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Fleet specialist driving ahead with renovations

THE new year will bring a new look for fleet specialist Motiva Group after it appointed Stoke-on-Trent firm HMS Pictured at Motiva on Clarence Road in Longton is Neil Harding Director at HMS Developments and Gary WIlliams Operations Director at Motiva.Developments to renovate its offices.

Motiva brought all of its operations together on a site in Clarence Road, Longton in 2014.

The move helped to streamline the business and boosted communications between divisions.

As well as a new frontage to the building, the redevelopment will include an increase in office space as Motiva continues to grow.

New staff welfare facilities are also planned.

Motiva's operating profit for 2014 was £1.6 million, with turnover at £42 million and fleet size reaching more than 5,700 vehicles (both increasing by 22 per cent).

Operations director Gary Williams said: "Work will get underway in March and we expect it to be completed by the end of the summer.

"We have also built in further room to expand, although we expect that will all be taken up very soon.

"Moving to the one site means we now have a much closer working relationship across the group – from the services department to the office staff.

"There is a synergy now and a greater understanding from all sides of the Motiva business as a whole.

"We have some new plans for the site which will support the future development of the business so we see the redevelopment as part on an ongoing project.

"The redevelopment will also mean a better customer experience." HMS Developments, based in Northwood, will have about 30 workers on site during the build.

Gary said: "We like to work with local companies as a whole really, and that goes right through to the supply of goods and services during the build."

To accommodate the new two-storey office block, part of the existing premises will be demolished with some staff temporarily relocated.

The move to the construction phase comes after 14 months of planning for the £700,000-plus works.

Neil Harding, managing director of HMS Developments, said: "We employ all local workers and many of them are highly experienced.

"There is a fair degree of engineering involved in the project and a lot of preparation behind the scenes.

"The designs from Hewitt and Carr Architects in Cheadle are very customer focused and we will be making sure that's delivered.

"We also want to be good neighbours and will be maintaining communication with nearby residents throughout the project."

Peter Wright, sales and marketing director at Motiva Group, said: "We've enjoyed record growth over the last couple of years and are now looking to build on that.

"Our target is to double the size of the business again by 2017 and we've set out a structured strategy to help us achieve that goal.

"We want to increase our customer base and that's likely to lead to a significant expansion of both our customer service and fleet operations department."

 

 

VETERANS and employers working together

VETERANS and employers are working together to establish a new development service offering support to those leaving the Armed Forces.

The initiative is being driven by ex-Stafford Baz Barrett and former Rifleman Neil Harding, who will be drawing on their own expertise and contacts to offer work experience, coaching and mentoring to help veterans deal with life on civvy street.

They hope to reach out to a wide range of service leavers via regimental associations, putting them in touch with employers and sharing their own stories of developing a career outside of the military. Neil returned to one of his first jobs – construction – setting up HMS Developments when he left the Army after 30 years.

As well as offering work experience and job opportunities with his own business, the veteran development service, to be called The HMS Development Future Focus, has already got a number of other companies keen to get on board or find out more. These include Motiva, in Longton; Solidor, in Fenton; Mercedes Stoke; Dudson, in Tunstall; and Travis Perkins.

Neil said: “HMS Developments already sponsors two regular battalions in subordinate development, focusing on leadership and command training. “What we also want to do is offer work experience to potential leavers, of between two and six weeks, so that they can see for themselves the pitfalls and differences in civilian life.

“Things like tax, holiday pay, sick pay – these are all very different to what they would receive in the Army. “In the Army, soldiers work to get things done and they press on. In civvy street, people work to get paid. Being on both sides of the fence I can understand that and see the difference in attitudes and we hope this service will help to prepare and integrate leavers for what lies ahead.” The corner pin of The HMS Development Future Focus is guidance, ensuring veterans have direction and purpose.

Baz, who first met Neil in 1986 when he was posted to the Army Reserve Centre in Bucknall, left the Army in 1994 and went into further education, establishing a Prince’s Trust programme which has gone on to extend across the city.

He now runs VRH Coaching in Burslem and says there are many ongoing issues about how easy soldiers find the transition to every day life. He said: “I just feel something else needs to be done. There needs to be a real understanding of what these veterans are facing.

“As part of my Masters in Military Veterans’ Health and Wellbeing I am doing a research project on the regimental associations as these have the links with both past and present members. “I believe there is massive potential, utilising all these links, to give support to people both inside and outside of the Armed Forces. “We could help to make a real difference, particularly at county level.”

Gary Williams, operations director at fleet specialist Motiva, said he felt the programme could bring wide-ranging benefits.

He said: “We support a number of organisations and are particularly keen to be involved in this programme to aid and assist veterans and serving members of the Armed Forces in their transition. “Theoretically, the scheme should help us, as a growing company, too as a lot of our work is suited to ex Army personnel.”

 

 

BUSINESS AWARDS 2016: HMS Developments aims to provide 'forever' homes

TRADITIONAL values are the foundation of building company HMS Developments. Based in Northwood, the team of construction specialists and contractors prides itself on delivering a quality service, with a strong focus on training staff to the high standards demanded.

Founded by Neil Harding, who left the Army this year after 30 years, HMS Developments hopes to make its mark in the construction industry with a reputation for preserving traditional skills and top levels of workmanship.

Already the business has secured a number of residential and commercial contracts, including with fleet management company Motiva, in Longton, which is expanding its headquarters.

Providing new, affordable homes, particularly if it helps to regenerate brownfield sites, is also close to Neil's heart.

At Birch Street, in Northwood, HMS Developments has transformed the site of a disused office building, which had a former life as a public house during the early 19th century. It constructed five new homes with smart frontages and back gardens. In Chapel Street, Butt Lane, a number of homes are being built on the site of an old TSB bank, which was then turned into a Methodist church.

