2. Welcome to this special together edition of
Agenda magazine.
Following the initial launch of together at the
February roadshows we have generated over
2,000 ideas. This is a great achievement and
we want to thank you all for your enthusiasm
and hard work. We are continually reviewing
these ideas, looking to develop the ones that
will have the greatest impact.
We are now six months on from the initial
launch and we wanted to take this opportunity
to update you on the latest developments,
share some of the best ideas that have been
implemented and celebrate the success of the
teams that suggested them.
You may be aware that we have had over
600 duplicate ideas, and that is no bad thing.
It shows that other colleagues may have
identified the same solution to a problem,
which makes it even more relevant. There
have also been a good number of ideas
submitted that are already in place within the
business in some form and clearly we need to
work harder to make you aware of these.
There are also ideas that have been
submitted and have since been developed
and rolled out or are in the process of being
investigated. Hopefully this booklet will give
you a good update on where we are with all
of these scenarios.
Having hit the halfway point of the year,
we want to thank you all for your continued
support and efforts, not just towards together
but across all aspects of the business. As we
have communicated previously, we have had
a strong half year and have given ourselves
a good opportunity to hit our end of year
targets. By working together, and focusing
on the important role that each of us plays in
the business, we can achieve our 2015 goals
and build further foundations for the future.
Keep up the good work.
UK Executive Committee
Aggregate Industries
03
Contents
Welcome
What good looks like 04
Available solutions 06
Safe together 10
People together 14
Sell together 18
Save together 22
Cheers 26
2,082
Ideas total
571
ideas
555
ideas
Already available 110
Being reviewed 957
Closed 202
Complete 76
Local responsibility 121
Duplicate 616
The story so far...
507
ideas
449
ideas
3. 04 05
What good looks like
In early June, over 120 team leaders gathered together to discuss their progress so
far and the next steps for taking together forward. Throughout the day we talked
through our successes, challenges and frustrations. Whilst the overriding feeling of
the day was positive, we established the need for improvement, particularly in the
turnaround of ideas once they had been submitted.
It has been no secret we’ve been overwhelmed by the response we have had with
over 2,000 ideas submitted so far. That figure is continually growing but now it is
time to turn our attention to ideas we can implement in line with expenditure and
resources. Consider some of the requirements and priorities in the graphic below:
How to describe your idea
While we want to hear all of your ideas and issues, we also want to hear your solutions.
For example, “Make it easier to contact people” is a good idea but lacks context,
explanation or a solution. With a little effort, this can be properly developed into
an idea that also identifies a workable solution.
“On our calls we have discussed a common issue which is a lack of knowledge about
who to contact regarding certain products. Often our sales team receives calls from
customers requiring another product (giving us the opportunity to cross promote)
or a speculative call requesting a product supplied by another division. Through our
discussion, we believe it would be really useful to have access to a searchable tool that
allows us to type in a product, or even a word related to that product, and a region and it
would automatically provide us with an accurate phone number for that sales team. This
could sit on the new intranet within the Quick Links section. The details should be kept
up to date and can be expanded to include jargon and other key words that crop up.”
You should discuss your ideas within your teams, so that you can share best practice
as well as identify those that a) Will give the greatest benefit to the company/individuals
and b) those that you may well be able to pilot yourselves.
For a further example, see how Joanne Gibson worked with colleague Stuart Race to bring
their idea to life. While still in progress, it’s a positive approach which encourages ownership.
Idea
Feasible
Training
benefits
Time to
deliver
H&S
benefits
Cost to
deliver
Cash
benefits
Impact
Time
benefits
Pillar: Sell
SUBMITTED BY:
Joanne Gibson
TEAM:
Express Asphalt
IDEA: Cross promotion –
Within our own businesses
we have knowledge of the
products we sell and are
able to advise and speak
confidently to customers.
Asphalt have recently put
together a basic introduction
to asphalt course. Could
all businesses (concrete,
aggregates etc) put a similar
basic package together, to
assist customer/sales advisor
roles in different businesses?
This came about as a
caller today was looking
to resurface an area with
asphalt, but it was advised
concrete would be better
suited for the site. The
customer enquired about
depths and coverage, but I
could not advise the basics.
RESPONSE: As a result
of Joanne’s idea, a working
group – led by Joanne
herself with the support
of Caroline Dale, Head of
Commercial Services and
Processes – has been set up.
The working group comprises
people from around the
business who will meet
regularly to put together,
plan for and implement
new packages to aid with
cross promotions and
product awareness. Well
done Joanne.
So if your idea makes good business sense, why not discuss it with your
team and any relevant managers? If it is feasible and within your remit to do
so, start trialling it and feed back your progress in the form of a case study to
togetheroneteamonevision@aggregate.com
“Proactivity and ownership is so
important when someone has a good
idea. In my team, Phil Molyneaux came
to me with a new dust system he’d seen
work well and wanted to try it in Halsvik.
Naturally, I gave him the green light!”
SCOTT WATSON
General Manager, Halsvik Quarry
4. 06 07
Pillar: Safe
SUBMITTED BY:
Rachel Royle
TEAM:
Diamondcrete
IDEA: Offer adjustable height
desks to employees that spend
a large percentage of their day
sat at their desk to encourage
them to stand. There has been
a lot of research into the health
implications of sitting for hours
a day.
RESPONSE: Every colleague
should complete a workstation
assessment, alongside their
line manager, when they first
start working at that location.
This is to be repeated if they
move or when any of the
equipment is updated or
replaced. These assessments
are in place to identify any
Pillar: People
SUBMITTED BY:
Heather Foo
TEAM:
Traditional Buff
IDEA: Offer more mentors
throughout the business.
