Issue 9
Summer 2013
Training ensures safety first This is exercise How it’s Done Inside this issue...
ADBA Sponsors
Wakefield AD
Excellence Award
Award Shortlist
Message from Bruno Speed
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elcome to the Summer issue of our newsletter ImtechFlow. The beginning of 2013 has seen some big changes for the company. As I’m sure you are all aware, as of January 2013, Imtech Process has a new name. We have now been rebranded and have changed our name to Imtech Water, Waste and Energy, a name change that better reflects the sectors of business we primarily work within. This is part of a wider strategy across the Imtech UK group to enhance the development of a broad-based technical services business in the UK, Ireland and other carefully selected areas, where it is recognised we can add real value and strengthen the Imtech brand. The rebranding and restructuring across the group will enable the business to accommodate future growth. Within Imtech Water, Waste and Energy our hard work is continuing to be recognised within the industry through further shortlisting of our projects at key awards, including the Water Industry Achievement Awards and the Construction News Awards. In other news in this edition of ImtechFlow, we have two senior level appointments to mention, with Martin Luff and Duncan Atkins. Martin has been appointed Business Technical Manager, while Duncan has become our Business Development Director.
News in Brief Construction News Awards Imtech UK Group has sponsored the ‘Sustainable Company of the Year’ category at this year’s Construction News Awards.
Imtech to sponsor ADBA awards again Imtech will be sponsoring the Anaerobic Digestion and Biogas Association (ADBA) Awards again this year for the second time.
We also have updates on how our schemes are progressing across the business, plus the exciting news that a film crew visited Beckton, to shoot part of the BBC One hands-on science programme ‘Bang Goes the Theory’. As the year swiftly moves on, it looks like 2013 will mark the next exciting chapter of the Imtech story.
Inviron Airports Bruno Speed, managing director at Imtech Water, Waste and Energy has now taken on additional responsibility of managing director for Inviron Airports.
Kind regards Bruno
an Imtech company
Bruno Speed Imtech Water, Waste and Energy Managing Director
Contact For further information on Imtech Water, Waste and Energy please contact Duncan Wildgoose on 01543 496600 or by email - duncan.wildgoose@imtech.co.uk Imtech Water, Waste and Energy Ltd Imtech House, 5 Newlands Court, Attwood Road, Burntwood, Staffordshire WS7 3GF Tel 01543 496600 For editorial enquiries, please contact Clara Hughes on 07702 736763 or by email - clara.hughes@zebra-comms.co.uk
Awards update And the winner is... We are delighted to announce that Imtech has successfully achieved ROSPA Gold for the fifth consecutive year. We have also been awarded a bronze award in the Management of Occupational Road Risk (MORR).
businesses take note and implement the excellent work done by all the entrants.” After the win, Martin Davies commented, “We’ve worked very hard on this project and it’s great to see that time and effort acknowledged. Both Jac and I are very proud to receive this award and we congratulate everyone who entered. The competition was very strong.”
More good news on the honours front, as Northumbrian Water’s (NWL) Howdon AD project has been shortlisted in the ‘Sustainable Project of the Year’ category of the Construction News Awards. The winner will be announced at an Awards dinner in July. The Howdon AD project, as part of NWL’s Sludge Strategy has also won the Guardian’s Sustainable Business Awards in the ‘Waste and Recycling’ category and was shortlisted for the Robert Stephenson Award held by the Institute of Civil Engineers. The Water Industry Achievement Awards took place at the end of March, and we again sponsored the ‘Partnership Initiative of the Year’ category, which was presented to the winning entrant by Wayne Hickling, Imtech Proposals Director.
