Former policy adviser to now business secretary Greg Clark, Jackie Sadek, said: “[By publishing the report, Mr Farmer] has already managed to mobilise DCLG and BEIS – both at civil servant and ministerial level. “He commands an awful lot of support across Whitehall and the industry so he has made
©AFP Marcelo Odebrecht is said to have been lifting makeshift weights in a windowless cell in the south of Brazil At first glance, the event looked like any other attended by Marcelo Odebrecht during his time as chief executive of Latin America’s biggest construction conglomerate. Peering through his trademark half-rimmed
Alpha Boiler Controller step by step installation Published: 05 August, 2016 Alpha Heating Innovation has released a new video, detailing a comprehensive step-by-step guide on how to install Alpha boiler controls. The guide begins at the electrical wiring stage so is aimed at heating installers, but homeowners and landlords may
Scaffold supplier Beaver 84 has selected Avontus’ Scaffold Designer as its recommended software. Beaver 84 said that it plans to roll out Scaffold Designer to each of its nine depots in the coming weeks and will make trials of the software available to its clients. “We chose Scaffold Designer because
©Nick Ansell/PA Wire More On this topic IN Support Services A drop in HSS Hire Group shares on Wednesday took the tool hire group’s slide since its market listing last year to 63 per cent, after it said it remained mired in losses in the first half. HSS has had
Former policy adviser to now business secretary Greg Clark, Jackie Sadek, said: “[By publishing the report, Mr Farmer] has already managed to mobilise DCLG and BEIS – both at civil servant and ministerial level. “He commands an awful lot of support across Whitehall and the industry so he has made a cracking start.” Mr Farmer was asked by the government in February via the Construction Leadership Council to identify solutions to address the industry’s structural problems, including low margins, poor productivity and a looming skills shortage. Within the report, titled Modernise or Die, is a controversial recommendation to tax clients that fail to innovate in the construction industry to help change construction commissioning behaviour. Speaking ahead on the launch, Mr Farmer described the tax as a “last resort”, should recommendations one-to-nine do nothing to change behaviour – something which he believes to be at the core of the industry’s problems. He said: “It’s not something that’s ideal but I felt the review would be incomplete unless you faced the really tough decisions.” He argued that behavioural change must be driven by clients in the way they commission construction work and made a comparison to the carrier bag tax that was implemented by the government in 2015 to reduce the volume of plastics bags customers used at major supermarkets. Housing minister Gavin Barwell told Construction News that he had received the report and said “the government needs some time to think about what [Mr Farmer has proposed]”. On the proposal to tax clients, Mr Barwell said: “It’s absolutely true that the sector has got a role to play, in the same way the government has got to look at how policy can influence this and I think there’s also a big role for our education system in terms of pointing people towards this sector as place to work.” British Land development director Nigel Webb said: “It is a complex issue, but we take a partnership approach to our projects and positively encourage innovation and the development of new skills, including the establishment of effective apprenticeship programmes. “We agree it is important for the construction industry to continue to improve efficiency if it is to increase capacity and remain competitive.” One client, who asked not to be named, said the proposal to tax clients was “really impractical” and insisted that it was a bad way to influence behaviour. The source agreed with elements of the report which said there needs to be a “greater understanding” between clients, contractors and the supply chain and added that this should instead be the focus for change rather than a tax. “The perception from the client’s point of view is ‘the contractor is double-counting and ripping us off’ and the contractor’s point of view is ‘I have to inflate my cost… because I know you’re going to negotiate me hard and push me down’ and that creates the misalignment of trust,” the source added. Other recommendations in the report include a complete reform of the CITB and a renewed focus on the CLC’s work streams of business models and innovation, which Mr Farmer said are good starting points for change. He also recommended that the government should encourage the use of pre-manufactured construction methods to boost housing in the UK, particularly with the Build to Rent sector, through policy measures. Laing