Construction and Civil Engineering Issue 102 Final Edition

TH E

M AGAZINE

FOR

IN DUST RIA L

LE ADER S

ISSUE 100FINAL ISSUE 102

CONSTRUCTION

&CIVIL Engineering

The proposed Navitus Bay windfarm could offer significant construction opportunities to local ports News: Balfour Beatty appointed as lead contractor on the transformation of the Stadium in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park

News: Recycled boardwalk made entirely from recycled plastic films and bottles helps solve construction headache

Collaborative construction A construction industry built on better decisions

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FROM THE EDITOR

Positive 2014 l The latest Markit/CIPS UK Construction Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) survey highlighted that construction companies enter 2014 with the wind in their sails. The results record strong output rises in all three broad areas of construction activity, and the fastest increase in commercial work since August 2007.

It also gives a positive outlook for construction activity in 2014 – all of which sounds very good news for a sector, which has been struggling, with building trades having been hit by the recession and an almost non-existent housing market for the past six or seven years.

It is your experience that the sector is seeing improvements? Do you feel the confidence that these figures portray? I would love to hear from you with your stories from the construction arena and any feedback you would like to share.

Libbie Hammond libbie@schofieldpublishing.co.uk

Construction & Civil Engineering 1

CONTENTS

Chairman Andrew Schofield Group Managing Director Mike Tulloch

4 Cover story

Editor Libbie Hammond

libbie@schofieldpublishing.co.uk Art Editor Jon Mee Staff Writers Matt High Jo Cooper Steve Nash Drew Dann Advertising Design Jamie Elvin Editorial Admin Emma Harris Head of Research Philip Monument Editorial Researchers Gavin Watson Mark Cowles Natalie Martin Karl Riseborough Elizabeth Szabo Tony Wright Sales Director David Garner Sales David King Mark Cawston 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

FEATURES 4 CASE STUDY The movement toward integrated delivery and collaborative construction coupled with industrialised building methods is gaining momentum and changing both the nature and the control of the construction industry

8 SPECIAL FEATURE While Britain should be proud that our professionals are some of the most skilled in the world and in high demand from overseas recruiters, we do need to stem the flow and bring the number of people wanting to relocate down

The first consideration that needs to be addressed when developing a building for technology, media and telecommunications (TMT) companies is how the space will be used

22 EQUIPMENT One of the most practical and cost effective methods to protect both workers and the local community from noisy construction work is to use acoustic barriers

12 MAJOR PROJECT Navitus Bay an important project in terms of green energy, but also with the opportunities it is going to bring to local ports for operations and maintenance and also construction activities on land

16 ENVIRONMENT Š 2014 Schofield Publishing Ltd

20 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

There are two main drivers behind the energy efficiency agenda, the first of which is carbon, and the second and more prevalent driver is cost

8

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

2 Construction & Civil Engineering

28

43 PROFILES 25 KASI KASI today is a leading manufacturer of products such as sewage castings, street and yard grilles for the construction industry

28 Normet Normet remains committed to developing and supporting robust, sustainable solutions for the underground mining and tunnelling industries

31 Nuclear Engineering Services

40

Nuclear new build is one area of specialty for Nuclear Engineering Services

34 Bauwerk Boen Group The Bauwerk Boen Group is a strong global player in parquet hardwood flooring

37 Ebema Ebema is a leading name in the provision of concrete paving products and can trace its roots back to 1964

40 Vitalo Vitalo Global Thermoforming employs more than 700 people and boasts a turnover of â‚Ź70 million

43 Haulotte Group Haulotte has become a major player supplying its access equipment to rental companies and to a wide range of industries

47 Balco Balco AB has pursued its passion for delivering industry-leading balconies and today provides as many as 5000 units each year

25 Construction & Civil Engineering 3

CASE STUDY

GALAXY SOHO under construction and under control with Dassault Systèmes software

4 Construction & Civil Engineering

Collaborative

construction A construction industry built on better decisions. By Nick Lerner

T

he current global building boom seems unstoppable but the construction industry, mired in antiquated practices is among the most unconnected and unproductive sectors of the economy. The need for transparency heralds a new positive era for the industry.

In 50 years of the most accelerated technological advances, a period in which industry after industry has used technology to improve efficiency, building practice has lagged far behind. Consequently, studies of the construction industry by The National Institute of Standards and Technology SITC, as well as Tulacz and Armistead, have documented 25 per cent to 50 per cent waste in co-ordinating labour and in managing, moving, and installing materials. In many cases talent and skill are underused, avoidable accidents happen and productivity remains woefully low.

The only upside to these statistics is that the construction industry offers tremendous potential for gains in efficiency levels, simply by applying the same proven processes, practices and technologies already common in more automated industries. There are also high projections of growth, PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC)

predicts that by the end of this decade, construction will account for more than 13 per cent of the global economy, the time is ripe for change.

Public perception The introduction of Public Private Partnerships (PPP) and Part Finance Initiatives (PFI), has changed the way developments around the world are built and managed. The involvement of more parties in larger scale projects within tighter regulatory and legal frameworks requires transparency, openness and a spirit of collaboration. Sometimes these have proven rare commodities in the construction business.

Most building projects overrun, outspend their budgets by more than 20 per cent and end in expensive and wasteful litigation.

Bringing buildings to delivery is a high-risk enterprise. Between concept and the operation of a finished building lie the stages of design and engineering, contracts, bids and awards, fabrication and construction. Each stage is fraught with risk, has to work interdependently with each other stage and relies on the correct integration of other people’s work.

The need for openness and collaboration between differently purposed, skilled, and oriented stakeholders leads to the need

Construction & Civil Engineering 5

CASE STUDY

Right: GALAXY SOHO Dassault Systèmes DP 3D visualisation colour codes represent families of rationalised panels providing economy of scale in fabrication while allowing free-form geometry to be executed efficiently

for a single version of the truth that can be referenced by anyone involved. Up to date information must be available on demand to stakeholders with absolute security. And that information must be made available in usable formats.

Digging in Powerful interest groups, complex structures erected between active city infrastructure, mass transit systems, and a baffling array of regulatory and environmental compliance issues are forcing change in the building industry.

Mistakes followed by litigation at, during, or after a construction project are often the result of poor communications between systems and people. Errors with building components and services are expected, and usually occur, but are absolutely avoidable. Simply unifying the change order system on a building project allows people to work collaboratively. They have access to the current status of the building and its information. This enables better-informed strategic and tactical decision making at all phases.

Risky business Risk for stakeholders in a building project of any kind can be more than financial. Buildings define their locations and neighborhoods; people have emotional attachments to them. Buildings have significant, sociological and ecological impact.

Risk will always be associated with buildings not just during construction but also for many years beyond. A carbon hungry building will increase its energy usage over time with rising energy prices adding to the equation.

6 Construction & Civil Engineering

“The company’s new Lean Construction

Solution Experience provides a collaborationbased project backbone that enables better project visibility and construction simulation for enhanced planning and execution” Some of today’s buildings could last indefinitely. And their uses will change during their lives.

Fragmentation unified The building industry is fragmented with the world’s biggest construction companies occupying only a small percentage of the total market. Small firms often without the benefits of technology make up the majority of the industry. Attempts to integrate disparate groups and processes have often been the role of the project manager. However project management like BIM has its limitations and is usually used only at the construction stage and without reference to the bigger picture. A system underpinned with a seamless collaborative platform that incorporates rigorous industrial construction practices and defines and orders workflows; will deliver better results.

The Dassault Systèmes 3DExperience Platform covers all of the work of traditional BIM systems while catering to the diverse needs of owners, occupants and other stakeholders including professions

such as architects, engineers, fabricators and constructors while helping AEC companies better understand the short and long term implications of their projects.

The company’s new Lean Construction Solution Experience provides a collaboration-based project backbone that enables better project visibility and construction simulation for enhanced planning and execution.

It makes the right information available to the right person at the right time. In this environment, 3D modeling and detailed information of modularisation and prefabrication support evaluation and improvement of production and engineering processes. This eliminates waste, helps projects become lean, and creates safer construction project environments.

Moving

Laying down the Law Regulatory compliance so often seen as an obstacle to progress can become a valuable asset if properly handled. A well-developed delivery system is able to integrate and accommodate regulations and ensure that they are tracked over

Zaha Hadid Beijing Galaxy SOHO Dassault Systèmes CATIA based DP image

Systèmes 3D Experiences as a part of a digital master system for its work. “We are a digitally oriented practice using diverse systems to explore and represent a wide range of often complex solutions. System interoperability allows us to draw together a variety of design and engineering inputs then rapidly move projects onto a formal design and contractual basis with a single unified 3D software platform.”

Clever moves

time and are complied with in the long term.

Environmental questions can be answered using unified building data to accurately determine the status of buildings before they are built. Their environmental impact can be fully determined and optimised to meet stakeholder needs. Incorporating weather and climate data as well as energy consumption, or output, has lead to some innovative and ingenious designs that would not have been possible without easy to access and sharing of information.

integrated project delivery processes that allows these grand buildings to be beautifully realised and perfectly delivered.

Cristaiano Ceccato, associate, Zaha Hadid Architects, described how the practice applies Dassault Below: GALAXY SOHO developed with Dassault Systèmes Catia based DP 3D Design Simulation

Introducing advanced technology attracts fresh talent to construction enterprises giving it a welcome and valuable intellectual boost.

The construction industry is being changed by a small number of very clever and enterprising people who are transforming the industry by taking new approaches. Unshackled by tradition and equipped with portable, powerful and robust technology, they are bringing the business into the 21st century.

The movement toward integrated delivery and collaborative construction coupled with industrialised building methods is gaining momentum and changing both the nature and the control of the construction industry. The results are better quality buildings brought in on time and to budget within more efficient enterprises. m For further information:

www.3ds.com.

Towers of strength Zaha Hadid Architects is at the forefront of the trend for co-ordination and collaborate in construction.

Its projects include unique buildings involving complex structures, services and facilities coupled with a profound architectural vision. It is this vision that gives the buildings such appeal but it is

Construction & Civil Engineering 7

Lead story

Moving

abroad Rob Searle discusses how the UK needs to retain its construction workforce

B

ritain’s built environment industry was one of the hardest hit by the recession: house building slowed, infrastructure projects went back into review and commercial construction ground to a halt. Necessity drove

8 Construction & Civil Engineering

the loss of many skilled workers from businesses as employers retrenched. Now that Britain’s built environment industry is showing signs of recovery we need to ensure we keep hold of the professionals we need to realise the resurgence.

