badge on your vehicles assures your customer that the service you provide meets an approved Code of Practice. After recent feedback from the membership, the BAR felt it necessary to update the existing OFT vehicle badge in line with suggestions from the members. Consequently, the new OFT badge is now available with a transparent background, as opposed to

the original white one, and can also be purchased in two sizes.

The large badge (550 x 230mm) is ideal for the back doors of your vehicles and retails at £3.50 each, whilst the new small badge (370 x 115mm) at £2.75 each is a perfect fi t for the cab doors.

BAR Services are now holding the new badges in stock so please contact the sales team on 01342 870087 or e-mail [email protected] place your order.

What the people say:Survey results from the 2010 BAR conference

BAR support were all over 4.25 (i.e. good – very good). Other areas that received above average scores were: conference and exhibition advertising material (3.5); exhibition information (3.875); problem solving by BAR staff (3.75); the conference as a networking opportunity (3.75); hotel facilities and services (3.625) and value for money (3.25).

Areas that were considered to be below average were: footfall on stands (2.25); the quality of enquiries (2.875); and unloading facilities at the hotel (2.75).

Importantly exhibitors were very positive about the 2011 event with most agreeing that they would attend in Manchester (3.875) and a very encouraging response to the question “Would you like an ‘Exhibitor of the Year’ award?” which received a 3.375 rating.

BAR wishes to thank all those who took part in the survey, exhibitors and delegates, and will use the information it provides to continue the development of the BAR conference year on year.

Top: Delegates rated all speakers highly, especially those from BAR; Bottom: Exhibitors also rated their conference experience highly


BAR News

For Miranda Hyder, BAR Services’ General Manager, the increases pose a serious concern and her fear is that in a bid to keep

costs down members may be enticed by what seem like low prices. “At first these prices may seem to be amazing in light of the recent price hikes,” Miranda commented, “but firstly members need to check if the cartons are of the same grade and quality that they would normally expect.”

That’s easier said than done! Understanding board grades can be a potential minefield that often causes confusion but it is such an important factor. In the corrugated industry the fact that a carton may be of a different or lesser quality is not always as overt as in some other industries and may only become apparent once in use. Let’s take the food industry for example: Tesco quite clearly labels one of its food lines as ‘Value’ which indicates that the lower price means a lower quality. Whether you then choose this product is up to you. The same information is available for your cartons but it won’t be advertised on the outside of the carton, it will either be on the quote or you may have to ask your supplier for these details.

In 2009, BAR Services gave a brief lesson in board grades to help out the members, but more than ever it is important to recap on the information that was provided. So here goes with the technical jargon, but hopefully it is somewhat simplified.

When you receive a quote you may find the following, or something similar, underneath the carton size but what does this mean? 125K/T BC flute or 125M/T BC flute.

Weight: Firstly, the number 125 denotes the grams per square metre of board. 125, 150 and 200 are popular weights, with 200 only being used for extremely heavy-duty cartons. This number may determine what weight the carton can hold and how it can be transported.

Type of Board: Secondly, the letter K and M denote the type of paper used for the outer layer of the corrugated board with the letter T indicating the paper used for the inner liner. The quality of the outer paper is paramount to the effectiveness of the carton. The strength and bursting resistance of the liner will directly affect the primary functions of the carton: stackability, containability and moisture resistance. A ‘kraft’ liner is denoted by letters K and M. It is manufactured from virgin softwood

BAR Services on corrugated board grades

fibre producing long fibre pulps providing strength and for this reason it is the chosen outer for the BAR Services cartons. The letter K refers to a brown kraft liner whilst the letter M refers to a mottled-white kraft liner. Which colour cartons you choose may be dependent on appearance and price but you can be assured the quality is the same. The inner layer (denoted by T) is a ‘test’ liner and is manufactured from recycled papers. The shorter fibres produced from the recycling process dictate that it is not ideal for use as an outer layer. BAR Services recommends members should be wary of the quality of cartons that have a test outer and inner layer; they will not be up to the job if members are hoping to reuse their cartons on several moves.

Flute: Thirdly, the letters A-E are used to describe the fluting that is sandwiched in-between the inner and outer layer. A B flute

provides good puncture resistance and is most commonly used whilst a C flute ensures good stackability and protection. For the heaviest items, a combination of both the B and C flute is used (for example, as seen in all the double wall cartons supplied by BAR Services).

That is the complicated part over but you can now understand the importance of knowing the elements that are used in manufacturing your cartons. With cartons being one of the fundamental packing products on a move, you cannot afford to take any chances by buying an inferior grade which will inevitably provide an inferior performance. Don’t forget, if you pay the price for Tesco’s ‘Value’ bread you will get the taste of value bread!

BAR Services has always operated a strict policy when it comes to board quality and with standards being a very current affair within the BAR, the company is even more stringent than usual when insisting on the best. Whilst BAR Services feels that price increases are a sign of a struggling paper industry and are not completely within its control, the quality of the cartons they provide, however, is.

If this all still seems a little complicated and you would like some further clarification, please do not hesitate to contact the sales team on 01342 870087 and they will be more than happy to explain further.

Board game:The board used in packing cartons is a complex combination of board weight, inner and outer lining paper and the type of fluting used

In June’s issue of the R&S, BAR Services wrote an article providing BAR members with an explanation for the further increases in board prices. The price increases were inevitable throughout the corrugated industry, however BAR Services is aware how frustrating this is for removal companies who are unable to inflate their own removal price and still stay competitive.


BAR News

On the air

Reg Hackworthy, BAR President, had 15 minutes of fame on 17 June when he appeared on BBC Radio Devon’s Interactive

Lunch programme with David FitzGerald.David gave Reg the opportunity of telling a few

of his moving man’s tales, offering a comment on the general downturn in the industry and how moving companies have been affected, and giving some advice to home owners. The message that home owners that are planning a move should get their moving company involved early came through loud and clear.

Well done Reg. If David Dimbleby wants to retire the BBC now knows where to look for a replacement.

BAR Golf Challenge

BBC Radio Devon’s Interactive Lunch show

The BAR Golf Challenge, sponsored by Basil Fry & Company, has completed its heats stage with matches in Dalmahoy Golf Club in Edinburgh, Lingfi eld Park in Surrey and Worsley Park in Salford. The winners of these events, and the match at the St. Pierre course in May, will gain entry to the fi nal to be held at The Portal on 9 September.

Latest results are as follows:Dalmahoy GolfWinner: Graeme Lorimer Qualifi ers: Stephen Vickers, David Christie, Gary Beattie, Graeme Hardie, John RobinsonLongest drive: David ChristieNearest the pin: Graeme Lorimer, John Robinson Lingfi eld ParkWinner: Daniel WigginsQualifi ers: Bill Tiernan, John Luxford, Lyndsey Daykin, Tony WigginsLongest drive: Daniel WigginsNearest the pin: John LuxfordWorseley ParkWinner: David BuntingQualifi ers: Mark Windle, Nick Wilkinson, John Horsefi eld Longest drive: Peter DomanNearest the pin: Stephen Vickers


BAR News

Kidds was formerly a BAR training centre for 12 years and since last year has carried on providing training and has

gone from strength to strength. Kidds is a Joint Approvals Unit for Periodic Training (JAUPT) approved CPC diver training centre and Steve Broom - a JAUPT approved trainer who works for Kidds as a sales estimator and has been in the removals industry for 39 years - presented a piece on the driver CPC. Explaining the need for this and the areas covered such as drivers’ hours, vehicle checks, tacho regulations, penalties and infringements, etc. Steve also pointed out that this is now part of the training provided at Kidds services.

A discussion was raised with regards to the validity of some CPC training. Steve Barker pointed out that Britannia Leeds drivers have all had their CPC training, however he had some doubts on the course content as these differed with regard to different training providers. A

theory to this was price related - the cheaper the course the less covered, etc. There was also mention of ‘cowboy’ training providers that, it’s hoped, will fall by the wayside. Philip Kidd mentioned that all driver training must be given by a JAUPT approved centre or the driver will not go on the government Drivers Standard Agency (DSA).

Phillip Kidd made a presentation on the training courses that are provided at Kidds services which include foundation skills, inland skills, export skills and commercial skills. Courses in management and estimating training will shortly be offered. Kidds also provide forklift driver training. The group was then given a tour around the Kidds training centre itself which has been used to successfully train everyone from removal staff to prison porters over the last 12 years.

Kidds then kindly provided a buffet with no cost to the members other than a £5 donation,

which along with the money raised from the raffl e (again prizes kindly donated by Kidds) helped raise £111 to be split equally between the RBA and Help for Heroes.

It was decided that the next meeting should be held at Kidds Services again due to the large number who were unable to make it on this occasion. The meeting will take place on 15 September, 2010 at 7pm.

Top: The meeting was held in Kidds Services’ training centre, which was formerly a BAR training cemtreBottom: Guests enjoying the buffet supplied by Kidds

Yorkshire Area meetingThe Yorkshire Area meeting was held on 23 June, 2010 in the training rooms at Kidds Services in Hull. 20 people attended, however others were unable to get to the meeting due to a motorway accident, including the secretary Graham Puddephatt.

AGS Four Winds London has recently moved to new world-class facilities to accommodate the growth of its business in international removals and storage.

We specialise in short- and long-term storage, and offer this service at highly competitive rates to the private and corporate sectors. We are also available for trade storage with the benefit of being conveniently located within the M25 with reduced transit times.

In view of this expansion, AGS Four Winds London is currently recruiting people with experience in Business Development and International Move Coordination.

Memb. No: A015

AGS Four Winds, for moving with peace of mind

� International and Domestic Removals � 36 years of experience � 125 branches in 75 countries

� Secure storage ��High quality packing material� Customs clearance and Transit Insurance

AGS, you deserve the best

AGS FOUR WINDS LONDONUnit 1, Trade City Business Park, Cowley Mill Road,

Uxbridge, Middlesex UB8 2DBTel: +44 189 520 1595 - Fax: +44 189 520 1581

Email: [email protected]

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AGS FW London BAR_135x188_eng Hires.pdf 1 2010/01/08 04:58:36 PM

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CMG News

Phil said that since he has joined the CMG he has seen a number of things come into force, the most signifi cant of which being the introduction of BS 8522. He hopes this will prove to be a signifi cant milestone in the industry’s development: “I would like to see the CMG brand as the one that counts for all FMs when they are choosing a removals contractor of quality.”

Phil also has high hopes for the formal training that has been introduced recently, targeted at the commercial moving industry. “I hope that the removal industry can be viewed as a career for school levers and others looking for long-term prospects,” he said. “I think that now the apprenticeship has been launched this will help.”

Phil continued, “The industry gives individuals the opportunity to travel and develop in a huge area of skills, from porter to director. There are not many industries that still have this sort of progression on offer.”

How very true. So many industries nowadays separate manual skilled workers, the heart of the company, from the running of the company with little opportunity for progression through the ranks. However, in the removals industry these areas of the company operate closely side-by-side, offering a unique opportunity for any aspiring managers or even directors: surely a huge plus for those considering a career within the removals industry.

After 20 years service, Phil seems more than settled in the industry. However there is something many of you may not know about Phil. He is actually the manager of a very successful football team as well. That’s right, the winners of this season’s league and runners up in the cup fi nal … Letchworth Eagles under 12s. Phil said, “I have run my son’s team for the past fi ve years which includes training each week and matches on Sundays. They won the

league this season and were runners up in the county cup fi nal which they won last season.”

