Catalyst – 10 Years of Service
Introduction
Catalyst Services UK was founded by Brad Jackson in a spare room of his home in Oldham in August 2014
With Brad as managing director, the business has gone from strength to strength, delivering specialist belowground services, primarily to the insurance industry.
Ten years (and a few days) later, Catalyst has marked its 10th anniversary by hosting a day of training demonstrations followed by an evening celebration.
Offering advice and sharing expertise has always been at the heart of the Catalysts approach.
So, what better way to celebrate an important milestone than by offering useful insights to industry colleagues?
A day of insights
Catalyst invited clients, industry contacts and local business and community leaders to its training day at the Oldham Athletic football ground in Greater Manchester.
It was a day of insights for all concerned. With Catalyst colleagues also enjoying an opportunity to view demonstrations of the services they help deliver every day.
Such an event shouldn’t be a surprise. Catalyst’s purpose is defined by its name.
Put simply, its aim is to act as a catalyst.
Bringing together its inhouse expertise with highly responsive specialist services to give clients and their customers the best possible outcomes.
What are below ground services?
There are many kinds of below ground services.
The ones Catalyst focusses on delivering are:
- Drainage services
- Off-mains drainage services
- Leak detection
- Water supply pipe maintenance, repair and replacement
- Subsidence investigation and remediation
Related assets are often hidden out of sight, below the ground, inside foundations, or embedded in built structures.
Investigating and fixing problems is like solving a 3D puzzle.
But one you can’t see, and have difficulty reaching.
What happened during the training day?
Catalyst selected Boundary Park, the home of Oldham Athletic Football Club as the event venue.
It was just before the start of the National League season, so Catalyst and its guests had the stadium to themselves.
Every member of the Catalyst team was involved, with colleagues taking it in turns to continue to support claims customers from a temporary call centre set up behind the main stand.
Meanwhile, more than 30 clients, other industry professionals and stakeholders accepted Catalyst’s invitations to take part.
Five practical demonstrations and a presentation
Everyone involved was welcomed to the event with hot tea and coffee.
The warming beverages turned out to useful – it was a chilly and blustery day. But everyone came prepared, with warm clothes – this was an outdoor event in Oldham, after all!
Five practical demonstrations were organised, with mixed groups of visitors and Catalyst colleagues rotating around each demonstration in turn.
BOREHOLES AND TRIAL HOLES
The award for biggest equipment of the day went to a team demonstrating how they dug boreholes and trial holes.
They operated a borehole rig that obtains soil samples from deep under the ground to support subsidence investigations.
They also showed off a range of other equipment and techniques, some associated with trial holes, to assess soil conditions.
WATER SUPPLY INVESTIGATIONS
Another team demonstrated the techniques used to search for and locate problems with buried water supply pipes.
They included water leaks, loss of water pressure, water pipe tracing and water pipe replacement.
PIPE MOLING
Next to them, a fascinating demonstration took place of a how water pipes can be replaced using a technique called pipe moling.
Guests watched as compressed air was used to force a moling head through the soil, allowing a new water pipe to be installed in the channel created.
CCTV AND DRAINAGE SYSTEMS
Just across the walkway, Catalyst experts were demonstrating how CCTV camera systems are essential to investigating drains and sewers.
They placed a mini camera inside Oldham Athletic FC’s sewer system to reveal what lies beneath the famous old ground.
CIPP LINING
Guests also saw how CIPP (cured in place pipe) liners are used to rehabilitate sewers that are cracked, have displaced joints or become deformed.
The technique prevents the need for costly, time-consuming, and messy excavations.
OFF-MAINS DRAINAGE
Last but not least, there was a presentation in the warmth of a bar area about off-mains drainage systems.
Key topics including types of system, maintenance and troubleshooting, and regulations about their use.
We’d like to thank the technical teams who helped us make this such a successful event.
Their enthusiasm was appreciated by our guests and Catalyst colleagues, bringing our services to life.
Paul Duddle | Catalyst Operations Director
Paul is pictured, 4th from left, with the training demonstration team
It wasn’t all training and learning
Our guests enjoyed an excellent buffet lunch during the training day.
It was one of several valuable opportunities during the day for guests to network and discuss latest issues affecting the insurance claims industry.
What our guests thought about the training day
It was an enlightening day.
Learning about these essential services first-hand will allow us to better support our colleagues in delivering market leading claims solutions.
Lauren Manning, Senior Project Co-ordinator | Quadrassist
Lauren is pictured above, left, with Brad Jackson and her colleague, Tish Pooty.
Catalyst put on an excellent training event.
Seeing these techniques in action provides a level of understanding that manuals and briefings simply can’t match.
Mike Russell, Engineering and Technical Manager | Davies Group
The demonstrations immediately clarified our understanding of investigation and repair techniques.
This experience will enhance our team’s ability to guide customers effectively.
Ciaran Knight, Home Claims Team Leader | RSA
Ciaran is pictured above 3rd from left
Introducing the Catalyst Training Academy
The training demonstration day was organised under the aegis of the Catalyst Training Academy.
The academy offers tailored training programmes for clients and other insurance industry businesses, and bodies.
The aim is to help industry professionals to better understand below ground services, ultimately leading to better claims outcomes and improved customer satisfaction.
Sharing our expertise with clients and the broader insurance and loss adjusting industries through the Catalyst Training Academy is fundamental to how we operate.
It equips claims professionals with insights that help them provide exceptional customer service.
Brad Jackson | Catalyst Managing Director
Welcoming business and community leaders
Catalyst was delighted to welcome key local business and community leaders to the training day.
Oldham Council Deputy Mayor Cllr Eddie Moores, pictured above 2nd from right, took a keen interest in the training demonstrations.
Cllr Kashif Ashraf, Oldham President of the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, pictured above left, was also impressed by the skills on display.
As was Gordon McKendrick, pictured above right, Manager of Oldham Enterprise Trust, a one-stop portal for start-up and growth companies.
As a supporter of business in our borough, I have watched the growth of Catalyst Services UK with pride and pleasure.
Brad Jackson and his team are providing fantastic skilled jobs, backed by qualifications, for local people who would otherwise have to look elsewhere for similar career opportunities in the insurance sector.
Cllr Eddie Moores, Deputy Mayor | Oldam Council
Time to celebrate!
As the training event came to a close, it was time to spend the evening celebrating Catalyst’s 10th Birthday.
Brad Jackson presented a bouquet to Yvonne Bardsley, Catalyst’s Business Improvement Manager, in recognition of her work in organising the event
To our clients, your presence here today means the world to us. Your trust and support have been the driving force behind our journey over the last decade.
To our incredible team, you are the heart and soul of Catalyst. Your hard work, dedication, and adaptability have brought us to where we are today.
Brad Jackson, MD | Catalyst Services UK
