• News

East Staffordshire reinforces vehicle availability with new maintenance contract

East Staffordshire Borough Council has awarded Specialist Fleet Services Ltd (SFS) a 5-year contract to maintain its new fleet, which commences on 1 November.

In 2020 the Council declared a climate emergency and the new fleet is part of its Climate Change Action Plan to reduce emissions and improve recycling rates in the Borough. The partnership with SFS will enable the council to ensure its waste and street cleaning services continue to be provided to a high standard.

SFS has been working with neighbouring councils, Lichfield District and Tamworth Borough, since 2016 as part of a 6 year (+6 yr) contract hire agreement with the Lichfield & Tamworth Joint Waste Service providing vehicles, workshop management and maintenance services.

Councillor Ray Faulkner, Deputy Leader (Environment & Housing) says: “SFS are well established in the local area and have an experienced team already in place. The contract ensures we should always have a fully functioning fleet. SFS is responsible for all our vehicle servicing, MOTs, repairs, breakdowns and replacement vehicles allowing the Council to focus on providing and maintaining the highest standards of service for residents.”

SFS is responsible for all our vehicle servicing, MOTs, repairs, breakdowns and replacement vehicles allowing the Council to focus on providing and maintaining the highest standards of service for residents.

Following a detailed options appraisal the council procured its own new fleet of 34 vehicles, comprising a combination of Refuse Collection Vehicles, sweepers, caged tippers, and vans, 5 of which are electric, putting the Council ahead of its Climate Change Action Plan target to replace its waste collection fleet with low emission vehicles by 2030.

SFS has a tri-partite agreement with the council and Dennis Eagle to whom it is sub-contracting a proportion of the maintenance work.

Bob Sweetland, Managing Director, Specialist Fleet Services Ltd (SFS) says: “We are really pleased to welcome East Staffordshire Borough Council as a new customer. This contract is a great example of our flexibility as a local authority partner. We have worked closely with all parties to establish an arrangement that enables the council to improve its fleet availability and service provision, as well as minimise any risk.”

SFS was established nearly 30 years ago and has a successful track record in delivering fleet and workshop management solutions to local authorities across the UK. The company runs a network of workshops across the UK as well as operating its own specialist vehicle hire division, CTS Hire.

LAWMA academy partners with Safe Enviro for professional certificate courses in waste management

Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), responsible for managing solid waste generated across Lagos State, Nigeria, launched its academic hub, LAWMA Academy, on the 15th September 2020.

LAWMA Academy is the brainchild of Mr Ibrahim Odumboni, Managing Director/CEO of LAWMA, and is aimed at fostering knowledge in solid waste and environmental management by promoting literacy awareness of waste management to the general public.

To realise this vision, LAWMA Academy initiated a partnership with SafeEnviro, an environmental consulting firm, and has become a Business Partner of the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM), to implement professional certification courses in waste and resource management.

The partnership between LAWMA Academy and SafeEnviro was approved by The Governor of Lagos State, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

Mr Odumboni said it was “gratifying for the Agency to launch LAWMA Academy at this time, to open up investment opportunities and wealth creation in waste management and add value to the waste management sector of Lagos State”.

The Co-Founder of SafeEnviro, Mr Augustus Uadiale AssocMCIWM, has expressed his excitement about gaining the support of CIWM, as this collaboration will enhance research and development in the solid waste management sector of Lagos State and help Safe Enviro foster strategic partnerships with relevant international institutions.

Students who wish to utilise the LAWMA Academy/SafeEnviro educational platform can expect the following unique benefits:

• Live lectures which will be recorded and available for future reference;
• Updated content with recorded videos and other e-learning materials;
• A globally recognised Certificate of Completion;
• Opportunities to apply for Chartered membership with CIWM, subject to meeting required criteria;
• Continuous support after all courses have been completed, including support with job searches and further education in the UK;
• Continuous Professional Development (CPD) supports students, to promote continuous learning; and
• Facilitation of visits to waste management facilities in the UK when required.

Furthermore, this collaboration between LAWMA Academy and SafeEnviro will have the following benefits:

• Platform building/continuous testing for delivering educational materials to students;
• CIWM Accredited waste and resource courses, delivered by certified professors/facilitators;
• Support for LAWMA staff and other interested people to apply for Chartered status with CIWM, based on meeting required criteria;
• Technical Partner for Environmental Consulting – Research & Development, including implementation of innovative technologies; and
• Strategic partnerships with relevant international bodies.

