0447 BEx News_Winter 2012 FINAL.indd
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0447 BEx News_Winter 2012 FINAL.indd
From Max’s Desk Time for the mid-year newsletter and again it seems to be quite amazing just how quickly the time slips away. Although much has happened over the six months it is now fairly common knowledge that despite the slant our Prime Minister and her Treasurer put on the economy there is no avoiding the fact that the area in which we work has plenty of problems. I would hate to think where Australia as a whole would be without the mining industry. It is well documented that the retail, manufacturing and building industries are all suffering and as a consequence the transport industry is inevitably under a lot of pressure. You only have to think of the major trucking companies that have disappeared in the last couple of years to realise that those remaining have a real challenge on their hands to take their companies forward and in so doing ensure that all the stakeholders can feel positive about the future. You may well ask then what Border Express is doing? Most importantly the owners are remaining positive and continue to invest in our future. The focus has been on our most important ingredient, our people. At the top echelon we have been joined by an impressive array of new State Managers and Operations Managers. Recognising the importance of sales we are now being led in this area by Mostafa Kassaby, who in turn is building a talented support team. We look forward to big things from them in the months ahead. The introduction of new State Managers has led to a change in our operating format and I believe that this new look will play a critical role going forward. These managers will now be responsible for the profit performance of their own state and I would expect that there will be some spirited competition between them. They will be responsible for all of the activities in their branch including sales, training, operations and safety. Encouragingly, our Managing Director has just returned from a study course at one of the top management universities in the world, Harvard Business School in Boston, USA. After three intense weeks Grant believes that we are on the right track to prosper in the challenging times we face. No target can be achieved however without a 100% contribution from everyone. The company mission statement and our core values must not only be read but they must be lived. BE Real, BE Better, BE One, BE Proud, BE Brave. Be prepared to chat to your colleagues on safety issues. Be prepared to think about how much pressure you are putting on your work colleagues when you don’t turn up for work. Be proud of the company you work for and let others see it. Be aware of how much damage it does to us if we let our customers down through operational failures. There is no greater sin in our industry than promising something special and then failing to deliver. In those instances customers might forgive, but they certainly don’t forget. Without customers there is little joy! Make your state a stand out. Editor’s Update As Max mentioned in his article, I have recently returned from a three week stint at Harvard in the US. It was an extremely interesting three weeks as we covered off on a multitude of topics including strategy, innovation and leadership. On the flight home I had time to reflect on all the information we were given. There was plenty, and I assessed where I thought Border Express stood in relation to what I had learnt. In my humble opinion I thought we stood up pretty well, although there were still plenty of areas for us to work on. The good news is that it was all about keeping it simple. A strong and relevant vision, clearly defined priorities and above all else, constant and effective The key line in our vision is the first line, “To be recognised by our customers as an industry leader in service, delivery and value”. To my mind this says it all. It is all about the customer’s perception of our service levels, not the industry nor our views on how we perform. How does our customer perceive us? communication were areas viewed as vital to the health of an organisation. Whilst we have in some way, shape or form covered off on these key areas, without doubt we can be much better. The number one priority of the organisation at present is to achieve a DIFOT (Delivered In Full On Time) of 98%. By achieving this we will be well on our way to living our Vision tomers. and being valued by our customers. ole to Every single person has a role play. Continued on pagee 3.. 1 BORDER EXPRESS NEWS WINTER 2012 People and Culture WELL IT HAS BEEN AN INTERESTING START TO 2012. Did I say start? I still can’t believe we are half way through the year already! We kicked off the year holding the first Leadership Conference in February. 45 senior leaders across Border Express came together for the first time for a three day conference in Daylesford, which was followed by the State Managers and Sales conferences on the 4th day. The conference focused on the Twenty20 Strategic Plan and even though Max was unable to attend in person, thanks to modern technology and Max’s willingness to give it a go – Max gave the opening address via video. Max set the scene for the three days and was followed by a detailed look at the Strategic Plan with Grant outlining the reasons behind the changes we were making. One thing became very clear early in the first day, we may not be where we need to be at the moment, however there is a lot of working going into making sure Border Express remains on track to becoming an industry leader, now and into the future. Guest speaker Andrew Muir from the Good Guys presented to the group and certainly confirmed the importance of understanding your customers and the market you operate in. Andrew also left the group with some excellent advice… “the secret to happiness is deluded success” and “don’t be satisfied with a fair share of the market, demand an unfair share!”. Excellent advice and I am sure that the work being done in the background will place us in a position to grab that unfair share. Who said Hawaiian shirts are unique? Apparently one size fits all… Bill Canty and Anthony Hart. I present the Border Express Senior Management Team. The afternoon of the conference was spent with each of the Pillar leaders, gaining an insight in to each of their areas. On days two and three all leaders attended the pilot for Stage 1 of the BE a Leader program. Learning Dimensions facilitated the workshops which focused on the importance of a Safety Culture, how to manage and change behaviour and provided practical skills on having conversations that matter. After such a massive day of learning, the group relaxed in the evening by attending a Hawaiian themed dinner, followed by a game of bingo, a few presentations and fun with table tennis! So nice and relaxed from the previous evening, the leaders lined up again on day three which focused on understanding why people make unsafe choices, how to build a safety culture and some exercises on action planning. The feedback from Stage 1 of the BE a Leader program was fantastic with many participants providing outstanding commentary on the content and delivery of the program. Most participants were particularly impressed with the practical skills and tools delivered during the two days and looked forward to implementing them in their day-to-day management practices. The pilot for the next stage of the program is scheduled to be delivered in July, with Stage 1 to be delivered to managers and supervisors within the branches from September. I look forward to seeing the development in our people as they undertake this valuable learning journey. In other news, we have welcomed Mark Haley into the role of Learning Development Manager. Mark will be undergoing accreditation so that he can facilitate the ’BE a Leader’ program during July and will then move into facilitating the roll out of the program across the country. Aside from his work in the Innovation team, Mark has extensive experience in facilitation, developing and delivering The conference provided the opportunity to recognise the long term services of Rod Coelli and Dale McBean. Rod joined the company right back at day one in the Albury branch, Dale as a 16 year old in the Melbourne branch. Both have made significant contributions to the company over 30 years and we are greatly in their debt. Left to Right: Jon Luff, Geoff Luff, Rod Coelli, Dale McBean, Grant Luff and Mark Luff. 2 BORDER EXPRESS NEWS WINTER 2012 Training Department WELL WHAT AN EXCITING START TO THE YEAR! A LOT HAS CHANGED SINCE OUR LAST NEWSLETTER. HERE’S A SNAPSHOT OF SOME OF THE CHANGES: The Training Department now sits under the People and Culture Pillar of the business and sees the Trainers reporting directly to the State Managers. This shift was crucial to aligning with the rest of the business and strategies moving forward. Warming up for the Hawaiian night! Left to Right: Mick Clifford (WA State Manager), Dean Penrose (Qld Sales Manager), Jon Luff (Director), Anthony Hart (NSW Operations Manager) and Jim Hastas (Albury Branch Manager). learning development programs, change management and supporting and mentoring up and coming leaders. I look forward to working closely with Mark on this exciting journey. And we didn’t stop there! We also welcomed Gavin Rowell and Tim Farrant into the People & Culture team, which I’m sure as the only male team member, Mark Haley, was pleased about! Gavin has extensive experience in technical training and is very knowledgeable with the Compliance requirements of training. The thing that might not be so well known about Gavin is that he also has a passion for recruitment, mentoring and providing career paths in Transport – jackpot! We have created a Training page on the new company intranet (BExNet). This page is very informative and contains the Training Policy, procedures, forms and templates. We have also created online forms to make requesting things from and for the department a lot faster and easier. We are now using the training module on Empower (our HR System) to record and capture all of the training that occurs throughout our branches. This means that in the future all employees will be able to view their training record. This will also allow us to keep track of whose licences, qualifications and skills need to be updated more easily. I must thank Tim Farrant, Ali Hutchinson and Jess Molony for their dedication and commitment in making this happen. Since January this year we have seen 32 employees successfully complete their traineeships, signed 33 new employees into a program and had 144 employees undertaking training. The department has also seen some new faces enter the team and some old ones go. We would like to welcome new Trainers to the team; Heath Shanahan for Albury, Andrew Williams for Adelaide and Adam Parsons for Derrimut. On the flip side we said a sad farewell to Craig Mannix from Clayton, Jason Atteridge (promoted to Albury Outbound Manager) from Albury, Adrian Willis from Adelaide and Dave Moore from Brisbane. We thank them for all of their contributions over their time with us. I would also like to take this time to thank all of the Managers and employees who have offered suggestions on how we can improve the training that is delivered at Border Express, and we welcome all new ideas and feedback. Gavin Rowell Manager – Training Editor’s Update Continued from page 1. In time, Gavin will link into other areas of the People and Culture team to assist with developing an on-boarding program to complement our recruitment and induction processes, buddy and mentoring programs, career paths and succession plans as well as take on a coaching role to learners in the BE a Leader program to assist them in applying the skills and tools to their day-today management style. And all of this would not be possible without Tim! Tim’s role will remain unchanged, however working with Gavin and being part of the People & Culture team, Tim will have access to opportunities within other areas of the team as well as having access to support in times of excessive workloads and leave. I am very excited by the changes in the People & Culture team and look forward to working with each of the team to ensure our people really are our number one asset. Neisha Webster National Manager – People & Culture Achieving our vision will not be easy. We have invested heavily in developing a Frontline Management Program for our leaders. We have made a massive commitment to this objective, partnering up with the outstanding learning organisation, Learning Dimensions and promoting Mark Haley to the critical role of rolling the program out. I believe this is a first for our industry and falls in line with the core value, BE Better. The senior management team has already begun their training, the next level of managers will commence early in the new financial year. Another area that was driven home during my course was the need to ensure you have an ‘A’ grade team in place. Developing a successful, high performing organisation is extremely difficult, so if you don’t have the right people in place you have no chance of succeeding in the long term. Again we are well down the path of ensuring we have an ‘A’ grade team with new State Managers, new Operations Managers and a number of well credentialed people in the sales team. These new ‘recruits’ alone will not make a significant difference, but by everyone working hard on the new or improved ‘game plan’ we will together move mountains. Border Express is in the unique position of being a family owned and operated organisation that can focus on service rather than revenue. We have managed to weather the storm that has claimed 1st Fleet, Viking Transport, Concord Park, Mannway and Rutley’s Transport, just to name a few. Whilst our waters haven’t been smooth by any stretch, the industry as a whole has faced some exceedingly difficult times. We are really well placed to grow and prosper even in these difficult times. It won’t be easy, but it will be exciting and I’m looking forward to meeting the challenges that the next 12 months will throw up. Please understand, we will achieve our goals only if you are prepared ork to play a team game, to work mit with your managers, to commit ve to the Core Values and to strive to reach our Vision. Grant Luff ufff 3 BORDER EXPRESS NEWS WINTER 2012 Express Division There has been continuing change in all areas of the Express business over the past six months. This will continue as we adjust to the uncertain economic times which we are operating in. There is a quote on my wall that says “Don’t wish it was easier, wish that you were tougher”. Whilst personally I would be a little bit happier if it was easier. It’s not, so we need to manage to the times. There has been a turnover of some key staff as we identify those people that are capable of taking the business forward. Whilst some old faces have moved on it is pleasing to see some of our own people The move of Adam Parsons, Andy Williams and Heath Shanahan into the roles of Workplace Trainers is a key initiative in developing Border Express people. moving into more senior positions – Richard Speck (State Manager – SA/NT), Sharon Furey (Inbound Manager – Sydney) and Anthony Hart (Operations Manager – Sydney). The introduction of new team members, at all levels, has injected a new energy into the Express business. Whilst we are spread out across the entire country we need to all work together as a team, service the hell out of our customers and look to improve in our area of the business every single day. It’s a tough operating environment. Let’s not complain about it, let’s get out there and be prepared to do our bit to meet the challenges head on. Mark Luff TECHNOLOGY Scams target you – protect yourself! How Scams work? Beware of carbon price scams Phone Calls Scams target people of all backgrounds, ages and income levels across Australia. There is no one group of people who are more likely to become a victim of a scam. If you think you are ‘too clever’ to fall for a scam, you may take risks that scammers can take advantage of. SCAMwatch is warning consumers and businesses to be on the lookout for carbon price scams, particularly calls asking for personal information in order to receive compensation. ✓ Be suspicious of unexpected calls and text messages. SCAMwatch • How to recognise, avoid & report scams SCAMwatch is a website run by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). SCAMwatch provides information to consumers and small businesses about how to recognise, avoid and report scams. Many scams originate overseas or take place over the internet, making them very difficult to track down and prosecute. If you lose money to a scam, it is unlikely that you will be able to recover your loss. The ACCC publishes this website to help consumers recognise and prevent scams. The ACCC’s role extends beyond preventing scams. Their role also includes other areas of consumer protection, infrastructure regulation, cartels and other forms of anticompetitive conduct. See the link below for more information on the ACCC. The ACCC also works with State and Territory fair trading agencies and other government agencies to promote awareness in the community about scams. In 2005 the ACCC and these other agencies formed the Australasian Consumer Fraud Taskforce (AC (ACFT) to coordinate this wo For more information work. ab about the ACFT, please re to the link below. refer Carbon price scams may come in a number of forms, targeting consumers and businesses: • • Beware of phone calls seeking your personal banking details to pay carbon tax compensation into your bank account. These are likely to be scam calls; Scammers may set up fake websites which look very similar to official Australian Government websites. The sites may ask you to enter your personal or financial details, or offer to sell you fake carbon credits; and Scammers may also make telephone calls posing as government officers, asking for your personal information (such as banking details or identification numbers) in order to claim household assistance from the government. Protect yourself! You can protect yourself by following the steps below: ✓ Hang up. Or text ‘STOP’ to unwanted messages. ✓ Don’t give out your number to just anyone. Computer ✓ Keep your protection software up to date. ✓ Do not respond in any way to unsolicited emails. ✓ If in doubt, delete. Identity ✓ Never give out your personal information to someone you don’t know or trust. ✓ Don’t just bin it—destroy it (old bills, records or expired cards). ✓ Check your credit report at least once a year. Remember the golden rule: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is! Source: Protect your Money ✓ Never respond to an email asking you for your PINs or passwords. 