Gray & Adams News SPRING 2018
In This Issue > Looking ahead to 2018 > Innovation > Apprenticeship week ISSUE 5 | SPRING 2018
Looking ahead to 2018 At Gray & Adams we are committed and take pride in the degree to which our sales specialists and design engineers work with our customers to fully understand their requirements, and therefore we are able to provide them with trailers and vehicle bodies that are tailored to the particular needs of individual businesses. This commitment has facilitated our success and growth over the last 60 years.
To date this year has been no exception and we are looking forward to showcasing our latest innovations at the Commercial Vehicle Show in Birmingham- a key highlight in the Gray & Adams annual event calendar. As ever the continued success of Gray & Adams is down to our team. We would like to thank all our loyal staff for their continuing unwavering commitment and hard work, which has allowed us to provide our customers with great quality products, timely delivery and excellent service time and time again.
James and Peter
CV Show 2018 Sustainability and aerodynamic efficiency will be the theme as we return to the Commercial Vehicle Show in 2018. Dominating the Gray & Adams stand in the Cool Zone will be a pair of semi-trailers in the liveries of two of the best-known operators on Britain’s roads. To reduce drag Waitrose’s ground-breaking ‘Ultra-low carbon’ trailer features a ‘boat tail’ design with slightly tapered side walls and a smooth underside, open at the back. Other windcheating enhancements include Gray & Adams’ large radius panel cappings and side skirts. This trailer employs a Carrier Vector 1950 multi-temperature refrigeration system that can also be powered electrically from the CNG (compressed natural gas) -fuelled Scania tractor unit with which it will be presented. Built for high-profile Newmarket-based haulier, Turners (Soham), the second 13.6m trailer has an aerodynamically efficient sloping rear roof profile and is fitted with a Thermo King SL Spectrum multi-temperature refrigeration unit.
few days in Birmingham. It’s always a great opportunity to meet operators with whom we already have relationships, and explain to prospective customers how the superior design and innovation of our products can help them to reduce costs.”
Completing the Gray & Adams line-up at the year’s Show – and underlining the breadth of the manufacturer’s product range and capabilities – will be a 3.5-tonne Vauxhall Vivano with insulated box body and single-temperature Carrier Xarios 200 fridge in the colours of Eat Mair Fish, of Buckie, on Scotland’s Moray Firth coast. Gray & Adams has attended every Commercial Vehicle Show since 2013 and its stand at last year’s event was the company biggest and most impressive yet. Joint Managing Director Peter Gray declares: “We’re looking forward to another busy
Visit us on stand numbers: 3D120 & 3E116
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John M Munro runs on Gray & Adams meat rails The latest Gray & Adams built addition to the refrigerated fleet of Scottish craft butcher John M Munro is now hard at work, making deliveries throughout the Highlands & Western Isles. Gray & Adams’ insulated and heavily reinforced body is fitted with four roof-mounted, aluminium T-style rails, each with 10 double-barbed stainless-steel hooks. It is based on a 16-tonne DAF LF 260 chassis supplied by the Inverness branch of dealer Norscot Truck & Van, while Carrier’s versatile Xarios 500 refrigeration unit and MXL 1100 evaporator provide singletemperature cooling. At Gray & Adams, we offer a range of trailers and truck bodies purpose-designed to carry meat. Customers can choose from a variety of rail options, while high-performance insulated panels provide superior resistance to impact from heavy carcasses – each hook on John M Munro’s new vehicle is capable of holding two quarters of beef typically weighing 75 kg a piece. A fourth-generation family business founded in 1922, John M Munro operates six shops across the north of Scotland, as well as a modern abattoir and cutting plant in its home town of Dingwall. The company sources all of its high-quality meat from local farmers and markets – the rich pastures surrounding the Moray Firth are renowned for producing first-class beef cattle and lambs.
He continues: “Gray & Adams equipment always commands strong residual values and we’ve found its vehicles a lot easier to sell than others we’ve run in the past, while the after sales back-up is first class too. Any problems have invariably been of our own making – one of our drivers might have damaged the body when reversing, for example. One quick call is all it’s taken and the repair has then been dealt with very quickly, either at our own premises or back at the factory.”
