Interserve executive director and RMD Kwikform managing director Steve Dance has decided to retire. Above: Steve Dance RMD Kwikform, Interserve’s £200m shoring and formwork business, was put up for sale in February. Its new owner will not get the benefit of Steve Dance’s experience. He has been managing director of
Stepping up your qualifications Published: 18 October, 2016 The Chartered Institute of Plumbing & Heating Engineering (CIPHE) is looking for plumbers and heating engineers who wish to further their qualifications to Chartered Engineer (CEng) level. The CIPHE is calling on ambitious engineers to strive for CEng qualifications, in a bid
CIPHE extends ADEY Training Centre accreditation Published: 05 September, 2016 ADEY has received the latest accreditation from the Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering (CIPHE) for its training and conference centre. The water treatment manufacturer’s facility was first given the accolade in 2014 and this latest presentation extends its
In total, Network Rail spent £377m on Costain, more than five per cent of the client’s overall spend for the year ending March 2016. This is significant jump up the ranks for Costain, which has risen six places from last year after Network Rail spent £215m on the firm, whose deals
Balfour Beatty has been chosen as contractor to build a £21m hospice in Glasgow. Above: The new hospice is designed by Ryder Architecture The new Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice is being built at Bellahouston Park on land gifted by Glasgow City Council. It will be the first hospice
Lifting Gear Hire (LGH) has become a full member of LEEA and received ISO 9001 accreditation, just weeks after marking a year back in the UK marketplace. Recognition from the Lifting Equipment Engineers Association, the world’s leading representative body for all those involved in the industry, and the International Organization
Innovative product design will be recognised in a new category at the next GAI/RIBA Architectural Ironmongery Specification Awards. Organised by the Guild of Architectural Ironmongers (GAI) in conjunction with the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), the awards are designed to identify and reward excellence in the specification of architectural
Since its inception in 1957, virtual reality (VR) has been used for a multitude of purposes, from computer gaming and music videos to training simulations and product prototyping. Manufacturing is the latest industry to take the plunge as it incorporates virtual worlds into building information modelling (BIM). Here, Glyn Shawcross,
Interserve executive director and RMD Kwikform managing director Steve Dance has decided to retire. Above: Steve Dance RMD Kwikform, Interserve’s £200m shoring and formwork business, was put up for sale in February. Its new owner will not get the benefit of Steve Dance’s experience. He has been managing director of the Equipment Services division, including RMD Kwikform, since 2004. In a statement, Interserve said that Mr Dance would “support the group in a number of areas during his notice period, and will continue to report to Adrian Ringrose, chief executive”. In his place, Ian Hayes has been appointed managing director of the Equipment Services division. Mr Hayes has been a divisional director of Equipment Services since 2007 and currently leads the division’s Europe, Far East and Americas businesses. Mr Ringrose said: “I would like to thank Steve for his significant contribution to Interserve over the last 12 years, in particular, for his leadership and development of the Equipment Services business, which he leaves in good shape and with a strong management team, led by Ian Hayes, to drive its future development.” Steven Dance was appointed to the board of Interserve in January 2008 and he is also the board’s lead director in health and safety. This article was published on 5 May 2016 (last updated on 5 May 2016). Source link
Stepping up your qualifications Published: 18 October, 2016 The Chartered Institute of Plumbing & Heating Engineering (CIPHE) is looking for plumbers and heating engineers who wish to further their qualifications to Chartered Engineer (CEng) level. The CIPHE is calling on ambitious engineers to strive for CEng qualifications, in a bid to increase the numbers of highly skilled and qualified professionals in more specialised industry roles. The CEng qualification can offer increased professional recognition to many in the industry, whether they work in research and development, lecture in sanitation, or are involved in public health engineering. CEng training is open both to professionals who already