Benefit from years of experience and a bespoke service with Plastica
Benefit from years of experience and a bespoke service with Plastica In March 2022, Plastica celebrated 50th years of trading in the swimming pool industry. The privately-owned business has built a reputation as one of Britain’s leading independent manufacturers and distributors of swimming pool products. Plastica manufactures from its 13,000 square metre factory, located on a 6-acre site in St Leonard’s in East Sussex. It is home to more than 78 loyal staff with years of experience and pride themselves in their commitment to manufacturing and exceptional customer service. Products are created using an impressive combination of state-of-the-art factory equipment and skilled staff crafting handmade parts. Their facility produces a range of products for domestic and commercial markets, including Solar, Heat Retention and Winter Debris Covers, Reels, Pool Liners, Relax Water Treatments for pools and spas and Stainless Steel and bespoke parts, such as Ladders and Handrails and in-house ABS pipework. Some if these products are sourced from different manufacturers from around the globe and many are produced in house which is generally their preference so they can control the quality. At Plastica, they know only too well the energy and money saving benefits of fitting a commercial heat retention swimming pool cover. Fit the right cover on your pool and you will see a reduction in energy bills of an average 23% per annum (figures based on actual independent live trials). Depending on the type of reel system you opt for, a payback period as short as 12 months can be expected. Hundreds of public heated swimming pools in the UK may have to restrict their services or even close their doors to the public this year due to the rising cost of heating the water. Leisure facilities are looking to cut operating costs through measures such as colder water, reduced opening hours, and limited showers. Other energy-saving measures such as LED lighting, variable speed drives, and swimming pool covers can all make a difference to costs. ‘Over 90% of a pool’s heat is lost through its water surface’ Plastica’s Managing Director, Edward Campbell-Salmon said “We have manufactured and installed thousands of commercial cover and reel systems from Olympic sized competition pools to freeform fun pools over the last 50 years. Our customers benefit from our products having unique specification advantages as standard. For example, on our commercial pool covers we provide hemmed edges, double welded seams down the length of pool covers (not the width), reinforced leading edges and stainless-steel reels. All resulting in less stress on the covers to prevent fraying, delamination and tearing, as well as a reduction in general wear and tear and ease of maintenance.” Fast and Efficient Commercial Covers The unique and durable covers almost eliminate evaporation and reduce humidity and condensation. Plastica’s reel systems are made with stainless steel to maximise strength, longevity and ease of maintenance. Plastica offer choices to accommodate any commercial pool requirement. Manual for smaller lighter pool covers and motorised systems – to reduce manual handling for poolside staff. Plastica has earned an enviable reputation for installing cover and reel systems to an agreed schedule. Vital for commercial centres that need to forewarn customers about any short pool closures. One benefit of manufacturing in-house is that it helps to keep control over production and ensures the customer reaps the rewards of a first-class product. With that in mind, let’s look at Plastica’s bestselling in-house Commercial products: 1. Motorised Reel System Fully automated cover and reel systems are increasingly popular. The benefits of fast and efficient cover operations include time savings and reduced manual handling for poolside staff. They include a safety features and ultra-quiet motors with soft start and stop electronics to prolong the life of the cover. 2. Light Motorised Reel System The Light Motorised reel system is ideal for small commercial swimming pools with a maximum 170sq.m cover. It can be used with a key switch and remote control. 3. Leading Edge The foam filled and reinforced leading edge helps the operation of heat retention covers and saves on wear and tear. It is recommended for all covers over 12m long and includes all tow ropes and reinforced reel ends. 4. Piggyback Mobile Reel System This system has proved popular with schools and local authorities. The dual tubes allow one reel system to cover a pool almost twice its width with ease. It can then be moved from the pool edge and stored when not in use. 5. Mobile Reel System This system is ideal for smaller commercial swimming pools and is like the Commercial Piggyback Reel but with one tube/axis. It is manufactured using a 127mm (5”) aluminium tube with nylon end bosses, high-grade polished stainless. 