Listed consulting engineer Waterman Group has reported a 50% rise in profits on revenue up 9% and beaten its three-year targets. For the year ended 30th June 2016, Waterman generated revenue of £91.3m (2015: £83.9m) and profit before tax of £4.3m (2015: £3.4m). The board had previously set targets for
Primary Engineer was first started in 2005, and has throughout the company’s lifetime worked to promote the inclusion of engineering in education from the earliest possible age. Susan Scurlock is the Chief Executive of Primary Engineer and was released an explanation of the company’s success as well as offering schoolchildren
The interior design and all the specific elements that you will decide to incorporate in your home have an effect on the general air in the place. A badly chosen item can provoke anger, anxiousness or even physical headaches on a daily basis, just as the right fit can light
Staff at pioneering roofing manufacturer Russell Roof Tiles have pulled out all the stops and raised an amazing £32,500 to help local vital services – close to its factories. Staff from Burton on Trent and Lochmaben have danced, hiked, run and quizzed their way to raising the cash. Russell’s monies
The large construction company, Kier has been handed down a £1.8 million penalty following a road resurfacing death. The division of the major contractor has been fined following the death of one of its workers, who was fatally hit by a 96 kph contraflow while work was taking place to
Technology business owner and Managing Director Leanne Bonner-Cooke will be accepting her most prestigious award to date and adding the letters ‘MBE’ to the end of her name in 2018. Leanne who runs software development business Evolve-IT Consulting Ltd in The Midlands, recently discovered her name had been submitted to
Stantec, the leading global infrastructure design and delivery company, is today announcing the integration of MWH UK and MWH Treatment into the business. The completion of the integration now makes Stantec an established key player in the UK infrastructure market as well as marking a further expansion of their combined
Modular construction, using timber as a key element, is a credible solution to fast and sustainable house building. However, Metsä Wood believes that more needs to be done in terms of sharing knowledge and innovation in wood construction to further advance the use of this material in mainstream construction. In
Rudridge has recognised two employees at its Gravesend branch for their long service to the company. Ian Kenward, Assistant Branch Manager, has celebrated 10 years of continued service at the civil engineering and groundwork material supplier. Having joined Rudridge in 2007, Ian was presented with the company’s long service award
PLANS to transform an area of scrubland into premium student accommodation have been revealed by Leonard Design Architects following the announcement of successful planning permission. The development, located on the canal edge at Castle Wharf, has been designed by international architecture practice Leonard Design. The Nottingham headquartered firm was appointed
BDC 319 : Aug 2024
Listed consulting engineer Waterman Group has reported a 50% rise in profits on revenue up 9% and beaten its three-year targets. For the year ended 30th June 2016, Waterman generated revenue of £91.3m (2015: £83.9m) and profit before tax of £4.3m (2015: £3.4m). The board had previously set targets for the three years to 30th June 2016 of making £3.3m pre-tax profit and increasing return on capital employed to more than 20%. On the latter count, it delivered 47% in the past year. Chief executive Nick Taylor said: “Waterman is in excellent shape, having reported results which exceed its previously declared financial objectives.” He said: “Over the last three years, the group has delivered a six times increase in the annual dividend paid to shareholders to 3.0p from 0.5p and during the same period, after paying shareholders dividends of £1.4m, net funds have increased to £5.5m from £1.1m. “Our future aspiration remains to improve the group’s adjusted operating profit margin towards 6% over the next three years and to continue to increase our dividend payout consistent with the cash generative nature of the business.” This article was published on 10 Oct 2016 (last updated on 10 Oct 2016). Source link
Primary Engineer was first started in 2005, and has throughout the company’s lifetime worked to promote the inclusion of engineering in education from the earliest possible age. Susan Scurlock is the Chief Executive of Primary Engineer and was released an explanation of the company’s success as well as offering schoolchildren a more hands on experience for engineering. The methods that have been used by the business to train teachers and link them to the industry while also working to bring engineers in to the classroom have been described by some as a nice initiative. However, over the course of 2017, Primary Engineer has been working to grow up, and become more than just a little initiative, and get more and more of a following. In January, the University of Strathclyde accredited Primary Engineer Postgraduate Certificate in Engineering STEM, which is a part-time master’s level course that takes a year to complete. As part of the company’s work, teachers interview engineers in order to develop a range of strategies that can then embed engineering in to the classroom and then work to evaluate the impact of these changes. This form of impact research has allowed Primary Engineer to develop their own base and has, as a knock on led to a continued improvement of all of their activities. Teachers have been working together as a part of this research and development from all areas of education, preschool, primary, secondary and college lecturers included. Primary Engineer has also had an amazing year as it has also featured in the Scottish government’s skills plans and has also begun to work with the Advanced Forming Research Centre at Strathclyde University as well as trade associations, universities, councils and blue chip companies. Primary Engineer is based in Burnley has is also working to develop connections with councils and schools in this area, giving the work carried out by the company a national impact.
