Manufacturing and Engineering Magazine Issue 419

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ISSUE 419

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MANUFACTURING AND ENGINEERING MAGAZINE

M M MANUFACTURING AND ENGINEERING MAGAZINE

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BEST OF BRITISH uk manufacturing at its best International Powered Access Federation Promoting the safe and effective use of powered access equipment

im kelly rail Supporting the rail industry into the future ISSUE 419

CENTRAL SCANNING: 3D REVOLUTION

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Comment editor’s

ISSUE 419

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rize P r e h t o n A s d d A Bentley To The Trophy Cabinet When thinking of British manufacturing there are a few companies that stand out. Bentley Motors is one of them. The Crewe-based luxury carmaker, which is now a wholly owned subsidiary of German company Volkswagen but continues to design and manufacture from its base in England, has again won plaudits for its continued excellence in the sector.

The latest accolade added to the trophy cabinet is the UK Industrial Excellence Award. Judges visited Bentley’s headquarters in Crewe, noting the carmaker’s efficiencies of production alongside traditional, labour intensive craftsmanship. The site was viewed by a panel of experts made up of personnel from Europe’s leading academic institutions including the University of Cambridge Business School, INSEAD and the Otto Beisheim School of Management.

During the assessment, the judges also praised the success of the organisation in creating a customer focussed environment, implementing a continuous improvement policy and the result of those endeavours in revenue growth, profit and productivity. You might argue it’s the result of strong financial backing but these are lessons everyone can learn from.

The Industrial Excellence Award competition is notable for benchmarking European competitiveness in the industrial and service sector. Focus continues to steer towards strategy development, management quality, strategy formulation, supply chain management, service management, new products and services and process technology development.

Michael Straughan, Bentley’s Member of the Board for Manufacturing, said the award was for the workforce. They have “all worked so hard over recent years to ensure Bentley remains at the forefront of UK manufacturing.”

The award comes “at a key time for us, as we expand our model line-up with the introduction of the Bentley Bentayga. This is a new challenge for us but one we will deliver with the same level of commitment, passion and engineering and manufacturing expertise that goes into every Bentley.”

It has been a particularly good period for the manufacturer despite the economic downturn of recent years. It enjoyed a record 2014 with more cars delivered than ever before. Further investment to the tune of £840m will be made, seeing the company’s headquarters’ footprint expanded alongside the development of new models. Bentley has also created over 1,000 jobs in the past two years, including its highest apprentice intake in 25 years.

This most recent award means Bentley now competes with other European nations for the European Industrial Excellence Award Champion. The winner will be announced in September.

Daniel Stephens Group Editor

Magazine Manager Daniel Beardsley Feature Managers Tom Waite Elliott Jenkinson Kyle Joyce Bradley Drake Group Editor Daniel Stephens Editor Ciaran Jarosz Contributors Jeff Senior Amy Marsden Alice Rose Batley Art Editor Stacey Brewer Designers Carla Taylor Sam Dickinson Production Vicki Lindsay Lisa Pollinger Accounts Nick Charalambous Manufacturing and Engineering Magazine is published by: Trafalgar Publishing Ltd, 1st Floor Turnbridge Mills, Quay Street, Huddersfield West Yorkshire HD1 6QT Tel: 01484 437314

Manufacturing and Engineering magazine is published by Trafalgar Publishing Ltd. Company registered in England & Wales. All material is the copyright of Trafalgar Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved. Manufacturing and Engineering magazine is the property of Trafalgar Publishing Ltd. This publication may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form whole or part without the written permission of a director of Trafalgar Publishing Ltd. Liability: while every care is taken in the preparation of this magazine, the publishers cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of information herein, or any consequence arising from it. In the case of company or product reviews or comments, these have been based upon the true and honest opinion of the Editor at the time of going to press.

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Contents ISSUE 419

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SECTIONS

6 MANUFACTURING AND ENGINEERING 10 BEST OF BRITISH 38 RAIL 46 CIVIL ENGINEERING 72 ACADEMIA ASSOCIATIONS 6 SHARING IN GROWTH Evolve, improve, develop, step up.

10 BEST OF BRITISH Manufacturing at its best

46 IPAF Safe and effective powered access

50 SCCS Best in steel celebrated

62 SCI

10 BEST OF BRITISH

Trusted expertise

66 CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT ASSOCIATION Equipped to matter

REGULARS 4 UPDATE

The latest news from the industry.

76 THE LAST WORD The future of prostheses

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32 STAL CUMBRIA CRY

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FEATURES 12 BROMPTON

A signature stamp of excellence

16 HALCYON DRIVES Committed to success

18 CONTINENTAL HOLIDAY HOMES Bespoke luxury homes

20 ASSEMBLY SOLUTIONS Wiring for the industry

20 ASSEMBLY SOLUTIONS

24 NORMAC OILS Lubricant, grease and chemical specialists

26 CENTRAL SCANNING 3D revolution

32 CUMBRIA CRYSTAL Artisanal, hand-blown, hand-cut British crystal

34 EVEREST HOME IMPROVEMENTS A passion for solutions

36 HUNTER SELECTION Specialist knowledge that powers industry

38 RAILTEX 2015 2015 show a huge success

26 CENTRAL SCANNING

36 HUNTER SELECTION

40 IM KELLY

Supporting the rail industry into the future

44 HITACHI

On track with the latest technology

12 BROMPTON

52 ICARUS LIGHT STEEL FRAMING Setting the trend in the design, manufacture and installation of light steel framing

56 LEONARD COOPER Engineering expertise

64 STRUCTURAL METAL DECKS Industry pioneer

68 RED RHINO CRUSHERS Worldwide presence in the crushing sector

72 INNOVATION IN EDUCATION A look at the manufacturing and engineering innovation coming out of the UK’s top colleges and universities

74 UNIVERSITY OF WESTMINSTER Cutting edge research

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update ENGINEERS CALL FOR INTEGRATED HEATHROW SOLUTION Future decisions about the expansion of Heathrow airport must take into account the need for better local transport infrastructure and provide a framework for the introduction of unmanned aircraft flight, engineering institutions have said.

Both the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) and the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) support the construction of a third runway at Heathrow, but have urged the government to ensure that the expansion comes as part of a wider integrated transport policy that considers other issues.

Philippa Oldham, head of transport and manufacturing at IMechE, said the Airports Commission's report backing the expansion of Heathrow airport offered welcome guidance for government on how to deal with the flight capacity crunch in South East England. But she said that the third runway would

only meet airport capacity demand in the short to mediumterm. “In order to future-proof the country’s transport infrastructure and further boost the economy government should consider the possibility of adding an extra runway at Gatwick in addition to the expansion of Heathrow.”

Also, she added: “The report does not offer a rounded view of what the Heathrow expansion will do to the transport network. In order to reap the full benefits we need to significantly boost rail access to help meet the demands of greater passenger numbers and to accommodate an increase need for freight distribution access via the airport.”

Meanwhile, the IET warned that any airport expansion must consider the use of unmanned aircraft. The introduction of autonomous flight could drive a significant increase in aircraft movements and change passenger travel and transport of goods by air, it said.

MANUFACTURERS EXPERIENCE WEAK GROWTH Britain's manufacturing sector grew at its slowest pace in more than two years in June, impacted by subdued demand from Europe.

The CIPS/Markit purchasing managers' index (PMI) survey showed the sector posted a lower-than-expected reading of 51.4 – where 50 separates growth from contraction.

This is the weakest growth reading since April 2013 and compares with last month's revised figure of 52. Economists had expected a reading of 52.3.

The data topped off a poor second quarter for the factory sector, which was the weakest three months for output growth since the first quarter of 2013 due to fewer new orders.

The report said manufacturing growth in the second quarter was kept moving by consumer goods production, which expanded "at a solid clip".

However, experts said the disappointing performance from the manufacturing sector

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deals a blow to hopes for a marked pick-up in second quarter growth.

Rob Dobson, senior economist at Markit, said: "The UK manufacturing sector had a disappointing second quarter overall.

"Export trade is also likely to remain a drag on the economy, given the uncertainty surrounding the Greek debt crisis."

KPMG’s UK head of industrial manufacturing, Stephen Cooper, added: “This slowdown in UK manufacturing growth is disappointing, considering the recent steady improvements in previous months of this year.

The strengthening of the pound relative to the euro, while good for summer holiday travellers, will not be good for UK manufacturers as it makes UK manufactured goods more expensive for those who import them. As 40% of UK exports are still exported to the eurozone, any disturbance downwards in that market will impact negatively on UK

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manufacturing.

“Interestingly the eurozone has shown positive results in the past month where growth was registered in all countries except Greece. This may change in next month’s eurozone PMI if the uncertainty in the eurozone with the current unresolved Greek debt issue continues.

Cooper said: “The largest global manufacturing countries of China and the USA have also shown a continued contraction in manufacturing over recent months due to weaker export demand for both countries goods. This, combined with the eurozone issue, does not give a good signal for the coming months for global manufacturing, and UK manufactures will be watching events closely.”

The report added selling prices among manufacturers had fallen in five of the past six months, adding that the strong pound also impacted eurozone exports.

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update 3D PRINTING TO IMPROVE OPTICAL FIBRE PROPERTIES Researchers want to use 3D printing to produce optical fibres in the hope that the additive manufacturing technique leads to improvement in the fibres' structure and enables new applications.

The project of University of Southampton researchers is the first of its kind as 3D printing has never before been used in manufacturing of optical fibres.

Existing manufacturing techniques give a consistent structure of the fibre along its length, but only provide limited control over its shape and composition in three dimensions.

The researchers believe that by controlling the structure throughout, they could improve the fibres' performance.

“We will design, fabricate and employ novel Multiple Materials Additive Manufacturing (MMAM) equipment to enable us to make optical fibre preforms (both in conventional and microstructured fibre geometries) in silica and other host glass materials,” said Professor

Jayanta Sahu, who leads the project.

“Our proposed process can be utilised to produce complex preforms, which are otherwise too difficult, too timeconsuming or currently impossible to be achieved by existing fabrication techniques.”

The first step in making an optical fibre is producing a so called preform – a piece of glass from which the fibre is drawn. 3D printing, the researchers believe, would provide a much better control over the characteristics of such preforms.

Some types of fibres, including emerging photonic bandgap fibres, have a very intricate internal structure with the smallest faults affecting the fibre’s performance.

Such fibres are usually created by stacking several smaller glass capillaries or canes together by hand to form the preform.

They will also have to exercise extreme precision to control the waveguide geometry of the fibres and achieve the smoothest possible transition between individual layers.

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MANUFACTURING & ENGINEERING SHARING IN GROWTH

EVOLVE IMPROVE DEVELOP STEP UP

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MANUFACTURING & ENGINEERING SHARING IN GROWTH

sharing in growth is determined to maintain the uk’s position in the global aerospace industry, building on the british capability of the manufacture and development of high value modern aircraft

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To retain the UK’s position in the global aerospace market – second only to the USA – the industry must evolve, improve, develop and step up to the challenges the international market faces. British capability in the manufacture of some of the most sophisticated and high value parts of modern aircraft has created a high-tech and high-skill industry of 3,000 companies and 230,000 employees in the UK that creates massive economic benefits in the country.

Determined to maintain that position, the UK government formed Sharing in Growth (SiG) in 2012. The organisation was created through a £50m Regional Growth Fund grant which, with a recent conditional grant for a further £30m and in kind contributions from the benefiting companies, amounts to a £250m programme aiming to secure 10,000 jobs over its life and help drive competitive performance.

“With the money, expertise and time at our disposal, we’re doing something on a scale the UK government hasn’t attempted before.

We’re trying to create something that is commensurate with the challenges companies are facing so it’s been designed to have a scale and an impact,” says CEO Andy Page.

“We believe high value manufacturing has a place in developed countries like the UK and want to develop it for this generation and the next. We want to make it more recognised and highly valued, with the secondary benefits of drawing people through education, providing them with challenging and stimulating jobs, with long-term security and a route for innovation and technology.”

The UK aerospace sector is the European leader with growth expected to double in size over the next 10 years with a forecast for 27,000 new passenger aircraft in addition to 40,000 commercial helicopters by 2030.

To capitalise on this growth opportunity, suppliers need to constantly invest in their ability to deliver competitive performance. SiG has already proven its effectiveness, having delivered over 275,000 training hours. With tranche two funding imminent, SiG has capacity for a total of 64 beneficiaries, of which 35 are con-

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MANUFACTURING & ENGINEERING SHARING IN GROWTH tracted and a further 12 successful applications are expected as a result of a successful briefing at Williams F1 in May. The lead 15 companies have already secured £250m of total contract value through improved competitiveness.

