• Tom Inglis, chairman of Transfrigoroute, is a man who
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likes to get things done quickly. That trait is reflected by his campaign at the association for operators of controlled temperature vehicles to get the Department of Transport to ratify the United Nations agreement, Accords Transports Perissables (ATP).
Inglis, 52, is also director of transport, distribution and services at Hereford-based integrated poultry business, Sun Valley Poultry. He regards his tendency to be impatient as a strength: "If you're not impatient you might settle for mediocrity and I like to get things done properly. I'm probably a perfectionist," he says.
FRONTIERS
So far, he says, the DTp is not convinced that ATP, which covers the transport of perishable goods across frontiers, should apply on equipment used on domestic as well as international journeys. But last month it did at least agree to consider a report to be compiled by Transfrigoroute, which will explain what the adoption of ATP would mean in financial terms to the operators of controlled temperature vehicles.
Inglis believes that ATP should be ratified by the DTp on domestic journeys before 1993, so that standards will be maintained in the UK when the single European market comes into effect in 13 months' time.
Despite the DTp's scepticism, Transfrigoroute's 110 members have said that they are willing to pay the £18 fee for checking and certifying that a vehicle complies with ATP.
STANDARDS
"On paper there is a saving to be made," says Inglis. He claims that goods will be kept at required temperatures because vehicles will be properly insulated, complying with ATP standards.
The net of laws governing controlled temperature transport is swiftly being tightened. One of the problem areas of the recently introduced Food Safety Act is the question of due diligence, which includes having to prove that food has been kept at the required temperature.
Because of the difficulty of taking temperatures of food, particularly for transport operators, "there has to be trust between all links in the cold chain", says Inglis. Through his job at Sun Valley, Inglis understands this need for a good relationship with others in the food handling chain. He has to be sure that poultry is maintained at the correct temperature from the moment he receives it from the processing plant, right through the distribution chain until the point of delivery.
Inglis foresees a time when there will be fewer, but larger, associations. As long as Transfrigoroute maintains its autonomy, Inglis envisages it being a member of a confederation that would represent all stages of the cold chain, comprising processors, cold-storage companies and retailers and Transfrigoroute members.
Supermarket chains Safeway and Asda are already members of Transfrigoroute, but Inglis would like to bring more retailers into the fold. "We would then be talking to the Government with one voice," he says.
This process of closer co-operation has already begun. Transfrigoroute is holding liaison meetings with the Cold Storage and Distribution Federation, which is going into partnership with the UK Association of Frozen Food Processors to form The Controlled Temperature Confederation.
In addition to his transport responsibilities, which include heading a staff of 250, Inglis is responsible for the purchasing of everything but grain for Sun Valley's four processing plants. He has held his current position for four years, before which he headed the company's personnel department while also being a director of transport.
MEETINGS
Personnel responsibilities provided Inglis with useful labour relations experience; something he draws on at meetings with his 55 drivers on a Saturday morning every four to six weeks. "I'm always happy to hear what the drivers say and keep an open mind to other people's ideas. Their ideas are often better than mine," he says.
His experience in personnel also helped him to define clearly the qualities he was looking for in prospective employees.
Inglis's management style has changed over his 14-year career with Sun Valley. The company was taken over by US organisation Cargill Inc 11 years ago and Inglis has had to adopt a US style of management, which he defines as open, straightforward and accountable.
It is sometimes perceived as confrontational, but at least you confront the issues and sort them out," he says.
When he became chairman of Transfrigoroute last year he was charged with bringing more professionalism to the association and increasing its membership. Moves to achieve both are clearly underway. We want to raise and maintain high standards in the controlled temperature distribution industry," he says.
Earlier this year Grimsby-based members of Transfrigoroute published the 'Grimsby Declaration", explaining the requirements of the Food Safety Act and its effects on temperature controlled operators. Inglis says the declaration has been acknowledged by both the DTp and the Department of Health as a good interpretation of the law.
0 by Nicky Clark