Certain areas have a high
turnaround of staff and
by introducing mentors to
new starters it could help
in developing them more
quickly and also in retaining
them. We could possibly
publish a list of people within
the business on Aggrenet
that would happily offer some
time to being a mentor, and
therefore individuals can then
contact those people should
they need to.
RESPONSE: There are already
a number of people within
the business that act as
mentors and have allocated
mentees. We restrict
mentoring to individuals
that are on development
programmes so that we can
keep some central control
and ensure that a mentor is
not overwhelmed by having
too many mentees that they
can’t do the job justice. New
starters should be able to
seek advice from their line
manager, and anyone that
feels that they would like a
mentor should raise this in
as part of their development
discussion in their dialogue.
SUBMITTED BY:
Laura Tyers
TEAM:
Super Hitex
IDEA: All sites should organise
a sports evening once a
week. This could be anything
from running to football
tournaments. It would give
employees the opportunity
to get to know each other
better, but also to keep fit and
healthy as part of the Healthy
You campaign.
RESPONSE: This is an idea
that many sites have already
organised themselves. For
example a Bardon Hill running
club was recently formed,
meeting after 5pm every
Monday for a 5km run, this
was organised in conjunction
with Run England for people
of all levels of running ability. it
is a 12 week free programme
with fully insured and trained
instructors. If anyone else
is interested in organising
another running club at their
site they should consult the
Run England website to get in
touch with a local instructor.
SUBMITTED BY:
Anthony Jones
TEAM:
Masterblock
IDEA: Similarly to the
aggregate academy that
is used by sales staff, can
we develop something for
our operational staff that
shows a clear direction and
the benefits of attending a
particular course?
RESPONSE: The Aggregate
Academy has been a huge
success and well received
within our commercial teams.
In terms of operative training,
we actively encourage
everyone to develop in their
role by achieving relevant
qualifications through their
attendance on particular
courses. We have introduced
QCF qualifications and also
provide competency training
for every operative such as
on mobile plant, and for red
cards. In addition to this we
are currently developing a
skills review process for every
operator that we expect to
be available towards the
end of 2015, detailing the
qualifications desired, and
related courses, for each role.
Some of the ideas suggested through together already have solutions in the
business, which is no bad thing. It means that you’re having great ideas but we’ve
obviously not worked hard enough to make you aware of them. We’ve detailed
many of these solutions below.
SolutionsSolutions
specific work station needs
such as adjustable chairs,
multiple screens and, if
required, a flexible desk.
SUBMITTED BY:
Jason Smith
TEAM:
Autumn gold chip
IDEA: There should be
more training available for
interactive safety tours
in order to reach a wider
audience. Office based staff
don’t seem to receive the
same level of training as
factory and operational staff.
RESPONSE: There is training
available for conducting
interactive safety
tours. Such training is
available on request
and should someone
require it they should
contact the Health & Safety
or Learning & Development
teams for advice. The training
that we offer is the same for
office based and operational
staff, however due to the
nature of the roles there is a
higher uptake from operational
colleagues. We would always
encourage anyone that wishes
to undergo such training to
do so.
SUBMITTED BY:
Scott Murray
TEAM:
Pipe bedding granite
IDEA: We have a lot of lone
workers throughout our
business and at the moment
we control them through
regular calls with their line
managers to ensure that they
are okay. I would suggest that
we use TriLoc GPS locators,
which are able to send alerts
to registered users when the
individual falls over, or when
they step out of a defined area,
as well as having an
SOS button.
RESPONSE: We do actually
already have a lone worker
service that is provided to
us via G4S. There are radios
that have a tilt switch which will
alert a registered user when the
lone worker has fallen over.
5. 08 09
Pillar: Sell
SUBMITTED BY:
Dave Shaw
TEAM:
Grey Lakefell
IDEA: When a customer goes
on stop for non-payment
(which can often be in
relation to a small value)
it sets up a chain reaction
which ends with delays on
the weighbridge affecting
other customers and creating
a bottleneck, most often at
the busiest time of the day.
An improved system of both
customer notification (via
text similar to the breakdown
messages) and notification to
the business manager would
improve this process and
reduce delays. Also taking
the account off stop as soon
as they have paid would be
an improvement as this does
not always happen.
RESPONSE: A texting facility
is being developed where
key sales people will receive
a text message when their
allocated customer hits
a certain percentage of
their credit limit. This will
then enable the TSM to
investigate the situation
and make contact with the
customer before it results in
Pillar: Save
SUBMITTED BY:
AJ Chohan
TEAM:
Crushed rock fines
IDEA: Should sites with
multiple offices have just one
stationery room, rather than
individual stocks, causing
them to double/treble up on
same items. The minimum
quantity for orders is often
quite high, so if you only need
one or two you are forced to
order multiple so that it is cost
effective.
RESPONSE: Many sites
already operate this policy
SolutionsSolutions
and have central stationery
stores that are ordered and
managed by one individual.
Minimum quantities are a
balance between the cost of
pick, pack and postage so
multiple items are often the
cheapest option.
SUBMITTED BY:
Steve White
TEAM:
Celtic Plum
IDEA: There is old or
redundant IT equipment
at every location
we go to. Are we able
to sell the unused
equipment to an external
company, or even offer it
to employees at a small
charge? This could generate
a little bit of money but more
importantly it would free up
storage space and improve
housekeeping at most
locations.
RESPONSE:We actually
already recycle our old IT
equipment via a charity.
However we rely on the
business telling us where
they have old and redundant
equipment and returning it to
the IT department for recycling.
