News
The Ultimate Recycling
Velolife Store
One of the biggest challenges Bishopsgate face is recycling waste packaging.
Bishopsgate have a zero landfill policy, and in the past have had to work with customers to alter packaging solutions when it has not been possible to recycle or reuse materials used.
The used packaging consists mainly of wood, cardboard, plastic (clear and coloured), polystyrene, many types of foam and banding all of which has to be separated for processing. The cardboard and clear plastic is baled using our Baler, purchased from KK Balers, who has become a Bishopsgate customer. The wood is recycled but is often of a very high quality and so when another use for the wood can be found Bishopsgate are more than happy to allow the wood to be taken.
Cox Construction South East Ltd Shed
Bishopsgate have taken the decision to become ISO 14001 registered not only to formalise our aim of being as environmentally friendly as possible but also to improve and reduce the cost of waste management and consumption of energy and materials.
Lee Goodwin, married to Sarah Goodwin who some of you may remember from her days in the customer services team, before she left to have children, has recently ventured into his own business, a cycle shop www.velolife.co.uk. As you will see from the website Lee believes in being carbon neutral so what better way than to build his shop counter and working area from used pallets, taken from the Bishopsgate skips, although the work involved in using this method is time consuming I am sure you will all agree the result looks great!
Cox Construction South East Ltd Chicken Run
Cox Construction South East Ltd, a local company who work with Bishopsgate on any deliveries that involve building works, were recently requested to provide a shed at a customer’s home that would be more sturdy than a flat packed shed as well as being environmentally friendly. After some thought the owner Steven Cox decided that he could build a shed using the wood from Bishopsgate. Again although labour intensive the end result is fantastic and Cox Construction has an extremely happy customer.
After the success of the shed, Steven carried the idea on and has just completed the construction of a chicken run to house a broody hen for Bishopsgate MD Tim Bloch.
Bishopsgate can only hope that Lee expands his business and opens more shops and Cox Construction get orders for more sheds! In the meantime we hope for other people to come up with imaginative ideas to re-use the packaging.
Vending Taken to New Heights
Vending Machines are used throughout modern day life so much so they are just taken for granted and now probably go almost unnoticed unless you are thirsty or hungry!
Historically it is thought that early machines existed that could have been described as vending machines but the modern machines did not come into wider use until the industrial revolution. The first vending machine was used in London in the 1880’s to dispense Post Cards, closely followed in the USA to dispense gum in the New York Train stations.
Now vending is being taken to new heights, with vending of non-food consumables for large organisations in place of costly stock control and requisition processes. Bespoke vending with Wurlitzer machines means that configuration is now performed by Bishopsgate to the customer’s exact requirements to dispense their chosen fast moving repeat use products.
E-Tradeways’ www.e-tradeway.co.uk, as Wurlitzers’ UK distributor of consumable vending, USP is the addition of real time telemetry capturing critical data on usage and stock levels which is invaluable to E-Tradeways’ customers and replaces the traditional “stock room control” function.
Bishopsgate provide the full logistics function of E-Tradeway from collection in Europe, storage, configuration and final delivery, placement and set up of all machines.
Items vended to date include; Medical consumables, Solvents, Glues and adhesives, Batteries, Hacksaw blades, Stationary, and H&S personal protection.
Card readers are fitted to facilitate relevant members of customers’ staff to vend as they require.
Following complete configuration and final delivery and placement at the exact location of the end users site, Bishopsgate connect the card reader and Wi-Fi Ariel cable before testing the complete vending operation as well as the live telemetry.
Bishopsgate have configured and delivered machines for Sigma Aldrich into the Cambridge Institute of Medical Research, The London Underground and the MOD to date with many more orders underway.
So if you need more than just a delivery service then the solution is Bishopsgate.
Delivering alongside Nelson on Trafalgar Square
One of our experienced London based porters, Lee Simmons, recently suffered a motorcycle accident which left him unable to carry out his usual duties as a Bishopsgate road crew member. Bishopsgate recognise the skill involved in carrying out our deliveries and the wealth of experience that Lee has, having been with us since 10 December 2007 and so took the decision to re-locate Lee to our Swindon Head Office, to work in the Customer Services Department.
This gave him time to recuperate whilst gaining experience with the Customer Services team allowing Lee to understand how a delivery starts and finishes its journey alongside some of the intricacies associated with each of our customers.
Happily, Lee is now fully fit and back to his usual duties, armed with his experience in the Customer Services position. When Lee recently carried out a job delivering an ice cream freezer on behalf of Unilever to the Café in the Square, Trafalgar Square, London WC2 Lee thought ‘what a fantastic photo opportunity’, something he admits that probably would not have crossed his mind before his work within the office.
After the success of having Lee in the Swindon office Bishopsgate are now creating a training rotation to have each member of road crew work within the office for a week at a time, as it has proved so invaluable for the crews understanding of customer needs.
