March 2009 - Active Tree Services

The fires in Victoria have been a serious disaster. Two of our employees lost everything but fortunately
they escaped. Andy Marinkovic our long time manager in Victoria did not lose his house but 90% of the
houses in the street went. He was not there but it survived because he had the site well prepared.
Unfortunately some employees lost close friends and Active has done and are doing our best to help
these employees. Trees and powerlines can start fires so this reinforces the importance of the work we
do and the need to do it well.
On a brighter note we have had a very successful start to the year. We are now a major contractor in the
Northern Territory and that completes our national footprint. South Australia is a great example of
persistence in delivering a quality service and not dropping our standards to those of our competitors. We
have won contracts for the next 5 years for about 75% of all tree work for ETSA and this includes scoping
which was previously done by the client. Active are renowned for their safety performance and finishing
all the work given to them as well as the business who undertakes the difficult jobs.
I have recently visited Japan which was very expensive because of the changes in the exchange rate.
Japan does not have a strong social service and with unemployment starting to climb we saw many
people sleeping in the streets and a camp in the middle of the main park in Tokyo with permanent plastic
tarpaulins for homeless people. It would appear that the Japanese economy will get a lot worse and the
exchange rates are already resulting in truck prices rising and the US rate has increased the price of our
EWPs.
For all ATS employees who work on computers there is a new software system being introduced. It has
started to go live and many users have been in Sydney to have their input and a look at how it will work.
We have started to go live and we will be replacing a very inefficient system with the latest. Our
investment is in excess of $1million so we need it to work well and be with us for a number of years. So
far we have exceeded our expectations which is very unusual for a software change. Everyone will see a
benefit, our customers will be impressed with the efficiency with which we can track and report on all our
contract obligations and more.
In May the annual tree conference, ISAAC, for our industry that is general tree care and powerline tree
maintenance is on in Newcastle. We are the major sponsor and there are a number of speakers who are
also our customers. Active sponsors this event because it allows an exchange of good and relevant
information in our industry. Our clients benefit as it gives them an opportunity to meet people from a
similar position, catch up with what others in the industry are doing and hear about current trends, plus
meet with the contractors as we share many common issues. Most of our major competitors are also
there and we all share issues such as Safety and other codes that apply to us and affect our ability to
deliver efficient services. You can have a look at the web site on http://isaac.org.au/.
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MAR 2009 ISSUE NO. 74
BRENDANS BRIEFING
LEADERSHIP CHALLENGES
SPOT THE DIFFERENCE
ITALIAN MODEL EWP
KEEPING IT IN THE FAMILY
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FLYING HIGH AT ACTIVE
UK ARRIVALS SETTLING IN
FLYING THE FLAG IN THE
NORTHERN TERRITORY
Brendan‟s Briefing
Since our last newsletter we
have been inundated with news
of economic woes everywhere.
It is now generally accepted
that whilst Australia remains
somewhat protected and less
effected than the rest of the
world, we will likely still go
into economic recession after the
first quarterly results of „09 are published.
In speaking with my fellow CEO‟s their business‟s are
generally performing well below expectations in regards
to activity levels. It is in this context that I am very
pleased to report that we continue to perform well.
Recent successes with Power and Water in Darwin and
a larger business in South Australia with ETSA are
increasing our business activity and size. Whilst not so
significant as to effect us greatly we do expect some
pressure on the spend from our customers as State
Governments tighten expenditure and State owned
organisations are expected to achieve more outcomes
for less spend.
The way we can remain very relevant and set
ourselves aside from any competitors is to keep giving
value and concentrating on productivity whilst ensuring
we remain free of any safety incidents. What this
means to me as an employee is that I see the value in
working hard for me, for the business, and for the
customer and community. What you do is worthwhile
and if it is in the context that we are reducing the unit
costs to the State Govt to perform our contribution to
keeping the electricity flowing or keeping the trains
running or whatever outcome we achieve then this
should be a really good way of seeing our value. The
alternative is to turn up get paid for our hourly
attendance and “plod “ along. I don‟t feel that the plod
sounds attractive.
