Construction & Civil Engineering Issue 125 March 2016

www.ccemagazine.com

ISSUE 125 MARCH

Holding back the

floods Is it time to change the paradigm for flood resilience and move to long-term upstream defences?

See page 10

Landmark achievement

The Shanghai Tower includes many sustainable features

Concrete art

Images, designs and textures can now be embossed into concrete walls

Seeing red

London City Island development features striking block colours

Chairman Andrew Schofield

10 Cover story

contents

Editor Libbie Hammond

libbie@schofieldpublishing.co.uk Art Editor Gerard Roadley-Battin Advertising Design Fleur Daniels

2

Studio Assistant Barnaby Schofield Staff Writers Jo Cooper Andrew Dann Ben Clark Operations Director Philip Monument Research Manager Laura Thompson Editorial Researchers Nick Bochmann Mark Cowles Tarjinder Kaur D’Silva Keith Hope Sales Director Joe Woolsgrove

18 16

Sales David King Mark Cawston Production/ Office Manager Tracy Chynoweth

Schofield Publishing Cringleford Business Centre, 10 Intwood Road, Cringleford, Norwich, NR4 6AU, U.K. Tel: +44 (0)1603 274130 Fax: +44 (0)1603 274131 www.ccemagazine.com

@cce_magazine

Š 2016 Schofield Publishing Ltd

FEATURES 2 BAE Systems Barrow-in-Furness redevelopment Allan Day speaks to Ben Clark about the progress of the eight and a half year plan to redevelop BAE Systems submarine shipyard

6 IT The BIM Level 2 requirement is supported by a whole host of standards, none of which can be addressed overnight

68 company profiles 22 Abbey Pynford

Geo Structures 26 Arkoni 29 Commercial Marine and Piling 32 RAK Ceramics 36 ViaCon Group 40 Premier Modular 43 AB2000 Limited 46 Egyptian steel 49 Travis Perkins 53 CEMEX UK 58 ATG Access 61 Bouwbedrijf Van De Ven 64 Rudridge 68 Walter Lilly & Co

8 Energy Management The time is right for developers and specifiers to investigate alternative heating and energy solutions

10 Flood resilience In response to winter flooding, experts have highlighted upstream flood storage as a possible solution

14, 15, 21 NEWS Updates and information from the construction and civil engineering market

16 Renovation Dealing with the challenges of working on historical renovation projects requires attention to detail and crossorganisational planning

18 Offsite construction How pre-assembled and transportable formwork has played an important part in some of the biggest construction projects

Please note: The opinions expressed by contributors and advertisers within this publication do not necessarily coincide with those of the editor and publisher. Every reasonable effort is made to ensure that the information published is accurate, but no legal responsibility for loss occasioned by the use of such information can be accepted by the publisher. All rights reserved. The contents of the magazine are strictly copyright, the property of Schofield Publishing, and may not be copied, stored in a retrieval system, or reproduced without the prior written permission of the publisher.

1

BAE Systems Barrow-in-Furness Redevelopment

Scaling up for the

future

As the Barrow-in-Furness redevelopment programme at BAE Systems’ state-of-the-art submarine shipyard makes good progress, Programme Director Allan Day speaks to Ben Clark about some of its major challenges as well as its key successes 2

T

he Barrow-in-Furness shipyard, based in Cumbria, has existed since the 1870s as a world-class submarine site. Since 1963 it has been responsible for building all but three of the Royal Navy’s nuclearpowered submarines and as such has been maintained as a cutting edge facility. With the current Astute programme ongoing and the Successor programme gearing up to potentially replace the Vanguard class submarines, a major redevelopment scheme

worth in excess of £300 million is currently underway to modernise and facilitate the extra capacity.

Construction & Civil Engineering spoke to Programme Director at BAE Systems Submarines, Allan Day, who discusses the progress of the eight-and-a-half year plan as well as some of the challenges that are being over come.

“Overall the project is made up of numerous individual schemes constituting a mixture of civil facilities, large engineering workshops, marine installations and a range of

other boundary buildings within the nuclear-licensed site. So it’s a very diverse project,” he explains. “As a key enabler, not only for the delivery of the potential Successor submarine programme, but also the legacy capability for the shipyard long into the future, this is an incredibly significant programme.

It is also the biggest investment the shipyard has seen since the 1980s when the Devonshire Dock Hall (DDH) was built, so it’s a once in a generation investment.”

The project is currently around two-and-a-half years into its schedule with all the planned projects past the concept design stage, with some already mobilised on site. Atkins leads the project from a design point of view, whilst Costain, Shepherd (now part of Wates Construction) and Morgan Sindall hold the main framework contracts.

“The strengths of bringing these three main contractors together on the programme is the requisite capabilities, track record and experience they bring, all underpinned by the safety culture necessary to deliver this vast programme over the time frame,” notes Allan. “This part of Cumbria is not used to such large investment so we recognised that we needed a strong strategic framework that would support this. These organisations were able to work closely and have early engagement with us to support the project’s entire development.”

One of the first major projects to have started construction in 2015 was the Central Yard Complex (CYC). At 45 metres high, 170 metres long and 90 metres wide it will be the tallest building on the site when completed and only a third smaller than the already immense DDH. It is also the largest of this current build programme.

Designed as a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility the CYC

is scheduled for completion sometime in 2017.

“In order to get ahead of the game and mitigate the challenging weather conditions that this coastal site is submitted to in the winter we began the groundworks and enabling works at the beginning of August 2015,” Allan outlines. “This has involved demolishing previous facilities, such as the old boiler shop, to make way for the modern development and has involved around five months of excavating an area 90 metres wide and twice as long in length to prepare the ground for piling rigs, foundation masts and so on.”

Despite the site’s long history this phase of the development didn’t experience any major contamination and has been completed in time for major construction works to begin. In total around 51,000 cubic metres of materials were removed from the ground, most of which was recycled and reused as graded material, minimising environmental and transport impacts. Testament to their expertise, Allan praises the collaborative innovation undertaken by the designers and contractors in achieving this.

In October 2016 the first of the projects to be completed is due for commissioning just outside the main shipyard. The 28,000 square metre strategic bulk store will be a key logistical facility distributing materials to and from the main manufacturing hubs and is currently in the advanced stages of construction. “The main structural steelworks are up and over half the cladding has been completed,” Allan says. “This is on-time and on-budget so our stakeholders are very pleased with progress.”

Around the same time work will also begin on adding a significant extension to the DDH, which will provide additional manufacturing capability, plus office accommodation and workshops

3

BAE Systems Barrow-in-Furness Redevelopment

for over 200 extra people. Allan also highlights a state-of-the-art paint spray facility that is due to start in 2016 as well alongside a number of refurbishment projects to make use of existing facilities in a cost effective manner.

4

Operationally the Barrowin-Furness shipyard continues to focus on the current Astute programme as well as readying itself for the potential Successor programme. This poses the development team its biggest

challenge as it enters some major construction phases over the coming months. “It is the closest a construction project can get to open heart surgery,” Allan expresses. “At its peak we will potentially have 850 contractors on site, in addition to the 7000 employees already working here.

It’s a massive task where we have to look at the three individual programmes together and ensure that we can fully integrate the logistics so that they can work side-by-side, harmoniously and with no conflict between them.

However, whilst this will be one of our biggest challenges over the next five years, the intensity of having so many people working here at any one time creates an excellent opportunity for employment.”

Opportunities for employment are not only of benefit for the development programme itself, but also the local economy and the BAE Systems team have

made it a clear remit of theirs to make sure it engages with the surrounding communities in the best way possible throughout the project. “Part of our down-selection for framework contractors was an evaluation on their approach to Corporate Social Responsibility,” Allan continues. “All three evidenced their commitment to this and it is now manifesting itself in tangible benefits on the ground.”

As part of the focus, framework partners are appointing apprenticeships through the local college to provide unique knowledge and experience on the site, and 30 to 50 per cent of the employed workforce is coming from the local area. The organisations are also providing their services to the local schools. In 2015, for example, the team rejuvenated part of a local infant school’s grounds, creating a secret garden for the pupils. Regular local briefings, a

public information centre and a dedicated webpage have also all been set up to ensure that the local communities are engaged with, fully informed and kept up-to-date with ongoing and planned works. Allan also points out that numerous supply chains have been formed from the local economy, and the number of associated visitors to the area has provided a boost to local businesses and amenities.

This focused commitment to responsibly operating also manifests itself in an exemplary health and safety policy on site.

“Between us and the framework partners we have developed a programme-wide SHE Charter, which is people focused and is very much about a leadership and behavioural-led approach to safety,” says Allan. “This is implemented by encouraging people to share best practice with their partners and also by regular meetings at both a programme management and director level.

This way we can continually assess the logistics and actively review onsite performance from a design, buildability, implementation and also an enduser point of view. It is absolutely the first item on any agenda, is

Right Allan Day, Head of Barrow site redevelopment programme non-negotiable and to date our AFR is still at 0.0 per cent.”

The Barrow-in-Furness development is undeniably large in both its scale and its impact on the site’s future. Over the course of 2016 construction will be in full flow with a total of five major projects ongoing simultaneously before the year is out, meaning that many of the commitments already highlighted here will become even more important. Ultimately it is clear that BAE Systems and its partners will continue throughout the remainder of the programme with an integrity and excellence already demonstrated by early works and its responsible approach to the people both on and off site.

www.baesystems.com

5

IT

2016BIM Mandate

Getting the basics right for BIM Level 2. ByDavid Light

W

ith the introduction of the government’s BIM mandate in 2016, all contractors of public sector buildings will be required to be BIM level 2 compliant. One of the original drivers for the mandate was around reducing the carbon emissions during a build by using efficient and sustainable construction practices, such as 3D simulation and analysis. BIM level 2 provides a consistent framework for managing construction projects to continue such sustainable practices during the build and throughout the entire structure lifecycle.

It’s important to realise that these public sector requirements are not simple undertakings that can be addressed ‘last minute’.

They will require planning, investment and patience.

Organisations such as BDP and BAM have already begun

6

preparing for mandate, which should act as a marker for all firms in the industry. The BIM Level 2 requirement is supported by a whole host of standards including operational data management, stakeholder readiness and security – none of which can be addressed overnight.

The BIM Level 2 basics 1. Standards across the supply chain Broadly speaking, the focus of the mandate isn’t simply pushing firms to invest in the latest technology. Instead, the focus should be around collaboration.

For example, one of the basic standards of BIM Level 2 is having

a central source of truth for all stakeholders to share documents, data and models, referred to as CDE or Common Data Environment. The most common framework deliverable required

by Level 2 is COBie (Construction Operations Building Information Exchange) – a data format for the publication of a subset of building model information focused on delivering building information.

Different stakeholders are required to associate various data sets such as area specifications, costs and suppliers that are then extracted into an Excel spreadsheet to make it easier to maintain a building throughout its lifecycle. COBie helps capture and record important project data at the point of origin, including equipment lists, product data sheets, warranties, spare parts lists, and preventive maintenance schedules. While this doesn’t require the 3D modelling we associate with BIM, it is an essential deliverable to be Level 2 compliant.

2. Invest in the right technology Even if your company has invested in a BIM platform it doesn’t mean that you’re automatically going to be able to reap the rewards of the BIM process. When choosing BIM software, companies need to almost work backwards and consider what deliverables they have to provide to their clients and then form an action plan for deployment. This includes getting staff up-to-speed on how to use the tools efficiently.

3. Education is the foundation Contractors and architects need to educate their employees on firstly the BIM mandate standards and also how to use the tools. Each stakeholder in the construction project must be able to digest the jargon within the mandate, make it relevant for them and know what data they need to deliver in projects in order to be compliant for Level 2.

They also need to keep up with changing legislation.

The good thing is that there are various sources that can help make the legislation palatable, including industry groups, BIM hub user groups, training courses and online resources.

Demand for BIM is growing – don’t miss the boat

won’t be the end of the journey for BIM. As an industry we need to continue working towards a future where we are able to build even more sustainable, attractive and better uses of space. Within the industry there’s already talk about BIM Level 3 and the rise of smart cities as the future of construction.

To survive, firms must strategically position their use of technology, and educate and work collaboratively between their supply chain vendors and industry bodies to share concepts and recommendations. If we continue building on our BIM success in the UK, construction projects will be more sustainable and we will also have more innovative design and engineering strategies, providing firms with a significant competitive advantage. It’s a really exciting time to be a British business in this space.

One of the key objectives behind the government mandate is to act as a catalyst for the industry as a whole to modernise and improve its processes, quality, efficiency and sustainability. For those who innovate now and ensure that they are at least BIM level 2 compliant, they’ll be able to bid for and win projects wherever and whenever public or private clients demand it.

Moreover, the number of project owners around the world requiring the use of BIM is also rising. The UK is leading the world in this respect and this offers a huge opportunity for British businesses to export skills and win more international projects, positioning UK organisations as best in class, both at home and abroad.

David Light is a BIM Consultant at Autodesk.

Autodesk helps people imagine, design and create a better world. Everyone - from design professionals, engineers and architects to digital artists, students and hobbyists - uses Autodesk software to unlock their creativity and solve important challenges.

The future of BIM and connected Britain

For more information, please see

It’s important to remember that 2016 will be a milestone but it

www.autodesk.com

7

ENERGY MANAGEMENT

Offering

alternatives Neil Birdsall discusses the recent changes to the heating and energy management markets and the opportunities presented to the industry

R

ecent figures from comparison service uSwitch.com have highlighted that nearly three million consumers have switched energy provider in the last 12 months. These figures alone show how savvy consumers are becoming when shopping around looking for the best deal possible. It is therefore equally important that installers are equipped to unlock further potential reductions when assessing their current heating systems.

Installers must also be up to

8

speed with the current trends and associated positives and negatives of different types of energy.

Recent figures from Department of Energy and Climate Change show that the number of houses using electricity to heat them is on the rise. This change can be attributed to the preference in new build properties for electricity over gas systems and, as with many of these trends, this is beginning to be replicated in the refurbishment market.

The winter months are well and truly here and 60 per cent

of a homeowner’s annual bill is accrued during the colder season.

Giving those in new properties the opportunity to access real-time information on how much energy they are consuming, and more importantly how much this is costing them, is a very useful tool, and installers can maximise this by promoting the use of smart meters. A recent survey showed that 64 per cent of smart meter users saved up to ÂŁ75 per year on their energy bills.