For Phil, this sort of family time is very important. “Being in this line of work you have to spend any free time you get with the family.” And Phil endeavours to spend as much time as he can with his wife Michelle and his two

children Charley, aged 12 and Emma, aged 11. Holidays play a big part in this family time

with Phil indulging his hobbies of skiing and scuba diving. Both entertained in different locations you understand! “I love to ski and am lucky enough to holiday across the French Alps over Christmas and New Year,” Phil said. “On the other end of the temperature scale I have been able to travel to warmer countries such as Thailand, the Maldives, Dubai and the Caribbean to do some scuba diving.”

After twenty years in removals it is clear that Phil’s knowledge and experience within the industry, helping building a start-up business into a national company, has been nothing but a benefi t to the CMG. The Group hopes to have the benefi t of his contribution for a long time to come.

As a co-opted member of the CMG and Operations Director of Premier Moves and Premier Systems IT, Phil Oram is a

familiar face in the removals industry. Charlotte Freestone caught up with him to talk about his time in the industry, his hopes to advocate the removals industry as a long-term career choice, and his fl ourishing career as a football manager …

Phil’s fi rst taste of the removals industry was at the age of 17 when he worked on a casual basis alongside his studies in the construction industry. At the age of 23 Phil joined Premier Moves, then a start-up company, full-time as a supervisor but soon moved into operations after a year. “I went on to set up Premier Systems, the IT arm of Premier and now I control operations, systems, storage and move management,” he explained. Since 1996 Phil has helped Premier Moves progress from a start-up business, of two owners and Phil, to one of the fastest growing commercial

movers, now employing over 200 staff. No mean feat when you consider all of the ups and downs within the industry in the space of those 14 years.

Two years ago Phil became a co-opted member of the CMG. He describes the Group as being standards based. “All members are audited to ensure they are working to the highest possible standards. This in turn benefi ts their clients who can be sure they are employing professional companies with highly trained staff and the correct resources,” Phil commented.

Phil has certainly revelled in the chance to play a part in driving the removals and storage industry forward and is satisfi ed with what has been achieved so far. “It is important for us to review what the members are looking for and try to push ideas forward if they are benefi cial to everyone.”

Football, skiing, diving, family …and still time for work!A profi le of Phil Oram by Charlotte Freestone

“ It is important for us to review what the members are looking for and try to push ideas forward ...” Phil Oram

“ I would like to see the CMG brand as the one that counts for all FMs when they are choosing a removals contractor of quality.” Phil Oram

High fl yer: Premier Moves’ Operations Director and co-opted CMG member Phil Oram


CMG News

Company:

Address:

Postcode:

BAR Commercial Moving Group Golf Tournament 2010

Entry Form

Contact Number:

Contact Name:

Cheque Total:

Golf, Golf & Dinner DinnerPlayer Name Handicap and Club Dinner & B&B only Buggy

Dear CMG MemberFollowing the success of the 2009 CMG Golf Day, sponsored by Basil Fry, this year’s competition has been booked.

The 2010 CMG Golf Day will be held at Staverton Park Golf Course, Daventry, on 5 October, 2010. The CMG would like to thank Basil Fry for their continued support. We are able to fi eld up to 48 golfers on the day.

Prizes will be for 1st, 2nd and 3rd places for CMG members. Prizes will be awarded for the best placed non-members, along with a longest drive prize and a nearest the pin prize, not forgetting the occasional spot prize! PHS Teacrate, Steel Storage and BAR Services have kindly agreed to support the event as well.

Those unable to take part in the golf are invited to attend the evening presentation function, where you will be able to enjoy the company of fellow commercial movers in a relaxed atmosphere.

As with last year the format will be an individual and Stableford competition, using full handicaps, played within a drawn four-ball.

The organising committee reserve the right to amend the rules up to the start of play but within the CONGU golf rules.

Timetable and pricesThe day will run as follows (times subject to confi rmation)

10.15 Players arrive. Tea, coffee and bacon rolls are served11.14 First players tee off 19.00 Dinner in a private function room, where the competition winners and prizes are presented

Overnight accommodation is available and rooms have been reserved. The costs below include the cost of the golf, dinner, prizes and function room. All extras are the responsibility of the individual.

Package costGolf & Dinner £60Golf, Dinner and B&B £125Dinner only £30Golf Buggies £25

The CMG Chairman, National Council and Basil Fry look forward to welcoming you on the day and to seeing as many companies from the group as possible represented.

All cheques to be made payable to B.A.R. Cheques must be received with application. Invoices will be forwarded thereafter.

Send to: Kevin MackCompany Moves Ltd, 39 Invincible RoadFarnborough, Hants GU14 7QU

BAR Commercial Moving Group

Golf TournamentKindly Sponsored by Basil Fry Insurance Brokers5 October, 2010

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INTERNATIONAL & EUROPEAN T R A D E S P E C I A L I S T S

Instant online Trade quotesVisit the Trade Services page

Choose either International or European rates then just enter the User ID & Password

User ID: simpsons Password: trade

www.simpsons-uk.com

01322386969HEAD OFFICE: Blue Hawk House, A1 Manor WayBusiness Park, Manor Way, Dartford, Kent DA10 0PP

Memb No: S092

SIMPSONS_Mag_Ad:DPS_FINAL 16/9/08 16:14 Page 3


CMG News

The Whittle Group has entered into a six-year contract with Teacrate for crate supply services to support operations within their

highly successful Business Relocation Division. Following the recent appointment of a new

Director and Business Development Manager, Bob Willett, the Whittle Group has seen significant growth in the number of crates being ordered. As part of their contract, Teacrate will supply the Whittle Group with a large stock of their own newly branded crates in yellow with a black lid. The Whittle Group logo will appear in red on the sides and on the inside of the lid. The new crates have been designed to complement the new literature range that Whittle’s has recently launched.

The six-year exclusive contract extends UK-wide and will involve the coordinated supply and delivery of crates direct to client locations.

Bob said, “We selected Teacrate as our exclusive crate supplier because we know that they bring value to our customers and operational teams. Teacrate’s company infrastructure, product range and support capabilities set it apart from its competitors.”

Whittle Group signs six-year deal with Teacrate

Left to right: Rebecca Clayton, Whittle Group Operations Administrator; Marie Schofield, PA to the Director of Business Moving; Bob Whittle, Director of Business Moving;Nicky Mather, Teacrate Customer Service Administrator; Natasha Ghirmay, Teacrate Administration Manager

EXPERT HELP & GUIDANCE ON HOW TO ADD SELF STORAGE TO YOUR BUSINESS

A NO OBLIGATION DESIGN AND QUOTATION SERVICE FOR YOUR PROJECT

UNRIVALLED EXPERIENCE OF WORKING ALONGSIDE B.A.R MEMBERS

OVER EIGHT YEARS OF SUPPORTING THE BAR AND ITS MEMBERSHIP

PROJECTS DELIVERED ON TIME AND TO BUDGET EVERY TIME

THE KNOWLEDGE TO ENSURE YOUR SUCCESS

ENVIABLE B.A.R CLIENT BASE

WHY THE REMOVALS INDUSTRY LOOKS TO ACTIVE FOR ITS SELF STORAGE NEEDS

CALL OUR FRIENDLY TEAM ON 01270 215 200

Active Supply and Design (CDM) Ltd The Mill House, Crewe Green Road, Crewe, Cheshire, CW1 5NWTel: +44 (0) 1270 215 200 or Email: [email protected]

“...Active Supply and Design deliver everything they promise and continue to be readily available to discuss self storage matters.”

McCarthy's Home Moving & Storage

“...I used Active Supply & Design for my self storage project as their understanding of the removals industry and how it dovetails with self storage was second to none.”Able Removals & Storage

“...However small or large the job Active have been willing to travel the length and breadth of the country to advise.”

Fox Group (Moving & Storage) Ltd

THE NUMBER ONE SUPPLIER OF SELF STORAGE SOLUTIONS TO BAR MEMBERS


Training News

The BAR Young Movers recently met in Birmingham for the latest BARYM business and networking event. This time it was a

business session packed with information about standards followed by a Health & Safety training session and an afternoon of go-karting at Teamworks Karting.

During the business session, Chris Waymouth, Chief Executive of QSS, briefed the group on the new quality standards which are proposed to be introduced to BAR members. One of the aims of the BAR Young Movers group is to keep members informed and up to date with important business issues. The topic this time was Health & Safety in the form of a training session delivered by Darren House, BARTS Trainer and joint BARYM Project Manager, with Loren Webster the BARTS Training Manager. It was an interactive course, enjoyed by all Young Movers. A discussion on these important topics followed the standards briefing and the training session.

The go-karting was enjoyed by everyone and it didn’t take long for most people to get the hang of it. Extra credit to the girls for putting up with the jokes about women drivers! Congratulations to the overall winner Lee who raced ahead and managed to avoid spinning and bumping into

the track for most of the time. The Young Movers agreed that the aches and bruises the next day were worth it and a great time was had by all.

After the Young Movers event, the young movers decided to socialise together in the city of Birmingham, networking and enjoying each others’ company over a meal. The event was held on Friday 18 June so the England v Algeria match became the focus of the rest of the evening. Feedback from the event was as usual very positive, apart from the football score of course.

Movers on wheels

Training Available on your premisesThe following courses can be delivered on site by our Field Trainer using our mobile training vehicle:

MAKINGTRAINING

AFFORDABLE

BAR Training Services

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• Health & Safety awareness• Manual Handling• Fire Safety Training• Induction Training• Basic/Advanced Packing Skills• Vehicle & Container - Loading• Warehousing• Export Wrapping• Commercial & Overseas Training• Team Leader Training•� Driver CPC

Please visit the BAR Training Services section at www.bar.co.uk to download a booking form or call us on 01923 699 484*All courses are subject to change.

BAR Training Services, Tangent House, 62 Exchange Road, Watford, Herts, WD18 0TG. T: 01923 699484 F: 01923 699481 E: [email protected] W: www.bar.co.uk

• Removals Documentation• Fire Warden Training• Risk Assessment• Fragile Packing - Beginner/Refresher• Specialist Packing/Piano’s• Writing a Winning Tender - NEW!• Selling Skills• Removals Apprenticeship• BTEC in Practical Estimating• BTEC in Removals Management•� Train the Trainer

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Above: Lee Hawkey, Britannia Lanes, winner (centre);Darren House, Farrer & Fenwick, 2nd place (left); Colin Craib, Luxfords, 3rd place (right)Left: the wholekarting group

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Training News

National Learning at Work Day, the biggest annual celebration of workplace learning, took place on Thursday 20

May 2010 with the aim of drawing attention to the importance of workplace learning and skills.

Learning at Work Day has been run by the Campaign for Learning since 1999 as part of Adult Learners’ Week. The Campaign for Learning believes that it is more important than ever that workplaces and individuals maintain and develop their skill levels in order to adapt and thrive in the economic downturn.

On Thursday 20 May, BAR staff took part in a morning of training and discussion with the aim of improving skills and procedures at BAR Head Office. The session centred on dealing with telephone calls quickly and efficiently and health and safety issues, such as reporting risks in the office and the importance of signing in and out when entering and exiting the building.

The Campaign for Learning offers support for organisations wishing to run Learning at Work Day, including planning guides, activity ideas, promotional materials and special offers. This year, thousands of organisations took part including large corporations, SMEs, public sector organisations and government departments.

BAR members can find out further information on next year’s Learning at Work Day by visiting www.campaign-for-learning.org.uk.

Companies that invested in staff training have suffered less through the recession, according to a study by Skills for Logistics.

The Sector Skills Assessment report found that 41% of companies that did not invest in training have seen business profitability decrease during the last 12 months. The figure for companies who have trained staff is only 28%.

Some 84% of employers claimed that staff were more efficient after training, and the report highlighted the savings in fuel, repairs and insurance that are related to efficiency within the logistics sector.