The interior design and all the specific elements that you will decide to incorporate in your home have an effect on the general air in the place. A badly chosen item can provoke anger, anxiousness or even physical headaches on a daily basis, just as the right fit can light up the room without the use of electricity. You might not believe in good vibes, Feng Shui or whatever you prefer to name it. Still, there is no denying that some rooms make you feel like you can play casino games here and never lose a hand, while others practically suck the life out of you. Years of extensive research have identified the presence of various types of plants as one of the main interior design elements to have had an effect on the research subjects. Following is a list of the top recommendable indoor plants you should keep in your home – and with factual proof to support their claims. Aloe Plant A room filled with sunshine is the perfect location for an aloe plant in your home. Under such conditions, the plant grows rather fast and will be able to protect you from all kinds of chemicals from cleaning products that might pollute the air. Apart from that, the leaves from the aloe plant could come in handy in case you burn or damage your skin during activities like cooking, repairing or cleaning around the house. Peace Lily The peace lily is the perfect solution for someone that doesn’t have too much of a ‘green thumb’, as it is low maintenance and doesn’t need any extra living conditions. In fact, it is better off kept under a cooler temperature in shade. Still, residents in your home are bound to benefit from its presence there, as it is known to purify the air of all kinds of toxins. Snake Plant The snake plant is yet another low-maintenance instance of indoor flora that could survive just fine in any corner of your home. Remembering to water it from time to time is enough to make it grow tall and do its thing – it is known to absorb the carbon dioxide from the air at night and release pure oxygen, making it the perfect bedroom decoration. Philodendron Philodendron owners could enjoy its benefits for years at a time, as long as they are able to provide it with proper amounts of water and exposure to sunlight on a regular basis. Despite the gentle appearance of its heart-shaped leaves, the philodendron is a known protector from the commonly found chemical substance xylene. Red-Edged Dracaena The red-edged dracaena is primarily famous for the pleasant aesthetic effect it provides. Under the right conditions (which mostly implies lots of exposure to sunshine), the dracaena can grow higher than ten feet and fill up any awkwardly empty space in your home. As for health benefits, owners of the red-edged dracaena plant will experience a toxic-free environment, as its leaves relieve the air of xylene, formaldehyde and trichloroethylene.
Staff at pioneering roofing manufacturer Russell Roof Tiles have pulled out all the stops and raised an amazing £32,500 to help local vital services – close to its factories. Staff from Burton on Trent and Lochmaben have danced, hiked, run and quizzed their way to raising the cash. Russell’s monies raised is being split equally between Shropshire.Staffordshire.Cheshire Blood Bikes and Dumfries and Galloway Blood Bikes. Both are volunteer-led, providing lifesaving medical supplies to NHS foundations, by transporting vital blood products, bone marrow, breast milk for premature babies and other life-critical supplies to local hospitals via motorbike, where every minute counts in helping seriously ill and injured patients. This takes Russell’s total fundraising efforts for the blood bikes to £56,000 across 2016 and 2017. Last year generous Russell Roof Tiles 170 staff at its three sites and suppliers raised an impressive £24,000 – smashing the original £20,000 target and enabling both charities to buy a much-needed new motorbike each. The money was raised by a wide range of fun and challenging fundraising activities. Most of the company’s 100 staff at its two Burton sites, on Wetmore Lane and Nicolson Way and its sister site in Lochmaben participated in some form or other. This included a gruelling 72-mile hike across Hadrian’s Wall, a ballroom dancing competition at Brewhouse Arts Centre “Dancing on the Tiles”, golfing activities and football matches. For the first time a Big Quiz evening, hosted at the Pirelli Stadium in Burton raised a remarkable £8,550. The event was a triumph, and included 48 teams included members from Russell’s parent company Crown Global Equity travelling from Texas, Mexico and Florida who joined local staff, customers and suppliers. Andrew Hayward, Managing Director at Russell Roof Tiles added: “I have been amazed and delighted to see the lengths that the staff have gone across all our three sites. I want to recognise the support of the families of our staff who have been a huge support, also so many of our suppliers and friends who have gone above and beyond this year. All to help these two amazing charities and their dedicated teams who work incredibly hard to provide a vital and lifesaving service.” Both charities operate 24/7 on a totally voluntarily basis and does not receive any government or local authority finance. Jeremy Cartwright, Chair of SSBB explained “We are totally dependent on donations and the goodwill of our volunteers to enable us to provide this important service to the NHS. We undertake over 5000 jobs a year covering over 200,000 miles which of course takes its toll on the bikes we use. This fantastic donation from Russell Roof Tiles will buy us a new bike and go a long way to help keep the service running. We are all extremely grateful to the staff of RRT for their tremendous and very creative efforts to raise this money for the charity.”