SUBMITTED BY:
Roger Tart
TEAM:
Old Riven Paving
IDEA: Many Asphalt plants
and Concrete plants could
be twinned with their nearest
or most appropriate plant
of that type in order to
better provide for planned
maintenance shutdowns,
without significant
interruption to supplies to
their customers – ie they
cover for each other rather
than trying to do major
maintenance out of hours.
RESPONSE: For most sites
this backup is already in
place when there is a large/
the customer being placed
on stop.
SUBMITTED BY:
Nick Gilbert
TEAM:
Gritstone
IDEA: Implement a live
customer account feed that
tells both ourselves and the
customers what credit they
have left so they can make
an on account payment
ahead of going on stop or
having to get things resolved
first thing every morning.
RESPONSE: This feature
is already available via
the customer portal. The
customer can see all of the
relevant credit information as
well as having the ability to
pay their invoices online.
SUBMITTED BY:
Stu Regan
TEAM:
Gritstone
IDEA: Monthly cross-
business meetings to
discuss key contracts and
key opportunities in certain
geographic areas. It cuts
down on travel costs, travel
risks and optimises selling
opportunities.
RESPONSE: This offers
real benefit and is widely
conducted across the
business. There are sales
meetings that occur
between divisions in
the SW, Midlands, and
Scotland and is encouraged
elsewhere. The option to
use Google Hangouts would
greatly reduce travel time
and we will ensure this is
reinvigorated.
6. 10 11
RESPONSE: This has now
been included within
the new road scheme
at Heathrow which has
already commenced
construction work. It should
be considered when visiting
other sites/plants across the
UK as an additional warning
to reversing vehicles.
SUBMITTED BY:
Ian Stewart
TEAM:
Decorative Aggregates
IDEA: When netting and
strapping down delivery
vehicles the place to
stand when securing and
tightening the straps should
be kerbside and not roadside
so that the driver is kept
away from flowing traffic.
RESPONSE: This has
now been included in the
sheeting and loading and
strapping down guidelines
for improving driver safety.
It should be adopted as
best practice.
SUBMITTED BY:
Thomas Bell
TEAM:
Articimo
IDEA: Introduce UV Beads
for workers exposed to
sunlight. These beads
change colour when there
are increased levels of UV
light. As the colour changes
it alerts the wearer to high
levels of UV light so that they
can apply lotion, cover up
or take shade. They can be
worn as necklaces, bracelets
or simply attached to hi-viz
vests.
RESPONSE: The UV bracelet
has been priced via Tower
at £2.95 and we have now
made it available to order via
Tower as a non-core item.
You can also order suncream
via Tower, and when
purchasing Stocko products
including sunscreen you are
able to claim a free Stoko
dispenser or Stocko Skin
board (four dispensers) for
your site. There is also a
sun cream/skin cancer TBT
available online via Healthy
You; it can be found in
google drive: https://drive.
google.com/a/aggregate.
com/file/
SUBMITTED BY:
Andy Clifton & Robert
Welsh
TEAM:
Hydro Kerb & Pipe
Bedding Granite
IDEA: Introduction of Halo
lights to help with visibility
of night shift employees,
Health & Safety is the
most important priority in
our business. Our vision
is to achieve Zero Harm
and that includes all direct,
subcontracted and third party employees, as
well as visitors to our sites. It is a challenging
vision but it is the only vision which can be
acceptable to all of us. Your ideas on helping
us achieve that vision are invaluable so let’s
take a look at some of them.
We’ve had over 550 Safe together ideas so far,
many of which have already been developed
and implemented. These can be viewed on the
together platform on Aggrenet. Quite a few are
also in the process of being investigated with
an aim to rolling out when developed. These
are listed under ‘In Progress’.
Safe together
especially with contracting,
as at present the small head
torches are not clearly visible
to hauliers, co-workers
or general public. I have
personally sourced some of
these lights and have had
excellent feedback from
contracting, quarry based
personnel and hauliers.
Hauliers have commented
that having a light which can
be seen by them no matter
which way the wearer is
looking helps no end when
they are reversing because
when an employee turns
their head away when they
are wearing a head torch the
driver can lose sight of them.
RESPONSE: As a result
of this suggestion, it has
been successfully rolled in
Scotland thanks to Robert.
It is now being looked at
for the rest of the UK. We
currently have an additional
Illumination project being
undertaken across the
Contracting division. This will
look at options like the Halo
and many more.
Safe togetherSafe together
Now live!
SUBMITTED BY:
Peter Bowden
TEAM:
Drivecrete
IDEA: Utilise the skip
maglock gate system, which
restricts access under the
asphalt plant skip systems,
when the skip is powered
and in drive. This is already
in place at our Liverpool,
Hulands and Back Lane
plants.
RESPONSE: This has now
been included on our skip
safety reviews at all asphalt
sites across the UK, with the
view to implement as soon
as possible.
SUBMITTED BY:
Richard Ball
TEAM:
Fyfepave
IDEA: Where lorries park at
the Heathrow plant, there
is a walkway that goes
around the back of them.
However there is nothing
but a concrete pillar to stop
vehicles reversing into the
pedestrian walkway. We
should insert rumble strips
short of the barrier to alert
the driver to stop.
7. 12 13
In progress
SUBMITTED BY:
Robyn Howat
TEAM:
Fyfepave
IDEA: Bitumen delivery points
are fitted with flange covers.
At Peterborough these have
been fitted with an alarm to
alert the bitumen delivery
driver to lower the cover once
the delivery pipe has been
fitted should they forget, and
to make plant staff aware.
RESPONSE: The Operational
Excellence team is currently
following this up with a
site visit and will provide
feedback, with the view to
implement as best practice
across the asphalt division.
There is already a cross
functional team that reviews
bitumen systems and control
measures and this will be
included in their review
following the site visit.
