A Salford-based construction firm has formed an alliance with a Chinese developer to buy sites for residential schemes in Greater Manchester. The agreement is between Manchester & Cheshire Construction and the Chongqing Jinstar Real Estate Development Company. The companies will form The Anglo-Chinese Alliance to bid for sites focused on
Specialist environmental contractor, McAuliffe, has strengthened its on-site dust control facilities with the purchase of a Generac DF7500 MPT Dustfighter dust suppression unit. The order was placed by managing director, John McAuliffe, with Generac’s dealer in dust suppression products, ACE Plant. McAuliffe has made the safe control of airborne contaminates
This was just one of the sobering questions that were posed to a packed room of facilities management professionals, from across the South West, that attended the recent Quarterly Training Day on Legislation and Compliance. The day comprised high quality speakers with a huge wealth of knowledge – providing delegates
Electricity storage could offer a secure, affordable and cleaner future for Britain’s electricity grid if regulators, Government and industry took steps to break down the barriers that are hindering its potential, according to the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE). In its report published today, Electricity Storage: Realising the Potential, the
Four members of the H&B Buying Group have become the first to take advantage of the group membership terms agreed with the BMF last month. Thirty five H&B members are now part of the BMF, with others expressing interest and poised to join. Of the four new merchants, three are
Youthbuild UK has announced that Ryan Cook of Lovell, a housing solutions company based in Hull, is the 2015 Young Builder of the Year. The UK-wide awards celebrate the achievements of young people who have overcome personal barriers to train and work for the construction industry. The awards ceremony was
A Salford-based construction firm has formed an alliance with a Chinese developer to buy sites for residential schemes in Greater Manchester. The agreement is between Manchester & Cheshire Construction and the Chongqing Jinstar Real Estate Development Company. The companies will form The Anglo-Chinese Alliance to bid for sites focused on helping Manchester Place achieve its target of 55,000 new homes by 2027. Michael Purcell, development director of Manchester & Cheshire Construction, and Steve Yang, Jinstar’s director of international co-operation, have signed a memorandum of understanding to launch the joint venture. Mr Yang is part of the Chinese trade mission which has been in the UK to coincide with the state visit of President Xi Jinpin. Manchester Place is a partnership between Manchester City Council and the government’s Homes and Communities Agency which aims to speed up the supply of new homes across the city. Manchester & Cheshire Construction and Jinstar were introduced earlier this year by Gibbs Investment, the Chinese company’s retained professional adviser in the UK. Jinstar visited Manchester & Cheshire Construction in the summer and met with Deborah McLaughlin, chief executive of Manchester Place, on a recent trade mission to China. Mr Purcell said: “We are delighted to enter into this strategic partnership with Jinstar, whose financial backing, major project experience and UK ambitions are an ideal match for us. “We aim to deliver high-quality residential projects in Greater Manchester, helping to meet the region’s housing needs in line with Manchester Place’s targets. “There is a true synergy between the two family firms which will be of great benefit to the region.” Jinstar, which was founded 18 years ago, has been involved in development projects for hotels, offices, shops, homes, student accommodation and shopping malls. The alliance with Manchester & Cheshire Construction is its first venture in the UK. Mr Yang said: “Jinstar has been actively seeking investment opportunities in the UK. “It is a golden time for China-UK relations and we are keen to grasp this precious opportunity to enter the UK market, especially since both Prime Minister David Cameron and Chancellor George Osborne promoted the Northern Powerhouse to us. “We believe that by combining the strengths of Jinstar and Manchester & Cheshire Construction we can contribute to the masterplan for the future prosperity of Manchester.” Other professionals appointed to work with the ACA include architects The Oval Partnership, engineering consultancy Clancy Consulting and Simon Fenton Partnership, a Manchester firm of quantity surveyors and project managers.
