DIGEST Issue - Defence Support Group

DIGEST

August/September 2013

The magazine of the Defence Support Group

contents

Contents

Editor’s intro Welcome to the August edition of Digest in which we report what’s been happening across the business over the last few months. On page 4 we have our regular feature update from DSG Bastion. As the sale of DSG progresses, we have another update from MOD centre on page 7. In other pages, the Chief Executive gave his end of year corporate briefings across all sites and presented campaign medals to DSG employees who have returned from Bastion. DSG Land Supply adopts standardised contracting and two employees from Warminster achieved, with credits, a certificate from the National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health, whilst three more from the site completed a Level 3 certificate in Leadership and Management. The round up of events from across the country features on pages 18 and 19 and you can win a WH Smith £200 Theatre Break Experience Gift Pack in our competition on page 20. Thank you for all your contributions to this edition, please continue to send in stories recognising and applauding the vital work you or your team are doing in support of our Armed Forces, any personal achievements or the positive contribution you are making in your local community.

03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 12 13 14 15 16

Gold Travel Plan Award 2013

17 18 20

Life in the real world

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Minister visits DSG Ashchurch UOR Dedicated Support Cell at LSBU Update on the sale of DSG Medal recognition for civilians Business as usual at DVD Poster Successful end to the year DSG Warminster hosts visitors from Korea Three of the best Simpler standardised contracting helping out SMEs Warminster employees’ qualification success / Uniform to work day

Across the country Competition time

DIGEST points of contact Editor: Phone: Email: Post:

A Controlled Humidity Environment building shown to the Minister during his tour of the Ashchurch site

News from DSG Bastion

Venus Tingzon 94391 3217/01264 383217 [email protected] DSG Corporate Communications, Sedgemoor Building, Monxton Road, Andover, Hampshire SP11 8HT

Editorial Board Brian Griffiths Julie Clay Roz Cronin Colin Tinkler Karen Emery Hannah Griffiths Rosemary Murphy-Paul Nicola Thorpe Carol Hanna Teresa Evans Arlene Hamilton Kathy Tuck

Abbeywood Ashchurch Bovington Catterick Colchester/Aldershot/Longmoor Donnington/Bicester Kinnegar LSBU Sealand Stafford Stirling Warminster/Sennybridge

Designed by: Isabel Butcher - email: [email protected]

August/September 2013

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business

Talking point

Gold Travel Plan Award 2013

DSG was once again present at DVD, a major defence vehicle and equipment event at the Millbrook Proving Ground near Bedford. This is an important occasion for DSG as it allows us to showcase the breadth of our capabilities to our military customers as well as to a wider defence industry audience.

Having won several awards for its commitment to active and sustainable travel, DSG Colchester is now the proud recipient of the Essex County Council Gold Travel Plan Award.

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High on the agenda during the event was the visit to our stand by senior military figures and our own MOD Minister, Philip Dunne. In this edition of Digest you will read more about the MOD’s DSG Sales team’s market engagement exercise, briefing a large audience from all areas of industry. MOD recognises there is still much work to do before achieving its goal of concluding sale in 2014 but the message is clear that achieving a successful sale is now a priority for the team.

It is one of only two businesses in the county to achieve this award, after winning Silver last year. The business is assessed on a number of active and sustainable travel criteria initiatives including walking, biking and car sharing. The site has adopted 30 of the criteria to qualify for the award. Stuart Packard, Compliance manager said, "The site remains committed to positively contributing to our community and environment. The team continues to work hard to maintain and progress various travel and active health initiatives including car sharing, use of pool bikes and lunch time rides. Everyone at the site feels proud that Essex County Council recognises our hard work with the presentation of this award. Putting the various initiatives in place is good for everyone on site with many reaping monetary and health benefits.”

Emerging from the many meetings the intention is that the sale offering will focus on DSG’s Land business so MOD has to determine how the DSG businesses at Sealand and Stafford will deliver their output in the future and their future operating models if they are not to be sold alongside the DSG Land Businesses. Clearly we will continue to keep our employees as fully informed as possible as future plans develop and mature. We were delighted to host our Minister on his recent visit to DSG Ashchurch where he could see for himself the progress and improvements DSG has made at the site since DSG took over responsibility for the vehicle inspection and storage activities. He was undoubtedly impressed with what he saw during the short time he was with us. My own personal thanks to the team at Ashchurch for their professionalism and clear commitment to the work they do for DSG and our customers. I am always proud to take important visitors around any of our facilities as we have a workforce that is world-class who all take great pride in their work. Best wishes,

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Archie Hughes Chief Executive

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L-R, Neil Allen, Site Support & Cycle Champion; Jason Gooding, Material Planner; Gareth Groves, Essex County Council Sustainable Travel Planning Advisor; Paul Lawrence, Deputy Head of Site Colchester and Stuart Packard, Site Compliance manager

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Everyone at the site feels proud that Essex County Council recognises our hard work with the presentation of this award.

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DSG Bastion

News from DSG Bastion

L-R, Xavier Samuel and Mike Fletcher In this issue of Digest, Daz Dalzell, General Manager, gives an update on the efforts by the various teams in DSG Bastion. He focuses on the support element of the operation, the teams responsible for regeneration and redeployment. The work undertaken by these teams is as equally important as repairing vehicles, with supply of stores, tools and test equipment readily at hand to complete the job. Royal Logistic Corp Stores Troop There is a huge demand for materiel to support the operation and the Royal Logistic Corp Stores (RLC) Troop provides this function in Camp Bastion. DSG has a number of employees embedded in the Stores Troop to assist in this task including a number of KBR employees. Phil Rogers is the Team leader and his main role in the Troop is co-ordination of demands through the demands cell. To meet delivery deadlines, Phil’s day to day role involves liaising with project teams and commercial contractors back in the UK. Dave Parry, known more commonly as Paxo, works closely with the military personnel and the KBR Stocktaking and Reconciliation team. His job entails ensuring system stock levels are correct and rectifying any mistakes. Keith Wellstead and Craig Cooper both work in Returned Stores Group and are responsible for returning vehicle spares not required in theatre back to the UK. With the impending draw down in 2014, their roles are now even more demanding as all spares will eventually need returning to the UK. The team has integrated well with the military in the working environment as well as socially. They recently took part in the RLC games. Dave manned the nets for the winning team in the five a side football event, he also came runner up in the poker tournament. Keith and Craig took part in the darts competition but must have consumed too many non-alcoholic beers as they both went crashing out in the first round! Vehicle Replenishment Section (VRS) As part of the Equipment Sustainability System Regeneration Facility, DSG supplies manpower

