TANDARDIZATION AT TAYFORTH
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kNDARDIZATION of vehicle makes and types has for long een the object of many hauliers, but very few have con d standardization in depot layout. One organization to take maginative step is Tayforth Ltd. The plan is to have each new t to a standard layout; thus administrative staff, mechanics Irivers will be equally familiar with a foreign depot as they are ;ir home base.
le latest Tayforth depot to come into the standard pattern is thank which was opened a few weeks ago by Mr. A. B. e, the Scottish LA.
:lliebank depot, Alloa, is situated in the shadow of the Ochil and on the north bank of the river Forth. Two years ago mth Ltd. decided that in view of the increased traffic from the depot a larger area was required and the ideal site was adjacent to their existing premises. Six months later the site ance began and today under the management of J. A. ;Ton the new depot is fully operational.
le depot area covers five acres, three of which are enclosed. depot, being new, is clean and one forms the opinion that it -emain so. It is attractive and, more important it is built for of operation. The transit shed, administrative offices and shop are all within the same building, each being connected e other and yet retaining its own identity.
le transit shed is 135 ft. long by 90 ft. deep and has six bays. loading bank is on conventional lines but has a larger than la' security bay. There is direct access to the drivers' report . from the transit shed; the drivers' time clock and report point )cated immediately outside the traffic office window.
le administrative offices are designed on the open plan. From rell-appointed room Mr. Cameron is constantly in touch with .raffic and accounts section, both of which occupy spacious mmodation. Full use has been made of glass structure, with picture-type windows facing north to afford the staff the fit of natural light.
service area
eyond the loading bank, and on the same level as the transit , there is a well-designed servicing area complete with stores, room and foreman's office. The service area houses a sunken shop. This area is well planned, containing a ring main greassystem, large capacity storage tanks for transmission oils and ed oil drainage tank. It is apparent that much thought has gone the design of this workshop with method study and safety g two important factors. Sited in the sunken area are a spacious es locker, workbench and adjacent to it a large board carrying whes in every available size and all clearly marked. The sunken is well protected by a chain fence which can be adjusted to suit length of the particular vehicle being serviced. I was most ressed with the siting of the power drill. This is on the lower I and is thus available where it is most needed. And, more ortant, where the operator can work in complete safety. This is nail but important item of planning which indicates how detailed meticulous the pre-planning has been.
The yard is spacious, allowing for ample manoeuvrability and parking for the 70 vehicles should they ever all be at home at any one time. Fuel, air and oil are all dispensed at a servicing point close to the entry and exit to the yard. A large enclosed wash bay completes the structure of Kelliebank, which cost £50,000 to build and is a credit to Kelvin Construction Co., who were the principal contractors.
Kelliebank is more than just a pretty face. It is very much a working depot, shifting as it does an annual gross tonnage of 130,000 tons. Of this total nearly 33 per cent is bulk whisky from the bonded warehouses to the blenders in Carrsbridge, Kilmarnock and Fife. For this purpose, Tayforth operate specially constructed Crown Locked Vans. Having been loaded at the bonded warehouse the vehicles are locked by a customs officer and cannot be opened until another customs officer unlocks the van at the discharge point. These vans are so constructed that access by any other means would more than probably result in the destruction of the load.
Important commodity
While whisky plays a big part in the operation of Kelliebank, yarn is also an important commodity of traffic. Wool in its raw state is transported from Darlington to the spinning looms in Alloa and thereafter is transported back to Darlington as yarn. This traffic is bulky and weighs about 10 cwt. per cubic yard. The six boxvans transporting the yarn to Darlington travel six nights a week and move about 10,000 tons per annum. The goods are carried on behalf of Paton and Baldwin and the vans bear the distinctive Bee-Hive motif. Another traffic handled by Forth Alloa is the product from Ind Coope which is transported to the docks for export.
Vehicle maintenance ranks high in the priorities of Tayforth Ltd., and Forth Alloa is no exception to the general rule. Under the ever watchful eye of James Armstrong the group engineer, local staff service regularly all 70 vehicles and trailers attached to the depot. Vehicles are serviced once each fortnight and trailers once each month. The servicing crews work on a two shift system thus ensuring maximum utilization of staff and minimum loss of productive vehicle time. Since the storeman knows in advance which vehicles are being serviced on the nightshift, he is able to provide the necessary spares in advance. The mechanics' time and vehicle spares are coded to the fleet number of the vehicles serviced and eventually these costs are posted to vehicle cost cards at Tayforth headquarters in Falkirk, just across the river Forth.
Kelliebank may be the newest of Tayforth's depots and therefore the baby of the family, but what a boisterous baby she is. To say that the staff at Kelliebank perform their allotted tasks in a quiet, efficient manner would be to do them an injustice. Efficient, they most certainly are, but quiet never. Under the energetic and enthusiastic leadership of J. A. Cameron, Kelliebank is active and constantly moving.
IAIN SHERRIFF, MITA