During these times we need strong leadership from
team leaders, supervisors, managers and crews and
we need to pull together as a business. We will be
seeking far more feedback from employees,
subcontractors and our management team to learn,
grow together and build a better business.
The value of this newsletter is significant and I would
again request that you use it to show the great ways
that you are solving the challenges that confront you. It
is your newsletter so please use it and contribute.
For subcontractors, you will shortly get an email from
me inviting you to contribute to business improvement
and „break” down those barriers that prevent us from
achieving as much as we desire to.
My continuous thanks and congratulations for your
safety attitude and effort, please keep this front of mind
and look after your colleagues.
Brendan
MAR 2009 ISSUE NO. 74
Staff Happenings
We are very
pleased to
welcome Paul
Dillon to the
Active Tree
Services team.
Paul has joined
us as Operations
Manager,
Tasmania and
comes with a
wealth of
practical
experience in general management.
Paul has been with Boral Ltd for the past
six years as Plant Manager and holds a
Diploma in Business. Paul told us, “I am
looking forward to building a long term
business for Active Tree Services in
Tasmania.”
Stephen Yarnold
started with ATS
in 1999 and is
coming up to 10
years service in
Northern NSW.
Stephen is the
leading hand in
the Taree area
and has the full
respect and
admiration of all
the crews he
works with. He has always taken pride in
doing a great job, and has trained many
people over the years in doing the job
safely, showing respect for people and
caring for machinery.
Stephen told us; “It‟s been a privilege
and an honour to work with Active and
the highlight is to work with a great
bunch of bloke‟s especially as they come
from such a diverse range of
backgrounds”. Stephen also said “I am
looking forward to another 10 years with
Active.”
Mark Thomas the Regional Manager told
us, “Thanks not only to Stephen but his
lovely wife Michelle, as she has been a
great help over the years with the crews
in the early mornings making cups of
coffee. We wish them continued
success; they are a true asset.”
VICTORIAN CHALLENGES
Pictured above—view from roof of Doncaster Shopping Centre, Black Saturday 7 February 2009
Like many others, it has been a very busy time in Victoria since the start of the New Year. They
have initiated the beginning of an additional contract with SP AusNet which has involved
considerable travelling to help with defective works found from the previous contractor and they
have had to mobilise crews to help with the cleanup efforts as a result of the recent tragic fire
events. This has been a concerted effort from all personnel across our Victorian business but
especially from the SP AusNet crews.
During this time there has been outstanding Leadership from Supervisors and experienced
staff which has helped ATS Victoria achieve the high safety and quality work that has been
recognised by our client. They have had to arrange a number of specific tasks and equipment
for these works and also guide all staff effectively to achieve the desired outcomes.
Well done to those involved.
LEADERSHIP SKILLS FROM THE AFRICAN BUSH
ATS Supervisors have recently been getting some tips on leadership,
straight from the African bush. At a series of workshops held throughout the
country, they have discovered what can be learnt from the elephants. Whilst
other similar animals have become extinct, the elephant has survived for at
least 50,000 years by doing the following;
Communicating, sharing information and understanding each other
Collaborating and co-operating
Reaching their destination without treading on others
Creating value for their stakeholders
Anticipating changes in their environment
Nurturing relationships inside and outside the herd
Providing a leadership model for other elephants
Being clever, responsive and innovative.
IS YOUR SUPERVISOR AN ELEPHANT OR A LION?
ASK HIM TO EXPLAIN
MAR 2009 ISSUE NO. 74
IT’S NOT ALL WORK FOR ATS STAFF
Did you hear the one about the Kiwi, the Aussie,
the Welshman, the German and err...the other
Aussie? They are all ATS Supervisors in Sth
Australia and they went to the World Sevens
Tournament recently to support their teams and
enjoy a few hours away from the pressures of
work. Pictured l to r are Bruce Martin, Alex
Zemkus, Sean O’Ryan, Nigel Williams and
Greg Sheppard.