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L-R, Duncan Stewart with Geraint Spearing, DSG Chief Operating Officer

DSG employees working in the Royal Logistic Corp Stores (RLC)

into the Vehicle Replenishment Section (VRS) to ease the workload that regeneration places on the Theatre Logistic Group (TLG). VRS is usually the first point of contact many of the units serving on Operation HERRICK have with DSG Bastion employees, they are effectively the front of house! The VRS team check and account for the complete equipment schedule items, which include vehicle jacks, complete tool kits and system architecture, such as Bowman and Electronic Counter Measure equipment, depending on the type of platform. Each item is checked for serviceability and either repaired or conditioned, with new parts ordered through TLG. A similar process happens with the Bowman communications system, with the newly established DSG Bowman cell conducting the functional testing for this task. The VRS cell has ran since the beginning of the project and has had a steady flow of DSG and KBR employees. The longest serving member is Baz Kenward, a KBR employee who has been doing the job for over three years, providing continuity in the team. Simon Hughes, John Walton and Chris Brown ably assist Baz. The team has a very busy time ahead with the change over of Task Force Helmand units and the desire to drive down equipment holdings in theatre. It is likely that in the future they will merge with the Equipment Redeployment Hub Forward (ERHF) team and provide a service to both the regeneration and redeployment cycle.

exponentially throughout the project, as has the team. The Technical Store is run in line with the military requirements and to provide assurance on the tasks they undertake, they have been subjected through the years to numerous Logistic Support Inspections and Boards of Officers every six months or so. They are absolutely key to business and provide advice and guidance to all the management team. Having converted more recently to MJDI, a new IT management system, they are now in the process of aligning processes and procedures. With the military focus on drawdown, the Technical Store is instrumental in helping the ERHF initially set up and now continue to support the operation. The store continues to be very busy with over 1800 demands a month, ranging from nuts and bolts to toolboxes, and specialist tooling. Stewart Young has recently replaced Duncan Stewart. Duncan was a valued member of the team and we wish him well on his return to Scotland. We thank him for his valuable contribution over the last six months and we will miss his endless supply of real Scottish shortbread and sweeties! Daz Dalzell concludes, “It is without doubt that DSG Bastion relies heavily on the work undertaken by these key teams. Their expertise and knowledge is essential to business and enable us to deliver the plan against customer targets within tight deadlines. The next article will focus on the repair teams and the restructuring of DSG Bastion to meet customer demand.”

Technical Store The DSG Technical Store team has a mix of DSG and KBR employees providing technical support to the workforce. This comprises of all tooling; special tools and test equipment; toolboxes; expense items; fuel and lubricants etc; and 1st line spares such as driver fitted items. The team is led by Mike Fletcher from KBR, who is an ex REME Technical storeman with support from additional KBR employees; Harry Nelson and Xavier Samuel; and DSG employee, Duncan Stewart. The team was instrumental in managing the steady growth of all tooling and equipment from originally a handful of toolboxes to what is now a fully stocked store supporting an ever demanding workforce with an excellent service. The workload has increased

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The Vehicle Replenishment Section team

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news

Minister visits DSG Ashchurch The Minster for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology, Philip Dunne, used his recent trip to Gloucester to visit DSG Ashchurch and see for himself the work that employees undertake there and hear about their concerns for the future of the business in the aftermath of recent media reports about the MOD’s plans for the site. Mr Dunne used his time during the visit to meet with local Trade Union representatives where he explained in detail the MOD’s rationale for the sale of the DSG business and the emerging future requirements MOD has for DSG’s support services. The Minister took on board the various points that the union officials made, particularly with regard to their own preferred options for the future use of the site, but he was clear that it remained MOD policy to vacate the site within a timeframe that supported the evolving requirements of the Army, currently expected to be phased from 2014 to 2016. The visit allowed Mr Dunne to view many of the buildings that are beyond economic repair and have little value in supporting DSG’s wider aspirations in becoming the Army’s support solution for fleet management in the longer term. However, the visit did allow the Minister to see at close quarters the impressive Controlled Humidity Environment buildings that are a valuable asset on the site, keeping vehicles in the very best condition, which are able to deploy immediately if required. Speaking after his visit Mr Dunne said, “As the Minister with responsibility for DSG, I was keen to visit Ashchurch, see the facilities, and meet management, union representatives, and some of those who work there following recent reports in the local media about MOD’s future plans for the site. It was clear to me,

Far left, Archie Hughes, DSG Chief Executive, showing the Minister, second from the left, the Complete Equipment Schedule for a Challenger 2 within the Receipt and Issue Department

as I toured the various warehouses and workshops, and there is no doubt in my mind that DSG has a wealth of dedicated, professional employees who are all focussed on delivering an outstanding service to their colleagues in the Armed Forces. “I, along with DSG management, remain committed to keeping DSG’s employees as fully informed as possible. When we have news to communicate we will do so as effectively and timely as possible.”

Second from the left, the Minister touring the Ashchurch workshop

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LSBU

Current and past members of the NACMO cell with the customers in military uniform

UOR Dedicated Support Cell at LSBU In 2010, DSG’s Land Supply Business Unit (LSBU) established a dedicated resource to ensure Urgent Operational Requirements (UOR) satisfied from Nett Additional Costs of Military Operations (NACMO) funding lines from Treasury received a rapid and responsive service. During the build up of capability in Afghanistan, the Armed Forces faced constantly emerging threats from insurgents. As a result of which much new UOR equipment such as mine detectors, counter improvised explosive devices and protected patrol vehicles were introduced to combat the threats. With exposure to the harsh and hostile environment, equipment require service upgrades and spare parts. However, with no historical demand history against which to forecast future requirements, providing this critical element of support to front line operations was posing challenges that a conventional approach to in-service support would not satisfy. To ensure it is at the forefront in its role, LSBU assesses and evaluates its practices by continually delivering improvements across all areas of its activities to deliver operational excellence and high customer service levels. LSBU applied the same discipline in its approach to the UOR spares by restructuring its resources rather than simply increasing resources and thus its cost. It also used Demand Solutions, a commercial off the shelf