Mr Odumboni said it was “gratifying for the Agency to launch LAWMA Academy at this time, to open up investment opportunities and wealth creation in waste management and add value to the waste management sector of Lagos State”.

This, he noted, will also “instill best practice in waste management, ultimately bringing forth a cleaner environment that will guarantee good health and promote environmental sustainability.”

He stated further that the collaboration between LAWMA Academy and SafeEnviro UK will “help build change agents for a sustainable environment”.

Access the hub here.

The Access Group acquires Isys

The Access Group, a provider of business management software to mid-market organisations, has announced the acquisition of Isys, a Derby and Horsham-based organisation offering management software solutions designed to support a range of industries throughout waste management, aggregate and material sales to dairy and food services.

Isys was founded in 1979 with the aim of providing administrative and back-office solutions across the sector, recently adding web and mobile solutions to its portfolio, to support its growing customer base.

Brendan Flattery, managing director of Access ERP, commented: “Access ERP already has a strong footprint in many emerging, high growth sectors in the UK such as construction, manufacturing and facilities management, offering industry-leading solutions supported with core business management software, serving over 9,000 Access customers across the UK, US, Australia and New Zealand.

We’re keen to add new and innovative software solutions such as Isys to the Access portfolio

“We’re keen to add new and innovative software solutions such as Isys to the Access portfolio, which are tailor-made to support the growth of key industry sectors. With its focus on waste management in the UK, Isys is a perfect fit for our growing ERP solution set.

“We are really excited to be welcoming the Isys team into the Access Group.”

Richard Bowers, managing director, and Chris Kings, sales director, of Isys will be staying on at Access as members of the ERP leadership team.

Richard commented: “Joining Access gives Isys a new level of expertise in the provision of integrated software solutions, an acceleration of our product development and allows our customers the opportunity to explore an even wider range of business solutions from one provider.

“My journey with Isys started over 27 years ago.  I’m really excited to be joining Brendan and the team as part of the Access ERP business.”

Chris commented: “Becoming part of The Access Group gives Isys many exciting opportunities.  Our clients will see increased investment and development that will see our products flourish.”

AMCS announces collaborative research project with Confirm Centre at the University of Limerick

AMCS, a global supplier of integrated software and vehicle technology for the waste, recycling and resource industries, has announced a research collaboration with Confirm to drive sustainability by increasing the quality of recyclable materials.

The improvement of the quality of recyclables is a key foundation of the circular economy and one of the research objectives is to automate (at scale) the identification, tracking and resolution of contaminated material close to the point of collection.

This collaboration will focus on the application of state-of-the-art technologies to fully automate the recording and resolution of exceptions recorded on collection such as contamination, blocked service access, overweight containers etc. It will investigate the application of key-enabling technologies frequently used in smart manufacturing environments such as Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Camera and Computer Vision to minimise or eliminate minimise intervention by drivers and administration staff.

Jimmy Martin, CEO and co-founder of the AMCS Group, said: “We are delighted to announce our collaboration with Confirm, a local, world class, research centre. This application of cutting-edge technologies has the potential to automate at scale the identification and management of collection exceptions.

This project is an excellent example of how our researchers, with very contrasting skills, can work together with industry to solve complex problems.

“Innovation is at the centre of everything we do, and we believe that this collaboration can deliver significant value for our customers in the areas of improving resource management, sustainability and margin protection. This project is a core part of our Smart City strategy where we are focused on delivering future proof solutions for tomorrow’s connected waste infrastructure.”

Professor Conor McCarthy, Director of the CONFIRM Centre, noted: “CONFIRM is thrilled to be collaborating with AMCS on this innovative project which highlights the diverse nature of our research portfolio. Confirm’s key focus is on the development of cutting-edge, key enabling technologies such as vision systems, AI, machine learning and system integration to enhance manufacturing both in Ireland and globally.

“This project is an excellent example of how our researchers, with very contrasting skills, can work together with industry to solve complex problems. We are all particularly excited as we believe it will have a significant environmental impact by promoting recycling and reuse of products – helping create smarter supply chains that will help us realise a circular economy.”

The initial project is a two-year investment and will involve a team of Confirm PhD researchers and academics collaborating with their AMCS counterparts. Confirm is the Science Foundation Ireland funded research centre for smart manufacturing hosted by the University of Limerick, Ireland.

• Blogs

Fire, Suppressed. Asset, Protected

– by Fireward

Fireward systems are installed on an abundance of machines, some of our most frequent are shredders. Our engineers recently had a call out to a system discharge. Much to the customers surprise, there had been a fire in the engine bay. Our system suppressed it within seconds saving thousands of pounds.