The large construction company, Kier has been handed down a £1.8 million penalty following a road resurfacing death. The division of the major contractor has been fined following the death of one of its workers, who was fatally hit by a 96 kph contraflow while work was taking place to carry out repairs to a road surface in Suffolk. The Kier Subcontractor Sean Hegarty has also been fines a total of £75,000 as a part of this ruling due to their role in the accident. The incident took place on a stretch of the B106 to the north of Lidgate. The principal contractor for this repair work, Kier had employed Sean Hegarty to repair the road surface as a part of a contract that had been agreed with Suffolk Council Council. The accident took place on the 13th May 2014 and a Health and Safety Executive investigation that was carried out found that the Hegarty workers were using a road planer in order to remove the old tar from the southbound side of the road. On the northbound side of the road had traffic lights in place in order to control the direction of the traffic. During the repair work on the B106, a flatbed lorry driver saw a road worker lying in the road, he was taken to hospital but died from their injuries. It has been reported by Suffolk Police and the HSE that nobody witnessed the incident and although there is a possibility that there was a motor vehicle involved, they were not able to speculate. As a part of the investigation in to this incident,. The HSE found that both companies had been at fault as they had failed to design and plan the roadworks properly in order to ensure that road workers and members of the public could move safely around the road surfacing work that was being carried out without the risk of being hit by moving vehicles. Kier has pleaded guilty to the breach in Health and Safety regulation and has been fined £75,000 as well as £12,405. It is vital that planning for road repairs starts with planning and designing a system that will protect workers and members of the public from moving vehicles. The cones in the centre of the road at this Suffolk site were insufficient and allowed vehicles to pass the site at 96 kph close to workers with no safety zone due to lack of space on the site.
Technology business owner and Managing Director Leanne Bonner-Cooke will be accepting her most prestigious award to date and adding the letters ‘MBE’ to the end of her name in 2018. Leanne who runs software development business Evolve-IT Consulting Ltd in The Midlands, recently discovered her name had been submitted to The Queen in a letter detailing her appointment as a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the New Year 2018 Honours List, by order of The Prime Minister. Leanne will receive the MBE for Services to Women in Business, something she is extremely passionate about as a woman leading a technology business which provides software solutions and professional services to blue chip corporations. Evolve specialise in the Construction, Manufacturing, Retail and Health and safety industries. Recognised with a ‘Businesswoman of the Year’ award in 2017, and a trophy for ‘International Business of the Year’ amongst many others, Leanne isn’t unfamiliar with awards and accreditations in association with her successful enterprise grade software development business, celebrating its 11th year in 2018. However, being awarded an MBE is something Leanne had never dreamt of; “My husband and I were on holiday in Bali when we got the news, which was a welcome distraction as the volcano there was causing huge problems at the time – we thought we were going to be stuck there for a while. My Father sent me a message telling me I’d had a letter from the Home Office and a picture of the contents; I was thrilled with the news and had no idea I had been put forward, I couldn’t quite believe it.” Leanne has watched Evolve grow year after year in the last decade, watching technology trends come and go and worked with countless customers to improve business processes by introducing an Evolve custom-built solution. Constantly staying ahead of the technology curve is key to the success of official ‘Women-Owned’ Evolve and its Managing Director and her latest official royal recognition. As a ‘hands-on’ MD always looking for a new challenge, Leanne plans to break away their rebate management software solution, ‘e-Bate’, into a stand-alone business in 