David's Diary

Providing good customer service is fundamental to the long term success of the Turriff Group. Our major clients – the gas, water and electricity utilities – are themselves under ever greater pressure from their respective regulators to improve customer service and look to their contractors to play a major role in this aspect of service delivery.

Turriff recently received very positive feedback from Scottish Water on work undertaken at Malleny Millgate in Balerno, Midlothian. Some of Scottish Water’s clients were without water due to leakage from a 2” private main. Turriff responded to the emergency by sending in a team working on leakage in the Tweed area. A lot of customer liaison was required as vehicles had to be moved from the street which is a dead end. The water supply was restored that same afternoon and customers commented on the way the repairs had been carried out and the manner in which the Turriff team had gone about their work. Well done to Stevie Houston, Tommy Meharry and all others involved in this project.

Turriff Group’s third suction excavator has recently come into service. The suction excavator represents an investment of over £350,000 and shows the Group’s commitment to providing its teams with the best tools to do the job. A new 14t hot box has also been added to the fleet in Falkirk to extend the Group’s reinstatement capabilities.

To undertake major utility works on private developments, contractors have to hold the necessary accreditations under schemes managed by Lloyds Register. Turriff has recently passed its GIRS (Gas Industry Registration Scheme) and NERS (National Electricity Registration Scheme) audits. Our GIRS accreditation covers the construction and commissioning of gas networks including the final connections. Similarly, Turriff’s NERS accreditation enables us to undertake cable laying, civils works and jointing. A lot of preparatory work is required to ensure these audits are completed successfully. A big thank you to all concerned.

Have a safe, productive and customer-focussed week.

Davie

Already clients are reviewing their winter operational plans after last years testing time. Turriff Group will play an integral part in these plans.  The success in delivery is the early planning of training, locations, equipment and communication of the requirements to our staff when they return from their well earned summer breaks.

 The summer holiday season is certainly extended these days!!  With a greater requirement for strategic work to be done during the school holidays this places requirements on us to deliver. 

 At the moment Turriff have several main arterial roads restricted across Scotland and I’m glad to report these works are all on schedule and expected to be completed on time.

 Thank you to those employees who have planned their breaks to accommodate these requirements.

 As always have a safe and productive week.

 Davie

Congratulations to Graeme Patterson who successfully passed his HGV test last week.  Graeme is the first employee to have taken this test following a week of training which was delivered by our in-house driving instructor Kenny Hope.

All Turriff Group companies – Turriff Contractors, Smart Services, and UMS – are involved in contracting of one form or another. From a management perspective, contracting is unusual and challenging in that it is part ‘product’ manufacturing and part service delivery. However, one common thread across all Group activities is the shared vision to provide exceptional customer service.

 Customer service will feature heavily in the next issue of the newsletter. I find it very rewarding when I receive positive feedback from members of the public regarding works that we have completed. For example I recently received the following message regarding a service connection undertaken by Mark Johnston and Peter O’Brien: ‘Your Company is replacing the gas mains in my street. I was very impressed by the team which replaced the gas piping to my house. Many thanks for the speedy work and minimum disruption.’ I am proud that the attitude shown by Mark and Peter is typical of that exhibited by other Turriff site teams.

A suction excavator is heading South! Peter Carolan and his team in Wolverhampton will be using it on a forthcoming 7km project. Suction excavation was also used on a street lighting project for Fife Council this week. The site team managed to excavate the shafts to install 22 street lighting columns in 3 hours. Once again, the client was delighted with the level of service provided.

 Finally, if you have an idea of how we can be more efficient than contact your local Turriff ‘Waste Busters’ representative. Waste Busters are headed up by Scott Inglis aided by Susan Pickard, Karen Brown and Denise Johnson. Their first purge will be on environmental issues across all Turriff offices.

Enjoy a productive and safe week.

 Davie

 I believe that our On Site Management skills are a strong differentiator for the Turriff Group. The Traffic Management Act 2004 and the Transport (Scotland) Act 2005 impose heavy financial penalties on contractors which do not complete works on time: these penalties are set to rise significantly in the near future. To enhance this service to the group and our clients, Sandy Keir will be heading up a new division within UMS dealing with all aspects of traffic management planning and operation. Sandy starts his new role at the end of July.

