ReNEWS Issue 10

ReNEWS

WIN!

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FOR ALL YOUR SHANKS MUNICIPAL NEWS AND VIEWS

AN AMAZON FIRE TABLET September 2016

MR MOTO TAKES THE HIGH ROAD

STRONGER TOGETHER Our Municipal teams could soon be part of a significantly larger international waste management company, thanks to a historic new merger.

The official contracts in a merger between Shanks and Dutch firm Van Gansewinkel are close to being signed and if all goes well, the two companies could officially become one by the end of this year.

The merger will open the door to new technologies and skills, as well as giving the advantage of scale to benefit the whole Group.

Van Gansewinkel is one of the largest waste recycling businesses in the Benelux and offers services and expertise that our other businesses don’t have, such as specialisms in electronic waste recycling. We also have complementary expertise that Van Gansewinkel doesn’t have, such as organic waste.

Meet the Shanks worker who loves life in the fast lane – p5

POWERING AHEAD WHAT’S INSIDE…

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SPEEDBOAT SHOCKER Some of the weird stuff we handle

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‘DABBING’ DEMONS Cumbria teams in new dance craze

OPPORTUNITY Van Gansewinkel also operates in regions where we are not as strong, so by coming together we will have better geographical coverage. The landmark €510-million deal will make Shanks one of the first UK firms to expand into Europe since Brexit.

City analysts and investors hailed the move as proof that Shanks is focused on delivering its strategy by driving future growth, as shares soared 20% on news of the announcement. “This is a great opportunity for us,” said Group CEO Peter Dilnot.

Our new company – which will not be branded Shanks or Van Gansewinkel – will have greater power in negotiating procurement and offtake.

“By coming together we will create a new family and identity, which we can build together,” added Peter.

The bigger picture: page 6 and 7

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MOUNTY HUNTER I’m taking the Rocky road

02 ❙ September 2016

CHECK OUT YOUR CHAMPIONS! We’re always looking for stories about the people who make Shanks what it is, so our panel of Communications Champions, featuring a few new faces, is here to make it easier. Got a story about a hobby or best practice? Contact your Champion and we’ll do the rest.

ARGYLL & BUTE Gail Orr, gail.orr@shanks.co.uk

New Managing Director Matthew Williams on why our people are key to our future achievements I have now visited most of our sites and had a chance to meet many of you and have been extremely impressed by what I’ve seen.

It is clear that we have a very talented collection of committed and enthusiastic people, who are technically skilled and focused on achieving the best results they can.

The people I’ve met are very passionate and committed to “Making More from Waste”, so it’s important that we all work together to achieve even more in terms of safety, environmental compliance and operational efficiency, to build on our vision and strategy. Our success is largely dependent on the effectiveness and enthusiasm of our site-based people and, as a company we will work with

BDR Abi Cox, abigail.cox@ shanks.co.uk

CANADA Chris O’Toole, cotoole@orgaworld.ca

COMPLIANCE Dave Leatham, david. leatham@shanks.co.uk

CUMBRIA Joanne Crone, joanne. crone@shanks.co.uk

DERBY Emma Ray, emma. ray@shanks.co.uk

DUMFRIES & GALLOWAY Dave Cheetham, david.cheetham@ shanks.co.uk

ELWA Gurjeet Kaur-Assi, gurjeet.kaur-assi@ shanks.co.uk

ENGINEERING Steve Bullock, steve. bullock@shanks.co.uk

BUILDING ON OUR SUCCESS

LEGAL PROCUREMENT Louise Thompson, louise. Abdul Haneef, abdul. thompson@shanks.co.uk haneef@shanks.co.uk

RESOURCE & RECOVERY WAKEFIELD Tracy De-Filippis, tracy. Sally Hurn, de-filippis@shanks.co.uk sally.hurn@shanks.co.uk

POTENTIAL My role is to help people make the most of their potential by creating the right environment to succeed.

I’ve been impressed with the continuous improvement programme at our sites, to deliver solutions that will help make the most out of our assets – and our Homesafe programme is essential to ensure our sites are safe places to work. One accident is one too many and we all have a responsibility to comply with safety regulations to stay safe and meet our obligations to our stakeholders and the communities where we work.

We are poised for exciting times with the upcoming potential merger with Van Gansewinkel and I look forward to working with you to build on the success of the Municipal Division.

SNAPPY CHAPPY

FINANCE Sophia Kibirige, sophia. kibirige@shanks.co.uk

HR ICT Claire Stackpoole, claire. Simon Betts, simon. stackpoole@shanks.co.uk betts@shanks.co.uk

you to ensure that we all have the appropriate skills and support to meet our challenges and opportunities.

Maintenance Engineer turns budding photographer thanks to ReNEWS competition and I like to think I managed that.”

His artistic eye received high praise from the judges and the atmospheric lighting and striking stillness ultimately landed him the top spot out of entries from across the UK and Canada.

After hearing of his win, Matt said: “I’m speechless; what a way to brighten up a night shift.”

Now the proud owner of a Sony CyberShot camera, Matt looks forward to taking pictures of the wildlife on-site.

FANCY A CHANCE TO WIN AN AMAZON FIRE 10” HD TABLET?

WIN IT

See page 12 for this issue’s competition

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Editor: Jim Levack; Assistant Editor: Emily Craft; Sub Editor: Kate Feasey; Senior Art Editor: Emma Bramwell; Production Manager: Julia Fulford. MADE BY SONDER LTD, VICTORIA COURT, 8 DORMER PLACE, LEAMINGTON SPA, WARWICKSHIRE CV32 5AE. MADEBYSONDER.COM

This newspaper is produced by

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Q

What’s your background?

Q

Home life?

Q

Do you have a work motto?

Q

Hobbies?

Q

Which teams do you support?

Q

Spare time?

Q

Describe yourself in three words?

I’ve managed several large industrial manufacturing companies across Europe involved in plastics recycling and speciality chemicals.

I’m married with three grown-up children – two lads, who are both out there earning a living, and a daughter at university.