1. http://www.scamwatch.gov.au/content/item.pht ml?itemId=706647&nodeId=c682979875c8efb4399 9f48764c68da1&fn=Scams%20target%20you:%20 Protect%20yourself.pdf ✓ Never send money to someone you don’t know or trust. 2. http://www.scamwatch.gov.au/content/index. phtml/itemId/693900 ✓ Only invest with licensed financial service providers. 3. http://www.police.act.gov.au/crime-and-safety/ community-partners/scamwatch.aspx 4 BORDER EXPRESS NEWS WINTER 2012 What’s On for our Technology Team 1 Our Service Desk team have been working vi. Minimise the risk and proliferation of data and inaccurate information; on the national update of the horizon version for PDA’s. They are also testing implementation of the new ‘very cool’ VOIP phones, reviewing the auto-import data quality and helping to move staff from our Clayton Branch to our Derrimut Branch. vii. Simplify work instructions by way of a central location while utilising the robustness of a content management solution (searches, index, alerts when changes made to relevant information or documents); 2 The Infrastructure Team has been working really hard to improve our power consumption. They have managed to reduce the power consumption by 10%! i. Reduce the number of redundant copies of the same document; ii. Provide document version control; 3 Our Development Team is working to improve Gateway and have started the Barcoding project! 4 We have successfully launched the new Intranet BExNet in Albury and we are looking at launching this to all branches by the 1st of July. How exciting is that? The new Intranet will provide the following results: iii. Provide document workflow for review and approval of documents; iv. Team collaboration on projects; v. Improve business communication between departments; viii. Allow departmental staff to maintain their own published content and allow them use of an integrated, industry-standard set of tools to reduce training needs. With this new look, we hope to improve our intranet by making it more organised and easy to use. This is just the start of exciting things to come regarding our BExNet — we hope everyone likes the changes! Jeff Quinn and the Technology Team BE Logistics Training gets out there and goes social SINCE THE LAST NEWSLETTER THE RTO HAS PUT A NUMBER OF IRONS IN THE DIGITAL FIRE, THAT’S NOT TO SAY THAT WE’VE BROKEN THE SCREENS ON OUR IPADS. Since the last newsletter the RTO has put a number of irons in the digital fire, that’s not to say that we’ve broken the screens on our iPads. We have set ourselves up on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter to promote the services we offer in an alternative effort to connect with the individuals and organisations out there in the big wide world. Some of the new online content we have set up includes two great self-assessments; one focusing on Dangerous Goods knowledge, and the other focusing on Fatigue Management knowledge. These are two key areas of interest in the transport industry and these can be accessed by anyone to try out their knowledge. Follow us on Twitter for the links. Aside from the circulation of content and news through these three social networking websites we have also been posting on our blog, sharing all the good things from the world of Transport and Training. This has helped us improve our rankings in the search engines and we are attracting attention in a number of sectors, not just within the Transport Industry. Speaking of attracting attention, The RTO recently hosted a booth at the 2012 ATA Conference held at Rosehill Gardens (Sydney). The enquiries we received were not limited to the Transport and Logistics sector. A number or representatives from the mining sector Matthew Carpenter and Craig Olsson at the ATA Conference in Sydney. popped in to see who we are and what we are up to, as well as a number of different government departments. Representing BE Logistics Training at the conference was Matthew Carpenter, and representing Border Express were Craig Olsson and Leonie Dye. Both Craig and Leonie jumped right in and were pulling for the RTO during these days – Thanks guys! The lead-up to the conference saw a lot of effort put in to developing various resources and promotional materials. Both Julie Manns and Jessica Dempsey played a part in helping this come together. This hard work in promoting brand awareness is something that we expect will return results for the RTO as we continue to promote and sell our services through a number of more traditional strategies in the near future. The ATA Conference delivered a number of sessions on issues facing the industry, typically centring on economics, health and safety, compliance and enforcement with recurring themes including; the GFC, Carbon Tax, Fatigue Management and Chain of Responsibility. Don Osterberg from Schneider National gave an insight into what his organisation is doing from a training perspective. Interestingly, the types of initiatives they have in place are very similar to those we have been focusing on over the past few years. During the Conference BE Logistics Training held a competition where a $2,500 training course was up for grabs. Hentschke Transport of Loxton (South Australia) were the lucky winners with Dennis Hentschke’s card being drawn from among the many entrants. Hentschke Transport have the choice of receiving one of the following courses for their staff: Load Restraint, Fatigue Management or Dangerous Goods Awareness. You can find out more about what we are doing and keep up with the latest by connecting with us online. The links to our social media sites can be found on our website at www.belogisticstraining.com.au Matthew Carpenter 5 BORDER EXPRESS NEWS WINTER 2012 Linehaul TECHNOLOGY Have you heard about Snopes.com? There have been some significant changes in Linehaul in recent times with Greg Harding (Jack) in Sydney and Craig Miller (Melbourne) assuming increased responsibility, while Shane Sternberg is now responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Linehaul division. Craig Olsson is proactive in talking to the relevant authorities about our compliance issues. As we know, there has been considerable press coverage around speeding vehicles. Border Express has a simple policy: you must comply with the law. We have been very focused on improving our departure times as well as monitoring transit times. For the organising to reach its goal of 98% of freight being Delivered In Full On Time (DIFOT) then Linehaul units must reach their destination in a timely manner. Craig and I have been travelling to Sydney and Melbourne to talk to the company drivers and operators about the expectations of Border Express going forward. It is critical that all people who work for the company, whether employees or sub-contractors, are aware of our Vision and what is expected of them. We have a similar trip planned shortly for Craig and I to go to Sydney and Brisbane. Tow Operators are an extremely important part of our business and it is interesting to reflect on the number of long term operators we have in our business. The longest serving are out of Albury due to that part of our business operating longer. Gary Byrne and David Schuppan lead the way with Gary clocking up 26 years in April, and David who will reach the same milestone in September. Wayne Hatton recorded 21 years in February, Bluey Burns will have 18 years in August. Magregor Shobbrook started as a casual driver 23 years ago and has been an operator for 18 years, while Graeme Richardson and Dave Sinclair have been operators since 1995 after both started out as company drivers. We are a better Company due to the commitment and professionalism of these people. The Sydney based operators have formed a committee to discuss issues and to give the company feedback, something that we welcome. If you would like any further information, please call Byrand Nitto on 0432 692 762. Geoff Luff Snopes also known as the Urban Legends Reference Pages is a website that is the best-known resource for validating and debunking urban legends, Internet rumours, email forwards, and other such stories of uncertain or questionable origin in American popular culture. Snopes is run by Barbara and David Mikkelson, a Californian couple who met on the alt.folklore.urban newsgroup. The Mikkelsons also founded the San Fernando Valley Folklore Society, and were credited as the owners of the site until 2005. The site is organised according to topic and includes a message board where stories and pictures of questionable veracity may be posted. Should we believe in everything that Snopes says? We’ll always find more than one source for any information on the internet; never rely on a single source. Get to know who you can trust. Remember that blogs are someone’s opinion and can be information out of context, not necessarily facts. ;-) Source: www.snopes.com Positive Publicity IN MARCH WE HAD THE UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO BE PART OF THE TODAY TONIGHT SHOW, A 30 MINUTE CURRENT AFFAIRS PROGRAM PRODUCED BY THE SEVEN NETWORK. The focus of the program was around organisations who were employing people, in response to the high profile redundancies that had recently taken place, particularly Toyota. The team at Derrimut was more than happy to accommodate the wishes of the film crew. The show created widespread Today Tonight at Derrimut branch. 