Guest Post: New Online Catering Equipment Store

Post produce by Georgina Skinner on Behalf of Marshall Catering Equipment

Over the weekend all the hard work from tricycle media and Marshall Catering will be completed. Thus offering our customers with a new website, not only is it contemporary and easy to use. It is fully e transactional, so customers can purchase goods within a few clicks.

Its not all about sales and we have built the website with customer service in mind. Our aim is to ‘ bridge the gap to success’ and our online strategy is no different. We have provided enough detail for you to understand the complex nature of the catering equipment industry and what we do, whilst providing a vest of intrigue for working with one of the most reputable companies in Yorkshire. The website has been built to distil confidence and we will do everything in our power to ensure that you are happy with our equipment and service along the way.

As always the website is a platform for Marshall Catering to reach customers all over the UK. However we still want our customers to ring us and talk to us because communication is key to maintain and create a stable and professional relationship.

Marshall Catering bring you the best offers available on varies lines online. These offers are only available online and not through the company its self. We will honour any offer online when purchased online.

If you are looking for ethical catering equipment york then look no further than Marshall Catering Equipment.

Eco vans eligible for cash boost, but is it just government money being poured down the drain ‘again’

In the past few weeks the government have pushed through a new controversial ‘plug in van grant scheme’ that rewards motorists purchasing low emission vehicles up to 8,000 pounds (20% of the cost) off the total of a new eco friendly van.

According to the Department of Transport ‘ The Government is adopting a ‘technology neutral’ approach to reducing emissions from transport. This means that any van which meets the criteria will be eligible for a subsidy’

This is rather a large amount of money to be pumping into the low emission van market when the economy is less than stable and businesses are cutting back and sticking with second hand vehicles to reduce costs.

The plug in Van grant was designed to help make the while life cost of a qualifying van more comparable with petrol or diesel equivalents. Currently the cost of a low emissions van is quite high but as demand grows it seems like the manufactures and the government are hoping costs can be reduced through greater volumes of production.

The Department of Transport have acknowledged that purchasing a new plug in Van is expensive and say that the new grant will make these smart eco plug in vans are more realistic option for businesses of all sizes. Transport secretary Justine Greening revealed that seven models of electric vehicles will be the first vans made eligible for the grant, these are:

On sales now

• Azure Dynamics Transit Connect Electric
• Daimler Mercedes-Benz Vito E-Cell
• Renault Kangoo
• Smith Electric Smith Edison

Available later this year

• Faam ECOMILE (eta March 2012)
• Faam JOLLY 2000  (eta March 2012)
• Mia electric Mia U (eta May2012)

The grant looks like it is going to attract some business towards new eco vans, however the ‘van eligibility’ need to abide by the rules set out on the department of transport website.

Ms Greening accepted the necessity of driving for business and daily life in the UK, but warned that alternative transport methods like these are a necessity as the country faces up to the reality of climate change and attempts to slash its carbon emissions.

The announcement of the new van grant comes after transport minister Norman Baker revealed government plans to invest £15 million in developing new methods of sustainable travel over the coming years.

It seems like the government are doing something, whether or not its enough is a different story. It’s great to see business who can get involved with the scheme like British gas can, but it’s the small and medium size businesses that might feel a bit left out in the cold.

Seeing that the government are investing more is it feasible to start thinking that in the next 20 years we have no commercial petrol cars on the road?

Yorkshire electric vehicles on the agenda: how to increase use of electric powered vehicles.

With collaboration between councils in Yorkshire and the Humber now in place, increasing talks in how to increase use of electric powered vehicles is about tot take place. But is it really worth it?

With funding fused together it may give councils better purchasing power but will it help its self, local couriers and express delivery companies really wanting to switch to electric vehicles?

Coun Roger Stone, leader of Rotherham Council and vice chair of Local Government Yorkshire and Humber, said: ”Devising innovative and different ways of working has been one of the driving forces of local government in Yorkshire and Humber for many years. Protecting the environment is also one of our key priorities. Local Authorities have a major part to play in ensuring that our services are delivered in ways that are not only best for the environment but are cost effective for our citizens.

