B l u e p r i n t : T h e O f f i c i a l N e w s l e t t e r o f L a n g d o n G r o u p L t d I s s u e N o . 1 0

T h e O f f i c i a l N e w s l e t t e r o f L a n g d o n G r o u p L t d I s s u e N o . 2 0 D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 1

N E W R E D D I T C H D E P OT I SU P A N D RU N N I N G

P a g e 1

Nagel Family Members Conduct Official OpeningThe new depot at Studley Road, Redditch opened up for business over theweekend of 10th and 11th September.

With 16 loading bays and a total of approx 5000 frozen and chilled pallet positions,the new depot is a vast improvement on the former rented site.

In addition, all staff now have the use of much improved air conditioned officeswhich are located in the two storey office block which was left standing duringdemolition of the old factory and then refurbished throughout.

Depot Manager Wayne Bridges is delighted with the outcome and looks forward tofilling the storage capacity and increasing pallet throughput volumes using themuch improved cross-dock capacity. He is also preparing for the transfer of a largefrozen storage and distribution contract to Redditch in January.

The annual Nagel Senior Management Conference was held in nearby Stratford-Upon-Avon in September and a visit to the new depot on September 20th was partof the programme.

We were pleased to invite Marion and (her son) Tobias Nagel to conduct the OfficialOpening during the visit and the Nagel family kindly donated an oak tree to the

depot which has been plantedalongside the car park.

We hope that both the depot and thetree will thrive and grow over thecoming years as Redditch develops itsposition at the very heart of theLangdons network.

Marion and Tobias Nagel withArran Osman

Marion and Tobias Nagel with theoak tree.

Marion Nagel unveils thecommemorative plaque

Conference delegates visit the new depot

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P a g e 2

New Urban Trailers Join The FleetWhen we took over the Nagel fleet at Dover we

inherited several shorter urban trailers. Working with

this equipment has encouraged the company to invest

in five new 11 metre dual temperature trailers and more

are planned for next year.

The urban trailers are designed to service limited

access collection and delivery locations (mostly in

towns and cities, hence the description “Urban”).

Previously these locations were served exclusively by rigids but the trailers have a 20 pallet capacity

thereby improving operational efficiency.

For the technically minded, the trailers were all supplied by Gray and Adams and are fitted with Thermo

King SLX refrigeration units with dual evaporators and two piece sliding bulkheads. The trailers all have

a Trafficdeck grip floor and PIR controlled LED interior lighting. All have the Tridec rear axle steering

system and they are all compatible with 6 x 2 tractor units without moving the fifth wheel.

Contract Renewal With Gerber JuiceIn 2006 when Gerber Juice moved their chilled juice storage and picking operation from our site at Bridgwater

over to a new chill store alongside the factory at Express Park, Bridgwater they decided to retain the services

of our experienced staff who were transferred to the new site. Langdons entered into a contract to staff and

manage the chill store.

Langdons Managing Director Arran Osman recently announced the renewal of this management contract until

“at least 2014” which is a testament to the high standards achieved by our colleagues at Express Park.

Transport from the site is not exclusively carried out by Langdons (although we do most of it) and is subject to

a rolling agreement.

Despite the difficult economicbackground, total sales in 2011 so farare up 16% on last year and thatfollows similar growth in 2010. Thegraph shows the growth in sales in2011 (so far) compared with 2010.

There is no doubt we are taking a larger

share of our market and recent big

contract wins have contributed to these

figures. Three recently acquired

customers are worthy of mention.

The various DHL accounts (added together) despatched over 30,000 pallets through our network in the

12 months to the end of September this year.

Winning substantial new business with the Vion Food group has resulted in an annual throughput of

around 22,000 pallets.

The new business from Storck which we do jointly with Nagel Group only started in July but is already

resulting in over 2300 pallets per month going out via the network after delivery into Redditch.

This growth in pallet volumes presents the directors and managers with a challenge to ensure we have

sufficient fleet capacity to handle the demand, but that is a problem they welcome.