SiG is headed by experienced management with backgrounds in aerospace and manufacturing. They work closely with partners that provide business and strategic planning support, inspection and advanced manufacturing research capabilities, and tailored training that is very specific to the circumstances, challenges and ambitions of programme members.

Indeed, the company has attracted a board of highly respected Directors representing UK high value manufacturing. Rolls-Royce, as a sponsor and delivery expert, will provide some of the leaders and experts who can draw on their company’s knowledge and experience of substantial change over many years. These will be supplemented by professionals drawn from the delivery experts that have successfully bid to join the programme.

Andy describes which companies will benefit most from SiG. “They must be high value, UK manufacturing companies that contribute to aerospace, wish to export, have probably gone through the first generation of growth and are looking to build on that and move to mid-cap size. Typically, companies are over £8-10m turnover but not above £100m, don’t

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need to be SMEs and their ownership structure can be anything. But they have to be ambitious, curious, open and willing to learn, change and develop.”

Each company receives £1m worth of funded training and development over a fouryear programme that starts with a period of due diligence around the nature of the company and includes talking to its customers in order to determine what it needs to do. “We then go through a very deep, whole business diagnostic, which takes three to four months,” explains Andy.

“It looks at their maturity levels across all key elements of their business covering their board structure, leadership, governance, purchasing principles, manufacturing principles, cost modelling, pricing, production and all the important things in the industry. We come out of that process with an improvement plan that happens over the next two years. Then there is a further eighteen months of sustaining this activity where we check and review to make sure we’ve left them with the knowledge to continue on their own. Overall, each company goes through a four-year programme.”

Initial successes have been widespread and wide-reaching. Helen Anderson, Head of Business Improvement at TMD Technologies Ltd (TMD) said SiG had helped it identify ten improvement charters, six of which have

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MANUFACTURING & ENGINEERING SHARING IN GROWTH already been prioritised for immediate attention. This includes employee development, value improvement, production and capacity planning, new product introduction and supply chain.

TMD began its association with SiG in September 2014 and in February 2015 was awarded £1.2m for the second implementation phase. TMD is a world class designer and manufacturer of specialised microwave and RF equipment for radar, EW, communications, EMC testing, scientific and medical applications. More than 70% of its products are exported.

“Although it’s still early days in our SiG journey, it is apparent that we are already changing and improving,” added Helen. “We enjoy having the SiG consultants around. TMD staff have become used to their presence, and are quickly learning to balance the commitment to SiG activities with the operational needs of the business.” Visual Management Boards are displayed in the factory area, recording the live progress for all Charters.

David Pike, Operations Director, TMD comments “When our customers come to visit TMD to discuss new projects they often take part in a factory tour. Recently, several have commented on the improved engagement of staff in the manufacturing areas – and the vibrant and enthusiastic atmosphere. This, together with a £1.5m investment in state-ofthe art capital equipment has greatly increased customer confidence in our ability to deliver their product development solutions effectively, and on time.”

Dave Brown, Managing Director, TMD comments: “We are confident that the improvement charters we are working on with SiG will, by 2018 drive growth in turnover of over 60%, the majority of this being for new products and customers. These improvements, achieved through SiG, will reinforce our reputation as the ‘Preferred Partner’ for innovative and reliable RF and HV power solutions. Already, since the start of our SiG programme in September 2014, 25% of our contract wins have been for new products or new customers.”

While SiG is still in its early stages, there’s further potential in the initiative. Andy concludes: “The first priority is to try and do more until we maximise the benefit in the UK for aerospace. The combined effect of having time and the resources to do something means we’ve designed this very specifically to be commensurate with the challenges in aerospace in order to achieve the objective of globally competitive performance.”

testimonials from sharing in growth beneficiaries “Although it’s still early days in our SiG journey, it is apparent that we are already changing and improving. Of the ten improvement charters identified, we have prioritised six for immediate attention; Employee Development, Value Improvement, Right First Time, Production & Capacity Planning, Engineering/New Product Introduction Process and Supply Chain.”

Helen Anderson Head of Business Improvement TMD Technologies Ltd “Since the start of our SiG programme in September 2014, 25% of our contract wins have been for new products or new customers.

We are confident that the improvement charters we are working on with SiG will, by 2018 drive growth in turnover of over 60%, the majority of this being for new products and customers. These improvements, achieved through SiG, will reinforce our reputation as the ‘Preferred Partner’ for innovative and reliable RF and HV power solutions”.

Dave Brown Managing Director TMD Technologies Ltd

"In a highly competitive and challenging global market, SIG is the single most ambitious UK initiative to face that challenge alongside our advanced manufacturing supply chain companies. The work being done to support Castle Precision's journey towards product leadership in its core business fields will ultimately lead to the internalisation and growth we are aiming to achieve. It is this type of concerted joint effort that will in Castle and across the country, secure jobs and opportunities for the next generation in high value manufacturing."

Yan L Tiefenbrun Managing Director Castle Precision Engineering

“We’re excited to be on the Sharing in Growth programme. It has enabled our global customers to award new work to Accrofab, creating jobs at our Derby factory, based on our performance improvements.”

Nick Willers Commercial Director Accrofab Ltd

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BEST OF BRITISH

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BEST OF BRITISH

MANUFACTURING AT ITS

. t s e B4 Despite the renown dip in manufacturing since the 1970s, where UK manufacturing contributed approximately 25% of GDP, the UK still ranks second globally in the aerospace arena and has seen great prosperity in the automotive and pharmaceutical industries. Manufacturing has always been something that the UK excels at, and this isn't likely to change any time soon.

With manufacturing currently account for only a tenth of the British economy, one might think it a bleak picture for the UK manufacturing sector, however reports suggest that British factories are in fact in the midst of a resurgence. In a recent survey it was shown that the balance of manufacturers reporting a rise in domestic sales rose during the second quarter of the year to the highest degree since records actually began in 1989, showing great signs for the future of the industry.

It is not, however simply an increase in the number of sales, but an overall change in the economic landscape for the UK manufacturing sector whereupon new markets and new arenas have been located by ingenious manufacturing companies. China, Russia and India have increasingly become more important in the UK exports market, with a great deal of work brought back home from some of the world's most prominent industrial emerging market powers such as China – something that has greatly assisted in supporting the market.

So why is there a sudden surge in the mar-

ket? Sources suggest that it is the British reputation for productivity, efficiency and quality which has been opening up new opportunities in the market for reputable manufacturers such as for Future Advanced Manufacture, one of the companies spearheading Britain's manufacturing revival. Craig Peterson, Managing Director of Future AM commented: "We're getting enquiries all the time. Even though we're a little bit more expensive, with the cost of shipping (from China), lead time problems and the quality issues, we're seeing a lot work coming back now.”

Toughened by the difficult economic times of late, manufacturers have now begun to claw back lost output and succeed once more. In addition, exports have also improved marginally for the sector and signs of this picking up even further have been recognised, with British manufacturing export order growth outpacing the world average for the 15th month on a row – an unmatched record since global records officially began in 1998.

For the automotive industry, there are a number of “Made in Britain” household names which are all equally known for incredible quality, durability and reliability, including: MINI, Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Lotus, Aston Martin, Bentley, Rolls Royce, Jaguar, Land Rover, MG and Vauxhall. Although many of these brands are indeed foreign-owned, there is a reason they are manufactured within the UK, one of the most reputable countries in the world for its solid design, production and quality assessment procedures.

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BEST OF BRITISH BROMPTON

A SIGNATURE STAMP OF EXCELLENCE

The Brompton bike is without a doubt the ideal mode of transport for inner city travel and exploration.

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The Brompton Bike is a revolutionary invention that is hugely popular in many cities around the world. This unique compact bike is the perfect addition to any city-goers life. The innovative design means the bike folds down to a third of its size and is easy to transport on trains, buses and even fits neatly in a car boot.

The Brompton was designed and built in London by Andrew Richie, who attended Cambridge University and studied engineering.

After 13 years of trying to get the bike off the ground with false starts and other hindrances, he finally pioneered the design of the Brompton, and with some help from an earlier customer managed to get the business going.

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Full production of the bike started in 1988.

Will Butler-Adams, CEO of Brompton Bicycle Ltd, said: “Like all great designs our concept hasn’t changed but the features of the bike and the technology being used is constantly changing. More of us are moving to city centres, it doesn’t matter whether you are in the US or Japan, there are constant net migrations to the cities. Often in city centres life can become repetitive or bland and people can forget that the solution to making the inner city work, is to bring back the bicycle. There used to be nine million bikes in Beijing but there aren’t any more.”

The Brompton is brimming with practicality and efficiency, so if you're looking for a quick, easy and economical way to get around, then this

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is definitely the bike for you. Will explained: “It's a very practical bike because you could ride it to and from work, or if you're working a late night you can just fold it up and take it home on the tube if it gets too late to bike home. It’s very flexible and you can take it pretty much anywhere.”

Even though the Brompton is predominantly used by people living in the inner cities, Will knows the bike has the potential to make it big in other settings too. He commented: “The bike has the potential to be big outside of a city environment, you could take a train with your bike out of the city and go on a lovely bike ride, then hop back on the train home with your bike in hand. We have customers that take our bike on holiday abroad with them. They are very easy to

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BEST OF BRITISH BROMPTON

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BEST OF BRITISH BROMPTON

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BEST OF BRITISH BROMPTON stress into the metal so you have a lighter and stronger bike. Each brazing engineer will leave their initials on each bike that they work on, we like our operatives to be proud of their work and when they can leave their mark on it, it makes them and us proud.”

The company has high hopes for the future as it aims to transform the way we live in the city. Will enthused: “In the long term we want to change the way people live, cities are predominately dominated by the auto mobile and we want to change that. We shouldn't be shuffling around the streets and cramming onto the tube, we should be rejoicing in freedom, using bikes to get around and enjoying ourselves.”

The Brompton is without a doubt the ideal mode of transport for inner city travel and exploration. The unique design and capabilities of the bike make it stand out from the rest and the practicality is second to none. Its authentic look and wide range of colours makes this bike totally customisable. You can make your own Brompton dream become reality. www.brompton.co.uk take on a plane because they are so versatile.

“We try and minimise any compromise we have to make with the bike as it does have its limitations as it is obviously not designed for mountain biking or off-roading, but it is a great way to get around cities and go exploring.”

Since joining the company in 2002, Will has seen a colossal growth in the number of Brompton's being manufactured. “When I joined the company we were making around 4,000 bikes and we now make about 50,000 bikes. Cities where we have really had an impact are places such as London, Barcelona, New York and Brussels. You cannot go to a major city and not see a Brompton, they are globally used.”

As it has already branched out into other countries, the possibilities for the Brompton are exponential. This little bike has taken the world by storm and looks to change the future of how we get around.

The company's dedication to the work it does can be found in the constant developments and tests done to improve the bike and the effort and care that goes into every stage of production. An especially hard part of the process is a technique the company uses called “Brazing”. This challenging process is administered to every bike in order to make it high quality and as lightweight as possible.

Will explained: “The brazing technique that we use is incredibly difficult, we take the metal up to almost melting point but not as high as you would if you were welding, this puts less

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BEST OF BRITISH HALCYON DRIVES

COMMITTED TO SUCCESS Halcyon is a northern-based UK leader in engineered control solutions for British Industry.

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Halcyon Drives was set up 25 years ago by directors Chris Wainman and Gary Thorpe. Originally manufacturing control systems, a partnership was formed with ABB to distribute its Variable Speed Drives, with the added value of specialist support and the ability to service, commission and install variable speed drives with the company's experienced engineers. It was from this point forward that Halcyon would become a specialist in electrical engineering control in the UK. With continued growth and development the company has become very well established, achieving a turnover of £6m.

“Halcyon Drives were a founding member of the UK authorised value provider network for drives and motors; thirteen years earlier they were a founder member of the Drives Alliance and Motor Service Partner networks, for ten years before that they were an integral part of the

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ABB distributor network. A successful partnership spanning more than 20 years, delivering high quality products, services and solutions to our clients,” said Peter Myatt from ABB. The company's focus has and will always be on quality products such as ABB Drives, ABB Motors, Rockwell Automation – Guardmaster, Riello UPS and PULS Power Supplies. Halcyon only has a small portfolio of brands in order to maintain strong partnerships, the trust it has with key suppliers enables the company to maintain its specialist knowledge, allowing it to consistently grow the customer base.