O’Rourke chief executive Ray O’Rourke said the report “shines a light on the serious and systemic issues in UK housebuilding and we cannot afford to ignore them any longer”, while Mace CEO Mark Reynolds said “we all need to embrace this catalyst for change to attract a new breed of talent to revolutionise our industry”. Argent partner Richard Meier said the industry must make some “bold changes” to ensure there is sufficient capacity to deliver large scale Build to Rent across the UK and insisted that partnerships between clients and contractors would play an important role in that delivery. Industry minister Jesse Norman said: “This government is determined to support more housebuilding, [quicker] and in the places people want to live. “Given the launch of the £3bn Home Building Fund, Mark Farmer’s important review in this vital sector is very timely. He added: “It makes a strong case for change in the industry, identifies areas where it needs to improve, and sets out areas for action. “We will now carefully consider his recommendations.” Source link
©AFP Marcelo Odebrecht is said to have been lifting makeshift weights in a windowless cell in the south of Brazil At first glance, the event looked like any other attended by Marcelo Odebrecht during his time as chief executive of Latin America’s biggest construction conglomerate. Peering through his trademark half-rimmed glasses, the 47-year-old heir to the Odebrecht family fortune spoke carefully into the microphone, delivering what he described as his “initial considerations”. However, on the other side was not an adoring audience but Sérgio Moro, a federal judge investigating Mr Odebrecht’s role in the vast corruption scandal at Petrobras, Brazil’s state-controlled oil company. Mr Odebrecht was giving televised testimony, and such appearances are expected to be the only public ones he will make for the foreseeable future after being sentenced this week to 19 years in jail for wrongdoing in relation to Petrobras. The conviction of Mr Odebrecht for corruption, money laundering and belonging to a criminal organisation is the most high-profile yet in the inquiry into Petrobras, which has cast suspicion on some of Brazil’s most powerful political and business figures. Tuesday’s sentencing even moved Brazil’s currency markets, strengthening the real as traders bet the downfall of Mr Odebrecht, a donor to the ruling Workers’ party, could hasten the government’s collapse. In his 234-page verdict, Judge Moro said Mr Odebrecht had paid large bribes to officials at Petrobras using secret offshore accounts. “Corruption with the payment of bribes worth more than R$100m and causing as a consequence equivalent losses to the public coffers deserves special reprobation,” he said. Mr Odebrecht denied any wrongdoing. In a statement, Nabor Bulhões, his lawyer, called the sentence “unjust” and a “serious legal error”. Investigators believe that for much of the past decade Petrobras executives conspired with Brazil’s largest construction companies to inflate the oil producer’s contracts. They allege that billions of dollars were stolen to fund lavish lifestyles, pay bribes and funnel money to politicians, largely from the Workers’ party, and its allies. Only a few years ago, Mr Odebrecht’s conviction would have been unthinkable. The Odebrecht group, which was founded by Mr Odebrecht’s late grandfather Norberto in 1944, has long been a linchpin of the Brazilian economy and an integral part of foreign policy. With more than 160,000 employees and engineering projects that range from World Cup football stadiums to airports and nuclear submarines, Odebrecht operates in almost 30 countries. The company has often worked jointly with the Brazilian government. Mr Odebrecht, who attended IMD business school in Switzerland, would throw dinner parties for members of Brazil’s political and business elite, establishing his place in an inner circle of the most influential. On 19 June last year, his life suddenly became unrecognisable. In a police operation across several states, the publicity-shy executive was taken into custody in the south of Brazil where he has been held without bail since. According to local media, Mr Odebrecht was sleeping on a bunk in a windowless cell and using communal showers. The methodical fitness fanatic was said to have set himself a strict exercise routine, lifting makeshift weights and spending the rest of his time reading documents related to his case. Mr Odebrecht, who is said to be an aggressive businessman used to getting his own way, scored a minor victory early on, persuading Judge Moro to allow him to supplement his prison diet with cereal bars to keep his hypoglycaemia medical condition under control. However, following his conviction Mr Odebrecht and his legal team will be focusing all of their persuasive powers on overturning Judge Moro’s verdict. “Marcelo Odebrecht will continue fighting for his freedom and his innocence,” said his lawyer. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2016. You may share using our article tools. Please don’t cut articles from FT.com and redistribute by email or post to the web. Source link