Home automation technology has been available for many years

but demand for systems in the UK have, until recently, been largely limited to luxury homes and specialist projects. However, with declining costs and complexity, plus greater awareness of system benefits, home automation is set to become one of the fastest growing markets in the UK. There are now thermostats available, such as the third generation Nest Learning Thermostat, that learn user’s preferred settings, then programme themselves, whilst also capturing data on how long it takes to heat the home, ensuring it reaches a comfortable temperature by the time the homeowner wakes up. They are also able to sense when the home is vacated and turn down accordingly. Importantly for endusers, many of these types of products come with smartphone and tablet apps to control and monitor energy usage remotely, allowing them to see savings in real-time.

With so many products currently available, and new products constantly coming to market, developers should ensure customers are given as much information as possible in order to allow them to make informed decisions that could make a difference to their energy consumption. Allowing customers the opportunity to save energy will not only save money, but will also improve overall customer satisfaction.

For those customers who are in the market for a system upgrade, switching from a ‘wet’ heating system using hot water pumped round the house to a modern completely electric system can further reduce energy costs and overall usage. With insulation improving and homes becoming increasingly airtight, homeowners heating demands are changing.

The versatility of electric heating means that systems can meet

end-users comfort and budgetary requirements.

A further money saving incentive that needs to be communicated to customers is the benefit of switching to electronic thermostats and radiators that feature built-in thermostatic controls. A typical three-bedroom semi-detached property can save up to £150 and 630kg of carbon dioxide a year through the installation of a new thermostat and, by turning down room temperatures by just one degree, save a further £75. What’s more, these changes can be made with minimal disruption, as it is not necessary to replace the boiler to make the switch, which should be a key selling point to customers.

An extra benefit of installing electric radiators is that they can be used almost anywhere in a room and come in a range of sizes to suit, and, importantly for installers and homeowners alike, can be fitted and working within a matter of minutes. Installers can also leave customers safe in the knowledge that gone are the days of the expensive annual boiler inspection and with a simpler electronic system, maintenance is much easier.

Suitable for both new-build and refurbishment projects, the newest electric heating technology features on-board energy monitors allowing occupants to see exactly how much energy is being used to heat a room, helping them make

an informed decision on comfort versus cost.

With modern electric radiators featuring digitally controlled thermostats accurate to within 1°C, electric heating can quickly respond to maintain constant room temperature, reducing the overheating of rooms and limit the unnecessary consumption of energy.

Demonstrating cash savings to customers in real terms can help them understand and buy into the benefits of new technologies and products. Likewise, demonstrating how all those technologies can interlink to provide them with an end solution designed to save more energy and money means they are able to see the bigger picture and all possibilities.

With rising energy bills and a raft of challenging legislation driving the demand for renewable, low carbon alternatives to gas, oil and LPG heating, the time is right for developers and specifiers to investigate the alternative solutions that can be offered to consumers.

Neil Birdsall works at leading electrical wholesaler, YESSS Electrical. Normanton-based YESSS Electrical, established in 2012, is one of the UK’s fastest growing companies and recently opened its 90th branch. Employing 850 staff nationwide, YESSS has plans to expand throughout 2016 to achieve a network of 150 UK branches.

For more information, please see

www.yesss.co.uk

9

FLOOD RESILIENCE

Holding back the

floods

Mark Goodger suggests it’s time to change the paradigm for flood resilience and move to sustainable, long-term upstream defences 10

T

he destructive power of floodwater has been all too evident during another winter of relentless and repeated storms in some parts of the UK. Finding longterm solutions to building flood resilience is back at the top of the agenda, and it is the civil engineering community that can provide precision-engineered answers.

Following Storms Desmond and Eva, the Government confirmed details of its National Flood

of vulnerable areas could be considered.

Well-proven engineering

Resilience Review to assess how the country can be better protected from future flooding and extreme weather events.

It says it will start to consider the longer-term strategy for flood defences later this year, aligning closely with Defra’s work on integrated catchment-level management.

Flash river floods are one of the most powerful, and often all-too-sudden, consequences of relentless rainfall in vulnerable low-lying areas. The problem is, it’s already too late when water

from the surrounding uplands has raced down highland slopes to the valleys below.

In response to the winter flooding, many expert commentators have highlighted upstream flood storage as one solution that could provide more sustainable, long-term resilience.

UK Environment Secretary Liz Truss and Neil Parish, Chair of the EFRA committee, also both seemed to suggest that providing positive rewards for farmers for managing temporary flood storage areas upstream

In fact, the value of holding back the river water upstream, well away from vulnerable homes and businesses, in upstream flood storage defences is already a proven and sustainable alternative.

It makes a lot more sense than just building higher and higher walls, floodgates and levees in the valleys and hoping that the surging river will not overtop them – especially as climate change makes such intense storm events more likely.

Controlling floodwater by holding back flow means finding space to store the water temporarily upstream so it can be discharged at a rate that protects the downstream environment.

Whether in a river, a Sustainable Drainage System (SuDS) or below ground in a combined sewer, the same rules of precision engineering apply.

Vortex flow control technology is already familiar to civil engineers and contractors as a means of regulating the flow in watercourses by flattening out

11

FLOOD RESILIENCE

peak flows, thereby protecting the downstream catchment from flash flooding. Hydro-Brake flow controls are a commonplace solution in our urban environments as a sustainable, nopower and low maintenance way of managing flood protection.

Civil engineering has also taken on board their long-proven ability for larger-scale flood alleviation measures for rivers and watercourses, leading to some of the most spectacular schemes. The technology has been ‘supersized’ in fluvial projects across the country and is now a familiar approach that is successfully protecting more than 4000 homes and businesses in cities, towns and villages.

The world’s largest HydroBrake flow controls on the White Cart River hold back flows in the highlands above Glasgow. At the

12

time of planning the scheme, it was recognised that building defences along the river’s urban banks alone would have required flood walls over two metres high, which would have been a hugely disruptive construction project and would have closed down the natural river system in the some places.

Instead, three upstream flood storage areas were constructed on agricultural land in the highlands above Glasgow with a capacity to hold up to 571 million gallons of floodwater. At the same time they provided 90,000 m2 of wetland habitats. As part of the scheme design, plans were made to enhance biodiversity and wildlife habitat of the area with the creation of woodland, scrub, and species-rich wet grasslands, shallow scrapes and ponds and other artificial habitats.

One of the biggest advantages of the cone-shaped vortex flow control technology is that it comes into operation automatically as the river levels rise. There is no power needed, no one needs to be there to operate the flood defence in an emergency, and there are no moving parts or electrical systems that could fail.

The flood storage has been custom-designed to precisely calculate the capacity and reach of upstream storage areas; using the correct Hydro-Brake flow control can reduce the volume of flood water to be stored by up to 30 per cent compared to fixed orifice controls; reducing land take during storm events.

Flow control selection Choosing the correct flow control solution follows the same principles for any scheme, however large or small. It depends firstly on the physical space available for storage - there may be strict limitations in an urban area, for example - and secondly on the affordable project costs of creating the storage, both in terms of land value and construction.

The maximum storage water

level is often limited by the existing topography, infrastructure or property. The engineered storage area could be used when not in flood for agriculture, or for leisure and recreation. Drain down after events should therefore ideally be rapid, to restore land to its primary use, and authorities may need to ensure public education to warn of the risk of flooding, especially where flood events are infrequent but significant.

A range of solutions is available starting with a basic orifice plate, best suited where the area available for storage is not limited. The most advanced vortex flow controls offer precision engineering that achieves the best-possible hydraulic response for a device without any moving parts or external power requirements. To get closest to the smallest upstream storage volume, a float-operated flow control provides precise performance by creating a continuously variable orifice that changes in direct relation to the

water height and enables rapid drain down to protect against the next peak flow.

Engineering a balance Hydrological and hydraulic modelling for each of the control technologies, combined with a range of storm event and duration probabilities, will be used to calculate the storage needed and its capital investment implications.

The storage volume needed must be carefully balanced against the cost and complexity of the flow control solution selected.

Mark Goodger is Regional Technical Manager for Hydro International’s Stormwater Division. Hydro International, which has offices in the UK, USA and Ireland, provides cost effective solutions for controlling the quantity and improving the quality of water with minimal maintenance. Hydro products have won international awards for outstanding contributions and technical innovation in the water industry.

For more information, please see

www.hydro-int.com

13

news

Cabin fever

Mine rehab

J.Murphy & Sons Limited (Murphy) has created a new eco-cabin that can help reduce energy use by up to 70 per cent at work sites. The cabin’s energy and water saving features include an advanced heating system which allows centralised control, motion sensitive lighting controlled via passive infrared sensors, non-concussive taps (taps where you have to press a button for water to turn on) timed flow urinals and dual flush toilets. These fuel-efficient factors have led to a reduction of around 75 per cent in water consumption and whole lifestyle costs, as well as improve the working environment.

To increase thermal performance, the eco-cabin is double glazed, with wall, floor and roof insulation to form a thermally efficient envelope. Additional features such as extra internal doors and installation of draft strips contribute to reducing heat loss.

John Coll, Murphy’s divisional director of procurement, plant and transport said: “The energy saving eco-cabins reflect Murphy’s commitment to reducing our environmental impact and providing the best possible facilities for our workforce.

The cabins have already proved their worth by making a positive contribution to reducing energy consumption and costs. They are kind to the environment and have been very popular with staff.”

As part of a government programme to close and rehabilitate 660 abandoned asbestos mines and shafts in South Africa, quantitysurveying expertise is being supplied by global programme management and construction consultancy Turner & Townsend.

So far, Turner & Townsend has provided quantity surveying services for nine abandoned asbestos mines across the region with three of them now closed, and is involved with further six sites, and more potential projects are in the pipeline.

Gordon Bulmer, Senior Quantity Surveyor for Turner & Townsend, said: “The projects vary in complexity, therefore a key requirement of being awarded the bid for the asbestos mines was our ability to provide the highest standard of quantity surveying expertise in a flexible and agile way. While each mine site is different, the quantity surveyor in this particular government rehabilitation programme plays a key role – both in terms of advance planning as well as control or containment of costs throughout the projects.”

Concrete art A pioneering new concrete casting service that enables images, designs and textures to be embossed into the surface of walls and pavements is being launched by Townscape Products. The process, which is new to the UK, was the brainchild of interior architect Samuli Naamanka who wanted to apply graphics onto large concrete formats and speed up the hand process.

As part of the launch, Townscape Products, which has manufactured concrete street furniture from its Sutton-in-Ashfield base for more than 40 years, has created a new division called Graphic Concrete HQ to reach out to architects, designers and town planners.

Jonathan Goss, managing director of Townscape Products, said: “Using our new method, architects and designers now have carte blanche to turn walls or pavements into unique pieces of art that lift their projects and give them a signature look. From a simple pattern or transfer to an intricate artwork or deep sculpting – the potential is limitless.”

Townscape has already supplied an eye-catching 40-metre long art wall in Kirkby-inAshfield, on behalf of Ashfield District Council, displaying photographs taken by students at Ashfield Academy.

Jonathan added: “This innovative new product is ideal for local authorities, hospitals, schools and colleges, residential developments, retail sites, transport hubs, workplaces and many other public locations.”

14

Tech partnership Siemens Building Technologies Division has selected LLamasoft Supply Chain Guru as the standard application for supply chain design. “We needed a strong modelling technology platform as well as a partner with a global presence to help guide us in building an innovative supply chain design,” said Sven Markert, Senior Vice President Supply Chain Logistics. “With its integrated optimisation and simulation platform and growing community of users, LLamasoft was the best choice for Siemens’ BT supply chain network.”

Seeing red One of London’s most prominent property developers, EcoWorld Ballymore, has launched new units within its London City Island development, the unique 12 acre island set on the Leamouth Peninsula which will welcome its first residents later in 2016.

The new apartments include suites, one and two bed apartments with prices starting from £342,500. A stand out feature of the development is its striking red swimming pool, one of the amenities available within the City Island Arts Club, the Island’s own private resident’s club. The pool features bright, seafaring red tiles the trademark hue which appears throughout the island including the 260ft iconic bridge which links the

island to Canning Town, making it one of the best connected developments in the capital.

Striking block colours are one of the stylistic features at London City Island, each of the ten apartment buildings is constructed from glossy brickwork in a single bold colour and is cleverly designed to maximise the building’s river frontage. The apartments

themselves boast a warehouse aesthetic with generous open plan living spaces and loft style features. Their design inspiration has been drawn from the history of Leamouth and the creative energy of East London. With waterside walkways along the River Lea that surrounds the development, the island’s identity takes much of its inspiration from London’s rich riverside heritage.

Landmark achievement Aurecon has provided façade engineering design for the striking Shanghai Tower, which is now on the official Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat’s (CTBUH) ‘Current Tallest 20’ list.

At 632 m high, the tower’s unique design is comprised of a circular central floor plate enveloped by a suspended outer skin, triangular in plan, twisting as it ascends. This feature was not only included for aesthetics, it also contributes to Shanghai Tower’s functionality and sustainability, greatly reducing wind load and enabling the easy capture of rainwater to be used in the building’s air conditioning and central heating system.

Designed as an eco-building, the Shanghai Tower’s sustainable features took the U.S. Green Building Council and the Chinese 3-Star Green Building rating and certification systems into account. The tower’s sustainability features include grey water recycling systems located at basement and mid-level to collect water for reuse; 15 three kW vertical axis wind turbines located on the roof to provide 157 500 kWh of renewable electricity each year; two sets of natural gas turbines which generate electricity, chilled water and hot water, while reducing carbon dioxide by 49 per cent; as well as a 12-storey ‘sky garden’ created by the interstitial spaces in the form which act as environmental buffer zones and maximise the usage of the double skins.

15

RENOVATION

life Back to

Luke Czerpak explains the challenges involved in working on historical renovation projects

R

estoring and renovating older properties often presents a series of significant challenges for all the professionals involved; from architect to engineer. Apart from all the red tape that surrounds historic and listed buildings, the fabric of the building itself can present a whole range of problems.

Electrical refits are commonly an important part of most renovation projects and often require a different approach to working on a new or modern build. The issues range from ensuring that wiring is sympathetic and unobtrusive,

16

Above Courtauld Gallery at Somerset House, London

to installing heating systems appropriate for the preservation of historical artefacts.

