Gamma, the communications services provider has released their new Cloud Compute service. This new platform allows channel partners to expand and offer more high margin cloud infrastructure services while removing the commonly experienced complexity or hassle that is involved in this kind of service. The fast growing, technology based, communications
The construction industry is constantly adapting and changing in order to find solutions to new problems and the development of new approaches in order to deal with older more long term issues within the industry. As a part of this, contractors in the construction industry find themselves having to work
The Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA) has welcomed government plans to review EU migration to the UK post-Brexit. Home Secretary Amber Rudd is to commission the independent Migration Advisory Committee to carry out a detailed analysis on a sector-by-sector basis of the impact of EU migration to the UK. Director
A slowdown in growth has been reported by UK construction companies in July, reflecting lower volumes of commercial building and a softer expansion of housing activity, in the latest IHS Markit/CIPS (Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply) UK survey. It also revealed a reduction in new business volumes for the
A South Wales aggregates and ready mix concrete business has lost its transport licence after the Traffic Commissioner for Wales said innocent people were far more likely to be injured or killed when such little regard was given to safety rules. Brian Hughes, who operates across South Wales, was also
The audience at the sold-out event was treated to an epic display of awe-inspiring disciplines, including the Ship’s Anchor and Chain Drag, the Giant Log Lift, and the Stones of Strength, which tested the ultimate in stamina, strength and skill of the athletes taking part, many of whom consume
Gamma, the communications services provider has released their new Cloud Compute service. This new platform allows channel partners to expand and offer more high margin cloud infrastructure services while removing the commonly experienced complexity or hassle that is involved in this kind of service. The fast growing, technology based, communications supplier will have a great deal of opportunities open to it now that they have launched their new Cloud Compute service. This new platform has been developed with the support of Amazon Web Services, and through this partnership, Gamma Cloud Compute has been launched as an Information as a Service, or IaaS, offering. Moving to the UK public Cloud with this new service has the potential to be very financially successful for Gamma. The communications company has a number of channel partners that rely on the service and support they offer to set them apart from competition. With the channel partners using the Cloud Compute Service, infrastructure challenges can be left to Gamma, and the companies can focus on delivering an excellent standard of customer service. The IaaS offering that has been created and launched through the partnership between Amazon Web Services and Gamma is based on a collection of virtual servers that allows organisations to run their normal business applications. Cloud Compute also offers organisations a direct alternative to the more traditional on-premise or data centre hosted servers. The new cloud based service also makes sure that the organisations that are using this service have enough access to appropriate storage, security and networking facilities. By using this facility, clients no longer need to have their own hardware to manage and maintain. This is great for organisations that require these facilities, but do not have the skills or resources available in order to support them. A number of Gamma’s more traditional voice channel partners were eager to add high margin cloud infrastructure services to their portfolio, but were deterred by the complex services involved. Therefore the delivery of this service by Gamma is great news for those existing partners and other new partners that might be tempted to use Gamma in the future.
The construction industry is constantly adapting and changing in order to find solutions to new problems and the development of new approaches in order to deal with older more long term issues within the industry. As a part of this, contractors in the construction industry find themselves having to work faster and faster across an ever expanding range of sites. With the increased volume and variety of demand in the construction industry, one issue that arises is how the weekly hours worked by the operatives are tracked and monitored. Some operative may only be required on site one day at a time, and some may be required for longer periods, making it difficult to monitor the working schedules of operatives with a one-size-fits-all solution. TONE Scaffolding Services is an independant contractor and has found that a possible solution to the tis challenge. The Scaffolding supplier and contractor has opted to work smarter and use a MobileClocking in order to monitor time and attendance through a smartphone app. This mobile clocking device uses facial recognition software from the specialist Aurora. By using this app, TONE has a record of the precise location of operatives at certain times in order to remove the arguments about the number of hours worked. This will ensure that reports are written up properly and operative’s wages are paid correctly. TONE Scaffolding Services is the leading scaffolding contractor in the UK.The company is based in Croydon and is well known for delivering high quality scaffolding even on some of the most complex of projects. TONE works across five different divisions including Rail, Power, Town, Aviation and Industrial. TNOE also operate a Special Projects division that allows for larger one off projects. The previous clocking in system that was used by TONE was ideal for operations that were more long term, and the plan was for the company to be working on the site for a year or two. This old method was static and with the speed of construction project turnarounds increasing, TONE were in need of a solution that was better suited to the changing industry.
The Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA) has welcomed government plans to review EU migration to the UK post-Brexit. Home Secretary Amber Rudd is to commission the independent Migration Advisory Committee to carry out a detailed analysis on a sector-by-sector basis of the impact of EU migration to the UK. Director of External Affairs for the CECA, Marie-Claude Hemming, said with the construction sector requiring more than 35,000 new workers per year, it is a “positive development” ministers recognise a migration system must be put in place that “mitigates the potential impact of Brexit on the different sectors of the British economy”. “A key part of mitigating any potential impacts of Brexit must be the immediate guarantee of the rights of EU construction workers living in the UK to ensure those who are are helping to build the future health of the UK economy can continue to do so post-Brexit,” she said. “It is also important that the Government provides the certainty business needs by setting out at the earliest opportunity how EU migration will occur in any potential ‘transition’ period after March 2019. “CECA looks forward to working with Government and other industry bodies to deliver solutions – in both the long and short-term – that ensure that our industry will able to both upskill the existing workforce, and attract new entrants, once Britain has left the EU.”
A slowdown in growth has been reported by UK construction companies in July, reflecting lower volumes of commercial building and a softer expansion of housing activity, in the latest IHS Markit/CIPS (Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply) UK survey. It also revealed a reduction in new business volumes for the first time since August 2016, which “acted as a headwind to job creation and input buying across the construction sector”. At the same time, intense supply chain pressures continued in July and prices for construction materials increased at one of the sharpest rates since the first half of 2011. Meanwhile, the UK’s Construction Products Association has said that growth prospects for the construction industry in 2018 have been downgraded as the UK prepares to leave the EU. In the CPA’s latest forecast, it said output was expected to soften, blaming a slowing economy, falling real wages and rising costs which it said would adversely affect the industry. It said growth for 2018 was therefore only expected to rise by 0.7% – the slowest in six years, and a downward revision from 1.2% in previous forecasts. The IHS Markit/CIPS UK Construction Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), when adjusted for seasonal influences, dropped from 54.8 in June to 51.9 in July, which was said to signal the weakest construction performance since August 2016. The latest reading was below the long-run survey average of 54.5, and pointed to only a moderate pace of business activity growth. Lower levels of commercial construction were identified as a key factor holding back overall business activity growth in July. Although only modest, the reduction in commercial activity was the fastest for 12 months. IHS Markit/CIPS said a number of survey respondents had cited delays in decision making by clients, linked to worries about the economic outlook and heightened political uncertainty. Residential Residential building remained the strongest performing category of activity in July, although the latest rise was the slowest for three months. The only upturn in output growth was recorded in the civil engineering sector. Construction firms were reported to have noted a greater reluctance from clients to commit to new projects in July. Weaker demand led to an overall reduction in new business volumes for the first time since a rebound following the Brexit referendum (for the UK to leave the European Union) began in September 2016. The July PMI data suggested that UK construction companies responded to lower sales by tightening up purchasing activity at their business units. The latest increase in input buying was only marginal, and the weakest since March. Tim Moore, associate director at IHS Markit and author of the IHS Markit/CIPS Construction PMI, said, “July data reveals a growth slowdown in the UK construction sector, mainly driven by lower volumes of commercial development and a loss of momentum for house building. “Weaker contributions from the cyclically sensitive areas of construction activity more than offset resilience in the civil engineering sector.” He said that worries about the economic outlook and heightened political uncertainty were key factors contributing to subdued demand. Construction firms reported that clients were more reluctant to spend and had opted to take longer in committing to new projects. “The combination of weaker order books and sharply rising construction costs gives concern that an extended soft patch for the construction sector may be on the horizon,” he added. Duncan Brock, director of customer relationships at CIPS, said, “Continuing price pressures from the weak Pound lingered, driving cost inflation near to a six-year peak, stifling purchasing activity and jobs growth.” At the CPA, while saying that growth prospects for the construction industry in 2018 had been downgraded, it reported that for now, activity on site was high and output was expected to rise by 1.6% in 2017 – an upwards revision from 1.3% in previous forecasts. It said this would be partly a result of a sharp rise from new contracts and activity in the £6.9 billion (€7.62 billion) public housing repair, maintenance and improvements to deal with short-term urgent measures that would need to be made in light of the Grenfell Tower fire disaster which occurred in London during June. Increases in infrastructure activity and private housebuilding