According to the Home Office

“A huge nine in ten professionals in the built environment sector say they would consider a move abroad despite signs of recovery in the UK’s own construction, property and infrastructure markets” environment sector say they would consider a move abroad despite signs of recovery in the UK’s own construction, property and infrastructure markets.

Too little too late?

there are 4.7 million Britons living overseas, one million of who have been lured away by the prospect of work. When an industry is in a time of trouble there is a real risk that talent can stray and stay away for good.

This is probably why a huge nine in ten professionals in the built

In a survey of 1500 professionals working in the built environment sector, almost half stated the UK is simply a less attractive place to work, with a perception of lower salaries and fewer career-furthering opportunities. This comes despite significant recent commitments made in the public and private sectors, such as the proposed HS2 rail development, Help to Buy and the sanctioning of a new nuclear reactor in Somerset, all boosting future prospects for professionals.

It’s likely that after the prolonged dearth of opportunities jobseekers are sceptical about how and when such investment will translate into live job vacancies. It’s also questionable whether Britain’s forthcoming opportunities can compete with the shiny lure of other markets boasting big salaries and salaries and great career opportunities.

circumstances, not all countries have the same appeal.

Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Qatar are some of the most attractive prospective homes for jobseekers.

This may be due to the perception that these countries offer the best salaries, and that there are more work prospects there – six in ten respondents believe Qatar has more opportunities than the UK, in part

Streets paved with gold Despite a clear appetite for overseas work experiences it’s not the case that UK workers are willing to move under any

Construction & Civil Engineering 9

LEAD STORY

“A long-term exodus of talent is not something Britain can afford with genuine recovery around the corner”

driven by infrastructure being put in place for the World Cup. English speaking countries are also popular with British jobseekers with Australia, Canada, the US, and New Zealand being cited as some of the most desirable.

CV showstoppers The appeal isn’t always countryspecific – many professionals expressed an interest on moving specifically to work on specific projects; 55 pe cent would move to China to work on the famous Sky City development, and 68 per cent would move to Singapore for a chance to work on The SinoSingapore Tianjin Eco-city. Despite the impermanence of the jobs, for many a move abroad is about getting a project with international recognition on their CV.

10 Construction & Civil Engineering

Stemming the flow While Britain should be proud that our professionals are some of the most skilled in the world and in high demand from overseas recruiters, we do need to stem the flow and bring the number of people wanting to relocate down.

Of the respondents who said they would consider a move abroad,

around half stated that they would be willing to relocate on a longterm basis. A long-term exodus of talent is not something Britain can afford with genuine recovery around the corner. With this threat in sight we need to make the UK an attractive place for built environment professionals to build their careers. zz

Rob Searle is sales director at CareerStructure.com.

CareerStructure.com is the leading specialist construction, built environment and engineering recruitment website.

The site draws over 250,000 unique users globally each month generating over 91,000 applications, attracted by the opportunity to search more than 5300 job opportunities at any time.

For further information visit: www.careerstructure.com.

NEWS Pictured left to right are Dan Germann, managing director of Keepmoat South with Councillor John Mowles, Ipswich Borough Council’s Housing portfolio–holder look at plans of the new development at Bader Close

New homes planned

Under the microscope

Ipswich Borough Council has appointed national housing and regeneration specialist, Keepmoat to deliver more than 100 much-needed high quality affordable new homes in the town.

The £10m scheme, which is the first major house-building programme the Council has commissioned in the last five decades, is part of a commitment to deliver hundreds of homes across the Borough over the next five years.

The new development will see the construction of 108 affordable homes to the Holywells / Gainsborough area of Ipswich on the site of a former sports field off Bader Close.

Work will commence in Spring this year and is expected to be welcomed by more than 3000 households currently on the council’s housing waiting list.

The scheme will be a mix of house types and styles consisting of 77 two-bedroom homes, 11 four-bedroom homes, ten two-bedroom bungalows and ten one-bedroom bungalows.

New analysis published by Creditsafe reveals that nine of the ten most searched for companies in 2013 operate in the construction industry.

Topping the list was Farnrise Construction Limited, a growing construction firm headquartered in Gatwick, closely followed by Daniel Contractors Ltd and Mansell Construction Services Ltd. The construction industry is undergoing a minor resurgence in the UK with Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union,

New installation at Canary Wharf Fireproof cable cleats manufactured

by Ellis have been installed throughout the new BP4 Tower at Canary Wharf, London.

Designed specifically for installation with fire protection (FP) rated cables, the Phoenix cleats are manufactured in 316L stainless steel and are both fire proof and corrosion resistant. They were specified by Hilson Moran through Ellis’ UK distributor, ETS Cable Components and installed by electrical contractor, Phoenix ME Limited.

“In order for FP rated cables to continue working in an emergency they need to remain intact and in place,” said Ellis’ UK sales director, Paul Nolan. “If these cables aren’t properly restrained then the risks are clear – the loss of vital services and the likelihood of live cables falling and causing potentially lethal hazards.”

Working in conjunction with Exova Warringtonfire, BRE and ETS, Ellis initially developed its Phoenix range in 2011. Prior to launch the products underwent a wide range of tests, including exposure to fire, impact and water spray, all of which

combined to ensure that the range offers fire protection to the same level as the cables it is installed to protect.

“Any building should strive to ensure that the products used to protect the emergency systems are the best available, but when you consider BP4 is a 130-metre, 23-storey, 530,000 sq ft development in the heart of one of London’s key business districts then it’s fair to say that in this instance it was an absolute imperative,” continued Paul.

estimating annual growth of 5.1 per cent.

A further sign the construction industry is picking up is evidenced by the fact that none of the most searched construction industry firms in 2013 had entered administration in the previous 12 months.

In 2012, 57 per cent of the most searched construction companies had been declared insolvent.

Chris Robertson, managing director at Creditsafe UK, said: “While the construction industry in the UK appears to be undergoing a minor revival, across Europe concerns about the viability of operators remains. That the overwhelming majority of the most searched companies operate in the construction industry reinforces the nervousness many firms have about the long-term financial health of the sector. With major infrastructure projects in the UK including HS2 and an expansion of runway capacity yet to come to fruition, growth will have to be driven by investment from the private sector.”

Construction & Civil Engineering 11

MAJOR PROJECT

Wind of

change Mike Unsworth

The proposed Navitus Bay Wind Park is located off the Dorset and Hampshire coast and to the west of the Isle of Wight.

Mike Unsworth tells Libbie Hammond more about this significant project

R

epresenting a multi-billion pound investment that will bring significant benefits to the local economy and local ports, the Navitus Bay development area will cover an area of approximately 67 sq miles and provide between 1034MW and 1104MW of capacity.

This will generate enough sustainable electricity to power up to 790,000 homes every year and will offset approximately 1,150,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions each year.

Subject to planning and gaining consent, construction could start in 2017 with the first wind turbines starting to generate energy by 2020.

A fully operational wind park is anticipated in 2020/2021.

Mike Unsworth, project director at Navitus Bay, began by putting the project into context: “The UK

12 Construction & Civil Engineering

needs to have renewable energy to provide energy security for future generations and to help meet the Government’s carbon reduction targets,” he said. “The UK has set a target of meeting 15 per cent of its energy consumption from renewable sources by 2020, which requires about 30 per cent of UK electricity to come from renewables. Offshore wind generation is expected to play an important part in meeting that ambition.”

He continued: “The Crown Estate (TCE) manages virtually the entire UK seabed including the development of renewable energy schemes and has a key role in the delivery of offshore wind, wave and tidal projects through the granting of site options and leases.

In June 2008, TCE launched its Round 3 offshore wind programme

“ Not only is Navitus Bay an important project in terms of green energy, but also because of the opportunities it is going to bring to local ports for operations and maintenance and also construction activities on land”

and identified nine zones for development around the coast of the UK. In January 2010, Eneco (now a shareholder in Navitus Bay Wind Development Ltd alongside EDF Energy) won the development rights for zone seven, known as ‘West of Isle of Wight’. Eneco then followed a TCE process known as

Zone Appraisal and Planning (ZAP) to identify all potential constraints to development. The optimum site within the zone, which we plan to develop, is now known as Navitus Bay Wind Park.

“On October 11 2013 we completed our last planned round of consultation. We are now

evaluating all responses in detail and using that feedback to review and refine our proposals, before we submit our application for a Development Consent Order to the Planning Inspectorate early in 2014.”

As with all offshore wind projects, water depths, geology and metocean conditions are going to be a challenge for the development.

The construction works will include foundations (monopile, jacket or gravity base), wind turbines (5MW – 8MW range), up to three offshore substations, offshore export cables (132 kV – 275kV range), inter-array cables, meteorological mast, onshore substation and 35km onshore export cables.

As Mike noted, the detailed survey and engineering work carried out over the past four years has given the organisation a good understanding of these constraints. “The site is further offshore than many existing projects but this is common of most of the Round 3 projects,” he said. “Significant environmental and engineering surveys have been carried out since 2010 and this data is being used to inform the preliminary basis of design. However, it is difficult to say which technology

Construction & Civil Engineering 13

MAJOR PROJECT

“As well as the new jobs that will be created by the proposed wind park, we’re committed to making sure that existing local businesses benefit as much as possible from our proposals” we will be using to build the turbines and foundations, as the industry is maturing and technology is improving every year. We are continually exploring the technology available to ensure we choose the one that is best suited for the project.”

Not only is Navitus Bay an important project in terms of green energy, but also because of the opportunities it is going to bring to local ports for operations and maintenance and also construction activities on land. Said Mike: “Earlier in 2013, we shortlisted three local ports – Poole, Portland and Yarmouth – to host Navitus Bay’s operations and maintenance (O&M) base. The O&M base is expected to provide an economic value to the region of £670 million over the lifetime of the project, and support around 160 jobs annually.

“We are also exploring the potential for construction and installation activities with the ports of Poole, Portland and Yarmouth in addition to O&M activities. We are currently in the process of signing memoranda of understanding with the three ports, an arrangement that formally commits Navitus Bay to undertake studies to explore how port facilities could be best used in both the construction and operation & maintenance phases of the wind park. To support this,

14 Construction & Civil Engineering

we’ve invested £100,000 into feasibility studies, which started in December. Should construction activities prove feasible at a local port, the range of contracts likely to be awarded could include steel fabrication; concrete supply; onshore civil engineering; plant hire; and marine support services. During the operations and maintenance phase, opportunities will exist for skilled technicians and vessel operators. As the workforce expands, the knockon effect on the hospitality industry is likely to be felt, with hoteliers and restaurants enjoying a boost to their business. The project is also committed to supporting local skills development through a range of potential educational programmes and apprenticeship schemes. The construction phase could result in more than 2000 local jobs during peak years. In total, the project has

the potential to add £1.85 billion of value to the local economy over its lifetime.”