Award success for two Im-techies At the Imtech Group Operational Excellence Awards 2013, Martin Davies and Jac Jones of Imtech Water, Waste and Energy, emerged as joint winners for their innovative Cost Estimating & Electrical Design (CEED) software. They won £6000 in prize money and shared the top spot with Jacqui Cook and Rob Needham, of Imtech G&H, for their ‘apprenticeship scheme’ entry. The aim of the newly-developed CEED software package is to automatically produce electrical estimates and design documentation – including data sheets and fully annotated SLDs – from a basic set of plant input schedules. The new Operational Excellence Awards were judged in February and the judges were so impressed that they awarded £18,000 to all five shortlisted entries. The awards were presented at the Awards Dinner, held at the Savill Court Hotel near Ashford. When announcing the winners, Paul Kavanagh, Group Chief Executive, said, “Innovation is key to our success as a business. We have to develop ways to keep ahead of the game, whether it’s developments in technical or process. These awards will help this and I’m very keen that the MDs of the
Martin Davies and Jac Jones receive their award from Paul Kavanagh
Imtech on show... Forthcoming exhibitions We are exhibiting at the two-day Anaerobic Digestion and Biogas Association’s (ADBA) annual trade show and conference. Billed as ‘The Energy Behind the AD Revolution’, this annual event takes place at the Birmingham NEC on 3-4 July 2013. ADBA is the UK’s only trade show dedicated exclusively to anaerobic digestion and biogas. As it continues to grow, year-on-year, this exciting event offers more exhibitors, more visitors and featured areas, and more opportunities for us to maintain a high industry profile. Tim Speakman, Engineering Manager, will also be presenting at the show.
We are also exhibiting at the Resource Efficiency and Waste Management Solutions (RWM) 2013, which also takes placed at the NEC, from 10-12 September. This is Europe’s premier event for discovering the latest developments in resource efficiency and waste management. With a programme that includes over 750 exhibitors and more than 150 expert speakers, RWM is the largest free CPD-accredited conference in the industry. Both these shows have proved to be important opportunities for us to showcase ourselves in the waste sector.
Fire Training Fire training exercises ensures everyone knows the drill United Utilities’ Runcorn Wastewater Treatment Works (WwTW) recently hosted a special training session, which was staged in conjunction with Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service. The Technical Rescue team based at Knutsford Fire Station attended the site, along with fire crews from Runcorn, in a mock-up of an emergency situation. United Utilities is currently building a £10m works upgrade that will improve the quality of the water which enters the environment following the wastewater treatment process. In total, a team of 14 fire-fighters and three fire engines attended the site and carried out a mock rescue. A dummy was used as the subject of the exercise, as though a person had accidentally fallen into one of the site tanks. The crews had to safely access the tank and the role-play was enacted as a live incident, unfolding in real time. Imtech, one of United Utilities’ contractors, identified the possible training need with the water company while it was reviewing its emergency procedures and contacted Knutsford Fire Service. Andy Hallworth, Crew Manager at Knutsford Fire Station said: “It’s always important for us to understand the potential risks in a construction environment. The more prepared we are as a team, the more effectively we are able to respond to a crisis if the need arises.”
Jason Ross, Imtech’s senior site manager found the exercise useful: “The site team was pleased to cooperate on the training exercise, as we are very proactive when it comes to the safety of our workforce – it’s as much about reassurance on both sides as it is about the emergency drill itself.” The construction phase at Runcorn treatment works started in autumn 2011 and is due to be completed by summer 2013.
Project updates Across the UK our teams are busy with a wide range of projects for many of our clients. With Howdon AD now successfully completed for Northumbrian Water, we are also waiting to find out how the project fares at some of the top industry awards. Over in United Utilities, we have handed over our project in Formby and our work at Runcorn WwTW is progressing well. Our teams in Wales have also been busy completing successful programmes of work including the ‘Dirty 30’ and the ‘Cheshire Six’. Health and safety remains high on the agenda throughout all our projects, with a particular focus on our Be-SHARP initiative, which is our Behavioural Safety Hazard and Accident Reduction Programme.
Howdon AD plant
Affinity Water and Anglian now at commissioning stage Imtech reaches the final commissioning stage for two projects for Affinity Water and Anglian Water Imtech is reaching the final commissioning stages for two projects for Affinity Water. Clandon and Hadham Mill WTWs are in the last stages and are due to be handed over to the client soon. These are just two successfully completed projects from a wider programme of work for Affinity Water, which represents well over 36,000 hours onsite worked to date. Basildon and Cliff Quay, two projects for Anglian Water, are also entering their commissioning and handover stages.
installation has started, with the bulk of the installation continuing over the rest of 2013. We aim to start commissioning before the end of this year.