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forecasting software, to segment the inventory it managed into cells based on usage. The creation of the NACMO cell provided a home for parts which were satisfying platforms being rapidly introduced into service, and allowed a much more focused approach to developing supply chain capability, appropriate inventory and procurement policy to support this essential support service. The NACMO cell faced some incredible challenges supplying parts to satisfy demands. The demands don’t just arrive between 9 and 5 in the week, but can arrive at any time 24 hours a day, seven days a week. To maintain high levels of customer service, LSBU provides cover to address demands that can’t be satisfied immediately on presentation, for reasons such as non codified parts or incorrect part numbers being demanded. The maturation of the supply chain supporting these platforms and the reduction in activity due to the withdrawal from Afghanistan has now provided the ideal time to absorb the products into existing operations and move focus on managing the outcomes of the planned withdrawal from operations in 2014. Neal Lawson, Head Combat Wheels Group said, “I thought it timely as you close the NACMO Cell and fold its team members back into your wider support teams that I write and express my thanks

August/September 2013

for what you and they have achieved. “Since the Cell’s inception in November 2010, support to Combat Mobility Programme’s (CMP) UOR capabilities has improved significantly and your combined part in this improvement has been clear to see; operational availability has reached, and been sustained, at an all time high and lives have been saved as a result. Your and your team’s commitment and dedication to supporting operationally deployed equipment has been outstanding and your capabilities have come on in leaps and bounds, driving suppliers to do the same. Furthermore, whilst improving supply, you have also found time to contribute to moving the associated inventories to more sustainable levels, a welcome addition to our efforts. “We have been a demanding customer but the co-operation between the Cell members and CMP’s teams has been consistently strong and the bedrock of a very effective working relationship. “I would be grateful if you could pass on my sincere thanks to your team." Andrew Sinclair said, “With such a high profile requirement, its success is due to both past and current team members demonstrating commitment to provide an important service, which has kept operational downtime to a minimum and further enhanced both DSG and LSBU’s reputation within the customer community.”

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sale of DSG

Update on the sale of DSG In this edition of Digest, Kate Carr from MOD’s DSG Sale team gives us an update on the sale. It has been a very busy couple of months for the DSG sale team, with a number of public events and announcements, and the pace of work continues to increase as we prepare DSG for sale. At the beginning of June, Archie Hughes, DSG Chief Executive wrote to all employees about the scope of the sale, and the assumption that is currently being tested that only a Land-focussed business should be taken to the market. So what does this mean for the DSG staff employed in the Electronics Components Business Unit (ECBU) at Sealand and Stafford? A workshop was held at Sealand on 11 July, attended by the DSG sale team, the Air Customers, and senior DSG management. This included a tour of the facilities to see the work going on there, from maintenance of Tornado radars to new business, such as the work with Defence Science and Technology Laboratory on electronic counter measures and fibre optic repairs for Typhoon. The day reinforced the RAF’s opinion that ECBU still provides essential services, sometimes in sensitive areas, and we need to ensure that this support is maintained for as long as the customer requires it. How that would be achieved if ECBU wasn’t part of the sale is now the subject of further work. That work, including testing the assumption with the market that ECBU would be out of scope, will conclude in the overall business case for the DSG sale in the autumn, when Ministers will make a decision, and until then exclusion from the sale is still only an option. Of course, the Trades Unions will be consulted before a decision on whether or not to proceed with sale is presented to Ministers. The sale of DSG also featured at the Army and Defence, Equipment and Support’s DVD event at Millbrook

Proving Ground. The theme of DVD this year was ‘Transforming support for the land equipment to deliver Army 2020’. Major General Paul Jaques CBE, Director General Land Equipment Support, presented the Army’s vision for the future sold DSG. He confirmed that the Army were absolutely interested in the future outcome of DSG and that DSG is the key enabler to deliver the Army’s equipment outputs in support of training and operations. In front of industry and DSG’s senior management, the General was very complimentary about DSG’s achievements over the past few years. The presentation described his insistence on continuing that the current level of close working, delivering an agile, longterm partner that could help the Army deliver fundamental transformation in the way it supports its equipment. His key message, though, was that whilst the services that DSG provides now are vital and need to be maintained, he wants a buyer of DSG to invest in DSG, enhance its capabilities, make it even better than it is now, and to expand into new roles. The briefing was very well attended by industry and confirmed that there is definite interest in DSG. Following on from DVD, we have now started an exercise to engage further with the market. This is in advance of formally launching the Sale Process, and our financial advisers, Lazard, are meeting with a broad cross-section of industry to gather the views of potential purchasers on how DSG should be presented to the market. The feedback from industry will be very important. It will inform our thinking on some of the key factors of the process, for example how we describe the front line’s requirement, how we write the contract for DSG’s services, and how we structure the sale itself. We also recently launched our formal engagement with industry on Intellectual Property. This is a key part of our sale strategy to ensure that a sold DSG continues to have access to the

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“

The Army were absolutely interested in the future outcome of DSG and that DSG is the key enabler to deliver the Army’s equipment outputs in support of training and operations.

Intellectual Property it needs.

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So the pace of work continues to increase, not just in the Head Office sale team but also amongst an increasing number of DSG people. Much of this is going on behind the scenes and may not be that visible. For example, the finance team is helping our accountants restate the DSG accounts from the last couple of years and the financial information contained within the Corporate Strategic Plan, and the changes that have gone on in the business. This is a large, detailed, and intricate task, and an important one. It means that the information provided to bidders reflects DSG as it really is today and on a consistent basis over the years. With KPMG, we are also looking at issues including the cost of services the wider MOD provides to DSG, DGS’s current tax position, and the tax implications of sale. All of this activity is working towards writing the business case to support the Ministerial decision as to whether to proceed with the sale of DSG or not. As ever, we will continue to keep you updated via your management chain and through regular Trades Union engagement.