As a family we’re based near Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.

Not as such, but like most people, I have principles that I strive to work to.

I say things as I see them, act with honesty and integrity and expect others to do the same. I also believe in working at a fast pace to get things done, solving problems and making the most of opportunities.

I have a lot of energy and like working quickly and being thorough.

If there are people who identify ways in which the business can change to be more effective, then I’d expect them to let us know, because it’s good to get things done and make a difference.

I try to stay healthy by playing tennis, cycling, hill walking and swimming, but it’s a challenge to keep fit and stay disciplined while working in a challenging, interesting and enjoyable business environment – wish me luck!

WINNER!

For Locharmoss’ Matt Currie, finding the beauty in his surroundings comes like second nature.

So when ReNEWS launched a photography competition asking for inspired shots of our sites, he didn’t shy away from experimenting with some compositions.

“I love taking pictures whenever I can,” Maintenance Engineer Matt said.

“This competition got me thinking of ways to capture our site in a different way

“A little bit about me…”

I have to admit I’m more of a rugby man than football and always keep an eye out for the Gloucester ‘Cherry and Whites’. I follow most sports (when I have time) and am happy that my home team have struggled back into the giddy heights of League Two for this season!

I like a good book but honestly couldn’t pick one favourite. Likewise, I’ve got quite varied taste in music.

I’d describe myself as straightforward, honest and committed.

September 2016 ❙ 03

NOTHING GETS PAST OUR TOP TEAMS

GOT IT COVERED! Eagle-eyed pickers save our bacon all in a day’s work Our vigilant pickers ensure the smooth running of our sorting processes on-site day in day out, but even the most experienced colleagues couldn’t believe their eyes when an unexploded railway device appeared on a paper belt at Jenkins Lane.

Like a booby trap in a spy movie, the dangerous item – about the size of an ice cream tub – was given away by its bright red colour and ‘explosive’ warning printed on the casing.

Quick-thinking Site Operative Charles Brooks first spotted the bomb and leapt into action, pressing the emergency stop button to halt the line and alert Team Leader Charlie Draycott, who called for an evacuation of the facility.

Within 10 minutes, the

Metropolitan Police arrived and set up a 10-metre exclusion zone, before calling on bomb squad experts to dispose of the item safely.

SB MRF & HWRC Manager, Matthew Skilton, insisted that the experts were far from the SWAT-style entourage you’d imagine. “There were just two blokes who turned up to collect the device.

One accidentally dropped the item on the floor on the way back to his car, but, thankfully, it didn’t cause Armageddon,” he said.

ALERT According to the bomb disposal experts, the device is used during railway line maintenance as an alert for engineers to move out of the way

for an oncoming train.

“Even though it was small in size, we were told it could have blown your hand off,” said Matthew.

This was certainly a first – and hopefully last – experience for our Jenkins Lane team, but they reflected on some other weird and not necessarily wonderful things that have come through their doors.

Our Jenkins Lane recycling operatives sort 70 tonnes of mixed dry recycling every day. (l-r) Liaquat Ali, Alfred Canham, Andrea Kellemene, Devon Maxwell, Claudiu Dragoi and Remus-Andrei Fecheta

THE WEIRD AND WONDERFUL WHERE YOU ARE NO JOB TOO BIG

SLIPPERY INTRUDER A boa constrictor slid along a sorting belt in the Jenkins Lane MRF facility, to the horror of dry recycling colleagues. “It was dead, but the sorting belts vibrate, so it looked like it was still moving,” said Matthew.

WAXING LYRICAL Jenkins Lane colleagues found a 19th-century land registry deed, complete with wax seal stamp. Matthew said: “Normally we try to return items, but we might have been hunting for a long time.”

NAILING IT Our colleagues at Derby Raynesway HWRC, subcontracted to HW Martin, were left perplexed after a lorryload of bric-a-brac from a charity shop contained an irksome item. “I took a call from the HWRC manager to say a coffin had been dropped off. It must have been a stage prop as it was on wheels, but it was creepy,” said former Derby employee, Abi Cox.

Colleagues at Dunoon landfill site in Argyll & Bute paid their respects to a three-tonne minke whale that washed up at a port in Campbeltown.

Colleagues went to the effort of digging the 26-foot-long whale a grave to give it a dignified resting place.

GOOD VIBRATIONS South Kirkby colleagues struggled to keep straight faces when an adult toy rolled down a conveyer belt in their MDR MRF facility. Members of the council were visiting the facility at the time, so the item was removed with haste.

DRUG DISPOSAL

ARMED AND DANGEROUS South Kirkby extracts up to 15 knives and machetes from its waste streams every day.

“We photograph these items for the council to help try and identify the source,” said Project Coordinator Sally Hurn.

West Yorkshire Police sought out the help of Denby Dale Road colleagues in a bid to destroy a van-full of seized cannabis plants. Unfortunately, we couldn’t oblige and the stash was taken to an incinerator to be destroyed.

ROCKY WATER South Kirkby HWRC colleagues were left baffled when a member of the public turned up bearing a harpoon, asking where the item should be disposed of.

BAYWATCH A member of the public turned up in style at our South Kirkby HWRC, towing a bright-red speedboat. The person reportedly asked: “Which receptacle do I put this in?” before being advised to break the boat into smaller chunks before returning…

04 ❙ September 2016

5

minutes with…

Amy McGowan MBT Operations Manager, Frog Island

Q

What does your role as MBT Operations Manager involve?

Keeping the tonnages coming in, keeping the tonnages going out and supporting my team however possible, so they can do their jobs to the best of their abilities.

Q

How long have you been at Shanks and what were you doing before?

I’ve been with Shanks since 2009. I worked for DEFRA before that, when Hillary Benn was in charge.

Q

What is the best and worst part of your job?

Q

How would your colleagues describe you?

The best part is that every day is different, the worst part is that this can make it hard to implement lasting change.

TRANSFORMERS Continuous improvement programme set to reinvent operations, improve productivity and spearhead success across our sites A new programme that will transform standardised operations in the Municipal business has been seeing great success at our South Kirkby site in Wakefield.

