Not only has the maintenance services division of leading lifting services provider, Morris Material Handling, secured a two year extension to the service and maintenance partnering contract it has enjoyed with Westland Helicopters over the last 30 months, the company has been tasked with supplying a number of additional services that now form part of a comprehensive facilities management package.
Whilst ensuring that all of Westland Helicopters' cranes, allied lifting and material handling equipment at its Yeovil UK design and manufacturing site meets full health and safety and LOLER requirements remains central to the core contract, numerous other onsite facilities now fall within the Morris remit.
Over and above assuming responsibility for over 9,000 lifting items that come under the company's statutory inspection, servicing, maintenance and minor repair programme, Morris has been tasked with inspecting some 300 fire escapes and access staging on the Yeovil site, not to mention Westland Helicopters industrial doors, fixed ladders and steps, carousels, and both fixed and mobile type racking systems.
Additionally, Morris inspects a fleet of Demag power trucks for Westland Helicopters and has also assumed responsibility for overseeing a fully comprehensive onsite scaffolding service, with the company coordinating onsite erection and dismantling on a project-by-project basis.
Indeed such is the magnitude of Morris Maintenance Services involvement with Westland Helicopters, the whole facilities management partnering programme is supported by a team that has grown from two strong back in 2005 to some ten permanent on-site technicians. Overall coordination of the facilities management programme centres on Morris Material Handling's Service Centre in Yeovil, where additional administrative and project staff are on hand to support what is Morris's largest strategic partnership agreement.
Commenting on behalf of Westland Helicopters, Maintenance Manager Site Facilities, Dave Wakely said: "Whilst the key driver to the contract that we enjoy with Morris Material Handling centres on ensuring that our equipment meets both our own rigorous health and safety standards and LOLER regulations, they continue to demonstrate their skills by providing solutions to often challenging tasks and operational issues that go way beyond cranes and lifting equipment. As a result, we are more than satisfied with the service levels that they supply and with the multi-skilled team that has been assembled to support the contract. They have become a an important service provider to Augusta Westland here in the UK and we are looking forward to continuing the excellent working partnership."
And as Cliff Hilson, Operations Director of Morris Maintenance Services added: "We are obviously delighted to be working ever more closely with the team at Westland Helicopters. It is a perfect example of a strategic partnership that delivers tangible and flexible service levels in an efficient and cost-effective manner."
Westland Helicopters Limited is the UK arm of AgustaWestland and is the only helicopter design authority, manufacturer and systems integrator. With more than 80 years' aviation experience, Westland is renowned throughout the world as a manufacturer of the most technically advanced, versatile and reliable helicopters.