Dr Ross Moloney, Head of Intelligence at Skills for Logistics said: “The latest report confirms the reality that training staff produces bottom line benefits. Traditionally, tough times have always provoked the temptation to haul back on training programmes. However, once again this is revealed as a false economy.”

The report suggests that as a sector, logistics is generally missing out on potential savings from training. Only 41% of companies with ten or fewer employees offer training, but these small companies account for 84% of logistics businesses.

The report predicts that the largest challenge facing the sector will be the required driver CPC training for over 300,000 HGV drivers and 200,000 van drivers over the next five years.

BAR takes part in Learning at Work Day

Companies that offer training fare better

Recent reports from the Pearson Research Institute show a dramatic change in the funding available for

apprenticeship schemes. £150 million worth of funding has been moved from Train to Gain and reallocated to apprenticeships for those who are 19 years and above.

This shows a massive increase with the level of apprenticeship funding for

2010/2011, 50% greater than that of 2009/2010. It is hoped the extra funding for

apprenticeships will encourage organisations to invest in young people, who can learn a valuable trade and gain a formal qualification.

For further information on apprenticeships or funding, please contact BARTS on 01923 699484 or e-mail [email protected].

Follow the links to the Learning at Work Day website

Changes in apprenticeship funding

Apprenticeship funding for 2010/2011 is 50% greater than it was for 2009/2010


Training News

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European News

R&S is grateful to FEDEMAC for its contribution to this section

Six months on from the EU Council Directive laying down rules for the refund of VAT expenses incurred abroad, the system is still not capable of functioning adequately according to recent advice from FEDEMAC.

Returns should be made through a system of electronic national portals. Claims submitted to the authorities in the Member State of establishment will be communicated, processed and reimbursed by the relevant authorities where the expenses were incurred. The report from FEDEMAC says that in theory this should represent a signifi cant simplifi cation of the VAT refund mechanism, saving international transport undertakings or their agents the need to contact multiple Member States for their claims. Moreover, Member States are now under an obligation to refund claims within four months rather than six months as under the former system. Unfortunately the national electronic portals are still not functioning adequately, making it imperative that actions are taken by Member States – led by the European Commission (EC) – to restore an effi cient system for VAT refunds.

FEDEMAC also says that it is aware that there are broader VAT-related issues that need renewed consideration, not least the ongoing impracticalities for payment of EU VAT for movements on behalf of private citizens, where the origin is in an EU Member State other than the one in which the carrier is registered for VAT purposes. FEDEMAC will continue to undertake campaigning on this and other VAT issues.

Functionality problems in the new refund system and their implicationsFEDEMAC claims that the new system’s national portals are at best working in principle but not in practice. While often offl ine, once running the portals are extremely slow, delaying the submission of claims. A lack of harmonised data requirements between the national systems can result in frequent errors in processing claims. Finally VAT refund agents are experiencing diffi culties when requesting power of attorney to act on behalf of clients in certain countries.

The implications of the delays in the VAT refund system are potentially very serious. Road transport-related claims make up 80% of the total volume of claims submitted each year and the sector has a high number of SMEs who are particularly vulnerable to liquidity problems,

which have been exacerbated during the current economic recession.

Furthermore, of particular concern, are those claims related to expenses incurred in 2009 which should be submitted by 30 September, 2010. It is estimated that perhaps 70-80% of these claims have not been submitted due to the problems outlined. Recent contacts with the EC have indicated that faced with current realities they are now proposing a prolongation of the 30 September deadline. However, it will be necessary to keep pressure on the EC and Member States to do so, alongside the other measures proposed below.

Steps taken to date by FEDEMAC and response from the European CommissionIn view of the serious problems highlighted above, FEDEMAC has written to the European Commission insisting on urgent action by Member States and the EC to avert damaging consequences for companies. It has asked the EC to assess the true scale of the problem by requiring Member States to report the number of claims processed since 1 January, 2010 and make a comparison with 2009.

FEDEMAC has proposed a two-step strategy to the EC:(a) In the short term, requesting that Member States introduce an emergency mechanism to clear the backlog of claims for 2009. This would be a return to the pre-1 January, 2010 paper-based system (this should not, however, alter the new four month deadline for governments to complete the processing of claims).(b) Develop a medium-term plan, harmonising data requirements and identifying what else must be done to establish a fully functioning electronic claims system as soon as possible.

FEDEMAC has also insisted that these steps, and the plan, should be developed in full cooperation with industry. To this end FEDEMAC is working closely with other cross-sector business organisations such as Business Europe, Eurocommerce, IRU and UEAPME whose members are also heavily affected. However, strong action is also required at the national level as well.

On 29 June, 2010 FEDEMAC received a reply to its letter to the EC. The reply acknowledges the problems experienced with the new electronic refund system and it alludes to

EU VAT refund mechanismProblems connected to the new electronic VAT refund procedure.

technical measures that have been proposed by the EC to Member States to remove the interoperability problem.

Most importantly the letter announces that the EC intends to propose to Member States an extension of the deadline for the submission of 2009 claims from 30 September, 2010 to 31 March, 2011. By contrast it argues that it cannot advise Member States to return to the pre-2010 paper-based system, since the legal basis for that system has now been repealed.

This letter is a positive fi rst step towards the resolution of the problems outlined. However, the following shortcomings should be highlighted:• The extension to the deadline for 2009 claims remains a proposal of the Commission. Subsequently, pressure must be applied to Member States to ensure that they agree to it. • Secondly, the technical measures highlighted fall short of the transparent, detailed plan or road map, crucially with a timetable for implementation, FEDEMAC wishes to see. • Thirdly, the EC’s assertion that - due to the new legal framework - it cannot advise Member States to restore the pre-2010 paper-based refund mechanism closes off a potentially very useful means to expedite the processing of claims while an electronic system is not functioning. However, there have been precedents such as with the introduction of the digital tachograph, where Member States have agreed on the suggestion of the Commission to derogate temporarily from the prevailing legal framework to resolve problems that have arisen from the Member States’ implementation of the EU legislation or their lack of it.

Proposed actionFEDEMAC will continue to put pressure on the EC to take leadership of this issue to ensure that Member States implement both short- and medium-term priorities as described above. FEDEMAC members are requested to put pressure on their national authorities to act in a decisive and coordinated way at EU level to introduce a fully functioning system for VAT refunds. The following core messages should be communicated: • The 30 September deadline for the submission of claims for 2009 should be suppressed until such time as a properly functioning electronic VAT refund system is restored across the EU. • Until that time it should be possible for 2009 claims to be processed according to the pre-1 January, 2010 paper-based system to clear the backlog - if necessary beyond 31 March, 2011. • A medium-term plan with a clear timetable must be agreed - with the input of industry – and thereafter made fully known, for ensuring that Member States and the EU rapidly take all necessary steps to introduce a fully functioning electronic VAT refund system.

Members are invited to use the model letter, available from FEDEMAC, to contact their national competent authorities. FEDEMAC would appreciate members sending copies of such letters to FEDEMAC for the attention of [email protected] along with any information concerning the results of these contacts.

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Road Haulage Association forces Home Offi ce U-turnThe Road Haulage Association (RHA) says that the UK Home Offi ce has withdrawn a booklet on truck crime after questions from the RHA’s magazine Roadway. The UK’s Serious and Organised Crime Association produced ‘Lorry Crime Prevention’, supposedly helped by the UK Border Agency. The magazine asked the Home Offi ce how it could rate operators and drivers as victims of crime from illegal immigrants yet penalise them if they were so victimised. “Drivers who notify the authorities and are found to have illegal stowaways in their trucks immediately lay themselves open to investigation,” said Geoff Dunning, RHA boss, who says they risk punishment for being victims of crime.

Graduated fi xed penalities in Northern IrelandThe Department of the Environment is proposing to introduce a scheme similar to that in Great Britain to allow examiners of the Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA) to issue fi xed penalty notices. The proposed legislation would also introduce deposit and immobilisation schemes.

London freight data Transport for London’s (TfL) London Freight Data Report 2009 is now out. It gives London freight transport statistics, taking data from many sources to identify the trends, problems and priorities for TfL. These include the rapid growth in van traffi c, up 33% in 10 years and the rapidly worsening spot check prohibition rate for UK and foreign trucks, 39% and 50% respectively. It also shows the 74% prohibition rate for overloaded vans, causing big worries for road safety. The full report can be viewed on TfL’s website: www.tfl .gov.uk.

London Lorry Control Scheme websiteLondon Councils has launched a new website for the London Lorry Control Scheme. The scheme regulates the use of roads to keep heavy lorries out of residential areas at night and at weekends. The website provides details of restrictions and routing options, as well as information on applying for a permit. For more information visit: http://www.london councils.gov.uk/services/londonlorrycontrol.

Toll rate increases in ItalyAs of 1 July, 2010 toll rates on motorways directly managed by ANAS - the Italian Roads and Motorways National Agency - increased by one euro for vehicle categories A and B and by two euros for vehicle categories 3, 4 and 5. However, this increase cannot exceed the initial toll rate by more than 25%.

Furthermore, starting on the same date, toll rates on all other Italian motorways increase by 0.001 euro/km for vehicle categories A and B and by 0.003 euro/km for vehicle categories 3, 4 and 5.

Vehicle categories in Italy are classifi ed as: A: Two-axle vehicles, providing the height from the fi rst axle does not exceed 1.30m; B: Two-axle vehicles, providing the height from the fi rst axle is above 1.30m; 3: Three-axle vehicles; 4: Four-axle vehicles; 5: Five-axle vehicles and above.

Year to date fi gures2.4 million goods vehicles travelled from Great Britain to mainland Europe in the year ending the fi rst quarter of 2010, a decrease of 9% on the year ending the fi rst quarter of 2009 and 71% higher than in 1992.

Of these goods vehicles 1.76 million were powered vehicles, down 10% on the corresponding fi gure for the year ending the fi rst quarter of 2009, and 635,000 were unaccompanied trailers, down 5% on the corresponding fi gure for 2009.

More details of the Annual Bulletin for 2009 are available at: www.dft.gov.uk.

News RoundupEuropean News

R&S is grateful to FEDEMAC for its contribution to this section

Road goods vehicles travelling to mainland Europe - Q1 2010The Department for Transport (DfT) has published national statistics on the number of goods vehicles travelling to mainland Europe from Great Britain by ferry and through the Channel Tunnel for quarter 1 2010, according to the arrangements approved by the UK Statistics Authority.

Quarterly fi gures598,000 goods vehicles travelled from Great Britain to mainland Europe in the fi rst quarter of 2010, an increase of 4% on the same quarter in 2009.

Of these goods vehicles 435,000 were powered vehicles, down less than 0.5% from the fi rst quarter 2009, and 164,000 were unaccompanied trailers, up 18% on the fi rst quarter of 2009.

Of the powered goods vehicles 20% (89,000) were UK registered, the same percentage as in the fi rst quarter of 2009.


Schenker launches rail freight service to ItalyDB Schenker has launched a weekly rail freight service between the UK and Italy, via the Channel Tunnel. The new 42-hour service travels between the Hams Hall freight terminal near Birmingham and Padova, and builds on DB Schenker’s twice-weekly service between the Midlands and Milan. DB Schenker, the UK’s largest rail freight operator, said the service had been taken up by retailers, food producers and manufacturers because it offered time saving of at least 24 hours on road transport.

UK CEO Alain Thauvette said: “We are providing our customers with both economic and environmental benefits, as well as improving service levels for their Italy-UK supply chains. They are also benefiting from a reduction in carbon emissions.” DB Schenker is also offering collection from the rail freight terminals to the end destination and said the service had been timed to connect with import and export services between Birmingham and Glasgow. The arrival of the first train on the new service came just days after Eurotunnel announced it had acquired UK rail freight operator GBRf as it seeks to boost freight volumes through the tunnel.