The three-month continuous improvement (CI) pilot has given colleagues the tools to monitor their progress, not only on a day-by-day basis, but also down to the hour, in a bid to support operators and identify barriers to productivity.

“The operators are the people that add value to our organisation and every effort should be made to support and enable them to maximise the product we give to our customers,” said Business Support Director Alastair Culshaw.

“Thanks to the new tools, we can predict what will happen throughout the day and the following days at morning meetings, rather than discussing what has happened retrospectively.”

CELEBRATE A coach has shown colleagues how to use CI tools; allowing everyone to see what works well and what needs improvement.

“We have 12 line pickers at South Kirkby and they celebrate every day when they hit a 99% quality bale. It’s not just about targets, it’s about sharing

success and giving that feedback to people,” added Alastair.

MOMENTUM The CI programme will power us to reap the benefits from our PFI contracts throughout their lifetime and will be a welcome change to the high-pressure pace we run in order to hit our outputs.

“So far at South Kirkby we’ve actually lowered the pace of production but maintained our throughput. Thanks to analysis, there have been less line stoppages, better quality bales and less sharps coming through,” said Alastair.

He added: “Instead of constantly fire-fighting, colleagues now have the tools to problem solve – not just by identifying issues, but by using data to make strategic decisions.”

Paula McLean

ROLE: CI MANAGER, MDR AND IVC MANAGER “The process has been really challenging over the past few months but I love every second of CI and what it brings to the business. Shanks has done nothing like this before and it has been a challenge to encourage people who are working really hard – running at 100 miles an hour to hit our output – to slow down. But through sheer determination, our

DAB-TASTIC CUMBRIA

With the help of retrained employees taking on the role of CI managers, improvements are set to benefit all colleagues.

“Adopting a bottom-up approach is key to sustainable change, so that’s why we’ll be running daily meetings with ‘temperature checks’ to encourage people to speak up about problems they are faced with,” said Alastair.

“By empowering all colleagues to control their own productivity, each person will better understand their role in the process and how they are adding value to the business.”

team leaders and pickers have fine-tuned the sorting process to within an inch of its life and have been hitting 99% quality bales consistently over three weeks. Changing people’s approach has been difficult, but I have noticed that people are starting to think differently. We’ve already got 19 projects on the go covering quality, process, people and equipment and I can already see potential for more. Colleagues are now approaching me to see how CI could benefit them. The biggest thing for me is supporting the front-line employees; the pickers are at the core of what we do and our performance is literally in their hands.”

Neil O’Connor

Easily distracted, with big hair.

Q

ROLE: DATA AND PERFORMANCE MANAGER

What’s your biggest personal achievement to date?

I managed to persuade a nice man to marry me in 2013.

Then we had a daughter and she seems to be doing OK!

Q

Best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?

Q

Three dream dinner guests?

If they can’t buy you, they can’t own you.

Ernest Shackleton, the polar explorer, and a couple of mates I haven’t seen for a while.

Ernest Shackleton

Our sites show youngsters all the right moves when it comes to managing waste Cumbrian site managers swapped their hard hats for dancing shoes to lead the way in the viral ‘dabbing’ dance craze, as part of a programme to educate local schoolchildren.

Unlike most of their peers putting their feet up over the summer, a group of Cumbrian youngsters were busy getting down at some of our sites in the north-west to learn about the environment.

Up to 400 pupils have passed through our doors at Cumbria, Barrow and Carlisle for their one-week community-based

placements, which aim to provide teens with key skills and industry insight as part of the National Citizens Service programme.

INSIDE TRACK Community Education Liaison Officer Joanne Crone said: “I think we’ve given them a great idea of what happens to their waste. It’s great for them to understand their impact on the environment as they grow from teenagers into adults.”

Site Managers Paul Wetherell, Brian Francis and John Stanbridge hosted the 10 site visits across July

and August, delivering the inside track on what happens to our waste and a VIP tour of our facilities.

“A few of the children were asking about career opportunities in waste management, which was really encouraging,” Joanne added.

As part of the community benefit aspect of the scheme, the youngsters managed to rope our site managers into ‘dabbing’ in their bid to fight discrimination. “The kids dab wherever they go. It’s been getting a lot of attention on social media and aims to raise awareness about prejudices,” explained Joanne.

“Having been part of the implementation of the Shanks Production System (SPS), I was very intrigued by CI at South Kirkby. The new method concentrates more on the CI principles and then tools are introduced later, to ensure long-term improvement and sustainable change.

I have learnt a lot from the project and it has been great to see people getting on board.

Over the last few weeks, there has been visible changes in the facility, with information centres and manning and planning boards being introduced, as well as short interval control and production planning; which maintains the improved bale tonnage and quality. The biggest change for me has been on the people side; seeing attitudes change. Exciting times ahead.”

September 2016 ❙ 05

SITE MANAGER GOES FULL THROTTLE

DRIVING FORWARD Barrow boy John pushes himself to the limit to make progress on-site and on the racetrack For John Stanbridge, running at 100mph is part of his day-to-day job at Shanks.

But now the Site Manager of our facility in Barrow-in-Furness has been getting to grips with a new hobby that will help him do the same outside work – Supermoto.

The adrenaline-charged sport features off-road motorbikes adjusted for track use looping circuits at eye-watering

speeds of up to 120mph.

“I first started just over a year ago for fun,” said John.

“But I recently bought my second bike, which is bigger and faster… much to the delight of my wife. Not.” ADRENALINE The 36-year-old insists the hair-raising sport is good fun despite the risk and is a great way to blow off steam after a busy week at the 75,000-tonne capacity Sowerby Woods MBT facility.

“Our site has been facing a few challenges, so it’s great to get out on the bike for a bit of stress relief,” he said.

“When you are on the bike, you don’t think about anything other than making sure you don’t fall off.”

Running the facility is not always easy, but the dad of two approaches his role with the same steely resolve he has on the track.

