United Plant Services

A warm welcome to Dan Palmer who has joined as Technical Supply Chain Manager, further strengthening our management team.

As a proven procurement professional, Dan joins from Aggregate Industries and brings a wealth of experience across category management, multi-site procurement, inventory control, global sourcing and supplier relationship management.

“We are delighted to have Dan on-board as we seek to drive growth and future opportunity, aligning United Plant as the leading independent provider of choice. Dan is proactive, analytical with strong attention to detail, he is a great asset to our team” says Keith Holland, Contract Manager.

Dan takes responsibility for improving supply chain performance, whilst driving innovation and technical solutions. He will manage our strategic partners and support the team to deliver industry leading business solutions.

Prior to Aggregate Industries Dan was Procurement Manager at Freightliner Group Ltd. Previous roles also include Category Buyer for 2 Sisters Food Group Ltd, having started his career as Stock Controller with Finning UK, back in 2007.

Welcome to the team Dan!

With our Oddball hat charity campaign in full swing, we are delighted to have raised a whopping £1,155 (77% of target) 👏 👏 from donations, which all goes directly to the Motor Neurone Disease Association.

A huge thank you to our employees and suppliers who have supported this campaign.

The BIG PUSH is now on, as we have secured some additional hats, as demand has been so high 😊.

SO…if you haven’t as yet, treat yourself to one of our Oddballs hats - 100% of all monies go MNDA.

HOW DO YOU PUCHASE A HAT?
1. Donate
Go to fundraising page https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/unitedplant-mnda
£15 per hat, which is made via a donation on this fundraising page.

2. Order information
Once donated, in your donation section put your name, number of hats and if you want it posting or collection.

3. Posting option
Email [email protected] with your name and the address required for posting, we will post directly to you.

4. Collection option
A number of our Oddball hats are held in stock, at our head office in Cannock. Donate as above and collect your hat/s.

Recap
£15 a hat.
All monies go to charity.
You will have done something amazing, that truly helps those that need it.

Please share to raise some important funds for a great cause! 🙏🧡

NEW OPPORTUNITY: NATIONAL WORKSHOP MANAGER
CANNOCK – STAFFORDSHIRE

We are currently recruiting for a highly motivated National Workshop Manager who can embed and deliver our long-term workshop services capability, whilst driving performance and delivering on our growth strategy.

As a key role within our business, you will have direct line management of circa eight employees as well as working closely with our national engineering team to effectively manage our national workshop business units.

This new role will cover all aspects of the daily workshop management, including performance and improvement of the service. You will take responsibility for all elements directly relating to our workshop units, comprising; H&S, P&L, WIP, engineer utilisation, profitability, customer relationships and business improvement projects. The role will include national travel.

What key skills are we looking for?
✅ Ability to provide inspirational leadership and trusted support to our workshop team.
✅ A ‘right first time’ customer satisfaction ethos.
✅ Capability to drive a safe and secure working environment with safety first.
✅ Proven experience of delivering and driving key performance indicators.
✅ An engaged management style.

If you have strong commercial awareness, HME experience, high self-motivation with proven capability, then this role could be right for you.

This is an excellent opportunity for a talented individual, who wants to join an expanding engineering business, with compelling company values and a safety-first philosophy.

For more information or to apply for this role, please email your CV to [email protected]

Note: This is a full-time role is based at the head office facility in Cannock, Staffordshire with national travel, as required. All applications are treated is strict confidence. You must be eligible to work in the UK.

We are thrilled that United Plant will be exhibiting at Hillhead 2024!

As the UK's largest quarrying exhibition, with over 20,000 visitors attending across three jam-packed days, we are delighted to be part of the event which will showcase our full range of solutions.

25-27 June 2024 – save the date! 👍

Watch this space!! 🙌

We are proud to remember those who have served and continue to serve…thank you.

We Shall Keep the Faith (by Moina Michael)

Oh! you who sleep in Flanders Fields,
Sleep sweet - to rise anew!
We caught the torch you threw
And holding high, we keep the Faith
With All who died.