“From our experience of working in this market sector, Halcyon Drives strive for excellence at every stage. Their ‘can do’ mentality paired with a drive to exceed customer expectations puts any customer of theirs in good hands.” Said Chris Cutler, Riello UPS With the ever-changing needs of customers and the legislation that surrounds new products,

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BEST OF BRITISH HALCYON DRIVES it is imperative for organisations such as Halcyon to know how to help or find a solution for such a customer. “Our expertise means that we are able to provide solutions to clients on all of our product range but with ABB Drives we can train clients in order to maintain their own drives, however should a customer need our support urgently and at 2am in the morning we also offer service contracts as peace of mind,” added Darren Beeby, Sales Manager.

Halcyon regularly holds seminars hosted in a purpose built training suite with guest speakers to deliver information for free to help customers keep up to date with legislations and problem solving, relevant to their organisation.

“Control panels and systems account for a third of our business, drawings are produced with AutoCAD, we develop and manufacture panels closely with the client according to requirements.

Our facilities are such that we can build anything from a simple operator console to motor control centres complying to EN60439-1 Form 1,2,3 & 4,” said Darren.

Halcyon has gone from strength to strength, advising customers on operational solutions, safety and energy saving achievements. With the introduction by ABB of new innovative, even more efficient variable speed drives and motors, Halcyon is able to offer more energy savings, allowing its customers to meet and exceed new legislation. In addition, Rockwell Automation has introduced new safety products to meet the PL/Sil ratings in the new safety standards.

As Halcyon's business can focus on such a variety of industries, no two weeks are the same. It is essential that all employees are well looked after and are trained to assure their safety, which is something the company does very well. “Our staff and the local communities are important to us,” explains Darren. With additional support from a Health and Safety Officer, the company also receives further advice, training and support so that it can keep all employees safe.

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BEST OF BRITISH CONTINENTAL HOLIDAY HOMES

BESPOKE HOMES Continental Holiday Homes Limited are a bespoke manufacturer of luxury static caravans and mobile homes.

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Established in 2013, Continental Holiday Homes was founded with the view to satisfying industry and consumer demands for rental caravans.

Since then, the company has expanded considerably and is able to provide a combination of high quality and low cost caravan homes to bespoke designs, themes and specification. Nigel Long, General Manager of Continental Holiday Homes explained: “We're aiming to offer a more bespoke service which will help us reach a niche market for individuals who would like a static caravan to a certain specification of their own design.”

Having trebled its workforce in the last year, Continental Holiday Homes' expansion is due to the growing demands for its service and, along with new facilities to accompany the expansion, allows the company to offer an increasingly comprehensive service to more and more industry clients. But why is there such a demand for the company's services?

Through providing intricate, tailor-made caravan products, the company has effectively earned a reputation for reliability,

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flexibility and quality which has resulted in waves of new customers simply from word of mouth and testimonial – arguably the best way to expand upon a company's customer base.

In trying to best please the customer, Continental Holiday Homes effectively designs each and every caravan around the customer instead of a traditional cookie-cutter approach. By doing this, each and every product is tailor-made to suit the customer, serving their exact needs and requirements. This effectively allows Continental Holiday Homes to offer a product which is not only unique, but can offer capabilities beyond all competitors and is specific to the customer at hand.

As a member of the National Caravan Council, Continental Holiday Homes both must, and is also keen to display best practice standards across the board, including not only areas such as product quality but also for health and safety, sustainability and general corporate social responsibility. Nigel detailed:“We continue to innovate wherever possible in the design of the vans, such as for energy efficiency, insulation, electrical systems and looking at areas such as through things

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BEST OF BRITISH CONTINENTAL HOLIDAY HOMES like double glazing.” By taking this role in corporate social responsibility very seriously, Continental Holiday Homes is very keen to operate ethically and for the betterment of wider industry – something best taken seriously during the early stages of a company's growth. “We are a relatively small company but we're growing very fast and we do want to be seen as a leader in all areas of things,” added Nigel.

As the company has grown, Continental Holiday Homes is looking at more and more arena to distribute its project, such as through parks, private clients and the exports market. Of course, with the increase in company capabilities, the future looks bright for the company as it opens up new horizons and sources of work. No doubt, in time the name Continental Holiday Homes will be the first, foremost name that comes to mind when thinking of rental caravan solutions.

www.continentalholidayhomes.co.uk

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Assembly Solutions.qxp_feature 2 16/07/2015 09:55 Page 20

BEST OF BRITISH ASSEMBLY SOLUTIONS LIMITED

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BEST OF BRITISH ASSEMBLY SOLUTIONS LIMITED

WIRING FOR THE INDUSTRY

assembly solutions limited is a multi award winning sub-contract manufacturing company specialising in electrical wiring assemblies and control & instrumentation panels.

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Assembly Solutions Limited is a family run business that strives to extend its family values to everyone it comes into contact with. The company works hard to deliver a constant stream of high quality products including cable assemblies, wiring looms and control panels. The company provides efficient and trustworthy services to the industry all year round, never failing to disappoint its valued customers.

Gareth Balshaw, Sales Director, said: “The company was set up in 1995, we have grown over the years from making small electronic cable assemblies to large 20ft wiring looms for commercial vehicles. Over the years we have also gained the experience and accreditation to manufacture control panels for the nuclear sector. We also produce panels and box build for the automotive and utility sector. We pride

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BEST OF BRITISH ASSEMBLY SOLUTIONS

ourselves on a quick turnaround time and reliability throughout the industry.”

Now 20 years on, the company has built up a trustworthy and reliable relationship within the sector by continuously delivering high quality products to its clients. The company has been very successful in recent months and has taken on some large contracts. Gareth explained: “We have recently won a three year framework contract for heavy duty wiring looms and high voltage cable assemblies. This gives future stability and will create new jobs.”

Be it a sub-contractor or a supplier, Assembly Solutions aims to create relationships at every stage of the process. Gareth said: “We ask our customers to treat ASL as a division of their business as this way of thinking helps us build strong partnerships. As a previous Purchasing Manager I also understand the importance of a good supply chain as we rely on good communication and quick turnaround.

“We take on many projects of various sizes including contracts for industries such as Nuclear, Security, Automotive and Rail so we have a wide range of contracts stretching over various sectors.”

Assembly Solutions are members of a number of organisations including the NAA (Northwest Automotive Alliance), an association which supports companies with training, funding and general strategic advice: “We have worked with the NAA for many years now and as such been in contact with key players in the Automotive Industry. The Northwest produces over £9bn of vehicles per year. We feel it is therefore very important keeping up to date with OEM’s to find out first hand on the changes to upcoming vehicles. We are particularly interested in the new development of electric vehicles and are currently involved in the manufacture of wiring looms for electric

“Be it a sub-contractor or a supplier, Assembly Solutions aims to create relationships at every stage of the process”

buses,” detailed Gareth.

Assembly Solutions take Health and Safety very seriously and keep up-to-date with all recent legislation. Gareth explained: “We are working towards OHSAS 18001 which is a H&S standard recognised all over the world. We hope to have OHSAS 18001 and ISO14001 implemented by 2016. Team training days are also carried out. Training programmes range from 5S awareness, Lean Manufacturing and specific soldering and crimping standards. We recently had 14 members of staff successfully completing the IPC-A-620 certification. This again is a recognised certification demonstrating the Requirements and Acceptance for Cable and Wire Harness Assemblies.”

In recent times, the company won the North West Manufacturing Business of the Year Award last month, which has proven its dedication to the industry and to its customers. The judges were very impressed when ASL demonstrated their high class facility, purpose built for wiring harness, wiring loom, cable assembly and control panel manufacture. There is no doubt that in the future Assembly Solutions will continue its excellent work within the sector and continue to provide superb customer service to its valuable clients.

www.assembly-solutions.com

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BEST OF BRITISH NORMAC OILS

LUBRICANT GREASE & CHEMICAL

SPECIALISTS

Normac's vision is to become Scotland’s leading provider of quality, high end and bespoke lubricants, greases and chemicals

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Normac Oils Ltd is based in Altens Industrial Estate, Aberdeen, Scotland with depots in Shetland, Orkney, Inverness, and Perth.

Formed in 2007, the company is now one of the leading source and supply companies in the northeast with premium brand products of lubricants, grease, and chemicals, covering a wide range of applications to all areas of industry.

As the sole North and East of Scotland distributor for Opus Lubricants, Scotland's longest established manufacturer of quality lubricants, Normac supplies all major brands of lubricants from well-known manufacturers. The company has built a reputation for reliability, satisfaction, and professionalism which continue to be key focal points.

Using its own fleet of vehicles, the company provides daily deliveries throughout the northeast, highlands and islands and uses a recognised quality approved distribution network to supply the rest of the UK and their international customers.

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Normac's mission is founded on performance, reliability, and integrity which enables them to provide customers with both high quality products and an exceptional responsive personal service whilst ensuring the highest levels of QHSE are delivered. The company is committed to the protection of the environment and constantly strives to limit the impact its products and operations may have.

2014 saw annual turnover increase from the previous year by almost 30% - an astonishing success. Normac's sales of AdBlue are also steadily increasing and are now in the region of 80,000 litres per month. The company only buys this product from UK manufacturers, ensuring a premium quality product is delivered time after time. In 2015 Normac's continual development has been demonstrated by winning its first local authority contract award with the North East Procurement Organisation. Additionally, the company has recently secured a contract with Archer, a global oilfield service company.

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Normac is also a member of FPAL, NOF Energy, and Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce. The company's FPAL Performance Feedback is above average and the company is also a signatory to the Supply Chain Code of Practice. Membership of these associations reinforces Normac's quality and performance statements and enables its customers to have faith in the company's significant capabilities.

Whilst providing a service to all areas of industry, Normac is currently focusing on developing relations within the oil and gas and marine sector. Along with its core products Normac are starting to implement related technologies to improve safety, efficiency and reduce customer costs. One such new product recently included in Normac's service provisions is a portable oil testing kit which monitors oil quality on-site thus reducing the requirement to send away expensive oil samples. This technology returns instant results on the quality of existing oil in a manner which can be understood by anyone making it a much valued component of any existing monitoring system.

Normac's vision is to become Scotland’s leading provider of quality, high end and bespoke lubricants, greases and chemicals whilst offering an unrivalled responsive, customer focussed and professional service which continually meets the high expectations of the customer base. In truth, this vision is one we can see Normac reaching in the years to come, and we eagerly await to see how the company develops in the coming times.

For all enquiries please contact Andy Ramsay, General Manager at andy@normacoils.com.

Please use promotional code Normac10 in any correspondence to receive 10% off your first confirmed order

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Central Scanning.qxp_feature 2 10/07/2015 08:18 Page 26

BEST OF BRITISH CENTRAL SCANNING

Central Scanning offer a variety of 3D scanning and reverse engineering services as well as being UK resellers for all products offered by Artec 3D and Steinbichler Optotechnik.

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Central Scanning is a business dedicated to providing its customers with the best in 3D scanning, reverse engineering and much more. What truly sets the company apart from the competition is the diversity of the services on offer for clients and the attentiveness of its staff when it comes to providing the most efficient, customercentric service possible. Everything up to and including in-house printing facilities is not a problem for Central Scanning as it is able to offer truly comprehensive 3D scanning and manufacturing solutions.

Established in 2006 Central Scanning now offer services in digitalisation, as well as 3D scanning with state of the art technology. Starting out with just one member of staff the company now employ seven mem-

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bers of staff and are hoping to expand its workforce in the future.

The company has grown substantially since it began and has since started to introduce new state of the art equipment: “We wanted to introduce more 3D scanning and printing capabilities into the company which we have now done, so we are looking to expand our workforce to meet the demands of the new features we have taken on board.

Our business is very strong because we work hard to keep hold of our existing customers as well as taking on new ones,� detailed Nick Godfrey, Managing Director of Central Scanning.

As Central Scanning recognises, while a business' customer base grows it is important for it to grow in turn, so as best to meet the ever-increasing demand for its services. Not

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only does Central Scanning do this, but it also listens to its customers in a bid to best establish the specific needs and requirements of clients so that services provided can be tailored-made to order. Nick explained: “A lot of our new equipment and recent innovations are based on our current customers demands. We want to make our existing client base happy and provide them with the best services possible, therefore we will purchase new equipment and develop new technologies if there is a demand for them.

“The latest 3D printer that we bought was purchased due to our customers demand; it was a £100,000 investment. We value our customers needs very highly and this is why we are willing to spend money to keep our services in the best shape possible. We have also been branching out into the heritage and architectural world, which we haven’t really done before, so hopefully we will make new connections there.”

As well as keeping up with customers demands, the company also provides exceptional service when it comes to its projects.