When the water and gas  companies are devising their asset management plans they calculate the length in kilometres of new mains they intend to lay over the period.  Adding together all the categories of activity – new, renewal, relining – last week  was a record  for the Turriff Group with almost 6km of pipework completed for both our gas and water clients. Well done to everyone involved.

 Turriff is proud of its health and safety record. Last week we focussed on briefing staff about the Group’s drugs and alcohol policy. This was an opportunity to reconfirm our stance that we will not tolerate drugs or alcohol misuse by any member of the Turriff team or, just as importantly, by any of our sub-contractors. Turriff has invested heavily in training, PPE, occupational health, and equipment such as suction excavators to make our sites as safe as possible. Drugs and alcohol, to use the jargon, have a negative impact on cognitive behaviour; in other words, they stop you thinking clearly and effect your perception of risk. They have no place in utility contracting.

Congratulations to David Dale and his team at Smart Services which has just started a major contract with Hillcrest Housing Association in Edinburgh.

One aspect of reinstatement is the recycling ofexcavated materials. Turriff Group  have processed over 4,000 tonnes of recycled materials this week in Aberdeen to produce fine fill for pipe and cable surrounds and in addition a substantial volume of clean stone to be crushed to produce recycled type 1.

 On a lighter note, Robbie Smart won a week’s holiday in Spain courtesy of one of our suppliers, Fusion Provida. Robbie attended a recent Fusion Innovations Day to keep the Group up-to-date on the latest developments in polyethylene pipe jointing – and now he’ll be able to find out how they join pipe on the Costa Brava!

Keep up the good work.

Davie

Over recent years, Turriff Group has sought to broaden the range of work it undertakes. This strategy ensures we are less vulnerable to major changes in any one particular utility market or activity, or to regional economic impacts. In many cases, such as suction excavation in Scotland, Turriff Group has been largely responsible for creating the market. I believe this strategy of diversification remains the right one for the group.

The recent budget is going to have an impact on every market, activity and region in which the Group operates. We are working with our clients and suppliers in each sector to assess the impact on the group and our customers and to develop appropriate responses. However, it is clear that we will need to redouble our efforts to ensure the safest, securest and most efficient for our clients. This goal will undoubtedly involve innovation, working smarter and removing cost wherever this can be done without impacting one service.

I have asked Scott Inglis (Group Financial Controller) to head up a small team tasked with identifying and implementing business efficiencies within the group’s office environment. We will be appointing a ‘champion’ in each depot and the goal is to highlight the major savings which can be achieved as a result of implementing the many ‘best practice’ ideas put forward by members of staff. This can include simple activities such as printing double-sided, switching off lights when not needed etc. Further information on this initiative will be communicated in coming weeks.

Generating new business is an expensive business: PR, direct sales, promotions and more. I would remind all Turriff Group employees that Smart Services is running a referral scheme. For any project generated from an employee referral, the employee receives 5% of the project value as a ‘commission’ – the customer also receives a 5% discount on the works. Do you have relatives, neighbours, or other acquaintances who are considering rewiring their home, installing a new bathroom or kitchen, or upgrading their heating? If you do, give the Smart Services Admin Team a call on 0844 247 0844.

Finally, the holiday season is approaching and I hope everybody in the Turriff team is planning a well-earned break at some time over the summer. It is important to remember that our client’s targets and objectives are just as applicable at this time of the year as in February or November. So enjoy your break, but when at work remain safe, focussed and productive.

Davie

Very brief blog this week. The whole Turriff Group is extremely busy at the moment, which is very encouraging.

First – a first! Smart Services engineer, Willie Jackson, has made boot camp on the X-Factor following a successful audition in Glasgow in front of Simon Cowell, Cheryl Colee, Louis Walsh and Geri Halliwell. We all wish Willie the best of luck and, should he miss out, hope that he at least remembers to ask the judges whether they need any heating, plumbing or electrical work doing. We suspect he may be the first boot camper to actually wear boots in his day job.

Willie’s success is not the only news coming out of Smart Services. Their new website is likely to come on stream in the next few weeks and includes a series of ‘BIG IDEAS’ intended to catch the attention of current and prospective customers. Smart Services has also started work for Eco Project Management to install and exchange meters on their behalf.

