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The festive season is fast approaching, which means our plant will soon be closing for the holidays and our team will enjoy a well deserved break.
To help you prepare your projects, we’ve listed below the date and time that our plant will be shutting, as well as the date and time it will reopen in the new year. Get your work booked in early if you need it before the holidays.
Close: Thursday 21 December 2023, 4.30pm.
Open: Tuesday 2 January 2024, 7.00am.
To see the open/close dates of the other plants in the Joseph Ash Group, click here.
Next pageWe are delighted to announce the shortlisted entries for this year’s RIDBA Building Awards: these awards, which occur biennially, honour achievements in rural and industrial building design and fabrication. As an added source of excitement, we are proud to mention that our parent company, the Joseph Ash Group, is a premium sponsor for this event.
There are eight award categories in total, and the shortlist for each category is as follows:
Prizes will also be handed out for outstanding workmanship and training.
Please mark your calendars for Friday, 22 September, when we’ll gather in Cambridge for a black-tie drink’s reception and a three-course meal and congratulate the winners and runners-up for their achievements.
Please contact RIDBA directly for ticket enquiries.
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Today is World Day for Safety and Health at Work, set up by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in 2003. The national initiative encourages and supports the need for organisations, labour unions, employers, and governments to create safe and healthy work environments to reduce accidents, illness and death for all visitors and employees.
As a Company that prioritises health and safety at work, we proudly promote this national day.
At Widnes Galvanising, our commitment to ensuring our plants are safe places to work and visit is 100%. Of course, health and safety in any workplace are essential, but they’re critical in an industrial galvanising plant.
Galvanising plants can pose considerable risks to workers if proper safety measures are not in place. This is due to heavy machinery, hazardous materials, chemicals, fumes, and baths of molten zinc at temperatures of 450°C.
By implementing health and safety policies, procedures, and systems into our culture – ensuring all directors, managers, and supervisors hold formal health and safety qualifications, and introducing an occupational health scheme to protect and maintain a healthy workforce – we have an industry-leading safety record.
We also hold OHSAS certification for exceptional health and safety standards at all plants and head office. And we’ve been awarded the RoSPA Gold Award for six consecutive years.
Find out more about the World Day for Safety and Health at Work.
See our Health and Safety Statement and our Epidemic Health and Safety Policy.
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About the ILO
The ILO is a United Nations agency for the world of work. Since 1919 it has brought together “governments, employers and workers of 187 Member States , to set labour standards, develop policies and devise programmes promoting decent work for all women and men.”
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This year we’re being spoilt for May Bank Holidays!
Not two, but three Bank Holidays on 1, 8 and 29, with the extra one for the King’s Coronation weekend.
We hope you have some great activities planned. (Perhaps some vigorous flag waving if you’re a Royalist!)
To help you plan your projects for galvanising ahead of time, please note our plant will be closed on these days.
Enjoy!
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The Easter Holidays are fast approaching, which means our opening times will be affected.
The Widnes plant (as well as other Joseph Ash Group plants) will be closed over the Easter bank holiday. If you’re looking for metal treatment services soon, please note these closures and book your galvanising projects in with us in advance.
Our plant will be closed on Friday, 7 April and Monday, 10 April 2023. We will reopen on Tuesday, 11 April 2023.
We hope you have a well-deserved break!
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As the UK is experiencing high levels of inflation and energy and food price hikes, low-income families have been hit the hardest and more people are turning to food banks for help.
With Easter fast approaching, most of us look forward to our chocolate fix. However, many families can’t afford the food they need, let alone the luxury of a chocolate egg.
With this in mind, Charlie Singh (Divisional Manager) and his team at our sister plant at Joseph Ash Walsall are trying to raise as much money as possible to support Breaking Bread, a food bank in the Midlands by providing them with Easter Eggs and other food products to ensure many more families can enjoy the things most of us take for granted over the Easter period.
