Branch
Report:
11th January 2007
Asset Management
A
presentation on asset management in the quarrying industry was given by
Nick Learoyd, Plant Services Director for Alfred McAlpine.
Alfred
McAlpine is one of the country's leading plant management and temporary
accommodation service providers. In particular they provide tailored
solutions to meet specific customer requirements within the quarrying,
landfill and bulk materials handling sectors as well as major civil
engineering construction sites throughout the UK.
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The talk
focused on the key issues involved when making the decision to consider
outsourcing specific operations in any business:
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Improving
management focus, enabling concentration on core business and value
added activities.
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Operational savings through innovative optimisation. The opportunity to
change significant sections of the operation at the same time, rather
than replacing single pieces of plant as and when they become obsolete.
This enables the operator to match production capabilities and to
maximise efficiencies.
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Risk
reduction, with guaranteed production targets giving certainty of cost
to an agreed budget.
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Impact on
balance sheet. Easing cash flow and taking out the capital outlay needed
to maintain the business, to leave a single monthly known payment.
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Maximising
resources for expansion and acquisitions.
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Access to
price benefits of increased purchasing power.
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Tax
efficiency.
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Access to
national infrastructure support and to a wider range of equipment.
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Realisation of significant benefits on return on capital employed.
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TUPE
requirements.
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Some
processes that can be outsourced include; overburden stripping, drilling
and blasting, secondary breaking, load and haul, crushing, screening,
washing, loading for outsales, surveying, restoration and reclamation.
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Partnering
with the necessary credentials for Safety management system OHSAS 18001,
Quality management system ISO 9001 and Environmental Management System
ISO 14001.
The above
principles were illustrated using a case study from a site that had an
annual target of 1,000,000 tonnes and had been using 15 items of mobile
plant to carry out the necessary handling and processing. These had been
replaced with 10 new items of mobile plant that conformed to modern safety
and environmental standards, which had delivered improvements in
efficiency and reduction in costs.
This subject
proved to be very popular and there was a healthy turnout of members and
associates of the branch, who participated in a lively question and answer
session
