Darren reflects on first six months with Inciner8
It’s been all change at Inciner8 during 2023 as Darren Spencer took the reins as Chief Executive.
Darren has a wealth of experience in the machinery industry and a global perspective that will help him guide Inciner8 through its next phase of development.
We have ambitious goals in terms of expansion and innovation and under Darren’s leadership, with his strategic thinking and commercial acumen, we’re confident we can achieve these.
Growth
Darren, who has more than 30 years of experience in manufacturing, has reflected on his time with Inciner8 so far, saying he believes the incineration market is poised for substantial growth as more countries recognize the environmental benefits of waste incineration.
He predicts the state of the market, with a global appetite for clean-air incineration, makes an ideal environment for the business to expand even further.
Darren said: “The world has a huge waste problem, but there is only so much space for landfill. Many countries are switching on to the benefits of incineration, with businesses like Inciner8 working hard to change perceptions of this method of disposing of waste.”
Problem solving
“Some countries, such as Sweden, for example, are using combusted waste to generate energy, while the use of incinerators in places like Japan solves the issue of lack of space for landfill. Then there is the fact that reducing waste to landfill decreases the amount of methane produced, lessening the impact on climate change.”
“I can see huge potential for Inciner8, which uses pioneering clean-air technology and pollution control systems to help customers meet their environmental goals.”
“As a responsible manufacturer, we see it as our role to educate even more people about the benefits of incineration above landfill and address any misconceptions they may have.”
Darren’s focus will be on expanding Inciner8’s reach, supporting authorities and companies around the world as they tackle the challenges of handling waste safely, cleanly, efficiently and costeffectively by choosing clean air incineration.
He will also spearhead our focus on providing sustainable and affordable incineration solutions.
He added: “As someone who has worked for 30+ years in manufacturing and global distribution, witnessing what the team at Inciner8 has achieved in the past few years is highly impressive, and an example of what a driven team with a clear vision can do.
Potential
“I accepted the offer to join the team after observing an industry that clearly has so much potential for growth, and a belief that Inciner8 is a business uniquely placed to become a market leader within the incineration industry.”
We’re delighted to have Darren with us and excited about the future for Inciner8.
Arab Health, January 29-February 1, 2024, Dubai World Trade Centre
Find Glazi, Charlie and Ellie in the British Pavilion in Hall 2, stand C36. They’ll be showing how our i8-M70 can benefit your medical facility.
MedSafe for Disasters Expo USA, March 6-7, 2024, Miami Beach Convention Center
Helping disaster-hit communities, we support our distributor in this region to provide clean-air waste incineration technology to prepare, respond and recover.Landmark order supports those affected by Sudan conflict
One of the largest orders in our history will support those affected by the war in Sudan.
We’re proud to share the news that Inciner8 will be providing two of our flagship incinerators to Sudan.
The £2m order for two of our i8-1000 models is the third largest since the business was established in 2003.
The incinerators will be shipped out to the African country within the next two months after being manufactured in Southport.
Congratulations to our sales team for managing to make this happen despite the conflict.
Support
Head of Sales Ghazi Sadledein said the order was close to being finalised when war broke out. As those on the ground really needed the equipment, he and his sales team supported our broker customer, a humanitarian organisation supplying aid agencies and NGOs, in finding new locations for the incinerators to be located 600 miles away from the conflict areas.
It meant the equipment could be provided to the new locations to benefit people displaced by the war who need it most, preventing the risk of infection from
Ghazi, who led the deal, said the conclusion was reached following months of hard work on both sides. He said: “The easy option would have been to wait for the situation to calm down but the customer made it happen, which speaks volumes in terms of how essential this product is.”
“This is the exciting thing about our business. When there’s a war, pandemic or natural disaster, we provide a solution to an evergrowing problem because the amount of waste around the world keeps increasing.