I had an interesting meeting at the end of last week in Dundee with representatives from Scottish Enterprise. The main function of the meeting was to find out about potential opportunities relating to the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. I’ve attached a web link at the bottom of the blog if you’d like to find out more about either of these events.

If you’re on site remember to cover up and use sun tan lotion.

Have a productive, safe week.

Turriff Group and its employees have a long tradition of involvement with charities and similar worthy causes which benefit the less fortunate members of society. Recently we helped SGN with a project to renovate a building within the grounds of Gartnavel Hospital for the Polyphony project. Polyphony provides access to musical activities for adults with mental health disabilities. Turrriff Smart Services, with assistance from key suppliers such as A-Plant, GAP and HIS, provided decorating materials, tools and transport. You will be able to find out more about Gartnavel and the progress of Torry, the guide dog sponsored by Turriff, in the forthcoming issue of ‘Below the Surface’ our Group newsletter.

Turriff Smart Services has recently extended the range of services available from its heating division by becoming an approved installer of Ecodan air source heat pumps. Ecodan pumps, a Mitsubishi brand, extract heat energy from the air and use it to provide heating inside a property; it’s like a refrigerator working in reverse. I’ve added a couple of web pages at the bottom of the blog which explain the basic operations of an air source heat pump in more detail.

Last week I mentioned that every reported near miss or hazard generates money for charity. We polled site teams to find out which charity they would like to support with the current ‘pot’ and the winner was MacMillan Nurses which will receive a cheque for two hundred and forty-nine pounds. We will choose a different charity each year to ensure a broad range of good causes benefit from the group’s positive approach to safety.

Last week I had a meeting with James Knowles, Head of Economic Development for Aberdeenshire Council. We discussed a range of topics and, in particular, the growth of indigenous businesses from the region working with the local authority. I’ll be continuing my dialogue with James and look forward to reporting progress in future blogs.

Thanks for all those of you who came up with names for the blog, some of which I’m sure were tongue-in-cheek! The winner was Brenda Stuart (Finance, Aberdeen) with her suggestion of ‘David’s Diary’.

As always have a busy, productive and, above all,  safe week at work.

Davie

References: Air source heat pumps:

http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Generate-your-own-energy/Air-source-heat-pumps

http://heating.mitsubishielectric.co.uk/

Ensuring the health and safety of our employees is one of Turriff Group’s core values. Not only is it ethically and morally the right thing to do, it also brings economic and motivational benefits: maximising productivity, minimising disruption, reinforcing collective and mutual responsibility.

In addition to the above, Turriff also has a legal duty to report work-related fatalities, injuries, cases of disease, and dangerous occurrences (near-misses) to the Health and Safety Executive. In turn, as employees, you have an obligation to inform the company if you have been injured at work, seen a dangerous occurrence, or have a work-related reportable disease. The legislation regulating the reporting of health and safety incidents is referred to as RIDDOR – Reporting of injuries, diseases, dangerous occurrences regulations 1995.

The problem with RIDDOR from a management perspective is that it is all ‘after the event’. The challenge is to identify potential hazards long before an accident occurs so that action can be taken to eliminate it. To encourage the reporting of hazards and near misses through the group’s HSEQ systems, Turriff Group donates a pound to charity for each report. We are in the process of polling our teams on site as to which of the following five charities should receive any monies raised: Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland; Anthony Nolan Trust; Royal National Institute for the Blind; Children’s Hospice Associations Scotland; MacMillian Nurses. I’ll let you know the result in a future blog.

In the past week I have had two meetings with Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) directors. The meetings focussed on how Turriff and SSE could work together collaboratively to achieve challenging cost reduction targets. The ability to have open and frank discussions is fundamental to the success of any commercial relationship.

I’m pleased to report that ES Pipelines has awarded Turriff with a contract to fit all new ‘one off’ gas services on its sites. There are about sixty sites in total in locations stretching from Leeds to Muir of Ord. A result of consistently delivering a reliable, quality service over many years.

Finally, on behalf of Turriff Group, I’d like to congratulate Graham Hay (Project Planner, Aberdeen) and his wife Wendy on the birth of their baby daughter, Lauren. We wish Graham and his family all the very best.

