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Ready for a smooth move
Page 66
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As with any property move, location, budget and keeping everybody happy are vital for successful progress, says Jason Hamer.
Westone Express has grown considerably over the past 12 months and is now bursting at the seams. Our current site is too small to accommodate our fleet, and we need to move premises.
Luckily, the rate of growth was identified around five months ago, so we've had time to plan. One of the first things we did was to draw up a budget. Costs included up grading the workshops, legal expenses, racking for the warehouse. transfer of existing communications equipment and computer systems, contingency plans for redundancy and recruitment, and so on— the list was endless But this was a worthwhile exercise, as the budget became a very useful tool when searching for premises and negotiating the final price.
The next step was to consult our employees We knew that if the move was to be successful, all our members of staff would have to buy into the idea.
Our lawyers had also advised us that relocating without our employees' agreement could cause terrible problems.
Finding the right'space' was the next step. We created a location specification— similar to a job spec — to help mark each of the properties we viewed.After all, how would we know when we had found the perfect site unless we established what was required and how much we were willing to pay?
One of the most important requirements on the specification is the internal space. We intend to diversify into warehousing as an extra string to our bow.
Room to grow
The site has to accommodate our workshops, warehousing, fuel tanks. a truck wash, parking for the fleet and a staff car park. We needed to have a clear idea of how the yard would flow to help us streamline vehicle cleaning and loading and to minimise the downtime on our vehicles.
It didn't take too long before we found the ideal site. It was nearby, in good structural condition, with good parking, as well as ample yard and office space.This gives us the perfect opportunity to relocate our present business and still have room for future growth.
A timetable has been drawn up and the general manager has overall charge of the project, as we have found that this helps the co-ordination and delegation of duties Each employee has been asked to draw up their own timetable in conjunction with the master plan. Regular meetings for all members of staff are held to make sure that everybody is up-to-date on the progress of the project.
Seamless operation
We've looked at the security and tweaked a few things and next is the dreaded Health & Safety inspection.
As we are a company that runs 24 hours a day. seven days a week whose customers are of the utmost importance, we must ensure that our service continues throughout the move.To this end, we're moving over a weekend and switching the communications straight away, so our customers will have continued service.
A move of this size, if not planned correctly, can cause unforeseen problems with horrendous financial penalties. If the effort and work are put in before the move, then everything can run smoothly and the professional service that you have built up ovei the years need not suffer. •