TSC bought over by Indian company
Telecom Service Centres, the Dunoon based contact centre company, has changed ownership in a multi million pound move.
This will see the fast-expanding Scottish business merge with a flourishing Indian contact centre company, Hero ITES, a Hero Group Company.
TSC presently has over 3000 employees in nine UK sites, with almost 250 based in Dunoon.
All TSC staff received a letter from the company explaining that the new ownership arrangements not only safeguarded present jobs but would also help create more employment throughout the UK.
Under the new structure, the TSC management team will retain investment in the business and will continue to lead the new enlarged company, TSC Hero.
Hero ITES is part of the giant Hero Group with its contact centre operation based in Gurgaon, near Delhi. This additional capability will take the total capacity of the new organisation to over 3,500 seats providing BPO services to the USA, Australia and the UK.
They see TSC’s management skills and experience as key to driving expansion in the BPO business.
Welcoming the move, TSC’s Chief Executive Officer Ken Hills said: “Let me make this clear. This is not about taking UK jobs to India.
“On the contrary, TSC’s clients have all made positive decisions to locate their operations in the UK whilst searching for additional services to compliment existing arrangements.
“We firmly believe there are aspects of the industry that can be handled off-shore and we already have experience of working relationships with companies in India and South Africa.
“Now we will be able to offer a greater range of products and services through this off-shore capability which will be managed by the TSC team.”
TSC was founded in Bute in 1994 and quickly expanded into Dunoon. By the millennium they had five Scottish operations and in 2003, LDC, the Private Equity arm of Lloyds TSB Group, invested in the company and supported its continued expansion.
Its client list has continued to grow with Vodafone, T-Mobile, Hewlett-Packard, HBOS and HSBC among its customers.
“It is a tremendous tribute to the standard of service TSC provides that a world-wide organisation like the Hero Group has become our majority shareholder,” says Hills.
“Business and as a result job security has steadily increased since LDC became our major shareholder in 2003 with an additional 1000 employees deployed across the UK. This is a great example of a private equity backed business creating significant numbers of jobs in the UK.”
Chief Operating Officer David Ewing insists: “The new arrangements bring even more financial muscle and will allow TSC Hero to compete on a global basis. It gives us access to facilities and capital that will let us turn a successful Scottish business into a global one.
“The new company will provide the support for TSC Hero to win new business at home, and internationally. This will ensure the future of the business, strengthen job security and create further opportunities based on these international capabilities.
“Dunoon has played a key role in TSC’s growth. I look forward to our operations here continuing to provide a quality service as we look to the future.”
The new company will be known as TSC Hero; if you would like to find out a bit more about it go to www.heroites.com or www.herogroup.com/.


Another fatal road crash on the A83
Tragically, yet another biker has lost his life on the A83.
On Monday afternoon, around 4.20pm Robert Day from Wakefield, West Yorkshire, who was riding a Ducati motorcycle, was travelling eastbound at Strone Point, near Inveraray with a 46-year-old man, who was on a Honda motorcycle, when both men lost control of their bikes and collided with two cars travelling in the opposite direction.
40-year-old Mr Day sadly died at the scene due to his injuries.
His companion sustained serious injuries and was airlifted to the Southern General hospital in Glasgow where he remains. The occupants of the cars were uninjured.
Police Sergeant Michael Stephenson of the Road Policing Department at Lochgilphead would like to hear from any witnesses to this crash. He can be contacted at his office on 01546 702200, or alternatively CRIMESTOPPERS on 0800 555111 where anonymity can be maintained.
Jim Igoe, Road Policing Area Commander for Argyll and Bute said: “The amount of recent deaths has been hugely disappointing. Argyll Road Policing carries out a motorcycle action plan from spring to autumn and up until mid July we were doing extremely well.
“We all know of the inherent dangers associated with riding a motorcycle in this part of the world; it’s a lovely area for riding a bike, however rural roads are more dangerous.
“Very few crashes involving bikes are actually caused by faults in the roads - most are caused by excessive speed, loss of control or other road users.
“We are being very proactive towards bikes and we are looking at introducing ASBOs for riders. We are going to be hitting careless and reckless bikers where it hurts - by disqualifying them and confiscating their bikes.
“Bikes, by their very nature are much more dangerous than cars. We all understand that riding a motorbike is a dangerous pursuit but we would ask everybody, not just bikers themselves, to ‘think bike’.”


