Construction & Civil Engineering Issue 132 October 2016

www.ccemagazine.com

ISSUE 132 OCTOBER

A unique

opportunity

Why we must seek to create places that are flexible, adaptable, and efficient, as well as beautiful See page 2

Luxe life

Townhomes released featuring interiors created by superyacht designers

Powering up New CHP facility contract has been secured for Kent project

Inspiring interior

ÂŁ17.3m redevelopment has transformed university building

contents Chairman Andrew Schofield Editor Libbie Hammond

libbie@schofieldpublishing.co.uk Art Editor Gerard Roadley-Battin Production Manager Fleur Daniels Staff Writers Jo Cooper Andrew Dann Josh Younespour Operations Director Philip Monument

2 Cover story

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Research Manager Laura Thompson Editorial Researchers Mark Cowles Alasdair Gamble Jeff Goldenberg Natalie Griffiths Tarjinder Kaur D’Silva

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Sales Director Joe Woolsgrove Sales David King Mark Cawston Rob Wagner 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

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Š 2016 Schofield Publishing Ltd

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company profiles

20 Ardent Hire Solutions 32 Hydraforce Hydraulics 34 Eurogold 38 Stanton Bonna Concrete 41 SteelPhalt 44 Premier Modular 48 Howarth Windows and Doors 52 Brick Baron 55 Barclay & Mathieson Ltd

(B&M Steel) 57 Connect Plus 62 warmafloor 64 Oakfield Construction 66 Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration 68 Gatwick Airport 73 GECO Mechanical & Electrical 77 Lambert CE 80 CEMEX Building Products 84 Alumno Developments 87 Monodraught

FEATURES 2 Regeneration What does it mean to be truly sustainable in the 21st century? Paul King takes a look

6 IT The use of drones in the construction sector is rising in popularity, for surveys and more

8 Construction The rise of telematics in the construction industry and the benefits that the technology can bring

11, 13 News Updates and information from the construction and civil engineering market

14 Waste Management The laws surrounding waste management on construction sites and how to meet these regulations

16 Skills The AEC skills shortage and how the construction sector might address the challenges

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, and correct at time of writing, 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.

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regeneration

A unique

opportunity The challenge of urban regeneration: redefining sustainability for the 21st Century. By Paul King

C

ities are increasingly having to confront a myriad of social, economic and environmental challenges, with housing shortages, rising unemployment, and the impact of climate change, among others, at the forefront of government priorities. As a result, society is demanding intelligent investment and innovative ideas, which can help inner-city locales to flourish.

Dubbed by some as the capital city of the world, London has long dealt with the challenges that go

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Paul King is Managing Director of Sustainability & External Affairs at Lendlease

hand-in-hand with urbanisation.

A study published by the Greater London Authority in 2009, Capital Consumption, showed the city needed to achieve a 90 per cent reduction in carbon emissions by 2050, the date by which the Climate Change Act commits the whole of the UK to at least an 80 per cent reduction against 1990 levels. While some 30 years off, we still have a long way to go to stand any chance of meeting that target.

But in London or elsewhere across the UK, our generation has an opportunity to redress the

imbalance and start acting with the future in mind. This begins with the realisation that human development cannot ignore environmental limits. Although it is essential that urban areas are regenerated and rejuvenated, it is vital they are done so in a way that will continue to meet people’s needs for years to come.

Creating sustainable, resilient communities that stand the test of time should underpin our approach to urban renewal.

But what does it mean to be truly sustainable in the 21st Century? First coined in the

Brundtland report of 1987, the term ‘sustainable development’ is understood as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the needs of future generations”. Traditionally, we have tended to view sustainability as being synonymous with ‘green-ness’ and the environment.

Although true, this is too simplistic a view. Sustainable urban regeneration must, of course, be considered within the context of economic and social sustainability, too.

By nature, urban renewal requires a multi-pronged

approach. One that incorporates resilient design and infrastructure, job creation, and enhanced community cohesion as key priorities alongside fundamental environmental considerations.

In order to future-proof urban developments, the focus must be on improving, rather than just replacing.

And if cities and citizens are to realise their full potential, it requires new forms of collaborative effort. Some of the public-private partnerships – which bring together industry, politicians and communities to

agree current and future needs – at the heart of today’s large-scale regeneration projects are leading the way in delivering long-term positive social and economic change, building inclusiveness and resilience into city frameworks.

Our own £2bn regeneration Elephant Park masterplan at Elephant & Castle, which we’re carrying out in partnership with Southwark Council, is a case in point. We’re constructing highly sustainable homes and buildings made with the innovative materials like cross-laminated timber, which are designed to

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regeneration

respond to resource scarcity by using renewable natural materials, conserving energy and water.

And, overall, we’ve committed to reduce and offset more carbon emissions than will actually be generated by those that live and work in the completed development, by deploying technologies and initiatives that extend from solar panels to an onsite CHP system that provides net zero carbon energy. However, our approach goes far beyond ‘green’ sustainability.

We have taken a tenure-blind approach to home ownership and almost 50 per cent of the development area will be publicly accessible space, for the enjoyment of both local people

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and residents. We’re investing in local infrastructure and strategic transport upgrades, community facilities, tree planting and landscaping, all of which are

designed to create a beautiful and healthy place where people will be proud to live and happy to visit.

We have a strategy for active use of parts of the site during

construction – from an interim public park that will open while construction is still ongoing to a thriving small business incubator, the Artworks Elephant, which is already home to 38 new start-up businesses. And we’re further supporting local employment opportunities by both helping long-term unemployed residents from the area into construction jobs and partnering with Southwark Council to house a Construction Skills Centre on site that will train 1000 local people a year. The development will create 6000 new jobs and, to date, we’ve already employed 500 local people since 2013, almost half of whom were previously unemployed.

We’ve done all this in close consultation with the local community, taking into account their needs and what’s important to them – at the start and throughout the project. And that’s why this approach works: we’re enabling local people to play a part in the future shape of their community, which in turn is helping us to ensure that Elephant Park is successful and continues to prosper long after construction is finished.

Our generation has a unique opportunity to act positively in response to a changing world.

Although we cannot predict the future with any certainty, we can focus on the trends that are already evident: climate

change, resource depletion, rising inequality, and economic disparity. If we seek to create places that are flexible, adaptable and efficient, as well as beautiful, they are far more likely to survive longer than many built in the second half of the last century.

Sustainability in urban regeneration is by its very nature complex. We know we don’t have all the answers to the challenges of inner-city regeneration, but we’re confident we can find them by working in partnership with the communities in the places in which we are working. We’re confident that by pooling our collective insights and solving problems together, better places for people will always emerge.

Paul King is Managing Director of Sustainability & External Affairs at Lendlease, a leading international property and infrastructure group, listed on the Australian Securities Exchange and operating in four key regions – Australia, Asia, Americas and Europe. The group has more than 11,900 employees worldwide. In the UK, it is the only fully integrated retail, residential and commercial provider delivering end-toend property solutions. The company has core capabilities in development, investment management, construction, asset and property management.

For more information, please see

www.lendlease.com/uk

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IT

drone In the

Previously only commonly used in the military, the benefits of using drones is becoming increasingly clear to a diverse range of sectors. Dave Bush, Director at Future Aerial, discusses the huge potential of using drones in the construction industry

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he utilisation of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), otherwise known as drones, has grown rapidly over recent years, with industries including agriculture, power, infrastructure and mining, realising the benefits of surveying and inspecting assets via consistent data capture, analysis and delivery. Additionally, drones provide footage at sporting events, are used in films and advertisements and can help in search and rescue operations.

Another industry to notice the huge potential in using drones is construction, with companies realising that drones can assist with activities such as site inspection, planning and health and safety thanks to their ability to deliver a bird’s eye view of the entire construction area. In more detail, drones can be used to quickly and efficiently survey a job site and build maps; this service drastically reduces the need for human resources, heavy machinery and expensive surveying tools,

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which means surveying projects are completed in half the time, with less money spent and with more accurate results. They can also be used to show clients progress of the project, monitor sites and keep the project both on track and to budget.

Able to provide 360-degree views, drones offer customers an immersive experience and point out potential hazards on site; they can also closely examine high risk areas and swift overviews of large areas and increase safety by showing where different projects are taking place.

Spearheading this revolution in the construction industry is

Future Aerial, a company that has a history in mapping and survey, with an early focus in quarries and mining. The company is delivering a world first solution to large construction companies that recognise they can use drones to check the condition of bridges, pylons and other types of infrastructure without sending helicopters or people up into the sky to take photographs. By building a network and bespoke cloud based technology, the British based start-up firm can deliver high quality data in the same format, or an ‘Uber for drones’ for the B2B community.

Looking back on the developments that led Future Aerial into the construction arena, Dave comments: “Having completed some world first mapping projects in African mines we started applying some of the photogrammetry techniques common in mapping and began using these on multirotor platforms creating 3D models for a wide variety of inspection applications, growing the team and

technology within the company.

Future Aerial is now predominantly focused on innovation in infrastructure, construction and energy sectors working closely with some of the world’s largest clients such as Costain on projects including Crossrail and Hinckley Point C. Operating the world’s 1st Drone Operations Network (DON™), allows Future Aerial to deliver to clients nationally and internationally.

“We are focused on both managed drone services and the technology surrounding it and have a core internal team of very experienced operators and GIS analysts; we also have a carefully vetted network of operators within the DON that provides our extensive geographical reach and wide variety of capabilities.

The cloud technology we have developed, FDC (Future Drone Cloud), enables clients to easily commission services, helps us manage field operations, process large amounts of data and deliver to our clients in a consistent and regulated workflow. At this stage it would be hard to conceive of any drone service company successfully competing without cloud based processing solutions purely down to the vast amount of data that is collected.”

He continues: “The innovation side of our business is based around providing consultancy and R&D, which often includes alliances with clients, regulators and hardware/software companies. In the process of exploring complex proof of concept work we strip back the processes so that these can be delivered through the DON via step flow training and ultimately a turnkey commercialised product.

The type of services we undertake can range from flood mapping to complex industrial asset inspections, our most common deliverables would be: Digital Terrain Model, Digital Surface Model, Volumetric calculations, Topographic

Mapping, Monitoring, Point Cloud and 3D Visualisation,” Launched December 2015, Future Aerial’s groundbreaking DON model is coupled with Future Drone Cloud, the company’s cloud based technology, to enable any commercial business in any sector to commission multiple fleets of drones at any time. The introduction of this innovative technology means companies within the construction industry, particularly large blue chip companies that are involved in major infrastructure projects, no longer have to suffer varying levels of quality when it comes to data capture, analysis or delivery to complete a job and can instead receive data of a consistently high standard.

“In simple terms, drones can now offer very accurate situational awareness across much of the construction life cycle. From basic aerial photography of a construction site to gain increased health and safety perspective through to high accuracy volumetric calculations that can give exact information of where material is being extracted from and to, all within a fraction of the time and cost of traditional methods,” says Dave. “The most vital part of applying drone technology is understanding what kind of data is possible and what outputs are most appropriate for a specific purpose. Once you have a site mapped using techniques like stereo photogrammetry there are a great many possible outputs that can be exported for a wide variety of applications, topographical, volumetric,

monitoring etc. During 2016 we have noticed a real increase in an appetite for complex outputs such as point cloud data being mixed with terrestrial scan data for BIM and architectural design applications.”

With the hype and noise surrounding drones currently at fever point and drone technology continuing to develop at a strong pace, the construction industry looks set to go through a period of transformation as conservative companies increasingly realise the benefits of using drones during projects. “Companies are already establishing internal drone divisions and this will almost certainly be the norm in the future but I believe that it will be survey companies who understand the nuances of applying the technology who will shoulder the bulk of the work as contractors at this point. We are also seeing a convergence of early adopters merging and much more activity around JV’s and partnerships,” says Dave.

“However, the future of drones in construction will not only depend on regulation from groups like the CAA but also standards authorities such as RICS will determine the speed of innovation and uptake. Setting standards for the quality of data and accuracies will open up the future of drone use in construction, standardising outputs and keeping clearly defined quality control measures in place,” he concludes.

www.futureaerial.com

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construction

Planting the seed of

telematics

Construction & Civil Engineering spoke to Leana Horton, Key Account Manager at Kubota UK, about the the rise of telematics within the construction industry

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elematics has been utilised within haulage, logistics and quarrying industries for quite some time, but within the last five years we have seen the technology become a real buzz word within the construction and plant sector.

More and more, we are seeing telematics solutions being fitted to the construction plant machinery being used on projects.

The technology is already delivering considerable solutions and benefits to plant hire firms and contractors throughout the UK, however its full potential is yet to be delivered industry wide.

A brief history of machinery telemetry As a technology, telematics in its basic form has been around for

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decades, with GPS tracking on trucks and fleet vehicles within the logistics, haulage and quarrying industries enabling fleet managers to view the whereabouts and performance of a vehicle (such as tonnage per hour, to use a quarrying example).

However, as stricter EU emmissions legislation has imposed regulations on a wider array of vehicle types and sizes, engines have become more advanced and as a result are integrated with electrical management software that withdraws data from the engine, reporting on a number of metrics including engines emissions and service diagnostics.

Linked with these developments to meet legislative requirements, telematics has taken strides forwards with how it can

communicate its data, enabling real time reports to be produced, stored and accessed. What’s more, since the introduction of mobile devices, this data can be accessed from remote locations, whether on the job or from a central office.

Due to these significant advancements within telemetry and EU legislation pushing emissions regulations within more industries, telematics has become popular within quarrying, agriculture, forestry and is now it is gaining real traction within the construction and plant sector too.

Telematics solutions for construction and plant There are a myriad of benefits and solutions that telematics can offer to the construction sector, for the plant fleet owner, hiring contractor and the operator

alike. These telemetry solutions can enable improved operational productivity, machine security, energy efficiency and service diagnostics to ensure guaranteed uptime - all leading to improved fleet management as a whole.

Telemetry ensures that fleet owners have sight of whether their machines are being properly maintained when hired out, whilst also making sure the contractors are getting maximum value during the course of the hire period.

Theft prevention, security and operational tracking On any building project, financial security and health and safety are of the utmost importance, with businesses often suffering substantial monetary losses through the theft and misuse of plant equipment, but also due to

breach of health and safety laws.

Ensuring peace of mind for both the contractor and machinery owner, the up-to-the-minute telemetry data delivered can track a single machine or an entire fleet 24/7, alerting the fleet manager if the vehicle has been moved from site, with the option of the fleet manager to remotely immobilise the machinery if required, helping to maximise the prevention of theft.

For instance, if the machinery has been stolen during the night, telematics can locate the machine whether or not its power is switched on. In the case of instances of theft, vandalism and out of hours use, the fleet manager will be immediately alerted when the incident occurs.

Further to this, the sensors and telemetry unit review in real time the operational output of the machine and track its movements on site. This is of great benefit, not only for the fleet manager, but also to the operator. Using mobile hardware such as a tablet within the cab, the operator will be alerted if they stray from their geo-fenced working area. If the operator does not react to the audible alert, the site manager can resort to remote immobilisation, again ensuring utmost health and safety is maintained.

This technology is equally valuable to the fleet owner, as when hired out, they can track the movements and operational uptime of the machine. This means that they will be alerted if the machine is used out of the Construction Planthire Association’s (CPA) weekly usage guidelines or the contractor’s contractual obligations. If this does take place, the additional charges required can be applied in full confidence due to the data reported.

Emissions, maintenance and operator monitoring In addition to security and health and safety solutions, telematics can also be used to report on a

machine’s emissions, maintenance, service demands and the performance of the operator using the machine.

If a machine is suddenly haemorrhaging fuel or a component part is underperforming, the fleet manager will be alerted and the problem can then be rectified. If the issue is due to poor operating standard, this can be fed back and the right respective training can be implemented to resolve any operational issues. On the other hand, if it is an issue with the machine itself, the diagnostics function can inform the fleet manager what the specific issue is and what needs servicing.

Not only is this valuable in conserving fuel and maintaining the highest possible productivity for the machine’s usage on site, but it enables the equipment owner to carry out these checks before hiring out the machinery to make sure each piece of kit is in full working order before going out the door. The environmental benefit is sizeable too, reducing a project’s carbon footprint.