Work well. Work wisely. Work safely.

Davie

In March we started work on phase two of a major gas mains replacement programme in Perth for SGN: a high profile project where effective traffic management and close co-operation with the client and the local council would be critical to success. I am proud to report that the work was completed three weeks ahead of schedule and that the Turriff team has been thanked by SGN for its part in the planning, preparation, consultation and execution of the works. The following is an extract from an email sent by Lindsay Taylor, SGN’s Construction Manager:

‘The excellent pre-planning done jointly by Nelson Watson and Martin Lee of TCL and Ralph Caldwell of SGN really paid dividends when it came to carrying out the works…..The TCL teams supervised by Garry Duncan and led by Sandy Cameron and Eddie Gray worked extremely hard to make sure the project was completed ahead of schedule. Their efforts have been recognised by the COO of SSE, the police, and Perth and Kinross Council. Congratulations and well don to all involved in this demanding project.’

The civil engineering sector in Scotland – of which utility contracting is a part – employs about 20,000 people and has a collective turnover of almost £2bn. The 100 members of the Scottish branch of CECA (Civil Engineering Contractors Association) account for almost 80% of this work. I am currently a director of CECA in Scotland and last week attended a board meeting. Although those present are typically in competition with each other on a day-to-day basis, we all have shared concerns and interests. CECA lobbies the Scottish Parliament, and plays a leading role in promoting the image and interests of the contracting community.

Audits are a fact of life in utility contracting and Turriff Smart Services had a very successful OAMI audit last week. Smart Metering has OAMI (Ofgem Approved Meter Installer) accreditation to install low pressure diaphragm, electronic and rotary displacement meters up to 1076m3/h in capacity. This figure in isolation may not mean too much unless you’re directly involved in metering, but in reality it covers virtually all domestic, commercial and industrial meter installations other than the exceptionally large or highly technically complex.

Finally, the Turriff team working as part of the West Midlands Gas Alliance had a detailed audit last week. Andrew Stewart and Stef McCann from Business Support at HQ were in Wolverhampton to help. Initial indications are that the audit was passed with flying colours. Well done to all concerned.

Have a great week. Work safely.

Davie

On reflection, last week provides an insight into why I find my job so challenging and rewarding. It was a mixture of the strategic and the day-to-day, of commerce and engineering. At the centre of it all, as always, was the opportunity to meet, listen to and talk with a wide variety of interesting people: clients, employees, suppliers – even politicians!

Followers of the blog will appreciate that education and training is second only to safety in my priorities for the Turriff workforce. On Monday I was in Turriff Group’s Dundee offices meeting with David Whitton, Labour MSP for Strathkelvin and Bearsden, and Darah Zahran, Skills Director Scotland with Energy & Utility Skills (EUS). EUS is the sector skills council for the gas, power, waste management and water industries and is tasked with ensuring that employers like Turriff Group have access to people with the right skills and qualifications. We had an open and enlightening discussion relating to the strengths and weaknesses of the current approach to training provision. I would like to thank both David and Darah for their time.

Gavin Halliday is Turriff’s account manager with Scottish Enterprise, the organisation which seeks to create the business environment in which Scottish companies can grow and prosper and, in turn, create employment and wealth. Gavin gave me an update on Scottish Enterprise’s view of current trading conditions and, looking to the future, we discussed ways in which Scottish Enterprise could assist the group with its plans including targeting growth in markets outside Scotland.

On the engineering front, Robbie Smart (Operations  Manager, Falkirk) has been consulting with  a supplier to work with them on trials of an exciting new innovation in pipe pushing equipment. Trials involving pipes with different wall thicknesses and diameters have been undertaken and initial feedback is encouraging.  It’s good to have the opportunity to be involved from the start.

Finally, welcome to Clare Baillie who has joined the Turriff Group HR team. Clare is an HR advisor and will be responsible for first line HR support and guidance across the group. Clare, who has held similar positions with Rentokil and Wiseman’s Dairies, will soon be visiting all the depots to get to know the Turriff team.

Make the most of your time this week by working safely – including taking precautions to avoid sunburn in the predicted fine weather which will be a shock to the system after the snow, sleet and hail of January and February!

Davie.

Useful links:
www.davidwhittonmsp.org.uk