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campaign medals

Medal recognition for civilians

Andy Mappelbeck

Christopher Clark

Dave McCabe

Edward Holloway

Josh McCormick

Louisa Griffiths

Mike Bean

Paul Harley

Rob Butler

Rob Jarvis

Steve Blackburn

Tom Williams

Archie Hughes, DSG Chief Executive, recently presented campaign medals at various DSG sites across the UK. Family members were in attendance to witness the employees receiving their well deserved medals. In Catterick, recipient Andy Mappelbeck deployed for a year as an ADR Inspector and mechanic. He was responsible for the ADR inspection and testing of fuel tankers and equipment used for carrying explosives. Andy was a soldier for 13 years and served in other operational tours. Fellow co-workers, Michael Bean and Steve Blackburn received an Accumulated Service Medal in recognition of their repeat operational service deployments totalling more than 720 days. Michael spent his second tour of 14 months as a Vehicle mechanic working on the MAN vehicles. Steve deployed for a second time as a Vehicle mechanic and spent 12 months working on the repair and maintenance of Mastiff, Ridgeback and Wolfhound vehicles. At the presentation in Donnington, medal recipients from the site and Sealand jointly celebrated the occasion. Edward Holloway deployed for 12 months as an Electrical engineer working on the Mastiff vehicle and the Field Electric Power Systems (FEPS). In his spare time, Edward spent a lot of time in the gym and was a member of the DSG Strongman team. Louisa Griffiths spent 12 months as a Vehicle mechanic carrying out overhaul, servicing and road testing of quad bikes. Father of twin boys, Rob Jarvis was also a Vehicle mechanic working on plant and fuel equipment transporters. Rob said of the people he worked with, “Great bunch of boys and girls out there.”

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Although only 23, Tom Williams has recently returned from his second deployment. At the presentation he received an Accumulated Service Medal in recognition of his repeat operational service deployment. Tom spent 12 months as a Vehicle mechanic working on the repair and modification of Mastiff, Ridgeback and Wolfhound vehicles. Reflecting on his experience he said, “I found my time in Bastion useful as I gained new skills and experience on different platforms.” Five medal recipients from Sealand included Christopher Clark who deployed for over 13 months as an Electro optic technician working on Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, and Reconnaissance equipment and Electronic Counter Measures (ECM). Reflecting back he said, “I enjoyed my time in Bastion and would do it all over again.” Dave McCabe spent 12 months away from his family to work as a Vehicle mechanic. Josh McCormick spent 12 months in Bastion in the role of Progressor for the Jackal, Coyote and Husky team. His role involved a great deal of planning and organisation to provide the relevant service kits and spares required for the vehicle regeneration. He said of his tour, “It was an amazing experience and I learnt a great deal, it was very hard at times being away from family and friends for so long and I was so happy to return home, but glad I’d completed my tour.” Rob Butler spent 6 months away from his three year old daughter to take on the role of Team leader working in the Royal Logistic Corps Stores Troop. During his free time Rob spent more time with his military

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Medal Recipients

Site

Andy Mappelbeck Michael Bean Steve Blackburn Edward Holloway Louisa Griffiths Rob Jarvis Tom Williams Christopher Clark Dave McCabe Josh McCormick Rob Butler Paul Harley

Catterick Catterick Catterick Donnington Donnington Donnington Donnington Sealand Sealand Sealand Sealand Sealand

colleagues doing fitness training. Paul Harley deployed for 12 months as an Electro optic technician working on the ECM and Bowman on Mastiff, Ridgeback and Wolfhound. He also serviced and repaired the FEPS and worked on the plant section. Archie Hughes, DSG Chief Executive said, “DSG employees who have deployed to Bastion are great ambassadors not only for our business but for the wider civilian workforce who are providing essential support to the forces at the front line. Our workforce all willingly deploy despite the potentially dangerous working environment with some deploying for a second tour. “We also need to thank everyone from across the sites who may have taken on additional roles and duties whilst their colleagues are on deployment. Support functions such as Finance and HR also play an important role in supporting our operations in Bastion.”

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news

Business as usual at DVD Archie Hughes, DSG’s Chief Executive and members of the Strategy and Account Management teams represented DSG at the DVD event at Millbrook near Bedford in The DSG team June. The event brings together Industry and Defence in the land equipment sector to develop ideas and generate greater understanding of technologies, capabilities and requirements. For the first time, the Army and Defence Equipment and Support jointly sponsored DVD, recognising the new capability role taken on by the Army as part of Defence Transformation.

L-R, Archie Hughes with Philip Dunne, Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology

Philip Dunne, Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology; Lt General Chris Deverell, Chief of Materiel (Land) and Major General Carew Wilks, Director Land Equipment as well as senior figures from the defence industry were amongst the visitors to DSG’s stand, who held meetings with senior DSG officials over the two days. MOD’s DSG Sale team also used the event to confirm their intentions to sell DSG and update industry on their plans. Commenting on the event, Archie told Digest, “It is important for us to continue having a presence at events such as DVD and reinforce the message that the sale of DSG does not impact on our day to day business. For all of us it’s business as usual. Events and exhibitions are useful forums and provide a unique, networking platform enabling the team and I to conduct various face to face meetings, which otherwise may be hard to organise because of clashes in diaries.”

Archie Hughes in a meeting with Lt General Chris Deverell, Chief of Materiel (Land)

The DSG team hosting guests

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Type 45 Destroyer HMS Dauntless

11 © Photographer Jenny Lodge Royal Navy MOD Crown Copyright 2013

news

Successful end to the year

“ Corporate briefing at Colchester

DSG’s 2012/13 financial year ended with yet another profitable result. The good news was part of Archie Hughes, DSG’s Chief Executive (CE) corporate briefing presentation to all employees summarising DSG’s end of year business and financial performance. DSG’s flag ship workshop in Bastion remains profitable and continues to receive high praise. Archie explained that its success has led to DSG securing further work in Bastion by operating the Equipment Redeployment Hub Forward, which manages Vehicles and Major Equipment (VAME) and the associated Complete Equipment Schedules (CES), and all those assets identified for redeployment back to the UK. Continuing with the management of equipment from Operation HERRICK when they arrive back in the UK, DSG received a further contract from Army HQ to manage the HERRICK Exchange Point (HXP) in Warminster, which conducts and provides a co-ordinated and controlled method of receipt, account, inspection and repair of the VAME and CES from Operation HERRICK. Archie said, “We re-commissioned and upgraded the 1A workshop onsite at Warminster to accommodate the Interim Operating Capability phase. The investment in the facilities was necessary to expand our capability offering and ensure we could deliver the requirement.”

was ongoing in MOD to determine what is within scope for sale. He reiterated that he remains committed to keeping everyone as fully informed as possible on progress and developments. He also focussed on the Total Support Force (TSF) concept, a major factor in Army 2020. He said that DSG management endorses the emerging TSF work strands and is now working to identify, as a priority, those DSG employees serving as reservists as well as introducing a new HR policy that is fully supportive of reservists. Geraint Spearing, DSG’s Chief Operating Officer then took the floor and highlighted the superb output by the various sites in the delivery of major programmes. He also explained that improvements and efficiencies across the sites has led to improved Direct Labour Utilisation output. With the importance of good health and safety practices, Donnington in particular has delivered 25% improvements in its Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations. Concluding the briefing Archie said, “Every time I finish the briefing I always seem to say that this was our hardest year ever. It

Irrespective of future ownership arrangements, our role first and foremost is to support our Armed Forces so we all need to continue maintaining and enhancing our customer relationships by providing our customers with a world class service.

