CASE STUDIES

Pinden Limited

Waste recycling company appreciates the approachability of Creaseys

“I enjoy working with Creaseys, as they are forward-thinking as well and don’t stand still as a firm.”

Pinden Limited – based between Gravesend and Dartford in Kent – is one of the county’s leading waste recycling operations. Working out of a 16 hectare site and utilising some of the largest and most modern equipment in the country, Pinden runs a complex business which sees it recycle materials brought in from a varied and extensive client base and from its skip hire business, Pinbins.

The waste is turned into recycled aggregates, soils and wood fibre for use in construction, manufacturing and other industries. Pinden supplies businesses of all sizes, from the small local builder to major civil engineering companies, such as Costain Group. In addition, Pinden operates a fully-licensed landfill site for the disposal of asbestos.

Creaseys had already been working with the current owners of Pinden for four years when they bought the company out of the conglomerate Hanson PLC in 2004.

“Creaseys was instrumental in working with the management team to put the deal together,” says Peter Osmond, Group Accountant at Pinden. “They did a good job then and we’ve continued working with them ever since.”

Pinden is looked after by a team from Creaseys which includes Partner Graham Turpin. Creaseys helps Pinden with its statutory audit, as well as supporting Peter in his role as Group Accountant by providing advice on corporate tax planning and any other accountancy and tax issues the company may encounter.

“The tax advice which Creaseys provides is excellent,” says Peter. “The team is really approachable and it’s easy to pick up the phone and call Graham – or somebody from his team – if I’ve got any sort of issue.”

He continues: “I work by myself in the accountancy function here – so it’s great to have a sounding-board when I need one. I trust and respect Graham’s opinion.”

Adds Graham Turpin: “I enjoy sharing ideas with Peter and keeping up-to-date with what’s going on in the business. It’s very satisfying to see how the group has grown and developed over the time I’ve been working with them. It’s important with any audit client to get to know the business as well as we can and I try to meet up with Peter several times a year in person – although we are on the phone regularly.”

Peter says that it’s important to Pinden that Creaseys is based locally in Kent.

“If we worked with one of the big London firms, I’m sure that we’d meet a partner initially and then we’d be farmed out to a more junior staff member,” Peter explains. “With Creaseys, Graham continues to work closely with us – which I appreciate.”

He adds: “Having said that, Creaseys has built an excellent name for itself as somewhere good to train. That’s a very positive thing and we enjoy meeting the new recruits and watching them progress in the firm.”

In addition to looking to work with local suppliers, such as Creaseys, Pinden is keen to not just focus on global environmental concerns – but to fulfil its obligations to the local environment as well. The company is working towards compliance with the Government initiative ‘Pathway to Zero Waste Landfill’ by 2014.

“Pinden is a fascinating business with a number of different segments – but it all fits together and has recycling and the environment at the hub,” says Graham.

Over the past few years, Pinden has made significant investment in plant and machinery to maximise the efficiency of the recycling operation and to reclaim as much of the material itself.

“We pride ourselves on being a very forward-thinking company and are always looking at new ways to recycle,” says Peter. “I enjoy working with Creaseys, as they are forward-thinking as well and don’t stand still as a firm.”

He adds: “Creaseys has an excellent reputation and I’m proud to have their name at the bottom of our audit report.”