Grayson Announces Expansion Plans as it Turns 35!

Grayson Thermal Systems is forging ahead with plans to open up a new subsidiary business in Poland as the company celebrates its 35^th anniversary in April 2013. 

Grayson was set up as a radiator repair shop in 1978, and today it is a leading designer and manufacturer of heating, cooling and air conditioning products for buses and coaches, specialist off-road vehicles and commercial vehicles, supplying some of the best-known vehicle manufacturers and also the aftermarket.

From its two manufacturing centres in Birmingham it trades throughout Eastern and Central Europe, as well as in China and New Zealand, and it already has one overseas satellite business, Grayson Corp., serving North America.

Managing director Stuart Hateley is one of three generations of the Hateley family currently involved in the business. He said: “For many years now we have placed a lot of emphasis on growing our export business, and around  ten per cent of our turnover now comes from abroad.

“That proportion continues to grow and we are committed to providing high levels of support to customers in overseas markets, to the point where we will set up local operations when necessary. Business with Polish OEMs and vehicle operators has reached the point where it will shortly be desirable to have a permanent local presence supporting the representative we already have in the country. We’ll be announcing our plans very shortly.”

Throughout the past 35 years Grayson has continued to invest in its processes, plant and staff, most recently with a £500,000 investment in its in-house fabrication facility which has enabled the company to take control of more processes, and to boost flexibility and quality.

Installing a faster press brake and a powder coating system has helped the company to take control of other previously bought-out services and to offer a high quality and responsive service even on low volume runs.

Chairman Graham Hateley said: “We have been able to grow continuously thanks to a strategy of diversification and to our commitment to working in partnership with customers to find the optimal solution for their specific business issues.”

Grayson’s staff has grown from 180 in 2010 to 230 in early 2013, and its projected turnover for 2012-13 is £20.5m. Its commitment to developing expert markets resulted in a nomination in the Excellence in International Business category in the recent Birmingham Chamber Annual Business Awards.

Blowing Hot and Cold – How to change a blower correctly

Blowers are one of those products that it’s hard to get excited about. Lots of them look alike, and they often seem to be working alright even when they aren’t. But they’re an important product, affecting the comfort of passengers and the driver’s ability to demist the windows and drive safely.

They’re a replacement part that the team at the Grayson Thermal Systems Service Centre fit for bus and coach operators pretty much all year round. Over the last few years the company has been working to educate operators and technicians about the importance of specifying the right blower for the job, and installing it correctly. And, according to service centre manager Steve Robinson, the message is starting to get through.

He said: “We’re seeing a significant upturn in sales of premium quality blowers, and especially the Very Long Life (VLL) products that we supply for Thermo King units, because operators now recognise that there are commercial advantages to spending a bit more upfront on a product if this means that they can fit and then forget it for a long time to come.”

Most standard and long life blowers last 5-12,000 operating hours. Costing about 35 per cent more, VLL blowers greatly exceed that lifespan.

As Thermo King’s sole approved distributor for air conditioning products to the UK’s bus and coach sector, the Grayson Service Centre both installs VLL blowers and supplies them to customers nationwide, for installation by their own technicians. And now Grayson is offering them with its own extended warranty so that, if VLL blowers are fitted right and used correctly, the company will guarantee them for five years (20,000 operating hours). If a unit fails during that time, it can be sent back to Grayson, which will examine it and then provide a new one, as long as it was installed and used in line with the manufacturer’s recommendations.

Correct installation is critical to that warranty promise. It is no more complicated than fitting a standard blower, so here’s a handy video on how to do it!

http://www.graysonts.com

Sky High Hopes

Customer service coordinator, Sarah Currall, did a tandem skydive on Saturday 18th August in a bid to raise as much money as possible for The Stroke Association, and in memory of her grandmother.

The charity supports stroke patients, their carers and families, and funds research into the prevention and treatment of strokes.

Sarah is still fundraising and you can contribute at: www.justgiving.com/sarah-currall

Final Thoughts of LEJOG (The last blog from the ride)

Pack Up and Get Home – July 29th

After all the excitement of achieving our goal, you can easily forget we are 600 miles from home with a long drive ahead.