6 BORDER EXPRESS NEWS WINTER 2012 interest in Border Express with over 450 phone calls being received over the next few days by people looking for work. A number of people were employed through the documentary. Good for us and good for them. Innovation Congratulations SINCE THE LAST NEWSLETTER, THE BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT TEAM HAS UNDERGONE A NAME CHANGE TO BECOME THE INNOVATION TEAM. Max and the family would like to congratulate the following employees on their service to Border Express: This has been done as part of the overall company change to align with the Pillar Structure which was developed as part of our Strategic Plan, Twenty20. Not only has the name changed, but also some of the team. Mike Hall, who was our Project Delivery Manager, has rejoined the Sydney Branch in a similar support role that he held before becoming a member of our team. Mike contributed much from his vast experience to the team during his time with us, and has provided us with some great foundations to better manage our projects. Mike’s wit, wisdom and wonderful stories have been missed. Good luck back on your home turf of Sydney, Mike. Another one to leave the fold has been Mark Haley. Hales has moved on to join our People & Culture Team as the Learning and Development Manager. Developing real strength in the leadership team across our company will be critical in meeting our Vision of being recognised by our customers as the industry leader in service, delivery and value. Like Mike, Hales moves on with my full support and special thanks for all of his efforts during his time in the team. Hales achieved outstanding results in a range of areas across the company including facilitation and coordination of Project Blowtorch (now the Operations Daily Dashboard), strategic planning, the development and implementation of our Values and most of the initial groundwork for the BE A Leader program, to name but a few of the initiatives he has been instrumental in. It’s always great to hear of colleagues who seize an opportunity, so it's not with regret CATCH A CROOK If you see something suspicious going on, don’t hesitate! Pick up the phone and call the Border Express crime hotline on 1800 149 429 It’s completely anonymous and it is helping to secure the future of our employees and the business. RS SERVI YEA $250 CE Keith Athanasiou Gary Baker Robert Barrett Glenn Button Henley Flynn or sadness, but with a smile and pride that I say Good Luck to both of you and I am sure you will continue to challenge and improve our thinking. Raymond Clausen Charles O'Carroll Lynne Prosser Meanwhile, the team has been continuing to offer as much implementation support as possible to a range of great improvement initiatives from across the company. Our Quality Assurance / DIFOT improvement program continues to go from strength to strength with significant gains in our service level being achieved. Well done to all in the branches who have put in the work to make this happen and to Rachel McFarland from our team, with the support of our talented Technology Team, who has jointly developed the improved measures and reports. The other key project that is keeping the team busy is supporting our Clayton and Derrimut branches with the development of our new Tullamarine site. This is a fantastic opportunity for us to bring our Melbourne teams together in to one location and is sure to bring some great opportunities to improve not only where we work, but how we work as well. This new facility is a significant investment for the company and is a strong commitment to our future. The site will have a 16,000 square metre freight shed with adjoining double story office block. Also on site will be a five bay workshop, driver quarters, refuelling points, loading docks and a weighbridge. Pretty soon we will start turning the plans into steel and concrete. Exciting times ahead. Mark Chaston and the Innovation Team RS SERVI YEA $500 CE Robert Peach RS SERVI YEA $1500 CE Nigel Bahr Harry Biddell Graeme Hartney Percy Michaud ALSO – A very special mention for Rod Coelli and Dale McBean who reached 30 years of service in February 2012. 7 BORDER EXPRESS NEWS WINTER 2012 TECHNOLOGY LinkedIn passwords leaked by hackers Social networking website LinkedIn has said that some of its member’s passwords have been ‘compromised’ after reports that more than six million passwords had been leaked onto the internet. Hackers posted a file containing encrypted passwords onto a Russian web forum. They have invited the hacking community to help with decryption. LinkedIn, which has more than 150 million users, said the leaked passwords would no longer be valid. Members would receive an email with instructions on how to reset them, the company said. It added that users would then receive a second email with further details about why the change was necessary. National Process Department NHVR The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator is well on the road to being operational by 2013. While the NHVR office will be based in Queensland, it will provide services through each existing state or territory road or transport authority. For example, if you are an owner or operator in the Northern Territory, you can still go to your local office and deal with the same people you deal with today. The NHVR will also be responsible for ensuring consistency in operational policies and the services it provides, including compliance and enforcement. The NHVR aims to achieve: • Efficiency: a common set of laws for heavy vehicles for all states and territories. • Safety: a national safety monitoring and reporting system dedicated to heavy vehicles. • Productivity: ability to provide quick responses to changing industry trends and needs. • Services: a single point of contact for all Privacy concern The news comes as LinkedIn was forced to update its mobile application after a privacy flaw was uncovered by security researchers. heavy vehicle regulation in Australia. • What to do Security experts have advised users to change their passwords on LinkedIn. Here’s how: 1. Visit www.linkedin.com, and log-in with your details 2. Once logged-in, hover over your name in the top right-hand corner of the screen, and select ‘Settings’ from the menu 3. You may be asked to log-in again at this point 4. On the next screen, click the ‘Account’ button which is near the bottom of the page 5. Under the ‘Email & Password’ heading, you will find a link to change your password If you use the same password on other sites, be sure to change those too. • Independence: the NHVR will be an independent corporation established under statutory authority. Compliance and Enforcement: a unified strategy and approach. • • Registration: based on a national plate. Transparency and Accountability: with review for key decision making. What is the objective of the NHVR? To reduce the compliance burden for business, improve Australia’s international competitiveness, improve productivity and safety and make it easier for business to operate across state and territory borders. It is important to note that each jurisdiction will retain its responsibility for determining access approval. Current access variations implemented through permit arrangements will continue to apply and jurisdictions will retain capacity to make these arrangements with the NHVR to meet. How will the NHVR laws work? A single set of agreed laws will be passed in the host jurisdiction which is Queensland. Each of the other jurisdictions will then pass an Enabling Act which applies the Queensland law locally. In partnership with the NHVR Project Office the National Transport Commission (NTC) is undertaking the task of developing the draft NHVR laws. What will the new law cover? The national law will cover many of the same issues as existing laws (for example registration, mass and loading, fatigue management, as well as compliance and enforcement). Heavy vehicle licensing laws will not form part of the proposed NHVR laws which are to be effective from 1 January 2013. Licensing laws will