In any business, getting back up and running quickly after a breakdown is important to maintaining the workflow. In Golding Skip Hire’s trade, with a continuous flow of waste being deposited on their Burton upon Trent site, it is crucial.
Golding is a long term customer of Pirtek’s Burton franchise, having worked with them for more than a decade. The firm provides everything from two yard mini skips through to the 40 yard roll-on-roll-off variety and among its customers; Golding counts the Pirtek Burton franchise, at times when it requires waste management services.
As well as providing empty skips for hire, Golding processes the waste on return to its Burton site, just round the corner from Pirtek’s own depot.
Pete Williams, manager at Golding describes what happens when the skips return. “A lot of its industrial, construction or demolition waste from building sites. There’s also some household waste, which could be anything from someone having a garage clear out to having a new bathroom fitted.”
Detailing the process of reclamation and preparation for recycling, he says, “The drivers tip out the skips on site, where the lads take out the larger fractions – big pieces of wood, metal and so on.
“The smaller pieces are then put through a trommel screen, which separates them according to size, ready for further sorting. From there, they travel on a conveyor through a picking station, where the lads sort different recyclables and drop them into various bins to be sent off for processing.”
The company has a variety of machines that Pirtek may be called upon to service, says Pete. “Pirtek could be called upon at any time to change a hose on a JCB, a CAT digger or anything on our trucks, grabber or crusher.
“They get a call, turn up quickly and find out what we’re asking them to do. They come when they say they’re going to and get on with the job.”
The skip hire company operates on the basis that in normal circumstances it has sufficient backup if a machine should fail. It is able to do this because it is safe in the knowledge that should there be issues with multiple machines, Pirtek will be available to repair hydraulics at short notice.
“Mainly we’ve got two machines to do any one job,” says Pete. “But if one is being serviced when a hose goes on the other, the fact that Pirtek can turn up in 15 minutes rather than three hours means that we can keep the yard running.
“If we were dealing with somebody who took three hours to turn up, we’d be struggling to process the waste. We’d have to accept that a backlog may form and then we’d be playing catchup,” says Pete.
It is clear that Pirtek’s one hour ETA commitment is critical to keeping Golding Skip Hire’s operation running smoothly and therefore, to the company’s ability to keep its commitment to its own customers.
“A quick response time is what we need, and that’s what we get,” says Pete.
Adam Holloway is the centre manager at Pirtek Burton upon Trent, responsible for the smooth operation of the franchise that services Golding Skip Hire. He describes a strong working relationship with the waste management company, developed over the 12 years he has worked for Pirtek. As such, Golding was one of the first accounts Adam got to know.
“We’ve been working with them for 12 years, pretty much solid and have never had any issues. They’re also a good supplier to Pirtek Burton. They’re a valued customer and we always try do our best by them.”
The account provides a steady stream of work for Pirtek Burton upon Trent, Adam says. “We work with them four or five times a month on average. We could be out there every day for a week or more evenly spread out.”
Golding’s combination of transportation vehicles and on site heavy equipment provides variety. “It’s good, solid income and it keeps us busy with a large range of jobs,” Adam says.
Starting with Pirtek Burton 12 years ago aged 19, Adam’s career has mirrored the Golding account.
“Ben Golding, who’s running Golding as managing director, was driving the wagons when I first started – our careers have run in parallel.”
When he began his Pirtek journey, Adam was a depot assistant, a role he describes as “the mop and bucket – chasing order numbers, serving the customer, making the tea, trying to take the pressure off the centre manager.”
“Mop and bucket” should be seen an opportunity to show potential, however, and Adam swiftly made good.
“Within a couple of years I was a manager at Burton and did that for about three or four years and then the opportunity arose to go to Coventry with John Guest.
“I ran Coventry for around three years and went on the vans there for about a year. Then I came back to Burton, doing a sales job for a while before getting back in the office as centre manager.”
This is undoubtedly a circuitous career path, but Adam can clearly see the value in his experience.
“I’ve done it back to front really. A lot of people go out on the vans and then once they’ve got the experience in the field, they try and work their way into the depot if the opportunity arises. But I did it the other way round, I’ve got experience of both ways round now so I know what it’s like if you’re having trouble on the site. I can put myself in their shoes and think ‘what would I have done?’”.
That’s not to say his particular career path hasn’t presented problems, however. “I was only about 19 first times round as a manager and when you’ve got a lot of highly experienced 40-50-year-old engineers it can be hard to get your point across.”
Adam is committed to the franchise and has great confidence in the Pirtek people he manages.
“I’ve always worked for John,” he says, “and wherever he’s asked me to go and whatever he’s asked me to do, I’ve done.
“We’ve got a good cross section on the team, including a new lad who’s settling in well. They’ve all got their strengths in different areas and it’s one of the best teams I’ve worked with.”
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