He added: “As well as the new jobs that will be created by the proposed wind park, we’re committed to making sure that existing local businesses benefit as much as possible from our proposals. In order to encourage local suppliers to work with us, we’ll be holding regular ‘meet the buyer’ events to keep local companies up-to-date throughout the project – from construction and operation through to decommissioning.

“A project of this scale could offer significant opportunities for companies from a wide range of sectors, from component part manufacturers and engineering consultancies to local B&Bs and catering companies.”

It is clear that Navitus Bay is projected to bring major benefits to the UK economy. As Mike concluded: “Around 50 per cent of all the money we spend on the project throughout its lifetime could be spent here in the UK and this could equate to £1.1 billion during construction and £1 billion during operation.

We’ll be working hard to create as many opportunities as possible for businesses across the UK.” zz For more information visit www.navitusbaywindpark.co.uk.

NEWS

Milestone in transformation

Sweet deal Civil and structural engineering consultancy, JPG, has secured a significant contract to advise HARIBO on the delivery of its new multimillion-pound, state-ofthe-art manufacturing facility in Castleford, West Yorkshire.

JPG is consulting with the German manufacturer to help deliver very specialist production facilities on the 722,000 sq ft site and put in place appropriate structural design solutions. This involves substantial design work to support four production buildings, an energy conservation centre, silo buildings, a despatch building and a gatehouse.

The factory, which is situated at junction 31 of the M62, will have capacity to produce some 48,000 tonnes of sweets annually, predominantly serving the UK. The £92 million investment is creating nearly 300 jobs and has been backed by a £6.4 million grant from the government’s Regional

Growth Fund as part of round one of the scheme.

JPG has already advised the well-known sweet manufacturer over the acquisition of the site due to its historic involvement on neighbouring projects at Pioneer Business Park, Wakefield Europort and Normanton Industrial Estate.

Chris Harding, director at JPG said, “Our previous work in the area means that we already have extensive knowledge of the local landscape and this has assisted Haribo enormously in planning civil and structural elements for its very specific facility demands. We also have extensive knowledge of the food industry with projects undertaken for ARLA and Carlsberg. The structural and material demands for any food manufacturing facility are very complex due to hygiene, processing and temperature requirements.”

Swing low Mabey Hire has been selected to support the huge project to refurbish the Sutton Weaver Swing Bridge in Cheshire, involving significant engineering work, which will last for at least 12 months. The swing bridge, which carries the busy A56 over the Weaver Navigation with walkways to either side, had been showing increasing signs of deterioration. Therefore, a project to repair the existing structure needed to be initiated. Part of which involves strengthening work so that it can continue to carry its capacity of 40 tonnes, with the additional aim of repainting the entire bridge to restore its appearance and protect it from the elements. Working with the Canal & River Trust and May Gurney as part of the Omnibus Framework Contract, Mabey Hire has supplied a temporary bridge, to continue to carry the high volume of traffic and pedestrians it receives daily, whilst refurbishment takes place.

A major step forward in the transformation of the Olympic Stadium was achieved on 6 January, with the appointment of Balfour Beatty Group Limited as lead contractor to carry out works to the Stadium in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

The E20 Stadium Partnership, set up between the London Legacy Development Corporation and Newham Council, has awarded a £154 million contract to Balfour Beatty to lead the transformation of the Stadium into an all round multi-use venue, delivering a lasting sporting, cultural and commercial legacy in east London.

Last summer Balfour Beatty was awarded the contract to convert the Stadium roof and will now lead the remainder of the transformation works of the Stadium including constructing the warm-up track, spectator and hospitality facilities, and the external landscaping.

This will deliver a multiuse sporting venue ready to host five matches during Rugby World Cup 2015, be the permanent home of West Ham United Football Club from 2016, and the new national competition stadium for athletics in the UK hosting regional and national age group championships, as well as elite international events including the annual IAAF Diamond League meeting, 2017 IAAF World Championships and 2017 IPC World Athletics Championships.

The Stadium will be used for other sporting, cultural and community events as well as a range of community benefits for local residents.

Construction & Civil Engineering 15

ENVIRONMENT

A

promising

solution Taking a holistic approach to green building technology is the key, says Phil Shepley

I

mproving the energy efficiency of buildings is paramount to achieving government targets for carbon emissions and managing rising energy bills, but how can businesses ensure the measures they install generate enough savings to offer a real return on investment?

There are two main drivers

16 Construction & Civil Engineering

behind the energy efficiency agenda, the first of which is carbon.

About 80 per cent of the buildings standing today will still be standing in 2050 - but to meet government targets, these buildings need to be producing 80 per cent less carbon by then. To do this, we need to make them more energy efficient so they consume less overall.

The second and more prevalent

“ It is essential to consider how the building

operates as a whole system, if the promised savings are to be realised and relied upon”

doing this? Well, sometimes they are - individual measures such as insulation, efficient boilers and low energy lighting are common. But these individual elements of a building form part of a system and the savings in energy and cost can’t properly be understood by changing only one aspect of the system.

A simplistic example is lighting and heating. LED lights use less energy and heat, but this can result in additional energy use to manage the temperature - particularly in large buildings. It is essential to consider how the building operates as a whole system, if the promised savings are to be realised and relied upon.

Short term savings

driver is cost. With energy prices continuing to rise exponentially, reducing energy bills is becoming ever more critical - and of course the most effective way to do this is to consume less. The cheapest energy is the energy you don’t use.

The savings that can be made through energy efficiency measures vary but typically can reach 20 to 40 per cent. So why isn’t everyone

Often what gets in the way of the whole-building approach is the requirement for short-term savings – applying a more sophisticated engineered approach has a much longer payback time but can offer more significant benefits.

More and more businesses and local authorities are seeing this opportunity to re-engineer their buildings as the route to resolve backlogs of life cycle maintenance and avoid future costs. The energy savings over a longer period of

time allow more significant investment.

In order to get over the short-term capital issues, it then becomes necessary for many businesses to look at external funding routes. The commercial Green Deal is set to offer a promising solution for many companies looking to implement larger scale green building technologies, but there’s still a long way to go.

Since the domestic Green Deal scheme was launched at the start of 2013, there has been much talk about upgrading the energy efficiency of the UK’s housing stock. Considerably less attention, however, has been paid to the scheme’s application in the commercial sector and yet the programme offers a wealth of opportunities for businesses.

Green Deal The appeal of the Green Deal is essentially the same for businesses as it is for householders - it enables companies to make energy savings without tying up cash flow in a heavy initial investment. Although the Green Deal will eventually be available to businesses of all sizes, this straightforward funding solution is particularly appealing to SMEs and charities, as smaller organisations often have less disposable cash and borrowing power than larger

Construction & Civil Engineering 17

ENVIRONMENT

“The commercial

side of the Green Deal may well be the key to unlocking energy efficiency retrofits on a large scale” corporations - making the Green Deal an attractive means of bridging the gap.

Landlords are a particular example where a commercial Green Deal may be appropriate, as it could help them achieve the minimum energy performance standards that will become mandatory from 2018. Legislation introduced as part of the Government’s Energy Bill will make it a legal requirement from 2018 for all privately rented properties to achieve a minimum energy performance certificate of E or above.

This will affect about 20 per cent of the buildings in the UK, many of which are leased to multiple tenants, meaning no one party is incentivised to upgrade the building. While there

18 Construction & Civil Engineering

is still much work to do, under a commercial Green Deal, the landlord could arrange for the necessary refurbishment work, with the costs being covered by the resulting savings in the tenants’ energy bills.

When it comes to reducing our energy consumption, taking a

whole building approach is the best way forward and the commercial side of the Green Deal may well be the key to unlocking energy efficiency retrofits on a large scale – particularly as we head towards minimum energy standards in 2018. m

Phil Shepley is managing director engineering for Carillion Services. Carillion is a leading integrated support services company with a substantial portfolio of Public Private Partnership projects and extensive construction capabilities. The Group had annual revenue in 2012 of some £4.4 billion, employs around 40,000 people and operates across the UK, in the Middle East and Canada.

For more information please visit:

www.carillionplc.com/our-markets/energy.aspx.

NEWS

Leak watch

Walk this way A Buckinghamshire village is enjoying a beautiful and long lasting new lake boardwalk made entirely from recycled plastic films and bottles – after the versatile material helped solve a construction headache.

The new 68m-long, 1.8m wide walkway suspended across the lake at Watermead is made from Duraplas plastic profiles from Centriforce Products. The plastic profiles look just like wood but are expected to last for at least 40 years – much longer than a timber alternative. The strength and versatility of the ‘plastic wood’ also enabled an innovative construction solution that saw the boardwalk bridge installed in four weeks with minimal disruption despite the challenging waterside location.

Watermead Parish Council needed to replace the existing 20-year old wooden walkway, which was rotting and soon to pose a safety risk to pedestrians.

However, the initial bunded gabion wall design proposed would have entailed major construction works including disruption from heavy earthmoving traffic causing inconvenience to residents.

The council approached Centriforce after learning of the

success of the company’s recycled plastic profiles in providing durable public walkways at other sensitive UK locations. Working closely with specialist contractors Environments for People, Centriforce found a solution to building the plastic posts, bearers and decking along the lake perimeter.

“The construction solution we developed demonstrated the integral strength of Duraplas profiles which comes from Centriforce’s extrusion manufacturing process, making it capable of withstanding stresses that other types of recycled plastic profiles could not withstand,” explains Ronnie Doctor, marketing manager with Centriforce products.

n damage which ca sion of the costly ry An artist’s impres tected water leak in an art galle unde be caused by an

Using cloud and satellite technology, a new Thermocable monitoring system can detect an escape of water and immediately send an alert to a mobile device or building management control room. Designed to protect property, possessions and items of high net asset value, the system can be installed in locations, which cannot be defaced or damaged, such as listed buildings and other structures or places of historical significance.

Developed by linear detection cable specialists at Yorkshire based Thermocable, the PROH20 remote module constantly monitors for a water leak but also provides daily feedback regarding system integrity, faults and battery life. Providing extensive surface area detection, it delivers round the clock protection, with simple ‘plug and play’ installation.