He thanked the workforce for remaining focussed and maintaining output, enabling DSG to meet all its four internal business measures for quality, delivery, efficiency and financial performance used by Ministers and Parliament to assess DSG’s overall business performance. As the sale of DSG remains a concern for many, updates on sale is now a regular feature in the CE briefings. Archie outlined MOD’s timetable for key milestones in the DSG sale process and explained that work

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”

doesn’t necessarily mean that the year before wasn’t as hard but the changes to the defence environment, our customer’s changing and evolving requirements and the closer we get to sale makes everything more challenging. However, the good financial and operational performance of 2012/13 and meeting all our targets is a testament to the commitment of everyone. We will see greater activity surrounding sale in the next 12 months but we need to continue doing what we do best so it’s business as usual. Irrespective of future ownership arrangements, our role first and foremost is to support our Armed Forces so we all need to continue maintaining and enhancing our customer relationships by providing our customers with a world class service.”

Corporate briefing at Stafford

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news

DSG Warminster hosts visitors from Korea

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The Korean visitors with the various hosts

In June, DSG Warminster hosted a visit by Col Jang Jungeun, Director of Total Life Cycle Management and Dr Lee Doo-Hee from The Korean Ministry of National Defence. The purpose of their visit was to assess the feasibility and benefits of introducing a contracted defence support solution similar to DSG to support their vast army. Whilst their support requirement is primarily operationally focused for an Army under constant threat, the support they provide to their equipment is very similar to DSG. A presentation from Keith Norris, DSG Strategy Director; Andy Hursey, Head of Colchester and Warminster Operating Units

and Lt Col Neil Stace, DSG’s Military Advisor explained the Trading Fund concept, Governance structure, how DSG is contracted to deliver support and how the working relationship at the tactical level works between the Army and DSG. After the briefing, Mat Havery, Land Training Fleet Warminster (LTF (W)) manager and Matt Akers, Lead Supply planner gave the visitors a tour of the workshop, enabling them to gain an in-sight into the practicalities of how the contract is implemented. WO2 Stan Still from LTF (W) rounded off the visit with an equipment brief followed by a trip in a Mastiff, Foxhound and Jackal. Lt Col Neil Stace said, “They were most

They were most impressed with the facilities in Warminster, the range of equipment we support, the depth of repair and the level of expertise. They were also very interested in the flexibility of the contract and the strength of the partnership between customer and contractor.

”

impressed with the facilities in Warminster, the range of equipment we support, the depth of repair and the level of expertise. They were also very interested in the flexibility of the contract and the strength of the partnership between customer and contractor. Col Jang Jungeun was most enthusiastic and grateful for all the information he received and passed his thanks to everyone at Warminster.”

WO2 Stan Still showcasing the equipment

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three of the best

Three of the best Sarah Middleton, Admin, Aldershot With an admin background in a service industry and retail, Sarah joined DSG in 2008 as a temp and offered a permanent position later in the year as an Admin Support Officer at the In-Barracks Equipment Support site in Aldershot, affiliated to the Colchester main site. My favourite place in the world is… lounging by a pool anywhere hot, sipping a cocktail and enjoying a good book, obviously I would need a tall, dark, handsome man to rub in some sun cream for me! The most extravagant thing I have ever bought… would be my jewellery. I am a girl after all that can't resist diamonds. I have to try and avoid jewellery shops now as I think three watches are sufficient, I mean I only have two wrists! As for earrings, I suppose I could always have more of them, just best win the lotto first! In moments of weakness… I always give in to my son. I try and tell him he can cook for himself now at 17 and walk to work, but he knows he just has to look at me with those puppy dog eyes and I cave! I suppose that’s what us mums are for, spoiling the kids. He better look after me in my old age! If I was immortal for a day, I would… ride in the Grand National. I love my horses and riding but that race is just plain scary, bet the adrenalin rush is the best though. The three things I’d want on a desert island, apart from family are… well I would need a sea plane with a pilot as I don't think I would be any good at flying one so I could escape; sun tan lotion, I'm sensible and wouldn't want to get burnt and a good supply of books.

Ross Cormack, Sales Ledger supervisor, Andover After leaving university, Ross spent eight months in Orlando as a voluntary Youth and Student Support worker for a local church. He then worked for a couple of call centres before moving to Andover and joining DSG in 2011 as a temp, before securing the permanent position of Purchase Ledger assistant. Ross is currently on temporary promotion as Sales Ledger supervisor. I am not a politician but if I was… I’d campaign for Fife to be made into a glorious Kingdom once again. I’d probably run for King as well. In the Kingdom there would be no grey squirrels, limousines or French mustard. I won… a crossword competition and second prize in a beauty contest. I took away about £110 for it and my parking was free at the same time – and that was all in one evening. I'm very bad at… keeping things non-competitive. Whether it is a quiz question, a work task or sporting event, if there is even a hint of a game involved then I’ll make it into one. I just lost THE GAME. If I could choose to stay a certain age forever, I would choose… probably my current age, 24, because I hope I’ve improved every year so this is my best year so far! Ask me next year and it might be 25. If I had to appear in a reality TV show, I would appear in… Come Dine with Me. We’re currently doing one between colleagues in the office where I hosted Burns Night in January. It is now July and there have been no dinners since. At least if I went on the one on the telly I would get invited for dinner!