remain under the administration of jurisdictions. COAG has announced that there will be a single physical heavy vehicle licence and jurisdictions are working together in this regard. Also, uniform licensing competencies are being implemented but neither of these tasks are within the immediate scope of the NHVR project. What will the NHVR mean for heavy vehicle operators? Ultimately, it is intended that the national regulator will enable owners and operators to conduct heavy vehicle business with government from one place. This could mean, for example, that registration could be renewed in any office and queries for permits for access coordinated through a single point of contact. For further information regarding the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator, please contact the Process Department. Craig Olsson / Leonie Dye SSourc Source: ww www.bbc.co.uk/news/ te technology-18338956 8 BORDER EXPRESS NEWS WINTER 2012 Safety & Wellbeing Do you know our Safety responsibilities for A Change of name Previously known as the ‘Employee Welfare Department’, we have had a name change to Safety & Wellbeing to align with the Pillars of the organisation’s Twenty20 Strategic Plan. There will be some title changes for the team but our goal remains the same, to: Promote and support the safety and wellbeing of everyone at Border Express by delivering great Safety, Injury Management and Claims systems to achieve zerO Harm. Annual Audit Results Audits are undertaken each year by qualified external consultants to examine the effectiveness of our Safety, Claims and Rehabilitation Management Systems against the Comcare audit criterion. Well done to Canberra, Clayton and Perth for their preparation and presentation for the Safety Audits in February this year. The auditor reported that despite the fact that 18 Non Conformances were noted, the overall findings demonstrate that Border Express has a sound WHS Management System in place. We again achieved fantastic results for our Claims Management system, and Rehabilitation Management system. There was also a Data Quality Audit undertaken by Comcare to assess accuracy of data submitted against our files: Systems Audited No. Criteria Non Audited Conformances Prevention (OHS) 112 Claims Management 44 1 Rehabilitation Management 32 0 Data Quality 349 12% error rate Service Contractors? Border Express has many requirements for work, some of which we don’t have the expertise to do in-house. This might be electrical or plumbing work, or even office based duties and cleaning. When we identify the need for this work to be done, we usually engage service contractors to perform the tasks. Under the new WHS Act, Border Express has a duty to ensure the health and safety of all workers and to consult, co-operate and co-ordinate activities with all other persons who have a duty in the same activity. Service contractors now fall under the definition of ’Workers'. Safety Procedure 9 explains what to do when engaging Service Contractors. Before the Service Contractor arrives we must: 1 Have a written agreement what the job entails (contract). This means that before you engage any person to conduct work, you have a good understanding of what it is you want them to do. 2 Ask the Service Contractor to complete the necessary paperwork. In this case, it is Safety Form 9.1 – Contractor Evaluation Form. This form advises the contractor what the job entails and asks them for proof that they are capable of doing the work safely. It also ensures the Service Contractor is suitably insured. 3 When the 9.1 is completed, check it against the job requirements and ensure that you are satisfied with the answers. This must include any Safe Work Method Statements that are required. When all the paperwork is complete, the Service Contractor can have their details added to the Branch Registered Contractors list. When the Service Contractor arrives on site: 4 Induct them to the site. 5 Work out a schedule for monitoring. This means that all Service Contractors need to have the work they conduct for us to be monitored, to make sure they are working safely and not putting themselves or others at risk. This is recorded on Safety Form 9.5. When the Service Contractor finishes: 6 Sign off when the work is complete. If you have any questions or concerns please contact the Safety Department on extension 6048 or 6036. Mal Waters 18 A great outcome for Our focus is to BE Better with our results next year by implementing corrective actions for the Non Conformances. Cheryl Miller Incident Corrective Actions & Safety @ BEx In February this year, Senior Management attended the BE a Leader Program and conference where the focus was on Safety Leadership. The Safety Department reported on the need for improvement in implementing and closing of corrective actions from incidents to prevent them from happening again. Since the conference there has been a massive shift in the way that our Branches are closing out their incident reports. We have now closed 62 of the 68 outstanding corrective actions from the period from 1st of January 2011 to the 29th of February 2012. BIG congratulations to the Branches for their fantastic efforts. Keep up the good work! BORDER EXPRESS NEWS WINTER 2012 9 Dragon Boat Racing Albury Border Express team, winners of a community Dragon Boat Racing event held in February 2012, put on by the Brave Hearts to raise money for women with breast cancer. This was our first entry and did not really think we were a chance but… We kept on winning… After four races we took out the title. Very exciting for all. We had fun while raising money for a great charity. GO team! We will have to contend our title next year. Border Express Dragon Boat Racing Team – The team in action! Wellness with Wendy Keep the flu off you! Winter brings a lot of nasty bugs, with one of the most common being influenza – or ’the flu’. Influenza is highly contagious and generally occurs each year from May to September. The flu is a very common viral illness that is very easily spread from person to person. The infection affects the nose, throat, bronchi (the two pipes at the end of the trachea that enter the lungs) and, occasionally, the lungs. Flu is not the same as the common cold. Flu is caused by a completely different virus (the influenza viruses A and B), and the symptoms are more severe and tend to last longer than a cold. • Border Express provides flu shots for employees annually as a way to prevent you getting the flu. Not everyone takes up this offer; however you can do something to prevent the flu by following some simple tips. • • • Wash your hands regularly throughout the day with soap and water, and immediately after catching public transport or sneezing. If soap is not available, use an alcohol based hand rub. A good idea is to carry some in your bag or in your truck. Do not share cups, drinks and utensils or food with colleagues or family. Sleep well to boost the functioning of your immune system. Exercise daily as research found that regular exercisers have fewer sick days than those who don’t exercise. Border Express 10 Week Healthy Eating Challenge The Australian Dieticians Association offered a 10 week healthy eating challenge and Border Express had 48 participants nationally. Safety and Wellbeing (formerly Employee Welfare) sent motivational tips and information about weight loss from various sources in a group email to encourage participants along the way and also recorded weekly weigh-ins. The main goal for most participants was to lose weight, however some were just trying to maintain a healthy weight. Participants were encouraged to share their successes wi with others via the 10 we week challenge email. Our 10 week healthy Eating Challenge finished with the final loss being 108 kilograms nationally. The winner was Lisa Fullagar from Sydney who lost 11 kilograms. Well done to all participants!! Look out for another challenge that will be run next year, this is something we can all participate in if you would like to maintain a healthy weight. I would like to encourage some of our truck drivers and forklift drivers next year. If you are interested please contact Wendy on 02 6022 6016. “Unless you’re willing to have a go, fail miserably, and have another go, success won’t happen.” 