Working in partnership with global ‘M2M’ technology leader Concirrus, Thermocable offers a hosted solution of reliable water leak detection and alert, coupled with minimal investment, convenience and low running costs. Because the module and detection cable are not permanently fixed the unit can be relocated, with a new address logged into the cloud platform. This flexibility provides new scope for such an application, offering protection for roof spaces, basements, inaccessible areas and unoccupied properties.

The development doesn’t end here; work is well advanced at Thermocable to make the system even more pro-active .

Construction & Civil Engineering 19

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

A flexible

space

John Cooper takes a look at planning for technology, media and telecommunications (TMT) occupiers

O

ccupiers’ needs are forever changing and as we sit on the cusp of a digital revolution, the real estate market needs to evolve to match the demands of a more technologically advanced population. For several years, industry has dictated how buildings are shaped and as the skyline was once littered with cotton mills and waterfront warehouses, we are now seeing glass clad skyscrapers to better-fit modern businesses’ needs.

Though the planning process for all new buildings is almost identical, the first consideration that needs

20 Construction & Civil Engineering

to be addressed when developing a building for technology, media and telecommunications (TMT) companies is how the space will be used. Most technology and creative companies – those that work in software, app and game development, web design and IT support – prefer collaborative working as the nature of their business often involves teamwork and problem solving. This means that open plan floor plates and communal workspaces are more desirable.

With office workers now spending around ten hours per day at work, it’s important to build

in recreational and kitchen space to allow for breaks and downtime, especially if the building is situated on a business park, for example, where there may not be any shops or cafes close to the site.

Thanks to the evolution of data centres and ‘the cloud’ most businesses opt for digital storage off site so it is not necessary to integrate large server rooms with space for cooling fans. However, digital infrastructure is particularly important to research when looking into the location of the building.

Access to high-speed broadband and reliable electricity sources is essential.

If the new building is to be constructed in an existing commercial district, check which internet service providers (ISPs) are in the area. Simple speed checks can be carried out through various free websites and it is worth speaking to the businesses in the area to see if they have fast, reliable connections. Most businesses rely heavily on the internet for research, completing transactions and transferring files and would fail to operate properly without it so this must be a key consideration.

If planning a building in a new location, again, ensure that ISPs can offer the necessary bandwidth.

As with excellent access to the internet, stable and continuous power is essential. While a converted barn might provide a picturesque location and ample parking, the realities of rural working do not fit well with the needs of TMT firms. The strength of mobile phone reception should also be investigated as trends of remote and flexible working show that many people have a mobile number as their primary contact method.

Should internet access or power be disrupted, getting to emails and the ability to make and receive calls via a smartphone is a welcome back-up.

In order to gain planning permission, there are other considerations to make in terms

of location. While a modern building gives the impression that its occupants are at the cutting edge, it is difficult to get a mirror finished, curved structure approved in a courtyard surrounded by listed buildings. Any building must be designed to support or enhance the area in which it is situated. There are several pieces of urban design software that can create realistic visual representations of how a proposed building will look once complete and these ‘mock-ups’ can be submitted as a supporting document as part of the ‘design and access’ (DAS) statement that accompanies the planning application.

A DAS must explain the design principles and concepts that have been applied to the development.

It must also demonstrate how the proposed development’s context has influenced the design, such as the purpose of the building and the intended occupiers. The statement must also explain the applicant’s approach to access and how relevant Local Plan policies have been taken into account, any consultation undertaken in relation to access issues, and how the outcome of this consultation has informed the proposed development. Applicants must also explain how any specific issues that might affect access to the proposed development have been addressed.

Access issues centre around physical access to the building such as how cyclists, and pedestrians would enter the building and where access from any on or off site car parks would be. A skilled architect will advise on the best places for access points by looking into the flow of pedestrian traffic. It is only on huge new developments such as shopping centres or stadiums that traffic simulation software will be employed to determine the impact of increased traffic volume and access to site from the highway.

TMT is a huge area of growth for the UK and we are seeing more tech hubs springing up in city centres

“With office workers now spending around ten hours per day at work, it’s important to build in recreational and kitchen space to allow for breaks and downtimes” and business parks across the country. From small start-ups to large corporates, the most important factors in planning for this sector is the provision of flexible space and solid digital infrastructure. As we move out of the industrial revolution period and into a new era, the future of town planning will see digital and communications infrastructure given as much importance as sewers and roads. m

John Cooper is director in the planning department at Deloitte Real Estate. Deloitte Real Estate is the property consultancy division of Deloitte LLP, and combines traditional property services with financial and business advisory expertise to deliver integrated solutions on a wide range of projects.

For more information please visit

www.deloitte.co.uk/about.

Construction & Civil Engineering 21

EQUIPMENT

The

sound of

silence Peter Wilson takes a look at how noise can be reduced around construction sites and other locations that could potentially damage hearing

B

ritain is becoming an increasingly noisy country to live in.

Road traffic, airport activity and advances in technology along with a growing demand for new housing and the development of infrastructure are all contributing to a constant drone which has become part and parcel of daily life. Most of us accept this as a necessary consequence of an ever-evolving world. But in fact, it is having a devastating impact on the health of the population.

The number of people suffering from noise-induced hearing damage - including hearing loss, hearing impairment and conditions like tinnitus (ringing in the ear) – is

22 Construction & Civil Engineering

on the rise. And on top of that tens of thousands are suffering some other ill effects of noise pollution including stress, sleep disturbance and anxiety. More life-threatening conditions such as coronary and cardiovascular disease or stroke have also been linked to exposure to excessive sound.

Recent research, carried out by the British Medical Journal, looked at the health of people living in the vicinity of Heathrow airport and found those with the highest exposure were ten to 20 per cent more likely to be admitted to hospital for these serious conditions.

A linked study of the health of more than six million Americans

over the age of 65 living around 89 US airports found that, on average, their risk went up 3.5 per cent for every extra ten decibels of noise. Experts have called for these findings to be factored in to future planning decisions about new airports and runways.

But actually more needs to be done across the board to protect people – and not just those living under runways – from damaging exposure to environmental noise from sources such as construction, demolition and infrastructure projects. After all, statistics show that noise-induced hearing loss is the most widespread irreversible industrial disease in Europe.

“One of the most practical and cost effective methods to protect both workers and the local community is to use acoustic barriers” So it seems that often those at the most risk are the ones whose business it is to make noise in the first place – such as builders, tradesmen, factory workers, repairmen and those who host music or public events. There is also the health of the people who have to live and work in the vicinity of this kind of noisy work who need to be considered. So what can be done about it?

Well, actually there are plenty of ways to combat noise pollution with hundreds of products on the market designed to help. They include everything from hearing protection for people who work on noisy sites to pieces of equipment which muffle sound and technology designed to reduce noise irritants.

One of the most practical and cost effective methods to protect both workers and the local community is to use acoustic barriers. Purpose designed noise reducing barriers are based on the following key elements: l A sound insulation layer – this prevents the transmission of noise.

‘Permanent’ barriers are commonly constructed from high-density materials such as brick, wood, concrete and metal. Mobile or temporary barriers, however, make use of flexible insulating materials such as PVC.

l Sound absorption layer traditionally a porous material on the surface of the insulating layer.

This acts as a ‘noise sponge’ by converting the sound energy into heat within the material. Common sound absorption materials include open cell foams, fibreglass and rockwool. These have obvious drawbacks for mobile/temporary barriers as they soak up water as well as sound and the fibres can also create a handling hazard.

For these reasons, Echo Barrier invested heavily in research to come up with a composite absorption material that is both safe and, uniquely, waterproof.

The more permanent type of noise barriers are common, for

example, alongside motorways or on site at airports. Care has to be taken with those that do not include the absorptive layer as they increase the noise level on the sound source side of the screen.

Sound absorptive barriers should be used in cases such as building sites, music events, road works and other temporary works to infrastructure. They are ideal to protect people outside construction or demolition sites, for example, without adding to the noise problem on the site itself.

Acoustic barriers have also been shown to reduce dramatically the number of noise complaints made by people who live and work close to noisy building and infrastructure sites. And, as anyone working in these fields will testify, complaints can have a huge impact on the work schedules and costs of a project.

Best Practice with respect to noise is planning how you can minimise the potential disruption to a project caused by complaints - or the threat of complaints. In addition, there is also a duty of care to all employees on the site – this is a legal requirement. Under the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 (Noise Regulations 2005) employers have to protect the health and safety of staff from all noise-related risks at work. According to the Health and

Construction & Civil Engineering 23

EQUIPMENT

“Acoustic barriers have also been shown to reduce dramatically the number of noise complaints made by people who live and work close to noisy building and infrastructure sites”

Safety Executive, this should include providing hearing protectors and training to ensure these are used properly. Site managers should also identify hearing protection zones or areas where the use of hearing protection is compulsory, and mark them with signs. A final requirement is that employers must also carry out regular health surveillance to detect any instances of hearing damage.

Health surveillance for hearing damage usually means:

Peter Wilson is technical director at Echo Barrier. Echo Barrier is the world’s leading supplier of solutions to the increasingly important issue of excessive noise and noise pollution.

For more information on Echo Barrier visit:

www.echobarrier.co.uk.

24 Construction & Civil Engineering

l Regular hearing checks in controlled conditions; l Telling employees about the results of their hearing checks; l Keeping health records; l Ensuring employees are examined by a doctor where hearing damage is identified.

Noise is an insidious - and increasingly common - risk to both hearing and to general health that everyone must take seriously. The damage that excessive (hearing) or ongoing environmental noise (stress related diseases) can cause to a person’s health is often irreversible.

This is why it is important to act to reduce these immediate risks as far as is practical. zz

PROFILE: KASI

Concrete plans Following the construction of a new foundry, privately owned Czech firm KASI, spol. s r. o. is developing its foothold in surrounding countries

E

stablished in 1992 with the aim of being the sole supplier of a broad range of sewage related products for concreting plants, KASI today is a leading manufacturer of sewage castings, street and yard grilles, adjustment rings, manhole covers, manhole steps and covers for plastic pipes for the construction industry. “KASI is a privately owned Czech company, with two private owners. We have five main work shops in the Czech Republic, which is a major strength for us as it is our main goal to deliver local production to local industries and businesses,” explains Jakub Albrecht, sales manager of KASI. “Our main focus is on manufacturing, however we are also a design and sales company with a wide range of products that are mostly equipment for concreting plants and companies in need of manholes, gully elements and pipes.”