6. Supercover (5mm) Designed to roll perfectly on commercial reels, the 5mm Polyolefine closed cell foam cover has a tough woven top and bottom sheet for heat retention and strength. Available in blue or grey, it can be shaped and hemmed to your specification. 7. Premium (8mm) Heat Retention Cover Reduces costs and saves money by sealing the pool water surface to minimise heat loss through evaporation. The strong polyethylene coated woven top sheet with embossed and sealed underside is suitable for hydrotherapy pools. 8. RaeGuardTM Heat Retention Cover RaeGuard™ offers up to 90% of the insulating performance of a traditional 5mm foam, but with a significant reduction in the material cost. Featuring the unique GeoBubble™ Technology air cell design and enhanced UV stabilisation, RaeGuard™ comes with a 6-year manufacturer’s warranty and a 6-year plus expected lifespan. 9. EXTREME Lining A cost-effective system for lining both old and
II Ultima 4×4 E-ATV Shire II Ultima 4×4 E-ATV
‘’We take a great product and simply make it better’’ The Shire Range is synonymous with electric power and the Ultima 4×4 is no exception with 4000W of power offering a quiet and a smooth ride on the most challenging terrain. Available with Dry Cell or Lithium-Ion batteries, the standard model with the dry cell batteries is capable of a range of 30miles and with the LI-I battery 100Km The Ultima 4×4 offers a top speed of 45/60Km and arrives with the large rear mounted workbox, mirrors, winch, polished chrome wheels, hand protectors and 4 additional LED Spot lights. Shire II Ultima 4×4 E-ATV Specification Sheet Specification Batteries Lead Acid battery 60V 50A Motors 1000W Front 1000W Rear differential mounted Battery Life 1000 to 3000 Cycles Brakes Hydraulic disc all 4 wheels Suspension Independent all round Charge Time 6/8 hours Lights LED Front and Rear Max Load 140Kg Range 100Km Speed 45Km Climb 25 Degrees Tyres 23 x 7 -10 Gauges Battery Level, Speedometer, Odometer Size 66” x 43” x 46” 1674L x 1092W 1168H Included Ball and hitch, Winch 3200lb, Rear carry case, grip covers, key ignition, polished rims, mirrors. Price £6999.00 plus Vat 24 months Warranty Delivery cost on application Optional Extra Lithium-Ion battery installed One 2400W Lithium Battery + 12V 60V 50Ah Lead Acid Battery £2490.00 Custom Size Trailers POA Greentouch Technologies UK Ltd Tel 01525 376916 www.off-roadelectric.com greentecgroup@outlook.com
Record numbers attend Elite Dynamics Customer Day
Almost one hundred holiday park operators heard from industry, technology, and sustainability specialists at leading software solutions provider, Elite Dynamics’ bi-annual Customer Day in Manchester. Elite Dynamics, which provides comprehensive IT business solutions to the holiday home and parks’ industry, welcomed a record number of customers to the event – sponsored by Hoseasons – at the Radisson Blu Manchester Airport Hotel. Industry attendees first heard from Elite Dynamics MD, Jamaine Campbell about how the company has been on a strong growth trajectory and has no sign of slowing down anytime soon. The technology company, which was co-founded by Jamaine in 2015 has just had its most successful year to date with revenue up over £1m on the previous 12 months. An ambitious strategy going into 2022 and beyond will see the technology specialists forge new partnerships to take the business global while maintaining their focus on sustained growth in the UK holiday park market. Jamaine excited the audience with a first-look at some of the upcoming new product developments to further enhance the functionality. One new enhancement is using the Microsoft Power Platform and Power Apps to seamlessly plug into the park management system to streamline jobs on park – anything from meter readings, safety tests, and housekeeping tasks to integrating with manufacturers and other external providers to action tasks. Will McIntee, Region Lead North America & UK at Companial, which is Elite Dynamics’ direct link with Microsoft, updated attendees with the global giant’s current focus and some words of advice to the holiday park industry: “In an age of digital disruption, there’s a need to have platforms in place that adapt and change in a realistic, timely, agile