£10M project award £10 million project award for the Ros Roca Imtech Joint Venture (RRIJV) at Wakefield. RRIJV has been awarded a contract worth £10 million, for an AD Biogas plant in Wakefield, by Shanks Waste Management Limited. The AD facility forms part of a planned waste treatment park at South Kirkby near Wakefield, which will receive and treat up to 230,000 tonnes of waste per year. Shanks has signed a 25-year PFI contract with Wakefield Council, which will be worth an estimated £750 million. RRIJV has completed the initial project design and Kier Infrastructure and Overseas will undertake the civil work. Following completion of the civil construction, RRIJV will be onsite by early Summer 2014 and completion of the whole project is programmed for Summer 2015.
Thames Water on TV In March BBC film crews visited the Beckton STW, our Tamesis joint-venture project at the largest sewage treatment facility in Europe. Once complete, the site will be able to treat 60% more sewage than it currently does. The BBC was filming for the science programme ‘Bang Goes the Theory’. Two small crews attended: one in the Lee Tunnel, the other in the sewage treatment process. Also in March, the site was visited by Stephen Timms, MP for East Ham.
Anglian progress Anglian’s Water Programme progress Construction, installation and commissioning is now complete at Elsham, and the works has been fully handed back over to the client. Congratulations to all the team members involved in a very successful project. While at Hall WTW, the scheme is fully underway, with many of the main civil elements complete. The design team is located on site and the mechanical and electrical Beckton STW
Feature article Waste Not, Want Not - Five Steps to Sustainability Imtech Water, Waste and Energy is looking at new ways to use waste efficiently and economically to create fuel, rather than simply dumping or incinerating it. At present, society is using finite products as its raw materials for the production and supply of energy. By exploring energy-generating alternatives, Imtech is ensuring that it is at the hub of new technologies and developments. Imtech has teamed up with the Kahlenberg Waste Treatment Association (Zweckverband Abfallbehandlung Kahlenberg, or ZAK), which since 2006 has developed a way of using waste as a raw material in itself. The process is already a success in Germany at the ZAK facility at Ringsheim. This innovative, green process is called MYT, or Maximum Yield Technology, and consists of five stages which convert raw, unsorted municipal solid waste (MSW) into a high-quality Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF). In stage one, the raw waste is delivered to the processing facility in trucks and unloaded by diggers onto two
The 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
five stages are: Waste Intake Mechanical Processing Biological Stage (anaerobic digestion) Biological Drying Mechanical Material Separation
conveyor belts, with any large impurities removed from the load. The next stage sees the automated separation of the waste according to material type and size. These separation systems are based on many years of ZAK research and development, and divide the material into fuels, minerals, metals and a small amount of non-recyclable waste.
Damp Reactor Hall
The third part of the process, the Biological Stage, is the Defined Aerobic Mixing Process (DAMP). The waste is reduced in size, homogenised and mixed. Processed water is then circulated into the mix, resulting in a uniform consistency. Presses are used to separate the water residue from the solids. Here the process diverges, with the solids proceeding to stage four, Biological Drying. Meanwhile, the organic-rich water residue is mechanically and physically processed to separate any course or fibrous materials. Micro organisms living in biogas fermenters create biogas from organic compounds, which is subsequently used to create electricity and heating. In this process, more electrical energy and heat is produced every year than is required by the entire biological facility. At the end of the water treatment process, the resultant liquid is either clean water, water that can be used for agricultural irrigation or nutrient-rich water that can act as liquid fertilisers, as permitted by local regulations. At the Biological Drying stage, solids are dried out using energy from the waste, in tightly-sealed concrete tunnels. Air flows through the waste, feeding micro organisms in the waste with nourishing oxygen. The micro organisms produce biogas, clean the air and water and also feed on the material’s organic components to produce the heat energy needed for drying. After this brief treatment period, the material is finally available in a form, which can then be broken down and divided into its constituent elements. In step five, the fully-automated Mechanical Material Separation, screening, sifting and sorting systems decompose the dry material into various sub-factions. Energy-rich, combustible materials and minerals, are transported through special conveying systems to the loading stations, where they are ready to be dispatched. Thus economically usable raw materials and high-quality energy material have been attained from waste material. MYT produces 38% water and 38% fuels, 10% mineral substances, 5% biogas and 2% metals from the waste delivered to the ZAK plant in Ringsheim. The waste material makes >95% energy and raw materials and <5% waste, which can easily be disposed of. In industrial processes, the RDF can be utilised in place of fossil fuels, such as coal or crude oil. A thermal power station near the ZAK facility which co-incinerates RDFs and coal, saves 25% of the volume of coal required to operate – some 20,000 tonnes. This results in the conservation of precious resources, a reduction in CO² emissions and the prevention of climate change – since the RDFs are largely CO² neutral, thanks to their high levels of biogenic carbon. The waste material is being sourced locally, from households in the vicinity – the sourcing channels are much shorter than say, bringing gas from Russia, or coal from Columbia or South Africa, and represent a greener alternative all round. This means RDFs are less expensive, can be produced throughout the year and can be stored for three years, so that at peak times in winter, the back-stored fuel can be deployed when it is most needed. When it comes to energy, the future may be rubbish...