Safety first But the most important factor in any electrical installation will always be safety. With electrical faults reported to be one of the major causes of fire, this is crucial in any project, but becomes even more pertinent when working in older buildings where wiring may be outdated or hazardous.

The impact of fire in properties of historical or cultural significance can be costly and culturally disastrous. For example, the 1992 fire at Windsor Castle resulted in a ÂŁ36.5 million repair

bill. More recently, last year’s fire at stately home Clandon Park destroyed several Victoria Cross medals plus valuable 18th century porcelain, furniture and textiles.

Investigators have concluded that the probable cause was a defect in an electrical distribution board in the basement. So, ensuring the safety of electrics in older properties has to be a priority.

Meeting a range of demands Having worked on a range of heritage projects from museums to Landmark Trust properties, in our experience, each project will have a set of strict installation and renovation guidelines,

increasingly including stipulations regarding sustainable practice.

Many projects also involve the added challenge of liaising with a wide variety of organisations, some with differing agendas: local heritage officers, charitable trusts, local authorities, building services engineers and architects - in addition to the usual health and safety certification bodies.

Apart from safety, the main objective of any electrical work within a restoration project is to be sympathetic to the original character of the building. Whilst the technology involved is 21st century, the electrics have to complement their surroundings, ideally being hidden from view if possible. This can often be difficult to achieve as most older buildings originally accommodated limited services. This means that electrical systems have to be incorporated into structures that simply weren’t designed for them.

So, system design in heritage properties often involves minimising the physical and visual impact on the building. This can be achieved by concealing electrical equipment in ancillary rooms such as cellars or storerooms. One advantage of an older property is that they tend to have many void spaces. Roof areas, floor cavities, redundant chimneys, gaps behind skirting boards, panelling or architraves and the insides of disused gas and heating pipes can often be suitable sites. For example, in a recent project at Miranda House (the Embassy of Venezuela), the original gas lamps were converted to LED lights and heaters were hidden beneath floors. Reusing any previous holes, notches and cable routes can also minimise disruption.

Reuse, replace or replicate?

Most projects will entail retaining the original fixtures and fittings – or at least the appearance

Creating the right climate

of them. This means that are fittings may often be replicated or renovated. Existing fittings and fixtures can be adapted to provide modern services e.g. gas lamps can be converted to modern light fittings. However, it’s a demanding process, which may require the use of specialist craftsmen to undertake building work, carpentry, decorating and plastering. It is also important to future proof the property by incorporating spare capacity to avoid frequent re-wiring and associated damage.

Fortunately the technology we have available in the electrical and construction industry can help to minimise any invasion. The use of radio frequency control may avoid unnecessary cabling, whilst the installation of specialist containment systems and cabling (including steel conduit, micro bore tubing and MICC cabling) can reduce the potential for invasion and damage.

However, challenges aren’t restricted to the fabric of the buildings themselves. Many heritage properties house precious artefacts, requiring careful storage and climate control and so many of these installations are highly specialised.

For example, a recent project at the Courtauld Gallery at Somerset House in London required some delicate work on conversion, lighting and climate control. As the home of a world famous collection of impressionist and post-impressionist art works, the project involved the conversion of a picture store into a gallery area. A key part of the project’s brief was to install a BMS system, allowing the gallery to control the humidity and temperature in order to meet stringent guidelines set

by Art Council England – and to protect some great works of art.

Combining the elements of history and technology in a successful heritage renovation requires cross-organisational planning, a clear understanding of the project, attention to detail and high levels of skill. It’s certainly a challenge – but that’s also what makes such projects so interesting. After all, what could be more rewarding than preserving our past for future generations to enjoy?

Luke Czerpak is the Compliance Manager at Eaton Electrical and has been involved in many heritage projects including museums and art galleries, as well as National Trust and Landmark Trust properties. Eaton Electrical has been providing electrical contracting and building maintenance services throughout the UK for over 20 years.

The company offers complete turnkey solutions, including design, installation and maintenance, as well as a free energy audit service.

For more information, please see

www.eatononline.co.uk

17

OFFSITE CONSTRUCTION

form UK projects hit top

U

K construction has seen significant growth in over the past 12 months, with the industry expected to add more than £12bn to Britain’s economy over the next two years, according to research conducted by the Construction Products Association, and sector growth estimated to increase by 23 per cent at the end of 2018.

As a result of this upward turn, there has been increased demand for simple and timesaving solutions that can be tailored towards each project and help contractors meet tight deadlines.

Pre-assembled and transportable formwork has played an important part in some of the past year’s biggest projects.

18

By Alasdair Stables

Regeneration

In recent years we have seen a gradual rise in the regeneration of inner city areas, which includes London Dockland’s new residential development, New Providence Wharf, as well as ambitious projects taking shape after years in planning with the Queensferry Crossing a perfect example. Each of these projects has one thing in common: a need to conduct a smooth execution of all working operations.

Using the correct formwork and scaffolding solution is key to the success of a project. All of our solutions are tailored to our customers’ needs, meaning that contractors can receive equipment on-site that provides the right solutions no matter what the size and scale of a project.

Pre-assembled equipment, for example, ensures that no time is lost in erecting and dismantling supportive formwork, a great benefit when it comes to managing manpower and meeting tight deadlines.

Birmingham city centre – new car park and retail space To overcome tight working conditions, PERI supplied its MULTIPROP table system, which was pre-fabricated off-site at its Rugby depot. This meant that the MULTIPROP tables were delivered to site ready-to-use. In total 124 tables were fabricated off-site and easily moved from floor to floor using PD8 trolleys.

The MULTIPROP legs and frames were already in position

when the ready-to-use tabletops were delivered to site. This demonstrates PERI’s technical expertise and unique resources, which were not matched by any other formwork supplier working within restricted spaces.

New Providence Wharf, London – new residential tower block This build used a complete range of PERI equipment, including its RCS-C climbing system with TRIO Panel Wall Formwork, which has all been engineered towards construction specifications. This meant that time was saved and safety was assured by achieving greater support from the formwork as the tower progressed in height on the construction of the 45-storey residential tower.

Pre-assembled and transportable formwork elements such as slab tables, special column formwork, architectural fair-faced formwork or customised formwork, have become very popular. PERI provides these services within its state-of-the-art assembly halls at its head office in Rugby. Here, highly qualified personnel work with optimally designed machines and equipment to ensure cost-effective solutions for even the most unusual architectural requests.

The assembly service PERI provides offer several advantages, including the reduction of mobilising equipment on site, ideal for locations such as city centres where space can be limited and, in some cases, storage nonexistent. The Midlands-based

fabrication service means clients save time and labour costs as no site assembly of equipment is necessary, and customers can order the products on a ‘just in time’ basis. This approach has been welcomed by many inner city project managers, as well as infrastructure builds where space is a constant obstacle when planning the solution.

With having the formwork pre-fabricated at PERI, costs can be monitored closely and quality assured under controlled conditions, which cannot be replicated on site. A further important advantage is the increase in safety, as the equipment is being assembled

by PERI experts. Therefore, it’s no surprise that we are seeing more firms approaching us for economical optimal system equipment for each application and we predict that the demand for such services will continue to set us apart from the competition.

Alasdair Stables is Managing Director at PERI Ltd UK. PERI offers a comprehensive product range and has vast experience in the development and manufacture of formwork and scaffolding systems tailored to customers’ needs. As well as materials, PERI also provides a comprehensive range of services, including site assistance and an assembly service, which has seen many projects combat challenging conditions and save resources.

For more information, please see

www.peri.ltd.uk

19

news

Viva España!

Growth in Qatar

Leading Spanish homebuilder, Taylor Wimpey España, announced in January that there is continued growth in the business due to a ‘meaningful improvement in the Spanish market in 2015’.

The company, which has been building homes in Spain for over 50 years, released figures that show an increase in the total order book, as at 31 December 2015, of 15.9 per cent to 270 homes at the close of the year.

Highlighting the improving Spanish market, the leading developer also confirmed an increase in average selling prices compared to a year ago. The average selling price of a Taylor Wimpey España property in 2014 was €250,000, by 2015 this had

A new report by Timetric’s Construction Intelligence Center (CIC) signals continued evidence of Qatar’s construction growth, driven by the National Vision 2030 – the country’s economic diversification policy – and the preparations for the 2022 Fifa World Cup. During the review period (2011–2015), the industry’s output value in real terms expanded at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15.6 per cent - increasing from $20.8 billion in 2011 to $37.2 billion in 2015, and measured at constant 2010 prices and US dollar exchange rates. High levels of spending on infrastructure have been a key factor in driving the industry’s growth; with the government aiming to develop the economy in a way that it becomes more diverse and less reliant on the oil and gas sector.

Other important factors that will aid the industry’s growth are the government’s initiatives to improve the transport and tourism infrastructure, while addressing the country’s housing shortage and modernising energy delivery by increasing the volume of renewable schemes.

Commercial construction is set to remain the largest sector over the next five years, driven by expanding retail and tourism sectors.

Moreover, with an investment of $15.8 billion, United Development Company (UDC) is developing the Pearl Qatar project in Doha which involves the construction of mixed-use facilities on a 400ha area. The project will enhance residential housing capacity, hospitality, commercial and retail facilities, with the aim to improve infrastructure and to attract more tourists.

increased by 26 per cent to €315,000. The increasing average amount spent on a Spanish holiday home indicates the growing trust in a Spanish market that is going from strength to strength. This trust is being restored as the market continues to gain and increasing numbers of buyers look again at this popular second home market. This has been shown in the recent General Council of Notaries figures, which showed an increase of 8.7 per cent in sales of Spanish properties in September.

Revolutionary concept The world’s most opulent all-suite hotel, Dubai’s sail-shaped Burj Al Arab Jumeirah, is creating an expansive outdoor luxury leisure concept, called ‘North Deck’ which will combine creative marine design and ingenious engineering to deliver a world first.

Manufactured in Finland and shipped over 8000 nautical miles to Dubai, the North Deck further demonstrates Burj Al Arab Jumeirah’s commitment to staying at the forefront of innovation and luxury service – a natural extension to the hotel’s iconic architectural structure, while also enhancing guests’ experiences.

The 10,000m2 private luxury deck, due to launch in the second quarter of 2016, will fan 100 metres out into the Arabian Gulf, providing guests with exclusive access to 32 cabanas and 400 sun loungers. Visitors can relax and unwind at one of the expansive pools, including a 612m2 fresh water pool and 828m2 salt water pool; while also taking advantage of the deck’s restaurant and bar.

The North Deck has been developed at a shipyard in Finland by marine construction experts ADMARES – who specialise in the production of cruise ships and yachts – using state-of-the-art marine technology, design and manufacturing expertise, with a strong focus on environmental benefits. The revolutionary off-site construction process has meant minimal disruption to guests.

All elements of the construction and steel pile installation process have been considered with the marine environment in mind; specifically designed to provide shade for local fish and to attract undersea ecosystems that are known to cluster around steel piles.

21

profile: Abbey Pynford Geo Structures

A structured

approach

S

ince its creation in 1988 Abbey Pynford has built its reputation on providing high quality and innovative ground engineering services, an approach that over the years has seen the Group go from strength to strength and expand throughout the South East of England. The same high standards are shared by Abbey Pynford Geo Structures, a subsidiary that recently celebrated three years of operation and is gaining industry award recognition due to its outstanding work.

“Geo Structures was created to provide a focused underpinning and basement service as a consulting contractor with the same core principles of integrity,

22

With a number awards to suit, Abbey Pynford Geo Structures focuses on quality, health and safety to remain a leading force in a competitive industry honesty and flair for innovation that Abbey Pynford has become renowned for,” explains Lewis O’Connor, Managing Director. “In addition to these principles we have placed robust health, safety and well-being management practices at the heart of all our business processes. One of our key themes is to ensure the elimination of avoidable harm.”

This ethos was recently reflected in the achievement of RoSPA Silver award for the company in 2015 as well as a RoSPA Guardian Angel Award for Mr O’Connor himself and a nomination in the Construction News Specialist Awards 2016 within the Health and Safety Excellence and Training Excellence categories. “The positive feedback

we’ve received encouraged us to put ourselves out there by entering the awards. It’s not often in our industry that you gain this kind of conspicuous recognition from your peers,” adds Mr O’Connor. “It’s important to us because we’ve completed our third year of trading as a company and this is a clear demonstration of our achievements in such a short period of time.”

As for how the Abbey Pynford Geo Structures company has been able to hit the ground running so successfully, Mr O’Connor explains that youthful exuberance coupled with experience has been a fruitful formula. “We’re a dynamic team combining the enthusiasm of nascent engineering careers with the wisdom of empirical

Ace Minimix As Tarmac’s regional brand in the South of England for small load deliveries of readymix concrete and screed, Ace Minimix prides itself on 20 years of experience and a friendly and professional service.

With a fleet of over 30 vehicles throughout the South of England including London, each truck has the capacity to supply loads of up to 4m3 out of its BSI kite marked plants. Solutions are available for anything from small-scale DIY projects to major civil engineering contracts.

This fleet not only offers solutions to site access problems, but the unique load size pricing mechanism enables the business to be extremely competitive on small loads of concrete, combating the ever increasing cost of part loads.

Ace Minimix offers a free technical service and can offer advice on the use of its special concretes such as waterproof, high strength, fibre reinforced, foamed, coloured and self-compacting mixes.

Southern Conveyors Southern Conveyors is a specialist conveyor hire company dedicated to helping construction companies move materials or spoils on site; especially in challenging access situations.

It has played a significant part in assisting Abbey Pynford Geo Structures with their success over the years. Tim Casalis de Pury of Abbey Pynford recently said: “Southern Conveyors provide a consistent and high quality collaborative service which helps them to ensure that projects are priced accurately, run smoothly and meet with our clients’ expectations. Their staff are friendly, knowledgeable and always keen to assist with projects, no matter of size or complexity and with teams in London every day they are quick to respond to any problem.”

Now recognised as the UK’s No.1 conveyor hire company, based in Bristol the company is ideally located to quickly access all parts of the country. Its fleet has a conveyor for virtually any material – such as sand, stone, clay or demolition rubble etc.

