Its back just one decade for this editions look back on how things used to be.

1996 would prove to be a landmark year for our company, not just because we were celebrating 40 years in business, but also in that March we would place our then biggest ever vehicle order of 14 tractor units with a new supplier; MAN trucks.

With our fleet consisting of just under 40 vehicles at that time, the newly delivered Munich built motors would expand the fleet by around a third, which then worked out of our 2 depots at Thornbridge and Earls Road. This bulk purchase was a calculated business decision and would prove to be the first of many subsequent volume vehicle orders, which all go to keep our fleet's average age at two and a half years old. This ongoing policy has helped us deliver reliable customer service and provide our drivers with modern & comfortable, up to date equipment.

Elsewhere in the world, the mid 1990's saw mobile phones coming into fashion, the film 'Trainspotting' packing them in at the cinema, the rise of girl power as the Spice girls topped the charts and the reinvention of the chat show with Chris Evans' TGI Friday.

Back in Grangemouth our 100th truck; named 'Grange Chairman' after company founder; John Mitchell is pictured shortly after entering service.

Craig's World of Sport

Congratulations to Craig Charleston one of our Traffic Controllers who recently joined the elite of footballing referees, with his appointment as a grade 1 official. Craig has been involved in supervising 'the beautiful game' since 1997 and has worked hard to gradually rise through the various ranks of qualifying levels and getting to the top grade, where he now 'kicks off' as the fourth official in Scottish Premier league matches.

Not content with juggling a full time job in our office, family life and a hectic training schedule, our super fit controller is about to travel across the pond for the New York Marathon in November. During the run he will be raising money for the charity; "Get Kids Going", who provide facilities in sport for disabled children, so they can participate regardless of their situation.

If you would like to help Craig on his marathon journey, raising money for this truly worthy cause, please contact him at craig.charleston@johnmitchell.co.uk or call us on 01324 486511.