Specialist environmental contractor, McAuliffe, has strengthened its on-site dust control facilities with the purchase of a Generac DF7500 MPT Dustfighter dust suppression unit. The order was placed by managing director, John McAuliffe, with Generac’s dealer in dust suppression products, ACE Plant. McAuliffe has made the safe control of airborne contaminates a priority on all its sites where this type of pollution is evident and the DF7500 MPT is a significant component in reducing the risks of dust inhalation. The DF7500 MPT Dustfighter is a self-contained dust suppression unit, producing a fine mist of water through a series of high-pressure jets. The mist is propelled onto the site by a powerful fan, covering a wide area in just a few moments, rendering the area free from unhealthy and hazardous material. The unit is entirely self-contained, with an on board generating set and water tank, which alleviates the need for any additional or ancillary equipment – the DF7500 MPT Dustfighter arrives on site ready for instant operation. The DF7500 MPT is already in use on McAuliffe sites, protecting the health of construction workers, the general public and adjacent properties. Dust (in particular, silica dust from cement) is harmful to human health and McAuliffe is committed to using all practical measures to minimise it. The Dustfighter will also be used in conjunction with the recycling of aggregates, where crushers and screeners are operated. This supplements the existing suppression equipment on crushers. McAuliffe was particularly impressed with the portability and mobility of the DF7500 MPT – it can be swiftly moved on site to target specific risk areas depending on dust source, wind direction and location of sensitive receptors. It will also be used as part of remote asbestos cement removal. Commenting on this purchase, McAuliffe said: “There is no other product on the market which can match the full functionality and robustness of the product and it is now an essential part of McAuliffe’s environmental management on site.” DF7500 MPT Dustfighter is part of a range of dust suppression products manufactured by Milton Keynes based, Generac Mobile Products. Generac Mobile Products UK Limited is the new name for Tower Light (UK) Limited, a leading manufacturer of environmentally sustainable commercial lighting systems and dust suppression products. This new identity is to reflect its recent acquisition by the US Company, Generac Holdings Inc. The company supplies a range of environmentally biased equipment to the UK construction, events and utility markets. Milton Keynes based, ACE Plant, is the main Generac dealer in dust suppression products. They have been established for over 40 years and remain an independently owned company, offering a wide range of dust suppression and bunded fuel storage equipment for hire and sale in many specialist market sectors. These include; mineral extraction, waste management, demolition, events, civil engineering, airports, and general construction. The McAuliffe business is based in Wolverhampton and was founded in August 1970. In the mid-80s the company ventured into the reclamation and remediation of brownfield sites, working on a former landfill site in Solihull and the early Land Rover works in Birmingham. Four decades on and McAuliffe has become firmly established as one of the most dependable, proficient and fairly-priced names in the industry. It continues to be a family led firm, being managed by the second generation of McAuliffes.
This was just one of the sobering questions that were posed to a packed room of facilities management professionals, from across the South West, that attended the recent Quarterly Training Day on Legislation and Compliance. The day comprised high quality speakers with a huge wealth of knowledge – providing delegates with essential legislative updates, reasons why safety is paramount and tips how to deliver compliance. The day opened with a thought-provoking and participatory talk by Quentin Emery from RyderMarshSharman on Safety Culture and how recognising human factors and behaviours in the workplace can hint at initiatives to reduce risk. Sally Roff, Partner at DAC Beachcroft spoke about asbestos, what our legal duties are and how we can demonstrate compliance with the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012. The third session was delivered by the sponsors of the day; NHS Property Services. The West Midlands team gave an insightful and frank account of the challenges they face managing compliance across such a complex estate and their aspirations for the future. Bow ties might not be the first thing you think of when considering risk management, but following Paul McCulloch’s presentation, from CGE, delegates were put well in the picture. Bow ties are visual representations of the risks we deal with, giving an overview of multi-plausible scenarios in a single snapshot. Dale Collins, Partner at Browne Jacobsen asked delegates to consider whether they could afford not to manage contractors. It was a powerful session in which he described the format of an inquest and thankfully, explained the measures to be taken to avoid them. Do you feel safe when you work alone? Do you think your employer has a duty of care when you work alone? How can you be safe working alone? These were just three of the questions asked by Nicole Vazquez of Worthwhile Training who facilitated a fantastic and lively workshop on lone working which gave the delegates a lot of food for thought on the risks of working alone and the policies and procedures that should be in place should you employ lone workers. It’s more complicated than you may think! The event attracted over 80 attendees who raised £130 for the Chairman’s charity and who gave fantastic feedback including ‘The quality and variety of all speakers was excellent. Thanks for setting up a great event yet again’.