The reassuring element of Southern Conveyors service is its free site surveys and designs, which ensures the operational success of the proposed conveyor system before it’s installed. If it won’t work, the company will say. For Southern Conveyors, it’s all about minimising disruption and increasing efficiency for the contractor. knowledge. We’re therefore very much of the mindset that there isn’t anything that can’t be done provided we work as a team and put the maximum effort in. We’ve also been keen to empower everybody in the team to be part of the decision-making process and ensuring that every member of the team treats each project with a shared sense of ownership. This ethos has enabled us to achieve much more than what might have otherwise been possible and has allowed us to quickly overcome any hurdles that may have occurred, particularly in terms of thinking outside of the normal constraints. We share the challenges just as we share the successes.

“As Managing Director I strongly

believe in creating a role to suit the individual and enabling the team to work to their strengths.

This kind of free-thinking and open-mindedness has enabled us to achieve so much more than if we’d taken a more traditional approach placing everyone within the confines of a generic job description.”

Although there has been a lot to be positive about there have been some challenges that Abbey Pynford Geo Structures has had to contend with: “In the last few years there’s been an influx of companies into the London refurbishment sector that have not previously operated in the area nor undertaken the works we do. Competition for projects has consequently increased significantly. To counter this we changed our strategy and tailored our service to likeminded companies that have the same expectations of high standards regarding quality, health and safety,” Mr O’Connor explains.

This approach has assisted Abbey Pynford Geo Structures to grow by 63 per cent and secure

23

24

profile: Abbey Pynford Geo Structures a number of prestigious projects showcasing state-of-the-art geotechnical engineering. “We have the capabilities to carry out projects across the foundation engineering spectrum; from complex retrofit basements below the phreatic surface requiring soil stabilization to underpinning projects and lifting houses with all of the ground engineering work in-between. The emphasis I have placed on the team is to capitalise on this and diversify the projects that we take on,” says Mr O’Connor. “This diversification enables us to be dynamic to changes in our marketplace.

“The potential offered as a result of our diversification is limited by a shortage of competent operatives with the skills and proven experience we require to undertake the works on site. We are therefore investing in organically developing our existing workforce with a training plan extending throughout our workforce for every individual and team.”

In 2015 Abbey Pynford Geo Structures invested significantly into training with an expenditure increase of 2683 per cent from 2013 to 2016. “Investment in the development of our team, both onsite and in the office will continue to be a major area of concentration,” he continues. “We will also be making sure that we raise the base competency threshold for health and safety from everybody.

“We’re committed to maintaining the quality of our product so our focus is to enhance our capabilities

continually to enable sustainable growth next year without undermining our core principles.

At the same time we’re also investing in the development of our health and safety management procedures by digitalising our system.

“The new target for the company in 2016 is to complete the implementation of this health and safety system that links work tasks, to documentation, required competencies and generates a H&S file automatically together with identifying those competent to undertake the work on site.”

With such a wide-ranging and forward-thinking approach it is easy to see how the award nominations have been achieved and it will continue to set the business in good stead moving forward.

Abbey Pynford Geo Structures www.abbeypynford.co.uk Services: Leading ground engineering solution providers 25

profile: Arkoni

Anything is possible with

Arkoni

Founded in 1991, Arkoni Metalwork of Brighouse in West Yorkshire is facing its silver anniversary in a rude state of health with burgeoning demand from across the UK for its fire-rated glazing systems and architectural metalwork

F

ormed by current MD Mark Prentice and former business partner Tony Paget, Arkoni derived its identity from a conglomeration of the first names of its founders and initially focused on manufacturing and supplying architectural and bespoke metalwork including staircases, balustrades, canopies and balconies.

In recent years the company’s focus has shifted to fire rated glazing systems, bulletproof security glazing and stainless steel window and door sets, and business has never been better.

26

Five consecutive years of 25 per cent plus growth have helped cement Arkoni’s position as one of the fastest growing manufacturing firms in the north of England.

“We came through the recent recession successfully and have thrived as a result of a contraction in the post credit crunch market,” explains Mark Prentice. “There are far fewer suppliers out there to service the commercial construction sector with metalwork and glazing systems.

We are a good bellwether for the state of the manufacturing and construction industries across the UK and boast excellent

relationships with glazing system suppliers including Vetrotech, KMS Forster and Schueco Jansen.

“Arkoni is in a perfect position to continue its expansion but we have had to be very careful and diligent in how we manage our operations as runaway growth can present major challenges,” adds Mark, who currently employs 60 full time staff.

Accessing available grants has contributed to Arkoni’s increase in business with a perfect example being a recent £250,000 expansion in workshop space and investment in machinery thanks to £30,000 of financial support

from the Leeds City Region Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).

Mark goes on: “A new 1600 square metre workshop was opened in 2014 incorporating hitec CNC cutting machinery and a machining centre. After 12 months of running at almost 100 per cent capacity this gave us space to breathe and it helped to deliver even more potential for growth.

As a result, we featured in a LEP video aimed at fast growing firms across West Yorkshire.

“More recently we invested over £100,000 in a new Morgan Rushworth Pressbrake and Guillotine, supplied by Bison

Machine Tools. It is helping us to deliver increased capacity and has the ability to process up to four metre long pressed metalwork in response to customer demand.”

Arkoni has adopted a similarly enlightened approach to its administration and management with a number of key, strategic appointments and full engagement with industry accreditations such as ISO 9001, Construction Online and the Achilles Building Confidence programme.

Mark adds: “It’s vital that our day to day office operations mirror the growth in our manufacturing capabilities. It not only means we can offer peace of mind to customers but it’s a reassurance to ourselves that we are doing it right behind the scenes.”

Proof, if it were needed, comes in the form of a long list of prestigious and significant, recent contracts including the new Alder Hey in the Park children’s hospital on Merseyside, the brand new Broadway Shopping Centre in Bradford, Derby’s recently opened and iconic Sports Arena and Forbury Place, a landmark commercial development in Reading.

“It is the largest butt jointed fire-rated glazing installation in Europe covering eight floors around a stunning atrium area. We recently completed the first of the

two new build office complexes and expect to be back on site for Number 2 Forbury Place in the very near future.

“It was a £1.5 million contract that represented our biggest job to date and recognition has been forthcoming in the form of the Construction News 2016 awards.

Forbury Place has been named as a finalist in the Project of The Year (sub-contract up to £2,000,000) category,” continues Mark whose firm has picked up a number of regional and national accolades in recent times.

Arkoni has also recently expanded into Ireland with a distribution partnership secured with Dublin-based Linham

27

profile: Arkoni

Construction. Arkoni Ireland is already successfully tapping into demand from across the Irish Sea. “We foresee only growth across Ireland in the short to medium term with our profile set to expand in partnership with Linham,” Mark exclaims.

“We are very much on the same wavelength!”

The company also engages closely with the local communities around Brighouse and Bradford, sponsoring a number of local sporting teams and getting behind Team Arkoni motorcycle racer Dave ‘Brooky’ Brook who competes nationally at Thundersport GB level. Up and coming Bradford indy band Kascarade have also benefited from Arkoni’s generosity with support for their soon-to-bereleased, self-produced debut album and studio facilities.

“All businesses should engage in sponsorship and support of their local communities,” explains Mark. “Our backing of Brooky and Kascarade have proved very fruitful for all concerned. It’s exciting to be playing a part in their achievements.”

Looking forward, Mark is eyeing up further managed growth for Arkoni. “Demand for fire-rated glazing systems continues to grow and we are well placed to take full advantage with our extensive CAD design resources, manufacturing capabilities and installation expertise making us

28

the ‘go to’ guys for architects and construction firms,” he says. “Long may that continue but we will never get too big for our boots or take our eye off the ball when it comes to providing a high quality product that fulfils its function for our clients.”

Arkoni Metalwork is an example to construction and manufacturing businesses across the UK as to how to effectively

manage rapid growth. The only way is up, it seems, for this ambitious Yorkshire firm.

Arkoni www.arkoni.co.uk Services: Specialists in the design, manufacture and installation of innovative and practical metalwork solutions

profile: Commercial Marine and Piling

success Watertight

Recent work on the Canary Wharf’s New Phase (formerly Wood Wharf) re-development programme proves Commercial Marine and Piling’s leading approach to delivering high quality, innovative and cost effective solutions

C

ommercial Marine and Piling Ltd (CMP) was founded in 1986 and has quickly established a reputation in the piling field for expansive expertise and the use of modern technology to achieve results,” begins QHSE Manager at the company, Adam Kiely.

“Whilst piling remains a core part of the business, the acquisition of Branford Civil and Marine Ltd in 1999 has assisted the company’s controlled expansion and diversification into the field

of marine civil engineering and specialist marine piling.”

Based on the South Coast of England and with a key base on the River Thames, CMP is able to deliver projects across the UK, with the capacity to act as Principal Contractor on projects up to £7 million and as a specialist sub contractor on anything larger. With this unique position established, CMP has successfully completed projects for a diverse range of clients from individuals to government authorities. All work carried out by the company

is underpinned by an unrivalled reputation for quality, safety and environmentally friendly results at competitive prices.

Perhaps demonstrating CMP’s comprehensive experience and set of capabilities most aptly is its recently completed work for Canary Wharf Contractors on Canary Wharf’s New Phase, a nearly five million square feet mixed development project to the east of the existing estate in London. The project, which involves the reclamation of 9000 square metres of land from West

29

profile: Commercial Marine and Piling

India Dock South, will eventually host more than 30 new buildings, including high rise towers, providing modern residential and commercial space at one of London’s key economic hubs.

“We were awarded the designand-build contract for a new cofferdam as part of the scheme,” explains Adam. “The design was for a combi-wall to be constructed with 160 1200mm diameter, 20m long tubular piles in-filled with H1807 sheet piles. It was then divided into two cells to allow dewatering to commence early and for the client to occupy the space after only 28 weeks. The remaining cofferdam had another 12 weeks to complete.”

Awarded in December 2014 with work starting in February 2015, CMP’s work began by clearing the pile line of obstructions with the use of a barge-mounted 60-tonne longreach excavator, and later a larger 100-tonne excavator and breaker.

“The combi-wall itself was designed by Byrne Looby and

30

Partners who were very proactive throughout the project,” continues Adam. “It was installed using in-house designed, purpose built piling gates suspended from temporary piles to position the 1900mm casings, which were vibrated into the clay to create a seal. A second gate was installed on top of the casings and used to accurately guide the 20m long piles as they were lowered

into position. This methodology ensured the tubes were accurately positioned enabling the infill sheet piles to slot into place later in the programme.”

CMP’s work on the development also illustrates the firm’s ability to transfer its years of experience into innovative and flexible solutions, particularly relating to how best to deal with the dock’s silt layer. “The silt varied between

one and three metres and it was originally planned to relocate it to a different area in the West India dock,” outlines Adam. “We proposed to leave the weak silt in place and install a grid of wet soil mixed columns in the silt from barge mounted rigs. During the pile line clearance it became evident there was more debris and obstruction in the silt than originally anticipated.

“The final solution was to leave the silt in situ and install overlapping panels of geofabric on top. These panels were installed using poles mounted on long-reach excavators to hold the fabric on the bottom as the ballast was evenly spread over them. A one-metre thick capping layer of ballast was installed to contain the silt and then the ends of the fabric were folded back down. The bulk fill of the remaining ballast was installed using the Scelveringhe sea dredger that only just fitted into the lock. This ship discharged 7000-tonnes of ballast in four hours, which meant it was able to enter the dock on the flood tide, discharge its cargo and exit on the ebb tide. This eliminated over a thousand lorry movements to deliver ballast.”

Eliminating this amount of road transport from the project was only one example of CMP’s careful consideration of the environment and surrounding infrastructure.

Working closely with a number of local and national authorities, the company was able to mitigate risks associated with working so close to the Jubilee Line tunnels, continuously monitor water quality, and safely relocate over 800 fish during the dewatering process. Its health and safety record was also exemplary, thanks to its proactive approach to H&S. Underpinned by the strap line, ‘Keep your family in your heart, keep your mind on safety’, the firm implements regularly updated and fully comprehensive RAMS documentation, daily site

meetings, an incentivised positive intervention scheme and a familial communication channel that runs throughout the company encouraging open feedback, progress reporting and briefings.

Overall, successful completion of the cofferdam was a result of CMP’s innovative and highly collaborative attitude. “Canary Wharf Contractors were a great

client, supporting us and very much working with us to jointly deliver a successful cofferdam in seven months,” adds Adam. In line with CMP’s progress the project will stand the company in good stead as it looks to maintain its current position in the market.

With this in mind, continual investment into its operational capabilities will enable it to explore new opportunities in new markets, particularly in wind farm maintenance, over the coming years.

Commercial Marine and Piling Ltd (CMP) www.cmp.uk.com Services: Design and build specialist in piling and marine construction

31

profile: RAK Ceramics

Solid innovation, solid

performance

W

ith an annual production capacity of 110 million square metres of tiles, five million pieces of sanitaryware, 600,000 faucets and 24 million units of porcelain tableware it is clear to see that high volume, large scale production is a particular success for RAK Ceramics. Put into context, the company achieves this with 14

32

Fast becoming one of the world’s leading ceramics manufacturers, RAK Ceramics continues to innovate and invest in order to deliver to a range of iconic projects across the globe

Above Abdallah Massaad Group CEO, RAK Ceramics

state-of-the-art manufacturing plants in the UAE, plus additional facilities in India, Bangladesh and Iran. This allows it to supply through a distribution network to countries all over the world and, in 2014, turnover sales worth around one billion US dollars.

Founded in 1989 by H.H. Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi, member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah in the UAE, the company has

grown rapidly, supplying to an extensive portfolio of high profile and iconic projects around the world. Included amongst these are the Burj Al Arab, Ferrari World, Wembley Stadium, The O2 Arena and Atlantis on The Palm, as well as multiple airports, showrooms, residential developments and shopping malls. It also occupies a significant market within the hospitality industry, selling 24 million products a year to

ambition and operational excellence. “We are known for our wide product range and ability to produce bespoke ranges for both small and large scale projects, enabling our clients to bring their ideas to life,” explains Group CEO, Abdallah Massaad.

As Abdallah highlights, at the heart of the company’s philosophy is its approach to innovation, both into its technical capabilities and, in turn, its product offering. “We have always invested heavily into research, development and the latest technologies to ensure that we remain at the cutting edge of ceramics production globally,” he says. “Our innovative approach has made us one of the largest players in the field, evolving from being a manufacturer of functional ceramics products to becoming a comprehensive producer of quality lifestyle solutions. It is this commitment to innovation that has been fundamental to our clients in over 135 countries with names such as J.W. Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt and Sheraton featuring amongst a list of starrated hotels that exceeds 15,000 in number.

