Logistics firm W H Bowker Ltd has revealed plans to acquire the warehousing and transport operations at five sites belonging to Potter Logistics Ltd. The deal, completed for an undisclosed sum, will see Preston- and Hull-based W H Bowker purchase Potter’s operations in Knowsley, Droitwich, Selby, Ripon and York. Moving
BESA has released details of a raft of new Government’s measures to help employers take on more apprentices, including £60 million to be spent on helping young people from deprived backgrounds get into work. The association says that employers with less than 50 employees will receive 100% of the cost
The Liquid Roofing and Waterproofing Association (LRWA) has appointed a new director to its board, which has reinforced its pledge to maintain and encourage the highest standards of quality within the liquid industry. With over 37 years of experience in the liquid roofing market, Mark Flello will work with the
County Durham company Beaumont Grounds Maintenance has signed a three year contract with leading Teesside independent commercial property surveying practice Dodds Brown. Beaumont, based on Aycliffe Business Park in Newton Aycliffe, will now maintain 11 Dodds Brown-managed properties throughout the region, including its flagship facility, Hudson Quay, next to Middlesbrough
Plans to build an £800 million hydro power station in the Highlands have stalled over uncertainty over the financial viability of pumped hydro projects. Energy firm SSE won approval for the Coire Glas plant at Loch Lochy, north of Fort William, in 2013. The project could have more than doubled
An innovative hybrid air conditioning system will be used for a new 250-bedroom hotel project in Birmingham. Mitsubishi Electric’s Hybrid Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) technology has been chosen for the 18-storey KKA Architecture-designed Holiday Inn Express Birmingham City Centre project, which is set to open in April next year. The
Logistics firm W H Bowker Ltd has revealed plans to acquire the warehousing and transport operations at five sites belonging to Potter Logistics Ltd. The deal, completed for an undisclosed sum, will see Preston- and Hull-based W H Bowker purchase Potter’s operations in Knowsley, Droitwich, Selby, Ripon and York. Moving forward as one of the biggest players in the UK’s chemicals logistics, healthcare and food warehousing and distribution sectors, W H Bowker will now operate a road transport fleet comprising over 200 trucks, 450 trailers and 1,000,000 sq ft of warehousing space. Further, W H Bowker’s staff count has risen to 750. For Potter Group (Holdings) Plc, the company is moving into a new era as a property investment business to focus on developing its land assets. Commenting on the acquisition, W H Bowker Ltd’s director, Bill Bowker, said of the acquisition: “Potter Logistics is a highly successful family-owned business with a reputation for quality and excellence in service across a range of specialist road transport and warehousing sectors, evidenced by the numerous awards it has won in recent years. “Derrick Potter, his management team and staff have built industry-wide respect for their logistics expertise and the company provides an excellent fit with our expansion strategy.” He continued: “Both businesses are committed to a long term working relationship supporting and growing customer operations, while ensuring a smooth transition for all customers to the new commercial arrangement.” Speaking for Potter Logistics, chairman Derrick Potter commented: “As a well-recognised, family logistics business of 51 years standing, a key priority in recent years has been to look to the future of our excellent staff, as well as that of our customers, not simply at the legacy that we have built. “We are confident that the Bowker family shares the same cultural ethos that will continue to deliver the same quality of care and to grow the business for the benefit of all concerned.”
BESA has released details of a raft of new Government’s measures to help employers take on more apprentices, including £60 million to be spent on helping young people from deprived backgrounds get into work. The association says that employers with less than 50 employees will receive 100% of the cost of training apprentices aged between 16 and 18. This will also be the case if they take on 19 to 24-year-olds who were in care or 19 to 24-year-olds with an education and health care plan. The Government also confirmed that only 2% of employers will pay into the Apprenticeship Levy – those with payrolls of more than £3 million – and that the remaining 98% will receive 90% of apprenticeship training costs from May 2017. It claimed that by 2020, government spending on apprenticeships in England will be double the level they were at the start of the decade. Director of Training at the Building Engineering Services Association, Tony Howard, commented: “This is the news we have been waiting for. Employers need certainty about future funding provision so they can plan their recruitment strategies and this provides welcome reassurance.” He said the Association had lobbied for the start date to be brought forward from next May in order to start plugging the widening skills gap across the building engineering sector, however he did accept that it was now important to “get on with the job of creating the next generation of skilled workers”. Mr Howard also welcomed the fact that particular focus had been placed on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) apprenticeship frameworks. The funding available for these subjects has been increased to reflect their greater complexity and the need to improve quality. The government has also simplified the funding model and built in greater flexibility so employers will now have two years to access the funds in their digital training accounts.
The Liquid Roofing and Waterproofing Association (LRWA) has appointed a new director to its board, which has reinforced its pledge to maintain and encourage the highest standards of quality within the liquid industry. With over 37 years of experience in the liquid roofing market, Mark Flello will work with the existing LRWA board members to lead the strategic direction of the Association. Mr Flello began his career in the laboratories of Evode, before transferring to its subsidiary firm Evode Roofing as a roofing technician, which later became part of Briggs Amasco. He now works at and jointly owns Dove Technology, a business that makkes a range of adhesives specifically designed for the flat roofing sector. As a supplier to the liquid roofing sector, Dove Technology holds Associate Membership at the LRWA and Mr Flello brings his wider sector knowledge to the association, being the only associate member on the board. Mr Flello has also previously played an active role as chairman of the European Liquid Roofing Association (ELRA), which changed its name to European Liquid Waterproofing Association (ELWA) in 2005 when he became vice chairman of the ELWA technical committee. Speaking about his new position at the LRWA, Mr Flello commented: “I’m joining the board at such an exciting time, with the liquid roofing and waterproofing market growing we’re firmly focussed on raising awareness of the excellent liquid systems and products that are available, and making sure operatives are being trained properly to use them. “I think the main challenges ahead are combating quality control of those products being sold without any testing or certification which are simply not fit for purpose, and advising contractors on how to make the right choices when specifying systems. “I’m looking forward to working with the rest of the team at LRWA and bringing my skills to the table.”