”Councils across Yorkshire and Humber are facing unprecedented cuts to budgets. Accessing European funding for projects such as these help us develop effective new ways of working while ensuring that the Local Authority services people value and need are protected”. Read more

The meeting is going to try finding ways to introduce electric vehicles in to Yorkshire to have a greater number on the roads and in Local authorities. My question though is it worth it?

Many people and experts don’t believe that electric vehicles are yet at a high enough standard to perform against its competitors run on fuel. I for one don’t believe that running costs are lower for electric vehicles as replacement batteries for some vehicles have been estimated to cost thousands of pounds. If you want a commercial vehicle that you cant rely on electric vans as are not the for-font of they reliability category.

Couriers will be watching closes as any decision made may affect the way they trade with local councils and communities. Some couriers fear that without electric vehicles they maybe left out of work with authorities and less favoured by businesses and the public.

I don’t think much will come out of the meeting today (Tuesday 21 February 2012 09:17) in Rotherham, But fingers crossed then wont do anything to hurt the courier industry in Yorkshire or waste the money of ther locals.

the things courier companies dont want you to know

As an experienced courier driver, marketer and manager in the courier industry from my experience I don’t really think people understand what some couriers and courier businesses do on a daily basis and why they differ from each other.

Well for those not in the courier industry you won’t know that many couriers hire subcontractors to deliver their packages and parcels. Many larger couriers hire subcontractors and pay them for the amount of miles they do per day, ethically this can become an issue as many courier drivers may not get a lot of jobs on some days or in quieter periods. This means that they are likely to get paid under the minimum wage for their hard days work.

Hiring subcontractors means that the drivers can take work when ever its given, the only link they have to the courier service is the parcels and wages. They page for their own van and the fuel, this sometimes creates a problem as some courier drivers are not connected to the courier services so they do not do the best job possible. By having little or no emotional attachment to your parcel they are more likely to damage, steal or break your goods (from my experience & knowledge) as they are not going to be held accountable for what they have done because they are not directly employed by that courier company.

Many courier services group deliveries, this means when you send a same day or next day delivery the courier service will give a driver a route and an amount of parcels they have to deliver within that day. The problems and issues with grouping deliveries is that the more parcels and packages a driver has the more likely your goods are going to be lost, damaged or stolen. The problem with your goods being packaged in to one van is that some couriers don’t give you guaranteed delivery times which means you can get your goods at any time of the day.

Your courier service may only delivery up to three times, when you are not in. This depends on the type of courier and the terms and conditions they have in place. Couriers need to make money and if you are not in when you say your are going to be this can cause problems as you are eating profit directly from the company as a driver has to attempt delivery again at another time.

Some couriers say they will deliver your goods but they use another courier service to deliver it on behalf of them selves. This is not uncommon and you will find many couriers doing this, the only thing it they don’t want you to know that they are doing this. If you courier is using another global courier to ship your goods don’t you want to know which company they are using?

The smaller amount you pay for your delivery the less chance it has of being delivered quickly and safely, if you have heard the saying you get what you pay for then you should know that it heavily applies to the courier industry.

Many couriers will ask you to go through a complicated and long claims form to claim for any damage or loss in transit, the reason why some couriers do this is to deter you from claiming money back and hopefully you will forget about it and not chase it up. The Royal Mail is a perfect example of the previous.

Many couriers will have call centres when you ring up and book, most of the time the place you are booking your delivery from is 100s of miles away from your delivery. This means you don’t get to talk to someone with experience and knowledge of the area. Some couriers always have vans scattered around the UK waiting for people to book packages, this is very unethical as fuel consumption is increased by these couriers.

Based on my experience within the industry if you find a courier service who is reliable and friendly stick with them for life regardless of the price.

new hope in hydrogen-fuelled technology & low-carbon transport

A new venture with high hopes has been launched this week between auto giant Suzuki and Fuel research and developers Intelligent Energy. The joint venture will see them tackle the development of hydrogen-fuelled technology which they plan on introducing into Low carbon emission vehicles and combined power and heat systems.

UK fuel cell developer Intelligent Energy has created a new joint venture with auto giant Suzuki to accelerate the deployment of the hydrogen-fuelled technology in new low-carbon transport and combined heat and power systems.

