“Following the announcement of the closure of our Sanitary ware Manufacturing Plant at Queenborough in Kent, I spent some time investigating into the most cost effective ways of clearing the site of its plant & equipment. I decided that the way to proceed was to employ an organisaf.ion, which could fulfil the main two main objectives of our company in closing the site.
- To clear the whole site of machinery, fixture 8 fittings so that on completion it would be ready for demolition in the most cost effective manner possible.
- To ensure we employed expertise that was not readily available within our organisation.
Following discussions with numerous suppliers to find a suitable organisation, which we thought capable of delivering these objectives, we chose Pebblevale Ltd from Stoke-on-Trent. The reasons for our decision are listed.
- The contact portfolio for potential resale of our plant and equipment was worldwide.
- They seemed to be a small, friendly and caring company who pride themselves with excellent customer & supplier relationships.
- They offered continuous on site support to ensure a smooth process throughout the decommissioning of the plant.
- Although they planned to market the sale of the plant & equipment worldwide, their tactics were to be modestly priced using in house skills rather than employing high cost glitzy media tools.
- They promised 24hour, 7day week contact throughout the entire process.
- They presented processes for disposal of any scrap or unsold equipment, so that we could, on completion of the decommissioning, hand over the site to a prospective purchaser in a clean & tidy state.
- They undertook to comply with the Construction (Design & Management) regulations 1994 and other regulations enacted under the Health 8 Safety practices 1974.
- They agreed to work together with us to fully achieve our objectives in closing the site.
During the decommissioning process, which started one month before actual cessation of
production, the Pebblevale staff were always polite & showed a great understanding for the Twyford Bathrooms employees, were always professional in their approach and were totally committed to the task in hand. The communication process operated between Pebblevale & Twyford was very good with a clear understanding of each other’s needs.
The whole site was totally cleared by 15th September 2003, 3 weeks ahead of schedule. The new owners are highly delighted with the condition of the site, thanks mainly to the efforts of the Pebblevale organisation.
The final outcomes of the site closure are as follows.
- On vacating the site on September 15 and handing over to the new owners of the land the property was completely cleared of all manufacturing equipment, fixtures and fittings.
- All targets set for revenue generated from the sale of plant equipment and scrap were exceeded.
- There were no major incidents and only two minor accidents during the whole decommissioning process, thus showing that Pebblevale adhered to the H & S and CDM regulations.
- Pebblevale had the expertise & professionalism needed to fulfill the targets objectives set during the commissioning of the project.
A very difficult project to execute for all parties concerned was completed in a very professional manner.”
John Carter
Plant Manager & Closure Project Manager, Twyford Bathrooms