The age of construction machinery telematics is here.

Telemetry can ensure greater machine security, on site health and safety, emissions control, operational uptime, fleet management and reduce a project’s carbon footprint.

Make sure you reap the benefits on offer by ensuring every piece of plant machinery purchased or hired is fitted with a plant telemetry solution.

www.kubota.co.uk

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10

news

Homes for Wales A substantial development worth nearly £5 million for leading Welsh construction company Morganstone has now entered the final phase of construction.

Phase five will see Morganstone act on behalf of new home developer Pennant Homes to build 37 new homes on the site of the former Cwmtawe Comprehensive School. The final phase will comprise of 29 executive three and four-bedroom homes for sale and eight, two-bedroom homes for rent by Coastal Housing Group.

The houses on the development, built in partnership with Pennant Homes, are being designed to complement the wider area. As well as offering a unique opportunity to take in Pontardawe’s most iconic views, the homes will also provide parking and garden space suitable for a wide range of purchasers, including families and couples.

Ian Morgan, managing director of Morganstone, said: “Our partnership with Pennant Homes has been a long standing one and has seen a range of high quality, affordable developments introduced throughout South Wales.

“We are delighted that work on the final 37 properties at Parc y Dderwen is underway and we look forward to completing work on this development and handing it over to Pennant Homes next year.”

Artist’s impression of the Kemsley EfW Facility

Luxe life Barr Al Jissah, the exceptional luxury destination in Oman, has launched the world’s first Bannenberg & Rowell Limited Edition Townhomes, featuring interior designs by one the most famous names in yacht design, Bannenberg & Rowell.

Bringing ‘yacht living’ to Barr Al Jissah, Bannenberg & Rowell have drawn on their extensive experience in contemporary yacht design, taking inspiration from the spectacular ocean setting and Omani architecture, to create the cutting-edge interiors for the seven Limited Edition Townhomes.

Elevated above Barr Al Jissah, the four bedroom, five bathroom Townhomes offer uninterrupted views across the Gulf of Oman.

Featuring details more typically associated with superyachts, the homes aim to bring the stunning natural surroundings inside whilst evoking a sense of place and Omani authenticity.

Shocking conditions

Powering up A £66m contract to deliver the building and civil engineering works for a new Combined Heat & Power facility for Wheelabrator Technologies at Kemsley in Kent has been secured by Clugston Construction, part of the privately owned Clugston Group.

Wheelabrator Technologies is an industry leader in the conversion of everyday residential and business waste into clean energy, and has a platform of 20 powerproducing assets across the US and UK —16 energy-from-waste facilities and four independent power plants. The Kemsley project will see the construction of a combined heat and power plant that will create 40 new, full-time permanent roles when the facility becomes operational in 2019.

Steve Radcliffe, managing director of Clugston Construction, said: “The project for Wheelabrator Technologies is the latest in our growing portfolio of energy-from-waste plants, and is certainly one of the largest combined heat and power developments we have been involved in. We are delighted to have been chosen by Wheelabrator to deliver such an important facility and we look forward to working with the company over the next three years and beyond.”

Once constructed, the Wheelabrator Kemsley facility will manage up to 550,000 tonnes of waste per year from Kent and South East England. As a result, the site will generate 43 MW of sustainable electricity to the National Grid and provide 70 tonnes of valuable steam heat to the adjacent Kemsley Paper Mill.

Unsafe working conditions on Britain’s construction sites are putting the health of builders in serious danger, according to a new report by Hayward Baker.

Researchers carried out a study into the conditions of Britain’s workplaces - and discovered 87 per cent of construction workers claim their building site to be a health and safety hazard. Almost half of the builders and construction workers surveyed said they had suffered from an injury at work, with almost a third having been to hospital due to a workrelated illness or injury. The research also revealed that the average builder or construction worker has had two accidents at work, with one of those accidents having happened in the last year.

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news

In brief BIM enhanced

Historic bridge refurb Stirling Lloyd’s Eliminator system was specified for the waterproofing of the historic Reading Bridge, as part of a refurbishment project. A key transport link between Reading town centre on the south bank with Caversham on the north bank, the bridge required major strengthening works in order to bring it in line with 21st century infrastructure, capable of withstanding increasing volumes and axle-weights of traffic and help ensure it continues to keep traffic moving for many years to come.

During the construction work, the bridge was completely closed for two weeks in July 2015. A total of 950m2 of Stirling Lloyd primer, Eliminator membrane and Bond Coat 3 was applied

by VolkerLaser to the reinforced concrete bridge deck. Eliminator provides a tough, seamless, flexible membrane and the Bond Coat 3 cures to provide a hard tack free protective finish – both being resistant to contamination and damage from site traffic. This allowed other trades and phases of works to take place throughout the duration of the waterproofing works without damage.

£17.3m redevelopment completes GRAHAM Construction has completed SOAS University of London’s £17.3 million redevelopment of the North Block of its iconic Senate House. The project has transformed an underused courtyard to create a multi-purpose space through the addition of an architecturally ambitious glass roofed-atrium constructed between the existing Grade II* listed buildings. Two Olympic swimming pools-worth of spoil were excavated through a window on a conveyor belt to produce a double height space that maintains natural ventilation to the North Block’s upper levels. Providing an additional 1000 sq m, it will be home to the new Student Hub, which includes student finance, careers and enterprise services with a breakout area and café.

The freestanding £1 million glass roof has created a beautiful and inspiring interior for both students and staff for formal and informal teaching and learning. The structure allows in natural light and ventilation that will help keep running costs and energy consumption low. Rainwater will be collected from the roof, stored and reused within the building; a system that has only been retrofitted into a handful of listed buildings.

In addition, 7000 sq m of accommodation over five floors within the North Block have been refurbished to provide a mixture of high-quality teaching facilities, study areas and academic offices, as well as open-plan space.

Schneider Electric has announced it has enhanced its BIM offering, making it available through the NBS National BIM Library for the first time. The National BIM Library is the fastest growing collection of both generic and manufactured objects in the UK. Used by consulting engineers in the creation of specifications and designs, the extensive library enables BIM objects to be used throughout a project.

Project completed The construction division of The Premier Group has completed an Esso Synergy rebranding project across 124 sites for Rontec, one of the largest independent companies in the UK forecourt industry. The project was won off the back of the 2015 Esso Synergy roll out. Steve Evans, MD of the construction division of The Premier Group, said: “Working with Rontec has enabled us to maintain and build upon our strong working relationship with the firm for specialist construction and rebranding work.”

Campus development Interserve has won a £17m contract to design and build a three-storey development at the University of York’s Campus East. The ‘Piazza Learning Centre’ will house teaching facilities and learning spaces, as part of a £27m scheme on the campus.

The project will feature 36 flexible learning spaces, including two laboratories, a 350-seat auditorium, a 100-seat lecture theatre, a 300-seat restaurant, as well as staff areas and offices spread across 6800 m2.

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waste management

The dirty side of

construction

Construction sites can be dirty places, producing building waste and sometimes pollution, which will affect the environment and may leave a business open to fines.

Martin Ledson looks at the laws surrounding waste management on construction sites, how to meet these laws and the benefits of good practice

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y law, you must deal responsibly with any waste your business produces, a particular issue on construction sites where rubble, dust and sometimes hazardous materials, such as asbestos, are the norm. Your duty of care begins when you produce the waste and ends once passed over to a licensed waste disposal business. You are also responsible for checking how any waste management provider you use deals with that waste. They must be fully licensed to handle it, in accordance with the Hazardous Waste Regulations.

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Hierarchy of handling 1. Reuse 2. Recycle 3. Recover 4. Dispose - to landfill, the final and least preferred option Waste ‘disposal’ must be your last course of action. Good practice waste management should start with prevention, using fewer and less hazardous materials where possible, or looking for alternative ways to complete essential business tasks.

‘Prevention’ will improve your environmental credentials and could also save your business money, by reducing waste

disposal costs, the price of the material in the first place and encouraging better, more costeffective processes. When you consider that around ten per cent* of any construction budget could be waste, there is potentially a lot of money to be saved.

The first step to good waste management practices is planning, before a job even begins. This is not only the best approach, it also a legal requirement.

Site Waste Management Plan Construction or demolition projects worth £300,000 or more are subject to a Site Waste Management Plan (SWMP), with more detail required in projects worth over £500,000. Failure to comply could result in fines of up to £50,000, or on the spot penalties – both companies and individuals can be held responsible, something that all staff on site should be made aware of.

SWMPs apply to all aspects of construction work, including

preparatory work such as demolition and excavation, and should be completed for construction, engineering, refurbishment and maintenance projects. The plan needs to cover all related services, such as electrical, gas, water, sewage and telecommunications.

There are three main aims of a SWMP: • I mprove efficiency and profitability by promoting reuse, recycling and recovery of waste, rather than disposal • R educe fly-tipping by keeping a full audit trail of waste removed from sites and complying with waste duty of care regulations • I ncrease environmental awareness of your workforce and management A SWMP should be created before construction activity begins, including an estimate of the types of waste that will be produced by the project, and the quantity of each type of waste.

Each time waste is removed from the site its type and quantity must be recorded. Reports can then be created to make sure waste is dealt with in the most effective and profitable way possible.

It’s important not to just think of waste as solid items. Liquid waste can be a particular problem on construction sites, both of the hazardous kind and also just general dust. When houses go up, for example, care must be taken to minimise silt run off, which can block adjacent rivers. It can be a difficult task before proper sewerage systems are in place, with flooding also a potential issue, so any plans must take into account this risk.

Classifying waste Any waste produced must be classified before sending for recycling and disposal. This is important for those responsible for handling it and is part of

your ‘duty of care’. Additional requirements may be required for hazardous waste, which must be labelled as follows: • The waste classification code, also referred to as the List of Waste (LoW) or European Waste Catalogue (EWC) code.

• The type of premises or business where the waste was produced • The name of the substance • The process that produced the waste • A chemical and physical analysis • Any special problems, requirements or knowledge related to the waste Hazardous products often include orange and black danger symbols or red and white hazard pictograms and are marked with an asterisks. Hazardous waste must be segregated and not mixed with non-hazardous waste or materials.

Companies that also treat and transport of dispose of waste themselves need a permit to do so.

Transporting waste comes under the ADR regulations, which was recently changed in include fuel. To comply, drivers have to be specially trained, using suitable vehicles.

According to David, a waste system that is working efficiently and at its maximum potential, can reduce up to 15-20 per cent of a country’s CO2 emissions, compared to a scene where waste is just dumped. At the moment, waste is ‘dumped’ in 70 per cent of the world.

In the short term, better waste management practices will help prevent localised pollution and ensure fines are avoided by adhering to legislation, and in the long-term, it goes some way to contributing to the world’s carbon reduction aims. Where this waste is unavoidable, understanding its classification and the appropriate steps for dealing with it is essential.

Environmental commitment In our experience, the majority of UK firms are carrying out good waste management and disposal, not least because of an increased understanding of its environmental importance.

At COP21 last December, International Solid Waste Association (ISWA) president, David Newman, outlined the importance waste management could play in mitigating climate change**. He stated that greater emphasis must be placed on materials, saving CO2 emissions through recycling and where this is not possible, using these materials for energy production.

Martin Ledson is Northern Business Development Manager for Adler & Allan. Adler & Allan supplies a range of waste management services for construction sites, including assisting with SWMPs, disposal, waste transportation, demolition and site decontamination.

www.adlerandallan.co.uk * www.sitewastemanagementplan.com/ ** www.waste-management-world.com/a/ iswa-at-cop21-tax-carbon-recognise-the-roleof-waste-management-in-emission-cuts

15

skills

The skills of

tomorrow Andrew Dann talks to Paul Daynes of Newforma about the impact of AEC skills shortages and how the construction sector might address the challenges facing the industry

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n June 2016 the population of the UK voted in a referendum that will result in the eventual exit of the state from the European Union (EU). This ‘Brexit’ result has understandably generated ripples of uncertainty throughout the global economy and has compounded the lingering issues relating to a drop in production following the 2008 financial crash. With recently published UKCES reports indicating that the construction industry is particularly susceptible to a lack in applicable skills, the growing impact of the information explosion and the decision of the UK to exit the European Union has triggered a rush of activity within the skills dimension of the architecture, engineering and

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construction sector. Indeed, while the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) sector is currently relatively buoyant, the industry continues to face a crisis in retaining the appropriate skills to ensure that the UK construction sector remains both healthy and robust post-Brexit and beyond.

Information presented in the Employer Skills Survey 2015: UK Results, Evidence Report 97 released by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) during May 2016, indicates that an increasing number of jobs are being left unfilled because employers are unable to find the right candidates with the right skills. The report further reveals that that the electricity, gas and water utilities

and construction sectors have the highest densities of skillshortage vacancies, with shortfalls of 35 per cent and ten per cent respectively. This represents a significant shift from 2013, when skill-shortage vacancy density was most pronounced within the manufacturing, business services and agriculture sectors. The information was collected by the UKCES through its 2015 Employer Skills Survey (ESS).

Additional research undertaken

by Euan McLeod and Kirsteen Milne in their Brexit Analysis Bulletin – Construction & Infrastructure for Shepherd and Wedderburn, indicates that the UK construction industry generates around £90 billion annually, accounting for around 6.7 per cent of GDP and

employing over 2.9 million people.

However despite its importance to the UK economy, the number of skill-shortage vacancies in the construction sector has more than doubled since 2013 from 5000 to 12,000 according to the ESS. To some extent this reflects increased recruitment activity in the sector as it continues to recover from the implications of the 2008 financial downturn, however the ESS observes that the rate of growth in skill-shortage vacancies has outpaced the growth of vacancies in this sector. As a result the construction industry faces significant challenges in recruiting sufficiently skilled labour, with employers currently struggling to fill one in three construction vacancies.

There are several factors that have contributed to the development of the skills crisis within the AEC industry. The sector is already experiencing a labour and skills shortage, caused by a lasting impact of the large number of job losses during the recession and an ageing workforce resulting in a high retirement rate. For example, presently around 22 per cent of UK construction workers are over 50, while 15 per cent are over 60.

Further to these already significant challenges, the uncertainty of the Brexit decision and the increasing need to manage data in the wake of the ‘information explosion’ have each added a new dimension to the skill-shortage vacancy problem.

As a sector that relies heavily on both skilled and non-skilled workers born outside of the UK, one of the key concerns relating to the leave vote is the potential curtailment of the free movement of people. This could be a troubling development of the AEC sector in the wake of a 2015 Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) UK Construction Survey, which indicates that 66 per cent of firms have turned down work due to a lack of staff. Furthermore according to the same survey, wages are reportedly increasing as a direct result of the skills shortage, with average earnings increasing by more than six per cent as of October 2015.

Speaking to CAD User in the wake of the Brexit referendum, Paul Daynes, Regional Director, UK and Northern Europe at Newforma, suggests that the leave vote will not have a significant impact on of the UK AEC sector in Europe and beyond. “I don’t think the influence of the UK AEC sector will change much in the wake of the leave vote. The UK construction industry is adaptable and will continue to be adaptable.

I can see a lot more confidence in the industry, despite the current uncertainty. This will be, to some degree, driven by the economy once the dust has settled and the industry refocuses - whether it is driven by architects, engineers, or driven by projects,” he says. “It is investor confidence that will drive the industry - providing focus, tools and investment, especially in the public segment, or in the private sector adopting new technology to support processes.

In future we will need to use tools more effectively to achieve the end goal. In other words, in times of uncertainty we need to get our own house in order. It’s all about investment. The companies that are going to be best placed will be those who have invested in technology. Companies should spend more time getting strategies worked out.”

17

skills

Indeed, while the eventual impact of Brexit remains somewhat uncertain, the development of information technology (IT) and the resulting ‘information explosion’ is something that businesses within the AEC sector have increasingly had to get to grips with to remain competitive. The information explosion relates to the rapid increase in the availability of published information or data and the effects of this abundance. For companies within the AEC industry, a lack of method for comparing in processing information can result in ‘information overload’ and reduced overall efficiency.