With green energy becoming more and more profitable due to the investments of businesses and government around the world, are we know going to see something special from a venture that sees Suzuki and IE invest undisclosed amounts in the SMILE FC System Corporation (HQ in Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka & base operations in Yokohama).

It seems that the investment and technology will enable Suzuki to get hold of a non exclusive license agreement that gives them access to the Hydrogen technology. With large investments being made by both parties they aim and hope to reduce the estimated 1- 2 billion Euros it usually takes to carry out new engine research and development, as well as the length of time in the market.

The partnership is great for the automotive market and the courier industry as the venture will speed up production capabilities and supply chain accelerate. The previous will enable them to transfer the technology to any vehicles size, shape or power.

Phil Caldwell:

‘The deal builds on a strong existing partnership between Intelligent and Suzuki, which has already seen the companies co-operate on the development of the Burgman fuel cell scooter, penciled in for commercial release in 2015, and the hydrogen-powered Crosscage motorcycle’

‘It is a big step towards the mass production of automotive fuel cell systems’

As well as motorcycles, Intelligent Energy technology has been used to power a London taxi and the world’s first manned fuel cell aircraft.

The new venture is turning the idea of using hydrogen fuel cells to power carbon vehicles in to reality, the hope of the new venture is to squash beliefs that fuel cells vehicles will be to expensive and difficult for the commercial market.

Whatever happen’s it’s great to see that motor giants are pushing the boundaries of technology one step further and one decade close to having reliable cost affective smart eco vehicles that we can use in the courier industry.

ARTICLE REFERENCE: By BusinessGreen staff :

ARTICLE http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/2144444/smiles-intelligent-energy-suzuki-form-fuel-cell-venture

better service for couriers and motorist at garages

Justine Greening and the department of transport have recently out lined new improvements to be made to the way garages in the UK provide customer service, changes included transparency and value-for-money measures.

The new guidelines have been created because of an evaluation into MOT testing standards and frequency, the veiws of a wide range of organisations including couriers were taken into account during the process.

Data from Department for Transport executive agency VOSA showed that more than a quarter (27.7 per cent) of vehicles tested in 2010-2011 had one or more car defects that were either missed by MOT test centre’s or incorrectly assessed.

The data also showed that the roadworthiness of one-in-eight cars (12.4 per cent) was being incorrectly assessed by MOT test centres.

As a result of the finds the government is now looking into the industry and consumer focus groups to find way to increase credibility. reliability and better standards into garages in the UK. The government has decided to:

• Retain the existing rules on MOT test frequency since the evidence shows that vehicle defects are being missed      and roadworthiness mis-assessed.
• Shine a light on the performance of MOT testing stations by releasing hitherto unpublished VOSA survey data on      whether the sector is complying with test standards. This is published      today.
• Work with motoring organizations to find out what problems motorists experience and enable them to share examples      of good customer service – in particular to find ways to make it easier      for customers to give feedback on their experiences of garages in a way that others can see – potentially in the manner of existing online hotel      and restaurant review websites.
• Encourage the take up of industry codes of practice – and expand them to include MOT testing – so that customers      can find garages signed up to schemes delivering the highest standards and      take action if they have not received the service they expect.
• Help motorists to spot ‘clocked’ second hand vehicles, by changing MOT certificates so that they carry the last      three years’ mileage information as well as the mileage on the day of the      test, and encourage car buyers to check full MOT histories using the online MOT database.
• Arrange ‘mystery shopper’ tests to help improve performance in addition to those already carried out by VOSA.

Justine Greening said:

“Our garages are crucial to ensuring that Britain’s roads continue to be among the safest in the world. Most are doing good work but the latest data shows that there is room for improvement.

“I want each motorist to be confident that a visit to the garage ends with their car repaired to a high standard by reputable mechanics rather than uncertainty about cost and the quality of service.

“Giving drivers the very best information about garage performance is absolutely key to achieving this goal. It means that responsible garages will be well placed to reap the commercial benefits of transparency. Garages where performance is not up to scratch will find themselves under pressure to do more for their customers.”

With the tories ditching plans for two-year MoTs to replace the  annual checks after a study found millions of inspections were wrong.