Rewarding
“From a personal point of view, I’m sitting in an office in Southport, working for a manufacturer with global reach, supplying a product that uses the most advanced technology to Sudan, where there’s a war going on and making a real difference. Knowing we’re assisting people at the most difficult times of their lives is a rewarding feeling.”
CFO James is one of region’s best
Congratulations to our Chief Financial Officer, James MacLeod, who has been named one of the best in the region.
James has been named Finance Director of the Year in the category of businesses with £3m-£9m turnover at the Finance Director of the Year Awards 2023.
James, who joined Inciner8 in 2020, beat off competition from finance directors from Merseyside, Lancashire, Cheshire, North Wales and Warrington to win the accolade in the prestigious 10th Finance Director of the Year Awards.
Recognised
He was named as winner at a black-tie awards ceremony following a written nomination and then a panel interview.
James, who was joined at the event by some of his finance team, said: “I’ve been a finalist three times before, so I was chuffed to win. It’s great to be recognised amongst your peers and other professionals within the industry.”
“It was a great evening and great for me to be able to take other members of my team because they have played a big part in delivering this result.”
Changes made within the finance team to working capital BOMs (Bill of Materials) and product costings were instrumental to the award win.
Priceless
James said: “None of this existed when Chiltern Capital purchased the business and it has been a hard slog putting in place the processes and changes needed to make these improvements that have allowed us to deliver the data required.”
“This now provides the business with priceless information upon which the future growth strategies can be based.”
“Our customers like to know that they are dealing with a good quality business and this involves having good quality people within that business. An award like this underpins this and demonstrates to our clients the quality.”
Passion and values attracted Keith to join journey
Keith, who joined Inciner8 in September, is an experienced manufacturing professional who says having a similar outlook attracted him to the business.
He said: “I was really impressed by the passion for the business, the journey it’s on and the ethics and values, which aligned with my own vision to treat people well and enable them to be the best they can be.”
Working closely with Kevin Peters and the engineering department, Keith says he is looking forward to making improvements to get the business into the best position for further growth.
Transform
“We’re raising standards in health and safety and working on furthering our lean journey,” Keith said.
“I have a brief to transform operations and get us prepared for the growth we’re expecting with our additional orders.
“We’re also looking forward to moving into our new facility during 2024. This is a really exciting business and I’d like to thank everyone for making me feel so welcome.”
Pet cremation business targets growth with help of Inciner8
A team from Inciner8 has supported Safe Passages in Indiantown, Florida, with some minor system upgrades and modifications to machinery the business bought last year.
Owners Bryan Roth and Margo Siewert purchased five i8-75 incinerators, and an i8-250 incinerator, which have been running successfully for nine months.
Safe Passages, which is expanding rapidly, saw the potential to grow across the whole of the US using the Inciner8 platform.
The Florida facility is intended as a testbed so the entrepreneurial couple can hone their offering, learning the best way to use the equipment that gives them the best chance of success.
The Inciner8 Tech Team delivered on-site training to users, showing how to achieve greater efficiency during a burn cycle, use less fuel and attain more for less.
Head of Engineering Kevin Peters said it had been a pleasure to visit the business and he was excited to work with Bryan and Margo.
He said: “Education is a vital offering to our customers when purchasing an incinerator, and our technical experts are key ensuring the equipment can be used to it full potential.”
Understanding
“Opportunities are few and far between to get direct user feedback and a project such as this allows Inciner8 to ensure the solutions we offer customers not only serve them today, but demonstrate we are able to support them for the requirements of tomorrow.
Understanding the challenges each customer has, allows our engineers to solve problems that are often unique to them.”
Kevin hails business potential
An engineer since 1996, he has worked in the aerospace and defence, marine, healthcare and heating industries, and says he has spent his first months getting to know all areas of the business and his colleagues.
He said: “I think there’s a lot of potential here and a real desire for the business to focus on the customer experience. I’ve been working closely with Keith, the Operations Manager, taking a collaborative approach to make sure Inciner8 continues to install products to high standards and in an efficient manner. I’ve joined the business at a really
exciting time.”