Rob and Rich head off for York at 5:30am as their Mom is in hospital and not so well. Guys our thoughts are with you and your Mom.

James and Gwyn are desperate to get home to see young ones who have been tugging at the heart strings for a few days if not weeks. It’s tough to leave your loved ones for 2 weeks and focus on the task we set.

Postscript

I was asked in October 2011 to join James, Gwyn, Rich, and Rob in the challenge to ride LEJOG. I had not ridden a bike for 15 years and stepped out on my old mountain bike struggling to ride 10 miles.

After months of training, I felt ready for the challenge and got stronger as the days went on. “Miles on legs” as Richard kept telling me.

Day 14 of the LEJOG Charity Bike Ride (Helmsdale to JOHN O GROATS)

Day 14 – July 28th (Helmsdale to JOHN O GROATS

My Blog today is quick and simple –

14:00pm: Arrive at JOHN O GROATS a little wet, but who cares we have made it.

Rob is claiming the fastest speed after I clocked 46.2 mph on steep descent. He has claimed 46.5 mph after I held the record for 12 days. Reluctantly I give him the accolade. I have, however, requested his speedometer is calibrated; it might be reading high!! 

After a little celebration and photographs, we load the van and head for Inverness – 120 miles south (Fortunately not cycling!!!) 

Total Miles : 923.5       Miles Today : 52.5

Day 13 of the LEJOG Charity Bike Ride (Dingwall to Helmsdale)

Day 13 – July 27th (Dingwall to Helmsdale)

There is massive excitement as we prepare for the penultimate day on our adventure. Having had some long days in the saddle, we have a comfortable day taking the A9 up the Scottish coast with relatively flat terrain. We have sunshine and a great ride ahead of us. Can it get any better!?!?

We set off at a comfortable pace. I have stopped off to get a picture of the first road sign for John O Groats - 104 miles. What a great feeling!

I have to keep stopping to remove sticky lumps of tar collecting in my brake calliper so spend most of the morning cycling alone. The A9 is very busy and the young guns (Rob/Rich) want to take the hilly B road whilst James and Gwyn are keen to stay on original plan. I’m not bothered either way. In the end, we decide to stick to the flatter A9.

After 25 miles in, I catch up with Colin, Rob and Richard. We head into to Tain for a coffee break. The afternoon has been pretty uneventful. We just polished off the remaining 33 miles in a great time arriving in Helmsdale at 14:30pm - our earliest finish yet.

We had booked the Belgrade Arms Hotel, Helmsdale. This should read “Youth Hostel” not hotel. The accommodation wasn’t great, however by contrast the food was.

Bobby Taylor (Grayson Scotland) was due to arrive helping our repatriation to Inverness once we reach JOG. Bobby is such a funny guy and had all of us howling with laughter. Give him a fish platter and he is like a machine with shell and tentacles flying in any direction.

Next came the shock of my life. I had been trying to contact my wife Sue since Thursday. With some scheming and help from work colleagues and family, they hatched up a plan allowing her to travel to Helmsdale with Colin’s wife Karen and meet us. I finally got in touch with her and she was in the Hotel lobby having driven 530 miles on Thursday and Friday to get see us over the finishing line. What a wonderful surprise.

Having been unable to get a room at the “youth hostel,” Sue had booked The Bridge Hotel down the road. This meant no sharing with Colin who is a great guy but snores like a Rhino!!! I can only assume Karen wears ear plugs! If you are ever fortunate enough to travel this far north, I strongly recommend you pay a bit extra and stay at The Bridge.

We had a great meal at Belgrade Arms and a few beers. We aren’t too concerned about Saturday with just 50 miles to go. We did encounter a little anti-English sentiment in the bar on the evening, but this was soon settled with a game of darts. Plus the locals donated £30 to our charities.

So off to bed and in the morning it will be the last day. I can hardly believe I have got this far and feel so well.