SUBMITTED BY:
Stuart Ellison
TEAM:
Greywacke
IDEA: We have now
completed 3D models of our
sites to make it easier for
visitors and new hauliers to
understand the environment
they are about to enter. They
have been created using a
free Google app that can be
downloaded. In addition I am
working on animated versions
to assist people in finding the
site from the nearest main
road and for when there is
a requirement to move from
one location to another within
the site.
RESPONSE: This is a really
innovative solution to help
irregular visitors to our sites. It
would be very useful in larger
sites where there are multiple
businesses and could be
displayed at weighbridges or
even emailed to visitors prior
to arrival on site. The working
transport group are picking
this up with the hopes of
rolling out to all sites.
SUBMITTED BY:
Jim Flatman
TEAM:
Hydro Kerb
IDEA: Issue ‘Take 5’ pads to
the workforce. It appears that
some incidents are as a result
of people rushing to carry out
tasks or shift changes. If we
had ‘take 5’ pads it would
encourage employees to take
a step back and really think
about the task that they are
about to carry out. Such pads
have been proven successful
in Australia, South Africa, and
South America, encouraging
people to properly assess the
task that they are about to
undertake.
RESPONSE: Burton Concrete
products are rolling out a
Risk/Hazard mapping visible
management tool. Hulland
Ward are also reviewing
their Risk Assessments. The
‘Take 5’ aspect should be
discussed by the team and
incorporated into the pre-shift
team brief that is used by
surfacing and then rolled out
across the AI business. The
Risk Mapping process starts
the day/shift with a team
brief in the Health & Safety
communication zone, in front
of the hazard map and this is
a perfect place to incorporate
the ‘Take 5’ model.
SUBMITTED BY:
Luke Tough
TEAM:
Tweed Pebbles
IDEA: Use light reflective
spray such as Volvo Life Paint
or Glowtec UK’s product,
in conjunction with our
regular PPE, mainly for road
Contracting colleagues at
night or in low light situations.
Due to its versatility it can be
applied to clothing, hard hats,
and fixed and mobile plant.
RESPONSE: This is a fantastic
product that is currently being
sourced. Once we have it,
we have organised for the
product to be trialled on the
Sheffield PFI and within our
Contracting division in the
South East in order to decide
how it can be best used.
SUBMITTED BY:
Rick Harbour
TEAM:
Enviroblock
IDEA: On all asphalt
plants the outgoing gas
temperature as well as
the incoming should be
monitored and possibly
recorded. Where the latter
exceeds the former an alarm
can alert the operator to the
potential of a fire within the
baghouse. In the event of
a fire in the filter house, the
operator can be alerted much
faster reducing the overall
damage.
RESPONSE: Both of these
ideas are currently being
tested. The environmental
temperature monitoring is in
progress of being rolled out
to all sites with an enclosed
processing plant. The
baghouse monitoring is under
evaluation and a pilot site is
recording data to validate
the effectiveness. The
Operational Excellence team
will continue to liaise with the
site teams in order to produce
a national proposal.
Safe togetherSafe together
8. 14 15
As a company we’re
committed to investing in and
developing our most valuable
asset – our employees.
Our core principle is to be
the ‘employer of choice’ in the extractives
industry. In order to reach this goal we
need your input. The People pillar relates to
anything that impacts our employees, from
training and development, HR issues and the
AI advantage benefits scheme.
We’ve had over 440 People together ideas
so far, many of which have already been
developed and implemented. These can be
viewed on the together platform on Aggrenet.
Quite a few are also in the process of being
investigated with an aim to rolling out
when developed. These are listed under ‘In
Progress’.
People together
everyone could be given
a personal one-to-one so
that they could discuss any
problems that they may have.
RESPONSE: You are right –
unfortunately the numbers
of people who suffer from
depression is high. Typically
one-in-four people will
experience a mental health
issue at some point in their
lives and in fact one-in-six
people in the workplace suffer
from some form of mental
health condition. That’s
why in 2013 we launched
Healthy You and a big part of
our strategy is to tackle the
stigma and to increase our
employees understanding
and awareness of mental
health. We now offer a
half-day or a more in-depth
two-day course for anyone
who wishes to learn more
about mental health and we
encourage all managers to
attend. We want employees
who are experiencing issues
to feel that they can talk
openly to their managers
about these issues and
that our managers have
the skills to support them
appropriately. After all, if an
employee is suffering then
their manager is often best
placed to support them at
work. Outside of this, we
also have the Employee
Assistance programme which
is a free and confidential
phone service available to all
employees, 24 hours a days,
seven days a week. Plus
through our occupational
health medicals all employees
have the chance to discuss
any health concerns they
have with the nurse in private
at their biannual medical.
Finally, we are also offering
Mental Health First Aiders at
some of our larger sites as a
pilot. If this proves successful
then we will roll out across
other parts of our business.
SUBMITTED BY:
Kate Gillanders
TEAM: Mepal Gold
IDEA: To encourage us all
to become more active
we could set up a scheme
where we each log our
activity, for example anything
from a lunchtime walk to
training for a marathon, and
a monetary value would be
logged against it. AI would
then donate the money to
charity, meaning that the
more that we exercise the
more money is raised. We
could encourage healthy
competition by making the
activity logs public and
having a leader board with
prizes/recognition for those
who have increased their
activity the most.
RESPONSE: This is something
that we offered to those
Now live!
SUBMITTED BY:
Jamie Greenwood
TEAM: Ancestry Paving
IDEA: Introduce customer
service training for our
weighbridge staff.
RESPONSE: A working group
from across the business has
now been set up to develop
an adequate programme
for weighbridge and other
customer facing employees
such as drivers. This working
group hopes to be able to
deliver their outcomes in
January 2016.