2008 Connect to clash with Cowal GATHERING
Connect Festival an-nounced the dates for their 2008 festival on Sunday as August 29 - 31 — the same weekend as Dunoon hosts the Cowal Highland Gathering.
Spokespeople from both events played down the potential clash, although each agreed that accommodation in the area will be at a premium that weekend. Malcolm Barclay, manager of Cowal Highland Gathering, said: “To be honest I do not see there being any huge problems with both events falling on the same weekend.
“The obvious problem is likely to be accommodation, however, many of the people who attend Connect camp or hire teepees on site that are brought in for the event. This should ensure that even accommodation is not likely to be as big a problem as it could have been.
“With regards to infrastructure etc, our toilets and seating etc comes from different providers so I do not see any real problems arising in that area.
“I am delighted that the Connect Festival was a success and I think it will be a fantastic boost to the local area that two events on the scale of the Gathering and the Connect Festival will take place again in 2008.”
Connect Festival promoter Geoff Ellis said: “I don’t foresee too much of a traffic burden as Cowal traffic tend to be mainly by ferry, although there may be problems with accommodation.
“Our dates fit in with the summer festival calendar. If we went the week before, for example, we would clash with the Reading festival.”
Leader of Argyll and Bute Council, Councillor Dick Walsh, said: “ I regret very much the clash with Cowal Games. I understand that the organisers have the date firmly in their programme, it is now on their web site and are actively selling the tickets for next year.”
Councillor Bruce Marshall said: “I agree that the festival and the games will not affect each other, but do agree the accommodation may be a problem although a lot of the festival patrons will be staying on site.”
Councillor Ron Simon said: “I am pleased that the Connect festival has proved so successful this year and am delighted with the news that organisers are already hard at work planning next year’s event.
“I do have some reservations about the event being held on the same weekend as the Cowal Gathering, particularly with regard to traffic volume and accommodation.
“On a positive note however, I am sure that many attending Connect make use of the varied camping facilities, and a shuttle service similar to that used at other festivals could be a green and practical solution to minimise the impact on the roads.
“I would consider that both events have largely different audience markets and see no reason why either would impact on the other competitively.”
Chief Inspector Andrew Mosley of Strathclyde Police Dunoon advised that there would be no impact on policing or public safety due to the clash.
“It’s a big responsibility, but we are a big force,” he said. “As part of Strathclyde Police we can bid for extra resources to cover these occasions.
“The public will not notice any difference next year in terms of policing the Games and Connect.”
As both events tend to attract a different audience it is difficult, at this stage, to tell what the implications will be. Stall holders, for example, can’t be at both events at once so will have to choose between them.
Buses
A complaint which came from many Cowal residents at Connect festival and the Cowal Highland Gathering this year was the lack of a late service bus for either event. We spoke with three councillors to gauge reaction to this for next year, particularly as both events are on the same weekend.
Councillor Ron Simon said: “I would be supportive of a late bus service back into Dunoon for those attending the festival and not camping. As a two-way solution folks from the villages in between such as Strachur could also get home from the games.”
Councillor Walsh said: “My view is that this would have to be provided by a bus operator on a commercial basis. In future we could involve bus operators in the planning of the event to enable them to plan for services.”
Councillor Bruce Marshall contacted the council’s Public Transport Manager for his view, and the councillor advised us that: “West Coast Motors was monitoring its patronage on the service over the Connect weekend and maybe if there was a late night service back to Dunoon it might bring in more daily travellers to the bus service which would be good. “However, whether it has the resources or not remains to be seen as each night the last act finished at 2350, so the bus would have to leave Inveraray at midnight.”
That would mean a bus leaving Dunoon on Cowal Games Saturday for Inveraray and all stops in between at around 10.30pm, something that Strachur folk, among others, have been clamouring for for years.
What do you think? Which event will you go to, if either? Would you use a bus to travel to or from either event? Send your views to Safety Valve, Dunoon Observer and Argyllshire Standard, 84 John Street, Dunoon, PA23 7NS or e-mail editor@dunoon-observer.co.uk


DUNOON SEWAGE PUBLIC INQUIRY NEARS END
Tuesday of this week saw the conclusion of a four-day hearing as part of the public inquiry into Scottish Water’s application to use the Bullwood Quarry site for a major sewage treatment works serving the Dunoon/Sandbank area.
The formal hearing, held in Innellan Hall, followed an appeal by Scottish Water to the Scottish Government after Argyll and Bute Council rejected a planning application for the works submitted in summer last year.
Scottish Water, Argyll and Bute Council and objectors to the scheme were all allowed the opportunity to present their cases in front of Scottish Government Reporter Karen Heywood.
Tuesday’s final session included the hearing of evidence from objectors.
In front of a disappointingly small public audience of no more than half a dozen people, Roy Taylor and Gerry Ross represented the Bullwood Residents Group; S Forbes Pearson gave evidence for South Cowal Community Council; and Stuart Malcolm gave evidence on his own behalf.
All spoke eloquently, presenting arguments against the plans as they currently stand. Reasons for objection were many, varied and often highly technical, including potential odour and noxious gas problems, possible damage to buildings during blasting works to enlarge the site, limitations of the site size, and perhaps most significantly, concerns over design shortcomings. The point was made several times by objectors that insufficient account had been taken, in their view, of the Cowal Games visitor influx, surface, ground and stream water ingress, and seawater contamination issues in designing the system as proposed.
Scottish Water, with some very slick and no doubt expensive professional legal representation, was given the opportunity to counter the issues raised by objectors, which it did in an efficient, and at times needlessly brusque manner. The objectors, all less experienced in ‘courtroom jousting’ than the questioner, conducted themselves in a dignified and professional manner under occasionally high pressure cross examination of their evidence by the Advocate representing Scottish Water.
Speaking after the proceedings, Roy Taylor commented: “I think our arguments held up well, and I don’t think our case has been weakened to any significant extent by Scottish Water.”
All parties - the council, Scottish Water and objectors, will have a final opportunity to present closing submissions to the Reporter by mid October. The Reporter will also undertake site visits to both the Bullwood site and Loch Eck treatment works before preparing her report on the inquiry, which she hopes to have ready for Scottish Ministers by the end of November. Scottish Ministers will then issue their verdict on Scottish Water’s appeal.