Nick explained: “We will look after the sites which we have done work on for some time after they are complete, whereas other businesses may just say 'we've finished the work, its tough'. We value our customers very highly and they are worth our company's time and effort and this is why we work so hard to please them.”

As social media has taken the world by storm, Central Scanning spare no expense when it comes to using this untapped resource. The company's dedication to its customers is shown throughout its efforts to connect with them over various platforms.

As well as keeping up with customers demands, the company also provides exceptional service when it comes to its projects.

Running a successful business can be influenced by many aspects, including exposure. Exposure is key to getting your business out there and making people aware of the services you have to offer. “A great project for us was when we did some work scanning a sarcophagus over at Lincolnshire Castle. This was a great opportunity for us, so some of our staff went over to the site to scan the sarcophagus before it was brought out and this was shown on the BBC One Show. When the lid came off two of our engineers were first on hand to digitally record the findings, they scanned the sarcophagus with a 3D scanner. The project was really good exposure for our business as it showed many people what we can do and the technologies that we use, the pro-

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BEST OF BRITISH CENTRAL SCANNING gramme was then aired at the start of 2014,” explained Catherine.

Central Scanning also works tirelessly to meet Health and Safety legislation including employing a consultant, Catherine added: “All of our staff are trained in manual handling, workplace safety, fire safety awareness, accident calls and prevention and our team are currently undergoing an extra NVQ in effective communication in the workplace. We are continually developing our policies and the training that we give our members of staff to comply with recent health and safety legislation and to also benefit our business.”

Nick followed on by saying: “Health and safety is number one in our business, we have a consultant that will come in and do risk assessments for us, this makes sure that we are doing everything regarding health and safety right.”

Making relationships in the industry and keeping up-to-date with the latest in news can sometimes be difficult, so keeping in close relations with suppliers or sub-contractors is always a good thing. Having suppliers such as Malcolm Nicholls and Artec Group has been a huge success for Central Scanning, they have worked with the company tirelessly to help it produce high quality end products and to also showcase the amazing work it can produce.

Central Scanning are currently a member of the GTMA which is a reputable association.

Being part of an association can be of great benefit to a company, Central Scanning are currently a member of the GTMA which is a reputable association. Catherine Aspinall, Marketing Coordinator of Central Scanning, said: “They are really useful because they hold networking events and also have really good marketing opportunities They are a really friendly team of people who are always willing to help, so we would definitely recommend it to any other Manufacturing and Engineering companies who are not a member of an association.”

Central Scanning will be holding a road show on 3D printing and scanning in Solihull on the 7th of September which will no doubt showcase its varying services and wide range of technology, Catherine enthused: “Its about raising awareness of 3D scanning and getting our brand out there, we want to show people that 3D scanning isn’t just engineering based. Its quite interesting the types of people who show up to these shows to have a look at what we do, its a great way to showcase our talents as a company.” As a truly “be there or be square” event, Central Scanning's show is a must-see this September, so pencil the date in.

www.central-scanning.co.uk

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Cumbria Crystal.qxp_feature 2 23/07/2015 10:38 Page 32

BEST OF BRITISH CUMBRIA CRYSTAL

ARTISANAL

CUMBRIA CRYSTAL IS ONE OF THE LAST REMAINING PRODUCERS OF HAND-BLOWN AND HAND-CUT FULL LEAD ENGLISH CRYSTAL USing TRADITIONAL GLASSMAKING METHODS

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Artisanal artistry and creativity are the cornerstones behind Cumbria Crystal’s success, and have been since its inception in 1976. Remaining true to its roots, it continues to manufacture handblown and hand-cut 30% full lead crystal, favouring traditional methods over mechanised, computerised mass production.

Indeed, it is now one of the last manufacturers of its kind in England.

Founded by Lord and Lady Cavendish and a group of local business people to produce exceptional, handmade full lead crystal tableware, Cumbria Crystal uses methods hardly changed since the Roman era in the production of both traditional and contemporary designs.

The popularity of its products can be found in all walks of life, from the aristocracy, royalty and government to television producers seeking authentic designs for period drama. General consumers, who might have seen the company’s work appear in internationally renowned series Downton Abbey, and more recently Poldark, can find Cumbria Crystal’s bespoke collections in London retailers Linley, Thomas Goode, Fortnum and Mason, Heals and Mulberry Hall in York.

Approximately half the company turnover involves design and production of bespoke crystal collections for individual clients. The size of the company and embedded skills within the workforce ensure Cumbria Crystal is able

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to meet most requests.

Importantly, the company, headed up by managing director Christopher Blade is, with tireless devotion, dedicated to retaining and developing glassmaking skills which date back many centuries. It is this that helps distinguish Cumbria Crystal’s product offering within a consumer market populated by homogenous production line glassware and foreign imports.

Indeed, it is a challenge for the business but one it continues to meet head on.

“Much traditional glass making has died out in the UK. The pressures imposed on an industry that relies heavily on expensive materials,

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large amounts of energy and ever more stringent environmental targets, whilst relying on the highly specialist skills of artisans who take years, if not decades to train, means that competition against cheap, mass produced foreign imports is almost overwhelming,” admits Christopher Blade.

“However the renewed interest and appreciation of exceptional British craftsmanship and exquisite design, using the highest quality materials enables a few crystal companies to stand out and retain the skills that 2000 years of development have hardly been able to improve upon. The emergence of the luxury

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ARTISTRY market and growing appreciation of artisan craftsmanship offers significant opportunities, enables apprentices to be trained and for the country to retain this valuable heritage.

Cumbria Crystal is incredibly proud to be one of the companies striving to achieve this.�

Currently employing 21 people, nearly all the staff are involved in manufacture with specialists in glass blowing, cutting and engraving all retained in-house as well as shop staff, acid polishers and a rigorous team devoted to process and quality control. The general public can see exactly what goes on at Cumbrian Crystal at The Factory Shop where glass blowing and cutting happens throughout the week.

Development in the last few years has seen the business target a more contemporary offering in order to broaden appeal while significant investment has been made in two new furnaces to improve the consistency and quality of its crystal.

Christopher says, as he looks to the future, he intends to nurture Cumbria Crystal’s profile to become a brand automatically associated with outstanding quality and design.

Consolidating the client base and growing its reputation in the international luxury market runs parallel with this. Indeed, the company is now a regular exhibitor at Maison et Objet, a major industry trade show in Paris and will next be there in September 2015.

www.cumbriacrystal.com Tel: 01229 584400

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Everest Home Improvement.qxp_feature 2 10/07/2015 08:22 Page 34

BEST OF BRITISH EVEREST HOME IMPROVEMENTS

PASSION FOR SOLUTIONS Everest Home Improvements is an iconic brand with 50 years of heritage and expertise behind the name

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For some, business is solely about corporate success, yet with others it is about a passion for the solutions that is provides. Everest is one of such companies, displaying a keenness to exceed all expectations in the arena of home improvements. Host to a wide range of premium-quality products, each of which made to order, the company boasts true dedication to providing a varied, high quality and altogether exemplary range of products and services to the market.

Established in 1965, Everest Home Improvements is an iconic brand with 50 years of heritage and expertise behind the name. “Fitting the best since 1965”, Everest is a company built upon a consumer-led business model where, in all things the customer comes first and foremost.

Of course, whilst Everest's products are industry-leading, the company understands that this alone is simply not enough. By placing priority on supporting the customer in all things, Everest effectively guides them from first point of contact all the way through to completion.

Roy Saunders, CEO of Everest Home Improvements explained his personal goals for the company and how it can best service the consumer through keen customer service: “My overall aim is to ensure that the customer is at

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the heart of our strategy, providing a choice of market leading products and providing fantastic service. The sales consultant plays an important part of the customer journey. Traditionally this sector has large numbers of sales people who were not properly managed or trained.

Today we are the only national company in this sector to have employed Sales Managers. In 2014 we opened our Sales Academy to trans-

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form the training and development of our sales teams. We now have a 3 month induction course for all Sales Consultants to ensure that they are able to serve our customers well.”

Everest effectively provides wide range of home improvement products, from double and triple glazed windows all the way through to doors, conservatories, rooftrims, flat roofs, driveways, artificial grass, garage doors and

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BEST OF BRITISH EVEREST HOME IMPROVEMENTS security. The company's specialisms lie in its high quality window products, with its uPVC windows at the very top of the WER ratings. Its double glazed products hit a A+ 12 mark, while its triple glazed windows also have a A +21.

The new range for 2015 also aims to be the warmest, quietest, safest and toughest yet.

Of course, where would a company be without the support of its customer base? As such, Everest takes pride in the way that it works both in the interests of the customer, but also to their stated needs and requirements. By integrating customer feedback into the company's own operations, Everest is able to adapt to the ever-evolving needs of the customer and keep up with the pace of the market, as explained by Roy: “Everest welcomes feedback and undertakes constant customer research throughout the customer journey.

Our research tells us customers are spending much more time researching products too, which is why launching our award winning website was so important. Feedback from customers has been fantastic, in particular because we know over 60% of our customers are viewing our website on their smartphone or tablet and the new site is built with that in mind. The popularity of live-chat functionality is growing and we have more exciting digital initiatives to be unveiled in the months ahead.�

Looking to the future, Everest takes great pride in its success over the past few years and has created a solid platform for continued growth and success. Only time will tell how the company fairs in the coming times, however the future seems to be bright for Everest and we look forward to seeing the company continue to display a level of expertise in home improvements above all others.

www.everest.co.uk

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Hunter Selection.qxp_feature 2 10/07/2015 08:24 Page 36

BEST OF BRITISH HUNTER SELECTION

SPECIALIST KNOWLEDGE

THAT POWERS INDUSTRY

hunter selection provide specialist professional recruitment services for the manufacturing, engineering, service and energy sectors.

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BEST OF BRITISH HUNTER SELECTION

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Established in 2005, Hunter Selection is one of the UK’s leading specialist recruitment consultancies servicing both the manufacturing and engineering sectors.

Celebrating its 10-year anniversary this summer, the company has grown organically every few years and operates out of four offices strategically placed where there is a high concentration of businesses working in these complex and highly skilled industries.

Headquartered in the South West, Hunter Selection boasts over 40 dedicated consultants across offices in Bristol, Cardiff, Coventry and Stafford. Despite some challenging trading conditions in the last decade, clients and candidates agree that Hunter Selection’s success lies in a focus on providing more than just a typical recruitment service.

Consultants are selected via strict criteria of not just in-depth industry knowledge, but as importantly, their local knowledge of the regions in which it does business; something managing director and founder Russell

Smith is passionate about.

The need to understand local supply and demand issues, alongside less obvious factors such as regional cultures, historical factors and local infrastructures all play an important role when acting in the best interests of client and candidate. Such understanding can make all the difference between successful outcomes for both parties and will dictate the complexities of fulfilling the initial brief.

Hunter Selection consultants are passionate about developing and maintaining long term relationships with manufacturing and engineering businesses, keen to be seen as more than just a ‘phone call’ when there’s a vacancy to be filled. The company aims to provide a more rounded ‘consultative’ service and wants to be recognised as the recruiter of choice for the manufacturing and engineering sectors.

The company is a keen supporter of local and national apprenticeship initiatives, nurturing future talent to ensure the UK maintains its place on the international stage in both manu-

facturing and engineering.

The company’s dedication to the advanced manufacturing sector is clearly evident in its commitment to act as ambassadors for the internationally recognised world land speed record ‘Bloodhound Project’. As official sponsors of the initiative, senior members of the company will be taking time out of their offices to visit schools around Bristol and Cardiff to engage with students and underpin the importance of STEM in creating engineers of the future.

By truly understanding its specialist sectors consultants cut through the clutter to save their clients time and provide a cost efficient service. The company has a track record of fulfilling large-scale recruitment projects where companies require multi-disciplined individuals to fulfil strict operational criteria.

In short, Hunter Selection is an expert in its field providing manufacturing and engineering firms with the manpower resources necessary to meet the challenges of these constantly evolving industry sectors.

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Railtex.qxp_feature 2 02/07/2015 15:20 Page 38

RAIL RAILTEX 2015

RAILTEX 2015

IS A SUCCESS The latest technology, equipment and innovations were exhibited at the most effective Railtex for years Nearly 7,500 rail industry professionals visited the recent Railtex 2015 exhibition at the NEC in Birmingham from 12 to 14 May. A total of 468 leading suppliers took part in the successful show, presenting their latest technology, equipment and innovations during an event regarded as the most effective Railtex for years.

Participants included many of the best known firms supplying the UK rail market.