SUBMITTED BY:
Andy Clifton
TEAM: Hydrokerb
IDEA: I have recently seen a
documentary on TV about
the high risk of depression
and suicide in men. I am sure
this is the same problem for
women too. I suggest that
in addition to the physical
medical checks that are
carried out by AI for the
benefit of employees, we
could also provide the
opportunity for psychological
discussions for people.
Rather than provide a
telephone hotline that people
may be embarrassed to call,
employees that joined the
‘Lighten the load’ challenge
back in January of this year.
We now have a total of 200
people competing against
each other and logging their
activity in a system via the
‘Yeti’ phone app. We also
offer prizes to those that
are the most successful in
mini challenges throughout
the year. This is actually just
a trial at the moment, but
should it be successful this
year then we will look to open
it out to all employees next
year.
SUBMITTED BY:
Tim Saddler
TEAM: : Brackendale
IDEA: The vacancy list is
now published on Aggrenet
but several tricks are being
missed. Principally, there are
no postcodes so unless you
know where a site name is,
the list has little use without
you separately having to
search its location. We could
develop this and include
location and maps. And then
when a person is looking for
a job, they can register to
our site detailing the role and
location they are looking for
and then when something
becomes available they get
an alert with the job details
included.
People together People together
9. 16 17
RESPONSE: As a result of this
we are making changes to the
vacancy section on Aggrenet.
We have started to include
the job descriptions alongside
the vacancy – you will see
more and more of these as
new roles are posted. We are
also looking at the possibility
of including the geographic
area alongside the location.
SUBMITTED BY:
Phil Coupland
TEAM:
Madoc Coping
IDEA: It has been noted
that there are local posters
throughout sites with advice
into different health checks,
for example the testicular
cancer advice poster that
has been put up in the men’s
toilet at Croft. Could there be
AI-wide links with different
health charities to circulate
such posters for a consistent
approach? This could then
be expanded to enhance the
link with the charity by raising
money and holding events to
build awareness of the cause.
RESPONSE: We are running
several national campaigns
throughout the year which
are the main health issues
that affect the UK population
and thus our colleagues. For
each campaign we create
a tool box talk, and have
posters and links to
charities for support.
The campaigns
cover the following: National
Heart Month (Feb), National
Walking Month (May), Cancer
awareness (Summer), Stop
smoking (Summer), stress and
mental health (Sep/Oct). You
can find information regarding
this on the Healthy You portal
on aggrenet https://sites.
google.com/a/holcim.com/
cp-healthy-you/home
In progress
SUBMITTED BY:
Jodie Hill
TEAM:
Sandstone
IDEA: Many businesses
now operate apprentice
schemes and I am aware that
we do too. However, could
we offer an apprenticeship
scheme for drivers? In the
RMX business there is a
shortage of franchisee drivers
which puts added pressure
on the business every day.
If we could offer a driver
apprenticeship scheme with
on-the-job training we could
entice more people into the
business.
RESPONSE: Driver shortages
is an issue that affects the
whole industry. As a result
this is being looked at by all
the major employers in our
sector and the MPQC has
recently discussed it and set
up a working group to design
an apprentice programme to
train young drivers.
SUBMITTED BY:
Ed Varco
TEAM:
Granular Fill
IDEA: AI company standard
new starter training
programme, tailored to the
division, which includes
information on AI and
product awareness, as well
as training on systems. This
will improve the customer
experience when dealing with
AI employees
RESPONSE: This is a good
idea and one that we are
looking into. We are currently
reviewing our induction
procedures and are working
with the IT department to see
how we can deliver training
on systems more effectively.
SUBMITTED BY:
Phil Coupland
TEAM:
Madoc Coping
IDEA: Aggregate Industries
has various discount
opportunities through the
AI advantage website and
scheme, including for gym
memberships. A number
of people on our team’s
Together call noted that
gyms in their area were rarely
covered in this scheme;
mainly only large national
chains. Is there a possibility
to include local authority
leisure centres on this
discount scheme? This would
not only expand the range
available to employees but
help in the local community.
RESPONSE: We are currently
reviewing the corporate
gym membership rates. In
the meantime you can use
The Gym website via the
AI advantage page, where
you can search a larger
selection of gyms local to
you sometimes with up to a
50% discount. You can find
this just by logging into AI
advantage and entering ‘The
Gym’ in the search facility.
SUBMITTED BY:
Chris Clegg
TEAM:
Enviroblock
IDEA: We should increase
the frequency of our health
screenings so that we can
closely monitor the health of
our employees.
RESPONSE: As you know
we currently conduct health
screenings for all of our
new starters, and repeat
these every two years for
People together People together
our operational staff and
three years for office based
employees. As part of our
contract renewal with our
occupational health provider
we are currently obtaining
costs to increase the
frequency of our medicals
and also to increase the
amount of health awareness/
advice that is included in this
provision.
SUBMITTED BY:
Doug Galbraith
TEAM:
Litepave
IDEA: Many other companies
have in house ‘universities’
for training purposes. For
example there is a Lafarge
University, Hanson Aggregate
Academy and Imerys Safety
University. Such a facility
could be owned by our
Learning & Development
team but be enhanced by
other departments in the
business such as Customer
Excellence, Health & Safety,
IT etc.
RESPONSE: The idea of
having our own university is
a really good one and, with
the merger now complete,
we can tap into Lafarge’s
experience of running a
similar training initiative.
10. 18 19
Customer Excellence is at the
heart of everything we do. Our
culture throughout Aggregate
Industries and our parent company
LafargeHolcim aims to always
put our customers first. Customer Excellence
covers a broad range of aspects within our
business such as our current sales systems and
practices, marketing, strategy, pricing, sales
training and development and of course customer
relationships and value management.