The homes will offer the highest standard of insulation, fixtures and fittings to give an A energy rating.
The company is now entering The Sentinel Business Awards in the Small Businesses of the Year category, sponsored by Beswicks Legal.

Neil said: "We want to create homes that are affordable for the local population, but which also feature high performance energy rating systems.

"We use all local labour, employing up to 50 subcontractor staff at times.

"We have a very clear growth plan and working with our contacts and networking is a key part of that."
HMS Developments works in partnership with a number of other local business on projects across the country, although it maintains a strong commitment to North Staffordshire.

provides a range of services including planning advice, project management, design and build solutions.
The business also has experience in a variety of conservation and restoration projects for period and listed buildings, combining modern technologies and materials with traditional renovation methods.

Read full article

 

HMS are proud to announce that we are now a supplier of Bedrock Stone Cills.

AVERAGE STONE PRICES:

Height	Width	Length	Price
65mm	65mm	600mm	£54.56
65mm	300mm	600mm	£62.31
65mm	600mm	600mm	£70.10
140mm	150mm	600mm	£61.36
140mm	150mm	1200mm	£73.07
215mm	150mm	600mm	£58.27
215mm	150mm	1200mm	£84.37
300mm	250mm	600mm	£82.82
300mm	250mm	1200mm	£110.87
400mm	350mm	600mm	£93.16
400mm	350mm	1200mm	£136.67

 

Notes:
We would not recommend lengths over 600mm for profiles of height 65mm or under; and heights over 400mm.

Prices vary dependants on length and difficulty.

STONE USER INSTRUCTIONS R9 CILL:

Installing R9 Stone Cills

Installation of StonePlus should only be carried out by trained persons. Some examples of installation are listed below. These principles should be used in all StonePlus installation.

Equipment often needed to install StonePlus:

• Tape Measure
• Spirit Level
• Set Square
• Cement Based Polymer Adhesive
• Packers
• Grinder

R9 Window Cills

• At the commencement of the job you need to check that the profiles you have been provided are the correct sizes for the job.
• Make sure that the dimensions are correct for the window and install the sill first.
• Remove the EPS section from the back of the profile.
• Place the cill in situ, work out how the sill will be sitting i.e. the height down from the lintel, centralising it in the opening and checking the cill for level. Use the packers provided to prop the sill where required, after a packer has been put in place check the cill for level and plumb. Do this every time you insert a packer to prop up the cill.
• Then use the tape measure to make sure the product is centralised to the opening and that it is projecting the same on either side.
• Once you feel that the sill is in place correctly, apply a generous amount of cement based adhesive to the back of the cill. 
• Push the cill into place, using a gentle rocking motion to ensure full adhesive contact. Then using the same techniques to check the cill is level and plumb.

 

If you want any further information please don’t hesitate to contact me on 01782 898122/07817 070752 or neil@hmsdevelopments.co.uk

 

 

HMS 1st year anniversary

We HMS Developments are celebrating our first birthday and we are looking forward to an intense growth over our second year. We held a small event in our office to raise funds for The Donna Louise Trust the raffle has been supported by some very kind gifts donated by local businesses. The raffle was run on the evening of the 28th of May, the event raised £200.00 on the evening. The evening will be cover by the local Evening Sentinel and be publishing in its business section.

We have now opened up the sales for our new site at Birch Street, Northwood, Hanley to the general public. We are currently raising our profile in a wider area such Salisbury, Wiltshire, Worcester and Suffolk. The Company has been approach to carry out some extensive projects and looks forward to keeping you up to date as they develop.

Below is our article in the local Evening Sentinel and the supporting articles alongside.

4 semi-detached & 6 apartments

We are continuing to progress with our aim to provide new and affordable quality homes within the Stoke-on-Trent area; we have started the preparation of our second site in Butt Lane, Kidsgrove, Stoke-on-Trent.

The new development will consist of four 3 bed semi-detached properties and a mixture of stylish 1 and 2 bed apartments. The apartments have underground private parking and the semi-detached houses have their own off road plots with private access.

The houses and apartments will be built with ‘A’ rated energy efficient systems, high performance heating system with a Worcester Bosch boiler and remote controlled temperature.  Some of the features include Solidor high security entrance doors.

All the properties will be finished with a choice of kitchen layouts and appliances - including gas hob, electrical or gas oven and chimney hood extractor. The bathroom will include an electric shower, bath, WC, basin and includes ceramic tiling.

The properties will be sold with a 10 year NHBC warranty as a seal of quality assurance and we have also been accredited by CERTASS, CHAS and Construction Line. These accreditations give the peace of mind that we build all our homes to the highest of standards in all areas.

If you require any information on this development please call Neil on 01782 898122 or 07817 070752.

Click here to find out more

 

HMS Developments Limited 5 New Terraced Houses

HMS are currently developing two sites and have selected you to view the first development phase off plan.

This site comprises of five new two bedroom terraced houses, each with a rear garden.

The development will have a ten year National Home Building Council (NHBC) building warranty. The new homes will be built to the latest energy standards with A rated efficiency.

As a property investor already, you can quickly see this will mean no structural or major repairs over the first ten years, only routine maintenance. This also allows our agent Compass Contracts Property Management Limited (CCPM) to market the properties as highly energy efficient.

These properties are within walking distance to good schools and also Hanley City centre which itself is currently receiving huge investment for re development of its business quarter and shopping facilities.

Should you require any further information about potential rental yields or purchasing, please do not hesitate to contact HMS on 01782 898122 or CCPM. We look forward to hearing from you.

Click here to find out more

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