In Sydney, the Windsor and Narellan crews, along
with the subbies converged on the Wilberforce GoCart track to sort the men from the boys – and
women! In our picture, Kylie Carter (centre) has no
problems beating up on the boys. A great experience
was had by all involved, with no injuries, although
Windsor Supervisor, Dave Howe, did find his way
into a tyre wall courtesy of one of his subbies,
Christian Martin.
SPOT THE DIFFERENCE
How good are your visual skills? At first glance, the pictures above probably appear the same, however
when you look a bit closer maybe you can spot some differences. Find all 12, list them and send to:
Newsletter Competition, Active Tree Services, Box 1332, Post Office, Mona Vale, NSW 2103
Or e-mail to activeupdate@activetreeservices.com.au
Entry is open to all ATS staff and Sub-contractors, plus their immediate family. There is a $100 K Mart
gift card for the winner who will be drawn from all correct entries received. Important— Please include
your name and address and a contact number. Entries close Friday 29 May 2009. One entry per
person please.
WINNER OF THE DECEMBER NEWSLETTERS’ ‘CAPTION CORNER’ COMPETITION WAS
Brett Lowe, who works for Active in the Kingston/Dandenong area of Victoria.
CONGRATULATIONS BRETT —THE K-MART $100 GIFT CARD IS ON ITS WAY.
MAR 2009 ISSUE NO. 74
ITALIAN MODEL TURNING HEADS
Here is an advanced look at the new Italian model EWP Multitel which has recently been purchased
from Italy and is now on its way to Victoria to assist with the clean up. ATS Chairman Mark Willcocks
told us that, “Aerial has the agency and with the continued emphasis by safety authorities on how a tree
should be accessed wherever possible in an EWP rather than climbing we are looking to get ahead of
the competition.”
The unit is build from aluminium which makes it 50% lighter than its steel counterpart. As a result it is
capable of being mounted on lighter vehicles. However, if it is mounted on an equivalent truck to that of
a steel unit, it has better height and outreach. The booms are made from trapezoidal cross section of
varying thickness giving good rigidity. The rotation angle of the second boom in relation to the main
boom is 300 degrees, providing greater versatility in relation to working locations.
The unit has proportional electro-hydraulic controls with speed control of all movements from the
working cage and at ground level. It also has a load sensing device on the cage with an overload
device. Also the multi-stage telescopic boom has a hydraulic extension. All cables and hoses are run
inside the booms. There are lock valves on every movement and the unit also possess an emergency
electro pump, stop signal in the event of an emergency and an engine stop/start facility in the cage. The
cage can be hydraulically extended to 3m and has a SWL of 200 Kg.
Active Update is produced quarterly for the information of all members of the Active Tree
Services team plus our sub-contractors and other key stakeholders. Contributions to the
newsletter including stories and pictures are welcome and should be sent to the Editor, Richard
Jeffery at
activeupdate@activetreeservices.com.au
or to; Box 1332, Post Office, Mona Vale, NSW2103
MAR 2009 ISSUE NO. 74
KEEPING IT IN THE FAMILY
Daryl Coombes commenced
working with ATS in February
2007. Having lived locally all his
life Daryl quickly became part of
the Active team and was
affectionately know as “Dad“ to
all the crews in the Port
Macquarie area. At the time,
little did they know how true this
would become?
Six months later Daryl was
enjoying life with Active Tree
Services so much he
L to r are Luke, Darryl and Grant with crew member Craig Hughes.
encouraged his son Luke to
sign on. Whilst it is not
uncommon amongst Active Tree Services to have father and sons working together, what actually
makes this unique is Daryl‟s other son Grant (Harry), also commenced with Active in June 08.
So on the Mid North Coast within a twelve month period they have gained not only Dad but also two
sons. Daryl and Harry on the ground line crew and Luke working as an EWP operator. The three are
very close living near each other and working together, although reports we get suggest that the usual
father and son badgering still goes on. It‟s great to see a family working together, as part of the larger
Active family.
FLYING HIGH AT ACTIVE
During March the Commercial Division in Sydney
carried out tree removals for Railcorp removing trees
from isolated rock cuttings over the rail line up the
Hawkesbury river north of Sydney. Access was by
boat and all the trees were removed from site by
helicopter.