manner. Demand for e-commerce systems and platforms quadrupled in a six-month period over Covid as customers wanted platforms that could change rapidly in a rapid changing world. Technology is impacting and disrupting all of our businesses. The changes within your industry over the last three years have been kind of staggering. You cannot not evolve. You need to plan your evolution and think about your roadmap. “We all need to be thinking about how we leverage the cloud to make our lives better. If you think of the suite of business applications, they serve everything from marketing, HR, sales, operations, e-commerce, finance, service, and they’re all underpinned by the same platform. Power apps are so exciting as you’re able to create apps so much more quickly and effectively than ever and manage and monitor so much better than you ever used to. And they plug seamlessly into EliteParks – your corporate system of record. It’s mind blowing. I’m so excited to see the pace of change in technology and more importantly, it’s impact.” Other speakers on the day included Elite Dynamics’ sustainability partners, Play it Green, who explained how holiday park operators can give their customers the chance to offset their travel to and from their parks at the time of booking, and enhance customer communication with offers on a wide range of sustainable products to really drive the green agenda. The sustainability discussion continued with Landal GreenParks when UK Operations Manager, Ricky Dent told the audience there had been a “71 per cent rise in searches for sustainable goods over the last five years and 72 per cent of Generation Y&Z travellers want to make more sustainable travel choices.” He was also keen to stress that “technology shouldn’t replace, it should enhance the experience for guests.” He continued: “You cannot beat personal experience and interaction on a park. So if we can alleviate some of the teams’ time through technology, we’re freeing them up to enhance the customer experience. If you’re on an 8-hour shift and you spend 7 hours behind a computer, you’ve only spent an hour with a guest. But if technology can save five hours, that’s five extra hours you have to enhance a customer’s experience and make sure they have an unforgettable holiday.” For more information on Elite Dynamics or to arrange a demo of the market leading Microsoft powered software solutions, visit https://www.elitedynamics.co.uk.
GoApe! go Carbon Neutral…should you?
Axiom Utilities provides a broad range of services. If you want to become carbon neutral, measure your carbon footprint or have your historic energy bills audited to receive refunds from energy suppliers or get cheaper rates, we can help. Axiom Utilities appointed to provide Carbon Neutrality for Go Ape! Axiom Utilities Ltd exhibited at the Holiday Park & Resort Innovation Expo 2021. It was our first “in person” event for some time and both attendance and interest in our services was excellent. We focused on two services at the show: – • Helping organisations reduce their carbon footprint and becoming Carbon Neutral. • Providing refunds from energy suppliers through auditing historic bills Go Ape visited Axioms’ stand at the expo, enquiring about Carbon Neutrality. Following the event Axiom were appointed to provide our Net Zero service. Claire Schofield, Head of People, at Go Ape advised “We selected Axiom to deliver our Carbon Neutral status following their genuine and uncluttered approach”. Go Ape now fully understand their carbon footprint including Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions and have annual targets to reduce their carbon footprint and a strategic plan to meet these targets. Axiom uses the PAS2060 accreditation providing long term commitment to carbon reduction with ethical and accredited offsetting. Go Ape! is an outdoor adventure company which runs tree top ropes courses at locations across the UK. The sites are in some of the UK’s most valuable and beautiful environments, ensuring their presence has the lowest possible impact. Axiom utilities provide a full range of energy, environmental and carbon management solutions ranging from carbon footprinting, energy reduction through to energy procurement. For information contact consultancy@axiomutilities.com
Popular Holiday Park Paving