How did we do?
We want our customers to have the best experience possible when they use our services and listening to what they think is the surest way possible to ensure that we deliver on our promises. We listen, of course, but earlier this year our quality team carried out a formal survey to seek the candid opinions from our entire customer base. Nathan Harvey, who works in the customer services / quality team said, “We had a really good response and while it has been very complimentary about our services and what we do, it makes sure that we do not become complacent”
As a thank you for entering the online survey we entered everyone into our prize draw to win a M&S shopping voucher. Sam Lees, who works for Bristol based vending machine manufacturer, is pictured here receiving her voucher from Nathan
Bishopsgate plays its TENESO Europe SE trump card
Picture the scene. It’s late on a Tuesday afternoon in March, arguably one of the busiest times of the logistics year as the end of the month, the quarter and the year fast approaches. My focus at 1730 is slowing drawing towards my drive home to see the family, after a long day in the office
And then…normality is broken when I get that phone call. “John, we have a machine that has broken down in Newcastle. We need you to collect one from us straight away” By the way, this machine weighs over 700kgs, is in a crate and will need 2 men in a box sided vehicle with a tail lift to not only get it to the site but to de-crate it and position it in the room of choice in the hospital. “Ok, where is the working machine presently”, I asked, knowing that all of our vehicles and manpower had already been scheduled for the following days activity. To give us a chance, I was hoping that it might be in Manchester but I was half expecting that it would be in the London area. “
Luxembourg”, was his reply.
I recently had to answer a tender when one of the questions was, “What would you do if…” Well, here I was in a real live situation and I guess after the initial panic the answer is you just ‘focus’ and start gathering all of your options. While the Bishopsgate team were exploring how we could manage this from the UK, I called my colleagues in TENESO Belgium. That isn’t to say that they too would not be busy because it is the end of month, quarter and year in Belgium too! But we are kindred spirits and collectively we help each other out whenever we can.
It was now 1830 CET so I checked my mobile and called Olivier Mozer who was in his car travelling home. To cut a long story short, by 2100 the wheels were turning. By 2300 the unit had been collected and at 1630 the following day the unit had b
een installed.
It is sometimes hard to quantify just how powerful and strong the TENESO Europe SE shareholder network is. It’s a successful business that is run and operated by like-minded people that has at its core trust and mutual respect. Perhaps we could have covered this from the UK that evening but we would not have been able to get the machine in Newcastle that quickly. Playing the TENESO trump card made the impossible, possible
Bishopsgate’s daily line haul service into Scotland for unpacked goods
Bishopsgate now operates a daily ‘unpacked’ line haul service into Scotland.
Specialising in the transportation and assembly of sensitive electronic and medical equipment in the UK, Bishopsgate has seen an increased demand for providing an express service into Scotland that competes directly with dedicated courier vehicles…but at a much lower price point.
With such sensitive and valuable equipment, our clients have always relied on the quality of our box sided vehicles and security checked crews and can trust that their goods will get there safely and on time. But this new daily service affords our clients much more flexibility as it shortens the delivery window.
We can now collect a piece of medical equipment from Germany on a Monday, ship it overnight to the UK on Tuesday and deliver into a Glasgow hospital on Wednesday morning. This service competes with air freight and as the goods travel unpacked it is very cost effective too.
Bishopsgate’s Sales Manager John Winter adds, “And it’s not just when it gets there but how it gets there. This is not a ‘groupage’ service where it sometimes seems that the objective is to cram as much product onto the vehicle as possible” He adds, “Our secure, tagged and boxed line haul service only carries high quality technical and clean goods…and often they are ‘naked’ and unpacked too!” When you consider that the cost of packaging can sometimes be disproportionate to the value of the goods, the savings that can be made can be quite impressive”.
For more information on the new daily line haul service to Scotland, Bishopsgate or TENESO Europe SE, please contact:
John Winter. Telephone: 0208 267 6250
www.bishopsgate.co.uk
Bishopsgate go the unbelievable lengths to understand their customer’s products!
The one thing that Bishopsgate prides itself on is its hands on approach to delivering customer service. We like to get our hands dirty so that we understand fully the requirements of any job. The more we understand about the products and how they work the better we can pass on to the team and hopefully the more personalised our service can become. But sometimes a concern exists that we go too far to achieve this!
Tim Bloch, MD writes, “Following a skiing accident in February, I was required to have my first MRI scan.
On arrival at the scanning centre which is operated by Alliance Medical at the Nuffield Manor Hospital Oxford I was looked after by the helpful team.
I commented on the “newness” of the Siemens MRI scanner and explained my connection with the recent delivery. The discussion that followed outlined the challenge faced by the Simon Hegele Logistics team when the 1.5 ton sensitive machine was craned through a wall into the room on the first floor.
