News
Promotions at Boarhunt
March 2010
Over recent weeks there have been a number of organisational changes and promotions at Boarhunt.
Mick Puleston has been appointed as Operations Director and is now responsible for the running of the haulage department and workshops as well as recovery.
Paul Spratt has transferred from the Portsmouth workshop to take a secondment to work alongside Mick at Fareham, having worked for the company for over 26 years he has much experience to bring to his new role.
Richard Edney has stepped into the position left vacant by Paul, he has worked for Boarhunt for the last 16 years during which time he has worked his way through the ranks from apprentice to his new position of Depot Manager.
Steve Paice has joined the Fareham workshop as Supervisor. Steve initially joined the recovery department as a roadsider however when the opportunity arose to use his workshop skills and experience Paul Doney, Garage Services Director, quickly got him on board.
Finally in the recovery division, supervisors have been appointed at our Fareham and Ferndown depots, namely, Dean Paffett and Dale Giles.
We wish them all every success in their new roles.
Boarhunt Named Runner Up in the Innovation of the Year Category at the Business Excellence Awards 2010
February 2010
Boarhunt are delighted to have been announced as runner up in the prestigious Innovation of the Year Award category in the annual Business Excellence Awards sponsored by The Portsmouth News and Business Link. The award was announced at a gala dinner event at the Portsmouth Guildhall on 28 January 2010 hosted by South Today presenter Sally Taylor.
The award was achieved for the ingenious building move that the Heavy Recovery Department undertook at the Energy Recovery Facility at North Quay in Newhaven in June 2009.
Chairman of Boarhunt, Robin Doney commented ‘I am very proud of the team’s achievement and would like to say a massive thank you to everyone concerned for their hard work on the project’.
Commendations for Boarhunt Recovery
January 2010
During the recent prolonged winter weather the recovery team worked far beyond the call of duty. This was recognised by many customers from whom countless calls and emails were received regarding the department’s amazing achievements during the difficult and challenging conditions.
Most notably the Chief Constable of Hampshire Constabulary thanked Boarhunt for clearing abandoned vehicles on the A3, amongst the staff who assisted was Chairman Robin Doney who got into a recovery vehicle after many years and lent a hand in the snow!
"I am writing to express our gratitude at the way we were all able to work together during the recent problems caused by the snow.
All of your operatives worked really hard in extremely difficult circumstances to safely remove all the abandoned vehicles on the A3 in the shortest time possible. These were challenging times and the resulting operation would not have been the success it was without the dedication and flexibility of your crews who all performed their roles professionally and without complaint to complete the task. My staff have nothing but praise for the way they behaved and were also grateful for their assistance.
I look forward to continuing our successful working relationships in the future."
Commendations were also received from Britannia Rescue, the AA and Green Flag all of whom praised the team for their tireless efforts.
At the recent RAC contractors ball Operations Support Manager Del Morton was presented with an Achievement Award, Robin was given a bottle of champagne for his services on the National Council and Boarhunt received an award for our outstanding contribution during 2009.
No Job Too Big for Boarhunt Heavy Recovery
June 2009
Boarhunt Heavy Recovery recently undertook a never before tried winching operation at the Energy Recovery Facility located at North Quay in Newhaven. The facility is designed to generate electricity from the 210,000 tonnes of residual household waste generated in East Sussex and Brighton and Hove, supplying power equivalent to the energy consumption of more than 16,500 homes. The electricity generated will be fed into the national grid reducing the equivalent amount of non-renewable fossil fuels.
Boarhunt were awarded the project by the main contractor Hochtief and assisted by R D Avery Recovery of Salisbury. During the tendering phase different options and technical solutions were proposed, we were asked to come up with a solution to winch the main building structure into place.
The main building structure (to the right) which is 45 metres square and weighs 7,500 tonnes was constructed parallel to a circular pit. The pit was excavated under water and the main structure floated into the pit using six heavy recovery vehicles complete with operatives which were placed at nominated locations around the main building structure.
The heavy recovery vehicles were driven in to their specific positions one by one and connected to the main building structure on the day prior to the move. This required much ingenuity as the building was now floating so the heavy winch cables were transported to the connection points by boat and crane. After around 8 hours hard work by the team all six vehicles were in place with their winches connected.
When the order was given for the rotator to commence winching on the day of the operation slowly but surely the 4,800 tonne structure began to move, guided and controlled by the remaining five vehicles, the building floated in to place. Apart from some worrying moments when gusts of wind caused the building to “fishtail”, the process was successfully completed in 10 hours.
Heavy Recovery Director, Robert Doney, commented on this remarkable achievement ‘To make any project a success you have to make sure you have the right equipment in the right place at the right time, with the right people operating it properly. The whole team were fantastic, and it shows what can be achieved when we work together.’