Hazel Jones, HR Support, Donnington Hazel started her MOD career in 1993 as an admin assistant before promotion to admin officer in 1995 whilst working in the DSDA Training and Development department. She continued working for the department for 12 years. In 2007, Hazel joined the DSG Donnington HR team as admin support carrying out payroll duties for Donnington, LSBU and Ashchurch. My proudest moment is… watching my two boys; Matthew who is 13 and Ashley who is 9, grow up and achieve things like taking off their arm bands for the first time, swimming their first width, and then a length. They would probably say I embarrass them by always wanting to take a picture or by getting over excited but that’s what parents are for! The thing I miss most about being a kid… is going to the sweet shop and handing over my 10p and coming out with a bag full of sweets! A shop I cant walk past without buying something is… I would love to give a cool answer but honestly with two boys always hungry it has to be ASDA, which is our local corner shop - there is always something to fetch. The best day of my life was… truthfully I am torn between seeing Robbie Williams live at Milton Keynes or Take That live at the NEC in Birmingham. My fantasy dinner party guests would be… Gary Barlow and Robbie Williams for a one to one rendition of songs. Peter Kay for the fun and laughter and Gaby Logan to entertain my husband, purely for the football chit chat!

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news

Simpler standardised contracting helping out SMEs

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While it is still in the early stages of implementation, the new template has so far proved easy to follow, quick to administer and is understood by Industry.

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number of cases where there is a need for an exemption to this procedure, I would recommend using this system to anyone in the procurement discipline, especially those new into the business. We have also passed on our experiences to the Standardised Contracting team who are appreciative of the feedback.” L-R, Julie Gardner and Rob Fisher In financial year 2012/13, 81% of new contracts placed by MOD were below £5M. In order to streamline and standardise contract documents for contracts under £5M, the Standardised Contracting team in Abbey Wood developed, in consultation with MOD Central Legal Services and Industry, a method of using templates of nonnegotiable narrative terms and conditions. The roll out of Standardised Contracting is welcome news for many Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), who have expressed concern that the previous Defence Condition (DEFCON) based approach to contracting, even for low value requirements, is difficult for them to understand and affects their ability or confidence to deal with MOD. Standardised Contracting also ensures greater consistency of approach and reduces the potential for disputes to arise. Traditionally, DSG’s Land Supply Business Unit (LSBU) has placed large numbers of low value contracts in order to meet ad hoc demands for a variety of items not readily available on longer term arrangements using the Purchase to Management System (PUMAS).

To radically reduce the number of one off low value requirements, LSBU recently developed an in-house Electronic Purchasing Process (EPP), which not only makes better use of established contracts but has also facilitated the introduction of the new Standardised Contracting templates, an option which was not possible on PUMAS. The EPP system streamlines the procurement process in order to meet the Cabinet Office’s pledge that all but the most complex of requirements is completed within 120 days. Rob Fisher, LSBU Procurement Officer, is one of the first to trial the new way of working using Standardised Contracting. Rob who has adapted to the new system said, “While it is still in the early stages of implementation, the new template has so far proved easy to follow, quick to administer and is understood by Industry. The rules and regulations that apply in respect of advertising and transparency are in no way affected but complement the standardised procedure. The team at Abbey Wood centrally manage and maintain the online Standardised Contracting documentation so there is never any risk of using the incorrect version. From my experience so far it seems to be extremely low maintenance. Although there are a

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Rob’s colleague, Julie Gardner, who was instrumental in introducing the new template into LSBU working practices, went on to say, “The new system is flexible depending on the procurement strategy selected, with separate Invitation to Tender templates for non competitive or competitive requirements. In addition, special notices and instructions to tenderers are added using the Defform 47, this is important as it provides the opportunity to advise of local requirements such as delivery booking in arrangements. “The new system also provides the valuable opportunity to further roll out the MOD Electronic Purchase to Payment (P2P) system. Some suppliers would not accept MOD terms and conditions in their previous format but the simpler standardised contracting template is more transparent and considered a welcome alternative for low value requirements.” As part of the trial, LSBU is keeping a log of suppliers issued with the standardised terms and conditions and will track the first contracts placed through to successful delivery. A further series of templates are under development and will be introduced in due course. LSBU will look to make use of these where appropriate over the coming months.

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news

Warminster employees’ qualification success Paul Grearson, Production manager and Dan Rogers, Compliance Officer from DSG Warminster recently obtained their National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health (NEBOSH) certificate with credits. Paul and Dan underwent the 13 week course, which was split into three areas; NGC 1 Management of H&S covered the legal requirements of H&S at work; NGC 2 General Workplace Hazards, looked into the physical aspects of controlling risks within the workplace; and NG3 Practical Assessment was an observation of the workshops followed by a full report of the findings. The course concluded with three two-hour exams. Paul said, “This course was very challenging but it gives me an excellent insight into H&S at work, which I can now use in my role.” Dan added, “H&S is highly misperceived. Most see it as a boring subject or a morale killer because some people enforcing H&S believe it’s a simple case of wrapping everyone in cotton wool. They only see the tip of the iceberg. The course was thoroughly interesting and gave me a clear understanding of what H&S is really about including the legal aspects and taking every

L-R, Dan Rogers and Paul Grearson condition into account to get the job done efficiently.” Further outstanding achievements came from three other employees at Warminster. Linsey Grearson, Planning Support and Change manager; Ben Courage, Production planner and Richard Woodham, Team leader have recently completed a Level 3 certificate in Leadership and Management accredited to the Institute of Leadership and Management. The trio had expressed interest in gaining a management qualification and when the opportunity arose they were pleased to give it a go. The seven-week course took place

L-R, Ben Courage, Linsey Grearson and Richard Woodham at Lackham College. They spent one day a week covering subjects such as Quality, Performance Management, Conflict Management and Understanding Leadership. Linsey said, “As it was only seven weeks the work was quite intense and required a lot of focus and time management at home as well as juggling the family. It was also good working on it with other colleagues as at least we could discuss it and help each other through it. The course definitely gave us a better understanding of all the key subjects in first line management; and it is a qualification that will put us all in good stead as we progress through our careers.”

