Sembcorp's 'True Grit' team declares war on winter

4th January 2005

Roads on Teesside’s main industrial sites will be safer this winter – thanks to new investment by Sembcorp Utilities UK.

The utilities and services company is responsible for the gritting of roadways on the Wilton International, Billingham and North Tees sites as well as the premises of a number of other major industrial customers.

Now, the Transport section of Sembcorp’s Asset Protection and Logistics (AP&L) Group has a new weapon in its armoury – a 320 horsepower Leyland Daf gritter, purchased from Strathclyde Council.

A thirteen-man team transport team will work around the clock on frosty winter days and nights to ensure the 120 miles of internal roadway across the sites are ice and snow free.

Around 20,000 vehicles, from lorries carrying high hazard chemicals to delivery vans and employees’ and contractors’ cars, use the sites each day.

And with one of the worst winters in recent years being predicted, the timing couldn’t be better, with a fast response to adverse weather warnings guaranteed.

“We’re ready for the worst winter can throw at us,” said AP&L Manager Richard Murray. He added: “safety is the top priority on all industrial sites and the new acquisition means that we can ensure we will have probably the safest privately-owned roads in the country this winter.”

The new addition – with a short wheelbase to allow it access to even confined parts of the sites – was spotted by shift team driver Paul Arnold in a magazine for HGV drivers. At just £7,000 it was a fraction of the cost of a new gritter and just as effective. It can be adapted to include a snow plough.

One of three gritters in the fleet, it can deliver nine tonnes of grit onto roads in a two-hour trip. If the predicted bad winter happens, Sembcorp can expect to use around 2,000 tonnes of road salt before spring.

AP&L’s Transport section carries out other distribution activities on behalf of site residents including the delivery of fuel oil and foam stocks, on-site heavy goods vehicle movements and the management of an off-site road transport emergency response vehicle. The team also carries out light vehicle duties such as sample and mail deliveries and collections.