Why choose resin bound paving for holiday parks? The smooth resin bound pathways create a continuous flow through a holiday park and are often used as a guide to lead visitors to the main holiday park complex. Natural colours are the most popular to keep within a parks typically rural setting, however other colours can be used to segment areas of the park such as modern greys for seating or picnic areas or bright vibrant colours in the crazy golf garden. Shapes and patterns can be incorporated also to invioragate the fun areas of the parks entertainment sections. Where can resin bound be used? Walkways Tree surrounds Pool or pond surrounds Access roads Cycle paths Creating attractive outdoor spaces using for park visitors to enjoy will make their experience pleasurable but most importantly as I reputable park you will be providing spaces that are smooth and accessible as well as being easy to maintain. Resin bound gravel cycle paths, walkways, access areas, parking bays, and wildlife areas will look neat and in addition we can blend in unsightly drain covers and unkeept tree pits to hide them without preventing access to drains or limiting trees to water, due to the pavings permeable benefit. Public area upgrades may seem modest, but they can make a world of difference to the overall look and feel of the space. SureSet can make your public outdoor spaces perfect for long leisurely days. https://www.sureset.co.uk/commercial-paving/leisure-paving/
Gym Gear Lands Contract with Welsh Holiday Park Operator
A fitness solution provider has been awarded the contract to install a new gym at a holiday village in Aberystwyth. Preston-based Gym Gear has landed a contract worth £30,000, to provide Vale Holiday Parks, with a new state-of-the-art gym at Clarach Beach Holiday Village, in Aberystwyth. Gym Gear offers high quality commercial gym equipment at affordable prices, with clients including Stay City Group, LinkedIn, IKEA, G4S and NHS. The company’s services include facility layout and gym designs, financing options, and marketing and technical support. Transforming an unused space into a 72 square metre gym, the new offering, will provide the holiday village’s clients with a range of workout options suitable for all ages and abilities. David Bulcock, Gym Gear Director, said: “We have seen an increase in demand for gyms from holiday park operators since the onset of the pandemic. People are invested in their own fitness and wellbeing now more than ever, and for many, being able to work out on holiday really is an added benefit. “We were delighted to win the contract with Vale Holiday Parks, to design and install the gym at Clarach Beach Holiday Village, and we are looking forward to hearing the positive response to the new gym, from the holiday villages guests, this summer.” Vale Holiday Park Director Thomas Scarrott, and the team at Gym Gear, designed a gym with something for everyone. Thomas Scarrott said: “I understand that the needs of our guests are varied, when it comes to fitness and wellbeing, so I wanted to create a gym with a range of equipment for all to use. Our new gym offers a range of cardio and strength machines, and HIIT cardio gym equipment, which is a great option for holiday makers, as they can enjoy a full gym session in just 30 minutes. “I am delighted with our new gym, and the team and I are looking forward to opening the doors to our guests very soon. The service, and the quality of the products provided by Gym Gear has been fantastic, and we are hoping to open a new gym every year in each of our holiday parks, for all of our guests to enjoy.” The gym at Calrach Beach Holiday Village will be available for guests to use from this summer. To find out more about Calrach Holiday Village visit https://www.clarachbay.com/ To find out more about Gym Gear visit https://www.gymgear.com/
Hydratech launch Safeguard antifreeze range for caravans and motorhomes
Hydratech winterisation fluids are used by holiday park operators of all sizes throughout the UK. Their non-toxic, fully inhibited antifreeze solutions are trusted by service engineers and maintenance teams to ensure the smooth running of their operations, avoiding costly frost damage and unplanned maintenance. Safeguard, Hydratech’s new non-toxic antifreeze range has been especially formulated to provide superior winter protection for caravan, motorhome and marine craft wastewater and hydronic heating systems. Giving peace of mind during winter storage, the Safeguard Wastewater product protects toilets and water systems, including tanks, fittings, valves, pumps and drinking water systems. Offering freeze protection down to -46°C and burst protection down to -73°C, the antifreeze formulation is safe for aluminium, copper, brass and standard system plastics. Suitable for winterising hydronic heating systems in static caravans, touring