THE DERRY GROUP LAUNCHES NEW EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT AND COMMUNICATIONS APP T


he Derry Group, a one stop shop for the distribution, storage and order picking of


chilled and frozen products has today announced the launch of its new employee engagement app, Thrive.App. Their flagship company Derry Refrigerated


Transport is a leading service provider for chilled and frozen distribution throughout Ireland, the UK and Europe. Derry Refrigerated Transport is the first haulage company in Ireland to sign up to the newest self-service, rapid deployment Thrive.App which brings together the key features needed for businesses to power up their internal communications for their frontline teams. With hundreds of employees working across


multiple locations in Ireland, communication, organisational engagement and information sharing is essential for the growing business. In order to meet the additional challenges


presented by the current global pandemic and the fact that the company works out of various


locations throughout the country The Derry Group recognises the need to look at new ways in which all employees can more effectively communicate and share information with each other. Commenting on the deployment of the new


Thrive.App, Patrick Derry, managing director, said: “We have worked hard to build and transform our business to what it is today, and our employees are key to our success. It is important to us that we give them everything they need to carry out their roles successfully as well as feeling supported and recognised for what they do. With the Thrive.App our employees can now easily access the information they need to support them in their role, they see important updates as they occur, and they know what is happening across all areas of the business. The launch of Thrive.App will bring everyone


closer together, which is particularly important during the current challenges of Covid19 and the fact that we have teams in various parts of


the country. The Thrive team have provided the best support


and guidance in helping us to launch the employee app and we are confident they will continue to support us to make it a success across our organisation.” James Scott, CEO, Co-Founder of Thrive, adds:


“We are delighted to help and welcome The Derry Group as a new client and look forward to working together to ensure their employee communications and engagement app is a success and loved by their teams within the Group structure whether based in Armagh, Dublin or Cork. “Our goal is to help organisations in shifting


their communications from traditional methods such as printed newsletters, notice boards and team briefings to instant, modern apps and we have loved helping The Derry Group do this. We look forward to seeing the direct positive impact the app will have on their employee communications and engagement.”


BOARD REPORT HIGHLIGHTS COMPLEX DECISION-MAKING PROCESS ACROSS UK MANUFACTURING SECTOR B


oard, the #1 decision-making platform, has today released ‘The State Of Decision-Making’ report focussing on how UK


organisations make their important business decisions. Based on a survey of 500 senior decision-makers, across industries


including, Banking & Financial Services, Consumer Goods, Manufacturing, Pharmaceutical, Professional Services, Retail, and Transport & Logistics, ‘The State Of Decision-Making’ report from Board shows that today’s business decision-making process is increasingly complex, with multiple departments and seniority levels all responsible for some form of decision-making, leading to a lack of cohesion between units and a waste of business resources. ‘The State Of Decision-Making’ research found that while a clear majority


of respondents (63 per cent) say the important decisions they are responsible for get implemented globally, the decision-making process itself is not joined-up across the business, with one third (33 per cent) also saying that crucial business decisions are made in departmental silos. While most sectors follow a similar pattern, manufacturing organisations,


buck the trend with a clear majority (77 per cent) of decisions implemented globally, but only 20 per cent of decisions made in silos, suggesting far higher levels of collaboration in manufacturing, than in other industries. The research, conducted on behalf of Board International by


independent research organisation 3GEM, also asked respondents the tools they use to make decisions and, while almost every action within an organisation today will lead to the creation of new data, it seems many businesses are not using the crucial insights which data can provide to make important decisions More than half (57 per cent) of respondents in the manufacturing


industry said they make business decisions based on data and insights, but ‘gut feeling’ decisions are still made by over a third (43 per cent) of companies. What’s more, the large majority (77 per cent) of manufacturing organisations are still reliant on spreadsheets to aid their decision making, despite the more modern and reliable tools now available. “In today’s fast-paced, data rich and evolving business environment,


making quick and effective decisions is critical to both compete and survive,” explains Gavin Fallon, managing director for UK, Nordics & South Africa at Board International. “Important decisions are being made at any one time across multiple business functions, but all too often, important decision-making is disconnected, modular or fragmented.” The research also revealed the biggest challenges manufacturing


decision-makers face at their organisations, with more than a third (36 per cent) citing lack of available data and insights, as their biggest frustration. However, sector decision-makers believe that the process can be improved with the introduction of new technology, with more than half of all of manufacturing respondents (57 per cent) saying this would make their decision-making better, whilst unsurprisingly the majority (66 per cent) felt increased use of data and insights would help. “Businesses have to plan every day for a far more uncertain future and


set themselves up to prepare for change and keep changing against the backdrop of a more volatile and uncertain marketplace than ever,” continues Fallon. “A bad decision can have wide-ranging impact across the whole organisation and no business can afford to waste time and resources on bets that may or may not come off. As the business environment increases in complexity, the ability to not just react, but predict, in real- time, becomes more important than ever.”


RECESSION FEARS PUTTING PRESSURE ON FORKLIFT RENTAL MARKET R


ecession fears are prompting a number of UK forklift rental companies to cut


their spending on new additions to their rental fleets and sell some of their used equipment in an attempt to boost liquidity. Such action is likely to result in a significant reduction in the number of lift trucks available for short term rental during the coming fourth quarter peak retail period, warns John Maguire, managing director of leading articulated forklift-based intralogistics solutions specialist, Narrow Aisle Ltd. John Maguire comments: “Anecdotal


evidence suggests that in anticipation of a sluggish 2021 forklift rental companies are


preparing their businesses for the cash-flow challenges that may lie ahead. “For retailers and their third party logistics


service partners this means that planning ahead and ordering equipment in good time to ensure that they have sufficient materials handling resources to cope with the seasonal spikes in demand generated by the coming Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales season and, of course, Christmas, is essential. “It is also inevitable that if there is less


equipment available across the market for short term hire, some companies will increase their rental rates.” A reduction in the number of short term


rental trucks is also likely to cause problems for / IRISHMANUFACTURING


those companies holding increased inventory in an attempt to minimise the risk of supply chain disruption if Britain is unable – as seems increasingly likely – to agree a trade deal with the European Union before the end of 2020. “Warehouse operators across the UK are


under intense pressure to maintain handling efficiency at their facilities and many will need to bolster their material handling fleets with extra vehicles to cope with the additional goods they are storing on behalf of companies that are stockpiling products to ensure their business is not affected by possible future customs or port delays,” says Maguire.


www.flexihiretrucks.com IRISH MANUFACTURING | JULY/AUGUST 2020 5


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