Research undertaken by Vanson Bourne on behalf

18

of Newforma, suggests that lack of planning around the information explosion has had a negative impact on project collaboration in AEC projects.

“The correlation between the information explosion and impact on project collaboration can be attributed to systems used and to connect information relevance to the task in hand.

The introduction of building information modelling (BIM) is clearly creating more data through design,” Paul explains to CCE. “The key solution is in being able to capture information from all sources and content and be able to communicate effectively to support collaboration.

Traditional approaches using a number of data or information

silos/databases make this task very onerous on company effectiveness. Taking an indexing approach of all information sources, such as provided through Newforma, reduces the effort to find information in the first instance and secondly makes the process of referencing information far easier from a collaborative sense.”

Effective collaboration is key to future success throughout the construction industry. Core to this is the enabling of IT to support the mobility of information both within the office and onsite.

Industry leaders also need to be able to inspire their teams to use their natural creative skills, without the burden of project administration. “Confidence is a

vital personal attribute to grow into teams and e-learning and information portals provide a great source of self-learning,” Paul says. “Looking forward to BIM Level 3 and the quest for digital assets, skill development will need to challenge the norm of traditional design to build workflows that exist in industry today. In a fast moving industry change is inevitable. Skill development therefore needs to be adaptive to change, otherwise the result could be even more muddled and inefficient to what the AEC industry is looking to achieve.”

As the AEC sector increasingly incorporates digital information, teams will need to focus on capturing and harnessing

information regardless of its source location. Traditional approaches of not connecting project email, controlled and noncontrolled documents/models/ drawings place projects at risk, as all information is not accounted for. By indexing information sources together, project results become predictable without any change to working practices.

However where project teams do employ digital technology in project execution, information is still commonly stored using internal systems and preferred storage processes. Newforma believes that a flexible approach to information sharing provides a superior platform with which to promote project collaboration.

“Traditional workflows and approach to information storage in the main represent the cultural makeup of how companies execute projects.

Academia also tends to teach information in traditional sense.

Newforma has a very flexible approach to where information is stored and shared. Education of alternative technologies, like Newforma hybrid on-premise and cloud services, compared to traditional database and extranet technologies will certainly support improved and more flexible ways of working,” Paul concludes.

“Newforma takes a very pragmatic approach to enhancing skills around its technology. This is delivered through 24x7 e-learning modules in addition to on-line learning tutorials and chat lines to support rapid and accessible learning. Its customer community portal provides up to date information including on product updates and training.”

The skills crisis within the AEC sector will undoubtedly continue to create challenges for construction companies within the UK during the coming years, especially as the impact of the

Brexit decision remains to be fully understood. Despite these challenges the AEC sector is in a relatively strong position within the UK and is set to continue a strong relationship with Europe post-Brexit. This relationship can be further facilitated and strengthened through efficient IT and information sharing as long as companies continue to invest in training and effective data management.

Newforma is a market leading provider of Project Information Management (PIM) solutions in the AEC sector. Its technology empowers individuals, web-based collaboration to strengthen construction teams, and an information management platform to optimise company performance. On over two million projects worldwide, design and construction professionals are using Newforma software to deliver more successful projects. The company’s UK customers in the AEC market include BDP, Capita, Cundall, Foster+ Partners, Hilson Moran, HOK, and Robin Partington Architects to name but a few.

www.newforma.co.uk

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profile: Ardent Hire Solutions

Passion for

plant hire Formed from the amalgamation of two industry renowned operators, Fork Rent and One Call Hire in August 2015, Ardent Hire Solutions has been established with the goal of creating the largest and youngest fleet of machines for hire in the UK. The business trades from 12 depots nationwide and provides over 5000 units for rent with a financial value of approximately £150m. The initial acquisitions of Fork Rent and One Call Hire were led by Searchlight Capital Partners and Duke Street together with key management

S

ince August 2015, Ardent has gone through a period of consolidation and today is the UK’s largest telehandler provider and has one of the largest excavator fleets in the country.

The company is also backed by more than £100 million of new investment to further strengthen the fleet, which boasts an average age of two years.

CanTrack CanTrack is proud to be working in partnership with Ardent Hire, having supplied tracking and telematic systems since 2008. At a time when, according to the Metropolitan Police, equipment theft is up 31 per cent this year and thieves are targeting compact equipment without integrated telematics, CanTrack’s 90 per cent+ recovery rate minimises the negative impact on Ardent Hire’s customers, of opportunistic and professional plant thieves.

The CanTrack Asset, a compact, robust self-contained unit, meets all of today’s requirements protecting Ardent’s fleet and enhancing site safety and security by constantly monitoring and communicating a machine’s location, its use and much more. With jamming devices and electrical wiring detectors making it easy to defeat hard-wired systems, the self-contained CanTrack Asset is tough for thieves to find and EU Roaming and a long battery life significantly increase the chances of recovery, even if a machine has already been shipped abroad.

As an added benefit to Ardent Hire and their customers CanTrack operates its own team of professional investigators, all former police officers, who maintain the remarkable recovery rate of over ten times the national average. So effective is the CanTrack unit and process that recoveries have been made within the hour from when a machine is reported as stolen.

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CanTrack are proud to have supported Ardent Hire since 2008 Ardent Hire continue to deliver class leading customer service with the widest choice of equipment from one of the youngest fleets available in the industry today Site safety and security is enhanced through the wide use of CanTrack’s comprehensive equipment telematics solution that constantly monitors a machine’s location, its use and much more. With the CanTrack Asset unit, there’s no installation requirement so it’s easy to use and, with a battery life of up to 15 years, it offers long term management of valuable assets. The unit has an exceptionally strong construction making it suitable for use in all weathers and heavy industry. It also has a range of sensors providing vital management information for reporting and monitoring – whether for Health & Safety, equipment damage or Supply Chain logistics.

Unparelled industry recovery rate – over 90% of equipment back on site the same day Undetectable and jammer resistant unit £3.3m of equipment recovered so far CanTrack employ the UK’s only dedicated, full-time investigations team

To find out how CanTrack can help your business visit cantrack.com/asset-tracking or call 01908 330 385

22

profile: Ardent Hire Solutions

Astra Site Services Astra Site Services are the leading suppliers of hydraulic excavator attachments with the largest hire fleet in the UK, servicing the construction, demolition, rail and piling industries.

Astra are supported by a nationwide network of depots, ensuring they can deliver and fit their range of attachments throughout the UK, as well as providing a service and repair capability geared towards its customers getting what they want, where they want it, when they need it.

In addition to the hire, Astra are the sole UK distributor for world leading demolition equipment manufacturers Trevi Benne, Pile cropping manufacturers Taets, Soosan Breakers and German rock cutting specialists, Erkat.

Mawsley Machinery Mawsley Machinery is pleased to supply Ardent Hire Solutions with the Manitou range of Forklift Trucks and Telescopic Handlers. From 1.8 ton Industrial, 6 to 18 metre Telehandlers to the 21/25/32m Rotating Trucks, Mawsley and Manitou have the handling machine for any job.

Mawsley also supplies Ausa site dumpers, Yanmar excavators, Ammann compaction equipment and CompAir compressors making a comprehensive portfolio for the construction industry.

The investment in DPF cleaning equipment complements the Parts and Service business areas of Mawsley Machinery. More information can be found at www.mawsley.com or download the FREE Mawsley app for spec sheets, safety information and much, much, more!

“Since the initial acquisitions, subsequent merger and consequently the birth of Ardent, we have kept the existing brands very much alive due to the recognition they had within the industry,” comments Anuj Patel, Group Marketing Manager

at Ardent Hire Solutions. “Our presence in the market is growing rapidly, which is partially thanks to the growing number of depots nationwide. We have now opened a new depot in Middlesbrough, with Leeds scheduled to open in September

and by November we should have secured representation in Scotland, which would mark a key milestone in our expansion plans.

Our strategic network of depots manages over 5000 assets; the largest contributor of this being telehandlers and excavators,

23

profile: Ardent Hire Solutions

Watling JCB Watling JCB secures Ardent Hire order Ardent Hire Solutions has confirmed a huge deal for 700 JCB Loadall telescopic handlers and rough terrain forklift trucks as the company seeks to offer the most technologically advanced machines on the market to its hire customers. A large part of the order is for JCB’s flagship 540-200 model which is capable of lifting to 20 metres with all-terrain capability and offers a highly efficient alternative to a mobile crane. Manufactured at JCB’s HQ in Staffordshire, the Loadalls are powered

by JCB’s high torque 55kw Ecomax engine, which meets the latest emissions standards without the need for without the need for a costly diesel particulate filter (DPF), Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) or Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) or commonly known as AdBlue.

The rough terrain forklift trucks are manufactured at JCB Compact Products in Cheadle, Staffs, and are aimed at Ardent’s customers working in the events’ sector. which makes up just over two thirds of our fleet.

“Indeed, thanks to continued investment and the existing fleets of Fork Rent and One Call Hire, Ardent has been able to maintain one of the largest fleets of excavators in the plant hire market, from 0.9t Micro Diggers to 35t Heavy Excavators. We run the UK’s largest and most extensive range of telehandlers & Heavy Lift Telehandlers (4m-20m), Roto Telehandlers (18m-32m) which is further complemented with Rollers (Rammax-20t, Smooth & Padfoot), and Dumpers (1t10t, Straight & Swivel). We have built partnerships with industry leading manufacturers supplying the fleet including JCB, Manitou, CAT, Hitachi, Komatsu, Kubota, & Volvo. These partnerships

24

will ensure we continue to offer our customers the latest and most technologically advanced machines on the market.”

Operating in sectors such as housing, construction, events, government, industrial, infrastructure, energy and

Proud to supply the

World’s favourite Telescopic Handler range to

Also supplying a range of tried and tested JCB rough terrain forklift trucks.

WATLING JCB LTD

Tel: 0116 286 3621 email: sales@watling-jcb.com www.watling-jcb.com

0736 - HelenK - JCB Watling - Ardent Hire Ad v2.indd 1

03/10/2016 09:51

profile: Ardent Hire Solutions

Kubota ARDENT CONTINUES ONE CALL’S RELATIONSHIP WITH KUBOTA Ardent Hire Solutions, formed through the amalgamation of One Call Hire and Fork Rent, has chosen Kubota as the first supplier in its £100m investment programme. One Call Hire was a customer of Kubota for many years before Ardent was formed, and now the new company is continuing that relationship.

Kubota was delighted that the first 20 Kubota U17-3 excavators delivered earlier this year, from the total order of 60, were the first machines to carry the all-new Ardent branding.

Dave Roberts, Managing Director of Kubota UK, said: "We have a long standing relationship with One Call Hire and, with the merger with Fork Rent, to see this develop into a new company is very exciting.

Ardent Hire Solutions has big ambitions to provide industry-leading equipment and the supply of our mini-excavators is a great step towards that goal.” renewable energy, Ardent is investing to continuously meet demand. “We are highly responsive to market demand and continue to invest in the latest machines equipped with the latest Health & Safety standards and innovative technological solutions to help save our customers money on running costs,” says Anuj.

As a result, part of the

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company’s £100 million investment in the extension and improvement of its fleet went towards acquiring 60 Kubota Mini Excavators, 25 CAT Excavators, 50 Hitachi Excavators, 20 Volvo Excavators, and 35 Manitou Telehandlers since January this year. These were some of the first units to join Ardent since the merger that carried the new

corporate branding.

Now, taking over from Fork Rents 10-year reputation as JCB’s largest telehandler customer in western Europe, Ardent is further strengthening its relationship through a £40m order of new Telehandlers and seeks to continue investing in the most advanced machines on the market. Anuj comments: “We’ve

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For further information, please contact your local Kubota Finance representative or call 0345 602 5482.

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*Finance for business purposes only, terms and conditions as follows: Subject to acceptance and affordability checks. Promotion valid from 1st August 2016 to 31st December 2016. Available on new equipment only. The finance product available under this promotion is hire purchase. Full VAT is due on signing. An option-to-purchase fee of ÂŁ100 (including VAT) will be collected together with the final payment. The customer will own the machine when all payments have been made. Alternative finance options are available, terms apply. A documentation fee of ÂŁ100 will be collected with the first rental. Images are for illustrative purposes only. Advance rentals are payable on signing. Kubota Finance is a trading style of BNP Paribas Leasing Solutions Limited. Finance is provided by BNP Paribas Leasing Solutions Limited, Northern Cross, Basingstoke RG21 4HL. Registered in England No. 901225.

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Construction and Civil Engineering_5 Tonne % Finance_297x210.indd 1

12/09/2016 14:23

The Future...

Today

Zaxis-6.

The new Zaxis-6 range from Hitachi has been manufactured using futuristic technology to meet the evolving needs of the construction industry. The new generation of excavators and wheeled loaders offer the highest levels of performance and operational efficiency.

Hitachi Construction Machinery (UK) Ltd, Monkton Business Park North, Hebburn, Tyne and Wear NE31 2JZ Tel: (0191) 430 8400 www.hitachicm.co.uk

161712 - Hitachi - Ardent Hire Support Advert.indd 1

07/09/2016 11:25

profile: Ardent Hire Solutions

HITACHI Hitachi offers a diverse range of construction, demolition and mining machinery, designed to cater to the professional needs of every customer.

Hitachi operates on a fundamental principle of being prominent in the evolution of machinery. Hitachi excavators are engineered and purpose-built for the toughest construction jobs, with exceptional product design and the most technologically advanced features to ensure maximum longevity and productivity. Hitachi wheel loaders offer market leading build quality and reliability and are perfectly suited to a wide range of applications across various industries due to their dynamic design, advanced technological features and myriad of optional extras.

Hitachi utilises sophisticated on-board monitoring technology to capture vital, real time data for the efficient operation of their customers’ machines, including fuel efficiency and idling time. Supported by its national network of Hitachi trained engineers, Hitachi UK’s aim is to keep its customers’ investment operating safely and in peak condition at all times to protect the high residual value associated with the Hitachi product. made investments with all of the UK’s leading manufacturers of modern and compliant machines.

We are on an innovative drive to supply our customers with the safest and most economically compliant machines in the market.

We want to offer value with each hire, and investing in that means

we can help our customers meet their targets.”

Alongside these investments which have strengthened customer relationships between key suppliers, the company is also investing in its own operations to ensure it is running a modern and sustainable service fleet: “We

have invested in a service fleet of vans and have increased our operational teams to support this growth. Moreover, we are investing in products and software to enhance our service offering to customers. In fact, our sales team is also growing rapidly to ensure we meet demand.

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profile: Ardent Hire Solutions

Our investment is not only committed to machines, service and depot expansion, we also have an acquisition strategy in hand which we are working through. We recently entered into an agreement to purchase Speedy Hire’s mechanical plant assets. This acquisition will see Ardent Hire buying 750 assets made up of excavators (3tn and above), dumpers and rollers.

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This agreement will also give us exclusivity in the supply of self-drive equipment to Speedy customers, nationwide. We are very excited to strengthen our relationship and this marks a milestone in Ardent’s progression.

“We chose our brand name to reflect all that is best about our new company, and what makes us different from our competitors,” explains Anuj. “Ardent is strong and eager, shown by our hunger to grow. It is enthusiastic and passionate. It can even be zealous in its pursuit of the very best.

These are all characteristics that sum up our fresh and positive approach. We are a company that seeks to go above and beyond to provide better service and smarter solutions that will make us stand out in a crowded marketplace.

Our goal is simple; to work closely with our customers to give them

a superior plant solution while saving costs and increasing efficiency. As relationships continue to strengthen and opportunities increase, Ardent is in a great position to secure a strong future within the plant hire industry,” he concludes.

It is clear that the once family owned companies are on a journey for big things. Ardent is seeking to lead the way the hire market works with innovative new ideas and strategic solutions so as to become the recognised supplier of choice by providing industry leading equipment and reliable services.

Ardent Hire Solutions Ltd www.ardenthire.com Services: Specialist in self-drive plant hire machinery

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profile: HydraForce Hydraulics

Robust With clients operating within the construction, agriculture, material handling, aerial work platform and mining sectors, HydraForce Hydraulics Ltd. represents a leading supplier of hydraulic cartridge valves and custom manifold control systems

F

ounded in the UK during 1988, HydraForce Hydraulics Ltd. (HydraForce) operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of HydraForce Inc, which was previously incorporated in Chicago, Illinois during 1985.