We cherish, too, the poppy red
That grows on fields where valour led;
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies,
But lends a lustre to the red
Of the flower that blooms above the dead
In Flanders Fields.

And now the Torch and Poppy Red
We wear in honour of our dead.
Fear not that ye have died for naught;
We'll teach the lesson that ye wrought
In Flanders Fields.

United Plant. United People.

Our Oddball hat charity campaign is up and running and so far, we have raised a fantastic £645.00 👏 (43% of target) directly from donations - all in aid of Motor Neurone Disease Association.

With the cold mornings now well and truly here, why not treat yourself to one of our cool Oddballs hats?

100% of all monies go direct to this charity.

A massive thank you to our employees and customers who have purchased these Oddball hats so far. Purchasing a hat is simple.

1. Donate
Go to fundraising page https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/unitedplant-mnda
£15 per hat, which is made via a donation on this fundraising page.

2. Order information
Once donated, in your donation section put your name, number of hats, site or company name, if you want it posting or collection.

3. Posting option
Email [email protected] with your name and the address required for posting, we will post directly to you.

4. Collection option
A number of our Oddball hats are held in stock, at our head office in Cannock. Donate as above and collect your hat/s.

Recap
£15 a hat.
All monies go to charity.
You will have done something amazing, that truly helps those that need it.

A huge thanks in advance for those who choose to support United Plant and our dedication to fundraising. More information on the charity can be found at https://www.mndassociation.org

Please share to raise some important funds for a great cause! 🙏🧡

SHEQ Lead, Roksana Malczewska, along with some of our engineers - who are part of our safety committee team - were delighted to be invited to the Briggs BE Safe event, which was held this week to mark and celebrate ten years of the BE Safe initiative.

Our parent company, Briggs, has an embedded safety culture, which has evolved and adapted over the last ten years. In this link below, Briggs Group Engineering Services Director, Gavin Wickham discusses the origin of BE Safe, the crucial contribution of its people to the Briggs safety culture and the improvements that continue to emerge. 🙌

As a Briggs group of companies, United Plant also has a deep-rooted safety culture, as we continue to ensure safety best practise for our employees, our customers and supply chain partners.

Congratulations BE Safe on your 10-year anniversary! A safe workplace always starts at the top with strong leadership that’s committed to creating a safe environment.

Click here to listen to the interview https://open.spotify.com/episode/1szfY5vsOQIpskiNTbIqSi?si=tUZjFLvmSDCgT39tm3e_wg&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=copy-link&_branch_match_id=1123988700114104758&_branch_referrer=H4sIAAAAAAAAA8soKSkottLXLy7IL8lMq9TLyczL1i8KrHA2jgrwS3JNAgD1raabIAAAAA%3D%3D&nd=1 🎧

Here is our crazy bunch, who have come into the office in Halloween fancy dress as a fundraiser for our nominated charity partner for the year, Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA).

Well done to all and thanks for getting in the spooky mood! 🎃👻🧹

As we like to think here at United Plant, “if you’ve got it, then haunt it.” 😊

Effective communication is a fundamental component of delivering good customer service and employee engagement.

As the foundation of any successful customer service experience, good communication fosters trust, understanding and satisfaction. So, today we held an employee update across our wider support teams, sharing performance, process efficiencies, SHEQ information and investment across the United Plant business.

Why is strong communication important to us?
1. Understanding customer need - sharing customer's specific needs, which is essential for providing a tailored and strong service solution.
2. Clear and accurate information - ensuring that information is conveyed clearly and accurately, so we can relay to customers correct and timely information.
3. Feedback gathering – this is invaluable for continuous improvement within our services.
4. Supporting our brand - having consistent messaging helps build a positive rapport and establishes trust.

‘It’s our business’, where effective communication helps create positive collaborations, builds confidence, manages expectations and ultimately creates better customer service. In today’s world, where service is so often poor, here at United Plant we are fully committed to delivering strong customer service.