operate at Masters degree level, as well as those who do not hold such academic qualifications, but who have what it takes to reach CEng level through the individual, work-based assessment process. Kevin Wellman, chief executive of the CIPHE, said: “Driving up skills, education and professional standards, while also showing individuals that they can achieve academic and professional recognition at the highest of levels, can only bring good to our industry. “We need to encourage talent at the top. In the face of Brexit, it’s increasingly important to have a strong engineering skills base in those specialist roles. Boosting the numbers of CEng-qualified individuals benefits our industry now, and creates positive role models for the next generation, who may not realise the diverse number of career paths available to them.” As a licensed professional body, CIPHE can register suitably qualified members at Engineering Technician (EngTech), Incorporated Engineer (IEng) and Chartered Engineer (CEng) levels. For more information, contact the Membership Department at membership@ciphe.org.uk or phone 01708 472791. Source link
CIPHE extends ADEY Training Centre accreditation Published: 05 September, 2016 ADEY has received the latest accreditation from the Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering (CIPHE) for its training and conference centre. The water treatment manufacturer’s facility was first given the accolade in 2014 and this latest presentation extends its Approved Training Centre status for a further two years. ADEY Professional Heating Solutions first opened the centre in 2013 following a £1 million investment and the refurbishment of its two-acre head office site in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. The 7,000sq ft facility provides an internal and external conference and meeting venue, as well as the space to host advanced and supervised training on the company’s leading range of magnetic filters and premium MC+ chemicals. Paul Williams, national president of the CIPHE, presented ADEY chief executive officer John Vaughan with the plaque. Mr Williams said: “To have such a fantastic training venue on site is a real string to ADEY’s bow. We place great emphasis on training at the CIPHE and it’s clear that it’s something ADEY is passionate about too, whether that’s supporting youngsters just entering the trade or more established installers.” “We’re delighted that the CIPHE has again recognised our Training and Conference Centre,” said John Vaughan. “We’ve hosted a huge variety of events over the last three years including the finals of the HIP UK Heating Apprentice of the Year competition, training sessions for boiler manufacturers, installer events and seminars. It’s been a valuable addition to our head office and is a great way to continue to showcase ADEY as we’ve grown.” As a venue used by both ADEY and its industry partners, the Training and Conference Centre also houses a boardroom, training and demonstration rooms, test rig laboratory and 100-seat auditorium. Pictured: Paul Williams (left) presents John Vaughan with the CIPHE Approved Training Centre plaque. Source link
In total, Network Rail spent £377m on Costain, more than five per cent of the client’s overall spend for the year ending March 2016. This is significant jump up the ranks for Costain, which has risen six places from last year after Network Rail spent £215m on the firm, whose deals included work on the London Bridge revamp. The list also saw ABC Electrification, a joint venture between Alstom, Babcock and Costain, break into the top 20 suppliers with Network Rail spending £112m on the JV. For 2015/16, Network Rail’s five top suppliers were Carillion (£352m), Balfour Beatty Rail (£241m), Amalgamated Construction (£211m), Colas Rail (£175m) and Murphy (£174m). Bam Nuttall is the biggest faller in terms of money spent, with Network Rail spending £149m on the firm for 2015/16, down on last year’s £250m figure. After Costain, Colas Rail is the biggest riser in terms of money spent, with Network Rail spending £175m on the firm, up from last year’s £94m figure. This year has also seen Morgan Sindall become one of Network Rail’s top 20 suppliers, after the firm picked up £88m of work with the client. Network Rail spent £7.32bn on external contractors this year, up from last year’s figure of £6.97bn. The top 20 contractors made up 47 per cent of Network Rail’s total spend, which was up from 44 per cent last year. Network Rail’s top 20 suppliers year ending March 2016 Supplier name Spend Description of goods, services or product % of total Cumulative % Costain Ltd £377,283,039.88 Infrastructure contracting 5.16% 