Transport Secretary Justine Greening acted after Which? said mechanics  incorrectly assessed or missed problems in 27.7% of cases last year – some 8.3  million cars. The report has found vital issuses which will help businesses trade better with garages and know what services they are paying for.

With courier companies up and down the country relying on garages to secure vehicles and ensure they are road worthy the figures stated in the report make bad reading for the courier industry. As the courier industry is one of the industries which provide garages with regular custom will couriers now start to get clear and transparent honest services?

Garages over the past decade have had bad press as some garages have charged customers for work they didn’t do or work they didn’t need to have done. The trust issues have forced many people and business to use more expensive garages to insure vans, cars and motorbikes.

It’s great to see that the government has now court up with changes that should have been implemented 15 years ago. With more and more eco friendly vehicles on the roads the government should also look into ways to protect eco drivers from overpriced garages and maintenance cost.

Shouldn’t the ones who are reduce emission be the ones who are looked after most, especially the courier who use low emissions vehicles.

 

 

the health effects of being a courier and driving long distances

The courier industry is one of the most important parts of British business to date, connecting businesses across the world either through same day, next day or international deliveries. With Christmas seeing more and more people shop online couriers have been busier than ever, delivering more packages and parcels then they dare dream.

With over 208,648 reported casualties on the road each year long distance driving is thought to be a problem as it cause a large percentages of the fatalities and accidents on the roads each day.

With some couriers facing long and seemingly endless shifts on the road, the heavy lifting and bending, drivers face a constant stream of conditions that may cause a number of severe health problems:

Article by  Change Your Life Hacks, January 14, 2011

Body Pains

Attributed to their heavy work and long and immobile hours on the road, fatigue and back pains are two of the foremost complaints from being employed in this job. Staying at a stationary sitting position for extended hours can injure the back, spine and the neck. Statistics show that 20% of truck collisions are brought about by tired and overworked drivers.

Sleep Disorders

Truck drivers usually operate on different shifts and are oftentimes compelled to spend the night on board their trucks which do not facilitate for a healthy sleeping habit. As a result, most truck drivers face the nagging problem of sleeplessness which is very hazardous and can result in accidents. Another health issue that they face under these conditions is experiencing apnea; a condition characterized by irregularities in breathing during one’s sleeping.

Eyesight Problems

Having excellent vision is pertinent to anyone who works as a truck driver, but unfortunately driving on dark and dusty roads can greatly strain the eyes and may lead to poor vision and other eyesight impairments.

Obesity

One of the rising health concerns for truck drivers is that of obesity. As a truck driver needs to fight off sleep, they tend to stuff themselves with takeout foods that are usually greasy and fatty and as their jobs are greatly confined to their seat, these calories seep into the driver’s belly which leads to hypertension and heart conditions.

Though it is primarily the driver’s responsibility to look after his own health, their particular work conditions make it difficult to do so, providing them with the means to regularly be screened by a health care specialist is essential. As our economy relies on these truck drivers to deliver the needed goods and commodities to the people, it is also important to look into their health and medical conditions.

Some couriers and long distances drivers may never experience any of the above but if they do what should they be entitled to? Should courier owners pay for gym memberships for drivers, should they have to pay for your glasses?

Couriers businesses sometimes don’t understand the emotional and mental needs of employees in a male dominated industry many directors fail to understand the importance of mental health issues. As mental health issues are continuing to gain more recognition in the courier industry i think in the next 10 years we could see some changed to wages, benefits and legislation for long distance drivers.

 

 

The ancient art of seaweed farming could provide a solution to a 21st-century energy dilemma

Are we going to see one of the biggest breakthrough in big fuel technology as GM microbe paves way for large scales seaweed farming as scientists have created a genetically engineered microbe that turns the algae into low-carbon biofuel.

Could you comprehend driving a van powered by seaweed, if you can do you think the price of the bio-fuel will be as expensive?

The ancient art of seaweed farming could provide a solution to a 21st-century energy dilemma  but i wouldn’t get to excited yet as the process must make the technique commercially viable.

Biofuels have been touted as low-carbon replacements for petrol and diesel, but those made from crops like corn and sugar have been blamed for increasing global food prices and delivering only modest benefits.