With Supermoto, crashing comes with the territory. You’re not trying hard enough if you don’t crash He said: “The team at Sowerby Woods are working really hard to collaborate with the Environment Agency. We’ve recently had a massive refit on our biofilter, with an installation of a wet chemical scrubber to combat odour issues.”

John admits that the high-speed escapades can involve some whiteknuckle moments and the Barrow-inFurness team enjoy hearing about their

manager’s racing antics – mainly so they can poke fun at his injuries.

“With Supermoto, crashing comes with the territory. You’re not trying hard enough if you don’t crash.

“I was limping for three weeks after my last fall, but I’m hoping, in time, I will spend more time on the bike than flying off it.

“In all seriousness, the team are really supportive and anyone who has visited the site will tell you it’s one of the cleanest in the business.

Everyone is working really hard to change perceptions and move forward.”

John credits his balance to competitive horse riding in his youth, even eventing for the British Team Trials

LEGAL’S LOUISE SETS PRECEDENT Shanks ruled in favour of career development: now budding solicitor reaps the rewards It has taken 10 years, hours of studying and the unreserved support of colleagues, but the hard work has paid off for Legal Advisor Louise Thompson, who has officially qualified as a solicitor.

The 34-year-old admits she thought she’d never succeed, with the odds of getting a training contract extremely tough, even with a law degree and a twoyear law practice course under her belt.

“It’s so difficult to get contracts, so I couldn’t believe it when Shanks agreed to support me,” she said. “Shanks hadn’t had a trainee solicitor before, so I never thought they’d take a chance on me.”

Louise admits it would have been impossible without the support of her colleagues, who covered her workload during a four-month litigation secondment at two private law firms.

“It has been a lot of hard work, not only for me but for my team as well. My mentor, Jo Lewis, had to cover my workload two days a week, so they have definitely gone on the journey with me,” she said.

Irish-expat Louise also thanked her husband for encouraging her to move across the pond, which opened the door to this life-changing opportunity.

She added: “Agreeing to help me qualify shows how progressive Shanks is.

I couldn’t have done it without them.”

Now she is a bona-fide solicitor, Louise has also been getting to grips with a department reshuffle, working alongside two new recruits who’ve joined the team.

“We worked on a bit of everything before, now with the new team in place, our roles are clearly defined. I’m looking forward to embarking on the next stage of my career with the new team,” Louise said.

MEET THE TEAM Legal is one of the main support functions of the business, minimising and managing the risk across all of our contracts in the UK and Canada.

1. PATRICK RAWNSLEY

GROUP GENERAL COUNSEL Head of department, leading development and delivery of Group and Municipal legal strategy. Currently working on the upcoming merger with Van Gansewinkel.

2. JO LEWIS

LEGAL COUNSEL Supports Patrick and the Group legal teams with development and delivery of legal strategy.

3. SANDRA DUNSTERVILLE LEGAL ADVISOR New starter who formerly worked for Kodak. Focuses on commercial issues, including those relating to our business contracts.

4. SCOTT TOWNSON

SENIOR PFI LEGAL ADVISOR New starter, having been headhunted from private law firm Simmons & Simmons, works on the PFI contact agreements.

3

4

2

5

5. LOUISE THOMPSON

1

LEGAL ADVISOR Newly qualified solicitor. Works closely with the Compliance team on environmental and regulatory compliance and legacy work.

THE BIGGER PICTURE 00 ❙ September 06 Month 20152016

Shanks fought off strong interest from other competitors to enter exclusive discussions with Van Gansewinkel.

The move ties in with our strategy to accelerate growth, while the timing is good, given the recovery in the Benelux waste market.

“By combining these two great businesses, we can focus uniquely on recycling and sustainability on a larger scale, positioning us well to deliver world-class services and strong future growth,” said Group CEO Peter Dilnot.

The merger means we will exclusively focus on recycling and recovery to tie in with our ‘Making More from Waste’ ethos and Van Gansewinkel’s ‘Waste No More’ goals.

GLASS AND ELECTRONIC Peter Dilnot told us: “The combination of the two businesses would create a leading player, with complementary strengths across all of our market sectors.”

Our combined strengths will also unlock the door to new specialisms. We are very strong in the fields of hazardous waste, organics and industrial cleaning in the Netherlands and Belgium, while Van Gansewinkel is an expert in glass and electronic recycling and has dedicated sites to manage these waste streams.

If all goes smoothly, it is hoped that Van Gansewinkel will be merged with Shanks by the end of the year.

Financial performance SHANKS GROUP REVENUE (2015/16)

SHANKS MUNICIPAL REVENUE (2015/16)

£614.8m £187.7m €945m Geography

COMMITMENT The merger wouldn’t have been possible without the hard work of colleagues throughout the Group, including Municipal.

Peter said: “We would not be able to consider the merger without our colleagues’ commitment. It has been crucial to maintain our operations in order to go ahead.”

As the Municipal Division heads into an exciting phase of its own, Peter insisted it was business as usual.

“Our Municipal Division is at a very exciting point in its development,” he said.

“We have a well-established business underpinned by long-term contracts and with great opportunities for growth through continuous improvement.”

“Municipal is well placed to grow with its world-class technology, well-invested infrastructure and the right team to win. We can also take our capabilities in the Benelux region and use these to benefit our Municipal regions in the UK and Canada.”

SHANKS GROUP Netherlands Belgium UK Canada

Employees 3,500

BACK TO THE STUDIO! Group CEO Peter Dilnot took the hot seat for a live TV interview with Sky News in July.

Newsreader Ian King got the scoop on our potential merger with Van Gansewinkel, asking if the decision would be impacted

by Britain’s exit from the EU.