Through the course of the weekend the crews
removed over 150 trees, the trees were lifted by
helicopter over the National Park to an old Quarry
where they were chipped generating over 200m3 of
mulch.
The crew consisted of more than ten climbers,
Groundstaff, Trucks and chippers, Boats, Barges and
most importantly, one Vietnam era Iroquois (Huey)
with an average lifting capacity of more than 1.2
tonnes. Works were completed safely and the client
was more than impressed.
MAR 2009 ISSUE NO. 74
UK ARRIVALS SETTLING IN WITH ACTIVE
In October 2007 Active
undertook a recruitment
campaign in the United
Kingdom to attract qualified
tree surgeons to come to
Australia to work for us.
Twelve months later, some of
the successful applicants
were on their way down
under. Here is the story of
two of those families, the
Raynes in Perth and the
Peplow’s in Coffs Harbour.
Andrew (Stumpy) Raynes, wife Catherine
and their children Tori and Taylor (above)
moved to Perth from Barnsley in England in
December 2008. In the UK, Stumpy is an
experienced Tree Surgeon and also was
successful in winning the Mr. Universe
competition on two occasions. He also
represented England in „The World‟s Strongest
Man‟ competition.
Stumpy tells us that they chose to move to WA
as they have friends and family there, and
whilst it has taken them some time to
acclimatize, the climate is great and the
beaches are some of the best in the world.
Spencer Peplow, wife Gabby and their
children Daisy and Charlie moved to Coffs
Harbour from Nottingham in England in
January 2009. In the UK, Spencer was a
qualified climber and Tree Surgeon. and was
also competing successfully on the UK Full
Contact Kick Boxing circuit. Another of
Spencer‟s claims to fame is that he has worked
on Robin Hood‟s famous Major Oak in
Sherwood Forest.
Spencer told us, “Active is a good company to
work for, promoting safe working procedures
where it is enjoyable to come to work and also
providing good training opportunities and
career prospects to those who wish to take
advantage of them, I hope I have a long and
prosperous career ahead of me here.”
Gabby added that all the family are “living the
dream” in Australia, and would like to thank
ATS for giving them the opportunity to come
and work in such a beautiful part of the world.
MAR 2009 ISSUE NO. 74
Stumpy tells us that he has had to stop or
change some of the work practices he learned
in the UK, and start doing things the WA way,
which is not always easy. “I have done some
training to attain the tickets I need to work over
here and despite spending the first couple of
months chipping up after the fire cut, I am now
in the tower almost full time.”
Catherine told Active Update that she is
currently looking into obtaining residency so
they can stay in Australia permanently. She
told us, “WA is a great place to bring up a
family."
FLYING THE FLAG IN NORTHERN TERRITORY
A new frontier for ATS is the
Northern
Territory,
with
the
commencement of our contract in
the Darwin Rural area. We had a
very small time period to meet the
first contract KPI for start up,
however a big effort by Rob Bland
and Julie Kitchin in Cairns to
resource the contract for vehicles,
tools etc. and the presentation of
the Job Management plan to the
client made for a successful start
up.
Greg McLennan, Queensland
General Manager, told us that “To
say the client was impressed with
the speed and efficiency is an L to R: Liam Palmer, Heta Ihaka (kneeling), Pat Payne, Luke
understatement, but an additional Robinson, James Palmer, James Scott
bonus was the client was very
impressed by the quality of our documentation and this included their safety department!”
The contract commenced on 2 March 2009 and the client had scheduled a major 66kV outage for
three days later to undertake some network maintenance. The vegetation officer for the Power & Water
Corporation thought it would be a good way to test our ability to respond. Staff that were appointed to
start on the Monday 2 March scoped the feeder in two days and the shutdown was undertaken on the
Thursday with the worst areas cleaned up to allow normal trimming techniques to be undertaken for
the remaining works on this radial 66kV line. A big effort by all involved.
BUILDING RESILIENCE
MAR 2009 ISSUE NO. 74