Total Miles : 871     Miles Today : 58

Days 11 & 12 of the LEJOG Charity Bike Ride (Ardlui to Dingwall)

Day 11 – July 25th (Ardlui to Spean Bridge)

Day 11 feels like a big challenge, over the Scottish Highlands, but a giant step towards our goal - John O Groats. We have a later start and the first 10 miles cycling is glorious, along the banks of Loch Lomond.

After just 15 miles, James has another puncture so we are delayed whilst he sorts that out. After the delay, we head into the Scottish Highlands knowing we have a few challenging climbs in front of us. We reach the start of the serious climbs and the road snakes up the mountain as far as we can see. The 10 days on the bike have improved leg strength so much since the trauma of Cornwall that the climb seems like just a challenge rather than dread. 

We reach the Glencoe for lunch after 40 miles of  incredible cycling. Long climbs with long descents; the scenery is stunning. Lunch comes too soon as I feel like I can cycle all day in the surroundings of the fresh mountain air. Colin has got baguettes for the whole team. We sit in awe of the surroundings.

We start straight away after lunch. The pace is good again and we quickly head towards Fort William. After a fast start (20 mph average), we settle into a comfortable pace as we reach the shores of Loch Linnie, another huge expanse of water. We are 6 miles from Fort William when we stop in a lay by to let traffic pass. As we head off, I notice my back wheel is catching. It looked like the rear wheel was buckled but I had loose spokes again. Wasting no time we called up the support vehicle and headed for the local bike shop “Nevis Cycles” in Fort William. 

Dougie and the rest of the crew are fantastic and immediately jump to solve the problem. They find my rear wheel is cracked with a spoke pulled out of the wheel. The only solution is a new rear wheel. I think maybe the damage was caused during the high speed cycling on the Highland roads. At least we found it with expert help at hand and not closer to John O Groats where help would be less easy to find. Dougie also changes my rear brakes which are low and checks and adjusts the fronts and gears. I feel happy with the repairs and know my bike should be in good shape for the last push.

Colin drops me back to the spot where I broke down and I cycle the 6 miles back into Fort William to join up with the lads. We knock off the last 9 miles arriving at the B&B at 17:45pm. Not a bad time considering the 2 breakdowns and time we lost.

Today has been a fantastic day. The best cycling I have done in my short time as a cyclist. Come to the Scottish Highlands and see it for yourself; the only way to describe it is STUNNING.

Total Miles : 749        Miles Today : 72

Day 12 – July 26th (Spean Bridge to Dingwall)

Today we head well into northern Scotland, down the side of Loch Lochy, Fort Augusta and on past Loch Ness. We then take the A433 up towards Dingwall.  

The accommodation last night, Coire Glas Guest House, was first class. Jill, our host, was so friendly and helped with a load of washing.

We leave at 9:30am. James has another puncture. Clearly there is something wrong after 2 yesterday so he fits Richard’s spare tyre. We finally head off and after 400 yds we have a steep climb. It is just what you want after a hearty breakfast, but it gets the muscles warmed up. At the top we stop off as there is a Commando Monument - remembering the part the British Commandos played in World War II. They trained in Northern Scotland to prepare for the difficult terrain/conditions they might encounter in active service.

The rest of the day is a day of excellent cycling with beautiful scenery alongside the Scottish Lochs. We stop for lunch at Loch Ness Information Centre; we grab some sandwiches from the local Cooperative store. We’d been warned about the hill climb as we enter the A433. Once again not what you want after lunch. We keep choosing the most inopportune moments to eat. It is a struggle to say the least having taken the break. We all make it up and lay out in the sunshine to recover.

From there it is a very comfortable ride down into Dingwall and tonight’s accommodation Garfield B&B.

Only 11 miles to Dingwall

We have just 105 miles and over 2 days to complete our challenge. I spoke with Sue today and the donations continue to flow in. We have had over £1000 donated in the last 48 hours. Amazing support, which makes the days so much easier knowing we have now raised over £7000 towards our target of £10k. Thank You, Thank You, Thank You to all our supporters. You have made it all worthwhile!

Total Miles : 813    Miles Today : 64

For all the photos from LEJOG visit www.facebook.com/GraysonThermalSystems