Since its formation HydraForce in the UK has grown from its base in the Aston area of Birmingham into a £56 million business that employs around 360 people at its 120,000 sq ft production facility.

This site represents the company’s fourth new location during its history and is the result of an investment valued at £10 million.

The facility started production during August 2015, after the

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Peter MacDonald , Managing Director, HydraForce Hydraulics Ltd

entire company was moved to the location in just three weeks.

“The new manufacturing site was needed firstly to give the capacity required to support a strategic initiative to significantly increase our market share in Europe. Secondly, it was needed to increase the amount of product manufactured in the UK to sell into the markets we serve. This allows us to reduce customer lead times, provide redundancy and a natural hedge against currency fluctuations. Thirdly it enables us to bring additional processes in-house, such as CNC block machining and grinding, as well as an applications laboratory for close market applications support,” reveals Managing Director, Peter MacDonald.

“Although we looked at alternative locations, including mainland Europe the need to retain our existing skilled workforce drove the decision to build at the Advanced Manufacturing Hub in Aston, Birmingham. A £1.8 million grant from the Regional Growth Fund (RGF) was still required to help our US Board make the final decision on what was the single largest

investment they had ever made.”

HydraForce manufacturers hydraulic cartridge valves and custom manifold control systems, which are sold to manufactures of off highway vehicles in the construction, agriculture, material handling, aerial work platform and mining industries. Eighty per cent of the products made in the UK are sold into the export market to clients within Europe, India and South Africa, while the remaining 20 per cent is sold in the UK. The company’s clients comprise some of the biggest names in equipment manufacture, including John Deere, Caterpillar, JCB, AGCO, Volvo, CNH (Case New Holland), Terrex, Genie, JLG and NACCO. Throughout the business HydraForce Inc also operates several sites globally, including two manufacturing sites and its worldwide innovation centre in the US, a further manufacturing centre in China and two global systems integrators (GSI) located in India and Brazil, which gives the entire company, including HydraForce in the UK a truly global presence.

The company’s proven track

record, experience and global presence have established HydraForce as a trusted hydraulic equipment and manifold manufacturer. During May 2016 for example, the business was named as the Manufacturer of the Year at the ‘Made in the Midlands’ awards night. The award recognised HydraForce for its excellence in production as well as its recent move into its manufacturing facility. “It is an honour to be recognised for our achievements within manufacturing and a pleasing reward for all our employees’ hard work and dedication. The strengths of HydraForce stem the breadth of the company’s product range and the innovative way our sales and applications teams package these to offer a technically superior solution to our customers,” Peter explains. “This is backed up by exceptional quality, delivery, customer focus and global footprint, which is supported by our owners, who fiercely wish to remain an independent and agile

company that is not burdened by corporate bureaucracy.”

Even though the global market remains depressed across several industry sectors, HydraForce has continued to grow despite these challenges. During the coming years the company will look to build on its current success to establish new business with both new and existing clients. “Current growth in the business is derived from winning new business with no help from the present economy. We are extremely well placed to grow in the future because of the investments we have made ahead of the curve in talent, capacity and innovation.

Also our global footprint allows us to supply product wherever in the world the customer wants to make their machines,” Peter

concludes. “Our turnover is projected to almost double by 2020 from existing customers alone. In the UK we will be focused, over the next 12 months, on transferring more production to the Birmingham plant and sourcing more components locally. Further ahead we will be investing in the new processes, automation and product innovation that is required to keeps us as the market leader in our industry.”

HydraForce Hydraulics Ltd www.hydraforce.com Services: HydraForce Hydraulics Ltd: Leading supplier of hydraulic cartridge valves and custom manifold control systems

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profile: Eurogold

Quality breeds

success

Eurogold Groundworks and Civil Engineering Contractors Ltd provides a range of services, throughout the construction industry

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E

urogold has firmly established itself as a leader in the provision of excellent services in groundworks and civil engineering – and it has come out of the recession stronger than ever and looks likely to continue this trend.

It has also built a company that retains strong and talented staff, which underpins the values at the

company. Due to Eurogold’s positive record there continues to be a large demand for its services, which has meant it looks almost certain to eclipse previous year’s turnover. In every area that it operates there is a rigorously high standard that runs through the company, from top to bottom, and this is central in its quest for perfection.

There are countless projects that Eurogold has successfully worked

on, all of which demonstrate the company’s abilities, and managing director Damien Brickland presented a few current ones: “We are carrying out a major development for Redrow Homes at Ledsham on the Wirral Peninsula, Phase 1 of 2000 homes. Also a strategically difficult project for Barrett Developments, at Garstang, in what is an existing flood plain, worth £5.6m in ten months.

“We are privileged to carry out roads, sewers and foundations including external works, for a whole host of major builders in the North West. To name but a few: Redrow Homes, Bellway Homes, MCI Developments, Taylor Wimpey, Barrett Developments, Eccleston Homes, McCarthy & Stone, Hollins Homes, Wain Homes.”

Eurogold has gone from strength-to-strength, and

35

profile: Eurogold

the remarkable increase in its turnover year-on-year from £14.5 million in 2014 to £25 million in 2015 has a number of reasons behind it, some of which were presented by Damien: “We have an excellent team of staff from

36

Finance Director to Chief Buyer, Plant Manager, Health & Safety Department, Commercial team, Operations Manager, Contracts Managers, Engineers and what I believe is a group of foremen gangers and labour force that is

generally second to none. These people epitomize the Eurogold Way, we simply ask people to do it the Eurogold Way or do not do it at all. This applies to all disciplines of our operations.”

One of the most important

focuses of Eurogold and of Damien himself is implementing the framework that will bring through a new generation of groundworkers and civil engineers. This is something that is sorely needed as there is a lack of young people joining these ranks, and Damien discussed this ambition: “There was a lack of new talent coming through, as

often young people don’t want to come into the industry - that is why I have got this vision of an academy rather than a college, so that people can be on a site and actively participate in what they are learning. It will also allow

for them to really see the whole process, rather than it being a theoretical thing that they are not able to picture. In order to achieve this we have invested and embarked on the Eurogold training services and will do all inhouse training for our company.”

For the coming years the company plans to consolidate and focus on reaching and maintaining

itself at £50 million turnover a year. However, if past successes of Eurogold are anything to go by then it will once again exceed this target and aim to consolidate itself and maintain at an even greater turnover, this was something

Damien confirmed: “Our vision is to consolidate the company now and reach an optimum level of £50 million turnover, though we said that two years ago in regards to reaching £25 million – and surpassed that. We also want to really develop the Eurogold training services into a million pound business in its own right, and we plan to have the academy going in the next 12 months, and that is my personal goal.”

It is no wonder that Eurogold is working with such large developers on increasingly impressive projects, and has an order book that is healthily booked up until 2017, and predicts growth of nine per cent year on year. Eurogold will no doubt continue to expand this portfolio of success, and increase its turnover, while also training the next generation in the industry to the high standards the company sets.

Eurogold Groundworks and Civil Engineering Contractors Ltd www.euro-gold.co.uk Services: General groundworks and civil engineering, bulk excavation, roads and sewers, foundations, concrete structures, domestic drainage, external hard and soft landscaping, interceptor tanks, works in highways, adoptable connection to public sewers, and substructure brickwork 37

profile: Stanton Bonna Concrete

Firm

foundations

Whether supplying a small local project or a fast moving multi-million pound project with complex delivery arrangements or challenging design and manufacturing demands, Stanton Bonna Concrete Ltd has the experience to meet a customers’ needs

S

tanton Bonna Concrete Ltd is just ten years away from reaching the milestone of a century since its beginning, and while the business has developed a great deal since its early days, the next decade is likely to see even further changes. Through this history the company has diversified from its roots as part of British Steel, and as of 17 years ago became a part of a larger conglomerate Consolis Group, which is the largest precast producer in Europe. The parent company employs over 10,000 people, operating over 100 factories, and as a group records a turnover that exceeds a billion pounds a year. Stanton Bonna itself is based in Ilkeston, situated

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between Derby and Nottingham, and employs over 150 people but this number can fluctuate depending on what projects are being worked on. The combined experience of Stanton Bonna and its parent company ensures a professional and competent project completion.

Stanton Bonna is currently in the process of commissioning some new facilities, which is something managing director Colin Richardson expanded on: “It has cost over three million pounds, which is probably the largest single investment we have had in this company during the last 20 or 30 years, this was done largely to tackle previous under investment and as part of an ongoing commitment to

meet market needs. This together with further planned investment will allow us to upgrade plant equipment, which will in turn improve our ability to capitalise on some of the opportunities that are appearing in the UK over the next three or four years.”

There is little doubt that taking such a positive and proactive approach will better position Stanton to take advantage of the many infrastructure projects currently being discussed for the UK, all of which could call on products made by Stanton.

Colin elaborated on these: “HS2 throws up good opportunities for example in terms of tunnel segments, bridge beams, box culverts, and other forms of precast for use on a high speed

something. And I don’t believe solar or wind will be able to fill the gap that is going to be created, so that gives me reason to think that we must follow through on the building of nuclear power stations – in fact we have been in discussion with the designers of these for a number of years now. Some of the products that will be needed are those that our business and our parent company have almost a century of experience making. An example of this is our pressure pipe solution, for which there are only two companies in Europe that currently manufacture them. One of which is in mainland Europe and the other is us in the UK.” The fact that Stanton is able to produce these products in Ilkeston is seen as providing the company with a distinct advantage in the supply to any future power station

network, something that we have lots of experience of through our involvement in similar projects both here in the UK and within Europe. Our involvement for example in the current Crossrail project is a point in case, where we have been able to tap into the group’s R&D expertise to help us deliver a world class sleeper that was designed to attenuate noise and vibration, a critical aspect in their procurement brief.”

Another variety of project that Colin predicted would call on Stanton Bonna’s services in the near future would be those of power plants: “Since the government has stated already that they will shut down the coal power stations, they are going to have to replace them with

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profile: Stanton Bonna Concrete

this bigger and better in the long term, certainly in the next three to five year period our business has the prospect to double in size, if not more. We will diversify and harness the upcoming opportunities that are going to be there for a company like ours, and we will leverage our European experience and knowledge in the precast sector to succeed.” No doubt Stanton will be a company that helps build the future of energy and transport in the UK.

project. Colin also went into more detail about the product and highlighted several other projects that could benefit the company: “It is effectively a high strength steel tube of up to 4m in diameter with concrete cast on both the inner and outer surfaces, and is predominantly used in the transmission of large quantities of cooling water, often under pressure, required by the power stations to cool their turbines. Other projects that are interested in this type of solution are those at Hinkley Point, as well as Moorside which is the new extension to Sellafield.” All of these are promising factors in the company’s further success.

The overriding attitude of Stanton Bonna is that of resilience, both in terms of its products and the company’s ability to continue succeeding in a tough market climate. With plans to further diversify, and expand the capacity

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of production, it certainly looks in a promising position, and Colin gave an insight into its plans for the future: “We will come out of

Stanton Bonna Concrete Ltd www.stanton-bonna.co.uk Services: Precast concrete pipes and manholes, drainage systems, pressure systems, railway products, specialist precast solutions

profile: SteelPhalt

A smooth

service S teelPhalt has been developing and manufacturing high performance asphalt products for roadmaking in the UK industry since the 1960’s. Based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, SteelPhalt is ideally located to source slag cost-effectively from the surrounding steel industry - a sustainable way of making asphalt since at least 95 per cent of the product is recycled. With a reputation for first class products matched by a commitment to innovation and sustainability, SteelPhalt works in partnership with councils, local authorities and contractors nationwide to deliver durable roads for a sustainable world.

Steel slag has inherent properties that make it ideally suited for use as a surface course for roadmaking. Some examples of these are the exceptional strength and durability of steel slag, which extends the life of the road and lengthens road maintenance intervals. Steel slag also achieves high skid resistance and maintains it throughout the whole life of the road as a result

SteelPhalt utilises steel slag - which is a co-product of the steelmaking process – in producing asphalt and roadmaking products

of its capacity to regenerate its surface roughness over time. As well as all of this it avoids use of quarried materials, and avoids landfill of residual slag product.

Through detailed knowledge and experience of working with roadmaking materials, SteelPhalt is able to offer various products to suit different application types.

SteelPhalt products utilise steel slag, which is a by-product of the steelmaking process. The processed material possesses many advantages over natural aggregates when used in making asphalt surface course and has the added benefit of being a recycled product. Products utilising steel slag are the first choice for a number of applications owing to the technical properties and the minimisation of lifetime road maintenance and replacement costs. In addition to performance benefits there are significant environmental advantages in using aggregates made from steel slag.

SteelPhalt offers a large number of products, all with specific benefits that its customers can choose from.

The range extends from standard asphalt, to more specified options like SteelFlow, SteelStop, SteelSurf,

SteelPave, UltraGrip, and ColdBit. Commercial manager Dean Raynor shed some light on the benefits of the products SteelPhalt makes: “Over the years we have realised steel slag itself exhibits extremely good durability and skid resistance – and in particular skid resistance lasts throughout its life. An example of this is SteelPave SMA which was laid over 20 years ago still gives the same skid resistance, whereas a lot of natural aggregates tend to polish – which you do not get from steel slag products.”

The company has also had its products assessed by a worldwide research group, which Dean highlighted: “We commissioned TRL (Transport Research Laboratory) to do an assessment of our products two years ago. It looked at the durability and skid performance, and it found that both of these were very strong features of our products. One of the reasons for the durability is that the slag is alkaline in nature, and bitumen is acidic, therefore they attract each other unlike some natural aggregates that are acidic.

“The latest product that we have designed is SteelFlow, in

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profile: SteelPhalt

conjunction with Local Authorities in the South Yorkshire Area. This is a 6mm Ultra Thin System, which can be laid 15mm to 25mm thick.

Initial trials with the material were on low traffic roads but with the exceptional skid performance data from the sites, higher risks sites have now been surfaced.”

Dean provided some examples: “We talked with Local Authorities in this area – Rotherham and Doncaster, and we got the materials installed on high traffic sites. One site in Rotherham has got 3500 commercial vehicles a day travelling on it – which is the main road to the motorway.

Another interesting project was the St George Bridge, which is one of the main routes into Doncaster and gets something like 44,000 vehicles a day travelling over that bridge. We are currently having

CIUR CIUR is a company proud of its ability to develop and innovate, constantly meeting the needs of its customers. From loose cellulose fibre, to wax bound pellets and now bitumen and polymer bound pellets it has a product to suit all handling systems and asphalt mixes. With the highest levels of customer service at its core, CIUR is the UK’s most reliable source of fibres for SMA. It is now also able to offer aramid fibres for reinforced asphalt. Always striving to exceed expectation CIUR is a proud partner of Harsco Steelphalt.

the sites tested by TRL, and the initial test has once again proved that the materials we are using are very good.”

The high standard of product that SteelPhalt produces has even been recognised with an award. SteelStop road covering was named Global Slag Product of the Year at the recent 2016 Global Slag Conference and Exhibition in London. Designed in conjunction with the Ulster University and tested at trial sites across Sheffield, Rotherham and Doncaster, SteelStop high friction surfacing was developed to help put the brakes on traffic in busy or skid prone areas, providing extra grip for road users and safety benefits for pedestrians.

SteelPhalt has a set of core values, and in conclusion Dean laid these out: “Service and

quality – to maintain that and to continue the levels of work that we do. It is important that we continue that and improve in areas where possible. A part of this is offering new and different materials for customers to use in various applications that they might come across.” By having such a proactive approach SteelPhalt manages to combine product quality, with long lasting strength, while also being an environmentally friendly choice.

Bearing all of this in mind, SteelPhalt will no doubt supply many more roadways in the coming years.

SteelPhalt www.steelphalt.com Products: Asphalt and roadmaking products

43

profile: Premier Modular

strong Sixty years

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

R

ecognised by the market and competitors alike for its exceptional customer service, innovative products and build quality, Premier Modular has become the UK’s premier supplier of modular building solutions.