We’ve had over 500 Sell together ideas so far,
many of which have already been developed
and implemented. These can be viewed on the
together platform on Aggrenet. Quite a few are
also in the process of being investigated with
an aim to rolling out when developed. These are
listed under ‘In Progress’.
Sell together
name and the relevant sales
offices that can provide the
product will appear along
with their contact details. This
saves the customer being
put on hold or passed around
offices.
RESPONSE: There is now
a product selector tool
available on Aggrenet that
does exactly this. The tool
has been created by the
Customer Excellence team
alongside input from PIT team
members within the business.
The tool is now live and can
be found within the quicklinks
section of Aggrenet.
SUBMITTED BY:
Alan Jenkinson
TEAM:
Grey Lakefell
IDEA: The communication
of delays/plant issues to
the Sheffield PFI is currently
poor. This impacts our
ability to close out schemes
and manage the client’s
expectations. Early warning
of issues via text alerts to
contract managers and
supervisors on the PFI
would greatly improve this.
The numbers are supplied
to the order teams who
can then keep us up to
date on breakdowns and
material despatch.
RESPONSE: Text alerts
are already available to
be set up through E1,
similar to those that we use
internally to inform of plant
breakdowns. They are best
used to inform customers
of delays, breakdowns, or
that their material has been
despatched. This can save
phone calls back and forth
between the customer, sales
office, plant and even the
driver. We have now set these
up for Sheffield as requested,
and any other requests
should be put through
to the IT service desk for
assistance.
SUBMITTED BY:
Ben Greet
TEAM:
Clearway
IDEA: Start selling
complementary products at
readymix concrete sites such
as wheelbarrows, gloves
etc. for collect customers to
purchase these when buying
their concrete.
RESPONSE: This follows the
Express Asphalt business
model, which has proved
to be really successful. We
have implemented this at
some readymix plants already
and will continue to do so
where possible throughout
the business, taking into
Now live!
SUBMITTED BY:
Jamie Greenwood
TEAM:
Ancestry Paving
IDEA: Provide AI uniforms to
weighbridge staff to maintain
a professional look for
customers.
RESPONSE: Whilst in some
parts of the business we
have uniforms – for example
employees in plants that
might take orders and ship
material – most are required
to wear full branded PPE
due to the environment that
they are working in. Therefore
Aggregate Industries polo
shirts have been designed for
weighbridge employees so
that they are easily identifiable
to our customers and are
in the final stages of being
ordered.
SUBMITTED BY:
Caroline Dale
TEAM:
Diamondcrete
IDEA: Create and introduce
a product selector tool, that
can be used as an aid to our
sales staff. For example when
a customer calls up requiring
a specific product to a certain
area you can input the product
consideration areas where we
have a large and consistent
collect customer base.
SUBMITTED BY:
Chris Collins
TEAM:
Strike
IDEA: Increase product
awareness with the public
by having a competition on
the local radio station with
a reward such as driving a
dumper or starting a blast in
the quarry.
RESPONSE: As part of
an engaging advertising
campaign to promote Ronez,
car stickers were given out
emblazoned with a new
strapline for the business
– ‘Part of the Island’s
Foundations’. Residents
then gave their registration
plate and contact details to
the radio stations and went
about their day, and then
every month a car was picked
at random and the owner
got the chance to push the
button to fire a production
blast at the quarry. This could
easily be replicated elsewhere
throughout the business and
was a great way to get the
locals talking about us.
Sell together Sell together
11. 20 21
In progress
SUBMITTED BY:
Rob Westell
TEAM:
Industrial Sands
IDEA: Implement a cross-
divisional complaints
logging procedure to identify
large customers who may
have problems with more
than one product, in order
to ensure that complaints
are dealt with efficiently
and through one point of
contact. Structural currently
operates its own complaints
logging procedure which
wouldn’t recognise whether
or not the customer had
problems with other AI
products.
RESPONSE: We have a plan
to investigate a revised
complaints management
process this year. This is
a good idea that will be
included within this process
when the time comes.
SUBMITTED BY:
Rod Holroyd
TEAM:
Drivecrete
IDEA: The customer needs
to feel they’ve had a good
experience when visiting
one of our sites. We almost
have to be chameleon-like
to change to our customers’
needs, so why don’t we
try the mystery shopper
approach?
RESPONSE: We do actually
do this within our sales
offices, and a few years
ago we also included
weighbridges. It is a
valuable experience – as a
result of your suggestions
we will review this and look
at conducting this process
again throughout 2016.
SUBMITTED BY:
Katie Farr
TEAM:
Base course
IDEA: Phone hold recording
that sells/promotes our
products (rather than just
music, or in some cases
nothing). This will help to
cross promote when our
customers call us.
RESPONSE: At present
we have multiple phone
systems, when we would
need one phone system for
this to work. We have looked
at this previously, and will
review it again following the
move to Vodafone to see if it
is feasible.
SUBMITTED BY:
Sally Payne
TEAM:
Rock products
IDEA: Our current POD
system costs us a lot of time
and money. In the long-term,
handheld electronic devices
to capture signatures
would be ideal, but this will
take time to implement. In
concrete, our current system
prints out a three-fold
ticket. Once the batcher has
printed the ticket he retains
the pink copy, the driver
takes the other copies to
site. Once signed the driver
gives the batcher the white
signed copy and keeps the
yellow for himself. I believe
if we add another layer to
the ticket the driver can
leave two copies with the
batcher, one that they send
to head office and one that
they keep. Therefore if an
invoice goes into query and
the ticket can’t be found the
batcher still has an original.
