SYNETIQ has announced that, as of the 1st January, current Executive Chairman Tom Rumboll has moved to become the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company. Tom now takes overall responsibility for the performance of the business and its people.
Richard Martin, current Managing Director, will take up the role of Chairman; bringing many years’ of knowledge and experience as a key figure in the salvage and vehicle recycling industry.
Tom joined the team as Executive Chairman upon the formation of SYNETIQ, having played a pivotal role in the merger that created the market-leading salvage and vehicle recycling business.
Having spent the last 20 months focusing on integration, people, processes and proposition, whilst enhancing the governance of the well managed business, Tom has worked with the teams to develop better structure, measurement, planning and communication. His background in large PLCs, regulated industries and high growth businesses has proved valuable for SYNETIQ and the business is now poised for its next phase of growth.
The rest of the SYNETIQ Executive board remains unchanged, retaining the valued industry knowledge of John Schofield and Dave Harcourt, as well as Leigh Manton who joined as Finance Director in September 2019.
Richard Martin, Chairman of SYNETIQ, said: “My fellow shareholders and I know that Tom is the right person to take the SYNETIQ business forward as we enter our next phase of growth. He has our full support as we continue to work together as a strong team, making our vision of creating a vehicle recycling industry we can all be proud of a reality.”
Tom Rumboll said: “It is a real honour that the SYNETIQ shareholders trust me to head the business they have led so well for so long. The last few years of creating and subsequently integrating SYNETIQ have been a fantastic experience, and one that has identified a number of hugely exciting opportunities for the company. I feel privileged to lead the fantastic team of this very special business to a successful, sustainable and exciting future.”
SYNETIQ has been spreading Christmas cheer in the final run up to the holidays, by completing its last round of fundraising for The Sick Children’s Trust – raising over £7,000 in total.
Photo taken in 2019
Despite the company’s usual fundraising being disrupted by COVID, the SYNETIQ team got its charity work back on track with a series of virtual and remote activities that promoted individual challenges and encouraged people to donate.
With ten ‘Homes from Home’ around the country, The Sick Children’s Trust give families with a seriously ill child in hospital a warm and comfortable place to stay, and a friendly ear to listen, when they need it most.
“It’s not been an easy year for anyone, but we’re proud to have been able to carry on with our work in supporting deserving charities,” explains Tom Rumboll, Executive Chairman of SYNETIQ. “As a business we focused on adapting to the new and challenging work environment and, with many team members classed as key workers, we soon realised that we could approach fundraising in the same pragmatic way.”
The Sick Children’s Trust wants to keep families together by their child’s hospital bedside, and a donation of £30 can do that. Elisa Cappello-Dowd, Community Fundraising Manager at The Sick Children’s Trust said, “Having a seriously ill child is an incredibly worrying time and by giving families a place to stay it means they have one less thing to worry about.
“This year has been a challenging year for everyone, but especially families with children in hospital. As a charity, The Sick Children’s Trust has kept its doors open to these families to keep them together and support has never been needed more. We’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone at SYNETIQ for choosing to take on a fundraising event for our charity, and helping us to keep families together.”
SYNETIQ, the UK’s largest vehicle salvage and recycling company, has supported the Sick Children’s Trust since 2019, and it’s just one of many charities and organisations that benefit from SYNETIQs Colleague and Community forum. This allows colleagues to vote on establishing the best use of the annual charity budget, and provides an opportunity for everyone to put forward their own initiatives for discussion.
SYNETIQs teams have walked, cycled and even skydived in order to drive donations for local and national organisations, and the business promises a ‘pound for pound’ scheme for all colleagues, matching the total raised by individuals for charity up to the value of £500.
Corporate Social Responsibility has been a priority for SYNETIQ’s since its formation and its efforts have been recognised, as it’s been shortlisted for Excellence in Corporate Social Responsibility at the Doncaster Business Awards.
At the start of the year SYNETIQ announced its partnership with Team BRIT, which supports people with physical and psychological challenges in accessing motorsport and aims to be the first all-disabled team to race in the Le Mans 24 hour.
The company also supports regional emergency services, including the First Responders for the North West Ambulance service West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue and the BARC North West Rescue Team, with practice days for event simulation. Held at SYNETIQ sites, they create a challenging training environment where rapid extraction methods and specialist tool training can be conducted safely.