were expected to be the primary drivers of growth over the next two years, which the CPA said would help offset a sharp fall in the commercial and industrial sectors. Major projects It said growth in infrastructure would be a result of major projects in rail, and water and sewerage – such as HS2 high speed rail, and the Thames Tideway Super Sewer in London – with activity forecast to grow by 7.4% in 2017 and 6.4% in 2018. Growth is said to be reliant on delivery of these projects, while it added that the extent of the continued delays to main works at the Hinkley Point C power station meant it was no longer included in the CPA forecasts. Growth for the industry in 2018 was also said to be heavily reliant on private housebuilding, but that the sector was still reliant on the government’s Help to Buy equity loans to drive housebuilding numbers. The policy is in place until 2021, and was expected to support demand for new build and drive growth in private housing starts of 3.0% in 2017 and 2.0% in 2018. However, the CPA warned this was slower than in previous years given uncertainties over the strength of consumer confidence and falls in real earnings. Further ahead Looking further ahead, growth for 2019 is projected to be 1.8%, but given the unprecedented economic and political uncertainties following the lack of a significant majority for the UK government as the UK leaves the EU, the risks around this forecast were felt to be considerable. Noble Francis, economics director at the CPA, said, “Construction firms are still reporting that activity remains high and there are still lots of cranes around. But there are clear signs that construction output is slowing and that next year, in particular, will be difficult for
A South Wales aggregates and ready mix concrete business has lost its transport licence after the Traffic Commissioner for Wales said innocent people were far more likely to be injured or killed when such little regard was given to safety rules. Brian Hughes, who operates across South Wales, was also disqualified indefinitely from acting as a transport manager because of his “lamentable performance” in that role. Nick Jones, the industry regulator, said his decision to revoke the operating licence held by Mr Hughes had been a relatively easy one. He said: “It is clear from the totality of the evidence that maintenance arrangements and controls were chaotic or non-existent. A feature [of this case] that caused me particular concern relates to the lack of any real attention to brakes.” During a public inquiry, an examiner from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) told the Traffic Commissioner he was especially concerned about a vehicle which had been used with braking defects. Despite a driver reporting the defects on a daily basis, no corrective action was taken. In evidence to the hearing, Mr Hughes claimed maintenance had taken place on the vehicle and said his driver failed to appreciate whether the brakes were defective or not. Nick noted that vehicles involved in the aggregates industry, which are used off road, are more likely to suffer damage to brakes and other components. As a result, operators and transport managers needed to put in place maintenance procedures which make sure those vehicles are safe when out on the public roads. DVSA also reported a number of other issues with the operation run by Mr Hughes: • Routine vehicle safety inspections had not taken place on time • Essential safety features on inspection paperwork were missing • Repeated vehicle defects were being identified on successive driver reports • The prohibition rate for mechanical defects on vehicles was twice the national average • The MOT failure rate for vehicles was twice the national average • Vehicles were being parking at sites not authorised by the Traffic Commissioner. “There are critical road safety issues involved in this case,” he added. “As I told Brian Hughes that I was closing his business from midnight on the date of the hearing, it was only then that the seriousness of his failures properly sank in.”
The audience at the sold-out event was treated to an epic display of awe-inspiring disciplines, including the Ship’s Anchor and Chain Drag, the Giant Log Lift, and the Stones of Strength, which tested the ultimate in stamina, strength and skill of the athletes taking part, many of whom consume up to 10,000 calories a day during competitions. Laurence Shahlaei, from Cheltenham in Gloucestershire, took the title of UK’s Strongest Man and the XIV CNP Trophy for the first time, beating Tom Stoltman from Scotland and Pa O’Dwyer from Ireland who placed second and third respectively. Laurence, aged 34, won by just two points in a nail-biting battle to the finish having suffered an injury to his quad muscle in the penultimate event. Commenting on his Facebook page, Laurence said: “Pleased with a solid performance placing first in seven of the last nine events after taking it easy on day one … Happy to be going home with another title to my name (UK’s strongest man 2017). Few days taking it easy then upping my game for the next big show.” In addition to the UK’s Strongest Man, the winner of the Ultimate Strongman Master World Championship, sponsored by Blackbox Document Solutions, was announced as Žydrūnas Savickas from Lithuania. The event included the phenomenal Hanson Truck Pull, which saw contestants hauling 13.2 tonnes of metal more than 20 metres. Alan Betteridge, Director at Rudridge, who are sponsors of the weekend, said: “Congratulations to Laurence and Žydrūnas on their well-deserved victories. “Once again the event was a huge success and made for incredible viewing. The sheer power of the contestants and their tenacity for completing some of the toughest and most challenging tasks imaginable really is incredible.”