John M Munro runs a fleet of five temperature-controlled trucks and three vans, which were also insulated and refrigerated by Gray & Adams.
Underlining John M Munro’s strong, family firm ethos, Mr Munro’s father Eric is its Chairman, and it also provides employment for his wife Susan, son Ian and cousin John. “This company has played a prominent role in the Ross-shire business community for nearly 100 years,” he says.
A well-established supplier to some of Britain’s top hotels and restaurants, John M Munro is also contracted to provide meat products to 170 schools kitchens across the Highlands and Islands. The latest vehicle, however, spends most of its time delivering to independent butchers throughout the far north, a role that entails weekly visits to the Isles of Lewis and Harris, and Skye.
“It definitely helps to work with a supplier that not only knows us, but also knows the lie of the land up here in the Highlands, the kind of roads that we have to use and the type of customers to whom we’re delivering.”
Managing Director Charlie Munro says: “We switched to Gray & Adams bodywork eight years ago and have not looked back since. Its products are exceptionally well built and robust – the new truck has replaced one that we ran for five years, which provided completely reliable service – and represent excellent value for money.”
And he adds: “We take great pride in the presentation of our vehicles, which are rigorously washed down every time they come back to base. Like all of our Gray & Adams-built trucks, the new one looks very smart in our livery and we couldn’t be happier with it.”
Gray & Adams takes pride in its consultative sales approach, and ability to design and build bespoke equipment which is perfectly matched to its customers’ requirements. “Gray & Adams never tries to sell us an ‘off the shelf’ product, and we value highly the guidance we receive from its Business Development Executive John Burnett,” says Mr Munro. “In our experience, none of its competitors offer the same level of help and advice.”
Gray & Adams’ meat rails can be specified with hook covers which allow the hooks to be stowed against the underside of the roof, thereby reducing the risk of damage and maximising internal load height when not in use. We have also designed vehicles with built-in meat-loading cranes. As well as fitting meat rails in new bodies and trailers, we can retrofit systems to older vehicles.
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Two bodies built for Nicol of Skene Two bodies have been built for Nicol of Skene for its directional drilling division. These vehicles also pull a drag trailer that has the drilling rig attached to it called a Ditch Witch. Inside are two mud pumps, two 3800 litre water tanks and two IBC’s that hold bentonite. The bentonite is mixed with the water, which is then transferred through to the ditch witch at a very high pressure to the drill head. This extracts the waste material from the hole being drilled.
Irish Prison Service Vehicles
M & I MacKinnon M & I Mackinnon is a well-respected company in the fishing and wholesale fish merchant sector, with a near 50-year history transporting seafood throughout the UK. Malcolm Mackinnon loyally supports Gray & Adams as our product stands the test of time, enduring a harsh life in costal environments. This year a Gray & Adams’ 13.6m seafood specification trailer built for M & I Mackinnon 17 years ago, came into our Dunfermline depot for some minor refurbishments. The trailer is back on the road, testifying to our ethos to build quality and longevity into our product.
Innovation A body light-weighting project was undertaken using new materials and a 5000kg GVW small goods vehicle was manufactured that gave an increased payload of circa 350kg. The total weight including driver and a full tank of fuel was 3090kg. To maximise the payload we used innovative materials in the design.
Gray and Adams was awarded the contract to replace the existing fleet of custodial vehicles for the Irish Prison Service (IPS). The first of these, a six cell configuration built on a DAF LF chassis has been successfully inspected and approved by the National Standards Authority of Ireland and is now in service with the IPS.
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Creed cooks up a recipe for carbon-busting success with Gray & Adams Country Range Group of independent wholesalers, it supplies a carefully selected range of more than 6,000 lines across multi-temperature categories to chefs and caterers nationwide.
Independent wholesaler Creed Foodservice is slashing CO2 emissions by more than 300 tonnes per year after turning to Gray & Adams for its first twin-deck semi-trailer. Family-owned Creed, which is currently celebrating its 45th Anniversary, enjoys a well-deserved reputation for innovation within its product range. As its new acquisition demonstrates, the company is just as open to fresh ideas when it comes to its distribution operation.