Please help us make a real difference by visiting the Just Giving page and donating. No matter how small, any amount will be appreciated, and you can donate anonymously (if you prefer).
Further information is on the Just Giving page.
Alternatively, it is quick and easy to donate simply by scanning the QR code.
Please dig deep, everyone deserves a Chocolate Egg at Easter!
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The RIDBA Building Awards is taking place again in 2023, and the deadline to submit your entries is 31 March 2023. If you have a building project you’re proud of and would like to enter, submit your entries by the deadline for your chance to win.
There are several categories to enter, including
Industrial and Production Awards
The RIDBA Building Awards ceremony will take place in Cambridge on 22 September 2023 and the Joseph Ash Group (our parent company) is proud to be a Premium Sponsor.
The photo above is the Wharton Cattle Shed in Lincolnshire by S&A Fabrications, winner of the Livestock Award.
The photo below is Lingwood House, the RIDBA Overall Winner of 2021, constructed by M D Anthony Ltd.
Will your project be a winner?
Visit the RIDBA website for further details.
Next pageThe Structural Steel Design Awards (SSDA) is happening again this year, and the deadline for entries is fast approaching. 2023 is the 55th anniversary of the Awards so it’s set to be a big year.
The event will once again be celebrating the excellence of steel construction in the UK and the Republic of Ireland.
If you have a steel design project that you are proud of, enter the Structural Steel Design Awards 2023 this coming week. The deadline for entries is Friday 24 February so now is the time.
You can view last year’s shortlist and award winners here.
Find out more information and the entry criteria here.
Widnes Galvanising was acquired by Joseph Ash Ltd in October 2022 and became the ninth plant for the Group.
Gavin Jones is the new Commercial Manager for Widnes, so let’s find out a bit about him and what his plans are for the division.
Role: Commercial Manager
Branch: Widnes
Started: 2015
Food: Anything Asian (Thai, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Malaysian, Vietnamese etc.)
Film: Step Brothers. I have a very immature sense of humour and this is right down my street!
Pastimes: Football. I’ve always played football and used to play for Saturday and Sunday football teams, but when you get older and have kids you don’t have the time anymore. However, I still play indoor football every Wednesday evening with my mates, which remains a highlight of my week.
“I’ve been a Commercial Manager since June 2020 but have been with Joseph Ash since May 2015. I previously held the position of Safety, Health, Environmental and Quality Manager at the Telford branch.
“Before Joseph Ash, I worked as a salesperson for a medical equipment supplier. I travelled all over the UK but decided to find a position closer to home when my wife was pregnant with our first child.
“I was living in Telford when a ‘Management Trainee’ position became available at the Telford branch. After meeting with Stuart Whitehouse, Stuart Cobourne and Tracie Lockley during the interview, I knew it was the kind of company I wanted to work for.”
“In my current role as Commercial Manager at Widnes Galvanising it is my responsibility to ensure the division secures sufficient sales revenue to achieve our targets.
“My day-to-day tasks include customer analysis, prospecting, and quoting all enquiries.
“Aside from the sales side of the role, I often refer to myself as a project manager, as I am the link between our customers, production and transport. I also spend many days on the road visiting customers for all kinds of reasons, such as advice on their designs and discussing pricing.
“This year I am getting far more involved with the overall running of the business.”
“My goal is to grow the business and increase our weekly tonnages by 20% while maintaining the excellent turnaround times and service. The quality of Joseph Ash’s galvanizing has always been first class, so I’m hopeful that new customers will see the benefit of using Widnes Galvanising going forward.”
“I’m a massive foodie and I’m always trying new recipes when cooking at home. I worked as a chef in a pub kitchen, and an Indian restaurant whilst I was at university. I haven’t ruled out the possibility of opening my own restaurant one day!”
If you’d like to get in touch with Gavin at to discuss your hot dip galvanizing requirements, you can reach him at gavinj@josephash.co.uk or connect with him on Linkedin.
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