Celebrating 60 years in operation in 2016, the company boasts a

44

strong heritage and a proven track record for delivering high quality modular buildings to a diverse range of market sectors; these include commercial and offices, construction, defence and custodial, education, healthcare, hotel and leisure, housing, marketing suites, residential and student accommodation and retail.

Since Construction & Civil

Engineering last featured Premier Modular in February 2016, Divisional Director David Harris says the company has continued with a positive growth trajectory despite a briefly turbulent time caused by Brexit: “We had a brief downturn for two months during the Brexit voting period, however we have bounced back since then and expanded significantly over

the last six months to become 50 per cent bigger than we previously were. This has been significant for both turnover and profitability and has led to us taking on another factory of around 40,000 square feet. In addition to these developments, since we last spoke with CCE we have also invested in our people and product development in line

with a drive to enter new markets.

However, our real investment has been specifically in IT to get our BIM systems and 3D CAD systems integrating with the goal of reducing errors and speeding up the process of production. “If you look at market demand, we have seen success in student accommodation and retail and have launched two new markets:

social housing and extra care.

Another two areas where we are experiencing growth are the education and commercial sectors. As we continue to develop a stronger presence in new markets, we will remain focused on investing in product development. It is obvious that the product for housing will be different to the product in schools

45

profile: Premier Modular

or student accommodation; by tweaking our products we ensure they are suitable for each unique market.”

This customer-centric focus approach to business has resulted in the innovative company being awarded a major project

46

to provide a four-storey maths education block at the University of Glasgow; work is scheduled to commence in October, with project handover anticipated in April 2017. The maths education block, valued at £4.67 million, is part of a £1 billion masterplan

to transform the University of Glasgow into one of the top universities in the world; the planned development scheme will expand the campus footprint by 25 per cent. “This is our first contract in this Glasgow development, which is exciting

project as failure to meet the customer’s deadline would have resulted in the customer missing the opportunity to attract the September 2015 student intake – a deadline that traditional construction would not be able to meet. Upon completion, the Foundry is a five-storey building that offers a mix of four-to-eight bedroom flats and studios. “The fact we built a fabulous student accommodation building in Newcastle in a fast and innovative manner led to us winning this award,” comments David. for us,” says David. “We are also working on a five-story office block for JLR, which I have no doubt will lead to other projects in different geographical locations, and an enormous project in the power generation sector.

Additionally, we have run a number of drive-thru restaurants for Burger King, which further shows that we are starting to gain some traction in the retail market.”

By striving to provide a solution that suits the client’s

strengths have resulted in the company gaining recognition from award bodies including the Construction News Awards, which named the company’s The Foundry project winner of the Project of The Year (Up To £10 million) at the 2016 Construction News Awards.

Working closely with partner Sir Robert McAlpine, Premier Modular provided close to 300 modules to the site in Newcastle between March and May 2015 for

unique demands, the flexible and innovative Premier Modular has developed a solid reputation for focusing on attention-todetail, quality and longevity of the products it delivers. These

Trust Estates’ 207-student bed accommodation. A mere 17 weeks later the building was handed over to Trust Estates, ready for the new student intake. Modular construction was chosen for this

Having invested in its facilities, people and products over the last 12 months, Premier Modular will continue to push forward with achieving solid growth in the housing and extra care markets while also maintaining a strong foothold in its more established sectors. “Over the coming years it is our goal to develop a facilities management/maintenance offering so we can offer our customers more of a one-stopshop solution and become the goto firm for modular hire and sales business. Key to this becoming a reality is the continued growth of our reputation in the market through the delivery of excellent service and innovative products,” concludes David.

Premier Modular www.premiermodular.co.uk Services: Modular building solutions supplier 47

profile: Howarth Windows and Doors

success

Unlocking

Howarth Windows & Doors is one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of high performance, sustainably focused softwood windows. Its extensive and innovative range is the preferred choice of architects, housing developers, contractors, specifiers and merchants nationwide

H

owarth is based in North Lincolnshire, and while the group was founded in 1840, the windows and doors division has a more recent start date of 1985. Despite its relative youth, Howarth Windows and Doors still has a depth of experience in the industry. The company and its group have both recently met milestones, which general manager Alan Shearer discussed: “It was the 175th anniversary of the group, and this also coincided with Howarth Windows and Doors 30th year in operation. In order to mark it there were a number of events – we did our first golf day, where we invited customers around to join in, but there are many things going on. One that the company particularly got

48

involved in was that we tried to raise as much money as possible for charity as we could in the time frame. This is something that we often try to do, and the group has an appointed charity called Caudwell Children.”

Quite often the hallmark of a company with a positive future is whether it uses its finance to reinvest into the business, and Howarth has engaged in a large investment into its facilities, which Alan pointed out: “We have put down a two million pound extension to our factory which opened in January. In order to maximise its uses we have brought new people in to utilise this asset. It has increased our capacity already, but as it settles in will benefit us to even greater extents, but in fact we are already seeing efficiency benefits from

it. Now that it is finally up and running the main focus of our activities is to get the most out of it, which will be in the form of efficiencies, cost savings, and improved output.”

The improvements to the facilities at Howarth was something that Alan continued to shed light on: “It is a massive statement of intent, and the investment we have put down is with the aim of giving us a 35 per cent increase in turnover in the coming next two to three years, and there is continued investment going on around the site - in all sectors of the business. We will continue to extend the facilities and grow the turnover in the coming years. We have survived the recession positively - we have come out the other end and made investments for the future.”

The group has also received attention from an awards event, which Alan talked about: “The group was recognised by the Yorkshire Business Awards, for enterprise - this was due to the fact that so far we have had six generations of the same family running the company.”

Howarth provides its customers with a number of products, from a selection of windows that includes flush casement, casement windows, sliding sash, and cavity closers. Within its doors section, the company makes single doors, French doors, plus sliding and folding doors. All of these products are made from sustainable timber, and everything the company manufactures is made to an exceptional standard.

Howarth is always striving to create new and improved products for its customers, and Alan focused on one in particular: “We have been focusing mostly on the sliding sash range of products.

There are essentially two types of sliding sash cord windows, one is

called a modern spring balance, but there is also the old style box that can use a rope and a pulley.

We are trying to bring out a new product which gives you the benefits of both, and that is going to be launched late 2016.”

Another aspect to the products that Howarth is pioneering is around two initiatives, the first of which Alan elaborated about: “There is a scheme called Life Time Homes, it means that it has to be accessible – windows should be able to be opened by people in wheelchairs - and traditionally the sash window has not been suitable for that. However, we are now close to launching a Life Time Homes compliant sliding sash cord window, which we think will be the first in the UK.” The other initiative that Alan discussed is called document Q that address the security standards of windows: “We have had Secure by Design compliance for two to three years now – and we continue to welcome this scheme. Secure by Design is when

you have got windows on the ground floor or first floor and are easily accessible and we make them intrinsically more secure.

We have standardised Secure by Design across our range - this initiative was set up by the police in order to try and reduce crime. It is designed to slow people getting in and make it more difficult, we also put in laminated glass so it goes off with a big bang if broken – all of this helps to deter.”

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50

profile: Howarth Windows and Doors

The company works with wood, and therefore sustainability is also a key part of Howarth, as Alan discussed: “Timber is a very sustainable material to use, if you want to be environmentally friendly, what you want do is use trees – as long as it comes from a sustainable forest – because when you replant them it means there is a constant replacement with younger trees. These actually take more carbon out of the atmosphere than older trees. So if you treat trees as a crop then you would take them and use them in your building materials, but would also maintain a supply of what you are using, so therefore you will ensure that new trees are planted, and this means you help the environment. This is further demonstrated by Howarth’s

partnership with the British Woodworking Federation, and the Wood Window Alliance.”

Howarth is in a strong position going forward, it already has a track record of success, and recently improved its facilities, all of which is on top of the awards it has won. It has a clear commitment to its customers and to sustainability, and with all of this in mind, it is no wonder that Alan presented an ambitious plan

for the future: “Our plan for the next 12 months is to settle the new investment – allowing us to continue to grow and develop. We have historically been a business of around seven or eight million pounds, but we are intending to take our turnover to 12 million or 13 million pounds over the next three years.” Howarth has everything in place to fulfill its growth, and will likely be providing high quality windows and doors to its customers for many more decades to come.

Howarth Windows and Doors www.howarth-timber.co.uk Services: Manufacturer of high performance timber framed windows and doors

51

profile: Brick Baron

come Mortar

Whether it’s a small extension or large housing development, Brick Baron Ltd has the capabilities to carry out a complete labour, plant, materials and management package

W

ith many years of experience in local and national building projects, Brick Baron Ltd has earned an enviable reputation as a dependable, transparent subcontractor that consistently delivers results – on time and within budget. The company has three core guiding principles, these are to strive for quality, ensure safety, and achieve results.

Its team of experienced, time served, operatives and supervisors can offer a professional and proactive approach to any project of any size, nationwide. The success of any construction project depends on the talent and dedication of the people whose job it is to bring the project to life. Brick Baron has a clear mission that has driven its success – and the success of its clients – for years.

The philosophy of Brick Baron is that every project that it works on is equally important and deserves the best service that the company has to offer, and it will conduct itself in a manner that demonstrates this. Every project is important to Brick Baron regardless of size or scope, it throws the full weight of its team behind a customer’s project to deliver the results that they have come to expect from a company with the reputation that Brick Baron has.

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The main role that Brick Baron serves is as a masonry contractor, and it specialises in major residential and commercial developments for clients nationwide. In order to achieve this all its supervisors are SSSTS/ SMSTS accredited as well as being trained first aiders. One of the priorities that Brick Baron places on everything that it works on is health and safety, it is of the utmost importance to the company. In order to ensure that this is achieved it employs the services of an independent firm of health and safety consultants who carry out regular health and safety inspections on all of its sites.

As already stated the company is guided by three main aims, quality, safety, and results, and Brick Baron takes these seriously, and ensures that everyone at the company is working towards the same high standards.

Moving onto staff and Brick Baron has an extensive database of time-served operatives at its disposal that are all CSCS registered and as a company it has achieved CHAS accreditation as well as SMAS accreditation and is a member of FMB (Federation of Master Builders). Nick Hammond, Brick Baron managing director is also the President of

the Federation of Master Builders for Yorkshire & Trent Region as well the Chairman of the FMB’s Humber Construction Consortium.

Nick also sits on the FMB’s Home Buiders Group, which is a small group of house builders, and NHBC board members who meet regularly in London and lobby government and shadow ministers regarding issues affecting the SME house-building sector.

The company is also a member of Constructionline and has recently joined the Considerate Constructors Scheme for the supply chain.

There are a number of projects within the company portfolio that provide an example of what Brick Baron is capable of - some of these include building 65 dwellings in Hull, as well as the recently completed projects at Sheffield College for Clugston Construction and the new Humberside Police HQ for BAM. Brick Baron is also active on a number of other projects, and some of these include the development of 125 dwellings in Hull for Bellway, the exclusive new residential development on the old Westwood Hospital in Beverley for P J Livesey, and three new schools south of the Humber for Galliford Try.

The company continues to be active on many projects, while also setting up a training academy, and being involved in a lot of local causes. The culmination of this is that Brick Baron has announced the creation of its new Academy, and the main objective of this is to address the ongoing skills shortage within the construction sector, and create sustainability for the future of the industry. The Academy works in partnership with local schools and regional colleges to support predominately school leavers and young adults, but also aims to help over 55’s ex-offenders and ex-military personnel wishing to enter the sector. The Academy coordinates and structures training packages with a blend of site experience and technical knowledge, including CSCS cards, abrasive wheel, manual handling, PASMA and IPAF training.

The commitment the company has to encouraging more young people to join the industry is clear, as well as supporting other groups that can benefit from such a chance. Brick Baron Academy is offering real opportunities to gain skills and experience that can lead to gainful employment.

Yet the company also has been involved in many community events, one such example is the support it provided for the Hull 4 Heroes project, in which some of those from the company helped refurbish houses for local veterans. As well as this, Brick Baron also helped to raise money to support the cause.

It therefore seems as though Brick Baron is not only a trusted brick laying company that places quality, safety, and end results at the forefront of what it does.

It is also a business that believes in the importance of investing in the future of the industry, and has made attempts to ensure that there will be a qualified and capable generation to enter the

industry. Whether it is in the main business, or in its academy, Brick Baron is determined to produce the best results.

Brick Baron www.brick-baron.co.uk Services: Brick laying

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profile: Barclay & Mathieson Ltd (B&M Steel)

Architectural

support

B

eginning life as a general steel stockholder in Wallace Street, Glasgow during 1877, Barclay & Mathieson Ltd. has grown into a leading steel stockholder with bases throughout the UK. Barclay & Mathieson operates as an independent business that today offers its traditional range of general steel and Access and Safety products under the B&M Steel brand, as well as a comprehensive line of architectural solutions that are distributed by B&M Architectural.

“Over the years the company has grown through a combination of internal investment, new depots and acquisitions. B&M Steel is currently a steel stockholder with 14 sites throughout the UK, around 220 employees and a turnover of around £60 million.

We have two depots in Scotland, one in Aberdeen and one in Glasgow, while the remaining sites are spread throughout England,” elaborates Finance Director, Alastair Macphie. “We have a good geographical spread with depots in the northwest of England, as well as depots at Sheffield,

Barclay & Mathieson (B+M Steel) has over 130 years’ experience as steel stockholders and fabricators in the UK Nottingham and Peterborough.

We have also recently opened two new sites in the south of England, one located in Winchester, which opened in 2012 and most recently in Sittingbourne, which opened in June 2016. The combined investment in these two sites was over £7 million.”

Each of the company’s network depots carries a full stock of steel products, which allows B&M Steel to supply clients at short notice throughout the UK and Ireland.

“The model that we employ in running the business is to ensure that we have steel available and in stock, which allows us to get it out to clients as quickly as possible,” Alastair says. “The focus

of the business is centred around customer service. Our customers vary greatly. We have around 5000 customers on our books, which range from large structural fabricators to one-man operations and we provide them all with the same level of excellent service.”

B&M Steel provides a comprehensive range of steel products including merchant bar’ sections and channels; plates and sheets; tubes; colour coated steel; rebar; stainless steel and aluminium; Access and Safety products. Further to being able to supply customers all over the UK, the company is also able to meet the needs of clients across a broad scope of industry sectors.

This means that while individual market sectors might experience a downturn in demand, B&M Steel is able to counteract the impact of this by supplying to more active markets. “We have a wide variety of customers and are not focused on a particular market sector, meaning we are not overly exposed to any one area. Looking at the market generally, although the first few months of 2016 were relatively slow, demand across the board has really picked up during the past six months,” Alastair

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profile: Barclay & Mathieson Ltd (B&M Steel)

standards,” reveals Director, JeanPierre Lajarige. “We hold all of our stock in Sheffield and from here we are able to distribute over the UK and Ireland. We also have a technical team of around ten people, which enables us to offer solutions to customers who come to us with drawings and technical enquires requiring bespoke components. We have recently completed The Diamond for Sheffield University, which was a modern teaching flagship and we

explains. “A lot of our customers who use steel products also use other construction related products, which we are able to supply through our access and safety range. This covers products such as walkways, handrails, gate components and glass-reinforced plastic (GRP). We started to sell these products as a result of demand from our existing customers and now supply these from all of our depots.”

In addition to its traditional suite of steel products, Barclay & Mathieson Ltd introduced its architectural products division during 2012. B&M Architectural is today a market leader in providing stainless steel glass fittings and fire-rated glass systems to major retail, hotel, leisure, commercial and office projects throughout the UK and Ireland. “We currently divide our product portfolio into four main lines, which are comprised of stainless steel and glass balustrades; frameless glass doors and partitions; structural glazing and glass canopies; and fire-rated screens and doors. B&M Architectural is a system supplier, meaning that we supply systems as a kit to be fitted on site. All our products are tested to comply with British and European quality

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we have become inflexible. We have a flat management structure and are able to respond to client requests and market opportunities quickly,” Alastair concludes.

