Gray & Adams News AUTUMN 2017
In This Issue > 60th Anniversary > 3 Peaks Challenge > African Adventure
ISSUE 4 | AUTUMN 2017
Contents Gray & Adams marks its 60th Anniversary with first Royal visit
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A thank you for 32 years of business
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Gray and Adams 40th Anniversary Dinner Dance
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Emma Blackburn – Passing Apprenticeship
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John Smith joins Gray & Adams
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Co-op Hybrid
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3 Peaks Challenge
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Irish Prison Service Win
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NVQ Qualification
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Manufacturer of the Year
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African Adventure
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ISO Certified
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Dedicated Service
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Gray & Adams marks its 60th Anniversary with first Royal visit In the last 60 years our company has grown out of all recognition. However, we remain a family-owned business with all that this implies in terms of our personal commitment to customer care, and to the training and development of our people. Indeed, we are proud of the many long-serving members of staff, who have remained loyal to Gray & Adams throughout their entire careers. We were delighted to mark the occasion with a visit from HRH Prince Charles, which was a huge success due to the time and effort that went into the planning. His Royal Highness was very interested in what we do and demonstrated an impressive understanding of some of the engineering challenges that we have to overcome whilst tailoring equipment to meet the specific requirement of our customers.
Retirements 8
As we celebrate our 60th Anniversary, we would like to thank you all for your unwavering commitment and hard work, which has allowed us to provide our customers with great quality products, timely delivery and excellent service throughout this time. We look forward to continuing to celebrate our successful growth throughout the year in this important milestone in the history of our business. James and Peter
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A thank you for 32 years of business Peter Gray received this letter from Nigel Barranowski of Tesco. Sadly Nigel is taking retirement due to ill health, but wanted to send his thanks for the continually great service he received over the 32 years of consecutive business with Gray & Adams.
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Gray and Adams Dunfermline
Gray and Adams 40th Anniversary Dinner Dance The Gray and Adams Dunfermline 40th Anniversary dinner dance was a great success. It was attended by directors, employees and their partners. Everyone enjoyed a glass or two of prosecco before we were seated in the function room. We were all kept entertained by two very talented opera singers before we enjoyed a delicious three course meal. It wasn’t just a celebration of Dunfermline’s 40th year in operation, but a celebration of achievements within the company and one in particular...Craig Soutar’s 40th year of employment with Gray and Adams in Dunfermline! He has definitely been born and bred in G&A.
Emma Blackburn – Passing Apprenticeship
John Smith joins Gray & Adams
I started my apprenticeship in Business and Administration Level 3 on 26th October 2016 with an anticipated completion date of 20th July 2017. It was with determination and the encouragement from my colleagues and tutor that I was able to complete the apprenticeship by 5th May 2017. The course was tough at times and I was faced with some very challenging units which expended a lot of my time, but this only made me more determined. I am so grateful to have been given the opportunity because, in fact, the course itself has allowed me to fulfil the responsibilities in my current role more effectively and with greater efficiency. I am now competent in Excel and Access; both programmes I am using on a daily basis. I am now looking forward to receiving my level 3 certificate at the awards ceremony in September this year.
John Smith joined us on 20th March this year as Purchasing Assistant with a solid 20 years of purchasing experience on his CV. John lives with his partner Jackie and 3 kids; Rachael (18), Ben (14) and Billy (4). He is a keen photographer and also likes nothing better than pottering about with little projects at home. So far, John’s experience with Gray & Adams has been entirely positive and the people he is working alongside so far are an absolute pleasure to be around. He is now nearing his 5th month and feeling far more confident in his new role. To date, he has made a positive impact to the finance department and Dunfermline depot as a whole and is looking forward to future challenges as the opportunities arise.
Co-op Hybrid Gray and Adams displayed the first Scania hybrid chassis in the UK, fitted with one of its temperature controlled bodies. The 320DB 6x2/4 MNB sleeper cab is destined for service with the Co-op, which has teamed up with the Swedish marque on this diesel electric initiative. A number of safety features have been included in this ground-breaking vehicle which include an additional passenger door window, left turn warning alarm and Spraydown spray suppression to help rearward visibility when driving in bad weather.
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3 Peaks Challenge Saturday 8 July 2017 was, for a long time, a dreaded date for 13 individuals, who either work with Gray & Adams (Dunfermline) currently or have done so in the past.
World-class minibus driver Kevin Ireland made good time in reaching the foot of peak #2. Credit was due to Kevin for his skilful manoeuvring between a consistent stream of car, van and motorhome drivers on narrow winding roads. This skill, coupled with his determination to own the road and refusal to move for oncoming vehicles, meant that the minibus screeched to a halt with smoking brake pads at the foot of Scafell Pike in the Lake District at 18:25 – ten minutes behind schedule.