Elaborating further on the history of the company, Jakub adds: “In the beginning, the business was centred around producing parts for concreting machines and plants. We then designed our own system technology and increased our activities, which at first only involved sales for manholes. However, both owners understood that the future was in manufacturing and they began preparing facilities that led to KASI producing almost 90 per cent of products ourselves. This has been our strategic plan for 21 years and now we have our own workshops and casting foundries; we acquire raw material and produce independently. The only items in our product range that we don’t produce are specialised products, as own production is not an efficient option.”

Construction & Civil Engineering 25

PROFILE: KASI

Dedicated to delivering an efficient, high quality product to its customers, KASI decided to stop buying from China and India and instead begin independently supplying to its customers in 2005. This transitional period resulted in a decrease in sales and the company proving its abilities once again to companies it had previous relationships with. “When

pour-tech AB Today Kasi is an important customer for pour-tech AB. In 2011 pour-tech AB took over the business from KOINS for the European and African market and it has made improvements of the automatic pouring system and developed a number of new important features for casting quality. The latest development is the laser-controlled inoculation monitoring system. All systems are built in Sweden and Germany and the company supplies tailor made turnkey solutions.

26 Construction & Civil Engineering

we stopped buying from China we developed a brand new foundry in the Czech Republic, which was completed in 2011. It is one of the five most modern foundries in Europe and has the most state-ofthe-art technology in the country,” enthuses Jakub. “It is capable of grey and ductile iron production, and is equipped with furnaces from UK, moulding line from Germany, an automatic vibrating transporting system, sand shop and automatic pouring device. All of this modern technology is connected by computers that communicate

with one another; this enables us to produce a capacity of 22,000 tonnes of metal a year, which is similar capacity to countries such as China, India and Turkey where they have more than 1000 employees. We produce the same amount at greater precision with 140 employees.”

Committed to continual improvements, KASI constantly adjusts and enhances its products to offer customers the best solution for their requirements. Notable innovations include adjustment rings that are used as manhole cover underlay to adjust covers at road level. Built in accordance with EN 1917 standard, the company offers three types of rings; differing in shape and bearing surface size, each ring type is chosen in relation to its underlying parts. For example, adjustment rings BAR, BARZS are used for frames and cover plates

produced in accordance with DIN V 4034-2 precast reinforced and unreinforced concrete components for soakaways and well shafts, while BAR-V, BAR-VS are used in accordance with DIN V 4034-1 prefabricated concrete manholes, unreinforced, reinforced and steel fibre for drains and sewers.

With a core client base of approximately 13 cementing companies in the Czech Republic, KASI’s strategic decision to build a new foundry three years ago has resulted in the innovative firm expanding into surrounding countries such as Poland, Austria, Germany and Slovakia.

Furthermore, with eastern and southeastern countries beginning to develop sewage infrastructure for the very first time, the company is keen to take advantage of these opportunities for further growth.

“The new foundry meant our capacity was raised, so the last two years have really been about getting back to where we were before through contacting old partners in Germany, Poland and other countries, while also expanding our reputation in areas such as Russia, the Ukraine and Baltic countries as well as Slovenia, Bosnia, Romania and Croatia. Other companies may have suffered in the recession, but to us the market is open as we didn’t have the capabilities to move into these markets before.”

Having built the foundations to become a wholly independent firm, the future looks optimistic for KASI as it continues to enhance its products and expand its foothold into new areas. Despite reaching its strategic goal, the dynamic firm sees opportunity for further growth, responding to market demand with the construction of a new warehouse and production hall.

Investing heavily in new technology and machinery, the new production hall will be place for polyurethane application to open more technical and technological opportunities in the future.

“We want to optimise our

product range, which is why we are installing cutting-edge technologies into our new warehouse and production hall. We also want to prepare rectangular manhole covers as we currently focus on round covers that are used in inland Europe, however rectangular covers are used in other areas such as the UK. We haven’t produced these yet, but we see an opportunity is there and we want to optimise it,” concludes Jakub. m

KASI www.kasi.cz/eng/ Services: Leading manufacturer of sewage products Construction & Civil Engineering 27

PROFILE: NORMET

Tunnel vision Networking beneath the surface, Normet has been supplying its specialist products to support the mining and tunnelling industry for 50 years

the

N

ormet was established in 1962 in Finland originally as Peltosalmi Metal Works. It was one of the pioneers in developing and manufacturing forest machines to be installed on farming tractors like winches, wood chippers, cranes and trailers. From the beginning of 1970, following a change in ownership, the Normet name was formed and the business began to manufacture

28 Construction & Civil Engineering

mining and tunnelling equipment leading to the majority of the company being purchased in 2005

by Cantell Oy. Under the new ownership focus was drawn on the sale of products and services having previously operated through distributors and agents. In 2006 Normet had sales and service locations in just three countries before an increase in network size that today promotes the company in 38 locations around

the world providing customers with the best possible service.

Complementing the geographical expansion and control of equipment sales, spare parts and servicing, Normet’s strategy was revised encompassing the new role as a solution provider for processes in underground mining and tunnelling.

Between 2005 and 2013 it was able to increase turnover by an average of 20 per cent each year. The company develops, manufactures

Charmec ith Normet Charging w emulsion charger LC 605 VEC

Spraymec 8100 VC

Concrete Sprayer Alpha30 underground

and markets machines as well as construction chemicals and specialised dynamic rock bolts for underground processes. Mobile robotised concrete spraying, highly mechanised explosive charging, underground logistics, scaling and rock reinforcement are services supported by the comprehensive range of lifetime care services.

In an interview with Construction and Civil Engineering, global marketing manager Jukka Pihlava

discusses the industry and the company’s forecasted growth: “In recent years in the mining industry the supply has been higher than the demand putting pressure on commodity prices.

The excess supply has led to the closure of unprofitable mines and postponing new mining projects.

Mining companies have changed their focus from production volume to the cost of production, which has led to decline in mining capital expenditure (Capex). However, in civil underground construction there is an increase in the number of infrastructure projects, especially in growing markets such as China, South East Asia and South America.”

As an example of its capabilities, Normet offers sprayed concrete processes in tunnel support, providing equipment for concrete spraying and underground transport, all chemicals and expertise in the whole process from the raw materials to the right strength sprayed concrete at the tunnel wall.

Forming part of Hong Kong’s largest ever sewage infrastructure

project, the Harbour Area Treatment Scheme (HATS), Normet has supplied, under Contract 24, over 20 items of equipment for concrete spraying, explosive charging and underground logistics. In addition, Normet provides a 24/7 service to the customer and technical support for the equipment fleet.

Water ingress requirements in the HATS project are stringent and Normet has also supplied considerable amounts of water sealing chemicals for the preexcavation grouting of the ground.

“We invest about four per cent of our turnover in the development of equipment and chemicals.

Our equipment technology centre, including the prototype manufacturing premises, is located in the main factory in Iisalmi, Finland,” Jukka highlights.

All R&D, engineering and documentation functions have been centralised in Finland, and products are developed in close partnership with customers as Jukka explains: “They are an inseparable part of the development and solutions are

Construction & Civil Engineering 29

PROFILE: NORMET

Concrete Spraying with Normet Spraymec SF 050 DV

d

ory in Finlan Normet fact

tested thoroughly before released.

Prototypes are first tested at the technology centre, then at the customer work site to be sure that the equipment is suited to their needs.

“Future development is focused on operations such as concrete spraying, explosive charging, man lifting, underground installation works, scaling, and man and material transport.

Modular platforms make it easy to change and add new functions to the equipment, from very basic transporters to fully automated selfpropelled rock support machines.”

Normet has established a competent and innovative team of chemists and material technologists responsible for developing construction chemicals. The major part of this team is based at the Global R&D Centre located at its premises in the UK, with additional chemical specialists in premises in Chile, India, Indonesia, Singapore and Taiwan.

With a growing interest in equipment rental for the mining and construction machinery market, Normet has developed rental solutions for mining and tunnelling contractors as well as plant hire companies. “The demand for rental is a result of increased competition for contracts, size of projects, unpredictable market changes and optimisation of capital

30 Construction & Civil Engineering

employed,” says Jukka. Through rental agreements, customers are able to reduce their own fleets, avoid investments and minimise the risks of fleets. An integral part of the rental contract is service, which lowers the costs of maintenance and repair costs.

The entire range of equipment for mining and underground construction is manufactured in Finland i.e. equipment for concrete spraying and transport, lifting and installation, explosive charging, underground logistics and scaling. In Sweden the company manufactures equipment primarily for installation and finishing work in infrastructure tunnels, but also for mining, while in Chile it is manufacturing equipment for concrete spraying and transport (of different types and sizes than manufactured in Finland). Normet Chile is the only producer of specialised spraying robots and low profile transmixers for the application of wet sprayed concrete in Latin America.

Normet provides training for its personnel to ensure the shortage of

skills in the industry is not reflected within the company. Customers also receive industry standard tuition in the processes, through training delivered at customers’ sites and at the Normet Academy locations in Finland and India with concrete spraying, the most demanding underground process, involving classroom and simulator training before entering actual underground conditions.

The advanced simulator is an artificial cave where a 3D tunnel is projected to the walls, providing operators with the opportunity to learn techniques with different models of Normet concrete sprayers. The training covers spraying boom movements and tasks before spraying in different tunnel conditions with performance monitored based on the amount of rebound, the quality of spraying and the cost of sprayed concrete. Through the simulator training, an average 23 per cent improvement in operator efficiency has been achieved.

Moving into 2014 Normet remains committed to developing and supporting robust, sustainable solutions for the underground mining and tunnelling industries that enable its clients to excel with improved safety and productivity.

Summarising the vision over the next five years, Jukka concludes: “The mining industry will come back to its growth path as the commodity demand in emerging markets begins to grow. In addition, the demand for underground infrastructure projects such as metros, railways, roads, hydropower stations, fresh water and sewer plants and parking is continuously increasing in order to stimulate the economy and welfare in urban areas and global mega cities.” m

Normet OY www.normet.com Services: Machinery and equipment for the mining and tunnelling sector

PROFILE: Nuclear Engineering Services

Highly

active Nuclear Engineering Services (NES) has over six decades of nuclear experience, with the company’s origins dating back to John Thompson and the supply of the first nuclear reactor housing to Dounreay

T

oday the organisation specialises in the design, manufacture, assembly, test, installation and commissioning of bespoke solutions for the nuclear decommissioning, defence, and nuclear new build markets, and it has supplied an extensive range of equipment and solutions to most UK nuclear power stations, including fuel route, remote handling and inspection equipment, encapsulation and waste handling solutions, gloveboxes and shielded containments, and reprocessing equipment.