5.16% Carillion Construction Ltd £352,186,130.38 Infrastructure contracting 4.82% 9.97% EDF Energy Customers Plc £307,373,575.10 Utilities Supply 4.20% 14.17% Siemens Rail Automation Ltd £306,415,735.87 Signalling infrastructure contracting 4.19% 18.36% Balfour Beatty Rail Ltd £241,270,517.08 Track infrastructure contracting 3.30% 21.66% Amalgamated Construction Ltd £211,058,100.12 Infrastructure contracting 2.89% 24.55% Colas Rail Ltd £175,358,149.00 Infrastructure contracting 2.40% 26.94% J Murphy & Sons Ltd £174,552,837.77 Infrastructure contracting 2.39% 29.33% Amey Rail £173,702,758.27 Infrastructure contracting 2.37% 31.70% BAM Nuttall Ltd £149,440,211.23 Infrastructure contracting 2.04% 33.74% Atkins Ltd £124,214,485.04 Signalling infrastructure contracting, consultancy services 1.70% 35.44% Babcock Rail Ltd £118,756,030.67 Track infrastructure contracting 1.62% 37.07% ABC Electrification Ltd £112,946,518.73 Infrastructure contracting 1.54% 38.61% Signalling Solutions Ltd £104,891,664.13 Signalling infrastructure contracting 1.43% 40.04% Morgan Sindall Plc £88,813,553.02 Infrastructure contracting 1.21% 41.26% VolkerFitzpatrick Ltd £85,479,324.20 Infrastructure contracting 1.17% 42.43% CSC Computer Sciences Ltd £85,095,955.40 IT contracting 1.16% 43.59% Geoffrey Osborne Ltd £84,746,327.57 Infrastructure contracting 1.16% 44.75% SAIP Alliance £84,493,438.00 Infrastructure contracting 1.16% 45.90% DB Cargo (UK) Ltd £82,407,065.32 Track infrastructure contracting 1.13% 47.03% Total 3,440,485,417 Network Rail’s top 20 suppliers year ending March 2015 Supplier name Spend Description of goods, services or product % of total Cumulative % Carillion Construction Ltd £360,847,939 Infrastructure contracting 4.82% 4.82% Siemens Rail Automation Ltd £268,610,824 Signalling infrastructure contracting 3.59% 8.42% BAM Nuttall Ltd £250,109,845 Infrastructure contracting 3.34% 11.76% Balfour Beatty Rail Ltd £241,292,785 Track infrastructure contracting 3.23% 14.99% Eversheds LLP £230,563,258* Business Consultancy 3.08% 18.07% Costain Ltd £215,153,825 Infrastructure contracting 2.88% 20.94% British Energy Direct Ltd £189,339,207 Utilities Supply 2.53% 23.48% Atkins Ltd £176,429,852 Signalling infrastructure contracting, consultancy services 2.36% 25.83% Amalgamated Construction Ltd £158,536,779 Infrastructure contracting 2.12% 27.95% J Murphy & Sons Ltd £154,818,005 Infrastructure contracting 2.07% 30.02% Amey-Colas £150,671,655 Track infrastructure contracting 2.01% 32.04% Babcock Rail Ltd £148,982,569 Track infrastructure contracting 1.99% 34.03% EDF Energy Customers Plc £133,243,059 Utilities Supply 1.78% 35.81% Signalling Solutions Ltd £121,641,617 Signalling infrastructure contracting 1.63% 37.44% Tata Steel UK Ltd £98,022,077 Steel manufacturer 1.31% 38.75% Amey Rail £96,024,814 Infrastructure contracting 1.28% 40.03% Colas Rail Ltd £93,878,273 Infrastructure contracting 1.26% 41.29% Geoffrey Osborne Ltd £89,610,525 Infrastructure contracting 1.20% 42.49% DB Schenker Rail (UK) Ltd £86,709,778 Rail logistics 1.16% 43.64% VolkerFitzpatrick Ltd £75,798,516 Infrastructure contracting 1.01% 44.66% Total £3,109,721,946 Source link
Balfour Beatty has been chosen as contractor to build a £21m hospice in Glasgow. Above: The new hospice is designed by Ryder Architecture The new Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice is being built at Bellahouston Park on land gifted by Glasgow City Council. It will be the first hospice in the UK to follow the Scandinavian Sengetun model of care, which has placemaking at the centre of its approach, providing space for privacy, dignity and compassionate care for all ages. It is on course to open in 2018. Chief executive Rhona Baillie said: “I am delighted to announce that Balfour Beatty will help us realise our dream to build a 21st-century healthcare facility for the people of Glasgow. This is a major step forward as work now starts at the site.” Balfour Beatty regional managing director Hector Macaulay added: “The way the community has pulled together over the last four years has been really impressive, raising vast sums of money to bring this state-of-the-art facility to fruition. “We’re pleased to have got construction underway, and to be working closely with The Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice to deliver a facility which will provide high quality care for patients and their families.” The Glasgow office of law firm Pinsent Masons has provided pro bono work on the building project. Alastair Forbes of Ryder Architecture is leading the team of architects. He said: “We are delighted to see construction works commence and the realisation of this unique new hospice building. The project team have worked closely with The Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice over a long period of time to reach this moment and we look forward to working with Balfour Beatty Construction Services in this exciting next stage.” The hospice still has to raise £2.7m of the £21m needed to finish the build. To donate, visit www.ppwh.org.uk/donate or text BRICK to 70660. This article was published on 16 Sep 2016 (last updated on 16 Sep 2016). Source link