County Durham company Beaumont Grounds Maintenance has signed a three year contract with leading Teesside independent commercial property surveying practice Dodds Brown. Beaumont, based on Aycliffe Business Park in Newton Aycliffe, will now maintain 11 Dodds Brown-managed properties throughout the region, including its flagship facility, Hudson Quay, next to Middlesbrough FC’s Riverside Stadium, which is home to Thirteen Group and Hertel. The Aycliffe business has also secured two new school maintenance contracts with Thornaby Academy and Our Lady and St Bede’s Catholic School in Stockton. The hat-trick of contract wins has resulted in Beaumont taking on two new operational staff, increasing employee numbers to 15. It comes after the award-winning firm, which specialises in general grounds and sports pitch maintenance, posted a 36% increase in turnover earlier in the year. Managing director Alexander Lineton commented: “It’s been another exceptional year for Beaumont Grounds Maintenance and naturally we’re delighted to win these three major contracts. “Dodds Brown previously had five different contractors looking after different sites and they wanted to amalgamate it all into one. “It was a competitive tender which we won, so we’re now their grounds maintenance provider for all their properties, and it’s certainly a big feather in the cap for us.” From its offices in Middlesbrough, Dodds Brown is the biggest independent commercial property surveying practice headquartered on Teesside, managing a portfolio of properties worth £70 million. Senior associate Richard Wilson commented: “We were looking for a dedicated landscape maintenance contractor who could provide a quality service at a competitive price and be able to respond quickly to our needs. “What impressed us about Beaumont was their attention to detail and customer service ethos. “As a North East-based business ourselves we were delighted to be able to place the contract with a local company.” Beaumont, which earlier this year was named Service Business of the Year at the annual Aycliffe Business Park “Make Your Mark” awards, invested £120,000 in new machinery during its 50th year in 2015.
Plans to build an £800 million hydro power station in the Highlands have stalled over uncertainty over the financial viability of pumped hydro projects. Energy firm SSE won approval for the Coire Glas plant at Loch Lochy, north of Fort William, in 2013. The project could have more than doubled the capacity of pumped hydro in the UK, producing up to 600MW of electricity. SSE said “a number of commercial and regulatory challenges” will have to be overcome before a final decision is made, which is unlikely to be this year. The firm previously raised concerns about a lack of clarity over government policy regarding pumped hydro and said the market “needs a minimum level of confidence to invest”. SNP energy spokesman Callum McCaig said pumped storage schemes like Coire Glas had “an important role to play in the energy mix, particularly with the increasing deployment of renewable technologies”. He added: “In the four months since the European Union referendum we have not heard anything from the UK Government as to how they will address energy policy; it is clear the inaction from Westminster is putting investment decisions like SSE’s under question. “The best solution for security of supply, cost to the consumer, and carbon reduction would be for the UK to stay part of the EU’s energy union, but with Theresa May’s government being deathly silent on the issue, it’s impossible to tell if this is even a priority for them.” Pumped hydro storage schemes involve two linked reservoirs at different heights. When demand for power is low, water is pumped from the lower loch to the upper loch and stored. Later, the water is released and allowed to flow back downhill, turning turbines and generating power when demand is high.
An innovative hybrid air conditioning system will be used for a new 250-bedroom hotel project in Birmingham. Mitsubishi Electric’s Hybrid Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) technology has been chosen for the 18-storey KKA Architecture-designed Holiday Inn Express Birmingham City Centre project, which is set to open in April next year. The VRF technology removes the need to install leak detection equipment in occupied rooms. It is designed to ensure guests are comfortable in a controllable, energy efficient way, while still offering the full flexibility of design and installation that VRF air conditioning is known for. Mark Foster, Managing Director of Centre Island, who will manage the hotel, explained: “We needed reliable and effective air conditioning that is easy to use from the guest’s perspective but which is also more cost effective for the hotel moving forward as it removes the annual maintenance costs associated with a leak detection system. “The added advantage of using Mitsubishi Electric equipment is that we can control the whole system centrally, which minimises energy use for the business whilst still allowing guests to have individual control within their rooms. This also ensures we can stop rooms being heated or cooled when they are empty.” The design for the air conditioning system was put together by SISK Design and Build Contractors who worked in conjunction with Building Services Consultancy DW Pointer. Together, the firms committed to providing a VRF system that did not require the significant cost of adding leak detection units in all of the bedrooms. Brian Inett of John Sisk & Son added: “We proposed Hybrid VRF as it completely removes leak detection in occupied spaces whilst still offering the flexibility of a VRF system. “We were already aware of the Hybrid system and had been looking for a suitable project to use it on, so this was an ideal solution for the client, especially as it does away with the annual costs of leak detection maintenance.”