There was a high-profile presence by Bombardier Transportation, which is currently delivering new trains for London Underground and Thameslink, Southern & Great Northern, and will soon be supplying rolling stock for the capital’s Crossrail project. The Hitachi Rail Europe stand featured a model of the intercity trains the firm is to build at its new County Durham factory for the Department for Transport’s IEP programme, plus its vehicle concepts for future UK high-speed lines. Also present was Siemens, which will deliver the first new Thameslink trains later this year and is also

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supplying new trainsets to Eurostar. They were joined by a vast range of highly specialised companies covering every sector of a very diversified supply chain.

While British-based companies predominated, there was an increased presence by foreign companies seeking opportunities in a UK rail market that is enjoying unprecedented levels of investment. Most notable were exhibitors from China, principally train builders China CNR Corporation and CSR Sifang, soon to be merged to form the world’s largest rolling stock manufacturer. The latter company chose Railtex for the official signing of cooperation agreements with three leading UK universities to establish a centre for railway research and development.

Of the 7,449 trade visitors attending the show, over 73% were of senior manager level or above and possessed purchasing power.

As a result, many exhibitors said Railtex exceeded their expectations, with show surveys indicating that 98% received positive

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RAIL RAILTEX 2015 business enquiries.

While the event continued to fulfill its primary role as a showcase for the latest in railway technology, it also featured an extensive and high profile range of supporting activities, providing further Railtex highlights. These included technical seminars plus a full programme of interactive sessions including project updates, industry briefings and discussion forums. Many featured presentations by leading figures shaping the UK rail sector and all were free to attend.

The popularity of these sessions meant that many were standing-room only, including those

by the recently formed Rail Supply Group set up by the industry and government to optimise the potential of UK companies. The Group’s cochairman Terence Watson said: “Railtex provided the RSG with an unrivalled opportunity to engage with both the industry and its customers. With access to over 2,700 representatives of exhibitors and almost 7,500 visitors over the three days, we were able to share the RSG’s vision for the future; and also outline how businesses in the supply chain, both large and small, could work with us as we develop our Industrial Strategy. Railtex will form a key

part of our engagement with the industry over the coming years.”

More information on Railtex 2015 can be found at www.railtex.co.uk. Meanwhile, planning is now well under way for the next UK rail show organised by Mack Brooks Exhibitions Infrarail 2016 covering railway infrastructure equipment and technologies will take place at ExCeL in London from 12 to 14 April next year.

It will be co-located with the company’s CITE – Civil Infrastructure Technology & Equipment event.

Visit www.infrail.com and www.cite-uk.com for details.

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RAIL IM KELLY

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RAIL IM KELLY

SUPPORTING THE RAIL INDUSTRY

INTO THE FUTURE IM Kelly Rail is just one part of the renowned IM Kelly Group, with divisions also successfully productive in Automotive and Aerospace.

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Finding the opportunity to interview Paul Scott, Sales Manager of IM Kelly Rail Limited, has only been possible by catching him on the move. This seems appropriate as IM Kelly Rail Limited is a major supplier of passenger, driver seating and interior components to the rail transport industry.

IM Kelly Rail is just one part of the renowned IM Kelly Group, with divisions also successfully productive in Automotive and Aerospace.

Formerly known as Cobra Design Centre, IM Kelly Rail is now one of the UK's leading producers of high quality train seating and has made an impressive impact in the rail sector. Formed in 1994, the company has established a reputable relationship within the industry for consistently

delivering excellent standards of customer service and continually developing a wide range of first class products including driver and passenger seating for underground and overground rail services, interior components, such as saloon tables, grab handles, sunblinds and replacement seat covers, all of which are finished to an exceptionally high standard.

Paul Scott, Sales Manager, said: “IM Kelly Rail is part of the IM Kelly Group, which employs around 250 people providing products and services to the rail, automotive and aerospace industries. IM Kelly Rail has also established itself as a successful supplier of not only new products, but

the company has established a reputable relationship within the industry

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RAIL IM KELLY

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RAIL IM KELLY also refurbished products for the rail industry. As Sales Manager I aim to provide our customers with the best possible service and pledge to supplying compliant products at competitive prices. Geographically, we are at an advantage by being located in the Midlands. This gives us ease of access to all train operating companies (TOC’s), train leasing companies and train builders throughout the UK. We are equally developing our market place in Europe and Asia, already exporting to India. Our commitment to continuous research and development ensures we regularly improve our products in order to meet the Railway Group Standards for fire performance, structural integrity and durability.”

IM Kelly Rail is a member of the Rail Alliance and regularly attends regional, national and European conferences, exhibitions and benefit from obtaining the latest industry information which generates new ideas for products and services. Paul explains: “Our approach is to listen to the customers needs and aspirations. Our flexible, solution focussed a p p r o a c h ensures we a l w a y s strive to

overcome potential barriers aiming to achieve complete customer satisfaction.

Sometimes this can be a challenging process in order to meet specified budgetary requirements.”

The company are ISO9001 accredited, which allows IM Kelly Rail to design and develop a range of purposeful and compliant products. “Last year we successfully introduced a new air suspension driver seat into the market. A major part of our success in the past 6 months has seen IM Kelly Rail securing a substantial contract for the supply of refurbished train passenger seats. We are confident that we will shortly secure several more similar contracts due to start later this year, this will help the business move forward.”

A major part of our success in the past 6 months has seen IM Kelly Rail securing a substantial contract for the supply of refurbished train passenger seats.

Health and Safety is a crucial element of the railway industry business and passenger safety is paramount. Due regard is given at all times. Paul clarified this in the following statement: “Sometimes our staff have to work outside the factory, so we must work to all health and safety regulations as demanded by the rail industry. All of our staff are given the training needed to carry out each aspect of safety in their work, whether it is inhouse or outside of our facilities.”

An established company, IM Kelly Rail continues to build upon its strong relationships with suppliers and customers as it has done for the past 20 years, it constantly recognises the importance of making and maintaining strong bonds to both growth and longevity. Paul explained how the company works with its sub-contractors: “We select suppliers who can provide components and products that comply with the railway group standards.

When we send our products out, we have to make sure that the complete unit is compliant, therefore we ensure that our efforts that go into supplying the products meet all required standards.”

Paul expands on IM Kelly Rail expertise: “Rail seating is very similar to bus and coach products and we are currently exploring exciting opportunities for expanding the development of other passenger vehicle seating in the near future.

This is especially relevant now that safety standards in the bus and coach industry are becoming more in line with rail requirements. This would enable IM Kelly Rail to transfer our already proven technology into the bus and coach sector thus making the travelling passenger and driver safer.”

Adapting to the demands of the marketplace, IM Kelly Rail’s versatility, in-house expertise and dedication to delivering high quality products, to ensure customer satisfaction, means it is a successful player in the UK seating market.

www.imkelly.co.uk/rail

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RAIL HITACHI

ON TRACK Hitachi is one of the few railway manufacturers providing not only the latest technology, but a full range of products and services in on-board components

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Hitachi Rail Europe, a subsidiary of Hitachi Europe is a business set on providing the industry with high quality railway products such as traction equipment, signalling, traffic management and carrying out maintenance on various depots. Established in 1910 Hitachi Rail has been in the industry for a long time and in that period it has continued to offer the highest standards in customer service and railway equipment. Although the company was not established in the UK until 1999, it has still managed to make a huge positive impact in the industry and has become a valued member of the UK market. The company has always been at the forefront of development and in 1924 Hitachi Rail manufactured the first electric train for Japan.

Now in 2015 the company has signed a contract to provide new rolling stock to the ScotRail franchise.

Hitachi Rail state: “We provide the following commitments to our customers: on time delivery, proven technology based on the Japanese A Train platform design evolution, improved acceleration, journey times and energy efficiency.” The company is very dedicated to providing its clients with the best services in modern rail transport.

Hitachi has proven itself when it comes to implementing tailored solutions to train maintenance. The department can tailor its services to any type of train modification or application; the low cost operation is dedicated to maintaining the reliability of many fleets. Hitachi can also, “Advise on

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“With the Class 800/801 trains, Hitachi aims to set the standard for design, quality, and weight savings” through-life maintenance strategy from the establishment of a project in order to minimise the whole life running cost of rolling stock whilst maximising reliability and availability.”

Recent developments in the company have been based around the Class 800/801 (IEP) which is an intercity express train being developed for both Great Western and East Coast main lines.

These state of the art trains will be up and running in 2017/18 and will provide shorter commuting times and better designed carriages. The JEC Group said: “In the UK, these new Hitachi Class 800/801 trains will be replacing existing high speed trains as part of the latest Intercity Express Programme (IEP). The original concept for the new class 800/801 series train was to design spacious new passenger carriage interiors, including convenient bike storage facilities.”

Hitachi’s Procurement Director Jamie Foster commented, “With the Class 800/801 trains, Hitachi aims to set the standard for design, quality, and weight savings. Once again the TRB engineers and designers have risen to these challenges, meeting the demands of the programme. Working with partners who provide collaborative solutions to engineering challenges is essential to the smooth progress of these types of projects.”

This new class of train boasts that it will be faster, more environmentally friendly and increase passenger comfort. A total of 866 carriages (122 trains) are being manufactured for both the lines that they will travel on. This revolutionary design will be sure to meet the demands of the public as everyone wants faster and less cramped train journeys.

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CIVIL ENGINEERING IPAF

SAFE & EFFECTIVE

POWERED ACCESS The International Powered Access Federation (IPAF) promotes the safe and effective use of powered access worldwide.

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The concept of powered access equipment as a safe tool to perform temporary work at height has taken off in recent years, even as the industry is a relatively young one.

In the late 1970s, two organisations were in place to cater for the needs of manufacturers of powered access equipment and rental companies: the International Federation of Hydraulic Platform Manufacturers (IFHPM) and the International Work Platform Association (IWPA). Both the IFHPM and the IWPA wanted to create some order in safety standards and legislation to ensure that this rapidly growing industry was established on a sound footing.

This was the catalyst that brought the two organisations together in December 1983 to form the International Powered Access Federation (IPAF). What makes IPAF unique is its ability to unite manufacturers, rental companies and end-users into one member organisation dedicated to promoting the safe and effective use of powered access equipment.

IPAF’s founding managing director, Paul Adorian, provides insight into the early years: “At that time, manufacturing and user organisations tended to keep each other at arm’s length. However, the benefits that would accrue to all concerned by establishing an organisation where manufacturers and their customers could rub shoulders regularly soon became apparent. This situation was certainly unique and has led to an enormous amount of harmony and goodwill within the industry ever since.

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“By manufacturers and rental companies joining forces, the flow of information on safety related topics has obviously been beneficial in promoting safety. The feedback from companies that buy, use and rent the products relayed directly back to the manufacturers was a tremendous contribution to the continuing development of safer products.�

European Community legislation and certification also helped pushed the development of the industry. In the early years, there was little specific legislation in place for an industry that had grown very rapidly. There were some rogue manufacturers keen to get on the bandwagon with cheap products.

There were no checks on design, fabrication, the quality of steel and other requirements.

Today, certification has had a massive effect in improving the design and quality of

machines. IPAF persevered in attending and contributing to meetings of TC98, the committee that drafts the European standards.

IPAF has played, and continues to play, a key role in the development of EN 280, the European design standard for mobile elevating work platforms (MEWPs). It actively participates in several committees, including those relating to ISO, FEM, US ANSI standards committees, Canadian CSA standards committees, the British standards committees BS 8454 and BS 8460. With growing globalisation, IPAF has been involved in MEWP-related standards development in countries as diverse as Brazil, China and Singapore.

IPAF cooperates with safety bodies worldwide, such as the HSE in Britain, Berufsgenossenschaften in Germany, Suva in Switzerland, OPPPBTP in France, and OSHA

IPAF promotes the safe and effective use of powered access through a growing range of safety campaigns and initiatives.

See www.ipaf.org/safe

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in the United States. It also lobbies and makes representations to the relevant authorities on issues of concern to its members.

Legislation has also spurred the use of powered access and the need for training.

The UK Work at Height Regulations for instance, while not discounting ladders and scaffolds, make it more difficult for people to use ladders and scaffolds, because they highlight the need to do a proper risk assessment and select the most suitable equipment for the job. Powered access often wins because it gets the job done quickly, effectively and safely. Scaffold for example, takes time to erect and dismantle, and blocks up space during a project. A platform comes in, does the job and goes again within hours.

The IPAF operator training programme, initiated by members in 1991, has left its mark on the industry. Since then, operator training is provided by more than 620 approved training centres in 30 countries.