People News Making appointments The business is always looking for high quality people to join the team and over the last six months there has been many new appointments across the business. Here, we just want to highlight a few of them.
Let’s get technical We are pleased to report that Martin Luff has been appointed business technical manager. Martin will be supporting the technical director and provide process engineering leadership. The role will be focused on supplementing current technical innovation, governance and organisation for projects and proposals across Imtech. Martin has over 20 years’ experience working with multi-disciplinary engineering teams. He will be working on developing and supplementing existing technical skills amongst the Imtech team. Martin commented: “I am really looking forward to building on the already established reputation Imtech has in the industry. A key challenge for me is how we maintain the technical quality on Imtech’s projects, as the organisation continues to grow into new business areas.”
The new business development team In such a busy year, Imtech Waste, Water and Energy has recognised the need to grow its business development team. Duncan Wildgoose, business development manager, has been joined by Duncan Atkins, business development director, Kevin Clarke, business development manager – Waste and Energy – and Clare Lambert, business development assistant.
myfuturemychoice
Learning and Development….the way ahead
The Industry and Imtech
Professional / Technical / Commercial
Personal Effectiveness HSQ / Sustainability
We are consolidating and developing the strength and core capabilities of our team. We’ve identified the elements that we believe are key to a rounded Imtech employee and have organised these under the five headings you see within the head above. This people development strategy, known as ‘Myfuturemychoice’, will enable us to deliver all our training and development opportunities going forward. We hope that in focusing on each of the areas identified, we will be providing improved staff training, which will ultimately deliver improved customer service.
Congratulations Congratulations to Emma Passe from our St. David’s office, whose hard work has paid off. She has become a Chartered Engineer with the IMeCHE.
Clare Lambert, Duncan Atkins, Kevin Clarke and Duncan Wildgoose
Leadership and Management
People News Charity update All of Imtech’s regional offices support as many charities as possible, both locally and nationally. We recognise that it’s important for us, as a large, high-profile company, to use our resources to help charitable organisations, by raising money for good causes. Throughout the year, we engage in lots of entertaining fundraising activities, with many of our employees also independently raising large donations via sponsorship. These include walks, strolls or hikes, up hill and down dale, or running marathons and other energetic outdoor pursuits. Further funds are raised with such in-office activities as cake sales, charity sweet boxes, or special days when our staff ‘dress up’ or ‘dress down’. Two recent mammoth fundraising events undertaken by staff was Ailsa Tyson’s Peruvian hike, where she raised almost £4000 for Macmillan Cancer Support. And Dominik Krolik and Adrian Jaques took part in Oxfam’s Trailtrekker Challenge, a 100km trek across the Yorkshire Dales National Park.
Through both the Summer Ball and working with our clients, we are also proud to be an on-going supporter of WaterAid, the international charity which works in 27 countries worldwide and transforms millions of peoples’ lives every year, with safe water, hygiene and sanitation projects.
DIARY DATES 2013 3 - 4 July Anarobic Digestion and Biomass Association (ADBA) annual trade show, NEC, Birmingham 11 July
Construction News Awards at the Grosvenor Hotel, Park Lane, London
10 -11 September
Resource Efficiency and Waste Management Solutions (RWM) industry exhibition and conference, NEC, Birmingham
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