However, whilst these facts may indicate how RAK Ceramics is able to occupy the market as one of the largest and leading manufacturers in the world, it falls short of representing the scale of the company’s overarching

success and something I plan to continue as part of our long term strategy.”

In recent years RAK has been awarded a number of accolades recognising this approach to leading the industry regarding innovation. In 2015 it achieved Superbrand status for the seventh year running, at the International Business Stevie Awards of the same year it won silver for the ‘Most Innovative Company’, and at the World Branding Awards, ‘Brand of the Year.’ Realising this in terms of its product portfolio, the company has recently become the first manufacturer in the GCC to introduce SACMI Continua+ technology enabling it to produce large format porcelain surfaces such as the Maximus Mega Slab, a gigantic 135x305cm super sized slab. “This is our most versatile product yet and will allow the company to compete in new markets,” Abdallah notes.

“Other innovations we have invested in include Luminous, our glow in the dark series – a technology which unlocks the potential for a wide range of applications – and Antimicrobial – a hygienic, easy to clean tile especially suited for use in schools, healthcare facilities and the hospitality industry.”

Illustrating a similar level of focus within its production facilities, all of RAK’s plants

33

profile: RAK Ceramics

are equipped with state-ofthe-art high pressure casting machines and robotic spraying technology, allowing it to produce high quality pieces with a consistently impeccable finish. “This investment into new technology also means that we are able to constantly produce quality products on a large scale,” Abdallah says. “Over the next few years we are expecting major improvements and innovations in our corporate and production strategies and will be focusing

34

on improving profitability and increasing capacity in our highest margin sanitaryware business.

Production capacity is set to increase in India by 52 per cent, Bangladesh by 25 per cent and the UAE by 22 per cent.”

Such targeted production growth comes in response to strong positivity across the global market. Abdallah quotes a research report by Frost and Sullivan, in which it is forecasted that the ceramics market will be worth over $125 billion by

2020. This amounts to 21.8 billion square metres of product compared with 12.3 billion square metres in 2013. “On top of this, construction growth in BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), where there is increased spending on infrastructure improvement, is expected to contribute to demand for residential and commercial structures, significantly boosting the market,” he says.

Despite this positivity, however, he remains aware of the impact

Internally this means fostering a culture committed to our vision of becoming the world’s leading ceramics lifestyle solutions provider by utilising our expertise and focusing on our core markets where we are strong.

Over the years we have applied this expertise in some of the most prestigious and innovative

projects around the world, and we aim to continue pushing the boundaries in new and exciting projects as we move forward.”

RAK Ceramics www.rakceramics.com Services: One of the world’s largest ceramics manufacturers

that some challenges, like falling oil prices, could have on the global economy and is keen to continue developing the company’s Value Creation Plan – a strategy to exit non-core and expand core businesses. “This plan helps to unlock value across the business, and in line with increasing margins and enhancing production operations, is key to becoming more profitable,” Abdallah concludes.

“In the long term, our vision is to continue building a well respected global organisation.

35

profile: VIACON GROUP

Structured

growth

By merging long-term experience with innovation, ViaCon Group delivers competitive advantages to customers requiring corrugated steel structures and geosynthetics in road, rail and landshaping projects 36

F

ounded in 1986 in Sweden and Norway, ViaCon was originally focused on the sale, engineering and manufacture of corrugated steel structures. Today comprised of 30 companies spread across

18 countries in more than 45 locations, the globally operating ViaCon Group is a well-reputed manufacturer of flexible corrugated steel and plastic pipes as well as corrugated steel structures. Although its core manufacturing plant is based in

Rydzyna Poland, where corrugated metal plates, metal and plastic pipes are produced, the group also manufactures metal pipes in six plants in Sweden, Finland, Belarus, Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey.

Plastic pipes, meanwhile, are also manufactured in Kaunas, Lithuania.

“ViaCon Group’s products and solutions are used in the construction of roads and railways throughout the world and mainly used for the building, strengthening and reconstruction of culverts, bridges, viaducts, tunnels, agriculture passages, animal crossings and bridges,” begins Henrik Perbeck, CEO of ViaCon Group.

“Our core products are flexible steel structures as well as plastic, steel pipes and geosynthetics,” he continues.

“For our steel structures, coiled steel is cut, pressed, roll-formed and galvanised in different processes, depending on product and application.

Because of the sectors we operate in, high precision and quality throughout production is a key value driver, and thus ensures installation is both fast and safe. Our product portfolio also includes a large range of geosynthetics, which are widely used in hydraulic engineering, drainage, construction, landfills and forestry. The plastic pipes are made from polyethylene or polypropylene and are manufactured on our site; these are used for culverts, gravital sewage systems, storm water and sanitary drainage. We also offer innovative solutions such as underground retention and advanced corrosion protection in addition to comprehensive investment services, ranging from technical advice through design, delivery and installation. Our people are ultimately our strength as they are well educated, loyal, professional and friendly. Many of them are also young, so our strength lies in the ability to combine experience with the desire to continuously improve.”

Benefiting from three decades of experience, ViaCon Group has become a European leader in its

37

profile: VIACON GROUP

field and is the sole producer of signature products such as large span structures. A recent example of the group’s capabilities is its participation in creating the A2 motorway in Poland, as Henrik highlights: “This is one of the key transportation routes in Poland, 85 per cent of which runs through forest areas; this includes the ones listed in the European ecological network of protected areas Natura 2000. The project divided the natural habitants of flora and fauna and the challenge of this project was to maintain the continuity of the forest environments as well as enable free migration in the ecological corridors. We delivered on these challenges and erected 13 passages for animals made of steel structures and corrugated plates.”

On top of this, the group is launching the world’s strongest corrugation plate, UltraCor, into the European market, which will allow it to offer bridge

38

spans and cover heights of 30 metres. “We are also expanding our sales and rental stock of temporary and permanent Acrow bridges to service our customers’ need in special situations,” adds Henrik.

Because of its strengths, the ISO 9001, ISO 14001 certified group has an enviable customer base, including large multinational

contractors, national road and railway agencies and small local businesses. However, not a company to rest on its laurels, the group remains focused on the design and engineering of new innovations. This tradition has already resulted in the group’s expansion into the aforementioned plastic pipes, geosynthetics and a range of products for water and

sewer systems. “ViaCon Group is constantly striving to bring new ideas and technologies on to the market that could improve the production system,” confirms Henrik.

An integral part of the group’s expanding product portfolio is its R&D activity, which includes active co-operation with governments and universities to create cutting-edge products and solutions. “ViaCon has contributed a great deal to the development of new technologies and has performed more than 20 research programmes on engineering structures to continuously modernise its products in terms of capacity, cost optimisation, quality improvement, new shapes and technological solutions,” says Henrik. “Furthermore, ViaCon in Poland is the co-organiser of the European conference of flexible structures of corrugated steel plates in engineering communications. It has been held twice so far and we have already started to invite everyone to visit Poland for the event in 2017. On top of this, the continuous skills improvement of the current and future engineering staff is allowed by the broad-based educational activities that are focused on an engineering and academic environment. It is supported by a number of scientific engineering publications that have been signed by ViaCon employees in collaboration with scientists around the whole world.”

Committed to becoming the market leader in all markets it is present in, ViaCon will remain focused on influencing authorities, designers and construction companies into understanding the competitive advantages of corrugated steel structures and the use of geosynthetics in road, rail and landshaping projects.

“We will also achieve a leading position by delivering superior engineering skills, supporting our customers and finding the best

solution for their requirements.

We deeply nourish our tradition of local entrepreneurship to find new products and solutions suitable to our customers, first in a single market, then across the whole of ViaCon’s geographical footprint,” concludes Henrik.

ViaCon Group www.viacongroup.com Services: Manufacture of flexible steel structures, plastic pipes and steel pipes.

Design and sales of geosynthetics solutions

39

profile: Premier Modular

Piece by

piece

Premier Modular (part of the Waco International Group) is experiencing strong growth as it looks to take new opportunities and expand its footprint in a number of sectors

W

hen Construction & Civil Engineering last spoke with Premier Modular back in June 2015, Divisional Director David Harris, spoke about the positive growth trajectory the company had been on and outlined its plans for the future, which generally involved diversifying the business offering and capitalising on new opportunities. Eight months on and David retains his positivity, reflecting on a number of successes over the second half of 2015 and is confident about the future. “Our growth levels have continued in terms of turnover and profitability across the whole business in both the hire and new

40

build segments,” he says. “This has been helped by our presence in a diverse mix of sectors. We are more active in the student accommodation market, we have reignited our history in healthcare and education continues strongly.”

Speaking about market conditions, David sees that some buoyancy has returned to the market despite a noticeable slowdown in order intake before and after last year’s General Election. However, he maintains that legacy fallout from the recession still exists placing pressure on pricing and subsequently depressing margins. “I don’t really foresee this changing,” he says. “However, it just means that we have to be more slick and efficient in taking

new growth opportunities to continue a strong performance.”

One particular area of opportunity that Premier Modular has begun to take advantage of over the past few months is the housing sector. In our last feature we covered the three-day event that formed the launch platform for the company’s innovative modular housing system, also noting the successful award of its first social housing scheme in Hull.

Since then it has added another project in Glasgow to its portfolio and its outlook going forward is bright.

“I think there is quite significant growth potential for us in the housing industry with a lot of this driven by the government agenda to build more homes

combined with the skills shortage that plagues the traditional market place,” David comments.

“In addition to the two housing schemes already delivered we have secured positions on three modular housing frameworks, which I have no doubt will start delivering schemes for us over the next three to six months. We have also partnered with a key house builder in the North West, who is very keen to bring modular solutions onto some of its sites.”

Premier Modular has also made some serious inroads into larger schemes up and down the country. In London, for instance, its hire business has provided several buildings to the Battersea Power Station redevelopment, including its first six-storey hire building. However, set to prove highly instrumental to its future growth strategy is its preferred bidder status on EDF Energy’s Hinkley Point C (HPC) project, the UK’s largest modular construction project to date.

With the contract in the final stages of negotiation, the prestigious £40 million accommodation project will help to firmly cement the business as a leader in the UK industry. A number of permanent modular buildings with a combined floor space of 38,000 square metres and made up of almost 1000 steel-framed modules will be constructed off site and installed at Hinkley for the nuclear power

plant’s ten-year construction cycle. After this time most of the buildings, which will be providing office and welfare facilities for the project, will be relocated to other areas of the EDF estate whilst one will be reconditioned to remain in place.

“For me, HPC is a real feather in the cap having been working on it for over three years now,” explains David. “The challenge will be the huge time pressures as when the button gets pressed the client will want a workforce on site as soon as possible. Overall it will take around 16 months from manufacture to handover, with about a year of that spent in the factory. In terms of its significance, it will have a major impact on the business’s continued success helping to increase our turnover around 50 to 60 per cent annually over the two-year project cycle.

This fits in nicely with the growth trajectory that we’ve been on over the last couple of years, so the objective will be to maintain this new level beyond the project.”

Other successful projects from the past few months include a

41

profile: Premier Modular

recently completed children’s centre in Westminster, which combines a multi-tiered rooftop section, two-storey open hall area, laser-cut façade and traditional brick finish to create a building that goes beyond the expected possibilities of a modular system.

“The fact that we’re using systems here that you wouldn’t have thought possible with modular construction really demonstrates just how far we have come with it over the past few years,” notes David. Similarly, it has recently

42

finished a two-storey school (one of seven for Brent County Council near Wembley), which hosts a MUGA (multi-use games area) on its roof. “This involved pouring concrete on to the top section and required us to look closely at the building’s structure to take such big loads, but again shows how far the technology has come,” he adds.

Another significant focus for Premier Modular over the past couple of years has been its people. “We have spent quite significant levels of money on different levels of leadership and management courses through the business from team leadership right up to executive development,” David says.

“We’ve just had five of our senior managers go to GIBS Business School in Johannesburg on a leadership course, which will be a big step towards our future planning.”

In terms of the future Premier Modular is well placed to overcome many of the challenges it foresees relating to managing growth with training and recruitment, regenerating capital expenditure to grow its hire capacity and managing capacity with a newly opened factory. “The three core focus areas as we move forward then are firstly, investing further into our hire fleet and ensuring we keep that utilisation high. Secondly, driving growth into new growth areas like housing, retail and student accommodation whilst maintaining our normal business-as-usual sectors, and finally attracting more people to facilitate this,” David concludes.

Premier Modular www.premiermodular.co.uk Services: Leading UK modular construction company

profile: AB2000

Planting

opportunities With over 20 years in operation, AB2000 Limited has grown to represent Scotland’s largest privately owned business in the field of operated plant and equipment hire

F

rom its head office and main workshop facility at Cambuslang in South Lanarkshire, AB2000 Limited works as a trusted partner in the hire of operated plant and equipment ranging from plant and crane hire to specialist rail and machinery movement solutions. Managing Director Adam Bruce, who has over 40 years of industry experience in the operated plant hire industry, founded the company during 1995 and AB2000 has grown into Scotland’s largest privately owned operated plant and equipment hire business with depots throughout the country.

Its Cambuslang head office and workshops provide excellent

access to the motorway network in central Scotland, while the company’s depots at Tipperty, Aberdeen and Nairn service the North of Scotland. Over the course of two decades, AB2000 has continued to grow from strength-to-strength and earned a reputation as a reliable and experienced industry player.

“AB2000 Limited today operates four ‘trading divisions’, comprised of its core construction plant and equipment; mobile crane hire, as well as test weights and equipment moving; railway; and its northern business, including Ellon Plant Hire Limited, Phoenix Weights and Phoenix Marine as trading subsidiaries of AB2000,” explains CEO Jim Houstoun.

“The company’s turnover, profit, and operating margins have grown steadily since 2013 following the economic downturn and continue to increase in the current financial year as a result of expansion and investment in the plant and equipment available for hire. In 2014 AB2000 was awarded Scottish Business Insider’s fastest growing SME award and was ranked in 2015 as the second most successful SME in Scotland.”