Electricity storage could offer a secure, affordable and cleaner future for Britain’s electricity grid if regulators, Government and industry took steps to break down the barriers that are hindering its potential, according to the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE). In its report published today, Electricity Storage: Realising the Potential, the leading engineering body says it is time electricity storage – an existing technology – is recognised as a viable long term means of transitioning the country towards a secure and affordable, low-carbon economy. It calls on industry and Government to work with regulators and “breathe life” into the stunted industry. According to Government estimates, electric-intensive technologies of the future such as electric cars and heated homes will increase Britain’s electricity demand six-fold by 2050. Despite recent advances in technology, actual deployment of electricity storage in the energy system is less than 3 GW. No significant grid-connected storage has been commissioned for over thirty years. The ICE report says a mix of electricity storage technologies will be needed to ensure the efficient distribution and generation of electricity, and meet the projected surge in demand for electricity. It found that industry can apply the storage process to Britain’s existing power networks to help bolster energy security generated from renewable sources – without the need of major subsidies. But Government would need to address the regulation holding back the construction and operation of electricity storage within the energy market. One of the report authors, Dr Philipp Grünewald, a Research Fellow at Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford commented: “If Britain is to transition to a more secure, affordable and low carbon ‘electric economy’ it must broaden its energy mix. This will require a fundamental change to our infrastructure requirements, and electricity storage could play an important role. “Similar in principle to how a camel stores excess energy generated from the food it eats as fat in its hump, an electricity storage unit allows distributors and renewable generators to convert surplus electricity into chemical or kinetic energy, save it, then convert back into electricity to distribute at times when overall demand is higher. “Markets and regulation do not currently recognise the potential of electricity storage and need to adapt if Britain is to take full advantage of the technologies on offer. We have built a national electricity grid to deliver electricity from where it is generated to where it is needed. Electricity storage can help us in much the same way by moving electricity from when it is generated to when it is needed. With more and cheaper renewables, storage will become a crucial part of efficient future energy systems. “We must all work together to breathe life into a sector with huge potential, not only in response to the energy ‘trilemma’ – the challenge of producing secure, affordable and clean energy – but also in positioning the country as a leading technology innovator. “Ahead of the United Nations Conference on Climate Change in Paris next month, leaders from across the world are now looking to engineers for practical ways to respond to climate change. It is time to realise the potential of electricity storage as a better way of operating the electricity system, and recognise it as a driver of skilled jobs and innovation.”
Four members of the H&B Buying Group have become the first to take advantage of the group membership terms agreed with the BMF last month. Thirty five H&B members are now part of the BMF, with others expressing interest and poised to join. Of the four new merchants, three are family firms spanning several generations and all four pride themselves on customer service and strong links with their local markets. Between them they operate from 8 branches, with annual sales of £15m. AR Aspinall & Sons was founded in the 1930s by MD Andrew Aspinall’s grand-father as a building contracting firm. His father developed the merchanting business in the 1990s, which is now based in Over, Cambridgeshire. Three generations of Branch Bros work in their expanding Lincolnshire business, with Ashley Branch at the helm. Currently trading from branches in Bourne and Market Deeping, a third branch is due to open in Holbeach next year. With a name reflecting its early manufacturing origins, Manningham Concrete is now one of Bradford’s largest independent builders merchants with four outlets. It has been owned by the same family for two generations and is now in the capable hands of brothers, Alan and Andrew Tomlinson. Totem Timber, now run by Shaun Parnell and Graham Jeffery, was the brainchild of a builder specialising in animal houses for zoos and safari parks forty years ago. He had great difficulty finding all the materials required in one place so created his own one stop store. Welcoming them to the BMF, managing director John Newcomb said: “We are delighted to welcome such longstanding family firms to the BMF. They have a strong relationship with H&B and they will find the BMF equally supportive. I encourage other H&B members to join them and enjoy the many commercial benefits offered by the BMF.”
Youthbuild UK has announced that Ryan Cook of Lovell, a housing solutions company based in Hull, is the 2015 Young Builder of the Year. The UK-wide awards celebrate the achievements of young people who have overcome personal barriers to train and work for the construction industry. The awards ceremony was held at the House of Commons on 15 October 2015 and the winners were presented with a trophy, framed certificate, a cheque, and vouchers from Toolstation, one of the sponsors of the awards. Now in its sixteenth year, the Young Builder of the Year Awards has attracted a growing number of entries from the future talent of the UK construction industry each year. Over 120 people were present at this year’s ceremony, including politicians, senior figures from the construction industry, colleges, training organisations, finalists and their families. All the finalists finished the day with a trip on The London Eye. Ryan Cook, who is currently completing an apprenticeship in bricklaying with Lovell in Hull, was named as Young Builder of the Year 2015. Ryan had to overcome a series of personal traumas before starting his apprenticeship. Rebecca Russell of Durkan, London and Nathan Buckley of English Construction, Shrewsbury were chosen as the Joint Runners Up. Brett Morrison of CDC, Sheffield was chosen as the winner of the 14 to 16 year-old category. He has recently started an apprenticeship as a painter and decorator. The Construction Design Centre in Sheffield received a special award to support their ongoing work in giving opportunities to disaffected/disadvantaged young people to train for the construction industry. The Rt Hon the Baroness Smith of Basildon, the President of Youthbuild UK, presented the awards together with award winning business woman Sadi Khan. This year’s high profile judging panel was chaired by Stephen Ratcliffe, formerly Director of the UK Contractors Group; other judges included Neil Carroll, Commercial Development Director of Toolstation; Paul Chandler, Executive Vice President of Skanska; Rob Lockey, Training Services Manager of NHBC; Judy Lowe OBE formerly Deputy Chairman of CITB and Alasdair Reisner, Chief Executive of the Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA). The sponsors of the 2015 awards were NHBC, Skanska, Places for People, Toolstation and B&CE Charitable Trust.
