December 2021 newsletter
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An end of year message from Steven Hopkins, MD, Joseph Ash Ltd
To all our dear customers,
Another challenging year approaches its end! I have come to the view that you, our fabricator customers, and ourselves are sharing the same boat. We all had a dose of uncertainty from the start of 2021, then struggled with labour, then suffered from wage pressure from the driver sector of the workforce, then started to see material supply issues followed by considerable cost increases in just about every bought-in material and chemical. And then, to cap it all, massive increases in energy costs! Oh yes, going full circle, we come back currently to severe pressure on manufacturing wages.
So, I guess we will all be grateful to get 2021 behind us but, hang on, here we go again with possibly another destructive round of Covid! I fear that many Brits have become a bit complacent about it and have begun to ignore the high daily infection numbers, whilst we feel (perhaps with too much confidence) reasonably secured by our double or triple jabs. So caution has gone out of much of our behaviours in public. Not so, though, at Joseph Ash Group – we have never relaxed our Covid defence rules and we have kept up the mask-wearing, distancing, cleaning and detailed investigation of the movements and contacts at work of anyone testing positive for the few days before doing so. Therefore I believe that any of your drivers visiting our sites will continue to be safe, but will, of course, be asked to carry on respecting our rules.
It is difficult to predict the year ahead. Some further restrictions seem highly likely, with maybe even a short lockdown, with lessons learned from 2020 and an acceptance that the economy must continue to function. I doubt if material supply will get any easier for a while yet, and the ongoing, now routine, self-isolation of employees will keep us all several per cent short in labour. On the plus side, demand appears to be holding up. There seems to be plenty of money to fund investment in steel capital goods and projects, with many still awaiting associated materials to allow completion.
So, I wish us all luck in this manufacturing partnership boat of ours, and pray that the seas will remain reasonably calm. But, most of all, I wish that together, our staff and yours will stay healthy and content, starting with a very Happy Christmas for all, followed by a successful, safe and prosperous New Year.
Take very, very good care,
Steven
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Lucy Foster-Bowen from Joseph Ash Bilston explains why in a podcast hosted by MIDFIX.
For products and solutions supporting mechanical and electrical services, the finish of the supports matter. Galvanizing is important as it plays a primary role in the protection of steel supports. Lucy Foster-Bowen from Joseph Ash Galvanizing explains why when she was invited to take part in a podcast hosted by MIDFIX.
Lucy covers topics such as:
- What is galvanizing?
- The history of galvanizing?
- The process of galvanizing steel
- The life expectancy of a product with galvanized steel
- Venting and drainage
- A pre-galvanized finish
- The environmental impacts of galvanizing
- How galvanizing impacts M&E supports.
Watch the podcast here. It was a great session!
Thanks for inviting us MIDFIX!
(MIDFIX are experts in onsite and offsite supports for the mechanical and electrical industries, delivered through design, engineering, fabrication and industry training.)
Read our latest newsletter – hot off the press today!
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Joseph Ash becomes an approved Driver CPC centre
At Joseph Ash Galvanizing, we strive to ensure our employees drive safely and efficiently when collecting and delivering projects to our customers. As part of this process, we provide a fleet of modern and reliable trucks and regular driver training.
Our training efforts have recently received a boost at Joseph Ash because Simon Keane – Group H&S Transport Manager – has successfully gained DCPC training centre approval from JAUPT, this allows him to train other drivers and write approved driver safety course materials. In addition, classes will be delivered to other colleagues across our plants, helping them increase their driver safety and vocational training.
Simon’s first course is titled ‘Load Build and Load Restraint Principles’. He also plans to write more classes based around:
- Driver safety
- Customer service
- Health and wellbeing
- Company policies and practices
As Simon has become an approved trainer, it means the following Joseph Ash sites are now classed as Driver CPC Training Centres:
- Bilston
- Telford
- Medway
- Walsall
- Chesterfield
- Hull
Simon aims to deliver training at all sites and invite Joseph Ash/Premier Galvanizing drivers from other sites.