Mandatory eco-driver training won’t work The Freight Transport Association (FTA) doesn’t like the UK Department for Transport’s plan for mandatory eco-driving training as part of the Driver Certificate of Professional Competence. “Eco-driver training can yield results,” said James Firth, the FTA’s Head of Road Freight and Enforcement Policy, but he believes the benefits soon wear off unless it is part of an efficient fleet management programme. He said, “This proposal has been built on pretty shaky grounds,” and concluded that as there is a clear link between eco-driving and cutting transport cost, the need to make eco-driver training mandatory is “highly questionable”.

Do you have any news? If you have please send it to: The Editor, Steve Jordan, Removals & Storage, The Words Workshop Ltd, 26 Swanwick Lane, Broughton, Milton Keynes, Bucks MK10 9LDTel: 01908 695500 Fax: 01908 690099 Email: [email protected]

European News

A majority of MEPs voted to reject the Commission’s proposal that self-employed drivers continue to be exempt from the

2002 Working Time Directive on the road transport industry. This means that the exemption from the Working Time Directive for self-employed drivers will end. The decision applies only to vehicles over 3.5 tonnes. The rejection of the Commission’s proposal will result in further administrative burden for SMEs and means that 25 infringement procedures against 25 Member States will be launched by the Commission.

Slovak MEP Edit Bauer supported the Commission’s proposal and sought to avoid creating a precedent of regulating the working time of entrepreneurs in line with the positions put forward by FEDEMAC, the IRU and many other stakeholders. The suggestion was to focus on the problem of ‘false’ self-employed drivers (those who are not really free to work for more than one client) rather than bringing genuine self-employed drivers within the legislation. During the debates, misleadingly, the necessity of the inclusion of the self-employed was linked to the distortion of competition and better road safety. Experts in the field of road transport are of the opinion that extending the Directive to

self-employed drivers neither leads to increased road-safety nor causes distortion of competition.

During the debate, it became clear that some MEPs from ‘old’ Member States were of the view that the self-employed drivers from ‘new’ Member States would be a competition threat through social dumping.

Mrs. Bauer tabled an amendment trying to avoid the rejection of the Commission’s proposal, which was also supported by the Council and aimed to exclude self-employed drivers from the scope of the Directive as a general European approach, but enabled those Member States who wish to do so, to include them. The result marks a major victory for the socialist group within the Employment Committee that had lobbied hard to defeat the EC’s proposal, championed by Mrs. Bauer.

Self-employed drivers will also remain subject to the same rules as employed drivers on loading and unloading, assistance to passengers, cleaning and maintenance, and police and customs formalities. Current EU law on employed drivers lays down an average limit of 48 hours a week, which can rise to 60 hours a week provided it does not exceed the average of 48 hours a week over a four-month period.

Self-Employed exemption to WTD to endThe European Parliament has rejected the European Commission’s proposal for a Directive on the organisation of the working time of persons performing mobile road transport activities.

Self-employed drivers will no longer be exempt from the Working Time Directive

Britannia Movers International held its annual conference at the Hilton Hotel on Brighton’s famous sunny sea front

this year. And sunny it was indeed, not just the weather, but the atmosphere in the meetings and social events too was the traditional Britannia family style.

Proceedings kicked off with a welcome night at the hotel’s historic Clarence and Lancaster rooms, themed to give people the feeling of being in a fairground at the end of a pier. The soundtrack was of waves crashing, seagulls cawing, and the faint strains of traditional fairground music. The dinner was

traditional seaside fare too: fish and chips in newspaper cones, hot dogs, burgers, ice creams and doughnuts.

Entertainment was fairground stalls, a Victorian strong man with a ‘Test Your Strength’ machine, a signature analyst and a tarot card reader (as seen on Sky TV). Table decorations were large vases of sweeties to whisk people back to their childhood: cola bottles, marshmallows, black jacks, strawberry laces, and even popping candy. A fantastic time was had by all, especially the children who managed to win almost all of the available prizes and went home with armfuls of goodies.

The business sessions started the following morning with John Dilks, Britannia Chairman, welcoming all the members

and guests and acknowledging the end of David Tracey’s period as Britannia Managing Director and introducing Nick Shotton into the role.

In his inaugural address as Britannia Managing Director Nick said that Britannia is a family and, like all families it has its squabbles. But he said that there was always a desire for people within the organisation to help each other out and solve disputes amicably. It was business, however, that was the purpose of Britannia and Nick said that he wanted to get the company to the position where it did more than just track the market. “If the market is good we want to do very well indeed, if it’s bad, we still need to do better than most. We have to do this by selling.” Nick then continued to offer his ideas about how that could be achieved. “We have to build on our standards and turn ourselves into a revenue maximiser continually looking for ways to increase revenue, increase operational efficiency, reduce costs and bring new products and services to the marketplace.”

Angus Russell made a presentation on training. He said that the training programme was developed to help the organisation develop a better focus on customer service and quality. He gave an illustration of the number of people who had been trained but said that it could be better. “I know times have been tough but we really need to do this guys,” he said. Angus continued to describe some of the subjects that were included in the course including telephone etiquette, the importance of adequate equipment, attention to detail and much more. “It’s all about making the job easier for us. A better reputation will open doors for us. It will also help our agents overseas as they will know the quality of our work.” He closed by saying that training was a great selling tool, Britannia’s USP, always trying to go one better.

Zoe Duncombe and Shelley Cox presented the services of Currencies Direct. The company handles money transfers for people who are emigrating. Zoe offered an illustration of exactly how the process would work to the advantage of Britannia’s customers and how Britannia member companies could derive a revenue stream from providing the service. She also identified the retired sector as the ones who have the most money in today’s market and encouraged the Britannia members to concentrate on them. Shelley continued by going into more detail of exactly how Britannia members can join the scheme and the most appropriate ways of offering it to their clients.

Britannia Conference 2010

Britannia business


Britannia Conference

48

David Tracey’sretirementDuring his time as managing director of Britannia David Tracey had never been particularly comfortable on stage, however his final appearance at a Britannia conference required him to accept the thanks and praise of his peers. He received gifts from Ole Jensen of AMJ Campbell and Errol Gardiner of New Zealand Van Lines before an official presentation by John Dilks on behalf of Britannia Movers International. Accepting his gifts David said that his job had given him the privilege of making good friends in the industry from all over the world. He hoped to continue those friendships for many years into his retirement. He paid tribute to his colleagues who had helped him at Britannia during his period as managing director and, in closing, wished Britannia and all its members a prosperous future.

David Tracey accepts his retirement gift from Chairman John Dilks

Chairman John Dilks welcomes members and guests

New Managing Director Nick ShottonAngus Russell

Zoe Duncombe of Currencies Direct Shelley Cox of Currencies Direct



49

The conference benefited from the attendance of a number of overseas delegates including Errol Gardiner from

New Zealand Van Lines, Kim Moseley from Chess Moving in Perth, Australia and Ole Jensen from AMJ Campbell International in Canada. Each gave a brief resume of the commercial market in their country: Ole Jensen went first.

Ole said that the international business in Canada had dropped by around 25% in the last 18 months which, he felt, was not too bad compared with reports from other countries. “But our domestic business is a complete disaster,” he said, although the Canadian housing market is remaining strong. To combat the problem Ole said that his company had set up a dedicated trailer run from Toronto across Canada to Vancouver. “It’s a bit like the chicken and the egg,” he said. “Do you wait for the traffic or set up the service now. We decided now is the right time.” Ole explained that the service helps him keep control of his own costs and allows consignments to reach their destination six weeks earlier than they would through Vancouver. The tactic has proved successful: “Our groupage business from the UK has gone up 300% compared with last year.” This was one initiative Ole’s company had introduced to beat the recession, he continued his presentation by explaining others. “In recession we had to think outside the box.”

Kim Moseley said that Australia had enjoyed many years of continuous growth however the impending federal election was adding an element of uncertainty. He quoted some economic figures including interest rates, 4.5%; inflation currently

at 2.9%; and unemployment 5.4% predicted to fall to 4.75% by 2012. He said the international market for his company had been extremely tough with both the number and the quality of quotes falling. Despite the difficult market Kim said it was still hard to recruit good staff as the mineral business in Western Australia is booming and forcing driver wage rates up. Housing costs too were continuing to rise.

Kim said his companies imports had dropped 36% from a high in 2008 and 33% in exports. To combat the downturn Kim had to ask his staff to drop to a 4-day week for two months. “They were very supportive,” he said. “My management team worked five days and was paid for four days – an indicator of their commitment to the company.”

Errol Gardiner gave everyone a laugh by lifting a toy gun to his head while describing the state of the moving market in New Zealand. He said his company had seen a 40% drop in export work however this was maintaining market share as government figures would suggest this should be even higher. Imports from the UK were significantly down too. Rates in New Zealand were also under pressure particularly for long-term contracts coming up for tender. He did, however, say that he believed the market has bottomed out as his figures were now holding steady. “Overall there are some reasonably positive signs. I expected our business to pick up late last year leading us into a robust summer. It didn’t happen but I do think it will happen this year.” He said that consumer confidence is on the increase. “We are pointing in the right direction, it’s just slow going.”

AwardsAn international view



50

Errol Gardiner comments on the moving market in New Zealand

Ole Jensen

Kim Moseley

Rick Neave award for outstanding contribution to Britannia presented by Annie Neave to Janine Aldridge of BMI

Quality Movers Award for UK Domestic: Britannia Thomas Casserlys

The Top Shipper Award went toBritannia Appleyards

Quality International Mover of the year:Britannia Sandersteads

Most Improved Shipper:Britannia Squab

Gala dinnerBlack ties and posh frocks were the order of the evening at the Britannia gala dinner. A unique brand of entertainment was provided by Pluck, a string trio who were both musically brilliant and hilariously funny; plus table artists to keep everyone entertained throughout. After-dinner music was provided by the Darren Reeves Band who got the style and the volume just right.



51

Lesley and John Dilks

Pluck

The singer ...

... and bassist from the band

More Pluck

Wendy and Pete Monk

Richard and Diane Kitchen

Chris Smallwood, Mel and Malc Halley, Amanda and Martin Thomas

The warehouse team and partners from BMI in Croydon

Mark Lane, Sarah Beare, Sarah Lane, Andrew Beare, Julie Lane, John and Pauline Barnet

Tom Wicks, Paul Bearsby and Natalie Blaszkowshi

Clare and Caroline Freestone

John Hollingworth from Britannia Lanes of Devon wrote to say that he was most intrigued with the article on page 10 of the

June R&S, What happened to Chaffeys?John said “I remember them well. Their yard,

which was about a mile outside Axminster towards Musbury, is now a business unit of some sort with I think a couple of houses as well. My recollections are that they also had a Ford Thames Trader with a fairly large (for the time) body on it. I also recall the Guy Big J4. That was a demountable body but I don’t remember ever seeing a square box on the roof as a sleeper cab! I think possibly that was put there on a rack for advertising their container storage. There used to be a railway bridge very near their yard which was quite a hazard being on a blind bend. I think they probably finished trading in the late eighties early nineties - but I am sure someone will

come up with a correct date. The Mercedes road train, which was an ‘A’ frame trailer, was a different colour to the original truck being a much lighter brown, almost coffee colour. I could go on but must get on with some work! PS. They also had the proverbial Bedford TK as one of their vehicles.”

If you have any old photos of vehicles or people that you think would be of interest to the membership, please e-mail rands@thewords workshop.co.uk.

New general manager for Britannia Leatherbarrows

Christchurch-based Britannia Leatherbarrows Removals and Storage Ltd has recruited Robert

Dance as its new general manager.“Robert has a tremendous wealth of

experience in his 35 years in the removals and storage industry,” said Managing Director David Trenchard. “He will be a welcome addition to our team.”