10 BORDER EXPRESS NEWS WINTER 2012 Lisa holding part of her prize. Matt Hamilton, Albury winner. Global Corporate Challenge We have three teams registered in the Global Corporate Challenge (GCC) which commenced on 24th May 2012. We have one Victorian team; one mixed state team and one Albury corporate services team. Again they will attempt to increase their average steps taken to be more active and improve health and well being. The GCC goes for 16 weeks so keep on stepping guys and girls …enjoy the challenge. The Teams are an inspiration to start walking with our work mates. Global Corporate Challenge – Albury Team. Left to right: Mark Haley, Cath Lethbridge, Breannan Boyd, Megan Keith, Noel Shepherd, Angela Elvidge and Belinda Neville. Beef and Broccolini Stir Fry SERVES 4 Safety Reward & Recognition Ingredients There are many people around the country who contribute safety ideas and work safely on a daily basis. A Safety Reward and Recognition Program is being developed to acknowledge our appreciation of those who think safe, act safe and work safe. ¼ cup soy sauce 400 grams fresh egg noodles If you have any safety suggestions or observe good safety behaviour in your Branch tell us about it. 1 tablespoon grated ginger 2 tablespoons rice vinegar 1 bunch broccolini, ends trimmed 10 14 3 8 1 tablespoon sesame oil 400 grams lean beef mince 13 4 spring onions, sliced on an angle, plus extra to garnish 5 2 2 tablespoons tomato sauce 2 garlic cloves, crushed 11 How much do you know about safety within your workplace? ¼ cup oyster sauce 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, to sprinkle Method 12 6 4 1 Soak the noodles in a bowl of boiling water for 4 minutes to soften. Break noodles apart with a fork. Drain well. 9 2 Mix the sauces in a bowl with the garlic, ginger and vinegar. 7 1 Down 3. Hazardous Substances and _______ Goods 5. What you do to your mouth when you sneeze or cough 7. What you do if you have a safety question 9. What is the acronym for Loading Unloading Exclusion Zones 11. A person who picks on somebody else 13. ________ gear is what is provided to protect you from danger 14. These are used when moving gates and curtains Across 1. What you do when your hands are dirty 2. What Wendy gave out for the Global Corporate Challenge 4. Will cause a dangerous shock if mixed with electricity 6. Site Safety ______ are given at your induction 8. What must be worn over your eyes while cleaning up a chemical spill 10. You can get _____ if you don’t follow the SWP’s 12. The Safety Bulletin this month was on Access Egress of _______ 3 Cook broccolini in boiling salted water for 2–3 minutes until bright green and still slightly crisp. Drain and set aside. 4 Heat oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Add mince and stir-fry for 2–3 minutes until browned and cooked. 5 Add noodles, sauce mixture, broccolini and spring onions to work. Stir-fry for 1 minute to heat through. 6 Serve sprinkled with sesame seeds and extra spring onion. Mieke Van Zetten 11 BORDER EXPRESS NEWS WINTER 2012 In the branches Albury The main focus over the past few months has been our DIFOT and what we need to do to consistently achieve 98%. There are a few areas still in need of improvement but we are in no doubt that the Albury operations team is on track and will achieve the target very soon on a daily basis. We welcome new faces in Andrew Toohey, Tim Larkins and Luke Bean who have joined the Albury team as local rigid drivers. Duncan Whitmore has commenced as an apprentice in the workshop to assist Jason and the team and by all reports is doing very well. One of our long serving local drivers in Heath Shanahan has transferred to the Training department as the WTA. Congratulations to Heath on his new appointment. It is always pleasing to see an important position being filled internally and Heath brings a lot of enthusiasm to the role. With his previous knowledge of the Border Express Values I am sure he will be an asset to the Albury Operations team. Albury enjoying their annual Christmas car park lunch with Max holding court. Congratulations to a former employee, David Kreutzberger and his partner Kirsty Thompson (daughter of Gary) who have become proud parents of a baby girl. Sadly Carol Porter leaves us at the end of June for the medical industry. Carol has been great in her role as supervisor of the Accounts Payable team and while we sincerely wish her the best in her new role, we thank her for her contribution over the last 11 years. The place won’t be the same without her trying to keep us all in order! Geoff Luff / Jim Hastas Derrimut It has been a very busy time over the last six months, with the winds of change sweeping through the Victorian branches. There has been a significant variation in the Melbourne structure with the announcement in February regarding the move to a combined facility in Tullamarine. This will lead to a massive improvement in efficiency, cost and DIFOT. The company understands that we will lose a number of dedicated and loyal people due to the increased travel commitments which is a very unfortunate fallout of the decision. I would like to take the opportunity to thank those who cannot make the move for all of their efforts and we wish them well in their future ventures. It will certainly be a sad day when they leave the premises for the last time. Conversely, I would like to thank those who are making the move, we are very pleased that you are, and we look forward to the exciting times ahead as we consolidate the two branches. Barry Macnee has escaped the Melbourne Winter and relocated back to Queensland as State Manager. We welcome Ahmed Abeid as the new Victorian State Manager who joins us with plenty of enthusiasm and experience. We look forward to him taking us to the lofty heights of number one branch in the country! We have a number of new faces in Melbourne with Mostafa Kassaby taking on the role of Director – Sales and Marketing, Nick Aidinis and Rachel Galea joining as new Account Managers. Congratulations to Donna Harker who moves into a new role in Rob Armenia’s Accounts Receivable team. Dale McBean Darwin What a change in the weather from the last newsletter. We have gone from the wet to the dry. For those who don’t know, perfect days followed by perfect balmy nights and the most beautiful sunset in Australia. Darwin has seen a few changes in staff, and we welcome Kylee Robertson to the team in the role of administration. Kylee brings a vibrant sense of ‘can do’ and has slotted into the role perfectly. Adelaide has been handed the reins to assist the Darwin branch and a huge thank you needs to go to the Brisbane team for assisting Darwin. Flood F Floods through the Katherine reg region saw the rail network co collapse and the use of road was required. Road services have continued out of Adelaide and the unload process is a dream versus the rail load jigsaw puzzle. The branch currently resembles a Chep facility with over 40,000 pallets on site. The team has done a tremendous job with cleaning and sorting every pallet. 12 BORDER EXPRESS NEWS WINTER 2012 The fish are biting, the sun is shining and the cans are cold, Darwin is the place to be during the Dry. The Wet’s not too bad if you like humidity as it’s still warm. I reckon Dale McBean and his blue stubbies would fit perfect. Richard Speck / Scott Bradley Sydney Recently we welcomed two new members into the Border Express family who were both born on the 28th May. Darrien and Michael Middleton are the proud parents of a new baby daughter; Piper Louise, and Alicia Jeffrey and Robert Bruinink are the proud parents of son;; Boudewijn Anthony. From everyone in Sydney,, we wish you all our heart-felt congratulations. There have been many changes in the Sydney Branch, and even more positive improvements which all bode well for the future. Anthony Hart has been promoted to Operations Manager and Sharon Furey is the new Inbound Manager. Already we have seen an impact on our performance. With a focus on the PM shift, Anthony and his team have lifted the standard for our On-Time Linehaul departures,, Compliance and Safety, whilst Sharon and her team have been the driving force behind Sydney’s consistently high DIFOT result, a fantastic team effort from everyone on both shifts. We also welcome some new faces to the branch; Tracy George and Lincon McLaren (Sales), Olivia Darwash (Administration), Renee Mattey and Jody Dijanosic (Customer Service), Chevy Te Aute (Operations Pick-Ups) and Tyrone Jackson SIDS & Kids invited Border Express to meet th Wi l and dD th th the Wiggles Dorothy the Di Dinosaur. Left to right: Tim Lamb, Darrien Middleton and Michelle Bartlett. (WTA). All have settled in remarkably quickly and added strength to our key areas. We wish all of them a long and rewarding career with Border Express. Earlier this year, SIDS and Kids invited Border Express to meet The Wiggles and Dorothy the Dinosaur for a photo opportunity. SIDS and Kids is dedicated to saving the lives of babies and children during pregnancy, birth, infancy and childhood and to supporting bereaved families. As such, Border Express is more than happy to support such a worthwhile organisation among so many others. We decided to send two of our many photogenic staff members, Michelle Bartlett and Darrien Middleton along with Tim Lamb; well two out of three ain’t bad! Thank you so much to all who contributed to the Christmas Gift Appeal. Our photo shoot with Doro Do roth ro thyy be th bega gan ga n with with a vvery eryy er Dorothy began warm welcome in to the Wiggles ‘Hot Potato Studio’ at Bella Vista from Deb Chen, the Red Nose Day Manager. The office was great, so bright and packed with Wiggles photos and memorabilia, including a favourite of mine ‘Ukulele Baby’ due to my nephew Liam’s influence. Deb took us to the studio to meet Dorothy for our photo shoot. We walked into a pure white