This industry-led training programme is offered by leading manufacturers and rental companies, and requires that accredited partner training centres pass initial, annual and unannounced audits as part of the quality management system. Instructors are certified and undertake ongoing professional development which includes free annual updates to the training materials. Trainees undergo a complete programme backed up with quality checks, accredited instructors, supervised written and practical testing, controlled class sizes and course duration, and a central register of valid cards.

Operators who successfully complete the IPAF training programme after passing a written and a practical test are awarded machine-readable Smart PAL Cards (Powered Access Licences). PAL Cards are valid for five years and show the machine categories that operators have been trained in.

More than 100,000 PAL Cards are issued each year through IPAF-approved training centres worldwide. The PAL Card is accepted widely and recognised as proof of high quality platform operator training. The validity of a card can be checked by using the online verification tool at www.ipaf.org/checkpal But IPAF is much more than a training organisation. It is a global movement to ensure the safety of people in the powered access industry and to keep the industry up to date with the latest technical and safety advice in mobile elevating work platforms (MEWPs) and mast climbing work platforms (MCWPs).

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IPAF’s accident reporting project collects data on worldwide fatalities involving mobile elevating work platforms (MEWPs) and mast climbing work platforms (MCWPs), with the aim of identifying key causes and developing further safety initiatives.

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“People sometimes focus on IPAF’s training activities, but we are much more,” says IPAF CEO Tim Whiteman. “IPAF’s members cooperate to protect the safety of people in the access industry. We have re-adopted and re-affirmed the founding principles from 30 years ago – by doing so, IPAF members have made very clear what IPAF stands for and what it sets out to do and deliver. Work at height is inherently dangerous, but powered access is a safe and effective tool, and IPAF is here to keep the industry safe.”

The not-for-profit organisation is owned by its more than 1,000 members who include manufacturers, rental companies, contractors and users of powered access. Among others, IPAF’s objectives are to encourage the highest standards of safety and good trading by members; and to encourage technical efficiency in the industry by cooperation in the establishment of standards.

In sum, IPAF promotes the safe and effective use of powered access equipment worldwide in the widest sense – through providing technical advice and information, through influencing and interpreting legislation and standards, through its safety initiatives and training programmes. Join us in keeping the industry safe.

www.ipaf.org

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CIVIL ENGINEERING SCCS

BEST IN STEEL CELEBRATED The 47th Structural Steel Design Awards continue to celebrate best practice in the field of steel construction

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The 47th Structural Steel Design Awards (SSDA) sponsored by the British Constructional Steelwork Association (BCSA) and Tata Steel was held in July at the Institution of Civil Engineers in London.

The awards recognise the high standards of structural and architectural design attainable in the use of steel and its potential in terms of efficiency, cost effectiveness, aesthetics and innovation. They are open to steel based structures situated in the United Kingdom or overseas that have been built by UK or Irish steelwork contractors using steel predominantly sourced from Tata Steel.

The objective of the SSDA’s is to celebrate the excellence of the United Kingdom in the field of steel construction, particularly demonstrating its potential in terms of efficiency, cost effectiveness, aesthetics, sustainability and innovation.

Each year the awards scheme attracts many excellent entries from widely ranging 50

projects. Successful projects are expected to have a minimum threshold of excellence in architectural and engineering terms and to be cost effective. Each year’s entries reflect the increasingly high standards that are being achieved, not only in design and all aspects of fabrication, but also in short construction programmes and accuracy on site.

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This year, the Judges selected the awardwinning entries from a shortlist of 14, all of which scored highly across all criteria. The five projects receiving awards this year were: Island Pavilion and Footbridge, Wormsley; Merchant Square Footbridge, London; Derby Arena; First World War Galleries, Imperial War Museum, London; and Moorgate Exchange, London.

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CIVIL ENGINEERING SCCS Commendations were awarded to three structures: Greenwich Reach Swing Bridge, London; Milton Court, Guildhall School of Music & Drama and Heathrow Terminal 2B. Certificates of Merit were awarded to two further structures: Weathering Steel House, Putney and Kew House, Richmond.

Sponsors BCSA oversee subsidiary the Steel Construction Certification Scheme (SCCS) which was established in the early 1980s to provide a Quality Management Systems certification service for steelwork contracting organisations. SCCS has subsequently developed additional certification and monitoring services for the steelwork contractors with integrated or separate environmental, health and safety management systems, and factory production control systems.

The BCSA, of which SCCS is a wholly owned subsidiary, is a national organisation for the steel construction industry. Its member companies undertake the design, fabrication and erection of steelwork for all forms of construction in building and civil engineering.

Associate members are those principal companies involved in the direct supply to all or some members of components, materials or products. Corporate members are clients, professional offices and educational establishments which support the development of national specifications, certification services, fabrication and erection techniques, overall industry efficiency and good practice.

www.steelconstruction.org Tel: 020 7839 8566

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CIVIL ENGINEERING ICARUS LIGHT STEEL FRAMING

SETTING THE TREND

Icarus design, manufacture and install light steel framing for a number of clients including major players such as Carillion, Galliford Try, Wilmott Dixon and Henley Homes

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Icarus LSF is setting the trend in all aspects of light steel framing within the construction sector.

The Icarus approach is to drive sustainable business opportunities by working collaboratively with clients to foster long-term partnership. This is achieved through a wealth of expertise and innovation within Icarus to assist and guide clients through the mutual journey.

The company’s business is designing, manufacturing and installing light steel framing, which is undertaken for a number of clients including major players such as Carillion, Galliford Try, Wilmott Dixon and Henley Homes. Recent projects include a load-bearing light steel frame structure for student accommodation, two load-bearing structures to form a hall and education block for a primary school and various apartment and housing schemes throughout the UK. Although the company provides a wide

range of service to clients with light steel framing requirement, the preference, according to CEO Zac Hussain, is to be involved early and fully within a 360 framework: “We engage at the outset to discuss a scheme and take part in design team meetings. That ensures we are working collaboratively as a team with our clients and transparent with the scope of works so we can manufacture bespoke engineered solution to our clients’ requirement and ultimately deliver and install in a timely fashion.

“As part of our customer journey, we provide installation service as a one-stop-shop-solution to maximise overall quality in line with the mutual programme with our clients. We want to engage with clients from the initial receipt of an enquiry through the design process, manufacture and full installation to complement mutual programme. Based on our expertise and know-how in the market, this is exactly what clients require because they have the peace of

mind of giving it to an expert who can deliver according to plan from start to end.”

That approach means it can, if required, provide elements within a light steel frame structure such as walls, floors, roofs, stairwells, stairs, lift shafts, walkways and balcony supports. It’s the same approach that made it the official contractor for light steel framing at the London Olympics after providing bespoke solutions for food concession buildings. When all other options from alternative sources could not deliver the client’s requirements, Icarus was requested to review the scheme and provided a bespoke solution meeting and exceeding the client’s design requirements. This ability to solve the client’s problems led on to several further opportunities within the Olympic development providing rapid designs and manufactured products within 24 hours of the opening ceremony.

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CIVIL ENGINEERING ICARUS LIGHT STEEL FRAMING “We are very flexible and can work to a client’s requirements in a very structured fashion,” confirms Zac. “Our strapline is ‘Quality First, Quality Matters and Quality Lasts’, something we live by in every aspect of the organisation. It applies to our workforce as well as all business functions such as manufacturing to ensure zero defects, logistics to ensure on-time delivery and a world-class cus-

is delivered in accordance with the design parameters to the desired quality. Delivery to site sees reduced construction times on site and taking advantage of the stability and durability of Light Steel Framing gives the customer the ability to start follow-on trades at advanced stages, further reducing on-site programmes whilst in the long term the dry and stable properties of Light Steel framing

“All design and manufacturing is undertaken at the company’s new 48,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility in County Durham, where Icarus has moved due to rapid growth” tomer service in every aspect of our client’s requirement. We have the skills, expertise, cando-attitude and the drive to go the extra mile to ensure a good service.”

Light steel frame offers a competitive solution for all building options and by its name is lighter than traditional solutions giving potential savings in foundation costs.

Using 3D modelling at the design stage enables Icarus to fully co-ordinate its design with the client to ensure the offsite element

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reduce maintenance issues.

All design and manufacturing is undertaken at the company’s new 48,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility in County Durham, where Icarus has moved due to rapid growth. Country-wide installation is handled by strategic partner I&S Construction, which works in conjunction with the wider project teams to provide quality installation services to clients.

That set-up has delivered a successful

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start to 2015 that’s seen the company secure new contracts, work with major players and build on previous expansion. Zac says: “We have grown rapidly, have prominent and sustainable clients and we’re expanding as a team to drive the LSF sector to the next level.

We make sure we are up-to-date with latest innovations and machines, can manage capacity and ultimately deliver long-lasting customer service.”

Central to the growth plans is the new manufacturing facility, where three acres of additional land have already been purchased to allow for further expansion. “Our vision is to become the ‘preferred supplier of choice’ for all light steel framing requirements across the construction sector,” proclaims Zac. “For new clients with no knowledge of light steel framing, we want to educate and motivate them, give them the benefit and develop long-term business relationship.

We will continue to deliver customer excellence in every milestone of our mutual journey to generate sustainable business.

For further information, please contact us directly on 0191 594 7200 or email us at enquiries@icarus-lsf.com www.icarus-lsf.com

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CIVIL ENGINEERING LEONARD COOPER

ENGINEERING

EXPERTISE Leonard Cooper bring a wealth of experience and innovation and have a reputation for excellence in design, fabrication and erection of high quality structural steelwork.

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Work for structural engineers Leonard Cooper Limited is not just business, it is personal.

Indeed, during the company’s 150-year existence, an anniversary it celebrates in 2015, this Leeds-based firm has remained a close-knit family as operations have passed throughout the generations. This has ensured consistency of ambition, building upon the tireless endeavour of founder Leonard Cooper who, in 1865, began selling iron and steel in West Yorkshire.

As the company has grown, so too has its expertise. Now working alongside some of

the UK's leading developers, designing and delivering steelwork for a range of new build and refurbishment projects, the business has established and solidified a reputation amongst the construction sector that is the envy of its competitors.

Today, its expertise is often called upon to integrate new steel within old structures to extend and marry with new additions whilst retaining the integrity of the building and causing minimal intrusion. This comes as a result of a long history of service to the sector with some of Leonard Cooper’s earliest steelworks used in the building of the Malt Kilns in Leeds in 1923, the stands at

Headingly football ground in 1931, and Leeds Regal Cinema in 1936.

The longevity of Leonard Cooper can be attributed to the usual suspects – quality of work, value for money, attentive customer care and the development of long term relationships. The company also has the capability across a variety of core skills – fabrication, shot-blasting, painting, steel erection, welding, plating – alongside a nationwide presence that can carry out contracts from a single beam up to 500 tonne single projects. Indeed, highlighting the company’s commitment to the highest standards is its CE mark accreditation, earned from the Steel Construction

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CIVIL ENGINEERING LEONARD COOPER Certification Scheme in 2014.

However, not many businesses are able to celebrate 150 years of service. A mark of Leonard Cooper’s success has been its ability to move with the times, drawing on its history and experience to deliver a modern set of skills to a fast-moving marketplace. Crucial to this endeavour is its family roots. This has witnessed the Cooper’s oversee management for generations, with Leonard passing the baton to his son alongside the involvement of other long term families such as the Beaumonts and the Hobsons. The existing Cooper family shareholder is Jilly, the famous author.

Perhaps success can be attributed to the company’s work being a lifestyle, not just a job. Indeed, it isn’t just the Cooper family that have a reason to think the business is very much part of their heritage. Many others have spent entire careers at the structural engineering firm, eventually introducing their own children to a career at Leonard Cooper.

That’s the reality for current joint manag-

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ing director David Hobson, something he is very proud of. His father Allan worked within the business for 50 years, beginning making tea for the staff as a 15-year-old straight out of school. Driven by a hard-work mentality, he eventually became managing director. David followed his father’s footsteps, beginning as a storeman before enjoying roles in a number of areas including technical clerk and QA manager before becoming a director in charge of

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all commercial aspects of the company. David has now been in the employ of Leonard Cooper for 27 years.

He is ably supported by similarly experienced directors Mark Moment (who has been with the firm for 35 years), Dave Chappell (22 years) and Craig Whitehead (20 years). Craig, for example, came to the company on work experience, liked what he saw, and began working for it after high school. He is now in charge of all site operations including health and safety.

David enthuses: “We are a long established family-based company with many long serving employees loaded with vast amounts of technical knowledge. This goes through to the workshop where again we have several members of the workforce with over 25 years’ experience. It is the sort of experience money cannot buy these days.”