“During the next 12 months we will be concentrating on consolidating our position, establishing our new depot, and continuing to invest in the company by improving our warehousing facilities, upgrading our lorries and so on. Over the coming years we do have ambitious growth plans – we do not want to stand still. This growth will come through expanding our customer base and product lines andby continuing to offer excellent service and competitive prices, we will continue to bring new customers into the business.

If the right opportunity comes along at the right time, we will also consider further geographical expansion.

Taurus Cranes Ltd

have also have worked on several prestigious projects in London including Cannon Wharf and Royal Wharf, high end apartments in London.”

Barclay & Mathieson Ltd is dedicated to providing the highest levels of quality and customer service, which will be a crucial factor for the business as it continues to consolidate its position and grow following continued investment in the company. “Our strategy comes back to customer service and our focus in getting the detail right. One of our strengths is our position in the market. We are mid sized, which makes us large enough to buy steel at good prices and pass these on to our customers, but not so large that

As Anthony Purves, managing director of Taurus Cranes explained, his relationship with B&M Steel goes back almost a quarter of a century, when he was an apprentice. “I serviced and maintained all the north west depots,” he began. “Over the following years I developed a good relationship with the local management. Through our ability to react and repair the overhead crane quickly and efficiently I was approached by B&M company director Bob Kyle to work directly for B&M. After a number of meetings, we decided I would leave my current employer and become self-employed. B&M gave me my first contract to service and repair all their depots from Carlisle south. After a short period of time I changed from self-employed to Taurus Cranes. As our company grew so did our relationship with B&M. B&M provides us with a second to none service on all our steel requirements. This is essential to us to enable us to hit very tight delivery times on our products. Due to our relationship we have been lucky enough to be chosen to undergo a refurbishment programme the full length of the country. B&M has been paramount to the success of Taurus Cranes and B&M has definitely been a springboard for our success. It’s been a pleasure to be involved with such a professional nationwide steel stockholder.”

Barclay & Mathieson Ltd (B&M Steel) www.bmsteel.co.uk Services: UK steel stockholders and steel fabricators

profile: Connect Plus

Managing the road

ahead

The Connect Plus consortium manages the M25 design, build, finance and operate contract

O

perating as a consortium comprised of blue chip companies including Balfour Beatty; Skanska; Atkins; and Egis Road Operation UK, Connect Plus represents a unique partnership with a collective strength in highways asset care. The company’s expertise ranges from finance through to the design, build and maintenance of highways as well as the supervision of dayto-day operation. Connect Plus was incorporated during August 2008 and in May 2009 the

Highways Agency awarded the company a 30-year design build finance operate (DBFO) contract to manage the M25 and its key arterial link roads, serving central London and the surrounding area as well as the A282 DartfordThurrock river crossing.

As part of the company’s remit Connect Plus delivers major investment projects such as widening 38 miles of the M25, including the refurbishment of tunnels and bridges and the installation of hundreds of variable messaging signs (VMS) and gantries, which help to maximise the use of the road network resulting in more reliable journeys. The Skanska Balfour Beatty Joint Venture (SBBJV) manages the major improvement projects carried out by Connect Plus, such as widening schemes and tunnel improvements. The Hatfield Tunnel forms an integral part of the Trans-European Road Network and is located on the A1 (M) between junctions three and four. The tunnel was originally constructed in 1985, meaning that many of its mechanical and

electrical systems had reached the end of the design life. The refurbishment of the tunnel was the first of three improvement projects to be completed, which were necessary to improve safety; minimise future maintenance costs; and to upgrade the tunnel structure to comply with new European standards. Major works to the tunnel have included: • Upgrading and fully refurbishing the tunnel equipment in line with latest standards and legislation • Full strip out and concrete repair • Re-equipping the tunnel with new mechanical and electrical systems • Additional operational safety measures and introduction of passive fire protection • The installation of CCTV cameras to help traffic officers spot and clear up incidents in the tunnel more quickly.

The joint venture has also installed new monitoring equipment, which is linked to

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profile: Connect Plus

the new control systems in the Highways Agency’s Regional Control Centre. Work on this important and high profile project was completed in May 2011.

In November 2015, Parliament announced that Highways England will deliver 112 major road schemes worth over £15 billion by 2020-2021. Connect Plus has a tradition of working in close collaboration with UK governing bodies and during 2015 the company adapted to meet new requirements from Highways England, changing some of its objectives to align the company more closely with the organisation’s needs. Indeed, during 2015 Connect Plus Services (CPS) announced its vision that

the company will be the UK’s number one provider of highway network operation and asset management services as part of its ‘Road to 2020’ business plan.

“Highways England is raising the bar on network performance and efficiency, while CPS is in a unique position to support and deliver its strategic outcomes while leading the highway services sector in innovation, health and safety and sustainability,” says Tim Jones, CEO of Connect Plus. “The 2016 Road to 2020 strategy reinforces CPS’ intent and commitment to be the UK’s number one operator, which Connect Plus fully supports.”

The Road Investment Programme (RIS One) announced

by the UK Government, marked the formation of Highways England as a standalone limited company wholly owned by the Secretary of State. By replacing the Highways Agency in April 2015, Highways England was able to be involved in five-year budgets without having to concern itself with the handover of budgets year-on-year, which had previously been a major restriction to projects. Highways England has since implemented 112 projects throughout a significant investment programme, which is set to last until 2021 when negotiations for a new round of investment will begin. As part of the RIS One project, Connect Plus Services is proud to play its

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profile: Connect Plus

Jackson Civil Engineering Jackson Civil Engineering has been delivering innovative and complex projects across the M25 network since 2009 through the Asset Renewal and COFA frameworks.

Working for both Connect Plus and Connect Plus Services, Jackson has delivered several asset maintenance schemes, most notably at the Dartford Crossing, on both the QEII Bridge, and the Dartford West Tunnel.

Connect Plus’s commitment to innovation and R&D has enabled it to deliver exceptional projects that raise the bar for the entire highways industry. Its award winning expansion joint replacement project on the QEII Bridge is a prime example of this, and the collaborative working environment fostered on these projects, from client level, and across the supply chain spectrum, is key to this success. part as the custodian of the M25 in conjunction with Highways England and Connect Plus. It is the goal of this partnership to keep the M25 flowing in a safe and reliable manner for all who use it. To ensure the sustainable management of the motorway network and its asseats, Connect Plus Services works 24/7, 365 days a year over 440 kilometres of road.

Valued at £6.2 billion, the involvement of Connect Plus in the running of the M25 represents one of the largest public private partnership (PPP) contracts ever awarded. The first part of this project involved the execution of initial upgraded sectors (IUS), which refers to the sections of the M25 between junctions 16 and 23; junctions 27 and 30; and the A1 (M) Hatfield Tunnel.

During this project Connect Plus Services, through SBBJV, has undertaken 11 million man-hours worked, installed 125 gantries and planted 130,000 plant, trees and shrubs. The second part

of the original deal was to set aside £1.5 billion for a 30-year renewal programme, meaning that Connect Plus is responsible for the upkeep of infrastructure, while the third part of the agreement was for the company to have a 30-year contract fixed price index linked to provide operations and maintenance.

Overall, the contract involves everything from the recovery of damaged assets, responding to accidents, winter gritting, servicing, drainage and lighting.

The scope of the operation also involves the management of key junctions around the M25 that have traditionally proven difficult to manage due to their complexity. These include junction 25 at Enfield, junction 28 and junction 10 on the A12 with an interface with the A3. These along with the interface of the Southwest Quadrant are often slow and congested, which has resulted in the plan to implement smart motorways. So far two sections of smart motorway have

been introduced on the M25, located between junction 23 and junction 27, as well as junction five and junction seven. Further smart motorway stretches are planned that will result in a change in infrastructure and in readiness, which is something Connect Plus is ready to address across a project valued at around £400 million. Indeed, with a number of changes coming to the M25 that could change the dynamic of the motorway completely, the challenge for Connect Plus and CPS is to make sure that all of the required skills and abilities are in place. During the coming years the company will work to strategically support the government in delivering a better maintained network that is both more reliable and safe for road users.

Connect Plus www.connectplusm25.co.uk Services: Consortium responsible for managing and improving the M25 61

profile: Warmafloor

Optimum

conditions

With over 30 years of industry experience, Warmafloor is a leading name in the provision of innovative building surface heating and cooling solutions

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ince the company was founded in 1986, Warmafloor has grown into one of the UK’s largest suppliers of integrated surface heating and cooling systems. Over the years the business has distinguished itself as a recognised market leader that provides a turnkey solution that encompasses full design, manufacture, installation and commissioning services.

This has allowed the company to work on a number of prestigious national projects including the British Museum, the Olympic Park, the Mary Rose Museum, the National Gallery and Portcullis House, as well as to collaborate with the Building Research Establishment.

Warmafloor was previously featured in Construction & Civil Engineering in July 2015, during which time challenging market conditions, the firm’s diversification away from school projects and its continued success in an ongoing Berkeley Homes

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project in Goodman’s Field were discussed. Today, while the market continues to offer unique challenges and tough trading conditions, Warmafloor remains able to provide a comprehensive turnkey solution that is supported by three decades of industry experience and market-leading innovation.

“It is still a very challenging market in which everybody is looking for the very latest technology while also looking to meet the highest standards of energy efficiency integration but unfortunately their purses haven’t grown,” reveals Controls & Project Management Consultant, Neil Walker. “Customers are trying to achieve a great deal more quality and technology without actually having the budget to cover the cost of it. This creates a very challenging situation, however we are always looking to maximise the quality and efficiencies of our systems and to minimise the cost implications to allow us to offer the most costeffective solution to clients.”

By providing a comprehensive service offering in terms of its product portfolio and the dedicated aftersales support capability that the company ensures, Wamafloor is able to deliver a level of service that differentiates the business from its competitors regardless of the challenges that may exist within the wider market. “Our success comes down to the fact that we provide a service and vitally that it is a full service,” elaborates Operations Manager, Wayne Jennings. “This includes the work undertaken by our dedicated sales and design teams, as well as our commissioning, install and control services that allow us to deliver a full turnkey package. We also offer a complete range of floors, whether that be Mojave flooring or acoustic wooden floors.”

“In a nutshell, we offer a service that lasts from conception to commissioning and beyond. We also have a very strong aftermarket service response, which is something

that a lot of other companies do not have,” Neil adds. “In these instances the communication between the contractor and the clients ends once the installing staff leave the site, whereas we engage the client for the entire lifetime of the product.”

In recent years, Warmafloor has continued to grow despite the challenges facing the construction industry. In April 2015 for example, the company opened a new office in Doncaster to allow it to better service its clients within the Midlands, north of England and Scotland. With the further development of its international presence, the company has also continued to win important new contracts and agreements.

“We have recently had a major success with the signing of a framework agreement with Essential Living and we are currently working on their Arch Way and Berkshire House towers,” Wayne says. “We have also completed a major development for Berkeley Homes at the Northwest

integration with the existing mechanical devices within the host building. “TICS was developed with the specifics of being able to control a radiant heating and cooling system in the most energy-efficient manner while meeting all the control characteristics i.e. the hysteresis of a radiant system, as opposed to a convection system,” Neil explains. “We developed this inhouse from a blank piece of paper and manufactured the product specifically to meet the market requirement of surface heating and cooling.”

Further to its success with several prestigious and highprofile projects, Warmafloor has collaborated with the Department for Energy and Climate Change to demonstrate how it is possible

to achieve the sustainable temperature control of buildings to limit the construction’s impact on climate change. Moving forward, the company will seek to use this expertise to further develop its existing products and increase market share. “We are keen to secure more framework agreements, as this is a positive approach for us and innovation is always a big thing. We are working on some new systems and are essentially always looking at how we can continue to be better at what we do,” Wayne concludes.

Warmafloor www.warmafloor.co.uk Services: Integrated surface heating and cooling systems

block of its Goodmans Field site in East London and are beginning work at its northeast block. Each of these projects incorporates our innovative Total Integrated Control Strategy (TICS) solution.”

The TICS system is a core technology for Warmafloor and was developed during 2010 as a cost-effective, energy efficient control system that offers full

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profile: Oakfield Construction

Moving the

earth With roots dating back to 1987, Oakfield Construction C.Eng.Ltd was established as a family-owned business based in Nottingham, England

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ncorporating close to three decades of industry experience the company’s expertise is highly valued by clients across all aspects of civil engineering applications.

Initially the company carried out work as a sub-contract Engineers working for local ground working contractors, as well as National Construction companies. As the business progressed, Oakfield

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Construction moved into civil engineering ground works, whilst maintaining a presence in site engineering. Today the company continues to carry out site engineering and surveys for its clients and is a side of the business that Oakfield Construction is keen to be associated with.

Oakfield is divided into three companies comprised of Oakfield Construction; Oakfield Plant & Transport; and Oakfield Recycling, employing 150 employees with a turnover of £16 million.

“Oakfield Construction involves all aspects of civil engineering which are undertaken from bulk dig earthworks, foundations, plot drainage, deep sewers, steel fixing, formwork, concrete slabs and all natures of external works. Our team consists of a directly employed workforce with the use of sub contractors that have worked for the company over many years

and have a proven track record in civil engineering,” elaborates Managing Director, Mark Flint. “By maintaining a wide assortment of machinery, Oakfield Construction is able to meet the diverse needs of its clients. The company’s current fleet comprises of 360-degree track machines ranging from three tonnes to 22 tonnes; various dumpers and rollers.

“Oakfield Plant & Transport undertakes all aspects of work including muck shifting; site clearance; and the shifting of both quarried and recycled materials.

We have an extensive fleet of eight wheel tippers plus a lowloader vehicle for hire to move plant machinery.

“The Oakfield Recycling centre is located at Wigwam Lane Industrial Park, Hucknall, where they have a McCloskey C50 jaw Crusher, R155 Screener, loading shovel and a 360-degree excavator. By re-investing in state-of-the-art

machinery they achieve better production costs and ‘greener’ credentials. Recycling is open to both builders and traders, while the facility is also available for the general public. They have a vast variety of aggregates available, including; hardcore, tarmac type one, 6F2, 3” clean (brick/concrete), 4’’ clean (tarmac/concrete), B/S topsoil, fill sand, 20 - 5mm pipe bedding and 5mm dust.

All of these are tested to British Standards on a regular basis.”

Oakfield makes continued investment in all of its plant, lorries and machinery and aims to replace all of its equipment on a rolling programme of between three to five years. The company also invests in the future of its workforce through the implementation of apprenticeship programmes, which is further complemented by the training of contract managers, quantity surveyors, engineers and lorry drivers.

Its on-going investment into its plant and equipment coupled with close to 30 years in operation has allowed Oakfield Construction to undertake several high-profile projects in recent years, including the provision of the groundworks package for car park at the new Ilkeston train station. “Galliford Try are the main contractor while we are involved in the car park works, including the infrastructure work on the approach roads. Ilkeston has not had a railway since 1967 and hence it is a important project, which we are proud to be involved in,” Mark says. “Additionally they are associated with a new production and warehouse facilitating unit for Ibstock Brick in Leicestershire and they are also involved in the groundworks for a new bioscience facility at the Biocity in Nottingham for Willmott Dixon. We are pleased to have assisted Willmott Dixon with their trainee challenge, and the delivery of a ‘flat pack’ unit from Extra Space that was transported to

Birmingham where it is going to be installed at Highbury Orchard Community Garden.”

Oakfield Construction celebrates its 30th Anniversary during 2017, which represents a significant milestone for the business. Although there have been some important challenges within the construction industry in recent years, Oakfield Construction is confident that it is well placed to continue to serve it client base well into 2017 and beyond. “The market has always been very challenging, in particular since the recession in 2008, it has proven to be more so. Nevertheless, we can see a lot of project opportunities in the future, so we confidently believe that there is sufficient work for the company. One of the most

important milestones for us is that we have seen many apprentices follow us on our journey and grow alongside the company.

We have watched countless men develop from young apprentices to highly qualified individuals. This is a milestone for us as we have been in business for so long with the same people. As a company we will be focusing on the same principles that we have been for the last 30 years - maintaining our share of the market. We will never achieve the finished article because it is a company under construction.”