UK’s largest vehicle salvage company holds over 200k inventoried, tagged parts and over 11k breakers ahead of Brexit
High quality, non-safety critical OE components with traceable histories
Parts available through SYNETIQ’s MyGreenFleet platform
Service already relied upon by up on by emergency services and key worker fleets
SYNETIQ, the UK’s largest vehicle salvage and recycling company, is ready to support the repair sector with the supply of quality replacement parts as shipping delays and uncertainty over Brexit become apparent.
Recycling 95.3% of each vehicle, SYNETIQ’s in-house processes have been developed to handle components as efficiently as possible. With in-excess of 200k parts already identified, inventoried, graded and priced, from its 14 locations in the UK, SYNETIQ has spent the last 12-months structuring and investing in the business to ensure it can meet the demands of customers as shortages of new parts means an increased focus on ‘green’ salvaged components.
Already relied upon by key insurance providers, SYNETIQ helps customers to reduce cost, through delays in repair, and drastically cut their carbon footprint through the responsible use of existing part that conform to BSI10125.
“With many questions remaining about the availability of these essential green parts in 2021, we have taken a series of practical steps over the last 12-months to ensure that we’re in an extremely strong position to support our clients and customers who play a key role in ensuring the UK keeps moving,” explains Tom Rumboll, Executive Chairman of SYNETIQ. “All our suppliers are UK based and, with an expected influx of vehicles classed as Category N expected into the supply chain, we only envisage our stock levels rising.”
With a high volume of vehicles and parts currently imported into the UK, delays due to border control and customs clearance would lead to increasing costs and in turn an increased demand – massively impacting the insurance repair sector. With evidence that more vehicles are being classed as Category N due to the lack of suitable parts, SYNETIQ’s market leading approach to green parts, salvage vehicles and second hand vehicles presents customers with a strategic advantage.
Working to an ethos of: Reduce, Reuse, Reman and Recycle, SYNETIQ takes an integrated approach to ensuring how vehicles are assessed and either put back on the road or dismantled for parts. This ensures maximum reuse and minimal environmental impact – and supplies vital, cost effective and environmentally sustainable original components to the repair sector.
With the immediate supply of popular items, parts can be dispatched with next day delivery and even larger, more complex parts, including replacement engines or gearboxes, can be sourced at short notice.
SYNETIQ have worked closely with all of their partners to ensure they have minimal exposure in the event of a no-deal Brexit.
South Wales Police Force is saving £45,000 a year on fleet maintenance and has drastically cut its vehicle downtime thanks to the use of green parts supplied by SYNETIQ.
The adoption of the ‘green’ policy’ has given the force a welcome cash boost, and also helped it to maximise operational capabilities for its fleet of patrol vehicles.
As a major client of MyGreenFleet since 2017, the use of green parts has become the mainstay of South Wales Police Force’s maintenance strategy.
The use of green vehicle parts supplied by MyGreenFleet – a supply portal operated by SYNETIQ, the largest salvage and vehicle recycling company in the UK – has also reduced the environmental impact of its fleet of more than 1,200 vehicles. South Wales Police no longer rely on new, manufactured replacement parts and body panels that have a higher carbon footprint than green parts.
Because it is often quicker to use green parts, the force was also able to cut the amount of time its vehicles were off the road because delivery times are much quicker than those of new parts.
As the largest police force in Wales, which serves an area of 1,250 square miles via a fleet of 850 dedicated police vehicles, South Wales Police has a clear need to maintain the frontline availability of these vehicles for its officers and keep the downtime to a minimum.
Before the introduction of SYNETIQ MyGreenFleet to the force, a lack of rapidly available parts would sometimes see parts temporarily harvested from vehicles to keep other vehicles on the road. Now, thanks to the availability of next-day-delivery green parts, that is no longer necessary – vehicles are back on the road quickly, allowing officers to continue serving the population of South Wales.
The data generated by the MyGreenFleet portal is used by SYNETIQ to identify the most common replacement parts, so MyGreenFleet can ensure good availability all year round.
With the immediate supply of popular items such as door mirrors, replacements can be delivered within 24 hours, and vehicles can return to frontline use.
More complex parts such as whole replacement engines or gearboxes, that are traditionally harder to source, are also available with rapid delivery times via the SYNETIQ MyGreenFleet portal.
Denzil Calford, Workshop Manager for South Wales Police, said: “MyGreenFleet has given the South Wales Police Force a huge boost. The great price point of green parts and the quick turnaround of everyday items is brilliant, but the consistently quick supply of parts as specific as engines is even better. “
“With as little as three days turnaround for such items, it means I can order on a Monday, begin repairs on a Wednesday and have a vehicle back on the road by Friday. It’s fair to say that MyGreenFleet has become a crucial part of maintaining the police force.”