It is this experience that makes the difference in a fiercely competitive market. While David explains that long-term relationships have been built with main contractors, the tender stage remains a challenging environment. This has necessitated diversification out of the main contractor market alongside the development of specialist knowledge to add further value to projects. This includes site surveying to find existing steelwork, detailing to ensure the steel will actually go in the existing structure and employing inhouse teams of highly experience steel erectors to get the job done economically on site.

“We have developed good relationships with several main contractors and worked on their most complex jobs, which are usually refurbishment work in several sectors such as shopping centres, London redevelopments

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“We have developed good relationships with several main contractors and worked on their most complex jobs”

and existing structure modifications. We have a name throughout the construction industry for tackling jobs other fabricators would prefer to leave alone,” adds David.

Major projects undertaken by Leonard Cooper in recent years include vast schemes in Leeds, Sheffield, Nottingham and London. For example, at Leeds Trinity shopping centre nearly 1,000 tonnes of steelwork was put in place over an 18month period as part of both new build and refurbishment work to existing shops.

Again in Leeds, the company worked

alongside Laing O’Rourke on phase II of the Leeds Grand Theatre Assembly refurbishment project. This project presented several challenges and involved extensive site surveys, the production of connection calculations and detail drawings. Fabrication and delivery of the steel to the site was followed by the task of erecting extensive steelwork within a listed building in the busy city centre.

85 tonnes of steel was required on the project. This was used to add floor steelwork at second and third floor levels, strengthen

the existing timber roof structure, install pedestrian bridges between the Assembly Rooms and Grand Theatre at various levels and add a pedestrian bridge spanning Harrison Street to link the Assembly Rooms and Grand Theatre with Opera North in Premier House.

Elsewhere, working alongside Laing O’Rourke, Leonard Cooper featured strongly in a large refurbishment of Sheffield shopping centre Meadowhall. “We detailed the project which incorporated steelwork for new shops, seating areas and feature atrium,

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“We are looking to bring into the company younger people both in the offices and workshop” lighting, new cooling systems, escalators and signage within our package,” explains David. “The 270 tonnes of steel had to dovetail into the existing structure of the main shopping mall to create a stunning public area and a number of new shop units.

Working closely with the contractors - Laing O’Rourke - the structure was erected to schedule and with minimal disruption to the centre's customers.”

Diversification has also seen Leonard Cooper develop a strong relationship with the glass industry. This involves refurbishing the actual furnace steelwork, a job most general fabricators are unable to perform due to a lack of knowledge.

“The work entails demolishing the existing cradle around the furnace and rebuilding a new structure to support the new furnace, which only have a certain life span,” remarks

David. “The work is carried out in 24-hour, seven days per week programmes to minimise disruption to the glass making process where the customer can lose up to £100,000 a day in lost production. We also fabricate and erect associated batch plants to the glass industry including the supply of giant silos for the raw materials.”

The sum of these parts is the celebration of 150 years in business. The next step is to ensure the generations to come can continue the work of Leonard Cooper Limited. “We are looking to bring into the company younger people both in the offices and workshop, on site too, realising all the accumulated knowledge we have gained over the years needs to be passed on,” says David, acknowledging a general struggle to encourage a new generation into the industry.

“I think it has been difficult to attract younger people over the last few years, but through modern apprenticeships there is a way of introducing and training school leavers with an eye on engineering.”

www.leonardcooperltd.co.uk Tel: 0113 270 5441

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CIVIL ENGINEERING STEEL CONSTRUCTION INSTITUTE

TRUSTED EXPERTISE sci are the leading, independent provider of technical expertise and disseminator of best practice to the steel construction sector.

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As the leading independent provider of technical advice and disseminator of best practice within the steel construction sector, the Steel Construction Institute (SCI) serves as the most knowledgeable and experienced independent organisation in support of the steel construction sector and those operating within it.

Formed in 1985 to assist with growing the market for steel in construction, the SCI initially served as an independent, objective and unbiased body to promote the efficient and effective use of steel in construction. Since then, the institute has been able to create a great foundation for the support of the steel construction industry through support and financing from an ever-increasing number of clients and members

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– initially having been almost entirely funded by a sole client, this has allowed the institute to diversify and solidify its position in the market through not being wholly dependent on the success of a sole funder. Of note is that while the SCI has a long established membership base, less than 20% of the institute’s income is actually sourced from the membership and the remaining 80% comes from clients who depend on the services of the SCI to carry out specific project work. This essentially serves to represent the fact that while the SCI, at its core operates in a way which is for the good of the sector, it also acts as an independent organisation which serves the commercial needs of industrywide clients.

Historically, the significance of the SCI's

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involvement and support for the steel construction sector cannot be ignored, for example having housed a number of internationally recognised composite construction expects who contributed to the boom of composite construction in the 1980s for the London commercial buildings market. Graham Couchman, Chief Executive of the SCI explains: “If you look at the proportion of the construction sector utilising steel and how it has grown since the 1980s then it's very significant – it must be around 65-70% of the multi-storey market now, which is much higher than it was. I'd like to feel that we did a lot to help convince designers that steel is a viable option.” In addition, the SCI runs the Light Steel Forum, having been involved in the development of light steel framing since its

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inception in the UK, providing how-to guides for steel framing as a valid alternative to timber framing.

Through both membership services and direct services for clients, the SCI is able to offer a wide range of technical advice to industry professionals, ranging from highly challenging design issues all the way through to how-to guides and basic advice. “One way to look at SCI Membership is that it is our way of packaging our consultancy services in a way that is appropriate for the design community. If a designer has a problem, then instead of paying for a specific bit of project work then they can contact us for some immediate technical advice. The service that our members most appreciate is our advisory desk, which they can phone in or

email and get technical advice, very much like the AA – worth every penny when you need it!

Technical information is alternatively offered on our Steelbiz technical information site, and through our internationally respected publications,” explains Graham.

Looking to support the modern-day industry professional, the SCI has also been working closely with members and clients on how best to adapt to Eurocodes, specifically covering areas of design where the codes greatly differ from the previous national standards. “The Eurocodes are becoming more and more requested by clients, and indeed are demanded for public sector work, so one way or another designers are having to come to terms with the Eurocodes. We've produced a number of design

guides, courses, and webinars to help designers, including in the key areas of portal frame design and composite construction. We have also produced Eurocode compliant load span tables for a number of product manufacturers,” adds Graham.

With a broad range of expertise which can be used to address an even broader range of issues, for technical advice and support there's no organisation better placed to assist than SCI: “We're in a unique position where we know the problems which designers are facing, and can bring high levels of specialist expertise to help find solutions,” adds Graham.

www.steel-sci.com

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CIVIL ENGINEERING STRUCTURAL METAL DECKS LTD

INDUSTRY PIONEER Specialists in the design, production and installation of profiled metal decking

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Distinguishing yourself in a competitive marketplace is a challenge for any business. However, it helps if you’re an industry leader pioneer, something Structural Metal Decks Ltd (SMD) can claim to be. Indeed, they are one of the UK’s few manufacturers of composite metal decking (also known as steel decking) that not only retain more than 25 years of specialist knowledge but also have the ability to install their own profiles through a network of regional offices, construction managers and installation teams. This has ensured they have established a strong reputation for safety, quality workmanship, attentive customer service and value for money. They are also proud of their long-term success at delivering the manufacture, supply and installation of metal decking in a smooth, efficient and timely fashion.

Established in 1987, the company experienced growth as a result of increasing demand for composite metal deck floors, developing a range of profiles for the construction market.

Now they provide the complete, one-stop solution including safety netting, floor and roof deck, thru-deck stud welding and concrete toppings. This service has allowed SMD to work on

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some very prestigious projects over the last few years, both in the UK and throughout Europe.

These projects include the Olympic Stadium, The Shard, O² Arena and Heathrow Terminal 2 ranging in size from 1000m² office extensions to 130,000m² airport buildings.

Commercial Director Dan Williams says much of the company’s success across these schemes and elsewhere is the result of being able to call on the talents of its own workforce. “Utilising our multi-skilled gangs of direct labour we are not only able to undertake both the large, complicated projects such as the Shard, but also smaller building extensions for schools and offices,” he remarks.

However, there are inevitable challenges in a fast-moving sector and SMD has worked tirelessly to stay ahead. “With the industry now in a growth phase the aim of our business, and indeed our industry, is to ensure that there are sufficient resources in place to meet the increased demand.

“Finding new staff and training them to be a competent and skilled workforce is the single largest priority we currently have. Some significant highlights for 2014 include the appointment of a full time training manager, the only decking company to be awarded FORS accredi-

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tation for our fleet of 30 vehicles and introducing our updated bespoke design software Elements®, written in-house, which is free to download from our website, www.smdltd.co.uk.”

SMD has also embraced new technology. In fact, they became the first decking company to engage with RIBA to produce specific BIM model files based on their product range. This allows both engineers and architects to incorporate SMD’s products directly into their BIM Modelled designs.

“We have always adopted best practice and strive to be industry leaders in all that we do,” remarks Dan, adding that SMD are a proud member of a number of key industry associations such as BCSA, FASET and the Concrete Society. They also enjoy a strong relationship with the SCI who have played an “important part” in SMD’s achievements over the years, contributing to much of their design solutions in that time.

SMD have, of course, been helped along the way by their hardworking supply chain. Remarks Dan: “To successfully deliver the demanding and complex projects listed above we have developed many strategical alliances with our suppliers.

Engaging with specialists such as Nelson Stud Welding for shear stud supply and Nationwide Platforms for our MEWP supply has enabled us to deliver these projects with certainty and quality.”

SMD also holds ISO 9001, 14001 and , OHSAS 18001 and for the third year running has been awarded the Gold level membership of the sustainability charter managed by the BCSA. “It is these accreditations that underpin our company values of sustainable growth through innovation, safety, honesty, integrity and investment in our staff.” ww.smdltd.co.uk Tel: 01202 718 898

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CIVIL ENGINEERING CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT ASSOCIATION

The Construction Equipment Association is the trade association that represents the UK construction equipment sector and is recognised

by HM Government as the voice of the industry.

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The Construction Equipment Association (CEA) has a membership that includes original equipment manufacturers with UK production facilities, overseas OEMs with UK offices, component and accessory suppliers, trade publishers, specialist service providers, equipment distributors, and some international companies.

The association, which is recognised as the voice of the industry, provides members with all the typical benefits of a well-run sector association including technical and regulatory assistance, marketing strategy and promotion for both UK and international markets, lobbying, trade exhibitions and networking opportunities.

Most recently, the CEA spoke positively of the government’s budget announcement, saying it provided “welcome pro-business proposals such as the treatment of R&D tax credits for smaller companies and a long overdue review of the business rating system.”

Elsewhere, the organisation set its sights on the challenge of avoiding a skills shortage in the industry through its annual conference held in March. CEA chief executive Rob Oliver said its Sector Study showed that most companies had recruitment and skills issues. The conference therefore addressed the issue from both the supply side (the education pipeline of potential recruits) and the demand side – where the skills gaps are – and what businesses can do about it. Other areas looked at included upskilling, and opportunities for outsourcing. “We aim to provide enough information and ideas to give businesses a tool kit for bridging the skills gap,” remarked Mr Oliver.

In one of the most important discussions, Professor Simon Hodgson, President of the Engineering Professors’ Council and Dean of the School of Science and Engineering at Teesside University, delivered the keynote speech exploring firstly the issue of quantity. How can the pace of the sector’s growth be married to the skill levels it has at its disposal without impacting upon quality?

He also discussed how the industry can ensure that those individuals being produced by the higher education system also have the skillsets and attributes that are needed by employers, both for the immediate and longer term.

Now that the new government has established itself at No. 10 post-election, the CEA will move to step up its bid to lobby for beneficial change and push for policies revealed in March’s budget to be implemented.

“Extra support to encourage exports to China is an interesting initiative” of the budget, said Mr Oliver in March. He added: “The policy battle for our sector will be post-election when commitments to medium to long term infrastructure spending will come up against the pressures of political expediency.”

If you would like to become a member of the CEA please complete the CEA membership application form and return this to cea@admin.co.uk. Your application will then be acknowledged by the membership department. Please note that all applications for membership are subject to approval by the CEA Management Council. www.thecea.org.uk

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CIVIL ENGINEERING RED RHINO CRUSHERS

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CIVIL ENGINEERING RED RHINO CRUSHERS

WORLDWIDE PRESENCE From its established base in the UK, Red Rhino Crushers enjoys an enviable reputation within the crushing sector, providing performance, reliability and value for money.