Split across three locations, Wolverhampton – Head Office, Risley – Centre of Engineering Excellence and Beckermet – North West Division, NES’s unique capabilities, facilities and experience ideally position the company to take

on a wide variety of projects on a national basis.

When it comes to the markets served by NES, Nuclear Decommissioning is one of its prime areas of expertise. The company has established a proven track record in this market and is currently tackling some of the largest technical and manufacturing challenges within the nuclear decommissioning programme.

Decommissioning As a result of the experience the company has accrued in this area, NES is able to operate as a standalone contractor tackling decommissioning projects, or take the lead as part of a larger framework agreement, providing specialist design, manufacture, assembly and test services.

Retaining all the required

engineering skills in-house, NES’ innovative approach to engineering ensures that all solutions are considered, before the best value option is pursued, managed and tightly controlled through Integrated Project Teams (IPTs).

The company has earned a highly respected name in the decommissioning sector and works with many recognisable names, including Sellafield. In fact, in July 2013, Jack Devine the chief decommissioning officer of Sellafield Ltd visited NES to see first-hand the progress on construction and commissioning of three silo emptying plant (SEP) machines.

The SEP machines will be responsible for emptying waste and sludge from the compartments in the Magnox Swarf Storage Silo and placing it in modern containment vessels ready for storage. Speaking

Construction & Civil Engineering 31

PROFILE: Nuclear Engineering Services

after the visit, Jack said: “After all the photos and presentations and discussions, seeing the actual SEP machines is really impressive - and a bit intimidating as well. This equipment is central to successful execution of the Magnox Swarf Storage Silo project. Working with NES we’ve made great progress but there’s a lot more to be done.

We’re looking forward to continuing, productive collaboration.”

Alongside decommissioning, NES also works with defence projects. It has 20 year’s experience in successfully developing and delivering innovative, bespoke services and solutions to the defence industry, building an excellent reputation and a loyal client base.

Typical contracts completed include remote handling and lifting equipment, fuelling and defueling plant, gloveboxes and enclosures,

32 Construction & Civil Engineering

Morson Projects Morson Projects’ Technical Services division specialises in the delivery of operational and maintenance contracts to the nuclear sector. Its operations focus on the underpinning of and adherence to nuclear site licence conditions and their associated supporting processes and procedures.

Morson Projects provides efficient and cost effective support, whilst complying with the safe operation and management of nuclear sites.

Specific capabilities include asset management, maintenance support, system drawing analysis and update, operations support, safety case support, configuration assessment, the production and review of technical documentation, commissioning support and the analysis, design and delivery of operator/maintainer training packages.

heat exchangers, design support and critical spares.

Using in-house capabilities, together with carefully selected specialist sub-contractors, working to defence standards 2781, NES is currently undertaking the design; servicing and repair of heat exchangers and associated pipe work for all in service HMS Royal Navy Nuclear Submarines, of which it is the OEM supplier. Servicing and repair activities can take place either at its works, or in-situ, using security cleared, suitably qualified experienced personnel. Whilst working on site, NES has established environmental agreements with the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA), the Environmental Agency, Natural England, and Marine Scotland, for the safe disposal of waste items generated whilst working in-situ. NES has the

required facility to undertake any project up to the security level of Classified, with secure areas in both engineering and manufacturing, with access restricted to MoD cleared personnel only.

Nuclear new build The third area of speciality for NES is nuclear new build. Experience gained through its history and involvement in nuclear projects ideally places the business to meet the challenges and assist in the timely and safe delivery of the UK nuclear new build programme.

To address the needs of these highly technologically challenging sites, NES offers a range of services such as project management, engineering, manufacture and assembly, procurement, test and commissioning and installation.

To maintain the exceptionally high level of quality needed to work in sensitive market such as nuclear, NES has to ensure it invests in the latest technology, as well as adheres to the most rigorous specifications and legislation.

This policy of investment has resulted in NES creating a world class manufacturing facility, and in July 2013 the company hosted an event designed to showcase the various types of mechanical handling equipment that is used throughout the UK nuclear industry, as well as demonstrate its manufacturing competence and wherewithal to the nuclear industry.

The ‘Mechanical Handling Workshop’ was organised with the Nuclear Institute, Young Generations Network (YGN) and included presentations from guest speakers and a guided workshop tour of the NES manufacturing facility.

During the workshop tour, Nick Chown, head of business development at NES and Andrea Basso, head of engineering at NES, were able to give the delegates further information regarding the projects currently in a build state in the NES workshop, with more

explanatory details given by experts on site.

The visitors were given special access to the SEP mobile cave control rooms, to get a closer look and better understanding of how the machines work and are operated. They were also allowed access to the Replica Retrievals Rig (RRR) tower, bringing the sheer size of the silos to reality. The RRR tower is a 25m high test tower, built to replicate the size of silo, which the SEP mobile caves will be extracting waste from.

The tour also included a demonstration of NES’ waterjet cutting capabilities, the silo rake used on the SEP mobile caves, waste retrievals equipment for current contracts being delivered

by NES, and a tour of the new CNC machines currently being commissioned.

This type of event is a useful tool for NES, as it highlights not only its ability to meet the needs of the most demanding and critical projects in the world, but also its dedication to training, development and the future. It is this kind of activity that helps to cement NES’ position as the supplier of choice for the provision of unique engineering designs, manufactured products and services, which are recognised for consistently adding value, delivering excellence and delighting clients in the nuclear and defence markets. m

Nuclear Engineering Services Ltd www.nes-limited.com Services: Bespoke solutions for the nuclear market

25 Years Supplying the Nuclear Engineering Industry

For all your Industrial Control Panel & System Requirements Design, manufacture and installation of quality electrical and pneumatic control panels and systems S&H Systems Design & Installation Ltd. Unit 1, Beechwood Business Park, Burdock Close, Cannock, Staffordshire. WS11 7GB Tel: +44 (0) 1543 462620 Fax: +44 (0) 1543 462630 enquiries@s-and-h-systems.com www.s-and-h-systems.com

Construction & Civil Engineering 33

PROFILE: Bauwerk Boen Group

Layingthe

foundation

Despite a heavily saturated market, the Bauwerk Boen Group has established a leading reputation and is a strong global player in parquet hardwood flooring

T

he Bauwerk Boen Group can rightfully be considered one of the world’s leaders in hardwood parquet flooring. It benefits from a long history and the combined expertise of the Bauwerk and Boen brands, which collaborate in unison to provide the group with a synergy that sets it apart within the high-end parquet industry. Bauwerk Parkett AG was founded in 1944 and today

34 Construction & Civil Engineering

the company is the leading Swiss manufacturer and supplier of twolayer parquet. Boen Bruk AS can trace its roots back into the 17th century, when two sawmills were founded near the Norwegian city of Kristiansand. These mills would lay the foundations that would lead to Boen becoming the formost supplier of three-layer parquet that its clients would recognise today. With the completion of the merger of the two companies

in June 2013, Bauwerk Boen AG has consolidated its position as a leading supplier of high-end parquet throughout Europe and beyond.

Today the company maintains a staff of around 1400 employees and produces over eight million m2 of parquet per year.

The group is able to manage its market focus across its two brands, which enables it to offer targeted services to ensure that it is able to operate efficiently and

cost-effectively throughout the world. “Our Bauwerk brand has its main focus on distributing parquet, skirtings, glue and accessories for glue-down applications directly to European installers,” says CEO Klaus Brammertz. “Whereas our Boen brand’s main focus is on distributing parquet and corresponding skirtings to the world market, which is supplied mainly via trade partners.”

The efficient management of a

single supply chain and world-class manufacturing facilities, including one of the world’s most advanced factories for hardwood flooring situated in Lithuania, greatly strengthens the synergy between the companies. Between its two brands, the group boasts a leading level of expertise and a rich history of innovation that has defined its leading position in the parquet market. Today the group primarily serves a European market, however its business is growing within Asia in China, Singapore and India, as well as in the United States.

Although the Bauwerk Boen Group is currently enjoying a growth in sales throughout its global operations, it is in the face of an increasingly challenging market as Klaus explains: “Hardwood flooring consumption has been in decline in Europe and had declined by five per cent between 2011 and 2012. The market in Southern Europe is currently very weak although other areas like Germany, Norway and Switzerland have seen small increases in trade.

Other market players remain very fragmented, there are still approximately 200 companies operating with huge overcapacities. Consolidation within the market has only started with Kährs/ Karelia, Tarkett and the Bauwerk Boen Group.”

To ensure that the company continues to grow and maintain is market position the group has

adapted to the changing tides of the industry and focused its operations where production is most cost-effective.

Within Austria for example, production has ceased while the company’s sales and marketing office will remain to continue to drive sales in the country, as Klaus elaborates: “The Salzburg facility was focused on small strip parquet, mainly used in projects, largely for the European market. Prices for these projects have declined by 40 per cent over the last five years. However, Austria still has the highest hardwood consumption on Earth and both the Bauwerk and Boen brands have strong positions there, which is why the group will retain its sales and marketing offices in the region.”

New location Further to this the group has recently completed the transfer of its production plant in Germany to its new location in Lithuania. “This move has been planned within Boen for quite some time,” Klaus explains. “The lamella cutting and press lines had previously been relocated to Lithuania in recent years. The main benefits of the move are increased efficiency and decreased production costs within a highly competitive market environment.”

As 2013 draws to a close and 2014 appears on the horizon the Bauwerk-Boen Group will contemplate how it intends to navigate the market over the coming year and beyond. At present it is enjoying growth of around six per cent despite the challenges posed by an uncertain market and competing companies and the group will seek to maintain this growth through innovation and strong service as well as through potential mergers and acquisitions.

Core to ensuring that the company is able to continue to deliver its world-class range of parquet

Construction & Civil Engineering 35

PROFILE: Bauwerk Boen Group

sia Abrasives

products are the group’s 1400 staff, whom the group routinely invests in to drive the company forward.

“Skilled personnel are key for us,” Klaus observes. “We work with standardised processes regarding

36 Construction & Civil Engineering

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individual target setting for all of our employees, as well as appraisal talks and individual training. We run team building events and seminars at al levels of the group and also a very well received talent development programme, which will soon be complimented with a senior management programme.

“Through these and managing the transitions in supply chain we aim to remain the preferred brands of our customers and to gain a sustainable market share in all of the group’s focused markets around the globe.

