July 2016

Exeter-based waste management company Devon Contract Waste (DCW) claims that it can now bill its customers more fairly and consistently thanks to installing the ENVIROWEIGH bin weighing system from Vehicle Weighing Solutions Ltd (VWS) to its fleet.

Simon Almond, Managing Director, DCW said: “We didn’t used to know the exact weight of each customer’s waste collection and used to base tariffs on collection averages rather than actual weights. This meant that some of our customers were underpaying for their collections and actually costing us money.”

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DCW is committed to providing a sustainable solution for commercial waste producers in Devon and offers the first and only Zero to Landfll solution that extracts all that can be recovered for recycling.

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Simon continued: “I was sceptical at first about the financial investment and reliability of equipment but my attitude has completely turned around and I wouldn’t ever again want a truck without ENVIROWEIGH being fitted. We now measure and record the actual weight of each bin so we can bill our customers accurately and consistently, which is a much fairer system.”

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DCW has gone one step further by switching to PURGO waste management software and introducing further controls to its collection operations.

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Commented Simon: “Previously we relied on customer and driver feedback to make decisions, raise invoices and allocate costs, which was difficult to manage efficiently and effectively.”

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For example, if a customer claimed their waste had not been collected there was little information available for DCW on which to base its decisions.

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PURGO enables the driver to record everything in real time as it happens so if a driver hasn’t made a collection it is immediately noticeable. The software captures all the collection activity and adjusts customer billing accordingly.

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Simon added: “If they’re paying for more weight than we are collecting or they require more lifts than they already receive we can charge them accurately and in a fair way. In some instances this has led to reducing customer bills but that means we are more competitive and our customer retention rate is high. All in all the system has resulted in an additional £1,500 revenue each week so it more than pays for itself! ”

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VWS is the UK market leader in onboard vehicle weighing, wheeled bin weighing and axle overload protection. The company’s weighing systems and load cells are designed and manufactured in the UK in British Steel under full ISO 90001 Quality Assurance procedures.

Julian Glasspole, Managing Director, VWS said: ”DCW are a great company to work with. They are ethical and committed to providing their customers with the best possible service, as well as serving the environment well. We are delighted that our systems have made such a positive impact to their operations.”