This date meant the beginning of The National 3 Peaks Challenge, which would test both the physical and mental strengths of even the fittest people. The challenge itself involves climbing the highest peaks of Scotland, England and Wales within 24 hours - including driving time in-between. The challenge ahead never felt so real until the 13 individuals congregated in the yard of Gray & Adams Dunfermline at 00:30 on Saturday 8 July. They were now committed!
Scafell Pike comes in at the shortest of the three peaks at 978m above sea level. With this in mind the team began their ascent, with weary legs but with determined minds, to claw back some valuable time. There are two routes to the summit of Scafell Pike – one takes a gradual climb whereas the faster option forces the climber to their hands and knees to navigate up through a steep and unstable channel – only to reach a fake summit. Both routes were taken between the twelve climbers which meant some arrived significantly earlier than others to the top. However, individuals rested and refuelled up there until all 13 were present. The scale of the task in hand was beginning to bring the team together.
The minibus departed at 00:45 packed with employees from both the office and shop floor, one driver, twelve climbers and all the supplies needed to sustain them throughout the challenge. Arriving first at the foot of Mount Snowdon in Wales with a couple of hours to fuel-up and tie their boots, 13 intrepid climbers commenced peak #1 at 09:15. The weather was kind that day, which brought many other climbers, who wanted to appreciate the beauty of Snowdonia National Park from the summit of Snowdon. With the crowds there, and various route options both up and down the first peak, the 13 climbers convened back at the minibus at 13:45 – 30 minutes behind schedule.
When the group met up again at the foot of Scafell Pike for a quick change and a hot brew they were still behind schedule and completing the challenge within the 24 hour limit now seemed beyond their reach. Un-phased by this, they drove through the night, racing north towards peak #3, Ben Nevis.
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One last push. Ben Nevis is the highest peak on the British Isles standing tall at 1,345m above sea level. Which begs the question... why on earth would anyone think it is a good idea to leave him till last! By now all 13 are exhausted and to top it off Scotland provided them with what it does best – cold, wind and rain. Standing at the foot of Ben Nevis armed with questionable protection from the elements, none of them realised how unprepared they were for this brute of a climb. Never before was it so important that the 13 climbers stick together and encourage each other to push on.
two braved the winds once more in an attempt to find their fellow climber. The short wearing fourth member of group number two was found in the fetal position with his hands under armpits in an attempt to defrost them. He was barely visible as he tried to shelter behind a rock – lucky he had a fluorescent rucksack. He was quickly recovered by the other climbers and taken into the safe shelter where they warmed their hands with tea lights and lighters. The third group reached the safe shelter moments later with one of their members on the brink of succumbing to hyperthermia – this is why neither jeans, t-shirt or poncho were on the recommended list for clothing. Wrapped in survival foil blankets all members of the two groups huddled together like you would see the Lemurs in Edinburgh zoo. Time on the clock read 23 hours and 19 minutes. Technically this meant challenge accomplished. The challenge was to climb the three peaks within 24 hours. Huddling together at the summit of Ben Nevis with less than 24 hours on the clock certainly felt like a huge accomplishment. The magnificent 13 returned to base bearing a massive sense of achievement and pride at their teamworking. Having completed the challenge and raised almost £4,000 for charity every one of the team should feel extremely proud of themselves.
The ascent began at 5:15 leaving the climbers with only 4 hours to climb to and descend from a summit of 1,345m and in conditions far worse than experienced with the first two climbs – good thing they had copious amounts of Red Bull. By now all 13 were truly exhausted, sleep deprived and in need of a proper feed. This final test would surely decide the level of mental stamina left in each and every one of them. As the group climbed higher, the weather went from bad to worse – cold rain blowing horizontally into the faces of the tired men and visibility reduced to below 10m. One climber eventually said what everyone was thinking... ‘this is absolutely nuts’. However ‘nuts’ it was though, after already completing two-out-of-three peaks and half-way up the final one, there was no way they were going to turn back. By now the group was broken up into three separate groups with approximately 15 minutes between them. The first group reached the summit and turned back immediately, wasting no time up there as the chill from the wind was beginning to freeze the moisture on their bodies. Groups two and three were still suffering from the number of false summits and were really dragging their heels by this point. There was one thing on everyone’s mind and that was to reach the safe shelter at the summit to get out of the freezing wind and put on some extra layers. Group two eventually reached the shelter after navigating over a boulder field by following the faint silhouettes of strategically placed rock pillars one after another. Once at the shelter group two realised that there was only three of them present and there was no sign of their fourth member. Having been made aware before the ascent that as recently as the day before there was a death at the summit of Ben Nevis – they had to recover their lost number four fast. One remained in the shelter as the other
A big well done to Kevin Ireland, Colin Stewart, Graham Carribine, Willie Clark, Damian Gad, Bryan Easton, Andrew Mackenzie, Dennis Morrice, Kyle Morrice, Alex Leverington, Mike Leverington, Glen Carter and Kevin Taylor for taking part in this year’s National 3 Peaks Challenge. The whole experience was described both as a challenge, but also hugely rewarding. They were all very lucky to have such encouraging team mates, ones that chanted “one final push” as they came close to reaching the top of Ben Nevis. They were also very lucky to have such a courageous driver (Kevin Ireland), who managed to drive for 986 miles in 24 hours with only 4 hours and 15 minutes sleep. There are two main learnings for the team from this experience: Don’t go for a swim in the lochs when you’re on a time limit and suitable clothing is essential for the bitter conditions which are common when climbing mountains... not just a t-shirt and a poncho!
