Applex Management Ltd

30/03/2025

01/02/2025

Need help to reduce & work? Our 30+ years' experience will help you. http://bit.ly/1Jd6VO4 Call us!

For a one-to-one consultation on Lean Principles and how it can help your business with our Founder / Director, Stephen Lipscombe call 07802 799195.

25/01/2025

Team beyond full capacity? Working weekends? Go . Free up your existing latent resource, raise your capacity, IMPROVE YOUR PROFIT! http://bit.ly/1I911IE Contact us to arrange your free initial consultation.

"Applex Management Ltd's main Corporate Value is based on the firm belief that our customers' needs are of the utmost importance. We are committed to meeting those needs, exceeding your expectations, adding value into your business and earning your trust."

23/04/2024

We need to keep up the campaign to stop the government from scrutinising benefit claimants' bank accounts.
Will you sign and share?
Thank you for adding your voice.

Here's the link to share:

If you agree that the DWP should not be able to scrutinise benefit claimants' bank accounts, please sign the petition:

15/02/2024

A public consultation has commmenced regarding the proposed permanent closure of Rufford Lane, Rufford.

My view is that I disagree with the both proposal and the reasons given for instigation of the proposal.

I accept that there have been instances of irresponsible and possibly reckless driving through the ford.
I do not agree that this is only driven by social media. It is also driven by the lack of any risk of consequence to these irresponsible drivers.

The authorities have made no discernible effort to catch these drivers and prosecute them. Had they done so, and made a public example of them (which would then also be shared on social media), this would have acted as a deterrent and the stupid behaviours would have ceased, or at the very least, been reduced.

Closure of this road merely increases congestion on the A614 from Rufford to Ollerton, and through Ollerton itself. This part of the A614 is already a very congested stretch of road and this proposal will certainly exacerbate the congestion. The impending road works to improve road junctions along the A614 will make the situation worse still for at least two years.

Closure of Rufford Lane is merely the easiest, lowest cost option for local authorities, but does not maintain an acceptable level of service for the local population.
The proposal should be rejected and proper law enforcement should prevail. This is what we pay our taxes for!

If you have an opinion on this matter, there is a link to a postal address and an email address to which the public may make comment:-

Following recommendations approved by the cabinet member in December last year, a month-long consultation has launched today on a proposal to permanently close Rufford ford to motor vehicles.

07/02/2024

Looking for a little favour, would you please share this around your network? My friend’s lad is looking for some sponsorship for his school Green Power racing team.

Dear sponsor,
I am a Year 9 student at UTC Sheffield city centre. I am participating in Green Power. I am excited to offer you a sponsorship for this event. Our event is highly anticipated with over 10,000 participants across the country doing it.
Green Power is the only STEM enrichment provider to run the same basic concept across such a wide age group, allowing for excellent progression throughout. With over 10,000 participants, this event presents a unique opportunity to gain valuable exposure within the green power community.
Thank you for considering this sponsorship opportunity. Partnering with UTC Sheffield city centre for Green Power. If you would like some more information on this sponsorship, please do not hesitate to contact me at [email protected]

Thank you for your time and consideration,
Sincerely
George Hinitt.

04/02/2024

Supermarket loyalty schemes.
I noted recently that Tesco reduced the points on Tesco fuel purchases. It used to be 1 point per £1 spent, now it's only 1 point per £2 spent.
I've just called in at our local Co-op to be informed that the loyalty scheme has been changed and you no longer get points on your card against purchases. There is now more focus on discounts on certain products, or special deals (like pizza + ice cream for, say £5). So, unless you like the special deals, it's worth less than before.
Anyone noticed any other tweaks to loyalty schemes?

As Co-op revamps its loyalty scheme. we look at how it compares to rival offers from Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Co-op and the rest.

28/01/2024

Whilst Royal Mail seeks to reduce its services to Monday to Friday, or even just 3 days per week, private carriers can deliver on a Sunday and still be profitable.

12/12/2023

Use of the term “Customers”!
A customer has a choice of whether or not to purchase an item or a service.
HMRC “customers” have no choice.

It doesn’t seem to have occurred to HMRC that many (if not most) people do attempt to resolve their queries by looking online before they phone the helpline as a last resort, knowing that a simple (simple to HMRC at any rate) query will take ages to resolve as they wait in the seemingly endless call queue.
HMRC don’t seem to realise that there will be many new “customers” needing help due to fiscal drag. Most of these new taxpayers (the corrrct term for HMRC “customers”) won’t know the first thing about tax assessments or even their tax liabilities, if they haven’t paid tax before.

Withdrawing this service (at only 2 days notice!) is merely a weak attempt to give themselves an easier workload at everyone else’s expense.

I wouldn’t mind so much if they were even able to account for payments made to them, but twice this year they have somehow missed VAT or PAYE payments I’ve made and then harassed me for it!

Utterly unfit for purpose!

HMRC has announced that it will be restricting access to its helpline at a critical time for many small business owners

11/06/2023

MOBILISING CHANGE.

Have you ever noticed how hard it is to “unfreeze” people when you want to change something in the workplace? Even if it is a change for the better? As human beings, we have a natural preference for the “status quo” (I’m not referring to the rock band).
We like things the way they are. We become comfortable with the familiar. Hence the phrase “Better the Devil you know than the Devil you don’t”.

I came across a formula that helps with “unfreezing” people (getting them warmed up to the idea of Change).
D + V + S > R
In plain English:
D: Amplify the Dissatisfaction with the Current State (the status quo).
V: Outline your Vision of a better Future State (change for the better).
S: Lay out the first few Steps needed to get there (to the better Future State).
D + V + S will overcome R.
R: Resistance to Change.

If you’re a leader, there’s no written rule that you must provide all the answers. That’s why you only need the first few small steps towards the Future State to make the formula work.
In fact, it’s better not to be too prescriptive! If you amplify D, outline V and lay out the first few steps, getting your team to help you plan the remaining steps makes the change become owned by the team, and not something you have imposed. And that’s a Good Thing, yes?

What stories do you have of either being mobilised as part of a team, or mobilising others? What did you or your leader do to get people moving?

22/03/2023

2 of the Day:
"Everything can be improved." - Clarence W. Barron.
In industry, there is always a challenge to improve. But, if things are going really well, there's a temptation to become complacent. Let's say your quality performance is at 99.9% Right First Time. Here's a few (slightly dated) '99.99%' statistics:
12 new-born babies will be given to the wrong parents daily,
315 entries in the Oxford English Dictionary will be misspelled,
18,322 items of mail will be mishandled per hour,
880,000 credit cards with errors on their magnetic strips,
2.5 million books will be shipped with the wrong covers,
In these contexts, is 99.99% really good enough?
One of my personal beliefs is "There is Always Room for Improvement". This is what Lean Management strives for.
And in the words of the godfather of Lean, Taiichi Ohno:
“Every day a little bit higher”. Here's how: http://bit.ly/n97bbC
Call us to discuss how we can help your organisation.