Lifting Gear Hire (LGH) has become a full member of LEEA and received ISO 9001 accreditation, just weeks after marking a year back in the UK marketplace. Recognition from the Lifting Equipment Engineers Association, the world’s leading representative body for all those involved in the industry, and the International Organization for Standardization, is a double endorsement of LGH’s ever-growing stature in the industry. LEEA offers four categories of membership—provisional, associate, development, and full. LGH initially became a development member, which essentially served as an application for full status, which was granted upon completion of 12 months of trading and a stringent audit. Membership is only awarded to companies that, in the opinion of the association’s directors, is competent and can give an adequate service. Phil Smith, commercial manager at LGH, said: “If you want to be regarded as a serious player in the lifting market, being a fully-fledged LEEA member is vital. The organisation provides all members with advice and support on virtually any related topic concerning lifting, which is simply not available elsewhere. LEEA works closely with the HSE [UK Health and Safety Executive] and is widely regarded as the lifting standard—not only in the UK but worldwide.” LEEA has been providing specialist training services to its members for over 50 years and has its own dedicated training centre in Huntingdon, UK. LGH personnel are expected to undertake varying levels of these courses depending on the extent of their exposure to product and the requirement of an individual to understand best practice in advising customers on what products to use. ISO 9001:2015, meanwhile, is based on a number of quality management principles including a strong customer focus, the motivation and implication of top management, and continual improvement. Smith called it the “pinnacle of standards” and a “minimum benchmark” for any business dealing with safety-critical products. He added: “Given the nature of our product range, existing and prospective customers expect us to have the latest 2015 specification of ISO 9001. Further, accreditation offers them peace of mind that they are sourcing lifting and rigging equipment from a highly disciplined organisation. Achieving it involved a complete review of our processes and systems, and documentation of findings in a quality management system.” Colin Naylor, managing director at LGH, said: “LGH continues to grow and as we enter our second full year of trading our employee count has reached 25 with an additional five recruits scheduled to join in the next few months. Additional commercial vehicles have also been acquired amid ongoing investment in our rental fleet.” Naylor also pointed to the company’s expansion into the Wienold equipment range with the acquisition of a wide range of SLK and GML counterbalanced Genie units, including the new, fully adjustable MFC 750/k mini floor crane. l LGH will host this year’s LEEA Golf Day, which takes place at Wychwood Park, Crewe, UK on Thursday 14 June. Visit the website at www.leeagolfday.co.uk
Innovative product design will be recognised in a new category at the next GAI/RIBA Architectural Ironmongery Specification Awards. Organised by the Guild of Architectural Ironmongers (GAI) in conjunction with the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), the awards are designed to identify and reward excellence in the specification of architectural ironmongery. The ‘Best new product: design and innovation’ category has been created to celebrate new door and window hardware product, allowing advancing technologies to be fully showcased and recognised. Products using new methods of manufacture, a new design concept or displaying originality of thought would be eligible. They could also show a unique way of using a material, a new solution or a new design. This category is not limited to mechanical products. New innovations or technologies in access control, door automation or any field allied to architectural ironmongery could also be submitted. In addition to the new ‘Best new product: design and innovation’ category, projects can be nominated