This would save a lot of
time chasing PODs up with
drivers when we haven’t got
them.
RESPONSE: This is
something that has been
continually reviewed since
2005. Unfortunately it would
require a substantial
investment to replace the
current tickets, as well
investigating/introducing
printers than can handle the
four-part slips. We are already
investigating the electronic
POD idea. This is a process
that could be adopted very
easily if sites have a
photocopier on site – white
copies could be copied and
stored alongside the pink.
This would only work for the
smaller sites as the volume
of delivered tickets coming
through for a site such as
Bardon Hill would
be impractical.
Sell together Sell together
SUBMITTED BY:
Sally Giles
TEAM:
Infilta
IDEA: Make the process for
employees purchasing
goods a lot easier than it
currently is. There are no
clear processes for obtaining
goods and then having to
arrange your own haulage is
a nightmare. It is much
easier and often cheaper to
go direct to Jewson or Travis
Perkins. We must be losing
thousands to such suppliers.
If this process was made
simpler we would be more
likely then to recommend to
friends and family.
RESPONSE: We will initiate a
project to look at improving
the way that we handle staff
sales to make them a lot
more appealing to staff,
friends and family.
12. 22 23
Save together covers a broad
spectrum across all of our
different businesses. It focuses on
making savings on the costs of
running our businesses as well as
exploring the possibility of adding value where
the potential gains outweigh the investment.
Small changes can make a big difference and
Save ideas can potentially be replicated across
each business for maximum benefit.
We’ve had over 570 People together ideas so
far, many of which have already been developed
and implemented. These can be viewed on the
together platform on Aggrenet. Quite a few are
also in the process of being investigated with
an aim to rolling out when developed. These are
listed under ‘In Progress’.
Save together
running/idling on site whilst
we wait for material to be
delivered. If we used better
technology such as tablets
we would be able to have
more accurate delivery times
and be able to make an
informed decision to either
leave our plant running or
turn it off. This would then
save wear and tear and fuel
for the vehicles.
RESPONSE: This has
been taken to the Asphalt
Management team for
discussion. There is now a
downloadable app available
that enables a customer
to sign up and be notified
when material has been
dispatched to the site. A
toolbox talk about leaving
vehicles idle is also being
developed for refresher
training later on in the year.
SUBMITTED BY:
Judy Perdrisat
TEAM:
Granular Fill
IDEA: At the moment
concrete plants cannot
accept full loads of cement
because the silos are not big
enough. This often leads to
plants running out of cement,
and us losing money having
to order Ordinary Portland
Cement for a faster delivery
time which can be up to
£6.00/m3 more expensive. In
these instances this increase
cannot be passed onto the
customer because we have
already agreed the price.
RESPONSE: We are in the
process of introducing a
bulk powder best practice.
As part of this, all new sites
will have the larger silos to
accommodate a full tanker
delivery. We will also try to
phase out the smaller silos
that we currently have in
operation – however there is
limited capex so this will be
done as and when we can.
SUBMITTED BY:
Dave Brown
TEAM:
Lytacrete
IDEA: Develop an easy
access database system for
recording mechanical and
electrical spare holdings
across the whole business.
This will enable a sharing
culture, better access and
quicker identification of
options available in an
emergency. This should
be considered as an
enhancement to a site’s
planned preventative
maintenance scheme.
RESPONSE: We have now
re-launched the surplus
exchange that was available
Now live!
SUBMITTED BY:
Brian Mclean
TEAM:
Dense Blocks
IDEA: Challenge car drivers
to reduce their mileage by
10% year on year. We can
utilise Google Hangout
video conferencing as an
alternative to driving for
meetings. Record the
saved mileage.
RESPONSE: This initiative
is already in place
for senior managers.
However everyone should
be encouraged to use
alternative means of
communication rather than
travelling to meetings.
This has health, safety and
wellbeing benefits, as well as
cost saving and time saving
benefits. As communicated
in the weekly Bulletin a
couple of months ago
there is now a travel saving
form that can be found in
the Toolkit section of the
Together webpage.
SUBMITTED BY:
Tony Brooks
TEAM:
Building Sands
IDEA: Quite often plant is left
on brains. You will now find
it in the Quicklinks section
of Aggrenet. This will enable
people to post any needs
as well as any spares that
are not required that may
be used by the rest of the
business.
SUBMITTED BY:
Ben Greet
TEAM:
Clearway
IDEA: Use Delvo to wash
out mixer trucks to reduce
washout wastes produced.
RESPONSE: We have now
introduced Delvo at a wide
range of sites for trial and
comment. Following the
trial and after employee
feedback we will look to
make the wash available for
implementation across the
business.
Save together Save together
13. 24 25
In progress
SUBMITTED BY:
Thomas Smith
TEAM:
Thin surface course
IDEA: There should be
a centralised control of
admixtures so that we know
which admixes we have in
stock, how much we have,
and where they are located.
This would help when we
need to transfer admix
between sites by letting us
move them the shortest
distance possible and
allowing us to use any older
stock before it passes its
sell-by date.
RESPONSE: This is
something that we are
looking to implement
alongside the core
development of a readymix
stock system. The benefits
of having a proper stocking
system and better control
will ensure that admixtures
are appropriately supplied
and ordered, and delivered
as required to the desired
location for use.
SUBMITTED BY:
Monique Allen
TEAM:
Sub base material
IDEA: Travel management
companies can provide cost
savings and peace of mind
in the event of emergencies
and cancellations. A TMC
will negotiate fares and
conditions on our behalf
and manage all bookings
centrally. They can also offer
services such as carbon
reporting, event management,
self booking, and out-of-
hours facilities. In the past I
have made hotel bookings
through Venue Options yet
found the same hotel at a
fraction of the price myself on
the internet. When challenged
venue options said that their
price included breakfast.