The AB2000 core plant hire division has over 300 units of operated and non-operated

43

44

profile: AB2000

plant for hire from 1.5 tonne mini-excavators to heavy equipment including dozers, tracked excavators of up to 55 tonnes, wheeled excavators, articulated dump trucks of up to 30 tonnes, soil stabilisation equipment, rollers, 180 degree machines, road brushes, telehandlers and rotators. The division supplies plant and equipment to civil engineering contractors, public authorities, ports, builders, quarries and energy companies for use on construction projects extending from motorways, commercial and retail developments, house building to earthworks, ground stabilisation, coastal and flood protection, water, drainage, foundations, roads, bridges, wind farms, electricity substations, overhead cables, railways, power stations, rock crushing and bulk muck-shifting projects.

“AB2000 is on Scottish Water’s framework agreement in each of the geographical areas in which it has depots and Scottish Water

recently extended this agreement for a further five-year period. The core plant hire division also has long-term hires for forklift trucks and access platforms and further owns a range of tractors, HIAB’s, flat-back lorries, and low loaders, which are hired as well as being used to deliver and collect the company’s plant and machinery from customer’s sites.”

Jim says all of AB2000’s 225 plant operators hold CPCS accreditation for the equipment they operate and many also

have quarry passports and PTS railway accreditation.

The company’s crane division has 14 mobile cranes ranging from 35 tonnes to 200 tonnes plus ballast and includes a test weight subdivision with over 250 tonnes of certified metal test weights from 0.25 tonnes to seven tonnes, as well as test weight cradles from 30 tonnes to 100 tonnes.

This division undertakes contracts for lifting, rigging, and machinery movement by appointed persons, lift supervisors and qualified riggers. Its Phoenix Weights subsidiary located in Aberdeen has 250 tonnes of test weights and cradles for hire or sale on and offshore.

AB2000’s rail division includes road/rail vehicles (RRV) and excavators, mobile elevated work platforms (MEWPS) and has a wide range of trailers, specialised equipment and attachments for use on railways. The plant of this division is operated by CPCS and PTS certified operators and hires to Network Rail, BAM Nuttall, QTS, TRAC Engineering, Balfour Beatty, AMCO, Babcock Rail, Story Contracting and Stobart Rail.

In the north of Scotland, AB2000’s northern division supplies all of the equipment owned by the company from its depots at Nairn and Aberdeen.

Ellon Plant Hire Limited and

Phoenix Marine companies based at Aberdeen are managed, operated, and reported as separate limited companies.

The geographical coverage, investment, industry knowledge, acquisitions, new depots, people, and ideas have been key factors in the growth achieved by AB2000 throughout its operational life.

“AB2000 annually invests over £10 million in buying new equipment to extend our range of plant to replace equipment. This has been essential in achieving the growth and development of the business. Recent investments include soil stabilisation systems, rotators, tele-handlers, a range of Kobelco and 20 tonne SANY tracked excavators,” Jim concludes. “In its present format AB2000 is capable of further increasing its turnover, profit margins and profits over the two or three year period to 2018. Market challenges include recruiting and restructuring the business to allow it to continue to progress further and to take the opportunities that a growing economy provides.”

AB2000 Ltd www.ab2000.co.uk Services: Hire of operated plant and cranes, plus specialist rail and machinery movement solutions 45

profile: Egyptian Steel Group

Man of

steel Egyptian Steel is displaying tremendous growth within its domestic market and is doing so as a shining example of social and environmental responsibility

W

hilst only established six years ago, Egyptian Steel has experienced significant success in penetrating the country’s steel industry.

Focused on producing safe, high quality products in line with the high local and international standards, the company makes use of the latest state-of-theart and eco-friendly technology whilst taking a very healthy approach towards environmental

46

Above Ahmed Abou Hashima, Egyptian Steel Group’s CEO

sustainability. Under the group sit three subsidiary companies: Industrial Investment Company (IIC) for steel plants management, National Port Said Steel (NPSS) and Egyptian Steel for Building Materials Trading, which operates four primary factories.

The core of Egyptian Steel’s product offering revolves around rebar, wire rods and billet manufacture. At the heart of this is a strong and infinite steel rolling capability, that enables the company to save energy and

increase scrap efficiency whilst producing a product that meets international quality standards in mechanical properties. Continued development efforts focus on reducing costs even further by applying the latest effective technologies in energy saving and production capacity. By working with some of the leading innovative companies in the field, the Group looks to maintain this focus through the acquisition of new technologies.

When it comes to its rebar

offering, Egyptian Steel’s leading facilities are able to transform scrap into rebar within two hours thanks to its endless rolling capacity. Due to a thorough process of chemical analysis, melting and casting, a range of steel rebar products is available under a variety of international standards and in numerous diameters. Supporting the production process is a rigorous quality assurance programme, which makes use of cutting edge chemical and mechanical property

analysis techniques.

Demonstrating this commitment to continuous improvement within the manufacturing process, in December 2015 Egyptian Steel completed the successful installation of a new rebar production line at its Alexandria plant. Running in parallel to the existing wire rod line, the new installation is designed to produce products in various sizes. A DRB (direct rolling and bundling) system was chosen for this particular application, enabling the cutting of high tensile final commercial rebar length directly before the bundling process in order to reduce the process costs.

In terms of figures this translated into a five per cent increase in annual production and a ten per cent reduction in electrical consumption, critically without compromising the high quality of the finished product. One of the advantages of bringing these two lines together in one plant is the decreased transportation cost for customers who can now be supplied both products in the same site shipment.

Over the coming years Egyptian Steel anticipates the opening of two new state-of-the-art plants to continue this growth. The first of these, the Beni Suef plant, is currently under construction and will be opened in June 2016. With an annual production capacity of 830,000 tonnes, thanks to innovative Danieli technology, which depends on 100 per cent

recycled scrap, reduces emissions by 30 per cent and saves around 60 per cent of required energy.

Not only does this make Egyptian Steel the sole provider of green steel in the region with the first of this kind of plant in the Middle East and Africa, but it is also the largest in the world. Only two other similar plants exist, in Arizona and Greece, both of which have a capacity of 250,000 tonnes a year. A second plant in Ain Al Sokhna is also being developed to the same standards and is due to become operational in 2017.

Beyond its operations, Egyptian Steel is highly active in corporate social responsibility and it demonstrates an exemplary approach to this. In December 2015 the Group’s CEO, Ahmed Abou Hashima, was recognised as a Quality Knight for Humanitarian Purposes by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO). Upon awarding the recognition, the organisation highlighted Ahmed’s pioneering role in serving the community and achieving sustainable development. In particular it praised the company’s initiative to revamp the neediest villages of Upper Egypt, which was launched in 2014 and has so far helped seven villages.

A month earlier the CEO was also awarded the Euro-Arab Environment Organisation’s Shield for Excellence for Egyptian Steel’s compliance with environmental standards thanks to its use of eco-friendly technology across its plants. In fact over the last year Ahmed has repeatedly been recognised not only for his CSR activities, but also his leadership and innovation that has seen him take Egyptian Steel to the forefront of the market’s steel industry in a matter of years.

He was named Best CEO in the Steel Industry in European CEO magazine, was appointed as a Goodwill Ambassador by the

47

profile: Egyptian Steel Group

Multipurpose Inter-parliamentary Union, awarded Young Arab Entrepreneur of the year by Murex D’or Honors and the Responsible Leadership Award from BNC Publishing’s Entrepreneur Middle East awards. Amidst this the company was also awarded Rising Star of the Year at the 2015 Platts Global Metals Awards and was listed one of the Middle East’s most powerful 60 companies

by Construction Business News magazine.

It is a set of credentials that sheds light on the remarkable growth shown by Egyptian Steel to become one of the leading steel manufacturers in the country in such a short period of time.

The company currently targets a market share of 20 per cent in Egypt with a strengthened ability to export quality products around

48

the world. In a visionary message published on the Group’s website, Ahmed highlight’s Egyptian Steel’s commitment to the continued development of both its own production capabilities, and also the economic strength of the national economy. His ultimate vision is expand even further by setting up similar steel plants in East African market where competitive gas prices, attractive investment laws and

skilled labour can provide good opportunities. Further still the company currently has a cement plant license pending as it looks to become a one-stop-shop for all building materials.

Looking forward under this light, there is no doubt that rapid and solid growth is the defining feature of Egyptian Steels future, but it is that this is underlined by a relentless mission to do so in a sustainable and responsible way that is particularly commendable and that will stand the company in good stead as it becomes a major player in the global construction industry.

Egyptian Steel Group www.egyptian-steel.com Services: One of Egypt’s leading steel manufacturers

profile: Travis Perkins

A united

division

In recent years Travis Perkins has been investing in improving its customer propositions and optimising its network of stores and branches. Over £200m of capital has been deployed during 2015 with the Contracts Division benefitting from investments to better track new construction projects and to provide a more integrated, customer focused service

R

enowned as one of the biggest suppliers in the UK, the FTSE 100 listed Travis Perkins has 19 industry-leading brands in its portfolio, an excess of 100,000 products available to trade professionals and a turnover in excess of £6 billion.

Keen to strengthen operations in all areas of the group, Travis Perkins made the strategic decision to realign its businesses into four divisions at the beginning of 2014: General Merchanting, Consumer, Plumbing and Heating and Contract Merchanting. Comprised of businesses with both a common customer type and common service requirements, the divisions have put vital support functions closer to each business unit, which in turn has increased efficiency in making decisions.

As one of the four business segments, the Contract Merchanting Division brings together BSS, CCF and Keyline, the three businesses that supply products to high spec construction firms and project contractors. As a division, it has been involved in

the majority of major commercial and infrastructure projects in the UK, such as Crossrail and iconic buildings such as the Shard.

Since the restructure of the group in 2014 the division has been evolving, says Frank Elkins, divisional Chief Executive Officer of the Contract Merchanting Division: “Within CCF we have seen an opportunity to grow in dry lining and insulation; if you look at our position in the market 18 – 24 months ago we were at number four in the market place but we are now a strong number two.

“We see opportunity to continue to grow, which is why we had 32 branches at the start of the year following major expansion of eight new branches during 2015; these new branches are in Aberdeen, Colchester, Crawley, Didcot, Gloucester, Manchester East, Northampton, and Redruth.

This expansion is part of our strategic objective to be an hour from any site covered by local branch network and is also why we have further plans to expand in 2016 and 2017. Our proposition is to be close to our customers locally and to understand their needs and requirements so we

can be their destination of choice for ceilings, partitions, dry wall and insulation.”

Previously not well known for insulation distribution, CCF has also boosted its reputation as a destination of choice for insulation services by having a comprehensive product range readily available from stock and ready for delivery nationwide, competitive prices, deliveries you can depend on and a reliable service from a friendly and knowledgeable team.

Alongside these developments, the company has also launched its own ceiling range Sektor to complement its partitions offering and been training its internal and external personnel in insulation as well as their technical expertise in partitions.

Meanwhile, Travis Perkins has continued with its strategy of making Keyline the leading civils and drainage and heavy building materials supplier in the UK, as Frank explains: “We have rebranded the business and also focused on ensuring that no matter what branch our customers go to, there will be a strong range of products

49

profile: Travis Perkins

available; in line with this, we have developed some new supplier partnerships with companies such as Polypipe. We also acquired Rudridge in February 2015 from the two owners, Alan and Rob, who have since stayed on in the business and helped it grow with us. This acquisition has given us a stronger presence in the southeast as Keyline wasn’t well covered in this area but the four Rudridge branches have been a great fit for us and have progressed very well.”

The final part of the Contract Merchanting Division, BSS Industrial, a specialist distributor of pipeline, heating and mechanical services, already has a strong presence with 61 branches spread across the UK. Because of this, the division has consolidated to one branch in Leeds while also opening a new 45,000 square foot facility on the side of its industry-leading Magna Park National Distribution Centre (NDC) in Leicestershire. The latter development provides customers with a whopping £50 million worth of stock as well as delivery options that no other supplier can offer, with guarantees of next day delivery from seven AM when ordered from BSS or HireIt branch before five pm. “This additional space enhances our

Pegler Yorkshire Group Ltd Pegler Yorkshire is well known and highly respected as a world leader in the manufacture of advanced plumbing and heating products and solutions. Pegler Yorkshire’s reputation has been earned through a total dedication to quality, innovation and customer service that has been the hallmark of the company since it was established in the 1890’s. The company’s unrivalled list of market leading product brands include Yorkshire integral solder ring fittings, Terrier radiator valves, Tectite push fit fittings, Performa tap solutions, the XPress press fit system, Francis Pegler luxury taps and Pegler valves.

central distribution operations as we have 15,000 product lines distributed out of Magna Park on a next day basis; it is a fantastic service,” enthuses Frank.

On top of this, an engineering assembly station and machine workshop has been developed to ensure seamless product delivery as well as enhanced product testing capabilities; these developments mean customers get faster dispatch times across a range of grade A, fully machineconditioned stock and ‘to order’ items. To complement these developments, the company has focused on enhancing its IT capabilities with new systems and applications, as Frank notes: “We brought the Project Tracking System onto a Google platform two years ago, which means we can collaborate and share information throughout the division; we have also developed other tools such as the quote management system, which allows us to download all of the quotes from our points of sale system. This allows us to provide information to the customer via a tablet or phone.”

While these improvements are integral to ongoing growth, Frank says the company is also continuing to focus on enhancing its safety culture: “To us the

concept of safety within the workplace is never a completed job as we want everyone within the business to go home safely at the end of the day. Because of this, we are looking at the root cause as to why accidents happen as it is easy to blame people when things go wrong.

Also, from a cultural point of view we are driving for equal responsibility so all colleagues are aware of safety and look out for one another. Although we have made strong progress we will never become complacent and will continue to invest in the safety arena.”

Alongside the many steps forward that the Contract Merchanting Division has taken to further cement its leading reputation in the market, the company is also securing its future through creating its own training development programme and management apprenticeship. “Our industry is not good at recruiting the next generation coming into the business but as a Group, as well as within this division and business unit we have spent a lot of time and energy on our trainee scheme. We have also looked at technical training and have developed an academy in Keyline, CCF and BSS to help train and develop both our colleagues and our future managers. For us this means we are embedding technical training deeper into our business as we develop our leaders of the future.”

Having covered all angles for future growth, the future looks positive for Travis Perkins and the Contract Merchanting Division as it continues to lead the way in delivering building and DIY products to its broad customer base.