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Gray and Adams Ireland
Gray and Adams Doncaster
Irish Prison Service Win
African Adventure
We have just been awarded a tender contract for up to 52 custodial vehicles for the Irish Prison Service, which represents a significant amount of work for our Specialist Builds department.
On 1st February 2017 Tom Taylor and Steve Rose set out on an adventure of a lifetime! A year of planning saw the novice duo set out to climb the dizzy heights of Africa’s highest peak. Standing at 19,341ft (5,895 meters) above sea level, Mount Kilimanjaro is the world’s highest free standing mountain. The very long strenuous seven day Northern Circuit ascent took the fearless adventurers to the roof of Africa (Uhuru Peak) on 11th February 2017. After a very short 15 minute photoshoot, the pair started the leg breaking two day decent and back to the first bath and beer in nine days! Tom and Steve filled sports bags with pens, pencils, crayons, lots of paper and colouring books for Stella Maris Lodge School. Thank you to all the Doncaster staff for their generous donations.
NVQ Qualification Eight employees are currently undergoing a sixteen week NVQ Diploma in Business Improvement Techniques. The objective of the qualification is to improve business performance as a whole. To achieve this qualification, the learner must be able to demonstrate that they have contributed to or led sustainable improvement activities that have delivered Quality, Cost and Delivery benefits. As well as the direct business benefit generated by Quality, Cost and Delivery improvement, deploying a BIT programme clearly demonstrates Gray and Adams’ commitment to employee training, driving a reduction in health and safety issues and validates the quality of the workforce capability to current and potential customers.
Manufacturer of the Year We were delighted to be shortlisted in the Manufacturer of the Year (under £25m) category at the recent ‘Made in NI Awards’. The event recognises and rewards manufacturing companies that have demonstrated success in innovation, product development and growth. We were the only representative from the transport industry to make the finals.
ISO Certified We have received our new BSI certification to the new standards for Quality Management ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 14001:2015 Environmental Management Systems. Thank you to everyone in their continuous hard work in helping us get to where we are.
Although the winner’s prize ultimately went to Antrim-based architectural mouldings specialist SAM Mouldings, Gray and Adams (Ireland) Managing Director, Billy Dougan was delighted that his team’s successes have been recognised.
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Gray and Adams Fraserburgh
Congratulations to...
Dedicated Service
^^ Sara Pirie for 25 years service in the Fraserburgh Sales office
Gilbert Buchan, with 40 years dedicated service, cuts the ribbon to officially open our new facility in the panel manufacturing department. This incorporates a new canteen, toilet block, an office, locker room and maintenance office.
^^ Gray and Adams Dunfermline’s Craig Soutar on his 40th year of employment with us ^^ James Murphy and his wife Geraldine on the birth of their daughter Darcy ^^ Stephen Reynolds and his wife Arlene on the birth of their son Shea ^^ Gordon Mahood and his wife Michelle on the birth of their daughter Savanna
Retirements
^^ Alaister Reid and his wife Caroline on the birth of their son Harrison
^^ Tim Foubister started October 2000
^^ Ivan Brownlees on the birth of his granddaughter Emily
^^ Tam Forsyth started February 1987
^^ Paul Gillespie on the birth of his granddaughter Daisy
^^ Harold McRobbie started August 1987
^^ Damien Reynold and his fiancĂŠ Monica on their engagement
All 3 finished work with G&A on Friday 21st July.
^^ Paul Lewin, Andy Lewin and Ian Hughes of Gray and Adams Doncaster for all celebrating 15 years of service to Gray and Adams
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