VAN GANSEWINKEL REVENUE (2015)

SHANKS MUNICIPAL UK Canada

SHANKS GROUP (2015/16)

631

VAN GANSEWINKEL Netherlands Belgium Germany France Portugal Hungary

SHANKS M

Your questions Have you got any questions about the upcoming merger? If so contact your line manager for more information

Environmental achievements SHANKS GROUP 84% recycling and recovery rate SHANKS MUNICIPAL 76% recycling and recovery rate VAN GANSEWINKEL 93.1% of waste recycled into raw materials or energy sources SHANKS MUNICIPAL 1.41 million tonnes of material diverted from landfill VAN GANSEWINKEL 1.17 million tons of carbon emissions prevented SHANKS GROUP 3,524,000 megawatt hours of green energy produced SHANKS MUNICIPAL 657,000 megawatt hours of green energy produced

MUNICIPAL (2015/16)

4,352

VAN GANSEWINKEL (2015)

Q A

WHEN WILL THE POTENTIAL MERGER WITH VAN GANSEWINKEL HAPPEN?

The due diligence phase is underway and will last a number of weeks. After this, the decision as to whether we acquire Van Gansewinkel will be taken, provided the Competition Authorities and both sets of shareholders approve the deal.

This formal procedure could take up to three months from the deal signing. If all goes well, we expect to close the deal and join companies by the end of 2016.

Q A

ARE WE OVERSTRETCHING OURSELVES BY COMMITTING TO THIS MERGER?

No. Our offer is bold but realistic in terms of what the company is worth. We have agreed plans so that our core team working on the deal don’t lose focus on day-to-day operations, which are equally, if not more, important than the deal itself.

September Month 2016 2015 ❙ 07 00

Q A

HOW MUCH WILL THE MERGER CHANGE THE NATURE OF SHANKS AS A BUSINESS?

This is a merger of two equals, so if the deal happens, we will integrate the two businesses to form a new organisation. We will be building a strong new organisation focused uniquely on recycling and sustainability on a larger scale, with the best of the two companies. As both companies have the same mission in terms of Making More from Waste/Waste No More, this focus will not change.

Q A

HOW CAN SHANKS AFFORD TO BUY VAN GANSEWINKEL? WHERE IS THE MONEY COMING FROM?

We will pay for Van Gansewinkel from three sources: offering shares to the sellers as part of the consideration of payment; raising money on the stock market in London from our investors; and borrowing a bit more from the banks.

Q A

WILL WE MOVE INTO OTHER COUNTRIES IF THE POTENTIAL MERGER GOES AHEAD?

Van Gansewinkel is mainly based in the Netherlands and Belgium. Going forward, we will be focusing on our new organisation in these areas, alongside our existing core Municipal business in the UK and Canada.

08 ❙ September 2016

THE APPRENTICE

Jenkins Lane John turns star of the small screen to show would-be engineers why it’s great being…

John Gbogi is used to delivering best practice, so when he was asked to show a good example to fellow South Essex College students, it was no problem.

The 21-year-old from Dagenham has been honing his skills as an apprentice Multiskilled Engineer at Jenkins Lane and was approached by his college to feature in a promotional video for their apprenticeship programmes.

“I wasn’t nervous really,” he said. “It’s of benefit to me as well, so I was happy to be the centre of attention for the day!”

John admits that he has come a long way since first showing an interest in engineering and hopes to extend the three and a half years he has been part of the ELWA team.

He said: “I always knew I wanted to be an engineer. I studied a BTEC in Engineering at

South Essex and I was really fortunate to get the Shanks placement through the national apprenticeship website.

EXPERIENCE “Before I started in engineering I always watched engineering programmes and YouTube videos, but nothing can ever really prepare you for machinery on the scale we have at ELWA. “Working on the machinery in real life has given me a new perspective and even though the first year of my apprenticeship was pretty daunting with a lot to learn, I have a good basic knowledge of the equipment now and just want to build my experience.”

Not content with working full-time, John is studying for an NVQ qualification in Engineering and is in discussions to start

a HNC alongside his day job, which is an equivalent qualification to a degree.

“The team have really helped with my development,” said John. “The engineers have been really helpful and my Project Manager Jim Yeowell is always there if I have any questions.

“I’d like to continue my career with Shanks.

So if they’ll have me, why not?”

JOHN’S APPRENTICESHIP VIDEO WILL BE ONLINE SOON Visit youtube.com/ watch?v=MP1M84Xogng

Calculating our success

South Kirkby celebrates: (l-r) Craig Capper, Sally Hurn, Dave Leatham and Becky Dykes. Inset: three of the Jenkins Lane team with QHSE Advisor Lucille Stanley

In the five years since launching our 2010 corporate responsibility (CR) targets, we managed to divert 750,000 tonnes of waste from landfill, prevent 1.4 million tonnes of carbon emissions and reduce serious accidents by 39%, against a target of 25%.

As we’re committed to improving, last year we launched a brand-new set of targets to push ourselves further and position us as the most respected waste-to-product company.

One year on and we’re delivering on those promises. We’ve handled almost two million tonnes of waste, created enough energy to power

FLYING COLOURS

Top trio of sites win high praise from watchdogs Success has come in threes for our sites after they passed audits with flying colours.

Ensuring the safety of our employees, benefiting customers and protecting the environment are core to what we do, so when it comes to compliance, we constantly strive to make sure we deliver on our contractual promises… and that has recently been rewarded.

Our teams at the Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham (BDR) and South Kirkby facilities have achieved ISO certification in Environmental Management, Operations, and Occupational Health and Safety Management.

The internationally renowned standards, certified by auditing body

WATCH IT

BSI, mean we can add both sites to the certified scope of the Municipal business.

“Considering the age and current challenges at BDR and Wakefield, this is a big achievement,” said QHSE Advisor Dave Leatham.

“By increasing safety standards, BDR

managed to achieve this in March and South Kirkby in July – adding great value to the business.”

Following the initial audits, sites are assessed on a continual basis, where independent assessors raise any issues for concern.

Our Jenkins Lane facility also received praise for actioning all points from a previous assessment. “Various improvements were seen during the site visit and out of 50 systems reviewed, there was only one issue raised,” said QHSE Advisor Lucille Stanley.

“In what is an incredibly busy site, this is very impressive and a real testament to the hard work and consistency of the team,” she said.