Alpha Boiler Controller step by step installation Published: 05 August, 2016 Alpha Heating Innovation has released a new video, detailing a comprehensive step-by-step guide on how to install Alpha boiler controls. The guide begins at the electrical wiring stage so is aimed at heating installers, but homeowners and landlords may also find it useful. Source link
Scaffold supplier Beaver 84 has selected Avontus’ Scaffold Designer as its recommended software. Beaver 84 said that it plans to roll out Scaffold Designer to each of its nine depots in the coming weeks and will make trials of the software available to its clients. “We chose Scaffold Designer because it supports our Plettac Contur system scaffolding and it allows us and our customers to design scaffolding exactly the way it will be built,” said national sales manager David Hughes. “Avontus clearly understands scaffolding, and Scaffold Designer is developed to meet, and even exceed, the needs we and our customers have.” Scaffold Designer automatically supports Plettac Contur system scaffolding, but Avontus will customize the software for Beaver 84 to support its other scaffold systems. Avontus sales director Andrew Smith said: “We are looking forward to continuing to build our relationship with Beaver 84 as system scaffolding becomes more prevalent in the UK scaffolding market. The combination of superior scaffold materials and powerful scaffold software will give Beaver 84 and its customers a significant competitive edge.” This article was published on 17 Dec 2015 (last updated on 17 Dec 2015). Source link
©Nick Ansell/PA Wire More On this topic IN Support Services A drop in HSS Hire Group shares on Wednesday took the tool hire group’s slide since its market listing last year to 63 per cent, after it said it remained mired in losses in the first half. HSS has had a tough time since it floated at the start of 2015. It was the worst-performing initial public offering in the UK last year and suffered a steep £14.1m pre-tax loss. But its first-half earnings for this year showed shown some signs of improvement, as HSS on Wednesday reported a pre-tax loss of £9.8m in the 27 weeks to July 2. The UK construction industry has boomed during the past few years, with housebuilders advancing strongly, but equipment rental groups have struggled. Their problems have been largely self-inflicted, however, rather than being prompted by challenges to the sector. HSS has been a turbulent ride for investors since it floated in February last year. During its first 14 months as a public company, it issued two profit warnings, parted with its chief executive and lost 65 per cent of its market value. But following a strategy shake-up, the company’s revenues rose 13.5 per cent to £166.2m during the first half, which it attributed in part to success in convincing customers to use it as a one-stop shop, boosting training revenues in particular. “Customers are increasingly seeing HSS as a single-source provider of tools, equipment and related services and our trading growth reflects this,” said John Gill, chief executive. However, Alexander Mees, an analyst at JPMorgan, raised concerns that depending on lower-margin services for revenue growth would put pressure on the company’s profitability. HSS shares closed more than 8 per cent lower at 78p in London. “The post-EU referendum risk to growth from a general slowdown in UK economic activity is not something we can ignore,” Mr Mees said, pointing to a further slide in HSS shares. HSS is set to open a “national distribution and engineering centre”, which it says will help it “ramp up for nationwide coverage”. But this has been a costly undertaking, driving its net debt up £20.6m to £238.7m, and associated financing costs contributed to the near £10m loss. Hedgefund Toscafund, which is one of the largest shareholders in both HSS and Speedy Hire, has pushed for a merger between the two companies, but it has failed to materialise. In an open letter this month, Toscafund said that this was because Speedy Hire executive chairman Jan Åstrand was “aware that there was unlikely to be a role for [him] in the combined business”. Speedy Hire has also struggled over the past few years, parting with two chief executives, suffering a share price slump and is now engaged in a war of words with Toscafund, which wants to remove Mr Åstrand from the company. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2016. You may share using our article tools. Please don’t cut articles from FT.com and redistribute by email or post to the web. Source link