Travis Perkins www.travisperkins.co.uk Services: UK’s leading timber and builders’ merchants 51

profile: CEMEX UK

Cementing a market’s

success

As nationwide growth rewards the UK construction industry, CEMEX’s UK business is committed to continuous improvements to help support such success

C

EMEX’s story begins over a century ago as a local cement plant in Northern Mexico. What ensued was a long and successful period of organic and acquired growth to become one of the world’s leading companies, today turning over around $15 billion thanks to the efforts of more than 40,000 employees. In the UK, CEMEX has been a key player in the market for over 80 years supplying an extensive range of products from concrete, cement, mortars, screeds and aggregates to asphalt, concrete block pavings, rail products, and bespoke precast and concrete blocks.

Courtesy of 230 local mixing plants, 63 quarries and a large logistical capability CEMEX UK is able to deliver a complete range of market-leading solutions to meet every application throughout the UK by road, rail, sea and inland waterways. With around 3500 people operating within this network, the UK subsidiary generates close to £775 million in annual sales.

VIGGARS BROS LTD Viggars Bros Ltd are proud to have supported CEMEX over the last decade providing crushing and screening services for aggregate production and fill materials throughout the UK. The company specialise in providing solutions for clients ranging from materials handling, processing / blending, dockside activities including ship loading and processing materials in the steel and coal industries. Viggars Bros are involved in the production of recycled aggregates, including demolition materials and asphalt, for re-use. An extensive range of plant is also available for hire.

“At CEMEX everything we do is geared towards ensuring that we remain the supplier, employer and solutions partner of choice,” begins Aggregates Operations Director in the UK, Rob Doody.

“To this end we have a very strong customer focus and we are constantly evolving in order to become more flexible in our operations, more creative in our commercial offerings, more sustainable in our use of resources, more innovative in conducting our global business, and more efficient in our capital allocation.

“Not only do we endeavour to provide the most reliable and

comprehensive array of building materials but we also tailor our products and services to suit our customers’ specific needs across all sectors.” By working closely with its customers CEMEX places great value on developing vertically integrated construction solutions, fostering long-term relationships and constantly innovating to ensure it can offer the best product and finance options available in the UK market.

Such is its scale and leading position in the UK market that CEMEX’s performance is a key indicator of current market

53

54

profile: CEMEX UK

conditions, and Rob is able to highlight national growth as the economy continues to rise out of the recession. “The market has been mixed as it grows from the lows of 2007 and 2008 to a more successful year in 2015,” he says. “There is some geographical variation with higher growth in London compared to some conurbations further north. On balance, however, we have seen reasonable growth over the last few years.”

It won’t be news to anybody in the industry that London is currently a bustling hive of construction activity from new high-rise developments and massive redevelopment projects like at Battersea Power Station, to citywide infrastructure upgrades like Crossrail. With the market in such a state of growth, CEMEX has been prompted to expand its offering to the Capital’s marketplace. With a number of sites located right along the River Thames – major ones being Angerstein in Greenwich and Northfleet – all of which have been running at full capacity, the company has recently opened up a new site in Dagenham.

“Despite running at full capacity along the Thames our customers in Central London still needed additional supplies and we identified a particular need to increase sand and gravel capacity further East in Dagenham and north of the river as our major existing sites were all located to the south,” explains Rob. “Whilst the site has been in our ownership for many years importing and distributing modest quantities of aggregates, this is the first time that we have installed a full processing plant to import marine aggregates (using our own dredgers) to produce sand and gravel for our customers.”

Around £48 million of capital is now tied up in the operation of the site, which took 12 months to undergo this recently completed

Wordsworth Crushing Reliable, flexible, cost effective - Wordsworth Crushing are a specialist crushing and screening company with more than 25 years experience.

Wordsworth Crushing have over the years gained many clients and have successfully completed contracts in quarrying, site remediation, slag processing, demolition, chemical works and recycling.

We own a large fleet of modern equipment including Metso Jaw Crushers, Metso Cone & impact Crushers, Gipo Impact Crushers, screens, excavators, loading shovels, bulldozers and eight wheeler wagons.

All machines come with our own fully CPCS, MPQC, SPA qualified, experienced and reliable operators and supervisors for contract work.

Committed to Health and Safety in all we do and as such all our staff are fully conversant with today’s stringent on site requirements.

conversion. At full capacity the processing plant is able to produce over 500,000 tonnes of aggregates over the course of the year thanks to an hourly rate of 200 tonnes. “This facility is ideally placed to receive raw materials and distribute finished sand, gravel and hardstone products to a variety of customers in that vicinity. It is the most important aggregate site development in recent times and we are very proud to be able to improve what was an old industrial area into a professional production facility offering a range of products,” Rob continues.

The new Dagenham Wharf site will also form a key part of CEMEX’s national network of production sites, as it provides the ability to import aggregates from other sites around the UK via sea and river and export its own marine dredged materials back out. Putting it at a further logistical advantage within the city of London the site is installed with a new conveyor system, meaning it can load materials on to barges to be transported to some of the key supply areas around the centre of London.

Whilst the Aggregates team in the UK have been busy in the foreground maintaining production quality and expanding

capacity, in the background it has been heavily focused on improving its operations in terms of health and safety. In relation to this 2015 was a very successful year with a number of high profile and competitive awards adorning CEMEX UK’s top shelf.

In November it was awarded the MPA John Crabb Memorial Trophy, the industry’s highest award for health and safety. The jury particularly commended the team’s approach to leadership and proactive culture. The UK business also won the international CEMEX award for the Best Aggregate Operation out of 53 countries and in December 2015 it achieved its fourth year with zero lost time injuries incurred.

Much of this has been down to its ongoing Step In campaign.

“We are very proud of this innovative but very simple initiative,” Rob explains. “It is a concept that encourages everyone to intervene if they see or experience something unsafe.

Critically, this is something that impacts every location, every employee and every visitor or contractor that shares our sites.

We have pursued Step In with a very extensive campaign to publicise, train and encourage adoption of the scheme by focusing on leadership, training

55

56

profile: CEMEX UK

and marketing. All with the specific intention of improving our culture.”

At all levels of the organisation the culture of Step In, which encourages active intervention rather than just personal protection, has been instilled in an attempt to move CEMEX further towards total interdependence when it comes to health and safety. This is facilitated throughout the annual calendar by a number of major training events including its Safety Day Training, to which nearly 100 per cent of its employees have attended, and its Back to Work Training day, which takes place in January and involves closing the business down to continue the discussion as the team looks towards another year.

“This is reinforced with more Stand Down days throughout the year, where we close the business on all sites for a fixed period to communicate and

discuss workplace safety even further,” notes Rob. “In addition to this a targeted marketing campaign, which involves widespread branding, has been implemented to ensure that

everyone is familiar with the initiative and what it means.”

With such success being experienced from both an operational and commercial standpoint, the future for CEMEX in the UK is defined by even more improvements.

Rob highlights that further expansion into various markets around the country will be key to the company’s success over the next 12 months, as will its comprehensive efficiency programme that has been underway for the last four years already. “Called JUSTCI this is a continuous improvement project that has driven phenomenal efficiencies over the last few years with more to go at in the next few years,” he adds. “Our aim is to be the most efficient operator in our market.”

This ambition very much echoes the longer-term strategic vision for CEMEX both around the world and in the UK. As Rob concludes: “We aim to serve the needs of our customers and create value for our stakeholders by becoming the most efficient and innovative building materials company.

CEMEX is dedicated to ‘Helping Build a Greater Britain’ and couples financial achievements

with a firm commitment to sustainable development.

Ultimately, it is very satisfying to be able to grow and deliver better results a far cry from the downturn in 2007 and 2008, and we look forward to continuing this over the coming years.”

It is clear that whilst CEMEX continues to operate successfully on a global scale, it is committed to not losing sight of its local commitments. Its Aggregate division in the UK illustrates this as it continues to trail blaze innovative operational strategies at the same time as keeping up with growing demand and upholding the solid reputation CEMEX has established for itself since 1906. With the UK industry showing little sign of slowing down in the near future, particularly in London, and the company’s many sites across the capital running close to capacity, the coming years look set to cement it even more firmly into such a critical marketplace.

CEMEX UK www.cemex.co.uk Services: Global building solutions company supplying cement, readymixed concrete and aggregates 57

profile: ATG Access

Secured for the

future British company ATG Access is not only a global leader in perimeter security solutions, but is also playing a key role in ensuring international standards support such critical infrastructure protection

A

TG Access started from humble beginnings,” says its MD, Mark Clegg. “We have always built upon a very solid engineering reputation and as such were responsible for the UK Highways Agency’s first automated bollards and the first automated impacttested bollard for anti-terror use in the UK security market.”

Through a consistent programme of innovation and product development, supported by CPNI (Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure) approval, “

58

ATG has today evolved into a global engineering solutions company for perimeter security.

In recent years it has experienced considerable growth thanks to the successful completion of London 2012 Olympic and the Qatar NDIA (New Doha International Airport) projects – the latter of which is the world’s largest perimeter security project to date.

Bollards, road blockers, barriers and gates form the core of the company’s security offering, and its market focus is split into two separate divisions, commerial security and high security. It is

this high security division (where all of its products are impacttested) that ATG focuses much of its attention, having maintained its position at the very front of the market as innovation leaders with the widest portfolio in the market. It is in the robustness of this offering that Mark sees the foundation of ATG’s success: “We believe our core strength comes from the fact that we offer a full turnkey service,” he highlights. “This extends from the development of products to the manufacture, installation and servicing of them. We are also the

lead company in the market to offer corrosion protected systems and these are secured by patents in key regions of the world.”

The company’s approach to innovation is also a key part to this successful market leadership.

“It is very much customer-centric and market led, in that we work closely with our customers to develop solutions for their unique needs and then assess that product for wider market appeal,” Mark continues. “The vast majority of our products are developed and brought to market in this way, with a small proportion

coming from looking ahead and anticipating future trends. This is what we have done with the recent Stealth bollard, which is a fully certified and test-approved retrofit solution for certain kinds of existing casings already installed within high security sites.

These allow customers to upgrade very quickly in areas that are very high security and cannot afford any downturn. We have had some early contracts with this around London but I think we will really see it develop over the next five to ten years.”

Other recent innovations include a state-of-the-art shallow road blocker, which has just passed the highest level of testing, and a column protection system made up of a series of bollards protecting critical supporting columns from inadvertent traffic incidents. ATG also works closely

with architects to develop highly discrete HVM (Hostile Vehicle Mitigation) systems, allowing them to blend into a site unnoticed.

By either creating aesthetically pleasing sleeves or integrating them into bench structures, lamp posts, flagpoles and even planters Mark points out that you can walk past these everyday in capital cities round the world without realising their true purpose. Completed contracts at the London Shard and on going work at the Heart of Doha are key examples of these systems.

It also provides obvious HVM systems to military and other high security sites, and as such holds a framework contract for a major international oil company operating in Iraq.

ATG is present around the world with its biggest markets in the UK, Middle East, Asia and Europe.

Manufacturing partners across these regions enable it to react quickly to customer needs right around the globe, and a network of independent security consultants help support and influence the route to market for new innovations. Despite such a farreaching footprint having already been established, expanding this further is a major strategic focus for the company as it moves forward. In particular in South America and India, where it has already developed manufacturing partnerships, as well as in China.

59

profile: ATG Access

However, Mark points out that when it comes to ATG’s security products high quality is absolutely critical and ensuring this is recognised around the world is a particular challenge.

“We have the British PAS and American ASTM standards, and there is an attempt at the moment to consolidate these into the European IWA standard to create an internationally utilised and familiarised set of regulations,” he outlines. “International standards, when they are in place and are enforced properly, give us a great opportunity for our high-end quality and innovative technology.

Yet when they are not enforced we are faced with the problem of lower cost, lower quality imports as competition. This threatens the integrity of a market that is supposed to ensure the highest levels of security.”

To try to overcome these pressures and influence the wellregulated international adoption of such standards, ATG is playing a vital knowledge-based role in supporting the security industry.

“We do this firstly by working closely with key governmental bodies, like the CPNI in the UK, and then through various technical seminars that we hold in British Embassies around the world with the support of the UKTI,” Mark highlights. “Recently we have held these in places like Hong Kong, Singapore and Dubai and have a couple coming up in Abu Dhabi, Trinidad and Tobago, and London. These are knowledge based and not entirely geared towards our products with independent security consultants speaking with general advice and updates being offered. It is all about raising awareness in parts of the world where threats inevitably exist and where adopting an integral regularity system will be key to protecting national infrastructure.”

Supporting this global system of quality standards will clearly

60

play a significant role in ATG’s future as it also looks to expand its global presence with a further 15 new manufacturing partners over the next five years. As with the success it has already achieved much of this growth will continue to be driven by product development and innovation.

“We’re also going to carry on developing the commercial security division where we have provided significant traffic management systems around the UK, and we also see the personal residential market opening up here,” concludes Mark. “Ultimately, by bringing all of these growth and support streams together the future is very positive for ATG. At present we have a pipeline of around £60 million and we would be looking to increase this by 100 per cent over the next four to five years.”

ATG Access www.atgaccess.com Services: The world’s market leading perimeter security solutions provider

profile: Bouwbedrijf Van de Ven

success The breadth of

Long lasting relationships are the result of Bouwbedrijf Van de Ven’s broad scope of expertise and total commitment to a quality service

S

tarting out in 1927 as a small local builder, Bouwbedrijf Van de Ven has grown to become one of the Netherland’s foremost construction companies encompassing a vast range of market segments and service capabilities. Covering the spectrum from design to build and restoration, the Dutch firm has expertise ranging from residential, educational and healthcare to industrial, commercial and public spaces. “Put simply, everything that can be done is part of our normal scope of work,” highlights Project Manager, Kees Fransen.

It is this ‘normal’ but clearly vast scope of delivery that really

defines Bouwbedrijf amongst a competitive domestic market, and which is allowing it to break into new markets such as the UK. “We cover everything from the very start of the project to the very end and even beyond,” Kees continues. “This includes the architectural and design stages right through to hand over and maintenance once a site is in operation. There is no hiding from the fact that the market in Holland is very challenging at the moment, with lots of companies competing under very low price levels. However, as we can offer this complete package, both in terms of service and project capability, we have been rewarded with a number of long term relationships and we are now a preferred supplier to many of these of thse clients.”