172,894 UK homes with electricity for a year and reduced our serious accidents by 30%.

VISION Group CEO Peter Dilnot said: “Sustainability is at the heart of all we do and being a responsible business is integral to our vision. We are delighted that we have achieved our last set of CR objectives, but we are determined to improve our performance further through these new demanding targets. I look forward to seeing the benefits they will bring, not only for our business, but for all of our stakeholders too.”

2015/16 RESULTS WE’VE HANDLED

1.87m TONNES OF WASTE

76%

657,000

MEGAWATT HOURS OF ENERGY ACCIDENTS PRODUCED THAT LED TO MORE THAN THREE DAYS OFF WORK CLOSE CALLS

RECYCLING AND RECOVERY RATE

6

4,115

‘THEY ALWAYS GET THEIR MAN’ He’s not joining the Mounties, but Frog Island Ops chief’s next career stop is near the Rockies

Christian Dietrich is no stranger to travelling the globe and when he stumbled across the opportunity to move closer to his homeland, the stars aligned.

Following a conversation at a Leadership meeting back in 2014, Michigan-born Christian heard about the successful bid for a brand-new AD and composting facility in Vancouver, British Columbia, and his heart leapt.

“My wife and I had always dreamed of moving to Canada or the States, so I was really interested in the project and who they had lined up to head the operations at the plant,” he said.

At first apprehensive about approaching senior management, father-of-two Christian – who moved from Seattle to London in 2009 – was encouraged by his mentor to make the switch.

“With the blessing of my manager, I’d planned to approach the then

Managing Director Peter Eglinton to ask about the job at a conference. But before I got a chance to talk to him, a speech was delivered about Surrey, where they revealed an operations manager had already been appointed.

My heart sank,” admitted Christian.

OUTDOORS Fast-forward six months and he was approached after the appointed operations manager backed out: “For me it has been a no-brainer the whole way through. Whatever obstacle came up, I always had optimism that we could figure out a way to make this work.”

Christian’s patience finally paid off and, as of August this year, the former Frog Island Senior Operations Manager has been in Surrey, preparing the site to take waste in January 2017.

“It feels good to be back in this part of the world.

It’s quite different here

compared to London; there’s more space, views of the mountains, big green areas and we’ve got skiing close by. That’s what I grew up with and it’s where I wanted to raise my boys.”

Despite the less than smooth journey to get to this point, Christian insists he is glad that he got to sign his name on the dotted line.

“It’s a massive commitment for me and my wife, selling our house, cars, saying goodbye to co-workers, friends and family. You have to really want it to see it through.”

Christian has his work cut out between now and January, building

My colleagues in the UK, Ontario and Surrey have been really helpful. It’s great to have their support

relationships with our client, the City of Surrey, starting recruitment and sounding out local farmers and businesses as potential offtakers.

“My colleagues in the UK, Ontario and the design and build team here in Surrey have been really helpful. It’s great to know that I have their support.”

Broadening his career at Frog Island was a great experience for Christian and he is thrilled to be continuing his career with the company: “It was great being at Frog Island for four years, but it will be good having a change in technology and to learn about making more from waste through the AD and compost process.”

September 2016 ❙ 09

News in brief DOGGLEGANGER Management Accountant Susan Scott admits her award-winning pooches are like her babies, so she couldn’t refuse the opportunity to add to her family. Joining fellow Rottweilers Dawksey and Duke – the latter came second at this year’s Crufts – is young Gatsby.

THE SCIENCE OF WASTE TECH University hopefuls have learnt about the benefits of an Environmental Science degree, thanks to Cumbria Contract Director Nick Blake, who was invited to speak at a University of Lancaster open day aimed at kick-starting a new course focusing on waste technology.

GREEN AND BEAN ON EARTH DAY

PARTNERSHIP TOASTS FIRST BIRTHDAY WITH ENERGY WIN Great collaboration sets BDR apart from the competition What better way to see in a successful year’s full service than winning a top prize rewarding your accomplishments?

This was the golden reality for our Barnsley Doncaster and Rotherham (BDR) colleagues, who fought off tough competition to be crowned winner in the Best Energy from Waste Initiative category at the prestigious MRW National Recycling Awards 2016 back in July.

The news came three days after the BDR facility officially turned one, celebrating a year of full service.

The partnership between three councils – Barnsley, Doncaster and

Rotherham and 3SE, a combined venture between Shanks and SSE – was praised by judges for transforming the treatment of household waste in the region, as well as its excellent partnership and ambitious vision that brought the initial proposal to life.

GLITZY Representing the Shanks team were Community Education Liaison Officer Abi Cox and Contract Director Colin Fletcher, who both attended the glitzy awards ceremony at the Park Lane Hilton Hotel in London, joined

by Beth Baxter from Rotherham council, Matt Bell from Barnsley

council, Cath Anderson from Doncaster council and Andrew Ellis from SSE. “The councils’ colleagues have been involved in the project right from the bid stage, so it was great for them to see the fruits of their labour,” said Abi. “Everyone was ecstatic to have won, especially considering the number of nominees shortlisted.

“It was great to receive the recognition for everyone’s hard work and reinforces that what we are doing is valuable and worthwhile,” she added.

Back on site, the team celebrated the facility’s first birthday with a party and individually wrapped slices of cake to ensure all on shift could get a piece.

Orgaworld London had its work cut out handling green bin waste from London Life Insurance Company in Canada.

Financial Analyst Elton Salvador ran an information booth on Earth Day and got a glimpse of the number of coffee cups the building’s 2,400 employees get through in just one day.

Did you know?

86% TIME FUNCTIONAL OVER THE YEAR

In a great feat for a new site, BDR has managed to average at 86% ‘up time’ over the year, a measurement capturing productivity on site.

TIME FOR ACTION 10 ❙ September 2016

You spoke and they listened, the Municipal Leadership team pull out key themes for improvement from this year’s PULSE findings

Thanks to the almost 90% of you who filled out the last PULSE survey, many of the issues that affect you have been taken into account.