2018 and is already looking for investment: “We’ve done lots of research into the rebate space and we know there is a huge opportunity there. Nearly all large corporations have rebate deals between themselves and their suppliers, but we know there’s billions of pounds not being accounted for or claimed, through poor rebate management. e-Bate is an end-to-end rebate management solution that can recover and save our customers a lot of money. In fact, we believe they will see returns within the first 6 months. We think e-Bate has huge potential not just in our target markets, but far, far wider.” Leanne, also listed in the 2017 ‘BusinessCloud 101 Female Founders of Tech’ will attend a ceremony where she will be presented with her MBE in the next few months by The Queen, or in the name of Her Majesty. The New Year Honours have been presented to individuals for outstanding service to the community for over 127 years. As a pioneering woman in a technology business, the MBE title of ‘Services to Women in Business’ is fitting to Leanne’s professional achievements. Regularly attending inspirational talks and presenting to her peers and associates, Leanne has always done her best to give back to the business community and to help her fellow business people wherever she can. “I am very proud to be receiving an MBE; it feels surreal! I cannot wait to attend the ceremony and hopefully meet Her Majesty the Queen. This is definitely both my career and lifetime highlight.
Stantec, the leading global infrastructure design and delivery company, is today announcing the integration of MWH UK and MWH Treatment into the business. The completion of the integration now makes Stantec an established key player in the UK infrastructure market as well as marking a further expansion of their combined service offering in the UK. The change, effective from 1 January, means that MWH UK and MWH Treatment will now be known as Stantec and Stantec Treatment. This follows the merger in March 2016, which saw the creation of a combined business with 22,000 employees globally, across 400 locations, spanning six continents. The union of the two companies presents the UK business with an excellent opportunity to build on its reputation as a leader in the water sector and expand its expertise further into infrastructure, energy and resources, environmental services and buildings. Stantec believes that bringing this diverse technical excellence to bear will help it tackle the biggest challenges facing the utilities, infrastructure and built environment sectors. Stantec has identified four key areas that the industry will need to focus on in 2018 and beyond: Putting the customer first: designing with the community in mind, so that projects deliver the most benefits for communities and customers. Resilience: safeguarding infrastructure, environments and quality of life to meet the challenges of climate change, operational disruption and future shifts in population. Affordability: developing plans, programmes and solutions that are financially sustainable and affordable in the face of sponsors and regulators need to drive cost effective solutions for business, communities and the customer. Creativity and innovation: ensuring that latest ideas, processes, technologies and best practices are deployed in every project. Stantec will work with its clients and partners to tackle these four challenges collaboratively over the coming years. Cath Schefer, UK Managing Director of Stantec UK, said: “The move to Stantec is an important and exciting step forward for our business that has a 150 year history and a rich heritage. Throughout the integration process, it has been clear to all of us that Stantec and MWH values are very well aligned. “With infrastructure development high on the UK agenda, our ambition is to deploy our expertise across multiple sectors and be a part of the many new programmes and projects due to begin over coming years.” Paul Bresnan, Managing Director, Stantec Treatment, said, “We’ve worked hard to become a leading design & build organisation in the UK water sector, reaching this position by consistently delivering and outperforming for clients. This new development signals our ambition to build on this success. “We are already seeing the benefit of bringing together our combined knowledge and experience and we are confident that this will drive the growth of our UK business.”