We will also run one of the largest new line launch programmes ever in both brands.” m

Bauwerk Boen Group www.bauwerk-boen.com Services: Parquet and skirting experts

PROFILE: EBEMA

Aesthetic

strengh Ebema is a leading name in the provision of concrete paving products

T

he Belgian family business can trace its roots back to 1946, when it began its life as a wholesaler of building materials, before growing into a widely regarded supplier of high quality, concrete paving products for public spaces. Its aesthetically designed products have found applications across a range of locations including, bus stops, swimming pools and cemeteries as well as numerous village and town centres across Benelux, Germany and France.

Today, Ebema is active within two key markets specialising in concrete paving products for public authorities, municipalities, engineering offices and contractors under the Ebema brand name, while its Stone & Style brand delivers products for garden, terraces and

KNIELE KNIELE Mischtechnik is a leading, international supplier of turnkey mixing plants. Kniele’s specialty is mixing equipment for specific functions, such as hazardous waste treatment (dust, slurry), soil treatment (recycling), dry mixtures, brick / ceramics and glass industry, mixed gravel processing, polystyrene concrete, plaster and clay, epoxy resin, fodder, floating screed, etc. The Cone Mixer allows the production of liquid and earth-moist concretes, fiber concrete, light or heavy concretes and special concrete types like SCC and UHPC as well as dry mixtures. The Laboratory Cone Mixer is in use in educational institutions, research and material testing institutes.

other outdoor applications. This range is distributed exclusively through construction dealers throughout Belgium, The Netherlands and France.

With a workforce of 200 highly competent employees operating across two locations in Zutendaal and Rijkevorsel, Ebema is able to achieve a turnover of €40 million in its main markets within its home country of Belgium as well as the Netherlands, France and Germany.

Key to this success has been the firm’s dedication to forming long-term relationships with its clients, as CEO Jan Panis explains: “The basis for a long-standing customer relationship is to provide an excellent quality coupled with an outstanding service at the right price. Additionally, Ebema pays close attention to training customers and we like to maintain strong, personalised contact with the company’s clients.

“We build a long-lasting collaboration with our suppliers in order to achieve a win-win relationship and we intend to continue to achieve this by pursuing a spirit of open cooperation.”

One of the ways that Ebema maintains its close ties with its customers and suppliers is through the organisation of company

Construction & Civil Engineering 37

PROFILE: ebema

visits. The company opens its doors to visiting groups of around 25-30 people from various associations, enterprises, institutions and schools where visitors can ask professional Ebema guides questions regarding the company and the products important to them.

Ebema has also invested significantly to ensure it has the very best in production facilities.

Its plant in Rijvevorsel is specialised in the construction of customised, tailor-made products, such as prefab elements for railways, dyke reinforcements as well as smooth objects made of self-compacting concrete.

During October 2013, the company announced the opening of its new facility in Zutendaal. The €20 million project brings with it increased capacity, an ultramodern colorlab and office facilities as well as a new

factory setting covering 7000 square metres. The colorlab is the ideal location for Ebema to work in collaboration with architects and designers to develop new products, with a range of over 200 different materials and surface finishes. In addition to this, new machining facilities offer increased productivity through the development of several time saving measures. “Individuals, architects and public clients want increasingly distinguished unique design, colours, finishes and combinations of them,” says Jan. “In time we will even be able to produce on a project basis, which is a revolutionary concept.

“Two very time-consuming steps in the production process were drastically curtailed. The automatic exchange of molds takes only five minutes; the previous manual process took 30 minutes and

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38 Construction & Civil Engineering

The Aviena Circle is also greatly appreciated at exhibitions and product launch presentations and the first projects using the flag are underway. It is strongly felt that the Aviena Circle is a product that can give an extra touch to projects.”

Another important product to emerge has been the introduction of the company’s Megategels. Ebema was the first company to respond to consumer demand for greater freedom to enjoy their gardens and introduced flags 1x1m in size to accommodate increasingly elegant design. “The garden has become an extension of the home,” Jan explains.

“Just as the home is decorated in a certain atmosphere, attempts are made to distinguish the garden.

It is therefore no coincidence that trend-conscious consumers and landscaping architects are extremely charmed by the collection of large cleaning the machine now also runs partly automatically. Through these innovations Ebema offers a unique concrete factory in Europe, nowhere else can be so fast to respond to the changing needs of the market.”

During 2013, Ebema’s new aesthetic grass concrete flag Aviena Circle was used to tremendous effect in France’s Mantes-la-Jolie.

The €410 million urban renewal project saw five large apartment buildings demolished, 2500 houses renovated and 250 new businesses housed as well as the repair of roads, planting of trees and installation of an ultra-modern pool. The Aviena Circle concrete flag was co-created

by Ebema and French architect Maxime Saisse to provide a seamless integration between functional permeable paving and the natural environment.

Aviena Circle has attracted a great deal of interest from within the industry through high-profile projects like Mantes-la-Jolie and numerous trade shows, as Jan elaborates: “Architects and engineering offices are impressed by the product and see the added value that it can offer in the landscaping of outdoor spaces.

flags of Stone & Style by Ebema.

The Megategel collection makes it possible to design a garden fully tailored to a client’s house style.”

As it moves into 2014, Ebema will look to increase its reputation and reach in new geographic markets as well as developing new and innovative product lines. “Further collaborations with designers and architects abroad could play an important role in this,” Jan confirms. By increasing its global foot print and product portfolio in conjunction with a dedicated approach to treating its staff as the ‘first ambassadors’ of the company, Ebema is laying a strong path that will take it far into the future. m

Ebema www.ebema.com Services: Leading concrete paving products

HESS The HESS Group GmbH is an international concrete products machine manufacturer with over 700 employees.

A long-term policy of continuous innovations and the uncompromising application of futureorientated technologies are what help maintain the HESS Group’s current position as a major supplier to the concrete industry of complete systems on a worldwide scale.

Construction & Civil Engineering 39

PROFILE: Vitalo Global Thermoforming

Milling of thermoformed parts

Top

form

With a history that dates back to 1936, Vitalo Global Thermoforming has grown to become a leading name in the fabrication of plastic parts and systems for industry

T

oday the company employs more than 700 people and boasts a turnover of €70 million.

It carries full ISO 9001 and 14001 certification and through more than 75 years of experience it has developed a comprehensive knowledge base of expertise in plastic processing technologies including, thick and thin gauge thermoforming, insulation materials processing and thermo-compression of natural and synthetic fibere.

This has allowed Vitalo to enter into a diverse portfolio of markets including electronics, medical, industrial applications and mass transport.

With manufacturing facilities throughout the world, Vitalo is able to expertly serve its customers both promptly and efficiently. Its manufacturing facilities are located in China, the Philippines, Thailand, India, Slovakia and Belgium. In addition to its manufacturing base, the company is headquartered

40 Construction & Civil Engineering

Milling of thermoformed parts

in Belgium, where it maintains a competence centre, which is complemented by further centres in China and the Philippines. Within these locations, Vitalo serves its varied markets, with applications ranging from protective packaging to heavy gauge machine panels, as global innovation project leader Steven Meyns observes: “Our electronics market is currently focused in the east, in countries like China, India, the Philippines

and Thailand. In the Philippines for example, we are currently doing a lot of work for hard disk drives and in China we are doing a lot of work for the telecom industry.

“Moreover, in Belgium we are currently very strong in agricultural machines. These are the larger machines such as harvesting equipment, where the materials used in the market are generally the same as those used in construction equipment. For every market segment our customers are the market leaders.”

A key part of the success of Vitalo and its use of thermoform technology is that it has an in depth understanding of the process and the advantages that its finished products are able to offer. “Our strength is that we know about thermoforming, we know the market and we also produce for all of the major customers within our markets,” says Steven. “We have a strong knowledge base in design, so when our customers have a

design on paper, we can help them make it in real time.

We produce cabin roofs by twin-sheet thermoforming for example; this is typical d insulating parts in industrial vehicles Engine room, soun and construction equipment, where if you have a metal roof there is no design freedom. However, we can make a plastic roof that is durable and has good design freedom and does not need to be lacquered, has very good gloss properties, so it’s a very different mindset.�

The company’s success is further powered by its use of varied production methods and technologies. Its foam processing applications date back to its inception and today are commonly

Twinsheet thermo

formed cabin roof

s

employed within its thermal and sound insulation market, where it is also able to offer consultancy services to offer customers the very best in performance. Later, during the 1950s, Vitalo diversified into processing with plastic and began on the path that would see it take its market leading position today. Its thin-gauge applications allow it to work with material at a maximum thickness of 1.5mm in a wide variety of materials and

techniques, including thin-gauge thermoforming and high-pressure thermoforming of complex components assemblies. Typically, products produced via thin-gauge thermoforming are trays, blister or clamshells and often more cost-effective than standard injection molded parts. Other key advantages of this style of fabrication are the introduction of multilayer solutions and the ability to create thicknesses less than 0.5mm, which is the minimum for injection molding.

Heavy-gauge forming employs the same basic process as continuous thin-gauge sheet forming; this typically involves draping a heated plastic sheet over a chosen mold. Often, heavy-gauge applications rely solely on vacuum in the form process, however some

Construction & Civil Engineering 41

PROFILE: Vitalo Global Thermoforming rior parts

Cabin inte

Formed engi

ne hoods, be

fore milling

Cabin of Doosan Moxy dumptruck

employ two halves of mating form tooling and apply air pressure as an aid to form. In comparison to thin-gauge forming, heavy-gauge parts are often hand-worked after forming for trimming to the final intended shape or additional drilling, cutting or finishing. Heavygauge protects tend to meet the requirements of the ‘permanent’ sector of the market, while thingauge products are more often used as disposable or recyclable items, such as packaging for food or other products. Production quantities of heavy-gauge thermoforming are averaged between 250 and 3000 units annually, while the process tends entail lower tooling costs and faster product development than competing plastic technologies.

As the company moves into 2014 it is readying itself for the challenges of a relatively fluid market and the demand for larger products, as Steven concludes: “The challenge at the moment is that everything is getting bigger and bigger, however we are looking into investing into larger machines to follow the market. The machines we use are

42 Construction & Civil Engineering

, CAT

Engine hood

custom made. For thermoforming, if a company is designing a machine with a very large side panel, for example and it is too large for our machines we offer solutions to split it into several parts. However, if the design absolutely needs such a large part then we would look to invest into a new machine to produce the panel. Of course we would have to look at volumes before we invest in a new machine, to ensure it is sustainable.