Following your feedback, each team has now set out their own action plans to focus on problem areas or issues that need resolving over the coming year.

But it is not just our local teams that are creating action plans.

Our Leadership Team has also been busy reviewing your confidential feedback.

Following a breakdown and analysis of the results, our Leadership Team have come up with three key areas that they will work on over the year.

So here’s how your feedback helps.

1

2

YOU ASKED FOR IMPROVED EMPLOYEE DEVELOPMENT After 41% said you didn’t feel inspired by your manager, refreshed efforts are being made to ensure each employee receives a one-to-one performance and development review each year.

Head of HR Mark Cowan said: “We understand that not everyone will want a review, but each colleague should have the opportunity to discuss their progress and performance with their manager.”

Checks are now being made to make sure line managers are equipped to deliver performance and development reviews, and a reporting mechanism, where progress can be logged, is being discussed.

YOU ASKED FOR BETTER COMMUNICATION Although our score of 4.9 out of 10 for good communication was better than the 4.8 score last year, communication was still identified as an area of weakness.

Mark Cowan said: “While there has been a slight improvement from the previous survey, this is still something we would like to see improve.”

Following this, each site and team have been invited to feed back their preferred ways of receiving important information.

Mark said: “We have agreed to ask teams directly what communication improvements they would like to see going forward and feed back to Managing Director Matthew Williams directly what these are.”

3

YOU ASKED FOR IMPROVED CLARITY OF EXPECTATIONS By ensuring that each colleague knows what is expected of them, we can take stock of our progress. Mark Cowan said: “By outlining goals for each colleague, contribution to shared goals can be recognised and rewarded. By identifying an individual’s role in the business, we hope engagement will improve.”

READ IT

SEE THE NEXT ISSUE OF RENEWS TO READ THE PROGRESS

BDR ‘fire saviours’ When SCADA Operator David Stocks (below) heard a bang from BDR’s reception hall, he didn’t turn a blind eye.

“I spotted flames in the HWRC quarantine bay and asked my colleague Gerri Blake (above right) to call the fire brigade immediately,” he said.

David and Contractor Gary Ruthven (above left) tackled the fire – preventing major damage – before three fire crews arrived just 12 minutes later.

After inspecting the bio drying halls, fire services agreed to open the shed doors to let the smoke out and the affected waste was taken outside to be extinguished.

Pet patrol: (l-r) Shanks’ Sam Holmes with dog warden Mali and a helpful passer-by with Bramble

NEW LEASH OF LIFE Kind-hearted colleagues save stray dog from prickly predicament Our Denby Dale HWRC crew are used to supporting hundreds of customers that come through their site, so when a local dog warden called out for help, things were no different.

An adventurous pup had seemingly taken a walk on the wild side near our HWRC. When a member of the public spotted it, it had become stranded and was in a state of distress.

“Somehow he had got himself stuck in the dense undergrowth between the river and the canal at Wakefield,” said Mali, the council dog warden on duty.

ASSISTANCE “We have no idea how he had got there, but the poor chap had got himself in a bit of a predicament, caught up in brambles and teetering on the edge of the riverbank.”

Unable to reach the dog on her own, Mali asked for the assistance of colleagues at our nearby HWRC and Site Operative Sam Holmes stood up to the challenge.

“With Sam’s assistance we managed to reach the terrified dog by hacking our way through what seemed like a jungle,” said Mali.

“Who needs Bear Grylls?,” she joked.

Our colleague Sam wasn’t deterred by

the frightened Jack Russell, who began snapping at people as they approached, and instead lifted the terrier to dry land.

“We decided to call the little man Bramble after the undergrowth he got trapped in,” said Mali.

She added: “Once he was safe, Bramble showed his gratitude with a wag of his tail.”

Bramble is now safe and well at the local stray kennels.

September 2016 ❙ 11

NUMBER CRUNCH

MBT superstars (l-r) Sean Melnyk, Ross Williamson, Ross Ward, Chris Platt and Chris Hookway

APRIL Throughput

111.03% MAY Throughput

80.57% JUNE Throughput

79.93% AVERAGE

News in brief HELPING HANDS AT WAKEFIELD Committed fundraisers at South Kirkby have offered a helping hand to charities supporting cancer through sponsored events. Site Administrator Jill Tidswell raised £125 for Marie Curie by coordinating the Great Daffodil Appeal and Project Coordinator Sally Hurn raised an impressive £485 for Cancer Research after completing a local Race For Life event back in June.

90.51%

THROUGHPUT

TARGET BUSTERS Three-month run of top figures shows age doesn’t matter As one of the oldest MBT plants in the Municipal business, hitting throughput may come as more of a struggle compared to other sites that have the benefit of new machinery behind them.

But colleagues at our Locharmoss MBT have not only been hitting their targets but exceeding them consistently for three whole months, thanks to the commitment and excellent teamwork of colleagues.

The compact group of 10 has defied even its own expectations, excelling way beyond the 80-85% throughput expected of MBT facilities in the business, averaging out at a rate of almost 91%.

ACHIEVEMENTS MBT Plant Manager Robert Barr said the performance achievements simply wouldn’t have been possible without the commitment of all the team, but

in particular, team leaders Chris Platt and Ross Williamson and Engineers Robert Bonar and Matt Currie.

“The team leaders have developed a better working process and everyone at the site is involved in all issues with the facility,” Robert said.

“The fact we have one of the oldest MBT facilities in the UK while running the smallest fuel size and still managing to pull figures like these is something we’re really proud of.”

With the help of the Shanks reporting system Evergreen, the team have been closely assessing their performance since October 2015.

Municipal Managing Director Matthew Williams said: “We have a clear strategy to Make More from Waste by optimising our facilities and this is exactly what the Locharmoss team have been doing. I’m very impressed by the excellent results that Robert and his team are achieving.”