Last Friday, our team were delighted to attend an important safety day at Tarmac Aberthaw. This was a great customer initiative, which demonstrates the significance of placing safety at the top of the agenda. The day specifically covered; mobile plant compliance and operations, machinery safety, effective communications, lifting & slinging and PPE safety.

United Plant were delighted to be involved and shared lots of essential information with the Aberthaw site. With around 80 participants attending, Matthew Evans, one of our dedicated compliance engineers along with his compliance van, shared how he supports sites to keep assets complaint and safe, also supported by our National Compliance Manager Lyndsey Allison, who manages the team throughout the UK. Regional Manager (South), Rob Morgan, explained the key benefits of Engineering Services and the range of support we can provide, along with Asset Manager, Mark Harrison, who takes responsibility for managing contracted assets and supporting customer site requirements across the south region. Also supported by Aaron Currey HME Engineer for the South. SHEQ Advisor, Roksana Malczewska was also driving the ‘safety first’ message.

The necessity for daily checks and general maintenance across HME equipment was a key message from our team, as we all work collectively to keep our customers assets safe - driving asset availability up and keeping costs down!

It is great to see the commitment from our key customer group on the importance of a safe working culture – something that our team remain passionate about.

Think Safe. Be Safe. No Compromise.

Here at United Plant, we provide welding solutions, across a wide range of assets. We work together with our customers to establish and recommend the best solution for each asset, so if welding is identified as being the right solution, you can rest assured that we will be onsite quickly to deliver a professional, safe, welding solution.

Here is Mark Howcroft - one of our specialist welding engineers - collecting a newly branded van, which has received over £5,000 worth of investment across the latest welding equipment, in addition to bespoke System Edström racking. The welding equipment within our specialist van includes Bison Whisper 10kVA 240V Diesel Generator, Warrior 250 Single Phase MIG Welder, Warrior 204 MMA Inverter Welder Package 200A/230V and a Thermic lancing kit.

Says Rob Morgan, Regional Manager South, “I have been working closely with our welding team and our customer group, to ensure that our team are equipped with the most advanced, efficient and safe equipment, ensuring our mobile welders can quickly go to work, once onsite. Our job is to make customers’ lives easier, with less expense, and with our ongoing commitment and investment in welding, we are proud of the welding solution we offer, on a national scale.”

SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT IN HME ENGNEERING, AS PLANS AFOOT FOR FURTHER GROWTH

At the heart of our engineering business, are our national team of HME engineers. As part of our continued and significant investment in our national service, we are delighted to have recently introduced an improved HME commercial vehicle for our team.

Having worked closely with our HME team over the last four years, to understand how they can better perform their mobile role; this has led to changes in the vans we provide. Whilst remaining with VW Crafters, our vans now benefit from a higher roof, which facilitates improved racking and the extra advantage of a built in-toolbox. High interior specification provides greater driver comfort with lane assist and all terrain tyres now included for additional safety.

Over the next 6 months we have a fleet of 28 new VW Crafters coming into our team. Craig Dean (pictured), a HME engineer across our south region, was the first within our engineering group to receive the new and improved van. Says Craig, “I am really pleased with my new van and it’s good to see the company listening to what we need, and then investing in us. The new, higher racking is ideal, the built-in toolbox is more convenient, and the VW Crafter is developed with safety in mind. Whilst I’m here to support our customers, it’s great to know United Plant want its HME team to be the most professional in the industry.”

As part of this HME investment, United Plant has chosen to work with System Edström to design and install a new solution. “We create mobile workplaces so our customers can organise their vehicles in the safest and most productive way to suit their specific requirements. This investment by United Plant, in engaging their engineers in this process represents the strength of their desire to continually improve the service they deliver, and we are delighted that System Edström has become a strategic supplier who can support their needs as they continue to grow and evolve new services.” Says Neil Robson, Regional Sales Manager at Edstrom of Sweden Ltd.

With increased roof height, improved racking solutions and the strong reputation of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles – our investment into 28 VW Crafters demonstrates our unwavering commitment to being the leading engineering provider, across the quarry and waste industry.

We are proud to be supporting World Mental Health Day, which aims to improve knowledge, raise awareness and drive actions that promote and protect everyone’s mental health as a universal human right.