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Send your letters to: The Editor, Steve Jordan, Removals & Storage, The Words Workshop Ltd, 26 Swanwick Lane, Broughton, Milton Keynes, Bucks MK10 9LDTel: 01908 695500 Fax: 01908 690099 Email: [email protected]

Here’s “what happened to Chaffeys”

John remembers the Guy Big J4, but not the square box on the roof


Letters/People News

52

Robert Dance, Britannia Leatherbarrows’ new general manager


And another thing ...

53

In memory of Common Sense By WALLY WHINGER

There was an obituary printed in the London Times the other day mourning the passing of a dear old friend –

Common Sense! It began as follows. “Common Sense lived by

simple, sound financial policies - don’t spend more than you can earn, and reliable strategies like adults not children are in charge. His health began to deteriorate when well intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place that allowed a six-year-old to be prosecuted for kissing a classmate, a teenager to be suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch and a woman to claim compensation for spilling hot coffee on herself.”

Okay, we all know that common sense has always been in short supply, but during the last few years of political correctness and petty rules what little there was has been snuffed out forever. Common sense has been replaced by ‘guidelines’ and ‘written policy procedures’, thinking and judgement it seems are no longer required.

A friend of mine runs a motorcycle training school and uses the playground at the local school at weekends. Despite having used the site for over 20 years the school now insists

he wears a visitor’s badge whenever he’s on the premises, it’s evidently because of OFSTED regulations and part of the school’s new ‘safeguarding policy’. The fact that he always wears a government licence with his picture on it and a fluorescent jacket with the name of the bike school, its telephone number and website address printed on the back is apparently no longer sufficient. Bonkers!

Thankfully the new government does seem to have a little more common sense than the last one, it’s already got rid of the FSA, HIPS and the need to be CRB cleared before offering to drive the kids’ football team to the match – let’s hope it continues.

In the meantime I’ll leave you with the closing words from the aforesaid obituary.

“Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust, by his wife Discretion, by his daughter Responsibility and by his son Reason. He is survived by his four stepbrothers; I Know My Rights, I Want it Now, Someone Else Is To Blame, and I’m A Victim.”

Note: Not many people attended Common Sense’s funeral because so few people realised he was dead.

Can you think of any subjects for our grumpy old man to get his teeth into?You can email him at:[email protected]

Looks like last month was a bit on the tricky side. Only four people – Stuart Almandras, Ray Inskip, Graham Puddephatt and Nick Flaxman – worked out that the part face belonged to Malcolm Pearson of Clockwork. Well done chaps, but there can be only one winner and this time it was Ray Inskip who was first out of the hat and wins a free editorial in a future issue. This month it’s a similar idea – but who could it be? Answers to [email protected]

Solution to July’s puzzle

Now, 15 years on, the company has come some way in achieving this feat, however due to its progressive nature,

the Britannia Appleyards of today bears little resemblance to the Britannia Appleyards of 1995. Charlotte Freestone spoke to Managing Director Andy Dickerson about the company’s diversification and continued progression in the removals industry.

Andy has been working within Britannia Appleyards since its conception and has helped the company change to keep up with consumer demands. As the domestic removals side of the business grew the company progressed onto commercial and international deliveries which soon became its main source of business within

the removals sector. In 2001 the company built what was the only purpose built removals warehouse in Hull to keep up with the surge in demand.

Andy believes that both the company’s vast experience in international moves and the company’s staff differentiate Britannia Appleyards from other international movers. He said, “We have a really tight, close knit team in the office. I think being a small team is a great benefit because clients get more of a one-on-one service. If there are any queries we can generally resolve them straight away because everyone is involved with every move, rather than there being a number of teams working on different moves.”

Since 2001 the company has diversified and developed its warehouse to facilitate self storage and document storage as well. Integrating a comprehensive document storage sector into a business often acts as a springboard into shredding. Certainly, this is what Andy and the guys at Appleyards have found. “We began document shredding two years ago,” explained Andy. “In 2009 we purchased our own bailing system so that we could effectively recycle our own paper waste and cardboard.”

Andy said that originally the company was sending the recycled paper to a chicken farm for their use. However, he has since found a paper mill to send the bailed paper to from which they earn a revenue. “I was a little worried

Britannia Appleyards of Hull was formed in 1995 with the goal of becoming the premier removals company in East Yorkshire.


Profile: Britannia Appleyards

54

about the cost of investing in such an expensive piece of equipment, however it will pay for itself many times over.”

These sources of income have provided Appleyards with a real life line over the recent recession. Andy said that as the international and domestic removals market plunged this provided them with a constant stream of revenue. The company also found itself turning to the commercial market for the bulk of its business.

Andy explained, “During the credit crunch we relied on the commercial market which is something we haven’t had to do before. The international and domestic market dropped away really quickly and we found ourselves quoting on jobs that we have never done before.”

However, Andy is confi dent that the tide is now changing. “January and February of this year were the worst months in shipping that I have seen in 26 years but, thankfully, over the past couple of months that has picked up which means we can start focusing our efforts back on domestic and international moving again.” Andy has seen many troughs and peaks in his 26 years within the removals industry and he believes the worst of this recession could possibly be over.

For the international side of the business, Andy has recently seen a trend in people shunning the ex-commonwealth countries and looking to move to more exotic places. “Australia and New Zealand are still very popular, but the world has really opened up. Thanks to programmes like A Place in the Sun people are looking to

“ We have a really tight, close knit team in the offi ce. I think being a small team is a great benefi t because clients get more of a one-on-one service.” Andy Dickerson

move to places they may not have heard of fi ve years ago. It is all down to the media really and the locations they promote.”

As well as seeing fi rst hand the changing trends within the removals industry, Andy has also seen the way removals companies operate change along with the equipment and resources they use to complete a job. In the same way as removals companies have diversifi ed into other areas, they have also had to update and modernise their resources to keep up with consumer demand and changing trends.

Andy said, “In the 70s and 80s big properties had huge sweeping driveways which could cater for big removals trucks. This is no longer the case. Even big properties tend to be enclosed with fences, walls, electric gates and arches affecting the amount of space available for removals trucks and self storage units.”

By way of catering for this fairly recent trend, Appleyards are looking to introduce the new U-Tail, mobile self storage units, which were launched at this years Commercial Motor Show at the NEC.

The U-Tail, developed by Peugeot and Simply Store Ltd, is a 3.5 ton vehicle designed to hydraulically lower storage containers onto the ground. These boxes can then be left behind for packing before being picked up in the same way when ready. Andy said, “These are looking to be revolutionary for the industry. They will be great for our self storage customers but also for those harder to reach removals jobs that are tight on space.”

Sweeping driveways are increasingly a thing of the past. Big proprerties are now more likely to be enclosed with walls and fences, with less space available for trucks and self storage units. Andy Dickerson wants to cater for this new trend by introducing the U-Tail mobile self storage units, which were launched earlier this year.


Profi le: Britannia Appleyards

55

Worldwide Moving and Storage SL, based in Tenerife started life as Union Jack Canarias CB in 1988, under the

directorship of Philip Manock, as the only English removals company in the Canaries. 22 years later, Charlotte Freestone caught up with Phillip about its progression and how working in the Canaries differs from elsewhere.

When Union Jack Canarias was first formed in the eighties the obstacles facing international removal companies on the islands were quite significant. Customs procedures were, to say the least, a challenge in every department. Philip said, “It was usual for customs to take six to ten days to clear personal effects and every 3rd or 4th import was often followed by an inspection by customs along with a government intervention for tax if they were unsure of the imported items.”

From the outset Phillip was keen to establish a good reputation with the local authorities and to set an example of assistance in every way possible, building over the years a very amicable relationship. “This has enabled us to dispatch effects upon arrival in a matter of two to three days. This makes for smooth importation for our clients and is a good confidence builder for our worldwide agents.”

Another challenge facing the company at this time was the regular documentation changes. Phillip said, “Because the Canaries are not considered to be in Europe for customs (TAX) purposes, they are not considered for free movement of goods. Therefore the documentation procedures are still in existence and can be a little tiresome. However our years of experience with local authorities has equipped us well to deal with this.”

The reputation of the islands at this time was hindered by unscrupulous dealings by a lot of businesses with many clients falling foul of the time share companies. Union Jack Canarias found it essential to align itself with recognised reputable British companies. “We secured a trading alliance with both Allied Pickfords (as called then),” Phillip said. “We have since built on this solid base and now take care of many international removal companies throughout the world giving them what we consider a trusted friend in the industry.”

The company’s main aim was to give its clients as much support and confidence as possible. To this end it applied to be a member of BAR. Phillip said, “To date this has been one of the best decisions we have made and we are very proud and respectful of our membership.”

By the end of 2001 the Union Jack Canarias had outgrown itself and, due to the change of currency and the volume of business, the company changed its name to Worldwide Moving and Storage and became a limited company.

Worldwide Moving and Storage SL are now the longest established British-owned international moving company in the Canarian archipelago.

Being a popular location for those looking to emigrate, the company’s day-to-day work is mainly the import and export of personal and household effects with the commercial side amounting to approximately 5% of turnover.

Phillip said that the majority of the company’s work is on its base island of Tenerife, however it is also required to take care of the imports and exports on all the other Canarian islands which on average takes staff off Tenerife two or three times a week.

Phillip explained, “Exports are loaded and dispatched in exclusive containers and shipped to all parts of the world. Alternatively we collect part loads and return them to Tenerife for exporting through our groupage container service to the UK. This often entails spending two or three nights in hotel accommodation until the work is complete.”

The imports are dealt with by Worldwide Moving and Storage SL staff, using the local flight company. Staff will leave at 5.00am for a flight at 7.00am from the north of Tenerife. The team then unload, unpack and set-up when required, returning on the last flight which would arrive back in to Tenerife at around 8.00pm. Phillip said, “The challenge of working off-island is very demanding and time critical: miss the last flight or ferry and you stay over until the following day.”

Phillip said that it is very important that worldwide companies exporting to the Canarias are fully aware that certain documentation is required. Surprisingly, documentation differs from Spain. “Without this documentation, clients effects are delayed and port costs increase until we can release the consignment,” Phillip said.

Despite previous growth in property demand, the Canaries did not go unharmed by the recent economic crisis. Phillip said that their business turnover has decreased from 2008 by around 35%. “At present our export and import ratio is 80-20 in favour of export, which we feel is down to the high level of unemployment and the poor euro/pound exchange rate.”

Phillip continued, “However, over the last few months our worldwide import enquiries have increased significantly which hopefully signals a recovery in the property market.”

The islands were also hit by the recent ash cloud from the Icelandic volcano. Worldwide Moving and Storage air freight business, which has grown considerably over the years, found exports, including the dispatch of family pets were delayed and rescheduled. This meant that clients had to return to the vet to update treatment which is required 24 hours before the journey. The company also found itself rescheduling some of its export work as clients arrival dates varied up to 14 days from what was previously expected.

As the ash cloud has subsided and the economic recovery builds it would seem that the Canaries, with its obvious climate benefits, will continue to be a hotspot for those looking to relocate.

Relocations in the CanariesThe Canaries, a paradisiacal group of islands lying off the North West of Africa and directly off the coast of Morocco, has long been a popular spot for those looking to move to sunnier climes.


Feature: Relocations in the Canaries

56

Top: Some of the Worldwide Moving and Storage SL fleet; Above: “Miss the last flight or ferry and you stay over until the following day.”

Mats Franzén, Manager of Engine Strategy and Planning at Volvo Trucks, is satisfied with the way Volvo’s engine designers

are tackling adaptation to the new standards’ tough limit values.

