High and mighty – new tanks installed at Christeyns HQ

Bradford based Christeyns UK successfully completes the installation of new holding tanks with the help of chemical storage specialist Chem Resist.

The project to replace four chemical storage tanks and add one new 100,000 litre water tank was put in motion in late summer last year. To support customer and market growth, the new tanks needed to provide increased storage capacity, but with limited space at the Bradford site, the new tanks had to sit within the same footprint.

Christeyns worked with Chem Resist, specialist manufacturers of Thermoplastic Process Plant and chemical storage tanks, who came up with the ideal solution – building tall.

Using Chem Resist’s advanced spiral-winding manufacturing methods, the four replacement tanks were each made to a height of around nine metres, providing Christeyns with over 60 per cent increased capacity totalling almost 240,000 litres across the four tanks. The tank design was also improved with the inclusion of an integrated bund and comprehensive steelwork, thus providing protection and safety for the environment and workers.

Neville Kildunne, works manager at Christeyns explains, “It was essential to replace our existing storage tanks, both to provide a better service to our customers but also to maintain our sustainable and environmental goals. Chem Resist provided the ideal solution with their nine metre tanks and due to a joint effort from staff members of both companies, the job was successfully completed on time and on budget, whilst also adhering to the additional measure in place due to lockdown.”

The installation of the new tanks began in March 2020, subsequently three of the tanks were successfully installed during the lockdown restrictions of the current COVID-19 pandemic. As Christeyns is a key supplier to the healthcare and cleaning sectors, it was essential the project progressed.  Chem Resist and Christeyns worked together to observe the social distancing measures put in place by the UK Government and also identify flexible solutions, such as working at weekends when the site was quieter.

Gary Smith, sales director at Chem Resist commented, “The project at Christeyns was a challenging and complex one, the replacement tanks were tall and required detailed engineering, coupled with careful handling and transport. Even before COVID-19, we’d encountered bad weather which meant we needed to work in partnership with Christeyns to find solutions to keep the project on track.”

This investment in new holding tanks will help to ensure Christeyns’ Bradford site is futureproof and ready to deal with the challenges that a post lockdown Britain will bring, supplying customers with essential chemicals and meeting delivery deadlines.

CLEAN has relaunched its Driver Academy in a bid to encourage more delivery drivers into the industry.

Professional drivers perform an essential role at CLEAN, delivering millions of pieces of linen and workwear annually to customers around the UK and with the business continuing to grow, the company is looking to increase its driver numbers from the current 205 it already employs.

However, with the UK currently facing a shortage of almost 50,000 HGV drivers caused by a 25 per cent drop in new driver license acquisitions, CLEAN has developed a plan to help boost numbers.

The CLEAN Driver Academy includes a full Induction process in van driving (B licence up to 3.5 tonnes MPW and no Driver CPC) and LGV driving (C1, C, CE over 3.5 tonnes MPW with a Driver CPC required).

The one-day Van Driver and LGV Driver training covers a wide number of areas, including speed awareness, vehicle checks, safe loading and load restraint, road craft, tachographs, manual handling, safe operation of tail lifts, and customer care. Assessments on certain areas will be held before participants sit a 50-question paper.

Papers for both courses require a 75 per cent pass rate, with successful candidates then considered for a delivery driver job with CLEAN.

As well as running the induction courses for new drivers, CLEAN runs a dedicated training programme to up-skill its current workforce. This includes Driver CPC training, regular Driver Assessments and driving style measurements from the vehicle telematics system, as well as post incident training.

In addition, CLEAN actively encourages employees in other departments, who express an interest in driving, to join the ‘Warehouse to Wheels’ project. This provides on the job training and assessments, along with access to the required driving test for the appropriate licence category. CLEAN has also taken a proactive approach in recruiting and mentoring newly qualified LGV drivers who may normally struggle to obtain employment.

Tim Bright, head of transport at CLEAN, said: “The impact of the driver shortage is affecting many businesses across the UK in an economy that is reliant on the movement of heavy goods. As CLEAN continues on its growth trajectory, we are more dedicated than ever to providing opportunities to both our existing and future employees that serve CLEAN and the UK transportation industry as a whole.

“Our plan is to not only eliminate many of the challenges and obstacles that have led to this shortage, such as the financial costs of becoming a HGV driver, but also provide high-quality training that will upskill our drivers to the benefit of the economy, as more qualified professionals strengthen the nation’s workforce.”

CLEAN previously ran its Drivers Academy in 2017.

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