Spreading word to the rest of the world
There has been a huge effort to position Inciner8 centre-stage as we continue our growth journey.
Marketing manager Ellie Nieuwenhuizen said: “The website was redesigned and launched in the autumn, providing a fantastic insight to Inciner8’s products and services, the manufacturing process and the business. It acts as a great shop window for our clients, who come from across the world.”
Efforts have also gone into promoting the stories coming from the business in the media. The appointment of Darren Spencer as chief executive gained excellent coverage in both sector press and regional business publications, while our landmark Sudan order attracted interest from several media outlets.
The social media channels have also had a refresh, with regular content being posted to Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter on our products, event attendance and other company news.
Recognition
Finally, it’s been a busy time on the awards scene, with Inciner8 being shortlisted or winning various industry awards.
Sky’s the limit for problem-solver Fiona
That was the challenge facing the logistics department recently – a challenge Logistics
Coordinator Fiona Beach more than rose to.
She said: “The client had a tight time frame so asked us to air freight the order rather than send it by sea freight. As we don’t normally transport incinerators by air, we had to come up with a solution to get them there. Thirty pallets had to be sourced that could handle the weight of four i8-M70 incinerators, used for medical waste, and fly them to Haiti.”
Fiona said: “The people in the factory are working hard to get the machinery manufactured quicker than normal, while I’ve been working on getting them to our client on time.”
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF... DARREN SPENCER
Each issue we ask a team member to give an insight into their life
A typical day for me starts at 6am. If it’s a day that I’m in Southport, I’ll go out for a walk before breakfast. If I’m working from home, I’ll be joined for a couple of miles’ walk by our two dogs – Bean and Tom.
Breakfast itself is quite plain, porridge, unless it’s the weekend when the bacon has to come out of the fridge.
No typical morning
I’ll arrive at work between 8am and 8.30am and my first job is to say good morning to the team, which I think is the most important thing. After that, the daily operations meeting is a great way to quickly get a grasp of what is going on in the business today.
Since I’ve been here, I’ve found no morning is typical at Inciner8. We’re an unusual business where customers present us with so many unique questions and challenges. Most businesses are far more repetitive, but the variety is what makes working here interesting.
Getting away from the laptop
After dealing with whatever arises in the morning, lunch for me is any time between noon and 2pm. I enjoy the one-mile round trip to the local shops to buy a sandwich. It’s a great reason to get out, stretch the legs and get your eyes away from the laptop for a short while.
The afternoon is then generally the same as the morning – full of variety!
I work three or four days a week in Southport and, on those days, I tend to finish between 6pm and 7pm. On Mondays, I usually get up at 4am and I’m in the car at 5am to make the 170-mile trip to Southport from my home in Fringford, a village in Oxfordshire. On Fridays, I try to work from home.
Staying active
When I’m away from home, the first thing I do after work is call home and speak to my wife, Alison, to catch up on the day. I’ve also recently joined a gym in Southport, so I’ll go there. In the summer, I really enjoy getting out and walking along the coast – this area has some great walks, but as the evenings are now darker and colder, I’m seeking an alternative! I’m also a big sports fan – I support Liverpool FC and I’m a huge fan of Formula 1 and MotoGP, but I can watch any sport really. I’m very patriotic so if England are succeeding in a sport, I’ll probably watch it. I have a friendly rivalry with James MacLeod, Chief Financial Officer at Inciner8, so if England are beating Scotland at anything I enjoy winding him up!
High points
Catching up with family is always the best part of my day, whether this be my wife, Alison, or taking advantage of working in Southport, which brings me closer to my mom and sister who both live on the Wirral. Finding time for family always has to be a priority for me.
I’ve been at Inciner8 for six months now and I have to say the highlights are the people, the atmosphere among the team, the friendliness, how helpful the team is and how determined they are to do a great job.
I have found the business to be so welcoming and, with so many experienced and knowledgeable people.
I really enjoy spending time with the people I get to work with.