Calford added: “Had it not been for the Client Relationship Director, Jason’s enthusiasm in explaining the benefits of going Green, SWP Fleet Strategy might not have adopted the policy, and would now be behind on achieving a Zero Carbon workshop facility”
Jason Cross, Client Relationship Director for SYNETIQ said “It’s great to know that the South Wales Police force continues to by happy with the cost savings and reduced off road time that our working relationship enables. We pride ourselves on providing great value and service to our clients, and we can sleep well at night knowing we will only supply high quality, non-safety critical OE parts that can be traced back to the donor vehicle. Denzil and the team can trust that all parts come with a certificate of conformity to meet the needs of BSI10125.
Up to 1,200 vehicles are within South Wales Police’s care at any one time, thanks to 850 police vehicles and a further 400 local authority vehicles. With an internal depreciation charge of £100 a day applied to any vehicle which is off-road awaiting repairs, the use of the SYNETIQ MyGreenFleet platform has ensured that the entire fleet continues to operate efficiently as possible – both for the officers on the force and also for the public purse.
Calford concluded: “SYNETIQ MyGreenFleet has always delivered clear benefits to South Wales Police, and it continues to do so. Initially, we signed up for a 12-month trial but three years later, we are still here and remain a satisfied client. With the help of MyGreenFleet, we are well on our way to achieving carbon neutrality and, as we continue to roll out our use of green parts, this can only improve.”
SYNETIQ has announced that two of its Doncaster vehicle processing facilities are to be joined with the addition of 25 acres licensed by the Environment Agency. Through the incorporation of an adjacent site, the existing SYNETIQ premises on Planet Road and Church Lane in Doncaster will be integrated into one new industry leading operation.
Planning permission has already been granted for the site’s development, which will allow SYNETIQ to improve and streamline its operations. Cars, motorbikes, HGVs and LCVs will now all be processed together, improving operational efficiencies and creating additional jobs in the local area.
As the UK’s leading vehicle salvage and recycling company, SYNETIQ is investing heavily in its facilities in and around its Doncaster HQ as part of its ongoing commitment to futureproofing its operations. With a strategy to operate from large, well-invested, strategically located sites, SYNETIQ will ensure it has capacity to continue growth in the future, while exceeding its recycling targets through innovative operational processes.
Richard Martin, Managing Director of SYNETIQ commented: “We are delighted to announce the Doncaster expansion just days after SYNETIQ is once again reaffirming its position as an industry leader at a time when the reduction in waste and the reduction in global CO2 production is critical. Through the expansion of our Doncaster operations, we are able to advance and streamline our vehicle processing, while operating our salvage, auction, parts and recycling operations from one single, efficient site.”
He added: “The use of the existing brownfield site will minimise the environmental impact of the expansion, and perfectly aligns with our company ethos of: Reduce, ReUse, Reman and Recycle. It’s a simple yet effective approach, and we’re repurposing land in the same way that we re-use as many of the components on each vehicle as possible. This is very much how we approach our work, which includes focusing on our social responsibility and leading the industry through innovation.”
SYNETIQ, the UK’s largest vehicle salvage and recycling company, has announced its intention to expand and invest in its Winsford site, as the UK gears up for a shift to purely electric vehicles from 2035.
The planning of a significant investment is now underway, and will see the Winsford site in Cheshire become the home of SYNETIQ’s new cutting-edge facility for processing electric vehicles (EVs) – the first of its kind in Europe. With the announcement of a ban on all new petrol and diesel cars by 2030, the move will support the company’s ambition to drive sustainability, innovation, compliance and customer experience agendas, whilst delivering great value for clients.
In addition to the bespoke EV Processing capability, there will also be further investment in facilities including concreting, large-scale racking systems, purpose-built depollution facilities, as well as remodelled premium dismantling and parts and EV Battery storage facilities. Winsford will still operate as a premium salvage and online auction site.
SYNETIQ already has specialist equipment and processes in place to handle EVs and hybrids, while maximising safety and compliance. New recycling processes are also in development, alongside additional logistics capabilities to futureproof the business.
Over 50 colleagues are trained to handle EV and Hybrid vehicles safely, and further training and investment is scheduled to upskill SYNETIQs team. The scope of the development will see the site become the UK’s leader in handling the technically advanced vehicles of tomorrow and follows a £500k investment in EV handling capabilities already completed at Gloucester, SYNETIQs flagship South West site.