“We have four main markets at

the moment, which are electronics, industrial applications, railway and medical. As we have seen in 2008, with the global economic crisis, the industrial market can decrease a lot, as much as 60-70 per cent. We offer a diverse range of products so have remained strong, but have decided to increase our market share in railway and medical equipment.” m

Vitalo Global Thermoforming www.vitalo.net Services: Thermoform fabrication

PROFILE: HAULOTTE GROUP

With more than 120 years experience in material handling equipment, Haulotte Group has become the European leader in its field

F

Platform for growth

ocused on continuous improvement in the lifting equipment creation field, the group provides customers with a broad range of over 60 models to meet all unique requirements. “Haulotte Group began as a crane company at the start of the last century and remained focused on cranes until the 1960s when it became more of a service provider. Throughout the 2000s, until the economic crisis in 2007, we extended our operations worldwide and now have 20 facilities all over the world as well as major subsidiaries,” begins Stephane Hubert, European sales and marketing director at Haulotte Group.

He continues: “In 2007 we achieved a turnover of 800 million euros, however once the crisis hit we had a big downturn with 2010 being our worst year for the access platform business. Since that difficult

Construction & Civil Engineering 43

PROFILE: HAULOTTE GROUP

time we are now back on trend, with a turnover of 355.7 M€ for 2012, we are in the top three worldwide giants of the active platform business and have between 20-60 people working on site at each of our locations where we offer services such as repairs, training and after care. Our work is divided across four major regions, North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, a structure that illustrates our vision for ‘customer proximity.’”

With a distribution network of 20 subsidiaries and offices based in strategic markets around the globe, the ISO 9001 certified Haulotte Group has coverage of more than 100 countries and the facilities to provide the best possible product solutions to its partners and customers. “We have six different factories, three of which are in France, one in Romania, one

in China and one in the US; because we work in a commodity driven market, we believe innovation should be focused directly on the benefits of the end users and

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On the strength of a global team of more than 8000 dedicated employees, we operate advanced R&D centers, as well as manufacturing plants in the U.S.A., Canada, Europe and Asia. We distribute our products in the replacement market through our worldwide distribution network. As a strategic supplier to leading Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM), we also deliver our products directly to their assembly lines.

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44 Construction & Civil Engineering

what you can provide to them, as well as on the optimisation of the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) for our key customers the Rental companies,” says Stephane.

Furthermore, by working closely with rental firms, Haulotte Group is provided with accurate information from professionals that use its products; thus enabling continued improvements that can further meet the requirements of its diverse customer base.

Returning customers for the group include military forces located around the world who require a broad range of high quality equipment, such as earthmoving equipment, telescopic handler and aerial work platforms (articulated and telescopic booms, scissors, vertical masts). To meet specific military requirements, Haulotte Group has an R&D department

where it can develop tailor-made solutions. Designing its products to be user safe, cost-effective, easy to maintain and ready for future operations, the group is committed to offering customers total reliability and efficiency.

The group’s most recent innovation, the telescopic boom HT67 RTJ (HT23 RTJ: name for ROW) offers the best performance in its class and breaks records at all levels. With a platform working height of 73ft5in (20.5 metres), a horizontal outreach of 60ft (18.3 metres) (an increase of approximately three foot compared to industry standards), optional dual load capacity that offers a maximum lifting capacity of 450 kilogrammes and an incomparable lifting speed of just 56 seconds to reach full height, the HT67 RTJ (HT23 RTJ) telescopic boom is

an incredible achievement that is already generating positive attention. “The new telescopic booms HT61 & HT67 RTJ (HT21 & HT 23 RTJ) are remarkable products that are

probably one of the best rated by our customers. A heavy-duty machine with an automatic differential lock, it has a high rough terrain capability, a high level of precision and control and high

Construction & Civil Engineering 45

PROFILE: HAULOTTE GROUP

visibility. They are the first machines to have the new Haulotte modular basket, which makes it possible to replace the damaged component instead of the whole basket. The maximum height is the best ever and it is a cost effective option on the market as well; it an outstanding machine that has achieved worldwide interest with strong success from users,” enthuses Stephane.

Due to be launched at the ConExpo-Con/Agg trade show in Las Vegas in March, the HT67 RTJ (HT23 RTJ) will be one of a range of products to be exhibited by the technically innovative group.

“We see strong potential in the US market as the country grows

46 Construction & Civil Engineering

and begins to recover from the economic crisis; with the ConExpo-Con/Agg trade show coming up we anticipate a lot of interest from companies participating. Throughout 2014 we aim to boost our network and brand awareness in the US as it is such a big country and a challenging territory. Even though we acquired Bil-Jax Inc, the largest scaffold manufacturer in the US, in 2008, this area is still a market to conquer for us,” says Stephane.

Despite a challenging market in the US, the future looks positive for Haulotte Group as it continues developing its foothold in Latin America and Europe, as Stephane concludes: “We want to ensure we

are party of Europe’s economic recovery by focusing on the training and capabilities of our staff in this area; furthermore, we aim to maintain our strong position in Russia, Brazil and Argentina while also paying attention to Asia over the coming years. Due to regulations and lack of investment on assisted platforms yet in this area there is huge potential in this still emerging market; we want to be part of this over the coming years.” m

Haulotte Group www.en.haulotte.com Services: Material lifting equipment specialist

PROFILE: BALCO

Since the company was founded in 1987, Balco AB has pursued its passion for delivering industry-leading balconies and today provides as many as 5000 units each year

Balconies

B

alco began operation in Sweden, where it is currently headquartered in the city of Växjö. The company works to deliver turnkey solutions within a niche market and today delivers balconies through out its native Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Germany, Poland, the Netherlands and United Kingdom. The growth of Balco has been impressive, with the turnover of the company doubling every third year during the first 15 years of its operation and accelerating to an average increase of ten per cent over the following ten years. Today, despite challenging market conditions the company’s performance remains strong allowing it to claim an annual turnover of £60 million.

As Balco has grown, it has evolved to meet the varied demands of its clients. This ability to anticipate the needs of its customer base

Construction & Civil Engineering 47

PROFILE: BALCO

and respond to potential market opportunities has proven invaluable in allowing the company to expand, as chief operating officer Anders Ingemarsson explains: “When Balco was founded, open balconies were originally the target market. However, the Scandinavian climate with its short summers led to increased focus on glazed balconies as a way to prolong the warm season. In addition to the insulating effect that they provide, a glazed balcony also has noise reducing properties and of course has an energy saving effect on the building.”

Eventually, the company’s push to incorporate new services sparked the logical move to pay closer attention to the exterior of the client’s structure itself as Anders further details: “Over time we have also moved towards looking at the total façade of the building so that we are able to give customers a total lift of the structure’s exterior.”

Today, Balco continues to provide industry-leading balconies as well as the renovation and refurbishment of façades. It provides option in glazed, open and access balconies that are serviced and installed with a host of innovative patents that the company has created through dedicated research and development activities.

These include Balco Flexible, its range of tolerant fixings that allows compensation for deviations in the host building; Balco Cleanline, which is designed to allow the collection and flow of water in the window track and down through the aluminum frame, keeping the façade clean; and the Balco Vision, which provides a folding glass system without a frame, combined with glass corners. This provides the impression of a single expanse of glass and an excellent view.

For clients looking for the pleasure of an open balcony and the benefits of a glazed solution during the cooler seasons, Balco has developed Balco Twin and Reversible technologies. Balco Twin allows

48 Construction & Civil Engineering

customers to open up the whole balcony or to fold in an individual pane at any point along the track, with very little effort. The Balco Reversible also allows for both glazed and open environments

with a sliding pane with doubleenergy glass that can be turned 180 degrees.

Balco also delivers products that that allow for a degree of environmental control as well

as energy saving elements.

Its Balco Vettech technology enhances the balconies built-in ventilation to reduce condensation and uncomfortable heat gain in addition to protecting the building’s existing ventilation system. A recent development that is patent pending is the company’s Balco Climate technology. Balco Climate is a glazing solution with two separate sheets of glass in the parapet – clear glass on the outside and heat absorbing glass on the inside. Solar-powered fans sit between the glass at the bottom. The column of air between the glass is heated by the sun and when the fans start, the warm air is forced up inside the parapet. This offers an excellent warming solution to combat cold snaps during the winter months.

These innovative solutions have made Balco a market- and made it popular with customers including its largest segment in co-operative, tenant-owners’ building societies.

Within this sector the company is largely involved in the replacement or refurbishment of existing

Construction & Civil Engineering 49

PROFILE: BALCO

Kronsminde:

Before

Kronsminde: After

g

de: Durin

Kronsmin

balconies and the installation of new balconies on apartments that previously did not have them. It also works with construction companies in the construction of new builds and refurbishments.

During a project in northern Norway, Balco was able to successfully address problems with the façade of two 12-storey apartment buildings. Among other problems, the bricklayer of the façade was

50 Construction & Civil Engineering

in very bad condition and tenants were unhappy with the condition of their current balconies. Balco was able to fully refurbish the façade as well as to install new and larger balconies. Commenting on this and other projects Anders says: “Balco is very strong when it comes to engineering. As all buildings are different and unique, the design solution has to be customised for each project and more-or-less for each individual balcony. As a project could span for as many as 20 to almost 1000 balconies the company needs to be able to handle both smaller and larger projects effectivly. That is one of the real strengths of Balco.”

Balco can rely on vast deposits of experience and innovation as it moves into 2014. All of its products are designed and manufactured in-house and it relies on trusted subcontractors to install its unique designs. With these strengths the

company is confident of future growth during the coming years as Anders concludes: “During 2014 we aim to increase our footprint in the UK as it appears to be the company’s next big market. We will also establish Balco in its newest market in the Netherlands while sustaining business in Sweden, Norway and Germany. We will look to further potential markets to help the company reach a target turnover of £100 million within five years.” m

Balco AB www.balco.se Services: Specialist provider of balconies and façades

Rail » Highways » Utilities » Local Council Industrial Coating Services Limited Work to stringent HSQE guidelines and act as a sub-contractor for companies throughout the Highways, Local Council, Utilities and Rail sectors.

I S

Industrial Coating Services www.industrialcoatingservices.co.uk

Industrial Coating Services are a Midland Based Company, operating throughout the UK, specialising in Abrasive Blast Cleaning and application of protective coatings, works also including: Intumescent Coatings, Decorative Painting, Ultra High Water Jetting (UHP), Stone and Brick Cleaning, Graffiti Removal, Graffiti Coatings.

Accreditations IS0 9001 | ISO 14001 | NHSS 19A BS OHSAS 18001 | UVDB | Link-up

Call 01543 450167 or 0845 474 0007 Email enquiries@industrialcoatingservices.co.uk

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