caravans, motorhomes and marine craft, Safeguard Heating antifreeze delivers comprehensive protection against freezing and corrosion. Providing protection down to -40°C, Safeguard Heating’s long-life high temperature rated formulation contains synergistic corrosion inhibitors, that exceed ASTM D1384 standards. The product also contains broad-spectrum biological inhibitors and polyacrylates to prevent scale precipitation. Safe for associated system metals and plastics, Safeguard Heating will not damage standard rubber, hose or gasket materials. As well as being non-toxic, the Safeguard range is readily biodegradable (90% over ten days) and will not remain in the environment or bio-accumulate, making it safer for the application and local environment. Safeguard is available to buy direct from Hydratech in unit sizes from 1000L to 4L. Great emphasis is placed on 24-7 technical support before, during and after the sales process, complimented by an ‘always in time’ approach to stockholding and logistics. Call Hydratech on 01792 586800 or email: sales@hydratech.co.uk
The all electric future has arrived
Innovative electric utility vehicles which are tough and durable, cheap to run, and with zero emissions are now enabling caravan park operators to over come the barriers to environmentally-friendly on-site transport. Two new electric utility vehicles (UTVs) which are both ideally suited to the needs of the caravan park operator have been launched by leading electric UTV specialist Electric Wheels. The Norfolk-based firm, which supplies a range of electric buggies, people carriers and motorbikes for sale and hire, has launched the ‘Nipper’ four-wheel-drive vehicle and the ‘Runner’ two-wheel-drive vehicle. Both vehicles run with zero emissions, and with considerably lower running costs than comparable diesel-powered UTVs. They offer a surprisingly long range from a single charge, which takes six hours from a standard 13 amp socket and costs around £1 – about half a litre of diesel at today’s prices! The ‘Nipper’ can also be registered for on-road use. Both of the new UTVs are available from Electric Wheels on short- and long-term hire, or for outright purchase, offering maximum flexibility for park operators. The all-terrain Nipper is a fully road-legal 4WD UTV, complete with electric rear tipper and powerful 5kW motor giving a top speed of 28mph. Supplied with a lithium-ion battery, it has a range of up to 75 miles on a single charge, and comes with a smart on-board charger fitted as standard. The vehicle is fitted with a high and low range and diff lock, gas assisted adjustable shocks, power steering and a front winch. The 2.8m long Nipper has a cargo bed capacity of 200kg and a towing capacity of 750kg. The Nipper prices start from £12,495 +VAT, and is available to hire from £275 +VAT a week. It can be supplied road-registered. The Runner is an uprated 2WD utility buggy described as a ‘golf buggy on steroids’. The 3.35m long vehicle (a shorter version is also available) has raised suspension, a powerful lithium-ion battery and intermediate tyres. It has a fixed rear bed. The 5kW motor allows a top speed of 15mph, and the 48v lithium-ion battery pack gives a range of up to 62 miles on a single charge. It is fitted with a 16 amp weatherproof plug and a 13 amp adaptor. The Runner costs from £11,250 +VAT, and is available to hire from £235 +VAT a week. “These new vehicles are ideally suited to work within the caravan and holiday park sector, being agile and easy to drive around busy sites,” says Chris Hurdle, managing director of Electric Wheels. “Both vehicles offer whisper-quiet working and zero emissions, two factors which are increasingly important to caravan park operators – and their customers. And with the price of diesel soaring, the lower running costs of electric UTVs is an important consideration. “Both vehicles are fully customisable to suit each operator’s needs, with a whole range of accessory options. “The introduction of these two new UTVs is part of our commitment to overcoming the barriers to environmentally friendly off-road transport.” Since its foundation in 2019, Electric Wheels has grown to be the leading UK supplier of electric buggies, people carriers and motorbikes, with a growing range of innovative vehicles available for sale and hire. The firm has built a strong reputation for product quality, attention to detail and levels of service, and is now one of the UK’s leading suppliers of electric UTVs. Full details of all Electric Wheels electric utility vehicles can be found at www.electricwheels.co.uk.