Modular construction, using timber as a key element, is a credible solution to fast and sustainable house building. However, Metsä Wood believes that more needs to be done in terms of sharing knowledge and innovation in wood construction to further advance the use of this material in mainstream construction. In order to help facilitate this process, Metsä Wood has launched its Open Source Wood initiative at www.opensourcewood.com. Metsä Wood’s Executive Vice President, Esa Kaikkonen, explains: “Not enough knowledge about modular wood design and building is shared, so wood construction remains niche. There is plenty of innovation but it is difficult to find, so Open Source Wood is our solution. We believe that with open collaboration the industry can achieve significant growth.” The potential of wood is undeniable and today, offsite construction has major aspirations. Prefabricated wood elements enable fast, efficient and environmentally sound design without reducing quality. Reports on the benefits of such a lean approach are compelling: In a study of companies that have applied lean construction methods, 84% report higher quality in construction and 80% experienced greater customer satisfaction.(1) The report also highlights that almost 70% of projects that used prefabricated elements had shorter schedules and 65% had decreased budgets. Timber prefab construction also reduces other inconveniences such as the constant unloading of building materials, as well as the amount of on-site waste and the need to transport it. Innovation in the house building sector is key, and offsite timber construction could be key in achieving the high volume of housing required in the UK. Using new and innovative products like Metsä Wood’s Kerto®LVL (Laminated Veneer Lumber), homes constructed offsite can be turned around in a matter of weeks. Modern engineered wood products can be used for a variety of housing projects ranging from terraced and detached homes through to apartment blocks several stories high. Across Europe, timber prefab construction is already mainstream, yet here in the UK we seem to be slow on the uptake. However, the tide is slowly turning with a greater need to provide affordable, adaptable and ecological homes. Despite signs of progress, more needs to be done to help house builders, developers and planners better realise the potential that modern wood products can offer. It is hoped that the Open Source Wood project will help to highlight some of the innovative projects taking place across the globe and, through a collaborative approach, bring timber construction methods to the forefront of new house building in the UK.
Rudridge has recognised two employees at its Gravesend branch for their long service to the company. Ian Kenward, Assistant Branch Manager, has celebrated 10 years of continued service at the civil engineering and groundwork material supplier. Having joined Rudridge in 2007, Ian was presented with the company’s long service award and certificate by Regional Director Clive Summerfield. Estimator, Sally Elliott, joined the civil engineering and groundwork materials specialist in 2012 and was presented with the company’s pin and certificate by the Regional Sales Director Duane Long. Clive Summerfield praised Ian and Sally for their dedication and hard work. He said: “Congratulations to Ian and Sally, it’s a great achievement. I’d like to thank Ian for his help and support with the operations and stock work at our Gravesend branch. Ian’s years of management experience are important in supporting the team and ensuring our high levels of customer service are maintained. “Sally’s experience and determination are key to our sales success and I’d like to thank her for all the support she gives to our tender’s department. Her hard work is vital to the pipeline of future orders and it plays a massive role in ensuring customers continue to choose Rudridge.”
PLANS to transform an area of scrubland into premium student accommodation have been revealed by Leonard Design Architects following the announcement of successful planning permission. The development, located on the canal edge at Castle Wharf, has been designed by international architecture practice Leonard Design. The Nottingham headquartered firm was appointed to create three stunning student residences following significant investment from a London-based developer. The scheme is set to be completely car free, making use of the already established network of public transport links and the city’s super-cycle highway which link the universities and the QMC Hospital with the city centre and train station. The plans also offer neighbouring residents direct access to the waterfront for the first time. John Morgan, director at Leonard Design, said: “We are delighted to have secured planning consent for the development. It is a fantastic location for students and will rejuvenate a previously derelict patch of land and help to frame the street and improve this gateway into the city. “The scheme, which draws inspiration from the old canal buildings along the canal network, has been sensitively designed to work as a series of blocks with spaces in-between to enhance the public realm and allows access to the canal side and super-cycle highway. “The three different buildings within the scheme have also been designed so views across the canal are maintained. We worked very closely with the Local Planning Authority to develop a design which was sensitive and appropriate for the site” “Having previously been a resident of Park Rock, I’m particularly passionate about this development and making it a great place to live for both those already based here and those that could move here. Our goal is to create a real sense of community.” Andrew Astin, associate director at Indigo Planning, one of the UK’s largest independent planning consultancies, said: “The site is really interesting as it is a prime location on the canal edge with great surrounding amenities but has been left as scrubland for many years. “Leonard Design has delivered a great vision for the scheme, completely reimagining the site whilst drawing inspiration from the surrounding area to make sure the entire area benefits. They took the time to think about not only what the site needs but what the student residents would want, such as access to the super-cycle highway, and this is what makes the scheme so great.” Ben Tebbutt, director at Nottingham-based Box Property Consultants, said: “This is a very exciting project to be involved in and we are really looking forward to advising the client on their options moving forward now that planning has been confirmed. If any potential parties who require further information then please get in touch.” For further information visit www.leonarddesignarchitects.com or follow @leonard_design on Twitter.