TRANSPORT MANAGER MANOEUVRES TOP ACCOLADE Award-winner goes extra mile to steer team in the right direction EMPLOYEE OF THE

QUARTER

Despite being pipped to the post once before, South Kirkby’s John Lawson admits he ‘must be doing something right’ after winning an Employee of the Quarter award.

The Transport and Operations Manager said: “It was a complete surprise, a bit embarrassing, but I appreciate the effort someone has gone to in nominating me.”

On a typical day, John oversees up

to 30 drivers, checking availability, ensuring the vehicles are serviced, handling breakdowns and punctures, and ensuring the smooth running of vehicles on and off the site.

COMMITMENT Despite insisting he’s ‘just doing his job’, John’s nominator hailed him as a key member of the South Kirkby team and said he deserved to be acknowledged for his continuous commitment: “John is extremely dedicated and hard-working and in the last few months has stepped up, not just to manage all the movements of Shanks vehicles across the Wakefield project, but also to oversee the site.”

Modest John said he would accept the award, but only on behalf of his Transport team: “You’ve just got to

come in and get on with it really, but I think it’s important to go above and beyond and try and do better every day.

“The team work really hard to move forward and make sure we are keeping our customer – Wakefield council – happy. If that means putting in the extra hours and going the extra mile, I’m happy to do that.”

DO YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO DESERVES SOME RECOGNITION?

NOMINATE

Fill in the ConnectUs nomination form and email to sally.hurn@ shanks.co.uk

SAFETY STARS NEEDED PLEASE If you think you’ve got what it takes to set the example on safety, then it’s time to step up to the plate. Entries are now open for this year’s Group Safety Awards - a cross-group accolade sharing best practice and innovative safety improvements. A competition shake-up means that one ‘wild card’ nomination will make it to the final. Deadline for entries is 23 September and application forms are available from the Group Safety ConnectUs community or through your local compliance advisor.

BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS The team at London, Ontario, were greeted with glorious sunshine as they celebrated nine years since the opening of the site back in June 2007.

Plant employees – even those who weren’t on shift – attended a lunch hosted in the green grounds of Dingman Drive to mark the occasion. Sales Manager Chris O’ Toole said: “We had a great time and it was a good opportunity for the team to get together.”

12 ❙ September 2016

WIN!

CHARITY NEWS DYNAMIC DUO GO GUNG-HO

An Amazon Fire HD 10 Tablet

Browse this issue for your chance to win the latest 10.1” tablet We’re giving you the chance to watch your favourite films, listen to your personalised playlists or flip through your chosen e-books with an Amazon Fire HD 10 Quad Core Fire OS Tablet.

Don’t let the super-thin design fool you, the Amazon Fire Tablet is stacked with features, has a 10” HD

screen that packs in over a million pixels to deliver the smoothest graphics, 16GB of storage, an 8-hour battery life, and a front-facing and rear-facing camera, so you will have everything you need to stay connected and work on the go.

For your chance to win, simply answer the following question: (clue

– the answer is in this issue.)

Q

What morbid item was once dropped off at Derby’s Raynesway HWRC? All entries must be submitted by the closing date of 10 October 2016 – make sure you give us your name and contact details on your entry.

Resource and Recovery Executive Hana Bajerova tackled an obstacle-strewn course to help her daughter, Sofia, raise money. The pair conquered the 5km Gung-Ho race to raise enough funds to send Sofia to Malawi, alongside the charity Raven, to deliver aid boxes.

GOING OUT WITH A BANG

Workshops Engineer Peter Westwood thought his racing days were over, but now he’s getting back behind the wheel.

Peter will race at Arena Essex for Homes 4 Heroes on 23 October. He said: “Back in the 70’s I used to race banger cars, so I’m willing to take a few bruises for charity.” You can donate at justgiving.com/fundraising/Peter-Westwood1

TEXT: 07860 021 367 EMAIL: shanks@madebysonder.com TERMS AND CONDITIONS The editor’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. ReNEWS reserves the right to change the prize without prior notice. The prize cannot be exchanged for cash.

JUST FOR FUN SPOT THE DIFFERENCE CUMBRIAN CREW SMASH 42-MILER

Our Derby and Derbyshire Waste Treatment Centre is well into its construction and here, Derby General Manager Phil Preece and Municipal Finance Director Neil Miles are dwarfed by two grabs, set to handle 2.15 tonnes of waste at once.

But all is not as it seems. Can you spot the five differences between the two pictures?

It seems that an extra 2.65 miles wasn’t enough to put off David Dale, Paul Wetherell and Nick Blake from taking part in the challenging Keswick to Barrow walk back in May. The trio joined 3,000 other walkers for the event, but the extra slog to bypass flood-damaged roads was worth it as they raised £593 for St. Mary’s Hospice in South Cumbria.

CYCLING ADVENTURE TO FIGHT CANCER

BDR’s Tom Lauder will be braving the Pennines to raise funds for Macmillan Cancer Support. Team Leader Tom has been out riding in practice for the 60-mile event on September 18th. You can donate at justgiving.com/fundraising/thomas-lauder

Answers: 1) Glove 2) Safety helmet 3) Reflector strip missing 4) Rolled up paper missing 5) Digger tooth is missing

…

KYLE’S ON TARGET IN FANTASY KICK OFF More than 50 of you signed up to the Shanks fantasy football league and as we went to press Derby Shift Plant Operator Kyle Barratt’s Bazalona top the table with Assistant Group Secretary David Orr in second. We’re two games in, so check back here next edition for an update.

Well done to A&B Driver Allan MacIntosh for passing his Class 1 qualification and to South Kirkby Assistant Accountant Michelle Rowlands for passing her ACCA qualification. Greg Walton, ELWA Contract Director, is pictured left on his wedding day in July with wife Alice. In more good news, the pair are expecting a baby!

Congratulations to colleagues Brian Needham, who recently became a dad to baby Finn, Debbie Adair, mum to baby girl, Abbey, and to ICT Project Manager Simon Betts, pictured above, dad to baby Charlotte.

HAVE YOUR SAY

SEE P2 FOR YOUR

Communications Champion

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