Uniform to work day After completing his Class 1 trade course, his first annual camp was at the British Army Training Unit Suffield in Canada and in 2003 he had the dreaded brown envelope drop on his doorstep for a compulsory call up to OP TELIC in Iraq. Dave said, “At the time my wife was pregnant with our second baby so she wasn’t best pleased with the timing but she said, “The regulars have to deal with it, so will we.” I made it back on rest and recuperation for the birth but had to return to Iraq a week later therefore missing the first three months of my daughter’s life.” Dave Brand in the centre in his unform At DSG Colchester, most people know him as Dave Brand, Team leader General Engineering, Special Projects and Paint Shop but outside work Dave is a reservist with the REME Territorial Army (TA). Dave told Digest, “I joined the TA in 2000 and completed the basic recruit course in 2001. I am a Corporal in the 71st Yeomanry Signal Regiment, Light Aid Detachment (LAD) REME. “It was something I always thought about doing and when I met some that were already reservists I gave it a try and never regretted it. It gives a different dimension, challenge, learning and outlook on life from the day job and home life and puts me in situations outside the norm.”

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Since then Dave has been on many exercises all over the UK as well as Cyprus and Gibraltar. Some of the camps have been testing and some not so but joining the TA has given Dave the chance of adventure training taking part in sailing, skiing and scuba diving activities. To add an extra dimension to his role in the TA, Dave admits to some workshop banter when he revealed his sergeant in the TA is Colchester boss, Andy Hursey. When asked what he enjoys most about the TA, Dave replies, “It is interesting to meet people from all walks of life. Along with some other DSG employees, I also serve with guys and girls from all different backgrounds and work environments. I believe the army values and discipline that we have to adhere to when wearing the uniform reflects positively in my civilian life both at work and at home most importantly as a parent.”

August/September 2013

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news

Life in the real world As part of National Apprentice Week, two apprentices from DSG Donnington had the opportunity to shadow a mentor at Abbey Wood in Bristol and MOD Main Building in London. As winners in their category in the Tom Nevard Memorial Competition, Gareth Hopton who was first in the Machining Phase 1, spent a day alongside Pete Worrall OBE, DE&S Chief of Materiel (Joint Enablers) in Abbey Wood. Whilst Luke Gosling who won the Machining Phase 2 shadowed Jonathan Slater, Director General of Transformation and Corporate Strategy in Main Building. Gareth told Digest, “The day began with one of Mr Worrall’s team explaining the DE&S structure and the role of Mr Worrall and his team. I was then introduced to Mr Worrall, who gave me a brief run through of his plans for the day as well as an interesting insight into his career and achievements. “Afterwards, we went to the first meeting, which was a real eye opener. The meeting addressed the technical issues within MOD and problems found higher up the organisation. “The following meeting was with the Director of HR. I was obviously privy to information, which I cannot disclose but it was interesting to see another aspect of the business.” Gareth’s afternoon agenda consisted of more meetings, the first one involving three of the finance heads from different departments. He found it extremely interesting as it showed him the spending power of the various MOD departments. Another end of year review meeting followed with the Director of Helicopters and all the 1 stars from the team, which addressed the team’s progress and on-going projects. Gareth’s day concluded with a one to one discussion with Mr Worrall to review the day’s events. Gareth said, “Mr Worrall spoke of the

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Gareth Hopton

I found the day extremely inspiring and I was fascinated to learn of the opportunities in MOD for employees and apprentices. I was made welcome and given opportunities to ask questions throughout the day.

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importance of offering opportunities to apprentices. I found the day extremely inspiring and I was fascinated to learn of the opportunities in MOD for employees and apprentices. I was made welcome and given opportunities to ask questions throughout the day. Mr Worrall also offered sound advice on the importance of setting career goals.” Reflecting on his day, Luke Gosling said, “I spent a day shadowing Mr Jonathan Slater in Main Building. The day consisted of a series of meetings and discussions. “The day started with my introduction to Mr Slater in which he described his role and the importance of MOD. He then asked me to tell him about myself and my role as an apprentice in DSG. “We had a very precise schedule to follow and it was not long before we attended our first meeting of the day, which was the weekly Monday morning Catch Up, which addresses departmental matters and a look forward to the week ahead. It is normally chaired by Jon Thompson, MOD’s Permanent Under Secretary, however, in his absence, Mr Slater chaired the meeting.” Like Gareth, Luke’s day of shadowing Jonathan Slater was filled with back to back meetings. He sat in on a meeting with a member from the Transformation Behaviour team, another with the Head of the Defence Transformation unit and then with the Head of the Defence Reform unit. The fifth meeting of the day involved Lieutenant General Bill Rollo, Chief of Defence Staff Personnel and Training and the final meeting included discussions on an upcoming away day.

L-R, Jonathan Slater, Director General of Transformation and Corporate Strategy with Luke Gosling

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Speaking about the day, Luke said, “I feel that I have gained some very useful knowledge and general work experience. Although there was very little concerning DSG, I found the meetings really interesting and I could relate to the topics discussed in the various meetings. The day gave me an insight into MOD outside of DSG.”

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across the country

Across the co Be Exceptional at Civil Service Live

Recognition of long service Archie Hughes, DSG Chief Executive, recently presented two former DSG Donnington employees with the Imperial Service Medal in recognition of their long and meritorious service to the MOD.

L-R, Brian Griffiths, Ben Sullivan, Annette Thompson and Dave Burgess

A small team from DSG recently represented DSG at the Be Exceptional at Civil Service Live event in Bristol, which is free to attend for civil servants and those who work in local government and the wider Public Sector. The event showcased themed, interactive hubs packed with information about how the Civil Service is working in new ways as part of Civil Service Reform. Attendees were able to sit in on plenary sessions, workshops and drop-in clinics tackling big social issues and hear speeches from colleagues who are effecting some of the biggest programmes the Civil Service has ever been involved with; as well as having the opportunity to share views with some of the most senior leaders. The day also aimed to gather ideas and tools to improve skills and capabilities, and inspire individuals in their work. The DSG team included Dave Burgess, Head of Total Support Forces; Brian Griffiths and Ben Sullivan who are part of the Bastion UK Equipment Sustainability System (ESS) Regeneration Capability (RC) Support team and Annette Thompson, a Provisioner Mechanical at Land Supply Business Unit. The team were in attendance to promote not only DSG but also its support to operations. Dave previously managed the ESS RC facility in Bastion and both Ben and Annette have also deployed. Dave told Digest, “It was a very well attended event that enabled us to reach out to civil servants who were not necessarily familiar with DSG’s role. Many were surprised by the size of the deployed DSG team in Bastion and with Annette’s campaign and ISAF medals on show, many visitors were keen to speak to her regarding her experience.”