room and immediately had to put our sunnies back on as it was that bright. Once our eyes adjusted, we were introduced to Dorothy and the team. We were then told to turn our imaginations on as the photographers were all out of ‘pose’ ideas. We came up with some great fun ideas and had an absolute ball with Dorothy. The favourite shot of the day was definitely Tim proposing to Dorothy with roses. But did Dorothy say yes? A fun day for a great cause with some fantastic photos taken as you can see. Michelle Bartlett Mark Stevens Newcastle We have experienced many changes over the past few months both on an operational and staffing level. There has been an additional inbound Linehaul put in to place ex Melbourne which arrives in Newcastle after midday. This coincides with a direct Linehaul we are sending to Brisbane every night. By changing these routes, it has taken some volumes out of Sydney in the peak periods of the day. We are also transhipping freight directly to Lismore and the Gold Coast on the Brisbane trailers. This allows us to send the majority of our northern freight directly to these destinations without going through Sydney. With a few more local customers coming on board, we have increased our outbound volume on a daily basis. These have all come from the The new Hunter Expressway allows better access to the upper Hunter region. Central Coast area, which is once again proving to have growth potential for the business. Local road infrastructure is also on the way to improving. The new Hunter Expressway is half finished with most of the structural work for bridges completed. The freeway will begin at the Newcastle Link road, here at Cameron Park, and travel approximately 40 kilometres north-west, ending at Branxton. This will bypass major traffic congestion areas in Beresfield, Thornton and Maitland. It will also allow us better access to the Cessnock region along with the upper Hunter region. This means that our region’s beautiful wineries will be more accessible for all that enjoy a nice drop of red with a cheese platter ter on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Dave Watts atts 13 BORDER EXPRESS NEWS WINTER 2012 In the branches Brisbane and Gold Coast With winter around the corner, the grey nomads head north from the southern states to escape the chills of the season. No truer has it been for me to seize the opportunity to return to Brisbane as Queensland’s State Manager. The 18 months in Melbourne was an invaluable experience for me and I would like to thank everyone during that time for your support. I look forward to catching up with all at the new Melbourne facility in the ‘warmer’ summer months. Time stands still for no one, and this is evident with a number of new faces in Brisbane. David Burgess joins the team as our Operations Manager. David’s experience is extensive and will be valued as we regroup, restructure and build the branch from good to great. Gary Winters takes responsibility of the inbound operations, managing the unload operations with support from Tony Morris as AM Supervisor and Kim Gibson appointed to Fleet Supervisor after the departure of Cameron Spencer. Congratulations to Tony and Kristy-Lea who took the walk down the aisle in May. I hope this won’t stop him from opening the branch at the ungodly hour of 2am each morning! Rob Cardno has been appointed to the Outbound Manager’s position which makes him responsible for the Linehaul operations including both the unloading of the local fleet and reloading of outbound Linehaul to all states. Paul Thompson (like me) returns to Border Express Brisbane as the PM Supervisor, assisting Rob with the outbound functions. Paul’s disciplines will ensure that we depart our Linehaul in a compliant manner and within our expected departure times. Our last newsletter reported Vernon Chang unwell and off work for some time, it’s a pleasure to see Vernon’s smiling face once again. He’s back on deck, healthy and raring to get back into the day-to-day operations of our branch. Our Sales team is ever increasing with Stephen Corser recently joining us. Stephen (also like me), tried Melbourne living only to find his heart was in Brisbane. Melbourne’s loss is certainly Brisbane’s gain, and our customers will relish his enthusiasm and professionalism managing their accounts. Gold Coast Staff: Max Macey, Sean Kachel, Chris Shepherd, Malcolm Jones and Roslyn Buckett. Delivery In Full and On Time (DIFOT) has been the focus for Brisbane and the Gold Coast branches over the last six months. Libby Webster is now the Team Leader of Data Entry and Quality Assurance, which is a position pivotal to our DIFOT results. DIFOT is the responsibility of everyone at both branches. Our focus on improving the daily DIFOT percentage will ensure that our customers recognise us as the industry leader for delivery, service and value. We continue to look to everyone to ensure that what freight arrives today is delivered today. Keep up the great work, and remember to never underestimate the part you play each and every day. The ‘For Lease’ signs have finally been removed from the front of the property with a new tenant occupying the two level office area facing Boundary Road. Lucas Pty Ltd has agreed to a long term lease and we welcome them both as neighbours and to our neighbourhood. For all Brisbane staff and visitors to the branch, please remember not to park in the front car parks as this area is reserved for the Lucas employees and their visitors. The Gold Coast branch has not been without changes, although personnel have stayed the same. The changes have been operational. We finally have a front door for all visitors to enter the site. The door leads directly into our Operations office, reducing the foot traffic within the warehouse, and this in turn has provided a safer working environment. Malcolm Jones has upgraded his skills to B-Double rating to improve the service between the Gold Coast and the Brisbane branch with the larger capacity vehicle. Both Gold Coast and Brisbane have managed the delivery windows very well with the introduction of the Bunning’s Core Carrier program. Bunning’s Oxenford store is the largest in South East Queensland, and with another store opening at Labrador shortly the volumes have increased significantly. Shannon Wareham and Roz Bucket have been first rate when managing the day-to-day operations at the Gold Coast. We have found an equal talent from Brisbane based Sean Kachel who has assisted the Gold Coast team when either Shannon or Roz have been absent through sickness or planned leave. The Gold Coast may be one of the smaller branches, but it is certainly not short on enthusiasm and commitment to get the task done. Well done guys. The final words should again be about welcoming all the new faces to our family, your support and the support of the existing guys will once again see Queensland on top, just like the Maroons. Go the cane toads… Going to print, we can also confirm the appointment of Phil McConvile in the roll of Business Development Manager. Phil will be seeking new opportunities in both Brisbane and the Gold Coast. Welcome to Alesia Tabone (daughter of Martin on the Gold Coast) joining Brisbane’s Data Entry team. Welcome also to all of t n the new Drivers and Forklift ope operators, we hope your time wit Border Express will be with bo enjoyable and lengthy. both Brisbane staff: Stephen Corser, Stella Earp, Frederica Johnson and David Burgess. 14 BORDER EXPRESS NEWS WINTER 2012 Barry Macnee Perth The Perth branch has seen plenty of change in the past few months. With change comes challenge and I believe the Perth team is stepping up to the plate and taking the challenges head on. As always we will commence with Safety, and I must say in the short time I have been with the business, Border Express does ‘walk the walk’ when it comes to Safety. Perth has introduced a new LUEZ (Load Unload Exclusion Zone) program in the PUD area and this has been a fantastic success… many thanks to Gary Davis and Dave Searle and the support from the whole branch. Perth will continue to encourage and enforce safety at all times as we are all accountable in keeping each other safe. The Perth team led by interim Branch Manager Gary Davis and Dave Searle heading up operations, have done a great job in keeping the branch in good shape and enabling a smooth transition and handover to myself. The dedication and professionalism of the troops can not be questioned. Operationally, Perth has seen improvement in processes and procedures which sees the branch DIFOT heading in the right direction. We welcome Tiarne Pett into the role of Fleet Controller and her application to the task and diligence are already paying dividends… well done Tiarne! Continued support from Mike Merritt has put Perth Fleet into a strong position. Aaron Holly has taken over as Inbound Supervisor and brings to the role a massive amount of energy… keep it going Aaron! Congratulations also to Joe Murace on his elevation to Inbound Leading Hand. Maka ‘The Hulk’ Lam Sam and his trusty right hand man Marshall Rinaldi and