Winter 2000

Leigh Depot is now a Registered IPAF Training Centre

Michael Dorricott, a director of Astley Hire with many years experience of access platforms, has qualified as an IPAF instructor.

We are now able to offer in-house training programs for the range of access platforms which we supply.

We have invested in facilities for running training courses which include a training room and outside practical training areas.

The courses are for 1 day and consist of a theory exam covering the health and safety aspects of platforms, followed by a pratical exam where the trainee has to be able to demonstrate the safe use of the platform.

The course can cover 2 types of machines in 1 day i.e. booms and scissors if the operators are experienced, but most courses are for 1 type of machine.

The basic course qualifies the trainee as an Operator and for the IPAF certification fee of £20 you receive a certificate, a plastic ID card and a log book for recording experience on the machines.

The certification lasts for 5 years and is recognised as the main qualification for access platforms.

Michael said, "We have always offered training courses for Mobile Access Work Platforms and have previously used an outside trainer. But we felt that the time was right to invest in our own training centre to compliment the service we offer and now we can be more flexible with the courses.

We can run a course for one person if required and tailor the course more to suit the customer. We can also train on site where required".

For further information please ring 0500 608822 and ask for Mike or visit our on-line leaflet for the course.

ISO Audit Gives Clean Bill of Health Again!

Our annual audit by our external NQA Quality assessor was very nearly a perfect score with only 5 corrective actions required: 3 at our Leigh office and 2 at Bolton.

We were awarded ISO 9002 (BS 5750) way back in 1992 and have maintained our high quality standard ever since.

We are always striving to improve quality and we measure the areas which cause the most problems, such as breakdowns, credit notes and customer complaints.

In the first 6 months of the year we raised a total of 21 credit notes which represented less than 0.007% of the total invoices raised for the same period.

The causes of the problems were such things as incorrect prices and discounts shown, incorrect off-hire dates and incorrect account numbers used.

The number of breakdowns was equally impressive with less than 0.008% of items hired out for the 12 month period covered actually resulting in a service call where the customer had been inconvenienced by faulty equipment.

Areas creating problems were such as poor servicing, poor quality of equipment and inadequate instruction.

We aim to continue to improve and welcome any suggestions.

Director is Asked to be a Judge at the Hire Awards

In 1996 Astley Hire was voted the Hire Company of the Year and Stephen Dorricott (joint Managing Director) was proud to accept the award at the Hire Association Europe (HAE) annual dinner at the Wembley conference centre.

This year Stephen was asked to be a judge for the awards and attended the head office of the HAE where the judging was held.

The awards were for such areas as Hire Person of the Year, Hire Company of the Year and Best New Hire Product.

The awards were presented by Sir John Banham (Chairman of Tarmac) at a gala dinner evening held at the Birmingham Motor Cycle Museum in February.

Stephen said about the experience, "It was certainly worth doing as it showed the level of standard that hire companies have to maintain if they want to win such prestigious awards".

Sheila Leaves After 10 Years of Service

Sheila Moore has left us after 10 years of loyal service. She has decided to try her hand at running a pub!

Together with her new husband Dave, the 2 of them have taken over the running of the Craven Heffer in Darwin. So if you are in that area, call in for a pint.

Sheila worked as a rep for us covering both Leigh and Bolton customers. She was responsible for looking after her own customers whom she has built up a relationship with over many years.

The offer of the pub had been made to them and is something they both wanted to do and could do together. Sheila had run a pub for a few years before, so she has a good idea of what she is letting herself in for.

All the staff at Astley Hire wish her well and hope she makes a success from her venture.

We have not yet employed a replacement for her, and we will continue to look after her customers with either the depot manager calling or one of the other reps.

Community Spirit Goes to London

After 2 years of careful planning, the 'Community Spirit' , East Manchester's Community Canal Boat, completed the Millenium Challenge trip to London and back. It took 8 weeks and involved 15 separate canals.

It was an imaginative way of involving the whole community in celebrating the turn of the century. 'Community Spirit' took a little of Manchester to the towns and cities on its route and gave disabled and disadvantaged day trips as it travelled to and from London.

The whole event, which was very successful, could not have been possible without the support of dedicated volunteers and help from local companies. Astley Hire provided a generator to power a microwave and fridge which helped make life more comfortable.

The Community boat project started in 1994 when a fund raising appeal was launched to raise the £35,000 needed to build the boat. The aim of the boat is to provide an educational and fund-based activity for children and adults who are disabled/disadvantaged.

History of Astley Hire Part 1 (1966 to 1968)

Mr & Mrs Dorricott returned from working in the British Camaroons, West Africa, in 1962. Cyril Dorricott had worked there for Dunlop for several years but had decided that with 3 young children who were just about to start school they had better prospects if they returned to England.

They settled in Boothestown, near Manchester, and Cyril went to work for Hireplant who were based on the Astley trading estate, off Chaddock Lane, Astley. At the time Cyril Dorricott was 49 years old and Mildred was 44.

Cyril worked in the stores controlling the requests for plant spares. In 1963 they took another of their big steps by deciding to buy to buy a Hardware and Grocery business which was up for sale in the village of Astley. At the time it was a mining village and the double fronted shop was almost opposite the entrance to the pit. The address was 159/161 Higher Green Lane, Astley, Nr Tyldesley. This would later be the site for Astley Hire.

Cyril Dorricott used to get enquiries for 2" water pumps, but Hireplant were not interested in supplying small plant, as their business was larger operated plant. The motorway network in the North West was just starting to be developed and there was a lot of construction work being carried out. Cyril Dorricott saw an opportunity to hire out water pumps from the shop his wife was running.

He bought his first pump on the 3rd February 1966, it was a Goodenough Pump, serial no B27919-10266, it cost £53 13s 6d. He bought 3 more pumps in 1966 and started off what would later become the Astley Hire equipment fleet. At the time they still traded under the name of C & M Dorricott and one of their first letter heads is entitled "Grocery and Hardware Stores, Agents for Monk's Tours. Pumps for Hire."

Between 1966 and 1968 the pump hire fleet grew, it was very difficult in the early days for Mrs Dorricott to balance the running of a shop, the bringing up of 3 young children and the building of a new business.

To be continued...

Christmas 2000 Holidays

The depots will be closed from: Friday 22nd December 5pm to Tuesday 2nd January 8am.

The Leigh depot will open from 8.30 to 12 noon on Wednesday 27th, Thursday 28th and Friday 29th December.