B l u e p r i n t : T h e O f f i c i a l N e w s l e t t e r o f L a n g d o n G r o u p L t d I s s u e N o . 2 0

P a g e 3

Sales Growth Continues Upward Trend

The Apprentice Comes To LangdonsBlueprint asked Langdons’ HR Manager Colin Snape to answer some questions about theapprenticeship scheme now running at the company.

How many apprentices do we have currently and what are the objectives for their training schemes?

We have six office based staff and two drivers. The office staff will complete the Chartered Instituteof Logistics and Transport Introductory Certificate in Logistics as their technical award and will alsocomplete a Customer Services QCF/NVQ. The drivers will progress to Cat C+E (LGV Class 1) licence.

How long does the training last?

We based our scheme on 18 months for both types of apprentices, but the training can be completedearly, for example both Zak Chant and Charlotte Payne our previous apprentices were offered full timejobs before their training was completed.

What (if any) financial support does the company get from the Government for this training?

Nothing directly, however I am working with Training Providers and Colleges who do get some fundingfrom Government related to apprentice training.

Q

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A

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B l u e p r i n t : T h e O f f i c i a l N e w s l e t t e r o f L a n g d o n G r o u p L t d I s s u e N o . 2 0

P a g e 4

STAFF SPOTLIGHTCHRIS ROBERTSOur spotlight for this edition falls on Chris Roberts who is a night trunk driver basedat Dover.

Chris left school at 16 and then aged just 17 he joined the Army, signing up withThe Royal Corps of Transport 10th Regiment, 17th Squadron. It was not longbefore he was posted to their base in Bielefeld, Germany where he became anapprenticed motor mechanic. Later he returned to the UK for further training and obtained his LGV licence andbecame a fully qualified motor mechanic. Along the way he also spent time at the Chatham army base wherehe was trained to drive and maintain tracked vehicles, plant and cranes.

After nine years in the Army and now armed with several qualifications Chris started driving commercialvehicles initially with Inter-City trucks where he did UK and Continental fridge and dry freight work. That wasfollowed by a spell with Mike Beer Transport, mainly on tipper work. He also worked for a company providingcatering trailer services for the Formula One racing circuits all over Europe and then worked as a mobile fitterfor plant hire firm Finnings.

After the local Finnings depot was closed in 2008, Chris found himself looking for work again and accepted athree month holiday relief contract at Langdons Dover. He must have made a good impression because at theend of that period he was offered a full time job.

Chris grew up on a farm and one day his father brought an old Sherman tank back to the farm. Your editor isnot quite sure what he had in mind to do with it but very soon Chris and his brother found that the tank wasa great place to play and there began a lifelong fascination with military vehicles.

These days Chris spends many hours restoringmilitary vehicles. His pride and joy is a fully restored1954 Austin Champ which was actually involved inthe disastrous 1956 Suez invasion. He is part of agroup which recreates the landings at Port Said(Egypt) at military shows and they also own a Humber1 ton 4-wheeler and a Bedford 4ton truck and thetank in the photo.

Chris lives with partner Tracy and their two youngboys, Marley (4) and Hugh (18 months). Tracy workspart time as a Finance Director at two localcompanies.

So, if you come across Chris on the road at night, justmake sure his gun barrel is not pointing towards you!

Redditch MP Visits New DepotKaren Lumley, MP for Redditch recently accepted an invitationto visit the new depot at Studley Rd. She also kindly agreed towrite an article about business opportunities in Redditch whichwill shortly be appearing in Nagel News, alongside a reportabout the new depot.

She is seen here at the entrance to the site with Arran Osmanand Wayne Bridges. Note the prominent Nagel logo on the signand there is another much larger Nagel logo on the side of thebuilding. This is part of Nagel policy to gradually introduce theNagel brand to the UK market.

Chris (driving) and friend in their restored 1949 Centurion Mk 1 tank.