“We take a positive view of the tough requirements. They pose a challenge for us, like for everyone else. They offer our engine designers a chance to show their mettle, which gives us a clear competitive edge. We will meet the standards long before the new legislation takes effect,” he commented.

So how must the engines be improved to meet the new limit values? For marketing reasons, Franzén does not want to specify exactly which technical improvements will be made. There is plenty to play around with: improved software, improved friction conditions, more efficient selective catalytic reduction and adaptation of operating temperatures. It is very probable that Euro 6 will require a combination of SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction), EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) and particulate filters

Independent researchers have raised criticisms, arguing that the Euro 6 standards will mean increased fuel consumption, given today’s engine technology.

“Clearly, the challenge of Euro 6 will lie in further reducing nitrogen oxide emissions without increasing fuel consumption and thereby increasing CO2 emissions. Our engine designers have made enormous progress in recent decades, and we’ll continue developing our engines for

optimised fuel consumption regardless of changes in regulations and standards,” said Franzén.

Fuel consumption has dropped dramatically in recent decades. For example, Volvo’s popular FH truck has cut its diesel consumption by almost 40% in the last 30 years. With the D13 engine, launched in 2005, Volvo took the definitive step to the forefront of the industry in terms of fuel economy.

“Yes, we’re certainly leaders in fuel economy. And we’ll continue to reduce fuel consumption by about 1% a year. That means big savings, both in economic and environmental terms,” said Franzén.

But the biggest improvement of all is in air emission levels. A truck 30 years ago produced the same level of particulate emissions as 50 trucks today. When Euro 6 is introduced, the level of particulate emissions will be further reduced by 50%.

So engine designers can meet the emission targets. However, the improvements come at a price. Today, engines are roughly twice as expensive to manufacture as in the early 1990s.

“Naturally, it’s very costly to develop engines that are better in all respects in terms of environment, fuel consumption, lifespan and driveability,” explained Franzén. “Under Euro 6, emissions of particles, nitrogen oxide and carbon dioxide will be brought to environmentally sustainable levels. Now we’re focusing on reducing fuel consumption still further, thereby cutting climate-altering CO2 emissions.”

Euro 6 standards pose a tough challenge for truck manufacturersEngine designers working for truck manufacturers now need to roll up their sleeves. It is time to prepare for the new Euro 6 emission standards for newly manufactured trucks which come into force on 31 December, 2013. Particle emissions must be halved, and nitrogen oxide emissions must be reduced by 77%.

Above: Mats Franzén, Manager of Engine Strategy and Planning at Volvo Trucks, is confident that truck manufacturers will be able to meet the challenges of Euro 6 emission legislation.

HOW THEY COMPAREOne truck from the 1980s operating at Euro 1 emission standards would emit as much particulate matter as 75 trucks running Euro 6 engines.

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

PM (g/kWh)

Euro 1 (1993)

Euro 2 (1996)

Euro 3 (2001)

Euro 4 (2006)

Euro 5 (2009)

Euro 6 (2013)

NOx (g/kWh)

0.36

0.15

0.10

0.02

0


The Euro 6 challenge

57

PHS TeacrateThinking inside the boxPHS Teacrate is the UK’s largest crate rental company hiring out more than 20 million crates annually. Teacrate’s Sales Director, Simon Johns talks to Charlotte Freestone about Teacrate’s history, how the company has changed, and its plans for the future.


Profile: PHS Teacrate

58

Teacrate began its life in 1990 when two brothers began trading - with an idea and a van. This idea was a modern take on the

old fashioned tea chests. They began trading from a depot in Wood Lane, London which is directly opposite the BBC studios close to Teacrate’s current Scrubs Lane depot.

In 2002 the brothers sold the business to the PHS Group, a £300 million company which also focuses its business interests on washroom services, matting (Treadsmart), plants (Greenleaf), water coolers (Waterlogic), archiving and data storage (Records Management) and confidential document shredding and recycling (Datashred) amongst others.

PHS Teacrate supplies the removals industry with recyclable lidded, un-lidded and computer crates. Along with this service the company’s Packaging Division, formed in 2006, supplies the removals industry with a wide range of cardboard cartons, bubble wrap, packaging paper, tape, quilted covers and handling equipment.

Simon continued, “With the financial backing of PHS we have invested in specific products and services that have allowed us to diversify into other activities, for example crate washing.” This has so far proved to be an astute move as the housing market has been unstable and there’s been a declining demand on the removals industry.

Teacrate has eight fully stocked service centres strategically placed across the country: London

West (Scrubs Lane), London East (Beckton), Bristol, Manchester, Scotland, Sunderland and two in Birmingham. Simon explains that the warehouses are spread in this way so that Teacrate can offer its customers a local service with the reassurance of a nationally recognised company. He says, “Our depot managers, together with warehouse staff and service drivers, have a wealth of local knowledge and can provide a rapid response directly to customers in their areas.”

Teacrate also runs two buy online websites, teacratepackaging.co.uk and rentacrate.co.uk, for purchasing packaging supplies and ordering crates specifically tailored to end users and the domestic market. Simon continued, “Our customers are seeing the benefits of using our websites as a means of supplying the end user with the materials they need on a nationwide basis. It takes the burden of storage and delivery off our customers as we are ideally placed to deliver direct to the end user on our client’s behalf.”

For PHS Teacrate getting the right products to the right place at the right time is key. This is made easier by its extensive fleet of delivery vehicles which mean that all crate and packaging products can be delivered anywhere in the UK with next day delivery as standard. And this service hasn’t gone unnoticed by the company’s customers who have given Teacrate an average delivery service rating of 98.7%.

Simon reflected on the culture at Teacrate, commenting, “Teacrate has retained a very customer-focused culture. Although we are part of a large national group, it’s important for us to retain our small company feel. Teacrate’s reputation has been built on providing the personal touch and that is something that we will continue to focus on.”

Simon stressed that the company has quality systems such as IIP and ISO 9001 in place, as well as ongoing staff training programmes to support its customer service targets. He said, “For some customers, our delivery personnel are the first and last people their clients see. Impressions count, so we recognise that this

team are core to our efforts.”So, what about the future of PHS Teacrate?

Despite diversification into other markets and plans to make greater inroads into the food and retail markets, Simon said that PHS Teacrate will continue to focus on its core market of removals and storage. The company’s BAR affiliate membership aids this.

“Many of our customers are BAR members,” said Simon. “By participating in regular BAR meetings and conferences we can keep our finger on the pulse in terms of the issues affecting our customers and the industry in general.”

Teacrate has been the official sponsor of CMOTY for three years. Prior to this Rentacrate (a Teacrate acquisition) was a sponsor for many years. Simon personally congratulates the 2010 competition winners Pickfords Business Moving on their success and thanks all competition entrants, without their hard work the CMOTY event would not be possible. He looks forward to the 2011 event.

Teacrate’s newest incentive, ‘High Five’, offers contracted customers free delivery, up to 60 days credit, a rebate of up to 3% of total spend, guaranteed prices for the length of the contract and discounted rates for crate collection from any of the eight nationwide service centres. Simon said, “Any company can offer a set rate contract, but as a further commitment to our customers we wanted to give more as acknowledgement of their loyalty.”

“ Although we are part of a large national group, it’s important for us to retain our small company feel.” Simon Johns

Teacrate began in 1990 with an idea and a van, it now operates eight fully stocked service centres nationwide

“ By participating in regular BAR meetings and conferences we can keep our finger on the pulse ...” Simon Johns


Profile: PHS Teacrate

59

The Packexe fl oor and surface protection range was launched in 2003 and the range of temporary self-adhesive protection fi lm

has proved to be one of the most highly demanded products in the construction and building industry. With the demand for protection fi lms growing Packexe has extended its distribution network which spans the UK and Ireland. Well known prestigious companies such as Kes Reclamation stock the fi lms along with many national builders’ merchants and decorating centres.

Kirk Smith, Managing Director of Kes said, “We have stocked Packexe Carpet Film and Hard Floor Protector for four years now. It is a very high standard protection fi lm that has an ease of application through the dispenser. I would highly recommend it to BAR members.”

Packexe is continually working with its customers and professionals to research and develop new products. As a result of this, each of the four fi lms in the Packexe range: Carpet, Hard Floor, Multi Surface and Glass & Glazing, have been developed with Midas Construction to ensure that a unique grade of adhesive was produced to fulfi ll the needs of their end users. The innovative technology is in the adhesive as it is specifi cally designed for different surfaces leaving no residue when it is removed. Carpet Protection Film is a great example of this as it was created to allow low slip and waterproof walkways for people who need to move quickly and safely. The protective fi lms have been very popular with building and construction TV shows where time, safety and reliability are amongst their main priorities when the professionals are rushing around with equipment in a busy working environment. Packexe has also produced a dispenser for the protection fi lms which enables the fi lm to be laid quickly and safely by one person, further saving the professional’s time to get on with the construction job at hand.

The success of Packexe protection fi lms has recently embarked upon new ventures. The most recent development, Packexe SMASH, is a global glass management protection fi lm used by the fi re and rescue industry for extrication at road side collisions.

Over the years Packexe has built a trusted reputation based on a superior quality of product and service. All product ranges are branded to ensure traceability, product guarantee and to enhance recognition. If you would like more information on any of the Packexe product ranges then visit their website www.packexe.co.uk.

Packexe: Developed for a purposePackexe Ltd, was founded in 1989 by the present CEO, Andrew Orchard, as a fi lm converter before evolving to develop Handy Wrap as a distinctive wrapping and bundling tool. Packexe’s focus on innovation and the experience of its staff has carried it successfully through the last 20 years and has seen a growing range of protection fi lms developed in their Exeter-based Warehouse.

Sticky stuff:The clever part of Packexe’s innovative product is in the adhesive - it leaves no residue when the fi lm is removed after use


Packexe

60

free seminars • networking • innovation • products

Register for free today at

www.twmexpo.com/BAR

facilitiesmanagementneedn’t cost the earth

Supported by Organised by

The survey examines pay and conditions for drivers, warehouse workers and managers focusing in particular on the

impact of the recession on the removals industry. The online questionnaire, conducted in January and February 2010, was distributed to key companies operating in the road transport, warehousing and distribution sector, with a total of 46 different companies participating (including removal companies). The analysis looks at trends in basic pay, bonuses and working times.

Sector recoveryThere are now signs that the industry may be recovering. In particular, the level of pay settlements for 2010, though still modest, is higher than for 2009. The median increase so far for 2010 is 1.5%. By contrast, the median for 2009 was just 1%.

The proportion of pay freezes also seems to be slowing. In 2009, freezes made up 48% of settlements across the sector. So far in 2010 pay freezes are down to 44% of reviews, and may fall further if the economic recovery gathers pace.

The structure of payDistribution firms with a national reach appear to operate a variety of approaches when it comes to the level at which pay is set. On the one hand, there are those firms that operate a national approach, with the same rates of pay across multiple sites. Others, such as the Royal Mail, operate a traditional ‘national-plus’ approach, with higher rates of pay in London only.

Drivers’ payOverall, the survey found that the median hourly rate for a category C LGV driver (those whose licence allows them to drive vehicles over 7.5 tonnes) is currently £8.50. Basic rates

for this grade ranged from £6.56 to £14.39. The median hourly rate for a category C+E articulated LGV driver (those whose licence allows them to drive a vehicle over 7.5 tonnes and a lorry towing a trailer) is £1 an hour higher at £9.50. The lowest rate paid for this driver class is £6.25, rising to a maximum of £15.17 an hour.

While basic weekly hours ranged from 36.25 up to 50 hours, the most common working week is 40 hours. The recession appears to have had a major effect on overtime, with a number of firms reporting that overtime earnings for drivers were down. Bonuses remain important however, and arguably have gained importance as basic pay was frozen or increased only slightly. Just four respondents reported that changes had been made to usual bonus arrangements due to the downturn.