Congratulations to Simon for achieving the approved status for himself and the Joseph Ash Group. This is an excellent job well done and proof that Joseph Ash continually looks after its employees and invests in its people.
Over 40 years ago, Netherton Colts FC started in the Midlands. Since then, the Club has given sporting opportunities to hundreds of local children and has positively impacted the local community. The Club currently has 13 teams across all age groups from under 7 through to open age 18+. It also runs the Netherton Colts Soccer Clinic, an open ability training scheme for boys and girls ages 4-8, introducing them to football.
This season the U7s team are playing in the Stourbridge and District Youth Football League under the Birmingham County Football Association, and Joseph Ash Galvanizing is a proud sponsor.
Matt Cooper, Netherton Colts U7s Coach told us: “The U7s team has developed a fantastic hardworking attitude and desire to improve over pre-season, and they are now seeing the rewards for their hard work. They have had a tremendous start to the season, and they are playing with so much enjoyment and getting brilliant results. This year they’ll also look great as the sponsorship money from Joseph Ash has enabled us to provide team training wear and training equipment.
“We are aware of the potential impact we can have on the young players’ lives. We hope to develop the youngsters not only as football players but also to help build their confidence, respect for people and the world around them, and play a part in having a positive impact on our communities in the future.”
Good luck for the 2021/2 season Netherton Colts U7s!
CEO Steven Hopkins visits the ancestral home of the Joseph Ash family.
Last weekend our CEO Steven Hopkins had the pleasure of visiting Packwood House in Warwickshire. The National Trust owns the house and if you like visiting heritage properties, this is well worth a trip, not only to see an example of 16th-century architecture but also to walk around the renowned gardens, with their herbaceous borders and a fine collection of yews.
But why is this of particular interest to Joseph Ash Galvanizing?
Packwood was first built around 1570 by the Fetherston family. However, by the early 1900s, it became home to Alfred Freer Ash, the son of Joseph Ash (1824-1915) – who had founded Joseph Ash Galvanizing in 1857. Alfred Ash died in 1921 and bequeathed his estate to his son, Graham Baron Ash (1889-1980), who set about restoring and extending it between the First and Second World Wars.
He filled it with fittings and furniture throughout these years, which he rescued from old, demolished houses, resulting in a place described as ‘Jacobean meets Edwardian’. There are some very fine examples of early English furniture and tapestries to be seen there.
Graham Baron Ash once said: “I am rescuing whatever I can from other places and preserving it here. I do this as an antidote to the decay and demolition of so many old houses all over the country.”
This thought-process gladdens us. To this day, Joseph Ash Galvanizing places great importance on sustainability and the benefits of ‘Making-Using-Reusing-Remaking-Recycling’, so it’s wonderful to see this ethos wholeheartedly embraced by the original family behind the Company.
If you’d like to visit Packwood House, find out more at the National Trust.
See a photo of Joseph, Alfred and Graham Baron Ash at Packwood House in 1905.
Read our latest newsletter – hot off the press today! Read about the structural performance of steel sections in fire, the RIDBA 2021 awards event, hot dip galvanized steel at The Wave in Bristol, long-time service appreciation, and new members of our Walsall sales team.
To read a copy click here.
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Two new joiners have joined the Sales Team at Joseph Ash Walsall. Please meet Jordan Sanders and Lesley Elcock.
Jordan Sanders – Sales and Customer Service Advisor
Jordan has a flair for sales and all things customer-related and is a whizz with IT. We’re sure she has a great future ahead of her with Joseph Ash.
jordans@josephash.co.uk
DDI: 01922 709 982
Lesley Elcock – Sales and Customer Service Advisor
Lesley joins us with a wealth of experience in sales and customer service. Her enthusiasm and experience will be a great asset to the Division.
Lesleye@josephash.co.uk
DDI: 01922 709 997
Please join us in welcoming both Jordan and Lesley to the Joseph Ash Sales family. Good luck to them both in their new and exciting roles.