Frome College engineering students visit Moons Hill

A group of engineering students from Frome College visited Moons Hill on Tuesday, 16 January, as part of their careers studies.

The Year 10 students are completing a Level 2 qualification in Engineering. The trip provided them with an insight into how working quarries operate, as well as guidance about potential career paths in the industry.

Hosted by staff at the Somerset Earth Science Centre, the 20-strong group toured Moons Hill Quarry and Wainwright's asphalt plant. They also learned about industry processes such as risk assessments and health and safety.

"We have been extremely lucky that both the Somerset Earth Science Centre and employees from John Wainwright & Company have been working alongside us to set the students assignments," wrote Mrs Smart, Subject Leader for Design, Technology and Engineering at Frome Cellege in a report about the visit. "This gives the students a great opportunity for any future career aspirations, and is also great experience for university applications."

Lisa Saunders, Wainwright's HR Director, said: "We are committed to inspiring the next generation to pursue a career in quarrying, which is a major employer in the local economy. It's always great to welcome young people to Moons Hill, and have a chance to enhance their knowledge of our business."

New 75 tonne excavator delivered to Moons Hill Quarry

The latest addition to Wainwright's expanding fleet of plant machinery is a brand new Volvo excavator, which was recently delivered to Moons Hill Quarry.

The 75-tonne EC750E – a long-anticipated model from the Volvo product range – is powered by a considerable 16-litre Volvo diesel engine and features advanced fuel-efficient technology.

Commenting on the acquisition, Peter Barkwill, Chief Executive, said: “Our quarry machines are regularly reviewed and upgraded to ensure they meet the needs of the business. This new excavator from Volvo - with its power, capacity and fuel efficiency - helps us to maximise productivity and efficiency around the quarry".

University students help build Wainwright’s brand

Students from the University of the West of England (UWE) in Bristol have undertaken a mock branding exercise on behalf of John Wainwright & Company Ltd.

As part of a campaign to promote an imagined new range of Wainwright Workwear, the students pitched ideas to Tim Gibson, Wainwright’s Communications Director who is also a senior lecturer at the university.

“The students delivered bold suggestions for how to reach a target audience for the brand,” Tim reported. “They demonstrated a profound understanding and appreciation of the heart and heritage of Wainwright as a business.”

The students are studying for a degree in creative and professional writing. A key component of the course is work on real-world campaigns and case studies, and Tim draws on his experience with Wainwright to help shape their learning.

By engaging with Wainwright’s history, market and competitor brands, the students were able to craft a campaign that captured the company’s distinctive spirit and resonated with customers.

By Samuel Whitlock, Yr 1 BA (Hons) Creative & Professional Writing

Wainwright Management Academy goes live

Wainwright launched its new Management Academy last week, with 12 supervisors and managers from across the business attending a two-day course at the Somerset Earth Science Centre.

The sessions were led by Simon Hares of Serial Trainer 7, and proved highly engaging for the attendees. They were interactive in nature, and the feedback has been great.

This is the start of a nine-month training programme for Wainwright’s management team. Its aim is to equip managers with the necessary tools for their role, and reaffirm the company’s commitment to staff development. A second cohort of 12 managers will begin the programme in October.

Bristol Doors Open Day draws in the crowds

More than 150 people visited Wainwright’s Avonmouth Asphalt facility as part of the Bristol Doors Open Day on Saturday, 9 September.

Visitors enjoyed tours to the very top of the state-of-the-art asphalt plant, giving them wide-ranging views of the Bristol skyline and surrounding scenery. They also had a chance to get hands-on with the technical team, learning about the different properties of asphalt and its varying applications.

“It was great to see so many people with an interest in Wainwright, especially as we’re relatively new to the Bristol area,” commented the company’s Operations Director, Wayne McKeown. “Our team relished the chance to share something of our 127-year heritage and our industry. The day was a great success.”

Wainwright opens Avonmouth for Bristol Doors Open Day

Wainwright’s innovative Avonmouth Asphalt production facility will be open to the public on Saturday, 9 September from 10am to 3pm as part of the Bristol Doors Open Day.

The event is an opportunity for businesses around Bristol to show people around, giving a rare insight into their activities. Avonmouth Asphalt is a cutting-edge plant that utilises the very latest green technology to enhance sustainability and optimise efficiency. Visitors will see the site’s environmentally friendly features, including solar panels and electric-vehicle charging points, as well as enjoying a tour of the asphalt production plant.

In addition, various displays will showcase the company’s surfacing equipment, as well as providing an insight into the way asphalt is produced. There will also be a display detailing Wainwright’s 125-year history, and explaining the contribution it makes to the local area.

Tours of the asphalt plant must be pre-booked, and the list is currently full. But Wainwright encourages visitors to come and enjoy the other attractions, including free refreshments.

To find out more about Bristol Doors Open Day, visit www.bristoldoorsopenday.org.uk.

Wainwright aims high on England’s steepest A-road

John Wainwright & Company Ltd recently completed a resurfacing job on one of the steepest roads in the country.

The A39 at Porlock Hill in West Somerset has a gradient of 1 in 4 (25 per cent). When Somerset County Council sought a contractor to resurface it, Wainwright leapt at the chance to test its mettle in a challenging environment.

“There’s routine road maintenance and then there’s routine maintenance on a hill with a 1 in 4 gradient,” said Councillor David Fothergill, Somerset County Council’s cabinet member for highways. “Clearly, this was no ordinary resurfacing job, and required specialist equipment as well as harnessing the expertise of our team.”

The specialist equipment in question included an integrated paver and an all-terrain forklift truck that came all the way from Germany.

Because of the steepness of the hill, which is on the edge of Exmoor National Park, safety barriers were erected to protect the workforce and nearby properties.

“Porlock Hill was certainly a challenging job for our team,” remarked Lee Seviour, Wainwright’s general manager, surfacing. “It involved two weeks of concerted effort, including one week of 24/7 closure to the road. The fact we finished on time and on budget is testament to a lot of hard work, careful organisation and forward planning.”

The material for the job was supplied from Wainwright’s Avonmouth asphalt production facility. It included Wainwright’s proprietary 14mm Elastermat PSV 68 Heavy Duty Dense Asphalt Surface Course, utilising a rubberised binder that was especially well-suited to the steep gradient on Porlock Hill.