In 2019, we installed a 27kg dual agent fire suppression system onto a Terex TBG 630. In September 2021 the system discharged due to a piece of molten metal hitting a buildup of sawdust. Throughout its working hours, the machine experienced an accumulation of saw dust between the door and the engine bay.

A piece of molten metal had become encased in the 6 inches of sawdust, causing the fire to start. Even though the detection tube was buried within the buildup, the fire was detected almost immediately. No damage was caused to the machine, allowing the business to still operate as normal with no downtime.

During these current times, to order new plant machinery the lead time could be months. By having our Fireward fire suppression system fitted, it saved the owner hundreds of thousands of pounds and the risk of catastrophic consequences to the business.

By having our Fireward fire suppression system fitted, it saved the owner hundreds of thousands of pounds and the risk of catastrophic consequences to the business.

One of the most vital considerations to a business is insurance- especially when it comes to fires. To have your plant machinery fully insured, most insurance companies will ask you to have fire suppression fitted to your plant. Our fire suppression systems protect your assets 24/7, even when you can’t see them. Our aim is to keep people, assets, and organizations safe.

Fireward’s fire suppression systems deliver versatile and progressive protection for heavy-duty plant vehicles and have been designed to protect a broad range of applications including, wheel loaders, cranes, excavators, shredders, screeners, and telehandlers, requiring no power making the system fully automatic.

The way in which the system works is through detection tubing, when a fire occurs the heat emitted bursts the routed detection tube which reduces the pressure within in the system, allowing the suppression agents (ABC Dry Powder and Wet Chemical) to be released through nozzles that are located over the danger areas in and around the engine bay.

As the system activates, ABC Dry Powder is disbursed to give ‘instant fire knockdown’ and the Wet Chemical provides ‘fast cooling’ of the risk area to prevent reignition – all under 6 seconds.

Fireward leads the fire suppression industry with a fleet of fully certified engineers delivering on their promise to protect both people and assets through the quality of their service and systems, delivering exceptional reliability.

Accurate billing is no longer a weighty issue for Lavelle Waste Services Ltd

– by MOBA

Waste management companies are currently experiencing significant pressure on their margins due to higher waste disposal costs and falling commodity values. It’s no wonder then that savvy waste collectors are adopting technology that will ensure that they stay in profit.

With the cost of waste disposal set to grow exponentially, one such operator, Lavelle Waste Services, realised that bin weighing would be a key factor in achieving profitability and so has turned to specialist waste technology specialists, MOBA.

Lavelle Waste Services Ltd has a rich history dating back to 1976, culminating in the third generation of the family now running their Bolton-based waste collection and recycling business.

The company has prided itself on constantly investing in new equipment and technology that makes it far easier, and more cost-effective, for its customers to increase their recycling rates and improve sustainability targets. Its modern fleet of vehicles is fitted with the very latest safety and security features including, crucially, MOBA’s trade-approved weighing systems.

“Being highly competitive and service driven is at the heart of everything we do”, explains Andy Tickle, Fleet Manager at Lavelle Waste Services Ltd.

Using MOBA’s bin weighing system, we can precisely show customers the weight of their general waste compared to that of their recycling streams

“At the same time, we also need to ensure that each bin collected weighs no more than that contractually agreed. Otherwise we would be making a loss, and which is why its paramount that we also collect accurate bin data”, added Andy.

Waste management data has quickly become a staple requirement for many businesses, who are keen to know how much they are throwing away, and what this consists of.

“Using MOBA’s bin weighing system, we can precisely show customers the weight of their general waste compared to that of their recycling streams”, says Andy. “This allows us then to explore ways of helping them reduce the volume of general waste, by offering dedicated glass or food waste bins, which, thereby, greatly increases their overall recycling rates and cost savings”.

Such is the importance of this data, it has become essential that if issues occur, then they are resolved quickly.

Andy comments: “What I really like about MOBA is that when we raise a support ticket, it gets looked at immediately. Because the equipment is constantly connected to the cloud, they can investigate any issues remotely, and can often resolve them without having to attend in person. Moreover, if they do need to visit then nine times out of ten they already know where the issue lies, which means that turnaround is very quick”.

“We also really appreciate their flexibility. Their engineers know to work around our schedules so that there’s hardly any disruption to collections and means we can keep our trucks on the road maintaining service levels”.