Infrastructure project support is go for growth for Garic

Whether it is a major infrastructure project or small housing development, construction sites nowadays have to provide toilets, washing facilities and areas to rest and eat – creating a large demand for temporary amenities, writes Simon Jack.

For Garic, which supplies equipment to meet such needs, this creates a complex logistical challenge. There is a huge diversity in the type of equipment needed and a wide variety of delivery points.

But as well as managing the movement of equipment efficiently it is going through a period of rapid expansion. It has plans to double the size of its turnover to £37m in the next three years.

Sales and marketing director Neil Richardson (pictured) comments: “Our strategy is to accelerate our growth and that means a heavy investment in both vehicles and locations.”

Currently, Garic operates out of two depots – its headquarters in Bury and a facility in Sandy, Bedfordshire, which opened at the end of January. But there are plans to widen this significantly and to open six facilities in the next two and a half years. Two of these will be in the next six months, in the Birmingham area and South London.

“We want to extend our service to new clients and to support existing clients from the new locations,” Richardson explains.

The choice of location is determined by a number of factors including logistical considerations such as proximity to the motorway network, having enough space to store equipment and the need to accommodate sales teams and traffic staff.

“We need storage and distribution locations close to transport arteries that take into account issues like drivers’ hours. In addition, although the engine room for our transport department is at the mothership in Bury – which deals with clients that need national coverage – we also want smaller teams in each location covering local deliveries and collections,” Richardson says.

New depots

The new depots will each carry their own range of equipment for local delivery but there will always be some trunking as major repairs and refurbishments of the equipment will be undertaken at Bury.

Logistics manager Phil Hibbert says: “There will be a large investment in new products of all types for each new location. This will be planned and delivered direct from the depot. There will always be an element of trunking between locations as major repairs and refurbishments will for the foreseeable future take place at head office in Bury.”

There have already been benefits from opening the Sandy facility. Often five or six vehicles are out on the road serving London and the South East at any one time. Previously these would have to have travelled from Bury and often would need to be away from base for two days. They now have to travel a much shorter distance to and from Bedfordshire.

Some deliveries are made at night, mainly to larger projects away from residential areas and in certain cases it is the only way a delivery can be carried out. For example, deliveries to a major rail project in Crewe had to be made after midnight on a Saturday night as this was the only time that the rails could be switched off. Similarly, drops to motorway sites are often made overnight when traffic is at a minimum.

The large size of some of the deliveries means that there must be liaison with the relevant authorities including the police before a movement is undertaken. In others, there may be differing requirements for the start and the finish of a project. What began as a flat, open site may end up having houses, gardens and narrow roads on it once construction work is complete and Garic’s equipment needs to be taken away.

Fleet

There are currently 25 vehicles in the fleet, comprising four artic units, three 26t 6x2 flatbeds and ten 32t 8x2 flatbeds, all with HIAB cranes, plus eight 26t rigid tankers. Vehicles have different crane sizes to cope with the different jobs, ranging from 36 tonne/metre to 66 tonne/metre.

Hibbert estimates that it will be necessary to double the fleet to cope with its expansion. At present it is entirely made up of Scania vehicles although this may change.

“We are currently out to tender. We have found Scania to be robust but we want to look at what is available,” he comments.

Whatever make is chosen, it will be necessary for Garic to plan well ahead. “The biggest problem we face is the lead times on vehicles because of their specialist nature,” he comments.

All transport is managed in-house and deliveries are made using the company’s own drivers, something which Richardson believes gives Garic an edge when dealing with its customers.

“It allows us to control the movement of equipment and the efficiency of our fleet, which means we are able to provide a quicker response and are more competitive as a result. We believe if we weren’t in-house we wouldn’t be able to offer the service that we do,” he says.

The in-house approach also extends to vehicle maintenance with all repairs carried out by Garic staff at its two depots. This is necessary because the specialist nature of some of the vehicles means they may be needed again for a particular job the minute they return to base.

“Because of the type of fleet we’ve got downtime needs to be at a minimum. When vehicles roll back into the yard they need to be turned round immediately and sent back out,” Hibbert comments.

Garic uses a mixture of human skills and IT systems to manage its fleet. This includes a telematics system from Tom-Tom, which provides information such as accurate estimated times of arrival and alerts Garic to any overlaps on vehicle delivery routes.

However, its traffic office team has well-practised capabilities when it comes to planning and loading, according to Hibbert. “They have a skill set which allows them to look at what vehicles are available and what type of product can be carried by which vehicle,” he says.

Fuel efficiency

The Tom-Tom system is also instrumental in maximising fuel efficiency. Drivers are given feedback through an in-cab device if they are operating outside set parameters for harsh braking and acceleration or if they are driving too fast.

Their driving styles can then be analysed afterwards and improvements suggested to them – if they meet certain targets they are rewarded with a financial bonus. Such measures have helped to achieve significant savings in fuel consumption, which has dropped from 9.4 mpg to 11.4 mpg, largely because of the system.

“The vast majority of the drivers have embraced the idea and are really interested in the data,” Hibbert says.

Going forward, Garic’s in-house approach should support its growth and allow it to be more flexible throughout its network, Hibbert believes. There is a set-up team which will be used to get new locations up and running and recruit appropriate staff for the business and it will be possible to share vehicles and other equipment between depots, where necessary – something that might be more difficult to achieve if different hauliers were used to cover different parts of the country.

Driver training is taken very seriously. As well as the need to drive economically, drivers have to have a large amount of product knowledge so that they can set up the equipment and explain to customers on site how to operate it. The nature of the sites, which can be on rough ground, means that a great deal of skill is needed when unloading.

Health and safety is crucial in such situations and drivers are also trained in this respect with some having ADR qualifications. In addition, there are site visits by health and safety staff to carry out risk assessments.

“Our deliveries are much more than just a case of drivers turning up at a distribution centre and backing up to a loading bay,” Hibbert says.

Home from home on site

Garic has been part of the Bibby Line Group since 2010 but has been in operation for more than 25 years. It supplies a wide range of products, most of which it manufactures itself.

The largest equipment it carries are 32ft x 10 ft welfare units. The more common kit, usually carried two to a vehicle, however are 24ft x 9ft welfare cabins or 20ft x 8ft containers.

These include cabins that can operate as standalone units or be linked together, providing storage and office space, toilet facilities, showers and canteen and self-catering areas. Power generation, fresh water, flushing toilets, waste tanks and heating and lighting can be included in the package. For larger projects the company offers a range of layout options or bespoke designs.

In addition, it supplies wheel washing equipment and fuel and water bowsers. There is also a range of mobile units including Ford Transit welfare vans which can be bought or hired. These carry up to seven workers and provide a toilet, microwave, seating area and hot and cold water. Garic has also designed and commissioned a fleet of 10 full service vehicles which provide water, waste and fuel for a particular site.

For those that require it, the company’s product range includes a series of mobile and static eco welfare units, wheel-wash systems, showers and toilets which reduce energy and water consumption.

The sectors the company serves are very diverse and include construction, oil and gas, renewable energy, road construction and maintenance and rail – it also supplied the Olympic Village during its construction phase. Garic is both Crossrail accredited and FORS registered.

Events is another important and growing area of activity, from smaller occasions to the very largest gatherings such as the Glastonbury Festival for which Garic provided fuel bowsers and a fuel management system.