The new lifting-deck trailer is based at the company’s purpose-built main distribution hub in Ilkeston, Derbyshire, and is being used to transport chilled and ambient ‘sub-supply’ product to a centre in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, which it opened less than a year ago.
The order represents another significant step forward in its relatively new relationship with Gray & Adams. The two only began doing business together in 2015. Since then we have supplied Creed with a clutch of single-deck, 13.6m semitrailers, as well as insulated and refrigerated bodywork for a number of 18-tonne rigid vehicles.
Operations Controller Richard Frost explains: “We were previously sending two articulated tractor units, each pulling a single-deck trailer, down to High Wycombe five nights a week. “However, the increased carrying capacity of the liftingdeck trailer means we can now do the same job with a single truck. It’s a round trip of 285 miles, which means we’ll be covering 74,100 fewer road miles each year.
Operations Controller Richard Frost confirms: “We carried out some extensive research before placing our latest order, and this confirmed that Gray & Adams is by far the marketleader when it comes to double-deck semi-trailers.”
“This new trailer has therefore enabled us significantly to improve our environmental profile through the very substantial reductions we’re achieving in CO2 and other emissions.”
Creed’s new lifting-deck trailer features a sloping roof and Gray & Adams’ latest, aerodynamically profiled panel cappings, both of which contribute to fuel efficiency. It is equipped with a Carrier Vector 1950 multi-temperature refrigeration system.
Mr Frost continues: “We have been very impressed not only with the quality and reliability of Gray & Adams’ equipment, but also with its customer-focused service. The manufacturer provided us initially with a lifting-deck trailer for trial, so we could make sure it was going to suit our operation. It has also delivered a programme of training for our operational personnel, which was exceptionally well received.”
Thanks to a series of clever design features, the trailer offers a market-leading 44-pallet carrying capacity. However, Creed is using the latest addition to its growing fleet to transport product in cages – it can accommodate 36 on each deck, as well as a further 15 in the neck. Creed Foodservice operates from headquarters in Staverton, near Cheltenham. A founding member of the
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Continual Improvement
Apprentice Scheme Gray & Adams currently has 40 apprentices working out of our Head Office in Fraserburgh. Pictured are five apprentices who recently completed their modern day apprenticeship along with some of our other apprentices who are currently working towards their qualification. Gray & Adams is planning to take on a further ten apprentices in the Summer, which demonstrates our commitment to working closely with the North East Scotland College and local schools within our community and ensures that there will always be the skills to build the high quality vehicles that Gray & Adams are renowned for.
Well done and congratulations to (holding certificates left to right): Kieran Craighead – Tail Lift Engineer, Neil Buchan – Tail Lift Engineer, Marcus Sutherland – Welder, Kieran Scott – Panel Manufacture Operative, James Gauld – Welder.
In 2017, our design and development software was upgraded in order to aid our design process and enable us to produce the best product for our customers. The latest stress analysis software was installed that helps us verify the strength and integrity of our products. New flow design software was installed which is essentially a virtual wind tunnel that allows us to analyse the aerodynamic characteristics of our vehicles. A new drawing database is also in the process of being implemented, which will improve efficiency.
Apprenticeship week Banffshire and Buchan coast MSP Stewart Stevenson marked apprenticeship week locally with a visit to Head Office, along with officials from Skills Development Scotland and North East Scotland College, where he met with management and apprentices. Stewart said, “I was delighted to visit one of the most successful companies, Gray and Adams, and to meet some of the apprentices involved. The young people I met, who are involved in a range of activities from the factory floor to the drawing office, are building-up more important skills, which will stand them in good stead as their careers progress. It was a pleasure to meet with them”.
Six new 15.65m Longer Semi Trailer (LST) Euro curtain siders have been introduced to the business to improve the transportation of inter depot parts and materials. Ongoing investment continues at Gray and Adams and an excess of half a million pounds has been invested this year in state of the art CNC machinery and table saws. The photos show a table saw and the new CNC.
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Old School Reunion
As part of the 60th Anniversary, part two of a special trip down memory lane was organised, which saw 30 former employees invited back to Head Office for an ‘old school reunion’. A replica of the very first refrigerated vehicle built by Gray & Adams was on show and no doubt a few stories were told on the day.