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Perhaps a sign that the UK economy’s outlook is brightening or perhaps further indication of the country’s manufacturing prowess but Red Rhino Crushers’ significant success in the last few years highlights a more specific quality: an ability to consistently deliver the right solutions for its clients.

From its established base in the UK, operating from headquarters in Grantham, the business enjoys an enviable reputation within the crushing sector, providing performance, reliability and value for money. Its brand is recognised as an industry leader, the qualities of which have allowed it to grow its international presence. Over the last couple of years it has moved to develop its manufacturing processes with the opening of a new state of the art production facility, while investment in the workforce has brought in key skills and experience to aid its growth both in the UK and abroad.

This has coincided with continued product development with new equipment such as the Grizzly Feeder 7000+ crusher becoming its most popular product in 2015. The machine, which was designed as a solution to growing demand for a vibrating feeder with grizzly bars, is the ideal crusher for waste transfer stations, skip companies and plant hire businesses which have limited space. Its capability includes the crushing of concrete, kerbstone, marble, paving slabs, bricks, tiles, blocks, stone, porcelain, flint, gravestones and more with an output of 45 tonnes per hour achieved in optimum conditions.

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One of the features of the 7000+ is the capability to provide side loading from a Bobcat, a key requirement for Red Rhino’s American customers. This is in addition to optional extras such as a magnet conveyor to remove rebar and both a motorised and nonmotorised screener.

It’s important to be adaptable to client needs, says sales consultant Andrew Dakin, particularly when you’re trying to establish a foothold in new, international markets. Two recent additions have addressed the need for mini screeners and crushers. Firstly, a screener capable of dealing with 80 tonnes per hour and secondly an impact crusher designed specifically but not exclusively for the glass recycling industries.

These machines can greatly benefit a project’s financial and environmental efficiency. It is estimated around two billion tonnes of waste is generated in the EU alone each year with a third coming from construction and demolition. Implementing onsite recycling

our machines with the sort of full support and service that meets our exacting standards in the UK.” Andrew has spent the last few months analysing the international marketplace in order to identify potential growth areas for Red Rhino. Priority has been assigned to those territories that meet relevant criteria such as ease of entry, import duty and native language in order to develop new partnerships with distributors of Red Rhino products.

Progress has been particularly good in the USA. “The United States was an obvious target because, quite simply, it is the country with the largest GDP. However, in addition, the economy is very buoyant, there are no language barriers, entry is relatively straightforward and there’s no duty from the UK for our products while shipping costs remain cheap. It takes a while to get established in new markets but we are very confident in our product and our progress in America has really developed strongly in the last couple of years,” remarks Andrew.

Sales in the UK are mainly handled directly (with an additional dealer in the north of England) with servicing and after-care carried out from Red Rhino’s site in Grantham.

However, as a “local” presence is so important, training is offered for its international does not only save significant amounts of money but in the long term also reduces overall carbon footprints through a significant reduction in vehicle movements.

Confidence to spread its wings across an international platform is now a key agenda for Red Rhino. “We do have quite a lot of representation around the world but generally speaking that is with small distributors,” says Andrew Dakin. “We want to up the ante and go to companies that are better funded, better organised, and able to stock and rent

“What really makes us stand out is that we’re a family run, British engineering company that manufactures the products here in Grantham” partners so the same attentive level of service can be provided wherever a customer may be in the world.

Red Rhino’s potential for growth has been made possible thanks to a number of factors but Andrew feels perhaps the most important is “family”. He says, “What really makes us stand out is that we’re a family run, British engineering company that manufactures the products here in Grantham. That’s why we can constantly meet the needs of our clients and ultimately complement their operations.”

www.redrhinocrushers.com Tel: 01476 590790

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ACADEMIA INNOVATION IN EDUCATION

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University research is becoming a large part in the development of modern day technologies. With the constant demand for technology to be bigger and better, University research centres are in high demand to bring out the latest findings in technological advancements. A lot more interest is now being shown in University research programmes as they can be very beneficial not only to companies but the students and professors that take part in the projects. Millions of pounds are put into University research each year and some interesting discoveries have already been made.

At Oxford University, the UK’s top Uni for research (according to a recent study by the University Research Excellence Framework 2014), progress has been made in the field of Social Sciences. Longstanding research has shown that increasing levels of Omega-3 in a child’s diet can help those who suffer with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) by improving their concentration and learning ability.

A study was conducted with two groups of children, all of which had reading ability test scores in the bottom third of the national average. One group received an Omega-3 DHA supplement and the other received a placebo, they each took one supplement a day for 16 weeks. The study concluded that the children who were given the Omega-3 DHA supplement performed distinctively better in the reading and behaviour tests after the course of Omega-3 DHA. Professor Paul Montgomery at the Centre for Evidence Based Intervention wondered if this fact can be said for children without ADHD or without a specific medical condition. He said: “DHA supplementation appears to offer a safe and effective way to improve reading and behaviour in healthy but under-performing children.”

Meanwhile at the University of Bristol Professor Paul Weaver and colleagues have contributed towards the creation of quieter propeller blades that could provide smoother rides for helicopter users. Helicopters are known to make a lot

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innovation in education

o f n o i s e when flying overhead and it’s pretty hard to miss one when they do. Helicopter makers AgustaWestland approached the team at Bristol University when creating new blades for their EH101 helicopters, also known as Merlins. When developing the blades with PhD student Stuart Lemanski, Prof Montgomery had to take into account several concepts of structural engineering such as; the “twisting” motion that could occur with the blades if a novel composite direction was used for both top and bottom blades and also how to reduce the vibratory forcing that the old blades were giving off. “The benefits to AgustaWestland have been substantial. The new blades could be fitted to the EH101 with the rotor hubs and airframes now experiencing no extra vibratory forcing.” The benefit of the newly designed blades has been considerable and will benefit many people.

Many different topics are been explored at Universities all over the country. For example, at the University of Westminster research is currently been undertaken in the field of Architecture. Something that will benefit the research being done there is the opening of a brand new cutting-edge

Fabrication Laboratory called ‘Fabrication Laboratory Westminster’, located on the Marylebone campus the lab contains brand new state of the art equipment including, ABS and plaster 3D printing, CNC knife cutting and large scale CNC routing. “The collection of robots uniquely includes an industrial robot arm running on a five-metre rail across a window visible from Marylebone Road.”

Opened in April 2015 these new facilities will give students the opportunity to better their studies by having access to the best equipment possible. The lab will provide students with the perfect surroundings to further their knowledge about 21st century digital fabrication. Dr David Scott, Senior Lecturer and academic leader for the Fabrication Laboratory Westminster, said: “The new Fabrication Laboratory will allow students to immerse themselves in and explore the exciting and rapidly expanding field of digital fabrication. It gives them a fantastic opportunity to produce work of the highest quality, offering new design possibilities and creative outcomes.”

The University of Salford has been doing research into Biomedical Science, research on topics such as children’s cancer, Parasitology and the function of cells/organs in the human body and animal systems in physiological and pathological settings is currently been undertaken at the University.

The Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) has

“The collection of robots uniquely includes an industrial robot arm running on a five-metre rail”

been working with Kidscan Centre for Children’s Cancer Research which looks into new and improved ways to treat children diagnosed with cancer. “Active research programmes also include immunological aspects of cancer and infection, tissue and inflammatory response to damage and disease and applications of biotechnology.”

Kidscan’s main aims are to: “Cure children with cancer, to improve the treatment of children with cancer, to develop new treatments and support programmes specifically for children suffering with cancer and to be a source of information about childhood cancer.” The partnership with BRC will help speed up the process of meeting those aims and with the help of the University researchers we could be one step closer to the answer we need.

Another major research topic at the University it Parasitology which includes looking into: “Aspects of pathology, drug action and diagnostics for malaria, trypanosomiasis and larval cestode infections with implications for both human and animal health.” All research been undertaken has an end goal to benefit the human race and also animals.

With the development of partnerships between organisations, companies and University research programmes we step closer to getting the answers to the toughest medical and technological questions and a step closer to solutions of the toughest problems.

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ACADEMIA UNIVERSITY OF WESTMINSTER

CUTTING EDGE RESEARCH

the university of westminster supports the UK economy with highly educated, trained and knowledgeable individuals, in the areas of research and sciences.

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The University of Westminster boasts a vibrant learning environment attracting more than 20,000 students from over 150 nations and continues to invest in the future with new developments, research projects and new ideas. By supporting the education and development of keen minds, the university has been able to support the wider UK economy with highly educated, trained and knowledgeable individuals, specifically in areas concerning research and sciences.

Offering highly attractive practice-based courses which are independently rated as excellent, many with international recognition,

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the University of Westminster has a distinguished 175-year history which has allowed the university to lead the way in many areas of research, particularly politics, media, art and design, architecture and biomedical sciences.

The university's position in the city of London has also allowed it to continue to build on close connections with leading figures and organisations in these areas as well as in the worlds of business, information technology, politics and law.

On 28 April 2015 the University of Westminster opened the cutting-edge Fabrication Laboratory Westminster located on its Marylebone Campus in central London, putting the University at the leading edge of digital fabrication. Providing a major extension of the University of Westminster’s existing

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ACADEMIA UNIVERSITY OF WESTMINSTER architecture workshops, Fabrication Laboratory Westminster includes two new purpose-built spaces offering advanced digital making facilities. It is equipped with flexible computer controlled tools covering a wide range of scales, materials and processes.

The laboratory provides an innovative learning environment inspiring and preparing students for the challenges and versatility of digital fabrication in the 21st century. Fabrication Laboratory Westminster also offers specialist training short courses as well as new areas of support for research and PhD students.

The new state-of-the-art facilities complement the suite of 3D printers and laser cutters in the University’s Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment, adding a wide selection of digital equipment that enable a range of design and fabrication processes including ABS and plaster 3D printing, CNC knife cutting, large scale CNC routing, CNC metal milling and robot fabrication. The collection of robots uniquely includes an industrial robot arm running on a five-metre rail across a window visible from Marylebone Road.

Professor Geoff Petts, Vice Chancellor of the University of Westminster, Professor Katharine Heron, Professor of Architecture and former Head of the University of Westminster’s Department of Architecture, Professor David Dernie, Dean of Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment, and Chris Wilkinson of Wilkinson Eyre Architects will welcome guests to the Fabrication Laboratory Westminster. Guests will get a chance to tour of the brand new laboratory and have the opportunity to observe the facilities in action, while entertained by the Ian Smith Trio jazz band.

Dr David Scott, Senior Lecturer and academic leader for the Fabrication Laboratory Westminster, said: “The new Fabrication Laboratory will allow students to immerse themselves in and explore the exciting and rapidly expanding field of digital fabrication. It gives them a fantastic opportunity to produce work of the highest quality, offering new design possibilities and creative outcomes.” www.westminster.ac.uk

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The Revolutionary development of 3D technology aids in the creation of 3D prosthetics

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fastest print speeds, a large build volume, and the most convenient print-to-part process, so it’s easier to create parts with engineered plastic or rubber properties.”

The printer allowed for the use of both rigid and flexible materials in the creation of Derby's front legs, which meant they could be made to accurately fit his legs.

Another magnificent story in the world of 3D printing is that of Stephen Power, who had 3D facial reconstruction surgery to repair his cheekbone after a motorcycle accident. After first taking 3D scans of Stephen's face and creating models to see where the new bones would fit in, the surgeons then: “Printed medical-grade titanium implants using the same printers, and put them in during an intensive 8-hour operation,” cbcnews detailed.

These revolutionary developments have spurred on the development of 3D technology in the medical field, 3D technology has so far created things such as stem cells, jaw bones, hips and ears and much more. This advanced technology is already saving lives and making peoples lives better, so imagine, with a little more research in this industry, the possibilities for 3D printing are endless.

the future of prostheses

There have been many advancements in the development of 3D printing in recent years, however, more recently is the creation of 3D printed prosthetics.

Created using the ProJet 5500X 3D Printer, prosthetic front legs were made for a fourlegged furry creature.

Yes, the limbs were made for a dog, Derby the dog to be precise.

State of the art 3D technology was used to create correctly shaped prosthetics for the dog.

Derby was born with deformed front legs and was unable to walk properly, his determination to use his front legs made him the perfect candidate for the state of the art technology. Originally used for creating prosthetics for humans, this same technology was then adapted and modified to be suitable for animal use.

“The ProJet 5500X features the

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BEST OF BRITISH uk manufacturing at its best International Powered Access Federation Promoting the safe and effective use of powered access equipment

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CENTRAL SCANNING: 3D REVOLUTION