IT was one of the more unusual and interesting‘industry’ meetings I’ve attended writes Chris Biddle when
Manchester United hosted a group of its suppliers to talk about environmental issues in the Board Room
at Old Trafford on 21 October. Familiar faces included Steve Halley of Toro distributor Cheshire Turf
Machinery and Andrew Robinson of turf care supplies distributor Rigby Taylor - who were joined by
representatives of companies who supply fish to the Old Trafford restaurants, wash room services,
signage and most importantly Hollands, supplier of over 240,000 pies a year to feed the fans at home
games. As a worldwide brand, Manchester United’s aim is to lead the field on green issues, to become a
model of environmental best practice. And to do this they need to energise and influence their suppliers.
“We cannot do this alone,” said Keith McIntosh, Group Health, Safety and Environmental Manager at the
Premiership club. “Our suppliers are key to measures we take”. To achieve this the Club has formed a
MUFC Supply Chain Partnership which is run in association with Government agency, Envirowise. Over
the past years, MUFC have invited their suppliers to a series of meetings at the Club, not only to talk
about energy savings and efficiencies - but to act as a catalyst for change within those businesses they
are associated with. The Manchester United model is persuasive, the Club having reduced costs by over
£200,000 in recent years due to adopting energy saving measures according to Keith McIntoch. Steve
Halley has been attending the meetings for two or three years. He told the recent gathering, “Frankly I
was sceptical when Keith urged us to look at every aspect of our business - and said we were bound to
save money if we took a few practical steps and engaged our staff in an environmental programme.
“However, if nothing, Keith is tenacious, I would describe him as a ‘Roy Keane in a suit’! “We had just
moved premises so I decided to see what area of business would have impact on costs. “Some activities
were just a case of getting organised, like recycling the wood from he crates in which the machines are
delivered, whereas previously they were simply discarded. That saved money on skip removal. “Then
with water costs being such a large item, we installed a system which would recycle the water from our
wash-down area - an important area of our business. “I’m glad to say that the whole of our staff have embraced the energy saving
measures - and come up with countless ideas of their own. “We changed stationery, put timers on faxes and printers, and ensured lights
were on timers and sensors. No part of the business was ignored. “Analysing the most recent quarterly bills, I was delighted to discover
that our energy costs had reduced by 26% compared with the same quarter last year. “Quite apart from the satisfaction of being energy
conscious, the cost savings make the efforts well worthwhile - and that encouragement was a direct result of Manchester United’s initiative
directed at their suppliers.”
Environmental Award
In recognition of his commitment to
the Environmental Policy adopted by
Manchester United, Steve Halley
was presented with a special award
by George Johnstone, Group
Property Director at the Club
watched by head groundsman Tony
Sinclair.
LEFT: Recycling the water in the wash-down area has reduced
water costs Right: Andrew Robinson of Rigby Taylor addresses
the MUFC Supplier Chain meeting at Old Trafford watch by
Keith McIntosh (standing left)
New energy policy drops energy costs by over 20%
Main Agents
Cheshire Turf Machinery Ltd
Weybourne House, Weybourne Drive
Bredbury, Stockport, Cheshire SK6 2DN
Tel 0161 494 5673
Fax 0161 494 6915
Manchester United
energises Cheshire
Turf Machinery...