Oakfield Construction www.oakfieldconstruction.co.uk Services: All aspects of civil engineering

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profile: Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration

A drive for

safety

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Providing the building and maintaining of areas of Iceland’s transport system – roads, bridges, tunnels, and more

he Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration (IRCA) is responsible for about 13,000 kilometres of main roads and countryside roads in Iceland.

This includes planning, design, construction, maintenance and service of those roads.

IRCA is also responsible for ferry operations, which are all outsourced to ferry companies.

Also effective since the 1st July 2013, all harbour and lighthouse operations and responsibilities at the Icelandic Maritime Administration have been merged with IRCA. The organisation provides for the essential infrastructure that is used in the area, so it is relied upon to build and maintain safe roads, bridges, and other transport facilities, and an overview of it was provided by head of communications Pétur Matthíasson: “The work that IRCA has to conduct includes planning, design, construction, maintenance and service of those

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roads. Our mission is to develop and maintain a transport network on land and sea in the most costeffective manner, guided by the needs of the community.” Pétur continued: “We do road plans, design roads, do tendering, and offer supervision of these areas, plus we do many of these things in-house, while at times we also employ the work of contractors when we feel it is appropriate.

Regarding production, new roads, bridges, etc., we almost exclusively use tendering and private contractors for the jobs.

IRCA has responsibilities in several areas, for example, we divide the money the state allocates, this goes to ferry, public transport and air subsidies, and in addition to that we also put 1.5 per cent of our earmarked income into research and development.”

IRCA has a set of aims and values that underpins what the business does and how it goes about doing it, as Pétur explained: “We have a number of main objectives at the company – firstly, safe and smooth traffic on

roads and secure sea transport.

Secondly, taking a cost-effective approach to the development and management of the transport network, in harmony with the environment. Thirdly, we aim to be an efficient and well-organised operation. And last but not least, always being responsible, with a skilled and satisfied staff. In partnership with these objectives we have a set of values as well, that include a focus on professionalism – we possess expert knowledge and work with competence. We also value safety – we always make it a priority, and the final value is foresight – our work is founded on experience and we look to the future.”

In 2013, all harbour and lighthouse operations and responsibilities at the Icelandic Maritime Administration were merged with IRCA, on this development Pétur said: “There was about 20-30 staff that came to us, and the operations fit very well with the other work we do, yet still most of it is worked on separately, though

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there has been a slow process of emerging departments and work in this area.”

Pétur discussed some of the strengths of IRCA: “The knowhow our workers have is a major one.

And a significant example that demonstrates what IRCA can do was that we managed to build a 156 metre long temporary bridge over a glacial river - after a flood had swiped away a double lane concrete bridge – and we did this in only seven days. We had a flood in the early hours of a Saturday 9th July 2011 and on the next Saturday we opened a single lane temporary bridge at noon, this was quite a feat.” This demonstrates what IRCA is capable of, and the high standard of its people and of its working practices.

Some of the challenges that IRCA regularly faces, and some

added considerations were discussed by Pétur: “The winter service, removing of snow and other cold climate work, is a big challenge in Iceland, and information gathering and then distributing this information out to drivers is another one, such as informing new drivers – like tourists - about our gravel roads, and single lane bridges. In recent years tourism is a challenge, especially in regards to safety.”

Therefore, the skills of IRCA will no doubt be called upon more and more as Iceland pulls in greater number of tourists that will want to travel the country via these roadways.

There are always challenges in an area with conditions that can be harsh, however IRCA appears more than capable to provide well constructed and well

maintained transport facilities: “Our strategy is to increase traffic safety by all means, widening the roads with the most traffic and put up a guardrail between lanes, we are mostly looking at two plus one roads in this regard.

In addition, to do more in getting rid of single lane bridges, where the traffic is the most demanding and we still have them. Also, and, increasingly laying asphalt on gravel roads, and tackling the infrastructure needs due to tourism,” Pétur concluded.

Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration www.road.is Services: Building and maintaining infrastructure – roads, bridges, tunnels, and more

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profile: Gatwick Airport

A framework for Operating as one of the UK’s largest air terminals, Gatwick Airport continues to develop through framework agreements, construction and engineering projects within a five-year investment programme

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ondon’s busy Gatwick Airport represents the UK’s second largest airport and the busiest and most efficient single-runway airport in the world. The terminal serves more than 220 destinations across 80 countries, including more than 50 direct long-haul flights to major destinations.

Gatwick flies in excess of 41 million passengers each year on short and long haul services and the airport is also a major economic driver for the South East region, generating around 21,000 onsite jobs and a further 10,000 jobs through related activities.

Throughout its history Gatwick Airport has continued to expand and develop to ensure that it remains an effective transport hub for the South East region, as well as the wider UK and discussions regarding a second runway are ongoing. “It is important that Gatwick is ready to start work should the Government grant approval for a second runway to deliver the increased capacity Britain desperately

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Below Raymond Melee Gatwick Airport Development Director

needs. By opening discussions with architects, engineers and contractors means we will be well placed to take forward our plans for a second runway, on time and on budget. Gatwick remains the cheaper, faster, and more sustainable scheme. Legally, politically and environmentally, we are the only deliverable option that can actually deliver the jobs, growth and additional capacity that airport expansion would bring,” says Gatwick Airport Development Director, Raymond Melee.

“Gatwick has already invested £1.3 billion since becoming independent from BAA ownership, transforming the way we operate to deliver a world-class experience for our passengers. Over the next five years we will be investing a further £1.2 billion to meet accelerated passenger growth and bringing forward crucial infrastructure projects,” Raymond continues.

“The South Terminal has seen the completion of a completely new Pier 1 with five new gate-rooms and aircraft stands, alongside a completely new baggage

system with Gatwick’s first ‘Early Bag Store’ facility - allowing passengers to check-in up to 18 hours before their flight. In the North Terminal a new departure level now houses the world’s largest self-service bag drop zone and a re-configured second floor provides a new security zone with ten lanes of security processing, halving the time it takes for passengers to be screened. Pier 5 has also seen a re-configuration of its aircraft stands and an upgrade

of gate-rooms, ensuring an improved passenger experience before boarding their flight. Our focus has been to improve the level of service to our passengers and work with our airline partners to ensure sustainable and efficient growth.”

During September 2015, Gatwick Airport invited firms to apply for low and medium complexity frameworks totalling £750 million to deliver construction projects as part

of a new Capital Investment Programme (CIP) for the next five years. “The new frameworks include a total of six supply chain categories of building, mechanical and electrical, and civil engineering projects. A key aspect of the new frameworks is a change in procurement strategy which create options for Gatwick to shape its own supply chain and get closer to the performance of its contractors thereby allowing a more collaborative approach to

project delivery. Low complexity projects typically involve contracts of up to £1.5 million, while medium complexity projects for contracts between £1 million to £10 million,” Raymond explains. “Of the 127 companies that submitted pre-qualification information a final shortlist of 17 preferred contractors has now been chosen, including both local and national, mid and larger sized firms, which align with Gatwick’s policy of sustainable procurement. Each

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profile: Gatwick Airport

contractor was selected based on their competency and cost effectiveness and they include a range of different business models to give Gatwick maximum flexibility when approaching the programmes of work ahead. We expect local businesses to play a key role in the next phase of our investment programme, boosting jobs and growth throughout the region.”

The construction frameworks will support proposed projects within the Gatwick CIP, which relate to enhancement and replacement elements of the airport’s infrastructure including expansion of the North Terminal International Departure Lounge; South Terminal International Departures Lounge capacity extension; North Terminal Early Bag Store Facility; expansion of the South Terminal Immigration Hall; additional aircraft parking stands across the airfield; optimisation of taxiways; increased car parking capacity for short stay, long stay and staff across the airport; surface access improvements; and road network improvements.

“Gatwick is growing fast with more than 41 million passengers a year travelling through the airport, which is a decade ahead

MARCO AIRPORT FACILITIES Marco has been working with Gatwick Airport Limited (GAL) since 2001 and has just been awarded a multi-million pound contract to provide a framework of design, construction and operational services for low complexity projects up to £1.5 million. The new agreement, which comes off the back of a recent £4 million six month contract, is testament to Marco’s proven track record with GAL and it is proud to be given the opportunity to support the airport’s continued growth.

of industry predictions and the Airports Commission forecasts.

Gatwick could not have achieved this rapid and record growth without huge investments into its infrastructure, systems, and the overall passenger experience,” Raymond says. “To be able to accommodate this continued growth in passenger numbers, Gatwick is investing in technology that will help speed passengers through the airport, while also improving their experience by reducing queues and putting passengers in charge of their time at the airport.”

Works have now begun at the airport to expand the North Terminal International Departures Lounge, which includes a complete re-design

and creation of additional retail units. Gatwick is also currently in the process of tendering for new architecture and engineering and professional services frameworks.

When combined with its new construction frameworks these forthcoming frameworks will position Gatwick for the near and mid-term future to develop the airport’s ambition to be London’s airport of choice. During the coming years Gatwick will continue to focus on the delivery of its CIP to ensure that the airport is well place to meet the growing demands of its passengers.

“To accommodate our rapid growth, we need to have our biggest airlines positioned in the right terminals so they can continue to grow, but more importantly we want our passengers to have the best possible experience when they fly from Gatwick. In January 2017 British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, and easyJet will be moving terminals as part of Gatwick’s transformation programme.

This will provide fantastic new spaces for passengers to enjoy, while also allowing Gatwick to look after growing numbers of passengers. The moves in January are dependent on 42 separate construction projects involving nearly more than 80 different tasks. Most of these will not be seen by our passengers, however, as they are part of the behind the scenes operation in areas like new crew reporting, engineering and forward operating bases,” Raymond concludes. “Gatwick is on a fast-paced journey of transformation. We are striving to eliminate queues and put passengers in charge of their time at the airport to provide them with the best possible experience and levels of service.”

Gatwick Airport www.gatwickairport.com Services: UK’s second largest airport 71

profile: GECO Mechanical & Electrical

Leading the

way

At the forefront of the construction sector for more than 45 years, GECO Mechanical & Electrical (GECO M&E) delivers a comprehensive offering to customers thanks to its superior expertise, products and range of services

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stablished in 1969, GECO Mechanical & Electrical Ltd (GECO M&E) is one of the oldest electromechanical companies in the UAE, with offices in Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi. Owned

by Al Batha, GECO M&E is part of a group which comprises of 28 autonomous companies operating in sectors as diverse as automotive, healthcare, manufacturing, engineering, electronics, FMCG, food, real estate and education.

Organised into seven industry sectors to ensure a focused development of each business as well as growing expertise in each industry, the group has placed GECO M&E in the Engineering Group to aid in the development of the UAE’s infrastructure.

Below Altaf Hussain, General Manager of GECO Mechanical & Electrical

“Construction is one of the most important sectors forming part of the overall economy of the UAE as it involves the development of offices, residential properties, hotels, schools, universities, mosques, hospitals, warehouses and other facilities for the country’s growing population,” comments Altaf Hussain, General Manager of GECO Mechanical & Electrical.

“Because GECO M&E has been at the forefront of this sector for more than 45 years, we are able to deliver a comprehensive offering and outstanding expertise to customers and, over the years, we have successfully executed challenging projects that ensured we meet our clients’ requirements.”

An integral part of the company’s success is its strong supply chain, which allows it to

provide customers with the best products at the lowest possible prices in the least amount of time. “We have a huge centralised storage facility with satellite stores located all over the UAE as well as mobile storage vans that are stocked with the most frequently used items; this means we can cater to any project’s requirements at a short notice,” explains Altaf. “Alongside these storage areas, we have an inhouse transport facility, with a fleet of more than 250 vehicles, a duct manufacturing facility with state-of-the-art machinery, an extinguisher refilling workshop, motor rewinding and compressor repair workshop. With more than 2000 employees, we have the capabilities to execute projects of any size or nature.”

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profile: GECO Mechanical & Electrical

Safety Electrical Group (SEG) Safety Electrical Group (SEG) founded by Mr. B.G. Gurnani in 1982 successfully running its 34th year has served and partnered with some of the most prestigious clients across the region with one simple motto: Engineering…Relationships & Beyond. Today, as a prominent industry leader in the electrical and lighting sector, the company specialises in the engineering, manufacturing and assembly of switchgear panels, as well as trading of electrical and lighting products for commercial, industrial, hazardous and adverse environment applications.

And in line with the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, SEG chartered a farsighted growth plan, which started with establishing a centralised logistics and warehousing facility in National Industries Park (formerly Techno Park). The SEG Group is marching towards a bigger, better and brighter future with a resolute mission and a sound strategy.

The company’s clientele includs Dubai Municipality, Al Wasl Properties, Al Futtaim Carillion, Majid Al Futtaim, Al Tayer Group, Darwish Engineering Emirates, the Directorate of Public Works (DPW), Government of Sharjah, Abu Dhabi General Services Company (Musanada), Command

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of Military Works, Al Rostamani Pagel (ARP), Belhasa Engineering & Contracting Co. (FNC), Fujairah National Construction & Transport (FNCT), Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority (SEWA), Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), Federal Electricity and Water Authority (FEWA), Sharjah Assets Management (SAM) and many others. The company remains in demand due to its ability to offer a one-stop-shop solution to customers when it comes to MEP, Power and Fire Protection works. Moreover, once a project is executed, the company offers a complete maintenance of the project.

Altaf notes that GECO M&E maintains a strong commitment to the ongoing improvement of employee skills when it comes to

new technological developments: “We have a culture of learning amongst our employees, which has resulted in our team continuously being updated with the latest technologies. Our employees are provided regular in-house training delivered by our various learning partners to keep them abreast of new developments.” ‘Learning-onwheels’ is a unique to GECO M&E, as it provides its site staff appropriate training at their respective project sites. A bus has been converted into a training room for such purpose. “This allows us to have a workforce which is highly skilled and trained to handle projects of any magnitude to deliver the best possible service.”

The company complements

profile: GECO Mechanical & Electrical

its investment in employees with the upgrading of its manufacturing facilities. “We have recently invested a significant amount in new machinery for our duct manufacturing facility.

Information technology is also a high priority,” says Altaf. “Our employees are equipped with the latest tools and notebooks; we also continually upgrade the software used by our engineering team and have implemented an ERP system to cater for our backhouse applications.”

Backed by one of the most financially strong groups in the UAE, GECO M&E is proud to deliver high quality solutions.

“We believe in doing business with value,” Altaf added. The ISO 9001:2008 certified company is staunchly committed to health, safety and environmental compliance. “GECO M&E continues to be amongst the leading performers in the MEP industry by committing ourselves to international standards such as ISO 14001:2004 Environment Management System and OHSAS 18001:2007 Safety Management System. The management of each business with its comprehensive policies on quality, environment, health and safety, is accountable for its environmental impact.

At GECO M&E project sites and offices, the respective managers are responsible for ensuring strict control over safety and optimal consumption of materials and energy,” states Altaf.

“We also conduct periodic EHS training for our workforce so they foster environmental awareness and responsibility and therefore embed environmental commitment within our business culture. We reinforce this behavior by regularly reviewing our environmental objectives and targets,” he adds.

With a surge of new projects set to take place in the UAE, GECO M&E is in an enviable position as a company that is fully prepared

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to take on the most challenging and unique contracts in the country, as Altaf notes: “There has been a surge in new project announcements, which has resulted in us receiving a massive amount of enquiries. Furthermore, as investor confidence slowly returns, we expect more new projects to be announced. The Expo 2020 has also given a quick boost to otherwise grim sentiments and an increasing amount of investors are keen to capitalise on the buoyancy that has been created. Indeed, there has already been a plethora of new leisure and tourism projects announced in anticipation of the Expo 2020 and, as it draws near, we expect further developments to be announced.

“Alongside these developments,

we have noticed a lot of infrastructure and power related developments by various Emirates, notably Dubai and Sharjah. Since GECO M&E is very active in power generation and distribution work, we also see a lot of growth opportunities in this area. All in all, the near and mid-term future looks to bring a new wave of positive changes in our industry, which will provide us with an opportunity for steady growth,” he concludes.