Earlier studies have indicated that large-scale use of seaweed as an energy source could in theory supply the world’s needs several times over and the UK government envisages between 560 and 4700 km sq of seaweed farms in its long-term energy planning.

The new microbe research, published today in the leading journal Science, represents a “critical” technological breakthrough, but the challenge of making the approach commercially viable remains.

“Natural seaweed species grow very fast – 10 times faster than normal plants – and are full of sugars, but it has been very difficult to make ethanol by conventional fermentation,” said Yannick Lerat, scientific director at Centre d’Etude et de Valorisation des Algues, the algae study centre in France. “So the new work is a really critical step. But scaling up processes using engineered microbes is not always easy. They also need to prove the economics work.”

Read more about this in the article on the Guardian newspapers website

Calculate the impact of your travel, home and shopping habits

Your “carbon footprint” is the total amount of carbon dioxide, or CO2, emitted in order for you to carry out your daily activities. A carbon footprint is usually expressed in tons of CO2 emitted per year. While some activities, such as driving a car, clearly contribute to your carbon footprint, others are not so obvious.

The Guardians quick carbon calculator works out the impact of your travel, home and shopping habits with our simple carbon footprint calculator.

Have a good on the carbon calculator and see what you are producing

A carbon footprint is a measure of the impact our activities have on the environment, and in particular climate change. It relates to the amount of greenhouse gases produced in our day-to-day lives through burning fossil fuels for electricity, heating and transportation etc. The carbon footprint is a measurement of all greenhouse gases we individually produce and has units of tonnes (or kg) of carbon dioxide equivalent.

As courier drive thousands of miles every week and it is important that drivers are aware of the impact they are having on the environment, many courier service have CSR statements in place which outline intensions and activities regards environmentally friendly activities. Many courier services are activity working on reducing carbon footprints to save money but it is clear that it is not easy.

Yes courier save money and the environment by not making unnecessary trips but can the courier industry do more, investing in eco friendly fuel can be costly for couriers in a hyper competitive market were price is large factor so sometimes many large couriers companies fail to reduce their carbon footprints out of fear of losing profit and completive edge.

If the technology was at a high standard courier services would be able to switch to more environmentally friendly transport, electric vans need to be introduced but at the moment the lack of worthwhile eco vans on the market is surprising. Many of the eco vans on the market occurs high maintenance costs and take more time and effort to maintain. Many couriers are in a catch twenty two as the want to reduce emissions and co2 but are in the position of if they want it they have to spend thousands buying it.

It will be exciting to see in the next few years the rise of the eco vans into express delivery and postal services depots, but until then will the courier industry continue to destroy the environment?

 

 

Should couriers be able to open your packages?

Many people would have thought no chance as soon as you had read the title of the blog, however does your courier have a right to know what your are sending is legal and safe?

In a perfect world we should all be able to send packages around the world easily and freely, some bad eggs have spoilt the idea of making it easy but we shall not get into that now.

Because of the actions of several people over the past few ‘years’ postal and courier companies all over the world are considering every packages content? Some global companies to have checks in places for international deliveries, however national couriers do not have anything in place, not even a sniffer dog. If you are sending a parcel though a same day courier should they have the right to check your package?

As a security risk unknown and un-trusted packages can/have caused some major incidents and disasters around the world, giving the powers to a courier or postal service could reduce the security risks of explosives, illegal goods and improve the security of your items. Courier services have many rules and regulations in place to insure you parcel gets to the right place at the right time with evidence of the journey, driver and time.

Would it be fair to assume that many courier services and drivers are not aware of what potential dangers goods they could be carrying? Giving couriers the powers to search is unlikely but a thought that should be pondered sensible as cutting crime and reducing security risks are two big issues we face in this day and age. With countries on red alert should the courier and postal industries be doing more to keep them selves and the world safer?

There are no figures that represent illegal or risky goods pass through the hands of couriers and postal service but i can assume as i have been working in the industry for over 20 years the figure will be more than anyone can predict.

Do you consider your package being private a part of the service? would you ever consider changing courier if the powers of ‘search’ were introduced to small to medium sized courier services?