Should we move to a different
company and have the
opportunity to book hotels
with/without breakfast?
RESPONSE: We do have a
travel management solution
in place through Egencia
for rail and air and then
Venue Options for hotel
bookings. We are currently
working to implement a new
management solution that
incorporates all expense
into one system so that
cost management and
transparency is easier.
At the same time we are
reviewing travel management
company options and
will open online booking
through a TMC for hotels
as an alternative. Travel
booking is something that
fluctuates dramatically with
spot deals/flexi offers. The
key is that if it doesn’t seem
like good value, challenge
and request alternatives. A
revised expenses policy is
also under review and will
be launched in line with the
revised TMC solution.
SUBMITTED BY:
Judy Perdrisat
TEAM:
Granular Fill
IDEA: As a concrete
business we spend a lot of
money on the disposal of
waste concrete. We could
purchase some steel moulds
and produce blocks with the
waste concrete that can then
be used in other parts of
the business – for example
for site improvements or
even sell them to other
businesses. This would
reduce our costs, reduce
waste, and potentially
generate additional income.
RESPONSE: The disposal of
waste concrete comes at an
extremely high cost and due
to the nature/lifespan of the
material we are unable to
sell returned loads. Utilising
the concrete on site would
reduce the cost of disposal
and also help with repair/
redevelopment works on
sites. We are currently
reviewing this in the concrete
business with the view to
implement later on this year.
SUBMITTED BY:
Alex Makin
TEAM:
Rapid Screed
IDEA: Although common
purchasing practice
is operated within the
Procurement department,
this may not be the case at
site level, where the needs
of the site may be viewed
as more important than
the necessity to achieve
best cost. If we had a
Procurement quick reference
guide to purchasing that
could be distributed to
sites, they could make more
informed decisions.
RESPONSE: The intention is
that Coupa Procure provides
the main guidance on such
matters, and of course
contact via the P-hub.
Procurement are looking to
develop such quick reference
guides and are as always
available on the phone to
provide any assistance/
answer any queries.
SUBMITTED BY:
Trevor Leney
TEAM:
Rootzone
IDEA: Introduce a pre-heater
to the drying process on
coating plants using exhaust
Save together Save together
gases from the heating
process in the dryer as the
source of heat, before the
exhaust gasses are expelled
into the atmosphere. This
would have a double benefit
of reducing our emissions
and reducing our fuel costs.
RESPONSE: We are keen to
adopt this idea and principle
to reduce our energy usage
and costs. The Operational
Excellence team is currently
reviewing the practicalities
of implementing this and
looking at the overall benefit
and return on investment.
This process may take a few
months to work through but
we are committed to working
towards a solution.
14. 26 27
A big thank you to everyone that has so far contributed to together, especially
our team leaders and mentors who play a vital part in bringing teams together
to share best practice and submit ideas.
together is a journey, one that will help us all to change our mindset and
behaviour, breaking down barriers between sites and divisions. The results so
far have been outstanding, and whilst together is still a relatively new process,
its success so far proves what we can achieve when we work as one team.
Cheers
DOUG GALBRAITH
Maintenance Manager
Sharing the 5s methodology
in the Southern Aggregates
business
SHARNA PEAKE
Office Manager
Innovative solutions to
keep everyone up to
speed in her team
ANDY PALMER
Estimator
Suggesting we assist our
customers through training
them in our material
specifications, a great
idea that we plan to adopt
PETER BOWDEN
Area Operations Manager
Sharing H&S best practice
regarding skip safety
JOANNE GIBSON
Administrator
Suggesting and leading a
new project to consolidate
our internal product training
ALAN JENKINSON
Contracts Co-ordinator
Setting up text alerts
for better communication
on the Sheffield PFI
JASON SMITH
Factory Manager
Exceptional efforts to
ensure that all employees
have the opportunity to
take part in together
JUDY PERDRISAT
Internal Sales
Representative
Multiple great suggestions
for cost saving in the
concrete business
JULIE ELLERBY
Territory Sales Manager
Innovative ideas to ensure
that our sales contact details
are visible to the public
STUART ELLISON
Operations Manager
A fantastic cross promotion,
resulting in a win of 140,000t
of aggregate and 8000m3
concrete
JAMIE GREENWOOD
Sales and Logistics
Manager
As a result of Jamie’s
idea we are now going
to be rolling out branded
polo shirts to all of our
weighbridge staff
ROBERT WELSH
Plant Operative
Robert led the
implementation of Halo
headbands in Scotland. It
has been such a great
success improving the
safety of our colleagues,
we are now hoping to
introduce them to the
rest of the business
LUKE TOUGH
Operations Supervisor
Driving forward and
implementing ideas
submitted by his team
JIM SUTHERLAND
Maintenance Supervisor
Innovative solution designed
and built to reduce manual
handling in the workshop
ALAN STIRLING
Shipping Manager
Having a keen eye on
ensuring our website
is correct for customer
concrete orders
THOMAS SMITH
Batcher
Brilliant suggestion for
centralised admix control
ANDY SMALL,
Quarry Operations
Manager, Ripon
Improving energy efficiency
and saving costs for current
dewatering equipment
STUART RACE, Business
Manager, Express Asphalt
Suggesting and leading a
new project to consolidate
our internal product training
THOMAS BELL
Estimator, Spadeoak
Introduction of UV beads
now available through Tower
TIM MANLEY
Key Account Manager,
Concrete Products
Increasing the use of the
Aggregate Academy for
training
Cheers
A massive thank you
to our colleagues who
have helped bring
together to life.