As part of changes the company’s Nantwich site will close by Spring 2021, with most employees migrating to the flagship Winsford site. This announcement of SYNETIQs commitment to expansion in the North West is in line with its business strategy, shared earlier this year. Concentrating rising vehicle volumes through fewer, but larger, well-invested and strategically located sites, will provide the capacity for future growth and increase efficiency.
SYNETIQ has already begun the successful implementation of this strategy in Scotland and the South West in 2020, as well as investment into new sites across the South East. Working to an ethos of: Reduce, Reuse, Reman and Recycle, SYNETIQ takes an integrated approach to ensuring how vehicles are assessed and either put back on the road or dismantled for parts. This ensures maximum reuse and minimal environmental impact – and supplies vital, cost effective and environmentally sustainable original components to the repair sector.
John Schofield, Executive Director of SYNETIQ says: “I am so proud of how the business I started back in 1974 has gone from strength to strength. I have always moved with the times and what our clients and customers want: this investment and commitment to our base in Cheshire is the next chapter of a very exciting story for SYNETIQ”.
Planning and consultation with colleagues will continue for the rest of the year before the expansion plans are executed in the new year.
Gavin Wood has joined UK’s largest salvage and vehicle recycling company, as part of investment in its Green Parts supply capability.
In this new leadership role, Gavin will work with the Operations Director, supporting the end-to-end Inventory Process departments to ensure the SYNETIQ meets the stringent quality and delivery requirements their clients and customers require. These environmentally friendly Green Parts must be of the right standard, in the right place and at the right time.
Effective and efficient management of the goods in, pricing and grading, QC and inventory process is vital in this fast-moving area of the business, which handles thousands of vehicles and parts each week.
SYNETIQ has invested heavily in its sites and infrastructure this year, implementing harmonised processes and measurements across its locations. The business is working to specific KPIs to meet the expectations of clients and customers.
To support this, a new Pricing & Factoring Team has been established in Doncaster, led by Gavin to develop operational efficiencies through aligned processes, best practice and continual improvement.
Gavin brings a wealth of experience in inventory and stock control, having worked in the FMCG industry for over 20 years, and will be based at SYNETIQs Doncaster Head Office.
Tom Rumboll, Executive Chairman at SYNETIQ, said:
“Our customers rely on us keeping our promises – whether that customer is a major Insurer or a private individual. Gavin has joined us at an exciting time and is absolutely the right person to support our ambitious growth plans.”
The Vehicle Recycler’s Association has awarded SYNETIQ with the Stage 2 UK Standard for Reclaimed Parts from End-Of-Life Vehicles, following a two-part assessment at SYNETIQ’s Doncaster Head Office.
This new industry standard covers the removal, processing, and traceability of parts from damaged vehicles, ensuring they are safe for reuse. SYNETIQ supplies these ‘green parts’ to major fleets, Bodyshops, garages and private customers across the UK.
SYNETIQ sells original equipment (OE) non-safety related parts, such as collision panels, engines and gearboxes, through its parts procurement platform MyGreenFleet. Each part is graded from A to C, with any minor damage clearly highlighted. This quality control process is well established and means customers know exactly what to expect when ordering, with the item condition reflected in the price. The cashable saving from RRP can be as much as 75% when compared to new OE parts.
“We’re right behind this new VRA standard – it is a very positive step,” says Jason Cross, Client Relationship Director at SYNETIQ. ”We see it as being perfectly aligned with our vision: to lead the way in creating a vehicle recycling industry we can all be proud of. New, robust industry standards create a benchmark and inspire trust in the use of Green OE Parts. This can only help us and the insurance and fleet clients we serve.”
While reusing vehicle parts was traditionally a price-led decision, more information is being revealed about the environmental benefits of use. Last month, SYNETIQ reported it has helped British Gas to save 120,000kg of CO2, simply by using recycled replacement doors instead of comparable brand-new OE.
Jason added: “We’ve been supplying green parts to the fleet industry since 2010, and we’re now undertaking several trials with major UK insurers for use in insurer funded repair. Attitudes are changing towards green parts, and we’re grateful to the VRA for their efforts to raise the standards further.”
SYNETIQ, the UK’s leading salvage and vehicle recycling company, has been externally verified with the International Standard ISO 45001.
The new accreditation is a welcome reminder that health, safety, and welfare remain at the heart of SYNETIQs operations. Colleagues continue to work together to ensure the business remains proactive in its approach to health and safety, striving to continuously improve together.
ISO 45001 has helped SYNETIQ focus on the minimisation and, where possible, elimination of risk. The business already operates an integrated management system which includes ISO 9001, 14001 and 27001; this has proved to be an effective way of achieving standardisation across sites.