Frontier Pitts work with caravan club’s to increase security
Over the years Frontier Pitts have installed perimeter security equipment on many Caravan park sites nationally, to ensure the holiday park sites fulfil their security requirements with cost-effective traffic management. Frontier Pitts market-leading FBX Automatic Barrier is ideally suited for controlling constant access to and from caravan and holiday park sites nationally. The FBX provides an effective solution to traffic congestion, whilst maintaining a visual security deterrent. The FBX Automatic Barrier is manufactured in boom lengths up to six metres, up to five metres for booms with skirts, and each boom can be fitted with warning lights and signs to the customer’s specification. The FBX is able to be raised or lowered through a complete 90-degree arc in as little as 1.8 seconds, depending on boom length, with operation being instantly reversible. The FBX is designed for reliability and durability, featuring sealed-for-life, no-maintenance bearings, while both barriers and control cabinet are supplied with a 20-year protective alkyd paint finish as standard. The FBX accessories options include a variety of warning signs, lower folding skirts, boom lights, articulated boom, over-ride key switch, magnetic locks for the end-rest, with a choice of ‘pogo stick’ or fixed end-rests. However, when a national Caravan business approached Frontier Pitts to install an entrance security system at their Cadeside caravan storage compound in Taunton, Somerset they voiced concerns that the visual deterrent of the automatic FBX barrier no longer provided enough security. To overcome these concerns, Frontier Pitts were awarded the contract to supply and install a heavy-duty Road blocker with traffic lights and control cabinet. The ‘Parking height’ model of Road blocker was installed, with a card reader system to permit entry and exit from the site, and a vehicle induction loop system either side of the road blocker to ensure the unit raises safely once a vehicle has passed over the ground sensors. Road blockers and Rising Kerbs are designed to offer an impact-resistant barrier to vehicle access and are well suited to ‘High Security’ sites. Such installations range from car parks through to anti-terrorist protection of defence installations. There are five models of road blockers available, starting with the ‘SMT’ Surface mounted road blocker which requires minimal civil works. The ‘Parking’ Road blocker is manufactured with a lifted height of 353mm, the ‘Security’ Road blocker with a lifted height of 533mm, and the ‘Special Lift Height’ Road blocker with a lifted height of 800mm. Frontier Pitts also manufactures a range of impact tested road blockers that stop a 7.5t vehicle traveling at 50mph. The Road blocker is a rugged underground rising kerb which is hydraulically powered for reliability and strength and can manufactured in lengths of up to 4000mm. The unit consists of two major parts; the base unit and the rising lid. The base unit is manufactured from heavy gauge steel channel and contains a number of sealed-for-life ball bearings. The rising lid section is a welded fabrication of heavy gauge steel channel upon which the chequer plate road sections are bolted. The curved perimeter skirt of the Road blocker is made from a mild steel sheet, and the higher lift versions are fitted with a patented double-lift skirt. A heavy gauge, mild steel angle trimmer frame is installed in the second pour of the concrete foundations, with bars fitted to ensure fixing. The Road blocker is finished with a scratch resistant, alkyd paint finish. The standard finish is chevron style yellow and black stripes. The electrical and hydraulic control systems are contained within a weatherproof control cabinet which is mounted upon a separate foundation near the Road blocker. Accessories available for the road blocker are manual release valves, which in an event of a power fail the manual hand pump can be used to raise and lower the unit. Frontier Pitts also highly recommend installing traffic lights with all road blocker systems, to ensure the driver of the vehicle is aware when it is safe to proceed. The Terra 180 Swing Arm Barrier is another solution which has been successfully impact tested and offers anti-theft protection with a manually operated barrier system which is ideal for sites with no power supply. The FBX Automatic Barrier and Road blocker/Rising Kerb, as with all Frontier-Pitts products, is entirely designed and built in Britain to the most stringent international standards. Frontier-Pitts, based in Crawley, Sussex, is the acknowledged leader in perimeter security equipment. Its complete range of products and services is the result of decades of experience. It has offices in Abu Dhabi, Hong Kong, France, and China, with over 30 per cent of production exported, and customers in more than 100 countries. Full project management capability includes design, manufacture, civil and electrical services, site surveys, installation, spare parts, refurbishment, and fully comprehensive customer services. Constant product R & D is allied to continuing quality improvements in manufacturing and dedicated customer service. This includes producing the Anti Terra range which is a portfolio of products that have been impact tested to stop a 7.5t vehicle travelling at 50mph (and various other energies). Our latest product range is the Platinum Gate and Turnstile range which are intruder resistant to a range of security ratings under the LPS1175 specification. Frontier-Pitts is ISO 9001:2015 accreditation. Every site is different, and Frontier Pitts offer free site surveys by our network of Technical Consultants to ascertain the specific site threats and requirements for each site. All Frontier Pitts are manufactured to order to meet these requirements. For additional peace of mind, Frontier Pitts also offers a range of maintenance contracts to suit the individual site requirements. As you would service your car every year, all automatic equipment should also be serviced to make sure it is working correctly and continues to meet automatic machinery health and safety requirements. Depending on the product usage we offer PPM’s (pre planned maintenance visits) and an emergency call out with a response time in as little as 4 hours. For further information, please look at our website www.frontierpitts.com or Telephone 01293
