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FeedsHome: Winter 2009 › Sustainable Strategy
Sustainable Strategy
01/12/2009 | Channel: Maintenance, Fleet Management, Gas
Wales & West Utilities has recently embarked on a vehicle modernising project, with the aim of updating its fleet stock by 2010
Established in 2005, Wales & West Utilities’ (WWU) core business is the running and maintenance of its network of 35,000 km of gas pipes throughout Wales and the South West of England. The company’s main offices are located in Newport, and the business covers one sixth of the UK, with an asset base that has a current replacement value of over £5 billion. Its catchment area has a population of 7.4 million and it operates a fleet of 750 mixed vehicles.
Following a move to new offices in June 2006, WWU was able to expand its number of employees to 450 administrative staff providing the company’s back office services. The procurement and logistics team is responsible for sourcing and operating the company’s multi million pound supply chain.
WWU provides gas connection services to the whole of Wales and the South West, introducing around 24,000 new domestic and industrial customers to its network each year. Offering a complete connections service from design and quotation through to work scheduling and job completion for all types of customer, WWU is a gas transporter whose responsibilities end at the customer’s emergency control valve (ECV).
The company’s fleet activities are managed by specialist resources under the logistics arm of the business. Having recently undergone a major re-fleeting exercise to modernise and upgrade its fleet, WWU has made significant investment in improvement across the business. The goal is that by the end of 2010 the fleet stock will be completely upgraded to modern vehicles.
The company is also working closely with some principal third party suppliers to make fleet management more cost-effective. Supporting WWU, Hitachi Capital Commercial Vehicle Services has been assisting with the reduction of fleet operating costs. WWU has also considered the management of load risks on its road vehicles, as part of the fleet upgrade operation. Collaborating with suppliers, this will ensure that the vehicle solutions closely fit the operational requirements of the fleet.
In line with strict government guidelines, the company is committed to the protection and enhancement of the environment. It always strives to find new ways of reducing the effects of its past, present and future activities. Operating under the firm belief
that everyone working for or on behalf of the company is responsible for good environmental performance, the company incorporates environmental considerations into all areas of its business activities.
As protecting the environment is a key focus for the business, WWU has introduced and developed industry-wide best practices, enabling it to achieve significant reductions in its environmental impact each year. Key areas of focus have been emissions and climate change, as well as the disposal of waste to landfill. It also actively supports the promotion of policy frameworks to assist local sustainability and climate change programmes. These include strategies to reduce CO2 emissions from energy use, methane emissions from the gas network, waste, and disruption to urban and rural environments through pipeline installation and renewal. WWU is dedicated to finding new ways to become more engaged with the social climate and expectation in the UK.
New connections within the gas distribution business is an area of high importance to WWU and one where there is high competition across the industry. For this reason WWU has endeavoured to find a solution that could integrate seamlessly with its existing SAP CRM solution, enabling quick and efficient validation. After evaluating the available solutions in the market, it chose QuickAddress Pro from QAS. In July 2006, WWU deployed QuickAddress Batch to help it validate addresses for emergency call-outs to domestic consumers.
Future challenges for the business are all related to fuel consumption and carbon footprint. As the company considers what technologies and strategies it can employ to improve the sustainability of its fleet, it aims to identify the mileage its fleet covers and reduce it. It is also putting together a process of monitoring and benchmarking the miles per gallon (MPG) that its vehicles are currently reaching and what they can achieve. These environmental strategies will become ever more important within the industry as the business moves forward.
As the company progresses, it will focus on continued investment in infrastructure and the fleet. This will ensure that it has modern and efficient vehicles, as well as the kit to be able to respond efficiently and effectively to customer demand and environmental pressures in the future.
As environmental strategies will become ever more important within the industry in the future, WWU will continue to reduce its operating costs, improve sustainability, as well as modernise and update its equipment in an innovative and forward-thinking way, to secure a good future for the business and its customers.
Following a move to new offices in June 2006, WWU was able to expand its number of employees to 450 administrative staff providing the company’s back office services. The procurement and logistics team is responsible for sourcing and operating the company’s multi million pound supply chain.
WWU provides gas connection services to the whole of Wales and the South West, introducing around 24,000 new domestic and industrial customers to its network each year. Offering a complete connections service from design and quotation through to work scheduling and job completion for all types of customer, WWU is a gas transporter whose responsibilities end at the customer’s emergency control valve (ECV).
The company’s fleet activities are managed by specialist resources under the logistics arm of the business. Having recently undergone a major re-fleeting exercise to modernise and upgrade its fleet, WWU has made significant investment in improvement across the business. The goal is that by the end of 2010 the fleet stock will be completely upgraded to modern vehicles.
The company is also working closely with some principal third party suppliers to make fleet management more cost-effective. Supporting WWU, Hitachi Capital Commercial Vehicle Services has been assisting with the reduction of fleet operating costs. WWU has also considered the management of load risks on its road vehicles, as part of the fleet upgrade operation. Collaborating with suppliers, this will ensure that the vehicle solutions closely fit the operational requirements of the fleet.
In line with strict government guidelines, the company is committed to the protection and enhancement of the environment. It always strives to find new ways of reducing the effects of its past, present and future activities. Operating under the firm belief
that everyone working for or on behalf of the company is responsible for good environmental performance, the company incorporates environmental considerations into all areas of its business activities.
As protecting the environment is a key focus for the business, WWU has introduced and developed industry-wide best practices, enabling it to achieve significant reductions in its environmental impact each year. Key areas of focus have been emissions and climate change, as well as the disposal of waste to landfill. It also actively supports the promotion of policy frameworks to assist local sustainability and climate change programmes. These include strategies to reduce CO2 emissions from energy use, methane emissions from the gas network, waste, and disruption to urban and rural environments through pipeline installation and renewal. WWU is dedicated to finding new ways to become more engaged with the social climate and expectation in the UK.
New connections within the gas distribution business is an area of high importance to WWU and one where there is high competition across the industry. For this reason WWU has endeavoured to find a solution that could integrate seamlessly with its existing SAP CRM solution, enabling quick and efficient validation. After evaluating the available solutions in the market, it chose QuickAddress Pro from QAS. In July 2006, WWU deployed QuickAddress Batch to help it validate addresses for emergency call-outs to domestic consumers.
Future challenges for the business are all related to fuel consumption and carbon footprint. As the company considers what technologies and strategies it can employ to improve the sustainability of its fleet, it aims to identify the mileage its fleet covers and reduce it. It is also putting together a process of monitoring and benchmarking the miles per gallon (MPG) that its vehicles are currently reaching and what they can achieve. These environmental strategies will become ever more important within the industry as the business moves forward.
As the company progresses, it will focus on continued investment in infrastructure and the fleet. This will ensure that it has modern and efficient vehicles, as well as the kit to be able to respond efficiently and effectively to customer demand and environmental pressures in the future.
As environmental strategies will become ever more important within the industry in the future, WWU will continue to reduce its operating costs, improve sustainability, as well as modernise and update its equipment in an innovative and forward-thinking way, to secure a good future for the business and its customers.