Good mental health is vital to our overall health and well-being. However, the statistics are scary - one in eight people globally are living with mental health conditions - impacting on physical health, well-being, connection with others and livelihoods. Mental health conditions are also affecting an increasing number of adolescents and young people.

Here at United Plant, we support the principle that mental health is a universal human right. Working closely with our parent, Briggs Equipment, we are proud of the support and vital signposting available to our colleagues, should help or advice be needed.

World Mental Health Day 2023 – supporting the action that everyone has the right to access quality mental health care.

We are excited to be launching a new campaign, which is in aid of our nominated charity partner for this year, MND Association. (Motor Neurone Disease Association).

With autumn well and truly setting in, and winter fast approaching, why not treat yourself to one of our warm and rather trendy, Oddballs hats, with 100% of all monies going direct to MND Association.

So how does it work?
1. Make a donation
Go to fundraising page https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/unitedplant-mnda
We are asking for £15 per hat, which is made via a donation on this dedicated fundraising page – 100% of all monies will go direct to MND Association.

2. Order information
On our fundraising page, once donated, in your donation box provide: a) your name b) number of hats required c) site or company name d) if posting or collection.

3. Posting option
Email [email protected] with your name and the address required for posting, we will post directly to you.

4. Collection option
A number of our Oddball hats are held in stock, at our head office in Cannock. Make a donation as above and collect your hat/s. 😊

How will your donation help?
Our target is to raise £3,000 for MND Association through this campaign.

From the £1,500 monies (100 hats in total) kindly donated – United Plant will match this value, making a grand total of £3,000 in aid of Motor Neurone Disease Association.

Our story
MND Association helps fund research, improves care and provides support for people with MND, their families and carers. MND is life-shortening and there is no cure. This charity does amazing work to support those affected with MND.

You will also be supporting the charity ‘Oddballs’. Starting in 2014 with the aim of raising awareness for Testicular Cancer, since then, Oddballs has become a brand that supports a number of charitable causes and breaks down the stigma associated with mental and physical health.

So, not only are you supporting MND Association you are also indirectly supporting the Oddball’s charities, so double whammy - a double pat on the back, when you purchase your United Plant Oddball hat!

Recap
- £15 a hat.
- All monies go to charity.
- You will have done something amazing, that truly helps those that need it.

A huge thanks in advance for those who choose to support United Plant and our dedication to fundraising.

This campaign is open to anyone – our employees, suppliers and customers – so please get sharing the message, to raise some important funds for a great cause.

Having an embedded safety culture, is vital in our sector, as we place the safety of our colleagues, customers, and suppliers above all else in the delivery of our services.

This month we have fully embraced technology 😊 and now all ‘Safety Gains’ raised by our team, are electronic, making us more responsive and fully transparent. Over the last few months our team have raised some important safety gains. Some of these outcomes include:
- A new mobile platform in our workshop to rehouse an oil pump – this reduced oil spillage and only required one person to operate the pump instead of two – great result!

- Working onsite, an engineer noticed a rebar sticking out of the ground but attached to the concrete floor – both a tripping hazard and in the path of the machine when loading a hopper. The operator was asked to stop and was shown the rebar. Permission to remove the rebar was granted and the item was placed in the sites metal recycling skip – hazard prevented!

Roksana Malczewska, SHEQ Advisor at United Plant, is driving our safety standards forwards, “as specialists in the quarry and waste industry, we recognise the need for safe ways of working and keeping assets operating safely. Our safety gain process is well rooted across our team, for driving best practise and safety awareness. Through this process we can also ensure our colleagues receive the right training and support, as safety first is truly at the heart of our operation. Now our team can easily raise ‘Safety Gains’ using a laptop, tablet, or mobile device – all of which can be accessed via our safety portal website or app, with tracking and actions clearly assigned against each one.”

Think Safe. Be Safe. No Compromise.

We are pleased to announce the appointment of Conor Reuss in the role of Asset Manager, Central.

