This depot has everything
Page 28
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
• A new plant and vehicle depot for Robert Marriott Ltd., of Rushden, Northants, was opened recently by Mr. H. Howarth, MP. It is claimed to be one of the most modern of its type in Britain and is lavishly equipped for the rapid turnround of the hundreds of vehicles and plant items operated. Forty-seater coaches, articulated and rigid vehicles, personnel carriers and staff caravans, together with excavators, concrete mixers, vibration rollers. etc. are maintained and allocated to sites by the new plant department which occupies 14,000 sq. ft on two floors.
The administration services are housed on the first floor of the new building which includes a general office, canteen and management offices. A feature of the departmental organization is the "situation" chart for every piece of equipment, including staff cars, which provides information at a glance on the placement and state of repair.
On the ground floor are stores, servicing and repair units for vehicles and plant, and a pre-cleaning and paint shop. There is a separate sound-proofed building for pre-cleaning and de-greasing plant and vehicles.
The stores department, situated between the vehicle and plant sections for immediate service, uses a Kalamazoo storage system and accommodates more than 3,000 items.
Much detailed planning went into the layout and equipment of the vehicle repair
section and numbers of staff have been on various courses. There are vehicle hoists with 3-, 5and 14-ton capacities, one of them being a Bradbury hoist which enables a chassis to be lifted off separately from wheels and suspension.
An aid to speedy servicing is equipment for pumping oil and grease direct through metered flexible overhead hoses at each bay. There is a tiled inspection pit for large vehicles with vapour-proof lighting. There are also special waste-disposal units, and mobile tanks, which drain sump and engine oils and then pump them out of the inspection pit into bulk tanks. The new plant department operates two separate electrical systems, 110V and 240V, and temperature throughout is maintained thermostatically.
Features of the plant depot are two selfstanding Carr cranes, which swing between work benches and have lifting capacities of 15cwt. They are fitted with compressed air winches allowing very sensitive adjustments to be made.
The firm's chairman, Col. R. Marriott, stressed at the opening that the company would be interested in inquiries for the building of similar transport depots for other organizations.
The Marriott depot is in Washbrook Road, Rushden.