Mike Reynolds Visit
Fraserburgh v Rangers
Fraserburgh v Rangers played in the 4th round of the Scottish Cup at Bellslea Park in Fraserburgh. It was watched by a sell-out crowd and shown live on Sky Sports. The photo above shows some former Fraserburgh players and supporters who work at our Head Office in Fraserburgh. There was a real buzz around the whole town with Gray & Adams joining in with decorating the canteen along with many shops in the town. Final score was 3-0 to Rangers. Fraserburgh showed real fight and determination and was a real credit to the Highland League and the town.
A tour was arranged for a Gray & Adams’ former employee, Mike Reynolds. Mike had not been on the Fraserburgh site for 18 years. Mike was a salesman, who was based at our Doncaster site and previously worked for Atlas refrigerating vehicles in Nottingham where he was a rep for Gray & Adams. Mike was amazed at how much the Head Office had expanded and progressed and it was the first time he had seen one of our lifting deck trailers being manufactured. The photo shows Mike with Jim Gray Snr (on the right).
Relay for Life – UK Cancer Research
Gender Pay Gap Reporting
Gray & Adams continue to support and raise funds for this worthwhile charity and numerous fund raising events have been planned during the course of 2018.
As an employer, we are required by law to carry out Gender Pay Reporting with the results communicated across the group. Results were published on our website and a government website. The challenge in our organisation is to eliminate any gender pay.
Total raised so far, excluding Easter Sunday Fun Day, is £5170.18. A massive thank you to all of our organisers and to those who have donated.
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Long Service Awards
Long Service Awards
Gilbert Buchan, Panel Manufacture Operative, 40 years’ service. Presentation carried out by James Gray.
Robert Buchan – Repairs Operative – 50 years’ service Robert has been with Gray & Adams since leaving school and is the first employee to reach this half-century milestone. Fraserburgh man, Bobby Buchan, started at Gray & Adams Ltd in 1968 and has been praised as a “prime example” of the value of apprenticeships.
John Smith, Company Secretary, 25 years’ service. Presentation carried out by James Gray, Peter Gray, Lewis Gray Jnr and Mark Grant.
His retirement came at the end of the Scottish Apprenticeship week, which raises the profile of skills and career pathways made possible by Modern Apprenticeships.
Lee Blackburn moving to Gray & Adams Fraserburgh
North East region MSP Peter Chapman made a special presentation to Bobby at Head Office. Commenting on the milestone, he said “Bobby is a prime example of a hard worker, who set his sights on doing a job he loves, and has done well for 50 years. It says something about his loyalty, but also the good treatment of staff by the company.”
Lee Blackburn has requested a move to Head Office as a result of his intention to move to the Aberdeen area this Summer. Lee, who has six years experience at Gray & Adams, will be gaining firsthand experience in April before making a final commitment.
Mr. Chapman went on to say “Gray & Adams employs hundreds of people around the Fraserburgh area as part of a national business and run a successful apprentice scheme. I’d like to think some of the current crop of trainees will be here for 50 years. During an important week for apprenticeships, it shows that hard work and dedication can lead to a long and fruitful career.”
He began his journey building GAAPS doors but is now confident in the chassis area, welding rear frames and fitting tail lifts. Lee is a very hard working and dedicated colleague, who will be sorely missed by all at Dunfermline. We wish him all the best in his new journey.
Adverse weather conditions
Scottish conservative MSP Mr. Chapman has lodged a motion in the Scottish Parliament, congratulating Mr Buchan on his long-term service achievement, making reference to Scottish Apprenticeship week.
This February, Scotland was issued with severe weather warnings due to large amounts of snowfall. Over 20 devoted colleagues made efforts to come into Gray & Adams, Dunfermline to allow us to continue with production and provide services to our customers. We would like to thank everyone who made the effort to come in during this period, we value your dedication within Gray & Adams.
Bobby Buchan receives a bottle of whiskey from MSP Peter Chapman on behalf of the company. Looking on are joint managing directors Peter Gray and James Gray. Congratulations on this fantastic achievement.
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