team continue to punch the outbound trailers out of Perth. Sarah Ibrahim is her usual dedicated self and helps to keep the Outbound boys in line… Thanks Sarah! A special mention to Kelly Hall who is doing a great job with pallet control and QA. Admin and Customer Service in Perth continue to perform at a high level and it is particularly pleasing to see Melissa and her team work so well together. Sue, Amy, Emily and Lis continue to give Mel the support required to work well as a team. Great to see Sue back on top after overcoming some health issues and we all wish Emily well with her up and coming new arrival. As always Annette Barclay goes about her work in keeping us well trained and continues to upskill our work force here in Perth. Dangerous Goods training along with Load Restraint training have seen Annette make a valuable contribution to the Perth branch. Ben Barrett continues the relentless search for quality revenue and good yielding accounts ex Perth… an unenviable task but Ben’s perseverance must be recognised. Ben also plays an integral role as Account Manager in Perth and continues to support all our national customers in this role. The Border Express Perth Branch rely heavily on our colleagues on the east coast to enable us to continually improve DIFOT and efficiencies. Teamwork and cooperation in this area is always welcomed and appreciated. Currently we are planning and setting goals for ourselves to achieve in the run up to the ‘silly season’. We need to be ready and willing when the volumes increase and look at continuing to make our service second to none. Michael Clifford Canberra The winter frost is starting to settle in the mornings here in Canberra however John Lillingston is still wearing shorts. Recently we celebrated a milestone of one of our drivers in Canberra; Robbie Barrett has clocked up ten years’ service with Border Express. Robbie has seen many changes at Border Express over the last ten years, the biggest change being the focus on safety in the branch. Scott Shedden has joined us as a Linehaul driver doing the Canberra – Albury – Canberra run. Scott comes to us with a wealth of transport knowledge. Welcome Scott. Paul Traynor has left the Canberra branch due to ill health. We wish him a speedy recovery. Congratulations to Shane Wright (Canberra driver) and his wife Michelle on the arrival of Alexander, who is also a brother for Charlotte. We have been doing plenty of training at the Canberra branch over the last couple of months. Several drivers have now completed their Dangerous Goods licence training and have gained their licences. Well done gents, and our thanks go to Matt Carpenter from our RTO. We have also had two drivers upgrade to multi combination licences. Congratulations to Robbie Barrett and Stuart Waters. Steven McNally Robbie receiving his ten year gift card. The Canberra Crew. 15 BORDER EXPRESS NEWS WINTER 2012 In the branches Adelaide What a start to the year for the Adelaide team. We have seen many changes in Adelaide since the Summer edition. It’s a credit to the Leadership Team and all of our people who have embraced our Vision and Core Values as the hard work is paying off. Paul Casotti departed the business and has moved the family back to sunny Perth to commence the next chapter in his life, good luck Paul. “Elvis and his PA have left the building”. As they say, one door closes and another opens. Darwin has been slotted under the Adelaide banner and we look forward to providing support to the team in the warmer climates of the country. Please send some warmth to Adelaide, its freezing here and winter has just started! Damian O’Rielly continues to lead the Operations team forward, which has undergone a large restructure. The restructure has provided enormous support and has clear direction along with high expectations. The Adelaide dashboard figures speak for themselves. A strong leader has provided strong results. Bradley Rowe has stepped up to the role of Inbound Manager, going from a PUD driver to Onforwarding Supervisor to his current role. Congratulations Brad! Leighton Calvert has taken on the position of Outbound Manager. I am sure the Sales Team will be putting his team to the test as they sign on new business. The positive results and forward momentum we are seeing in Adelaide is due to the commitment from the entire Adelaide team. As we always say, “our people are our most important asset” and this is clearly evident by the excellent team work in Adelaide. Operationally, Adelaide has seen many challenges over the past six months and has excelled in every aspect. I’m looking forward to building on our already strong commitment to the Core Values and continually strive for excellence in the Adelaide operation. Michael Kalleske has joined the team in the role of State Sales Manager for South Australia and the Northern Territory. Michael brings ten years’ experience from a Tier One carrier to the Adelaide Sales Team and has provided a new sense of excitement. Training has taken on a new face, with the departure of Adrian Willis to the mining industry. We welcome Andrew Williams, another excellent internal promotion. Andrew commenced with Border Express in November 2004 and progressed through the driving ranks up to bulk dangerous goods B Double drivers. With his experience and passion for safety and compliance, Andy was at the forefront of our thoughts when the position became available. Congratulations Andy and good to see the results are already rolling in. The administration team lead by Kim Hillier has been exceptional. A lot of these tasks can be taken for granted, but the attention to detail and timely reports required is critical to the business. A fantastic effort from all and keep up the good work, well done. The Big Switch program continues to provide results for Adelaide, with the next phase being lighting trials to reduce our carbon footprint further. Adelaide was fortunate enough to have Max and Mark Luff visit the branch at the same time. A very inspirational presentation from Mark and everyone loves to see Max in the branch. Max, we look forward to many more visits in the future. On behalf of the entire Adelaide team, we all look forward to being part of the exciting future that lies ahead for Border Express. Richard Speck Sales Report Challenging times are exciting for people who enjoy and accept a challenge. The new focus from a New Business and Account Management team’s perspective is that as Border Express people, we do not lie down, we are stepping up to the plate and having a red hot crack. Ultra-competitive new business strategies and sensible cost saving measures (to protect our future) are well under way. Our Account Management team along with our New Business team is going from strength to strength. We have quality people who are determined to continue the profitable growth of Border Express for many years to come by ensuring we have the right mix of loyal supportive partnerships (customers). The economic crisis that continues to play a major part in our industry can only be looked at as a half empty glass or one that is half full. In our case, it is definitely half full. At a time when most companies are cutting back on all areas, we are hiring new Business Development Managers and look to have several new people start in July, August and September around the y The high morale and enthusiasm of country. e New Business and Account the Mana M Management teams is very evi evident around the states. There will be great opportunities ahead with prospective customers reeling from poor service performance with some of our competitors. As our DIFOT continues to improve week on week, so does our retention of our existing business. We all need to remember, we do not own our customers and as customers they have every right to leave Border Express at any time. If we all stay focused on DIFOT and continue to reach PB’s around the country, the thought of leaving becomes a distant memory. On the back of improved DIFOT we should also be gaining accounts that we lost on price, as some of them are finding the service they now get is no where near what they were receiving from Border Express. Brisbane reclaimed an important lost account this month, providing further testament to the value of great service. It’s always great to finish the financial year with a bang… and that’s exactly what we have done! With new business writings well ahead of budget for 2011/12, the best part about our good result for the last quarter is that it did not hinge on 2 or 3 large accounts. This is a great momentum heading in to the new financial year. Bring on 2012/2013! Mostafa Kassaby 16 BORDER EXPRESS NEWS WINTER 2012 Adelaide (08) 8209 6300 Albury (02) 6022 6000 Barnawartha (02) 6042 8800 Brisbane (07) 3723 4800 Canberra (02) 6123 3100 Clayton (03) 9263 3700 Darwin (08) 8944 5200 Gold Coast (07) 5656 1500 Derrimut (03) 8368 7200 Newcastle (02) 4953 1095 Perth (08) 9351 5900 Sydney (02) 9732 7300 www.borderexpress.com.au Any comments or feedback contributions are welcome. EMAIL: newsletter@borderexpress.com.au