for the following categories: residential; commercial and hospitality; public sector health and education buildings; and international projects outside the UK and Ireland. Architects, specifiers, building contractors, clients and their architectural ironmongery advisers and suppliers across the world can nominate projects for the 2018/19 awards from August 2018. The projects or products must be either completed or released on to the market between 1 October 2016 and 30 September 2018 to be eligible for entry. David Stacey, president of the GAI, says: “The Specification Awards ceremony is one of the Guild’s most highly anticipated events. The calibre of entries is always incredibly high and shows architectural ironmongery at its best. The GAI is always proud to see its member companies involved in so many complex projects. “These awards are unique because they reward the whole specification team, highlighting the importance of the professional partnership between architects and architectural ironmongers.” For each category in the awards there will be a winner, second and third place. The judges will also decide on an overall ‘winner of winners’. At the 2016/17 Specification Awards, this accolade went to Kings Gate, a residential project by architectural ironmongers izé and architect Lynch Architects. A brochure showing all the 2016/17 winning projects can be downloaded from the GAI website. There is no limit to the number of entries to the 2018/19 awards. The first entry from a GAI or RIBA member is free of charge. Follow the GAI on Twitter (@gai_UK) and LinkedIn to find out when the Specification Awards is open for entries. www.gai.org.uk
Since its inception in 1957, virtual reality (VR) has been used for a multitude of purposes, from computer gaming and music videos to training simulations and product prototyping. Manufacturing is the latest industry to take the plunge as it incorporates virtual worlds into building information modelling (BIM). Here, Glyn Shawcross, group design manager at engineering solutions provider Boulting Group, explains the practicalities and benefits of VR and BIM. Building Information Modelling (BIM) is a collaborative way of working underpinned by digital technologies (3D modelling) which allows for more efficient methods of designing, delivering and maintaining physical built assets throughout their entire life cycle. In 2011, the Government Construction Strategy (GCS) outlined a new mandate, stating that all centrally procured Government projects would need to include BIM as part of the documentation process. Since the deadline of 2016, other sectors have adopted the same mandate as a way of changing behaviours in the industry. Once the 3D model has been generated this can be exported and converted to VR friendly software. Boulting Group has been incorporating BIM into the design and build of its projects for a number of years. But what’s next? Contractors are now looking to take BIM one step further by incorporating VR into the modelling process, bringing with it a host of new possibilities. The briefing stage While line drawings and 3D diagrams help the client to visualise the finished project, VR creates a truly immersive experience, allowing them to explore their new working environment before work even begins. By doing so, any necessary changes to design can be implemented much earlier, saving both time and money. With high-precision infrared sensors that allow for enhanced tracking and rotation, VR can accurately replicate an entire building, providing both contractors and clients with a far greater perspective of the project than any computer screen or print-out. Safer project delivery and completion The ability to create simulated site scenarios can improve project safety significantly. By virtually walking round a site before work commences contractors can see exactly how the various elements of the build connect, ensuring they do not create hazards, avoiding possible expensive mistakes. Following the completion of a project, the VR environment still has its uses. By being incorporated into the client’s training programme, VR can allow employees to explore their new workplace and be trained on equipment and processes before starting work. This is another time and money saving exercise that ensures staff are ready to start work straight away. Industry 4.0 has led the manufacturing sector to great strides forward as new technologies continue to create endless possibilities for the industry. As VR becomes more accessible, we’re positive we will see more projects adopt the technology. While BIM benefits greatly from its application, this is just the tip of the iceberg.