GECO Mechanical & Electrical www.gecome.com Services: Mechanical and electrical contracting, power generation and distribution, fire protection and facilities management

profile: GSD Lambert & Son Limited (Lambert CE)

Deliberatelydifferent

Through continued investment, efficiency and pride in doing a job well, family-run business Lambert CE has maintained a solid reputation in the market

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ounded in 1978

by Gary Lambert, Lambert CE has steadily grown over the last 38 years by gaining each new contract on the quality of its previous successes.

Operating as Managing Director, Gary originally established the business in Lowestoft where it became known as a hardworking, conscientious firm that provides a

high quality service to its valuable customers.

Following ongoing growth, the base in Lowestoft became less attractive to Gary due to the locations of the company’s contracts, which were based all around East Anglia. To be logistically closer to clients, Lambert CE relocated to Morley Hall, Wymondham; after converting one of the existing

wings into new offices, the new location proved a beneficial strategic decision as the company wasn’t only closer to customers but also boasted a grand architecture that reflected the way the company liked to conduct business.

Today the company, is under the helm of Gary & Jamie Lambert, continuing to be a strong family-run firm that

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profile: GSD Lambert & Son Limited (Lambert CE)

places great importance in its appearance and maintains a hard-working reputation; the pair also ensure ongoing success through continuously reinvesting money back into the plant, equipment and labour. For example, in the final quarter of 2015, the company reinvested in excess of £1.5 million in new plant vehicles and equipment. With a view of ‘if it’s needed, buy it’ this level of investment ensures that the company rarely has to hire equipment or machinery and is prepared for the demands of its customers.

Able to offer customers demolition, new housing groundworks, adoptable sewer construction, commercial, domestic, crushing and screening services, the business has recently seen an increase in

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demand for roads and sewers and groundworks packages to new housing developments, as Jamie comments: “We are currently working on eight housing developments for five of our most valued customers in Norfolk and Suffolk. These range from 30 houses up to what can only be described as the jewel in the crown for Norfolk, a phased 500

plot site with a single developer.

On top of this we also carry out demolition/site clearance which is an added bonus to our clients as we ensure all underground obstructions are removed as we are going to be digging the new foundations and so on.

“With our mobile crushing permit we are also able to process any recyclable material on site for use in the measured works. During quieter times we have also completed various domestic driveways, self-builds and commercial developments.

As with our employees and suppliers we like to view the relationships we have with our clients as long-term and beneficial to both parties. It’s strange to think with some of these clients that although the original name remains the same, there are very

few original staff remaining there in our up to 20 year relationships.

Although new faces come and go we remain the same and continue to work with these companies or rebuild relationships as we go.”

Indeed, as a company that is proud to be deliberately different, Lambert CE places a great deal of importance on maintaining strong relationships with its employees, which has resulted in solid, long-term loyalty from staff. “We employ in excess of 50 staff and don’t rely on sub-contractors to use and abuse during busy times,” says Jamie. “To us, if someone joins us, assuming they are able & keen, they have a job for life.

Furthermore, thanks to our strong ability to diversify, we have never had to make a single redundancy during the three recessions

since starting the business; we pride ourselves on this and it’s rewarding when you hear staff remembering those times when a competitor tries to attract them for more money.

“There seems to be a lot of poaching going on at the moment and, with the high demand, people are attracted to our employees; this could be because of the image and reputation that we have in the market. One

thing is for sure though, we never approach our competitors’ staff and instead let them come to us; after a few weeks of working here it’s frequently said they are the happiest they have been at work for many years.”

With a turnover of £10 million and plans to expand in line with current market demand over the next five years, the future looks positive for Lambert CE as it remains true to its ‘deliberately different’ approach to business.

GSD Lambert & Son Limited (Lambert CE) www.lambertcivilengineering.co.uk Twitter @lambertcivil Services: Civil engineering, road & sewer construction & groundworks

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profile: CEMEX Building Products

Solid

innovations

All around us in our built environment are products using concrete.

In fact, it is the second most consumed material in the world after water.

CEMEX UK Building Products is one of the leading suppliers, using concrete to produce blocks, bricks, paving and rail sleepers for use in our homes, hospitals, infrastructure and much more, helping to build a greater Britain

C

EMEX Building Products is part of leading materials supplier, CEMEX UK which manufactures cement, aggregates and concrete, used in construction contracts both large and small, including some of the most prestigious projects and buildings in the country. As well as offering a diverse portfolio of products, CEMEX UK Building Products strives to offer a complete solutions package to customers. “We realise that we are

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operating in a very competitive marketplace and as well as offering the products and excellent service we want to offer a complete package to customers saving them valuable time and energy, so a one stop shop solution,� elaborates Director of Concrete Products, Floors and Ash, Grant McMillan.

To help customers CEMEX Building Products has a Housing Solutions business, which can offer the construction industry a package of relevant products when building new homes. So

for example the customer may require internal and external blocks, decorative paving (Readypave), a flooring system (Readyfloor), mortar and screed.

The company can discuss their requirements for all of these products and have one central point of contact for all of them.

Over the last three years, within Housing Solutions, CEMEX has developed ReadyBrick, initially in response to the shortage of clay bricks within the industry. This year a new form of Readybrick, a concrete facing brick has been

involved a new manufacturing technique for us and initially there were some issues with bricks cracking as they came off the production line but with some fine-tuning in the operation of the press to limit vibration, this has been solved.

“The other challenge with this product was optimising the colour of the bricks, which involves careful selection of the raw materials and the use of specific pigments. This is particularly so for the lighter coloured products like our Lothian Gold buff coloured brick, where the usual local raw materials don’t

lend themselves to achieving the colour that is required by customers. ” Another business area is Flood Solutions and within this area, CEMEX has recently successfully introduced its unique Ready Aquawall rapid assembly flood defence and retaining wall solution. It can be used in a wide range of applications including flood defence walls, riverbank reinforcement, sea defence walls and land reclamation.

Ready Aquawall solution is formed using interlocking ‘W’ shaped blocks and is manufactured on the standard

trialled. McMillan continues: “These new bricks are currently being used in several housing developments in Scotland. They are being produced at our at our West Calder factory in Scotland so they have a minimal distance to travel from production to construction.

“There have been some initial challenges in developing this new line. Feedback received during initial trials indicated that the bricks had to be voided to make them easier to place on site.

Manufacturing bricks with voids

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profile: CEMEX Building Products

concrete block production line. It has been developed in partnership with Aquacast International Ltd and provides local authorities and construction companies an alternative to gabion baskets or sheet piling on riverbanks and in flood defence applications.

Like ReadyBrick, Aquawall has been trialled in the field allowing CEMEX to prove the product and develop a base to further market the product. “We’ve been working closely with a company called Miles Water Engineering, which is

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based in Norfolk and involved in flood defence and water related projects,” McMillan says.

“We have given Miles Water Engineering some of the Aquawall blocks to trial on live projects and the feedback is that there is a real opportunity in the market, as the product saves time during installation as well as ease of construction. The fact that walls can be constructed rapidly and easily means that they can be used in temporary as well as permanent situations resulting in a great deal of flexibility.

“This is an interesting area for us bearing in mind the changes in climate which have resulted in significant amounts of flooding in certain areas of the country plus the amount of investment the Government is making in flood defence infrastructure in the UK,” McMillan concludes.

CEMEX Building Products currently operates eight manufacturing plants throughout the country giving

comprehensive coverage to supply products when and wherever they are required. The business extended its capacity in 2015 with a new plant at Rochester in Kent producing concrete T-beams for floors.

“We wanted to increase our capacity in the South East so this plant was commissioned at the beginning of 2015. Since then we have been steadily building up production and sales volumes from the plant,” McMillan comments.

“We have a programme of investment in all our plants to help us optimise our capabilities and grow the business in the future.

Both the Housing and Flood Solutions business should help our customers going forward saving them both time and money.”

CEMEX Building Products www.cemex.co.uk Services: Leading supplier of concrete products

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profile: Alumno Developments

Community

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ince the company was founded in 2006, Alumno Developments has worked with universities, colleges and other key stakeholders to construct student accommodation and has provided homes for around 2000 students within cities such as London, Birmingham and Bristol. Despite challenging market conditions and a complex legislative environment, the company continues to complete projects by working in partnership with several large funding institutions, including Lothbury,

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Incorporating several years of industry experience and over a decade in operation, Alumno Developments is a leading developer/owner in the student accommodation market La Salle, RBS and Aviva. “From the earliest beginning of the company we have been focused on creating buildings for student accommodation and associated uses. This was an area in which I had worked previously and developed an understanding of the market. I continued to have an interest in the sector and felt that there were several opportunities in it,” explains Managing Director, David Campbell. “Ten years ago the industry was a very different landscape to what it is today. Previously it was not really recognised as an asset class and there were only two

or three companies operating in the sector in a meaningful way and it was still very embryonic.

We have moved heaven and earth since then so that it is now a much more sophisticated and acknowledged sector, however it is still very important to have a good understanding of the key stake holder relationships. There are a lot of subtleties in student accommodation that can be different to those of mainstream residential markets.”

Alumno Developments will celebrate its tenth anniversary during 2016, marking a decade of successfully completed and

highly acclaimed projects.

Recent projects include the renovation of the Southwark Town Hall in Camberwell to college accommodation, which will be completed by summer of 2016.

The building was in serious need of renovation and Southwark Council was looking for a proposal that would benefit the local community, while boosting the area economically. Having recently worked in partnership with the Camberwell College of Arts to redevelop the Town Hall’s neighbouring Georgian buildings into student accommodation, Southwark Council saw Alumno Developments as the perfect partner for the project. “Our proposal for the Town Hall takes a fresh approach which respects the history and character of existing buildings, but aims to mark a new phase of history for this important site within the local community,” David says. “It also takes on board key local and national planning policies. This wonderful building will provide light and spacious bedroom accommodation, as well as generous communal areas and what’s more, the main entrance and courtyard will allow students to circulate between the Town Hall and the recently refurbished neighbouring student block without disrupting traffic and pedestrians. There will also be a large shared common room, which will use the dramatic skyline view from the roof.”

Further to its development of Southwark Town Hall, Alumno Developments has also recently enjoyed great success in the City of Norwich through the development of All Saint’s Green on behalf of NUA. The Norfolk Association of Architects ultimately awarded a Full Craftsmanship Award for achieving an outstanding level

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profile: Alumno Developments

of craftsmanship for this project in 2016. This recognition helped Alumno Developments to go on to put forward a further project to develop modern new-build student accommodation within the city centre named ‘The Quad.’ The project will deliver regeneration to the site of the former Mecca Bingo and Gaumont club, which has sat vacant for some time. The development will feature student housing and facilities that will make the area more vibrant during the day and night. “This is an interesting project because prior to All Saints Green there has been no student housing in Norwich other than the campus buildings at the University of East Anglia,” David reveals.

“This is relatively surprising when you consider that there are in excess of 20,000 students living in the city. It is a very vibrant city with several music venues, stand-ups and a strong cultural base and artists community, but I think there has been some nervousness regarding the developing of student housing.

Having completed several projects resulting in good experiences in other cities, including the sensitive development of the grade two listed 50 All Saint’s Green building, we have gone a long way in breaking down preconceptions of ideas relating to what student accommodation can look like and how it can contribute.”

The Quad project is currently in the pre-planning stage and is scheduled for completion during summer 2018, while further projects in Aberdeen and Birmingham will be finished by the end of summer 2016.

These projects together with the company’s proven industry experience demonstrate the place of Alumno Developments as a leader in the development of innovative and community minded student accommodations. “We are a developer and a specialist designer of student housing. Our

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while also promoting a strong community aspect that blurs the lines of how a building can be used as a place to congregate and meet,” David concludes.

“Hopefully during the coming years we will have a little more freedom and we can choose more of the opportunities that we want to pursue. We would like to continue to work with a variation on a theme in terms of room types, models and looking at wider access opportunities for students from different backgrounds.” focus is very much on looking at projects from an embryonic stage and looking at how we can evolve the design to ensure that it is sustainable. We can introduce rents that students can afford,

Alumno Developments www.alumnodevelopments.com Services: Student accommodation developer/owner

profile: Monodraught

Engineering delivered naturally For more than four decades Monodraught has been an industry leader in efficient environmental solutions

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perating from its modern facility located in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, Monodraught has always been at the forefront of designing and manufacturing low energy, low carbon environmental solutions.

Founded during March 1974, the company is a medium sized business that is today owned by the Danish VKR group, who are highly active within the fields of roof windows and skylights; vertical windows; solar thermal energy; and ventilation and indoor climate control. VKR owns several companies within these sectors

including VELUX, Altaterra and VELFAC amongst others.

Monodraught provides marketleading solutions across three product groups: natural lighting; natural cooling; and natural and hybrid ventilation solutions.

Innovation remains at the core of the business and Monodraught is committed to delivering highly engineered products that allow end-users to live and work in a more natural environment. “We are proud of our history of developing products from research and development (R&D) right through to manufacture, installation and maintenance in the UK and beyond. A key sector for Monodraught is education where our products can deliver real dividends in terms of drastically lowering energy use, reduced maintenance requirements and improved environments for students and

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profile: Monodraught

teachers,” explains Managing Director, Andrew McCubbin.

“Our products can be found anywhere from owners of residential buildings looking to increase natural light, through to high impact architectural buildings such as the Olympics Copperbox Arena and Ormiston Road College in New Zealand.”

The key objective for Monodraught is to provide clients with high quality, low maintenance solutions that can drive down building energy costs and reduce carbon emissions. The company has several varied routes to market due to the wide scope of its product set, including an online shop and sales through Amazon.

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co.uk. The main route to market is via direct sales to architects, consultants, contractors and building owners.

“Monodraught are unique in the market as we manage the whole development process from design through to installation

and maintenance. This means that we are in control of the entire solution and can ensure that our customers receive both high-quality customer service and a great product,” Andrew reveals. “We believe that our team also gives us a competitive edge because we have a high percentage of engineers in our workforce, which makes innovation an integral part of the company’s DNA. Our interest is not just focused on developing and launching new products, it’s more about looking at how we work in every area of our business including marketing, installation, production and finance and ensuring we are always challenging the boundaries of what is possible. We employ highly skilled staff that we endeavour to further develop to enable them to have the knowledge and confidence to be specialists in their respective areas and make the correct decisions for the business.”

As a highly innovative company Monodraught makes use of technology in all areas of the business. The company’s R&D team employs high-tech software to model future product developments, as well as a 3D printer that is put into use to build proto-types and test concepts.

Monodraught recently launched a smart-screen controller, which simplifies the control model for ventilation and cooling. The screen can also provide education to end-users regarding how to use the product efficiently.

The company’s team of sales design engineers also use thermal dynamic modelling with integrated environmental solutions (IES) software, as well as preparing modelling reports and AutoCAD drawings to bring a widely acclaimed portfolio of products to market.

Post-installation, many of its products include data-logging functions, which can provide

valuable information to facility managers in terms of managing ventilation and cooling strategies within the building and monitoring CO2 and temperature levels.

The company’s continued dedication to innovation, quality and new product development has enabled Monodraught to grow consistently since the company was founded. During 2016 the business was also recognised as ‘Company of the Year’ at the Buckinghamshire Business Awards, where it was commended for the fact that over 50 per cent of the company’s suppliers come from the Buckinghamshire area and its support of local causes including the charity Buckinghamshire Mind. Over the coming years Monodraught will seek to continue to build on this success and develop further

innovations in a number of applications.

“We were delighted to have won the ‘Company of the Year’ award, particularly as the feedback from the judges was so positive and there was a high volume of entries from other prestigious businesses.

The judges commented on the passion of our staff when they

came to visit and were impressed by our innovative use of technology,” Andrew concludes.

“We are pleased with our current business model and each year we introduce new and innovative products that continue to drive the growth of the company.

Although we supply into many market sectors, we see education as a key sector for the future.

Our hybrid product solutions in lighting, cooling and ventilation will also continue to be important growth engines for our business and our investment in these sectors will continue to increase.”

Monodraught www.monodraught.com Services: Natural lighting, natural cooling and natural and hybrid ventilation systems

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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