Warehouse workers’ payThe median basic rate for a warehouse worker is £8.21 an hour, based on 45 hourly rates of pay. The interquartile range, within which half of rates fall, is between £7.48 and £9.09 an hour. The median and most common working week for a warehouse worker is 40 hours, although hours can range from 35 to 55 a week. Night shifts were found to be the most common type of shift with a premium attached. Premiums for night shift working are typically paid at between 20 and 33% of the basic hourly rate.

Supervisory and managerial staffCurrent rates of pay for four levels of supervisory and managerial-level staff - supervisor, transport manager, warehouse manager and general manager - were discussed in the survey. Salaries for supervisory staff range from £12,000 to £44,500 with the ‘typical’ salary or midpoint falling at £23,430.

Warehouse managers had a midpoint or ‘typical salary’ of £37,500 at the median, with pay points ranging from £22,000 at the minimum to £89,250 at the maximum. Among large firms the median midpoint salary is higher at £45,000.

Transport managers typically manage drivers and the transportation aspect of logistics. Job titles given for this level include shift/duty manager, core fleet transport manager, depot manager, group logistics manager and distribution manager. The median midpoint salary for this job level is £33,300. Salaries tend to be higher at large organisations with over 1,000 staff, where the median midpoint salary rises to £37,000. Overall, pay points in this year’s survey range from £16,000 at the minimum to £58,100 at the maximum.

The median midpoint salary for a general manager is £47,150 overall, although there is much variance depending on the size of organisation. At small organisations, with 500 employees or less, the median midpoint salary is £35,000, while at large firms the median is almost double at £66,175.

Over half of respondents also reported that managers received a bonus. Bonuses are generally paid on an annual performance-related basis, with typical amounts ranging from £200 to £5,000 a year with some firms paying bonuses as a percentage of salary.

As the industry continues along its path in the economic recovery it would seem that most firms are rewarding their staff with bonuses by way of compensating for pay freezes and lack of overtime. Job cuts were made at over a third of the sites that responded to the survey, affecting small firms in particular. This is reflected in the pay rates, with those working at larger firms receiving higher rates of pay than those at smaller firms. Something that will begin to even up as the economic climate changes.

Signs of pay pick-up in road haulage and distributionThis year’s annual survey on pay and conditions within the road transport and distribution industry has been published by Incomes Data Services Limited.


Wage rates

62

BAR Memberships August 2010Registered:The following members have registered:

National Group

HPI Commercial Services LtdMemb No: H100Russell StreetJohnstoneRenfrewshire PA5 8BZTel: 01505 329 601Web: www.hpiremovals.co.uk

Sales Office

Fox Group (Moving & Storage) LtdMemb No: F00247 High StreetBlackwoodGwentNP12 3UETel: 01446 814861

Self Storage Special Interest Group

Yeates Self Storage (G.H. Yeates & Sons Ltd)Memb No: Y002

International Associate Branch

Careline International Moving & StorageMemb No: C08115 Park West Industrial EstateParkwestDublin, 12IrelandTel: 00353 16233832Web: www.careline.ie

Applications:BAR has received the following applications for:

National & Overseas Group

Oceanair International Movers Ltd59 Lockfield AvenueEnfield MiddlesexEN3 7PYTel: 0208 805 1221Web: www.oceanairinternational.com

Additional Trading Name

Howells Removals & Storage an ATN of Fox Group (Moving & Storage) LtdMemb No: F002

International Associate

Hanley Storage LtdChapelriver KiladreenanNewtownmountkennedyWicklowEireTel: 00353 12810416Web: www.djhanley.ie

Gulf Agency Company (Sharjah) W.L.LPO Box 435SharjahUnited Arab EmiratesTel: +971 652 80 070Web: www.gac.com

Gulf Agency Company (Bahrain) W.L.LPO Box 18006DubaiUnited Arab EmiratesTel: +971 480 59 347Web: www.gac.com

Gulf Agency Company (Ras Al Khaimah) L.L.CAl Muntasir RoadRas Al KhaimahUnited Arab EmiratesTel: +971 722 72 111Web: www.gacworld.com

Resignations: BAR is sorry to lose the membership of the following companies whilst thanking them for their past support:

International Associate

Pejozi Mobeltransporte InternationalMemb No: Z302

Henri Harsch HH S.A.Memb No: H308

Additional Trading Name

Crofton Park Removals ATN of Matthew James Removals & Storage LtdMemb No: M091

Blue Swift Removals ATN of W H Cox & Son (Removals & Storage) LtdMemb No: C094

Southern Removals ATN of Turners Removals Ltd, West SussexMemb No: T029

Termination:

Liquidation

National Group

Jet Removal Services Ltd and ATN of John Thompson & SonMemb No: J007

Any member wishing to make any comment regarding an application should do so in writing to BAR Head Office within 21 days of receipt of this notification.

Details of membership applications in process may also be found on the BAR website: www.bar.co.uk


Memberships

Trafalgar Cases Ltd

Standing the test of timeTrafalgar Cases range of warehouse containers are still manufactured and produced to the same high standards as 20 years ago.

Just like Stonehenge, their design, construction & appearancehave stood the test of time, continually providing customers with a reliablequality warehouse container.

INDUSTRIAL PACKAGING AT ITS BEST

INDUSTRIAL PACKAGING IN PLYWOOD, SOFTWOOD & CORRUGATED BOARD

Stanhope Works, Primrose Hill, Kings Langley, Herts WD4 8HSTelephone: +44(0) 1923 261155. Fax: (0) 1923 268064. E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.trafalgarcases.co.uk

Trafalgar adverts copy 4/10/04 8:34 pm Page 10

Feature Schedule 2010Every month Removals & Storage includes a number of feature items. These are planned well in advance to allow members of and suppliers to the industry to join in.

Here’s what’s coming up: October 2010: Fiji November 2010: Ghana December 2010: Hungary

E-mail us on any of the topics mentioned, or with anything you wish to say, at [email protected] or phone Charlotte Freestone on 01908 695500.

Diary DatesNATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES 2010

IAM 48th Annual MeetingSan Diego, California, USASeptember 29 – October 2

FEDEMAC General AssemblyAmsterdam, NetherlandsNovember 26 – 28

NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES 2011

FIDI Annual ConferenceLisbon, PortugalMay 1 – 5

Young Movers ConferenceMaltaMay 26 – 29

MöLo International Fair ‘Furniture Logistics, Removals and Services’Kassel, GermanyJune 16 – 18

AMÖ General Assembly Kassel, GermanyJune 18

BOARD, COUNCIL AND COMMITTEE MEETINGS 2010

Board of DirectorsSeptember 15December 1

Executive CommitteeSeptember 6 -November 24 -

National CouncilOctober 12 -

Overseas GroupOctober 13 -

Commercial Moving GroupOctober 14 -

BAR AREA MEETINGS 2010

Kent AreaContact Tom Bourne: [email protected]

East Met AreaContact Ray Slemmings: 01708 440113 Northern AreaContact David McGarry: 01325 348700 Northern Ireland AreaContact Campbell McGimpsey: 028 9145 6222 South Western AreaContact Adrian Foster: 01752 228815 Sussex AreaContact Nicholas Marshall: 0845 602 1755

East Anglia AreaContact Andrew Pearson: 01362 853777September 14 -October 12 -November 9 -

New Met AreaContact Darren House: 01932 253737September 16 -‘Hog Roast’ evening kindly hosted by Anglo Pacific at their premises: Anglo Pacific, 5/9 Willen Field RoadLondon NW10 7BQ.

North West AreaContact Annette Harris: 0161 653 4455

Yorkshire AreaContact Graham Puddephatt: [email protected] 15 - Venue TBANovember 17 - Venue TBA

East Midlands AreaContact Jayne Cliffe: 01778 394291Meetings will be held at:The Haycock Hotel, Wansford September 15 7.00pmNovember 17 7.00pm

Southern AreaContact Peter Doman: 01372 [email protected] October 20 12.30pm Venue TBA

Western AreaContact Ria Russell: 01278 447099September 14 -Speaker to be advised or general meeting for current issues.November 9 -Possible skittles and fireworks evening at Middlezoy. (To be confirmed dependent on numbers and venue confirmation.)

West Midlands AreaContact Sarah Pargeter: 01384 377786

BAR SCOTTISH AREA MEETINGS 2010

Contact Phil Stewart: 01786 448383Meetings will be held at:Hilcroft Hotel, WhitburnSeptember 14 -November 9 -

Do you have any diary dates?E-mail them to [email protected]


Diary Dates

TRADE SERVICES


Sweden and Scandinavia

Channel Islands

North West

Scotland/EuropeIreland

Isle of Man

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Established 1990

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Scotland and Islands

Daily trade service to and from the Channel Islands

Tel: 01489 581 063 or 01489 579 997Email: [email protected]

www.pickfords.com

�� Packing services

�� Origin and destination

services

�� Local storage

�� International groupage

services

�� Export packing services

PO19

TRADE SERVICES


France

AustriaGermany and Austria

Weekly Groupage Service Full origin and destination services available.

German speaking staff

WH HUMPHREY & SON LTD

Contact Darrel or JustinTel: 0208 144 0734 • Fax: 0844 770 7111Email: [email protected]

Italy

• Regular runs to all areas • Full or part loads • Receiving depot 10mins from M25 J5 ...or we collect• All deliveries and collections carried out by our own crewsPhone Paul for advice and genuine delivery/collection [email protected]

TRADE ROUTES

TO ITALYFRANCE-AND OF

COURSE 01732 358900 ‘WHEN SERVICE MATTERS’EN ROUTE

NAT I O N A L & IN T E R N AT I O N A L RE M OVA L SH AMILTONS

Contact our European department on 01379 851074 [email protected]

France&• Weekly services and competitive rates• Tranship & Hoist services available• Collection from your

depot or clients residence available

To download our tariffs visit:www.hamiltonsremovals.co.ukUsername:Trade Password: Ham662

SwitzerlandH081

Switzerland

Eastern Europe

Eastern Europe

Weekly shuttle serviceFull, part and return loadsPoland, Hungary, BulgariaAustria, Slovenia, Croatia

Romania, Czech Republic

Contact ChrisT: 020 88035151F: 020 88074141

E: [email protected]

Cyprus and Malta

� Weekly Services to North and Southern Cyprus, Malta, Egypt, Israel, Dubai, Morocco, Canary Islands, Lebanon and Tunisia.

Contact Darrel or JustinTel: 0208 144 0734 • Fax: 0844 770 7111Email: [email protected]

TRADE SERVICES


Spain

UK Office: 01843 585055, [email protected] Office: 0034 971 693566, [email protected] website: www.william-worldwide-webb.com

Weekly Scheduled Service, Containerised Storage DepotsHolder of Spanish Transport Licence

for our Tranship vehiclesUnrivaled Infrastructure in Mallorca, Menorca & Ibiza Excellent Rates, Payment in Euros or GBP accepted

Purely The Balearics, No Bull! WEEKLY

REGULAR

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United Arab Emirates

Regular TradeServices toUNITED ARABEMIRATESDubai, Sharjahand Abu DhabiFull & part loads

Call Stuart, Sami or Jeremy on

01432 377477fax: 01432 279894

email: [email protected]

OVERSEASREMOVER

AdvancePayment

Guaranteed

Memb No: GO13

Caribbean

Regular TradeServices toSOUTHERNCYPRUS& all other majordestinationsFull & part loads

Call Stuart, Sami or Jeremy on

01432 377477fax: 01432 279894

email: [email protected]

OVERSEASREMOVER

AdvancePayment

Guaranteed

Memb No: GO13

Cyprus

TRADE SERVICES


Worldwide

Regular Services to all Major Destinations Worldwide

Receiving in Windsor & StourbridgeContact Mike, Chris or Steve on

01633 488 [email protected]

Trade Rates to Europe

China

South Africa

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Trade services to and from Panama,Costa Rica,Puerto Rico Honduras,DominicanRepublic, El Salvador Ecudor Guatamala,colombiaNicaragua./Brazil,argentina,peru,chile,bolivia, venezuala, mexico,paraquay,uruguay.

