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GLASS ACT

27th February 1997
Page 45
Page 45, 27th February 1997 — GLASS ACT
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

After 25 years in the haulage industry and several opportunities to expand his business, Harry Gornall has a fleet of only five vehicles and has absolutely no desire to increase its size: "With the amount of work we give away to subcontractors each year, 1 could justify an increase in the fleet. But I've no wish to do that. We don't want any more of them. We are happy with the fleet just as it is," he says.

That's got to be good news for the many subcontractors which benefit from the work that his company, HF Gornall (Bulk) Transport, of Bilsborrow near Preston in Lancashire, puts their way. As Gornali's customers are mainly glass manufacturers, available loads are usually raw materials to feed Scottish glass furnaces which are always hungry.

The work is relatively constant thanks to a product which has little in the way of seasonal peaks or troughs. It could be limestone from Buxton in Derbyshire, or just as easily, processed broken glass from Barnsley in Yorkshire. This is the treated broken glass— sorted and cleansed of any contaminating plastics and ceramics—which has been previously collected from the ubiquitous bottle banks dotted around the UK these days.

Gornall says his business is fortunate because it is able to generate well over 90% of its work from its manufacturing customers. It means there are no middlemen so therefore the margins are more favourable. As you might expect, this a situation which has to be managed and carefully protected. Any business that subcontracts work is aware of the longterm risk that business might be poached by a subcontractor, "At one time we had two owner-drivers painted in our colours. They did quite well and were eventually able to buy new wagons. The trouble was, they didn't want to paint the new ones up in our livery," says Gornall. "I said look, this is simple. Either paint them in our colours or there's no more work. They accepted that but the first thing they did then was m ring up all my customers and try to get the business." As things turned out, there was very little damage to the business.

However, the warning was heeded. "Now we only give it to small hauliers, people we have known for a lot of years and who are hopefully not going to try and pinch the work," he says. It is a policy which appears to have worked well for Gornall, who started out with a four-wheeler carting cement. He quickly moved up to a six-wheeler and was hand-balling up to 60 tonnes of cement a day before he acquired his first attic and flat.

At that stage, work was sourced largely from his brother, who was deeply into steelwork haulage. However, Harry decided that tippers were the future. Be established HF Gornall, while TK Gornall continues to operate from nearby Ribchester where steel still forms a major part of its work. We went our separate ways and I bought a new tipper trailer although! had no work for it," he says.

There is work aplenty now and Gornall has some impressive equipment with which to deliver it. The pride of the all-Scania fleet is the 144 model he bought last August. It is kited out with double-glazing, air conditioning, twin exhausts, and wheels and fuel tanks in weightsaving aluminium—one of which was specified so that half of the tank contains the hydraulic oil needed to run the tipping system. "We didn't want an extra oil tank up the back of the cab or anywhere else. This way there's a saving on weight but the vehicle also looks right. To me, that is very important."

It is no less important to his customers,

which he says prefer aluminium trailers and equipment which is first class. Everything has to be clean and the loads kept free of any contaminants. Consequently the drivers are subject to a regime of strict cleanliness and each trailer must be swept out and washed between loads. As far as the tractor unit is concerned, Gornall says the 144 has proved an excellent performer and a good buy: "It is doing 7.6-7A miles to the gallon and for a 460hp vehicle, I think that is very good." So is its work rate, judging by its schedule. "Today, for example, it left here at 01:00hrs and arrived in Alloa at 05:151u-s. The driver had a break and tipped at 06:15. He was reloaded with silica sand by 07:30hrs and it was back in the yard at 10:40. Another driver jumped in and went to Barnsley. It tips the sand, loads with processed glass and the driver brings it back to our yard. He drops the trailer, collects another one and goes back to Barnsley, before tipping, reloading and returning here. Its then ready for the next day's load up to Alloal"

With a few variations—such as loading limestone from Buxton or running coal from the Ayrshire coast across to Fife, the job has a set pattern revolving around glass production which keeps empty mileage low. The Scania 4-Series is double-shifted and if one of the drivers hasn't time Gornall will turn a load around in the afternoon.

As well as not having to rely on other operators for work, HF Gornall is also well disposed when it comes to premises and maintenance facilities, Six years ago it moved into the present depot which stands on the site of a former farm. It has been extensively redeveloped and the yard has been resurfaced. In addition to renovating the old house for Harry and Joan who now live on site, the depot includes a vehicle repair workshop where all the major servicing is carried out, Anything major, with regard to the transmission or the engine, goes straight to the local Scania dealer.

Gornall says that the move to Bilsborrow came as a refreshing change from the days at Longridge, when any necessary repairs involved crawling beneath the trucks or the trailers which were then parked up on a nearby industrial estate. These days, all of the vehicles can be comfortably parked up in the yard, where there is more than enough space to take any additions to the fleet. However, Gornall predicts that another move is unlikely in the near or distant future—which is good news for all those reliable subcontractors that he keeps on the books.

El by Steve McQueen

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Locations: Preston

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