DG: GRAND DESIGNS WITH PURPOSE!!
Visiting Nottingham’s DG Cars is a bit like watching an episode of TV show Grand Designs in reverse. If you aren’t familiar with the show, the premise is basically thus: some crazy cou- ple decide to put life on hold for a couple of years while they set about the unenviable task of building their dream home. It almost always consists of an hour of watching toil pockmarked with set- back after set-back, followed by a brief glimpse of the stunning end results which more than justify all the sweat and tears.
So how does DG Cars fit in with all this? Well, it’s kind of the reverse. You turn up at this stun- ning new office, and can’t help but be blown away by the quality of it. This is a genuine 21st century private hire office – arguably the finest we have seen to date. But it’s only when you actually speak with those involved that you begin to realise just how much hard work and meticulous planning has gone into the proj- ect. In short: workplaces this impressive don’t appear out of thin air. But before we get into all that, a few formalities. DG Cars is run by Direc- tors Amjid Javaid and Ian Pole; and Amjid’s brother Ajmil in the role of Office Manager. Amjid became involved in 2001, and quickly set about transforming the company. An Auriga Data Despatch system was installed in 2002, and the company has grown massively as a result, to the extent that it now has expanded
from 135 up to 350 vehi- cles, of which around 45 are owned by the firm. Today, DG runs opera- tions via Auriga’s flagship Evocab sys- tem, with CT4000 Data Units in each vehicle, and an IVR Advanced system automatically taking calls, and even proving job status updates to any cus- tomers calling back to find out where their car is.
Having been based in Mansfield Road in the north of Nottingham for more than 30 years, DG Cars recently moved to a plush new location on an industri- al estate a few miles away. After taking a look round the some- what less impressive old office, it feels like a stupid question, but we had to ask: “Why the move?” “We were bursting at the seams,” explains Director Amjid Javaid. “We needed more room to move into. We have only been here two weeks, and we are already filling this place up!”
He’s joking of course. Aside from being stun- ning, the new office is absolutely huge, with an entire first floor cur- rently empty, awaiting whatever plans DG have next. Still, there is a serious point here, which Director Ian Pole is keen to pick up on: “This is an ongo- ing project of expansion,” he begins. “We are grow- ing, and we wanted somewhere which would allow us to con- tinue to do so over the coming years”.
But before we move on to the subject of growth, a quick note on the style with which
forthright approach. “We thought it was the best time,” asserts Amjid. “The property price was lower, and besides: during the recession we have been increasing busi- ness. We have been employing while others have been laying peo- ple off.”
this office has been done out. You only need to see the tasteful use of DG’s distinctive yellow, and the compa- ny logos woven into the desk fronts to understand that this is a company proud of itself and its position in the world.
Of course, big private hire companies mov- ing to nice new offices is becoming a nation- wide trend, but how many taxi offices employ a design spe- cialist to ensure it all looks super stylish? “We brought in a local design agency called Confetti to work on the move with us,” says Ian. “We wanted some- body to provide a purpose-built design, and to make sure it all felt right. It’s a measure of how important we felt that side of things was.”
It certainly is. But then you soon come to realise that nothing should surprise you when it comes to DG Cars. This is a compa- ny that leaves nothing to chance – especially something as impor- tant as an office move. Amjid explains: “We appointed a project manager from a local radio agency called Radcomm, to person- ally look after the move, and to work with the various technical teams at Auriga, BT, Confetti and so on.” Did it work? A total of 45 minutes’ downtime would suggest it did. Again, DG left nothing to chance: the move was scheduled for 4am on 17th February (half term week, of course), and the result was a
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remarkably smooth operation, with all the various third parties coming together bril- liantly to ensure there were no problems. “It was fantastic,” says Ian. “We couldn’t have wished for a smoother transition.”
But if you think a project like this is easy to man- age, think again. “This move was 18 months in the planning,” Ian explains. “We went out and visited a number of the big Auriga cus- tomers around the country. We saw Aqua Cars in Portsmouth, Panther Taxis in Cam- bridge, Glasgow Private Hire and Net- work Private Hire in Glasgow,
and Edin-
burgh’s Edinburgh City Private Hire. We gained a huge insight into how these big companies operate, and we want to take this opportunity to thank them for their help.”
It’s a meticulous approach, and the end result is testament to the value of careful planning. DG Cars have a fantastic new home, and the entire company is reaping the benefits. The 79 staff – of which around 55 are full time – are settling in nicely. “They are overwhelmed; they love it,” reports Office Manager Ajmil Javaid. “How could they not like working here?” But one question which keeps coming back to us, is how comfortable DG were to be investing so heavily during unpre- dictable economic times? Once again, the management team exhibit their customary
An impressive state- ment, but one borne out by facts: DG has consistently grown over the past few years – and that’s mainly organic growth brought about by good management, not merely the result of buying up smaller companies.
And in the highly com- petitive Nottingham marketplace, DG remains the largest pri- vate hire company. Asked what singles DG out, Amjiid is quick to respond: “Our profes- sionalism – and our reinvestment. We always want to reinvest: in IT, in our people, in our training, and in hav- ing the right management structure.” Ian picks up on this thread: “The driver uni- forms; the emphasis on driver training; the CCTV in all our vehi- cles, and the quality of
A DG CARS NOTTINGHAM Address:
Telephone: Website:
Little Tennis Street, Nottingham NG2 4EL
0115 9 607 607
www.dgcars.co.uk
Year firm started: 1971 Number of vehicles: 350 Types of vehicle: All private hire: saloon/estates, MPV, minibuses
Licensing Authority: Nottingham City Council
Cost of -
Operator licence: c. £4,500 Driver’s licence: £85 Vehicle licence plating test:
£255
Retest fees if any: £10 Radio rent fee: Standard fares:
Phone system: Radio system:
£116.75
£2.80/first mile; £1.60/mile thereafter
Booking system: Computerised - Auriga Evocab BT/Samsung
Tait PHTM APRIL 2010
our call centre: they all show the emphasis we place on quality.” And all this investment appears to be paying off: 40% of the compa- ny’s work is coming through accounts – and the new facilities will no doubt help to attract even more high quality custom.
It’s no surprise that the company is going from strength to strength. This is an organisation with a management team that knows its business from the ground up (Amjid, Ian and Ajmil have all driv- en for the company), and all of whom share a collective view of where it is going: “We want steady growth,” says Ajmil. “We are looking to get up to around 600 cars.” But the final word goes to Amjid: “We want to establish a one-stop taxi centre, with taxi rental, tyre bay, acci- dent management. So everything you need can be bought here. We want to make it so easy for the drivers that they never want to go anywhere else.” Leaving DG Cars’ stun- ning new office, we already feel the same way.
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