LCL, groupage and full container services to central and south america. Paima, fidi,IAM, Bar. Warehouse receiving 6.30am-9.30pm saturdays 6.30am-4.00pm.Tel: +44 (0)1902 714555 Fax: +44 (0)1902 427837 Email: [email protected] Bros Moving Group, Burke Bros Trading Estate, Fox's Lane, Wolverhampton,West Midlands. WV1 1PA

South America

Training

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Piano Specialists

LOCAL MOVING • WORLDWIDE SHIPPINGWEEKLY EUROPEAN SERVICE

Recommended by the worlds finest piano manufacturers,auctioneers, music colleges & academies.

A family run business, Est. in 1968.

THE PIANOSPECIALISTS

Mem. No G005

100 BOLLO LANE, CHISWICK, LONDON W4 5LXTel: +44 (0) 20 8994 9733 Fax: +44 (0) 20 8995 0855Email: [email protected] www.gandrremovals.co.uk

G&R Advert 60x60mm:Layout 1 20/10/08 16

Computers and Internet

Trailer Hire

TRAILER HIREFrom car trailers to 3200 cubic feet

stepframes, 8 containercurtainsiders unsignwritten haulage

available too. (UK and Europe).www.tradestorage.co.uk/trailers020 8795 4838 or 01793 731696

External Elevators

TRADE SERVICES


“I would highly recommend R&S magazine to any Removal Company wishing to advertise their job vacancies.I cannot praise the classified team highly enough for their professonalism, pro-activeness, skill and design capabilites.If all our suppliers were out of the same mould, and achieved the same results for us, our professional working life would be made a great deal easier!” Mina Patel, Bishop’s Move

Advertise your job vacancies in Removals & Storage magazine

Call Marianne Lee on:

01908 695500 or email: [email protected]

How do you find the right person for the job?

Trade Storage

www.tradestorage.co.ukWe are not a removal company oryour competitor, you are our clients

on which our business depends.

[email protected] or Swindon

0208 795 4838 or 01793 731696

They say that imitation is a form offlattery - but there is only one

Trade Storage Limited.

Cadogan Tate® Trade ServicesTRADE STORAGE – Please call Alan Carpenter 0208 963 3905Depots in LONDON NW10 – WOKINGHAM (M4) – OXFORD (M40)Secure alarmed warehouses – helpful flexible service - competitive rates�

EXTERNAL ELEVATOR – Please call Alan Carpenter 0208 963 3905External access up to 6th floor – no stair/lift work. Includes Operator & Equipment.Immediate payback in saved time & money.

EUROPEAN GROUPAGE – Please call Stuart Ashe 0118 989 5500Fortnightly air-ride satellite tracked service between London, Paris, Geneva & Côte d’Azur.Fine Art service available. Trade rates.

www.cadogantate.com

Strip Ad Trade Services:Layout 1 12/5/10 12:55 Page 1

Warehouse Containers

Journal of the British Association of Removers

ADVERTISING RATES1st January 2010

DISPLAY AD RATES* (per insertion) 1–6 Insertions 7–12 Insertions

Members/Affiliates Non-Members Members/Affiliates Non-Members

Full Colour Full Page £745 £928 £707 £886

Half Page £470 £583 £434 £547

Quarter Page £279 £350 £266 £335

Mono Full page £473 £593 £434 £542

Half Page £343 £429 £308 £386

Quarter Page £220 £276 £208 £260

Inside Front Cover £886 £1110 £849 £1066

Outside Back Cover £955 £1157 £905 £1129

Front Cover (full colour, per single insertion) £964 £1190

CLASSIFIED RATES*

Situations Vacant £2.15 per word (min 15 words)

Sales and Wants £2.15 per word (min 10 words)

Boxed Ad £26.50 (per single column cm)(Picture £16 extra)

Box Number £26.50

Loose Inserts £278 per 1,000 (per A4 sheets supplied)

Half Page Mono £509

Half Page Colour £614

Quarter Page Mono £422

Quarter Page Colour £500

TRADE RATES*

Trade notices are booked per unit or multiples thereof, and run for a minimum of 12 months. One unit measures 30mm x 1 column (60mm)

1 unit mono £391 per annum

1 unit colour £508 per annum

COPY DATE10th of the preceding month

MECHANICAL SPEC All advertisements to be supplied in eps format(CMYK, 300dpi) with fonts and pictures embedded oras a high resolution PDF (Acrobat Distiller settings canbe supplied on requ est). Please send on CD (with aprinted colour copy for checking layout)**

to the address below, or by email: [email protected]

GUARANTEED POSITIONSAll guaranteed positions, excluding front cover, insidefront cover and outside back cover, are charged at normal rates plus 20% and are subject to availability.

ENQUIRIESAll enquiries to:Marianne Lee, The Words Workshop, 26 Swanwick Lane, Broughton, Milton Keynes, MK10 9LD.Tel: 01908 695500Email: [email protected]

PLEASE NOTE:All rates shown cover the cost of advert insertion only.Advertisers should provide their own advertising artwork. Removals & Storage can generate new oramend existing artwork for an additional charge.

All advertising must be paid for in advance by credit card.

* All prices are subject to VAT at the current rate.** If no colour print is supplied, The Words Workshop cannot accept responsibility for the correct reproduction of the advertisement.

Removals and Storage is produced by The Words Workshop on behalf of The British Association of Removers.All display rates shown are per single insertion, based on singular or series bookings for editions of R&S within 12 calendar months.

Full Page:Trim 297mm x 210mmBleed 303mm x 216mm

Half Page:Horizontal 135mm x 188mmVertical 272mm x 92mm

Quarter Page:Horizontal 66mm x 188mmVertical 135mm x 92mm

Front Cover:Trim 210mm x 210mmBleed 210mm x 213mm

DISPLAY AND CLASSIFIED AD MECHANICAL DATA (height x width)

ADVERTISING RATES


CLASSIFIEDS


Are You Looking To Sell?

We are looking to buy good quality household moving and storage companies in London and the home counties.

Please call 07933 123 123 in full confi dence for a quick decision.

Situations Vacant

Classifi edAdvertising ChargesAll classifi ed advertisements should be booked no later than the 10th and received no later than the 15th of the month preceding publication.

For all advertising enquiries please contact: Marianne Lee at The Words Workshop, marianne@the wordsworkshop.co.uk26 Swanwick Lane, Broughton, Milton Keynes MK10 9LDTel: 01908 695500 Fax: 01908 690099

RatesSituations Vacant £2.15 per word (min 15 words)For Sale and Wanted ads £2.15 per word (min 10 words)Boxed Ad (Semi-Display) £26.50 per single column centimetre (Please note all lineage & semi-display ads are set by R&S in house style)

Half Page Mono £509Half Page Colour £614Quarter Page Mono £422Quarter Page Colour £501Box Number +£26.50All charges are plus VAT.

Box NumbersReplies to Box Number advertisements should be sent to:The Advertiser Box no. (XYZ)The British Association of RemoversTangent House, 62 Exchange Road, Watford, Herts WD18 0TG

Situations VacantIn line with the Sex Discrimination Act, all positions are open to male and female applicants.

VehiclesPurchasers of a vehicle advertised in Removals & Storage should satisfy themselves that the payload/volume is suitable for the purpose for which they intend to use it.

For Sale

Used 250ft3 storage containers£75 each. Contact Mandy on 01285 641003

Are you considering selling part of your business now? Investor seeks document archiving /storage businesses for sale. Contact in confi dence to +353868042993 or [email protected]

Opportunities

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SELL IT OR FIND IT WITH A LINEAGE AD

£2.15FOR JUST

+VAT

PER WORD

CLASSIFIEDS


BOOK YOURCLASSIFIED

QUARTER PAGEADVERTISEMENT

MONO:£422 COLOUR:£501

Contact Marianne LeeTel:01908 695500 Fax:01908 690099

Email:[email protected]

When it comes to writing it’s important to get things spot on. Whether it’s a

newsletter, an article for a magazine, the words on your website, or an advert

for the Removals & Storage, it’s important that you get the message just right.

Steve Jordan, our managing director, has worked in the moving business for over

thirty years and is a familiar face to many in the industry – he is also the editor of

this magazine. Steve’s long experience both as a moving man and a copywriter

has enabled him to assemble a team of writers that really know how the moving

business works - and that means we are in a unique position to provide the

right words for your business.

So, if you’re wracking your brains trying to think of a catchy story that will

get you in the news, want to start a newsletter but don’t have the time, or

simply hate writing - give us a call, we’ll be happy to help.

The Words Workshop ... moving is our business

Call: +44 (0) 1908 695500 or visit: www.thewordsworkshop.co.ukThe Words Workshop26 Swanwick LaneBroughton, Milton KeynesUnited Kingdom MK10 9LDThe right words for your business

Advertise your job vacancies in Removals & Storage magazineCall Marianne Lee on:

01908 695500 or email: [email protected]

FIND THE RIGHT PERSON FOR THE JOB

FOR

FOR

CLASSIFIEDS


R&S is published monthly and costs only £48 a year for UK companies and £72 a year for Overseas companies. You may order as many copies as you wish.

Please send your order with payment to:British Association of Removers,Tangent House, 62 Exchange Road, Watford, Herts WD18 0TGEngland.

Order additional copies of R&S

Please send copies of Removals & Storage to:

Name

Company

Address

Postcode

Tel no

email

I enclose a cheque for

made payable to: The British Association of Removers

I wish to pay by debit/credit card (not Amex)

Card number

Expiry date MM/YY

Security code

FOR SALEMake and Model

Marsden Vanplan X container, new MOT to June XXXX, full service history XXXXXkm. Feature, feature, feature,feature, feature, feature,feature, feature, feature,LEZ compliant.Asking price

Contact XXXX XXXXPhone and email address

VEHICLESALESOFFER!THIS SPACE PLUS PICTURE FOR ONLY

£188+VATContact Marianne Lee

Tel:01908 695500 Fax:01908 690099Email:[email protected]

BOOK YOURCLASSIFIED

QUARTER PAGEADVERTISEMENT

MONO:£422 COLOUR:£501

Contact Marianne LeeTel:01908 695500 Fax:01908 690099

Email:[email protected]

+VATFOR

+VATFOR

Or visit us at www.anglopacific.co.uk. London, Manchester, GlasgowFREEPHONE 0800 707 6093

Our Services ◆ Continuous receiving in London, Manchester and Glasgow◆ Worldwide LCL, FCL and airfreight services◆ Regular groupage services to Australasia, North America, South Africa, S.E. Asia, Dubai, Cyprus◆ On-line sailing schedule updates and shipment tracking

Memb No: A026

Trade SecretsFind out what you can achieve on-line with

our trade groupage shipping services,and make sure you’re in the know.

We’ve been in the business for 30 years and offer frequent

sailings on all routes to major destinations worldwide.

We’ll arrange shipment on the vessel promised and nominate reliable FIDI agents at destination. With depots in

London, Manchester and Glasgow we offer a competitive groupage solution

wherever you are located.

At Anglo Pacific we understand your business and will ensure that your goods are handled

professionally from start to finish.

Visit our website or simply call our friendly experts and

get the facts.

r&s august 2010 web

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