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| A selection of testimonials
from Pebblevale clients.
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| John
Carter | Plant Manager & Closure Project
Manager. |
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"Following the
announcement of the closure of our Sanitary ware
Manufacturing Plant at Queenborough in Kent, I
spent some time investigating into the most cost
effective ways of clearing the site of its plant
& equipment. I decided that the way to proceed
was to employ an organisaf.ion, which could fulfil
the main two main objectives of our company in
closing the site.
- To clear the whole site of machinery, fixture
8 fittings so that on completion it would be
ready for demolition in the most cost effective
manner possible.
- To ensure we employed expertise that was not
readily available within our organisation.
Following discussions with numerous suppliers
to find a suitable organisation, which we thought
capable of delivering these objectives, we chose
Pebblevale Ltd from Stoke-on-Trent. The reasons
for our decision are listed.
- The contact portfolio for potential resale
of our plant and equipment was worldwide.
- They seemed to be a small, friendly and caring
company who pride themselves with excellent
customer & supplier relationships.
- They offered continuous on site support to
ensure a smooth process throughout the decommissioning
of the plant.
- Although they planned to market the sale of
the plant & equipment worldwide, their tactics
were to be modestly priced using in house skills
rather than employing high cost glitzy media
tools.
- They promised 24hour, 7day week contact throughout
the entire process.
- They presented processes for disposal of any
scrap or unsold equipment, so that we could,
on completion of the decommissioning, hand over
the site to a prospective purchaser in a clean
& tidy state.
- They undertook to comply with the Construction
(Design & Management) regulations 1994 and
other regulations enacted under the Health 8
Safety practices 1974.
- They agreed to work together with us to fully
achieve our objectives in closing the site.
During the decommissioning process, which started
one month before actual cessation of
production, the Pebblevale staff were always polite
& showed a great understanding for the Twyford
Bathrooms employees, were always professional
in their approach and were totally committed to
the task in hand. The communication process operated
between Pebblevale & Twyford was very good
with a clear understanding of each other’s
needs.
The whole site was totally cleared by 15th September
2003, 3 weeks ahead of schedule. The new owners
are highly delighted with the condition of the
site, thanks mainly to the efforts of the Pebblevale
organisation.
The final outcomes of the site closure are as
follows.
- On vacating the site on September 15 and handing
over to the new owners of the land the property
was completely cleared of all manufacturing
equipment, fixtures and fittings.
- All targets set for revenue generated from
the sale of plant equipment and scrap were exceeded.
- There were no major incidents and only two
minor accidents during the whole decommissioning
process, thus showing that Pebblevale adhered
to the H & S and CDM regulations.
- Pebblevale had the expertise & professionalism
needed to fulfill the targets objectives set
during the commissioning of the project.
A very difficult project to execute for all parties
concerned was completed in a very professional
manner.
John Carter.
Plant Manager & Closure Project Manager.
Twyford Bathrooms."
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| Richard
Booth | Ceramic technical
Consultant |
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"Prior to my
retirement four years ago I had been employed
for upwards of 17 years by the Denby Pottery Company
Ltd, as works manager, then Production Director
and latterly as Group Operations Director of the
Denby Group Plc. Not unnaturally, in those roles,
I was ultimately responsible for the purchase
of capital plant and equipment, both new and second-hand,
and also for the disposal of any such equipment.
I had therefore, dealt with Robert Stanley and
his company, Pebblevale Ltd, on a number of occasions,
particularly during the 1990s as just one of a
number of companies trading in surplus plant.
During that period I always found Robert to be
straightforward, fair and both effective and efficient
in sourcing any specific items which we might
have been interested in. Items that we did purchase
were invariably fit for purpose and in the condition
that he had described them.
Post 1996 Denby had acquired a small specialist
bone china mug manufacturing business, Wren Giftware,
which operated out of two premises in Longton
and Fenton, Stoke-on-Trent. By 1998, in an increasingly
difficult and competitive market, we decided that
this business was no longer on-strategy, and resolved
to dispose of it. After concluding a successful
sale of the business to one of the major Stoke
Potters we were left with the need to clear the
majority of the equipment from both sites, this
comprising in the main:
- Casting slip blungers, arcs, magnets and sieves
- Conveyor belt operated semi-automatic casting
plants
- Handle casting machines
- Overhead swing tray dryers
- Shuttle kilns
- Vibro-energy mills
- Decorating belts
- Various ancillary equipment
After arranging a “beauty parade”
of suitable factory clearance specialists I eventually
awarded the contract to Pebblevale, on the strength
of those previous experiences. In the event they
succeeded not only in disposing of the whole lot
within the timescale which we had specified, but
equally importantly, realizing very close to the
values which they had indicated as reasonably
achievable from the outset. During the whole process
Robert remained in regular communication to update
me on the progress.
I have, therefore, no hesitation in recommending
Pebblevale for this sort of work.
Yours faithfully,
Richard Booth"
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| Ray
Joynson | Production Director |
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"In December
1999 Portmeirion Potteries Limited, acquired the
manufacturing site of Biltons Tableware, including
all the plant, machinery fixtures and fittings.
The site was a complete tableware manufacturing
unit, with all the components of a self contained
factory, including clay preparation, forming,
isostatic presses, decorating, dryers, kilns,
and all the accessories.
Other than a small section of the factory that
we have been using ourselves for development trials,
it was decided to sell off the bulk of the factory,
plant and machinery within the Biltons factory.
We required a company with the experience and
expertise to hand1e this project for us. After
interviewing severn1 companies with factory clearance
experience, a clearance agreement was made with
Pebblevale Ltd.
Although we have not had to put any time scale
on the clearance, there were several key items
of machinery in the building, which would have
been very expensive to remove and possibly scrap,
if a buyer was not found. Pebblevale Limited have
not only sold these and many other items on a
Worldwide basis, but have handled the complete
sales, removal and financial aspect, both effectively
and professionally, allowing us to continue with
our key business of manufacturing quality ceramic
products. They have obtained for us a substantial
cash return for the items sold, and we are now
in a position where all the key items have been
sold and removed from site.
Pebblevale Limited have been professional in
their association with Portmeirion Potteries Limited,
and we would recommend them to others for similar
work.
Yours faithfully
Portmeirion Potteries Ltd
Ray Joynson
Production Director "
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| Edward
Duke | Chief Executive,
Wade-Allied Holdings Limited |
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"Over the past
few years we have been involved in the restructuring
of the group’s ceramic activities within
its manufacturing in the U. K.
A decision was made to enlist the services of
a company with the necessary expertise to handle
the sale and clearance of some of these factories,
namely Doulton Insulators in Tamworth, Allied
Insulators in Milton and Wade Ceramics (Greenhead
St) in Burslem.
Following extensive investigations we agreed
contracts with Pebblevale Limited of Stoke-on-Trent.
We found this company had the necessary contacts,
expertise and professionalism to successfully
undertake our projects.
The above clearances have now been completed
and Pebblevale Limited have successfully cleared
all the sites giving us substantial financial
return for the machinery, fixtures and fittings
within the factories. They handled the projects
completely without any involvement from us, finalising
the contacts with the buyers, depositing the monies
into our account before any work was undertaken,
then arranging for the removal of the goods in
a clean and safe manner.
We have no reservations recommending Pebblevale
as factory clearance experts.
Yours faithfully,
Edward Duke
Chief Executive
Wade-Allied Holdings Limited"
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