Like Bishopsgate, Simon Hegele Logistics is a shareholder in the European company Teneso who offer a single solution across Europe for the delivery and installation of sensitive products. Simon Hegele Logistics has worked closely with Siemens for many years and manages delivery and installation of MRI scanners across the world and is supported by Bishopsgate across the UK.
Having read the leaflet outlining what I should expect during the scan, I was not surprised when earphones were placed on me with soothing music helping me relax. I was however shocked and wholly unprepared for the noise which the machine then emitted once the 10-15min knee scan began.
Although the leaflet had warned me, I had under estimated both the volume of the noise reaching 130db, and the variety of noises at very different pitch, rhythm and timing. It was the opposite of “whale music”, like noise I would expect from lifeless machines indeed like those machines in the sci-fi story War of the Worlds.
So this negative ACL injury is already being turned into a more positive experience this visit resulting in the obtaining of invaluable feedback and knowledge for the Bishopsgate team.”
WEB-SERVER SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE SATURDAY 09/03/13 AT 12 NOON (GMT)
Web-Server maintenance will take place on Saturday 09/03/13.
The maximum duration of the maintenance period will be 12 hours, however we expect to complete the work well within that time. During the maintenance period no web-site services will be available. We will endeavour to keep this downtime to an absolute minimum and aim to get the system operational again as soon as possible. If you are using the system on this date, please ensure that any essential work is completed at least ½ hour prior to the maintenance beginning.
In short, job entry and POD enquiries will not be available during this maintenance period.
Asbestos Training at Bishopsgate
Bishopsgate, have introduced a two tier training programme to increase crew’s awareness of the dangers of asbestosis.
Asbestos is a silent killer. It is made u
p of six naturally occurring silicate minerals and is known for its amazing sound absorption and fire resistant properties.
The word Asbestos is from Greek meaning ‘unquenchable / inextinguishable’.
Asbestos was first found to have been used 4,500 years ago in cookware due to its strengthening and heat resistant properties and was mined as long as 4,000 years ago. In history Asbestos was woven into cloth which allowed the cloth to be placed in fire for cleaning as with the napkin of Parviz the King of Sassanian (531-537).
The use of Asbestos in the UK started during the early 18th century but became more widespread during the industrial revolution when it was used within buildings.
Asbestos is present in drywall & joint compounds, plaster, gas mask filters, vinyl tiles, adhesives, roofing tars/felt/siding/shingles, countertops, pipes, fireproofing/clothing/internal fire doors, brake pads, stage curtains, fine filters, thermal insulation. In fact you would be amazed how many things do contain Asbestos.
As Asbestos became widely used it is believed that some factory owners may have noticed that some of their employees were suffering health issues, although no direct link to Asbestos was made at the time and the first case of Asbestosis was not officially diagnosed until 1924. The ban on Blue & Brown Asbestos in the UK was passed in 1985 which followed with the ban of White Asbestos in 1999. Asbestos only becomes a health issue if airborne so in 2012 the Control of Asbestos Regulations came into effect. All non-domestic buildings have to manage the Asbestos present within their buildings. All companies (mainly construction industry) who have operatives that may come into contact with Asbestos must provide training to their employees.
Tim Bloch, Bishopsgate MD says, “It is a part of our everyday business to install and to remove safes and ATMs. It is essential that our crews have a greater understanding of the risks involved before working in any area of risk. This comprehensive training programme ensures that our crews are fully aware and protected”.
Travelling to Sweden in a 3.5t vehicle?
Our TENESO Europe SE partner in Sweden, MTAB, has alerted us to a new law regarding winter tyres in Sweden that took effect on the 1st January 2013. If you are using a UK courier to deliver into Sweden in a Luton or a Transit van then this new requirement may affect you. We understand that all vehicles over 3.5t are being checked when entering Swedish borders and many are simply not being allowed to continue without the correct tyres. We can provide an alternative low cost solution taking full advantage of our our TENESO Sweden partner. If we can help, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Press release
22 November 2012
Ministry of Enterprise, Energy and Communications
Winter tyre requirements for heavy vehicles
The Swedish Government today has decided new provisions for winter tyres for heavy vehicles. The new regulation will enter into force on the 1 January 2013. This means that all heavy vehicles using Swedish roads must be equipped with winter tyres, or equivalent on the vehicle’s driving axle during the period 1 December to 31 March when winter road conditions prevail.
In recent winters we have had accidents that have stopped traffic for long periods, even though most heavy vehicles have had tyres with currently adequate tread depth. More stringent requirements will therefore now be introduced.
“Today s decision means that one more piece of the jigsaw is in place for safer roads and better accessibility for both the business sector and the individual. The requirements apply to all heavy vehicles regardless of nationality and thus contributes better to safety as well as to equality in competition terms,” says Catharina Elmsäter-Svärd, Minister for Infrastructure.