SYNETIQ strives for excellence both for its colleagues and customers, and this accreditation further demonstrates the robust health and safety processes which are in place.
“I am proud and delighted that SYNETIQ has been awarded the ISO45001 accreditation. It is a testament to the hard work of all colleagues; especially the HSEQ Team and a real signal of our commitment to putting the Health and Safety of our colleagues at the forefront of our business. It reflects and recognises our investment and significant progress in this area since SYNETIQ was created. The focus now must be on ensuring we maintain the level of quality, focus, discipline and improvement to retain this year after year.”
Tom Rumboll, Executive Chairman, SYNETIQ
“2020 continues to be a challenging year for all due to the Coronavirus pandemic, we all continue to pull together to work through the challenges we face. Achieving ISO45001 accreditation despite these additional challenges gives us a great sense of pride and further demonstrates our commitment to putting health and safety first in all that we do as an organization.”
Mark Harrison, Head of Health, Safety, Environment & Quality, SYNETIQ
British Gas is one of the UK’s best-known companies, with a history stretching back over 200 years. Its iconic bright blue vans are a regular sight on the road, carrying thousands of Engineers between homes and businesses across the country.
The British Gas fleet is made up of around 11,400 vehicles, making it one of the largest in the country. Managing a fleet of this size comes with significant responsibilities – from environmental performance to the practicalities of vehicle downtime and cost reduction. Steve Winter, Head of Fleet at British Gas, says the business is always open to exploring new, innovative ways of working.
“We’re constantly considering new initiatives to keep our engineer’s mobile whilst doing right by our customers, employees and the environment,” says Steve. In March 2020, the business was named as Fleet of the Year at the Fleet News’ Awards, for its range of initiatives concerning vehicle downtime, driver welfare and environmental performance.
British Gas is in partnership with MyGreenFleet, a service provided by SYNETIQ, the UK’s largest salvage and vehicle recycling company. SYNETIQ prides itself on intelligent solutions and provides the compliant handling of British Gas salvage vehicles. No salvage vehicles are resold, with the shells crushed and recycled on site, ensuring they can never return to the road.
Some vehicles still contain perfectly good, non-safety-related parts – known as green parts – and these are sold back to British Gas repair partners (Hitachi and SOPP+SOPP) for re-use on its own vehicles. This simple yet incredibly effective process has helped British Gas save millions of pounds since it began in 2012.
“What surprises me is the number of fleets which aren’t considering the use of green parts,” says Steve. “The cost savings and environmental benefits are clearly visible in the data provided by SYNETIQ, and we’re happy with the service provided.”
SYNETIQ green parts are OEM, non-safety critical, quality-controlled parts, such as doors, bumpers, and lights, and are perfect for reuse on damaged repairable British Gas vehicles. Parts are often already painted and stickered to match and are delivered to British Gas accident/fleet management partners using SYNETIQ MyGreenFleet inhouse logistics, within 48 hours. This means Engineers can get back on the road more quickly, and unnecessary manufacturing of new parts is reduced.
Since 2012, SYNETIQ MyGreenFleet have supplied over 1200 doors alone, for use on British Gas vehicles – saving more than 120,000kg of CO2 against comparable new doors. Over 6500 non-safety related green parts have been supplied in total, generating a truly significant saving.
Green parts are up to 70% cheaper when compared with new, OEM parts, and act as a like for like replacement. Accurate data is available to British Gas within MyGreenFleet, providing insight on cost savings, units, and performance against agreed service level agreements – such as delivery time. Use of green parts often reduces vehicle downtime, meaning Engineers can get back on the road more quickly.
Jason Cross, Client Relationship Director at SYNETIQ, says the business is proud to be trusted by British Gas. “We like saying yes,” says Jason. “We pride ourselves on removing the barriers or problems that crop up when operating such a vast fleet.”
SYNETIQ also provides ‘waste and destock’ services, where a SYNETIQ employee can empty vans of equipment and personal belongings and securely return them, disposing of any waste.
Technical equipment used by Engineers can also be transferred from one vehicle to another in the event of it switching drivers. Ladders and scales are stored securely on SYNETIQ sites, and either returned to British Gas or transferred to another vehicle. This protects valuable equipment from theft and further reduces ‘vehicle of road’ (VOR) time.
“We’re very proud to be trusted by British Gas – it means a lot to our business,” says Jason. “I’m pleased to share that Steve recently awarded us a score of ‘10’ in our recent client satisfaction survey. We’re looking forward to working with them to provide more intelligent solutions for the future.”