With a passionate attitude towards customer service and robust product knowledge, Conor takes responsibility for the management and development of a key customer group across our central region.

“A warm welcome to Conor, who has joined an engaged and driven asset team, here at United Plant. His skillset - being agile with strong decision-making and clear communication - will serve our team well, in our commitment to delivering outstanding levels of customer satisfaction, whilst maximising asset availability” says Keith Holland, Contract Manager.

Conor takes responsibility for ensuring that all contractual obligations are met, managing contract assets and supporting customer site requirements. He will ensure the quality and service delivery of onsite repairs to customers assets, working supportively in the existing relationship, to drive asset availability up, whilst driving costs down.

Conor joins the team from Liebherr with a strong engineering background with the OEMs. He started his career as an apprentice with Finning UK, subsequently becoming a Field Service Team Leader based at Tarmac Tunstead Quarry, where he took responsibility for asset management and a team of engineers.

Welcome onboard Conor!

A big thanks to the United Plant team, who supported the Macmillan Coffee Morning, last Friday.

A total donation of £110 goes direct to the charity for the amazing support they continue to provide, to those who need it. A great cause, where every penny counts – well done. 😊

Today, we are supporting Macmillan's Coffee Morning - the charity’s biggest fundraising event - to help people living with cancer.

A big thank you goes to our team for donating some tasty creations and all the donations raised today, are in aid of Macmillan.

In 2022, Macmillan raised over £12 million, nationally, as part of its September Coffee Morning and they hope to top that this year. Every effort counts so well-done team on supporting a worthy cause!

Cancer can affect people’s whole lives – health, money, family, job; everything. From the moment of diagnosis and whenever most needed, Macmillan help people find their best way through. The help is totally focused on each individual person, so everyone receives the support that’s best for them.

Yesterday, Lyndsey Allison, Compliance Manager at United Plant, visited Qi Van Systems in Telford – one our strategic racking partners – to collect another four new vans for our dedicated compliance team.

All the new vans have bespoke racking, expertly fitted by Qi Van Systems and designed by our engineers, specifically for the job in hand. Here at United Plant, we ensure our engineers are kitted with the best vans, racking and tools, to deliver a leading national service.

“We are actively looking to expand our team further, specifically in the Southeast/London area. Could one of these new vans, which are kitted out and ready to go, have your name on it? I am looking for talented, passionate engineers to join our growing team – please get in touch if you want to find out more.” Lyndsey Allison

Visit our careers page https://careers.unitedplantservices.co.uk/job/455768 or email [email protected] to learn more on our current compliance opportunity.

Proud to be supporting our parent company Briggs Equipment, who yesterday held an employee led car wash to raise funds for the charity Dementia UK. A range of United Plant vehicles from our fleet received a well-deserved clean from the team.

As a value driven business, we are very proud to have a proactive parent company, who invest much time and effort into raising vital charity funds for great causes.

INVESTMENT ACROSS COMPLIANCE CONTINUES

This week, Matthew Evans, one of our dedicated compliance engineers, was thrilled to receive a brand-new Ford Custom. Importantly, the new van has bespoke racking, which was designed by our engineers that use them and is vital as their daily customer support tool. The high spec Ford Custom also benefits from a full safety pack including 360-degree cameras, tracker, lighting pack and left-hand turn cycle warning alarm.

Here at United Plant, we take our job extremely seriously, ensuring our engineers are kitted with the best vans and tools, to deliver a leading service.

Says Lyndsey Allison, Compliance Manager, “this is part of a £360,000 investment, throughout this year, to deliver new vans that will be utilised by our talented compliance team. We deliver brake testing, safety inspections and thorough checks, in supporting the largest customers across the quarry and waste industry. We are very proud of our specifically equipped vans, that provide everything a compliance engineer needs to conduct tests professionally and efficiently.”

With another 4 new vans due into the compliance team over the coming months, we are looking to expand our team further…could one of these new vans have your name on it? We are looking for talented, passionate engineers to join our growing team, visit our careers page here https://careers.unitedplantservices.co.uk/job/455768 to find out more on the current compliance opportunity.