Names such as Lidl, Scania and Mars all count amongst Bouwbedrijf Van de Ven’s client list who continue to use the firm for their needs within Holland and surrounding European markets.

Whatever the clients’ demand may be – warehouse, office, retail unit,

extension, refurbishment and so on – Kees assures that Bouwbedrijf can continue to support them. “We always assign the same project manager and project team to

these clients so we form a very close working partnership with them,” he says. “This way we fully understand what they want, and they also know what they are getting from us.”

This strength has been illustrated particularly well in the past few years with European retail giant, and key client, Lidl - with whom Bouwedrijf Van de Ven has been able to enter into the UK market for the first time. In August 2014 it completed its first project, a 40,000 square metre distribution centre in Northfleet

61

62

profile: Bouwbedrijf Van de Ven

where it managed all construction and associated sub-contract work.

Complete with a returns centre, washer, freezer rooms, cold rooms, storage ADR, scaffolding, bulk storage, 112 docks, utility room and several offices, plus an external gatehouse with two weighbridges and access control system, the project perfectly demonstrates the extensive breadth of the company’s expertise. Furthermore, the warehouse was delivered with a BREEAM ‘Very Good’ Certificate and a second facility in Southampton is currently under construction, due for handover in September 2016.

With such an impressive portfolio of work and skill accounting for a robust reputation amongst its clients, it is perhaps no surprise that Bouwbedrijf Van de Ven is able to deliver into the UK. However, Kees points out that managing the transition from European to UK health and safety practice has been a big challenge.

“The procedures and regulations are very different in the UK, by no means are they any more or less effective than what we have established in the rest of Europe, but they are unique in the way they should be approached,” he

says, commenting on a slightly more bureaucratic system.

“We are able to manage this quite well with an onsite health and safety manager, supported by two accompanying officers, as well as an in-house health and safety officer here in Holland.

They are, in turn, monitored

and supported by an external specialist to ensure we continue meeting such high standards in new markets. I think it would be very difficult to enter into the UK market without this knowledge and we make sure we maintain this with all the relevant training and certification at all levels of the business.”

Another significant strength of Bouwbedrijf Van de Ven is its approach to investment and its commitment to developing its internal capabilities. This manifests itself in both people and materials.

“We want to have as many of our own employees working for us in-house as opposed to having to rely on self-employed or agency workers,” Kees continues.

“Similiarly, we invest in our own plant. In the UK it is quite common to use plant hire companies, but we possess everything from scaffolding and site offices to

trucks and excavators ready for when we need it.” What results is an incredibly reflexive company, ready to serve the needs of its clients quickly in order to meet every promised handover date.

Despite a challenging market with lots of competition, Bouwbedrijf Van de Ven’s strong reputation and numerous lasting client relationships puts it in good stead as it moves forward. Kees points out that the more one-to-one, preferred supplier relationships it can establish and maintain, the fewer tendering processes have to be endured amongst stiff, lowpriced competition. Therefore, concentrating on its level of service and quality will be central to its ongoing progress.

“By keeping the client as our main priority and assisting them as much as possible, whilst ensuring that we can continue delivering a very high level of quality, we are confident that we can expand on our strengths and secure further success as we move forward,” says Kees, thinking about the company’s position in the Dutch industry’s future. “It is about consolidating all the key features of our competitiveness that we have established over a history already spanning eight decades, and making sure that we can use this as a solid foundation to continue long into the future.”

Bouwbedrijf Van de Ven www.bouwbedrijfvandeven.nl Services: One of Holland’s top construction companies 63

profile: Rudridge

Building

opportunities

Since it first started trading in May 2000, Rudridge Ltd has established a solid reputation as one of the UK’s leading specialist distributors of materials for groundwork, drainage and civil engineering applications

T

he business was founded by Directors Robert Rudd and Alan Betteridge in Farnham, Surrey and today operates from four sites across London and the South East. During February 2015 the company’s board approved the sale of Rudridge Ltd to the Travis Perkins Group. Commenting on the sale in 2015, Rudridge Director Alan Betteridge said: “The professionalism, integrity, respect for the Rudridge brand and, perhaps most importantly, the

64

people we met at Travis Perkins, left us in absolutely no doubt that they were the right organisation to take the business to the next level. During the sale process it became evident that being part of a bigger organisation would be a very positive step for both Rudridge and our employees.”

Rudridge was previously profiled by Construction & Civil Engineering magazine during August 2015, only a few short months after the acquisition of the business by the Travis Perkins (TP) Group. While Rudridge

continues to maintain its own identity under the management of both Robert and Alan, integration between the two companies continues at a rapid pace. “All Rudridge staff recently moved over to Travis Perkins contracts, which is a very positive step for both the business as a whole and for all colleagues involved as the new contracts reflect more accurately the benefits associated with being employed by a FTSE 100 company,” observes Group Operations Manager, Darren Price.

“Rudridge will continue to trade

“We are constantly investing in all areas of the business. In the last few months specifically we have made an investment in our mechanical handling capabilities in our branches and have ordered hydraulic squeeze attachments for our fork lift trucks for all branches,” Darren elaborates.

“From March 2016 every Rudridge branch will each have two of these attachments, which we estimate will reduce manual handling by up to 70 per cent. It will also improve our service proposition by reducing waiting time in our branches for the customers that collect goods from us.”

While Rudridge has maintained an enviable position within the market with its acquisition by the TP Group and continued investment into the business, the last six months have proven challenging for the industry as a whole. A general softening in the market during the second half of 2015 resulted in less construction work going ahead and increased competition between contractors and suppliers. “Slow trading conditions meant that we have needed to focus on both our service proposition and ensure that we show our customers value to remain their merchant of choice in what has become an even more competitive market.

“2016 has started off much more positively for us. January saw

like-for-like growth and forward projections and our quotation pipeline suggests that this is likely to continue into the year,” Darren reveals. “The challenges within the industry sector previously mentioned have made the market more competitive and subsequently given us some margin challenges. We approach these challenges by aiming to give our customers something different from the competition and trying to add value to our offer wherever we can. Our unique transport and haulage model and the relationship we have with our hauliers allows us to offer a next day delivery service for all orders received before midday regardless of how busy we get and in most situations we can even offer next day deliveries late into the afternoon. None of our competitors are in a position to do this.”

Throughout its history Rudridge has established itself as a trusted supplier to small, medium and large residential builders as well as to contractors for several prestigious and highly publicised projects. As a result of having successfully delivered material for the Horse Guards Parade project earlier in 2014 for example, the company was subsequently asked to participate in another prominent project in Australia Gate and Spur Road at the Queen

as its own brand and there is no plan for this to change moving forward. TP Group recognise the strength of the Rudridge name in the geographical area that it operates in and the intention moving forward is to continue to strengthen and grow the Rudridge name and reputation.”

Further to its on-going integration with the TP Group, Rudridge continues to invest in and improve its business practices and equipment to ensure that the company maintains an industry-leading level of service.

65

66

profile: Rudridge

Victoria Memorial in an area adjacent to Buckingham Palace.

The main contractor requested that the same sandstone that had been provided for the Horse Guards Parade project be used, as it had proved perfect for the area. As a result the client asked Rudridge to supply the same materials and finish as it had done previously.

Furthermore, the company was later asked to match some

MISSION RUBBER As the world’s number one manufacturer of rubber flexible couplings, Mission Rubber works closely with its customer Rudridge Ltd. It ensures it supplies and specifies the best possible solution when connecting Sewerage & Drainage Pipe connections.

Its technical expertise & exemplary customer service ensures the advice and products Rudridge requires to continue with this level of service are readily available on a same day or next day delivery option.

Rudridge, being a leading civil construction supplier, offers products to a variety of customers including ground workers, housing developers & civil engineers. The company needs to make certain its supplier partnerships are built with suppliers that maintain the latest Water Industry Standard certifications BS EN 16397 & WIS 4-41-01 - as with Mission - ensuring the products supplied are fit for purpose.

The strategic aim of Mission is to remain clearly focused on the coupling market meeting customers’ product and service requirements.

existing edging for the project - it took several templates and the same supplier of the paving, Woodkirk Stone, produced and supplied the stone. It was clear that the Buff Sandstone, a durable material of excellent quality from Britannia Quarry, was just right for the area, and that it had been worth the time taken to research the materials for the initial project.

Finally Rudridge also received a further enquiry asking for the fine grained sandstone to be used inside Buckingham Palace itself and was also specially selected by English Heritage to work on another restoration project in North Yorkshire. “We have worked on a number of prestigious projects over the past 12 months, including natural stone for Horseguards Parade and the US Embassy,” Darren says. “None of these would have been possible without strong relationships with all of our customers, suppliers and manufacturers alike.”

Throughout the remainder of

2016 and beyond, Rudridge Ltd will continue to focus on finalising its integration with the TP Group, as well as with leveraging the benefits of being owned by the group.

“Our focus remains on being the specialist civils and groundworks materials distributor of choice for our customers, whilst standing out from the crowd and offering the best value and service in the industry,” Darren says. “Rudridge is now in a unique position to offer the flexibility and personal service of an independent merchant whilst being backed up by the biggest merchant of them all! This clearly is the best of both worlds and we fully intend to take advantage of this - the Rudridge brand will continue to build on the reputation it has built over the past 15 years in the years to come.”

Rudridge Ltd www.rudridge.co.uk Services: Distribution of groundwork, civil engineering and drainage materials 67

profile: Walter Lilly

Of the highest

standard Operating in a niche where nothing short of perfection is expected, Walter Lilly’s position at the top of the super elite residential construction industry is the result of decades of experience overcoming the most complex and demanding challenges

68

F

ounded in 1924 when Walter Gent Lilly won the freehold to a builder’s yard near Westminster over a game of cards, the eponymous construction company has grown to become one of the leading builders in the UK’s super prime residential market.

also completed construction and renovation works on Southwark Cathedral, The Wolfson Wing at Kew Gardens, Chiswick House Conservatory, Café Royal, Cadogan Hall and many other iconic and listed sites.

“We are considered to be the foremost contractor of choice for high end residential building in Central London,” begins Chief Engineer, Derek Brattle. “This is founded upon an enviable reputation for delivering projects requiring the combined expertise of both complex structural engineering refurbishment works, together with top quality interior fit out.” Experienced, highly skilled and well-trained staff are central to maintaining the strength of this reputation, as is its commitment to the highest quality, which considering its market, can’t fall far short of perfection.

Blended with extensively detailed project management right the way through the construction process, the foundation of expertise within the company results in a highly capable builder with the ability to overcome numerous construction, engineering and logistical challenges.

At present Walter Lilly is demonstrating its unrivalled services, in the borough of Westminster with a major redevelopment project on Marylebone High Street. Currently a year into its programme the scheme has involved the demolition of an existing 1960’s building to the rear of the site, together with the demolition and extensive temporary façade Often to be found working across some of London and the Home County’s most elite and sought after districts, including Belgravia, Mayfair, Knightsbridge, Kensington, Berkshire and Surrey, Walter Lilly has delivered a host of prestigious and high profile projects over the years.

Working closely with some of

the world’s leading architects and designers, the company has proven its ability to deliver everything from classical opulence to the very latest in contemporary and innovative design. In addition to the super prime residential projects, ranging in value from three quarters of a million pounds to £40 million, Walter Lilly has

69

profile: Walter Lilly

retention works to the front.

When completed a six-storey superstructure and new double basement area will provide 19 apartments and five townhouses, as well as additional retail space.

“This is a large project requiring significant engineering works in close co-operation with our project design team and subcontractors,” explains Derek.

“It includes the installation of a perimeter steel sheet pile cofferdam and associated temporary propping for the basement excavation extending within the ground water table; temporary façade and party wall retention structures; underpinning of the perimeter party walls and load transfer of the façade support columns onto the new RC raft foundation. The new RC frame is currently progressing, whilst we manage the decommissioning and relocation of an electrical substation serving surrounding properties.”

70

Another complex and on-going project being carried out can be found on the prestigious Eaton Square in the heart of Belgravia.

Set in a Conservation Area towards the Western boundary

of Westminster and bordered

by Chelsea, Knightsbridge, Buckingham Palace, Pimlico and Hyde Park, the square dates back to the 1830s and is considered to be one of the finest residential

addresses in London. Work on the Grade II listed property involves the amalgamation of two separate apartments into one single-family dwelling; a new three-storey extension across the rear, and the construction of a new deep basement below the courtyard garden.

“In total the proposals provide five levels of high end residential accommodation comprising of four en-suite bedrooms, several large reception rooms, staff accommodation, catering facilities and a pool hall at basement level with swimming pool, Jacuzzi and treatment room,” Derek outlines.

“As specialists in temporary works design and engineering, Walter Lilly were engaged to carry out this complex 102-week development over two phases.

“Phase one has involved major engineering challenges including: the construction of the underground double basement containing the pool and associated plant room below a shared garden; the installation of a new reinforced concrete frame to the rear elevation to form five room-sized openings over three levels, without disturbing the residences above; and finally, the extensive floor strengthening and re-modelling of the internal space. Particular expertise was required in planning the sequence and method of works

to ensure ground movement and disturbance was kept to a minimum for the surrounding sixstorey buildings. All this was done whilst the property’s neighbours living in the three floors above the works, as well as those in the surrounding properties, remained in place throughout.”

A third project to note, involving the full refurbishment of a detached residence at Sheffield Terrace, received bespoke, high quality finishes including stone and timber staircases and a new conservatory. “Whilst the general shape of the new building was not significantly different from the existing, it was rebuilt with new floors, room layouts and the entire roof replaced,” highlights Derek. “Furthermore, the road on which the residence is situated is

a typically narrow, busy residential road that provided significant logistical challenges.”

It is not just this relentless competence to overcome complex engineering and logistical challenges that sets Walter Lilly apart in the market, but also its ability to do so in the confines of such a highly exclusive and quality demanding niche. A long history delivering to such standards has afforded the firm with this leading position and in continuing to do so looks set to secure its position at the top, well into the future.

Walter Lilly & Co Ltd www.walterlilly.co.uk Services: Industry leaders in the design, build and renovation of luxury properties

71

Editor Libbie Hammond libbie@schofieldpublishing.co.uk Sales Team

+44 (0) 1603 274130 Schofield Publishing 10 Cringleford Business Centre Intwood Road Cringleford Norwich NR4 6AU

www.ccemagazine.com