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Liz Evans began work at the Central Ordnance Depot Donnington in April 1972 as a Clerical Assistant in HQ building. She took a career break in 1981 to have a family and returned in 1994 to the Base Ordnance Depot Donnington as an Administrative Officer and then moved to Equipment Support Provision and Procurement Authority based at Sapphire House in Telford.

L-R, Archie Hughes with Norman Fluhrer

Liz left in October 2012 to spend more time with her family.

L-R, Archie Hughes with Liz Evans The other medal recipient was Norman Fluhrer. Norman started as an electrician apprentice in September 1969. He took on various roles concluding with Team leader of the B Vehicles when he left in October 2011. Outside work Norman annually helped out with the Christmas light set up at Madeley and two years ago he shaved his beard for Help 4 Heroes and raised over £1200 in the process. Norman is also a truly dedicated grandfather and now retired he spends quality time with his grandchildren but also makes sure he and his wife enjoy themselves with their love of holidays. Both were dedicated employees and we wish them well in their retirement.

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across the country

country Boy’s trip Roy Williams, Examiner Ancillaries from DSG Colchester always wanted to visit the war graves in Belgium. With his upcoming retirement in August, some of his colleagues decided it would be good to organise a boy’s trip to see the graves as a farewell tribute to Roy. Mick Champion, Team leader, organised for ten of them to travel by minibus to Belgium. On arrival, they stayed in a Bed and Breakfast (B&B) which is still a working farm standing on a historic battlefield. The barn was fascinating as it still contained relics from the war rescued from the fields during farming.

Adkins, Dave Williamson, L-R, Dave Tompkins, Mark ville Whittell, oding, Gary Solomons, Ne Roy Williams, Danny Go pio s and Mick Cham n Andy Baillie, Pete Mould

Amongst the places they visited was the Menin Gate at Ypres where they watched the moving nightly ceremony of the Last Post played to commemorate the 54,900 fallen soldiers with no known graves. A visit to Tyne Cot Cemetery also left them with lasting memories of the lives of some of the soldiers through reading the letters they sent to their families. Mick said, “Seeing the 12,000 graves of the known soldiers and the memorial wall at the back of the cemetery containing the names of another 35,000 soldiers with no known graves was a very sobering experience.” He added, “The B&B had no television, so after eating out we spent the evening putting the world to rights. We highly recommend the B&B, so if anyone plans to do the same trip, I am more than happy to provide details of this and any of the places we visited. It was a thoroughly enjoyable trip and was a great send off for Roy.”

Bike Week 2013 To celebrate this year’s Bike Week and the start of the summer, Neil Allen from DSG Colchester organised the first bike ride of the year for his fellow colleagues.

Stirling apprentice success

The Poodle to the Park route involved a gentle meander along the cycle routes of Colchester. Unfortunately, a clash with various school sports days robbed them of the company of a number of colleagues. This generated a general chorus of bogus sympathy as they took advantage of the glorious day by stopping off for an ice cream by the boating lake in Castle Park. Weather permitting of course, the group intends to organise more rides over the next few months.

L-R, Arlene Hamilton, Learning & Development Advisor, Sean Kaney and Alastair Laird, Stirling HR manager Sean Kaney, a first year apprentice from DSG Stirling recently received an award for Motor Vehicle Apprentice of the Year from the University of Highlands and Islands Perth College. Sean left his job at a local supermarket to start an apprenticeship with DSG in September last year. As part of his practical on the job experience, Sean is working on Front Line Command activity. Sean says “It is a great opportunity to work for DSG and working alongside my Apprentice Master, Larry Fraser throughout my first year was really enjoyable and valuable.” Ice cream stop

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John Henderson,Value Stream manager said “Sean adapted to the change in his career and integrated into workshop life seamlessly. He is performing well and is showing signs of a valued team member here at Stirling.”

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competition

COMPETITION

For this month’s competition Grant Handling has kindly donated a WH Smith £200 Theatre Break Experience Gift Pack. All you have to do to win, is to name both the brand and product from the given clue. Good luck! 1. This television commercial advert featured Nick Kamen in a laundrette.

2. Holidays are coming is one of its iconic festive advert.

3. Their slogan is “They're waffly versatile”.

Grant Handling, a one stop shop for all your materials handling requirements. We believe our experience in the materials handling equipment business is unmatched in the UK. During the past 35 years we have worked with Heli one of the world’s largest fork lift truck manufacturers to build a unique understanding of industry’s requirements.

4. The iconic faces of screen sirens Marilyn Monroe, Marlene Dietrich and Grace Kelly are cleverly incorporated into the scenes of the advert using computer generated imagery.

5. Television advert featuring Paul Whitehouse in various guises including a Plymouth Argyle supporter.

6. Their renowned slogan cropped up in an episode of Only Fools in Horses in the 1980s, when Del Boy comforts a German girl about to give birth.

The closing date for the competition is Friday 30 August 2013.

The key ingredient of the Grant Handling ethos is quality service support Over 120 mobile engineers working from our 8 regional depots together with a comprehensive range of new and used machines available for sale or rental including warehouse, reach, diesel, gas and electric counterbalance trucks to suit all applications allows us to offer a national service support network we believe to be second to none.

The winner of last month’s competition and winning the Sony digital camera is Graeme Campbell from Stirling. The correct answers were: 1. Deal or no Deal – Noel Edmonds 3. The Weakest Link - Anne Robinson 5. Blind Date – Cilla Black

2. Catchphrase – Roy Walker 4. The Chase – Bradley Walsh 6. The Price is Right – Bruce Forsyth

LOLER inspections Please send all your entries in to the Editor by Friday 30 August 2013.

E-mail: [email protected] Intranet: Click on the link on the dsg.net homepage Fax: 94391 5458 / 01264 385458 Post: DSG Corporate Communications, Sedgemoor Building, Monxton Road, Andover, Hampshire, SP11 8HT

Your annual Thorough Examinations taken care of A Thorough Examination is like an MOT for a car that must be carried out and reported on separately from routine maintenance. A detailed inspection of all the safety related areas of the equipment is undertaken. In addition to the brakes, steering, tyres etc. being checked under PUWER 98 all the lifting components, hydraulics, chains, forks etc are inspected in accordance with LOLER 98.

ENTRY FORM Name: Business Unit/Department: Telephone Number: RULES OF ENTRY The competition is restricted to DSG employees only. Only one entry per person will be accepted.

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www.granthandling.com 0845 073 9407

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