New West London depot establishes “strong base” in first year

A new operational depot established to deliver specialist drainage services to customers in West London and the Thames Valley has made good progress in its first year.

Lanes Group Development Director Richard Leigh said the depot, in Slough, Berkshire, is developing a growing portfolio of clients across a range of sectors, including local government, highways and manufacturing.

He added: “The West London is a key element of our growth strategy in the south of England, as it is helping us develop a sustainable service network across the region.

“It has established a strong base in its first year. We set challenging targets, and the depot team has risen to that challenge to win important contracts and do some excellent work.

“During 2017/18, I am confident the depot will push on to realise the full potential of what is an excellent location, at the heart of one of the most economically vibrant and best-connected areas in the UK.”

Reflecting this confidence, the number of area development managers based at the depot, to work with larger customers, has been doubled from one to two.

The depot has a fleet of four jet vac tankers, three van pack units, for general blockage clearance work, four CCTV drainage survey vans, and a vacuum tanker. From September, it is also offering an in-depot pipe lining service, thanks to Lanes Group’s in-house lining skills training programme.

The opening of the new depot means London is now split between two depots, West London, and the East London depot, in Rainham.

The move has allowed Lanes to reduce journey times and distances across London and Thames Valley, increasing the reliability of its services for customers, while reducing running costs and the carbon footprint of its operation.

A key element of the Lanes business strategy is to effectively co-ordinate assets within the depot network, to serve a growing number of clients turning to Lanes drainage expertise for large projects and long-term drainage maintenance programmes.

West London is already playing a pivotal role in this approach, working with colleagues at the East London, Sevenoaks, Eastleigh, and Bristol depots. An example has been a contact to survey and clean highway drains on the M4 at its junction with the M25.

West London Depot Manager Darren Lyne said: “The project has been overseen by a national business manager, led operationally by us at West London, and supported with assets from other depots, as required.

“This approach gives our customers confidence that we can deliver excellent drainage services into large infra-structure programmes, while ensuring we have the resource to serve our other customers, and attract new ones.”

 

 

 

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