A 12-month contract has been agreed between Siemens Gamesa and the ABP Port in Hull to store 37 wind turbine blades destined for the world’s largest offshore windfarm, the Hornsea One Project. A six-acre area located at the Port of Hull’s Eastern Access, on King George Dock, is now being
After relocating to larger headquarters in Doncaster, civil engineering firm Specialist Engineering Services (SES) has centralised its commercial and operational arms. Employing more than 200 people and boasting a turnover of £9 million, the company made the decision to move its headquarters to Balby Court, Balby Carr Bank, Doncaster earlier
BrandSafway’s acquisition of Lyndon Scaffolding resulted into the merge of two major UK scaffolding companies. Lyndon Scaffolding will be combined with BrandSafway’s scaffolding and access company SGB to become Lyndon SGB. “This is an exciting combination. It allows us to bring together a full range of scaffolding solutions — plus deliver
The ongoing threat of poor and potentially dangerous electrical work has been highlighted once again by SELECT, the industry body for Scotland’s electrical sector professionals, as it is revealed that counterfeit copies of vital wiring regulations are being offered for sale. The bogus PDF copies of BS7671:2018, the IET (Institution
Leeds Property Investor marks the launch of its latest 10 Year Strategy Plan for the Merrion Centre with its largest development project to date. Leeds-based property investor and car park operator, Town Centre Securities PLC (TCS), has submitted a planning application for a 17-storey office and retail development at the
A 12-month contract has been agreed between Siemens Gamesa and the ABP Port in Hull to store 37 wind turbine blades destined for the world’s largest offshore windfarm, the Hornsea One Project. A six-acre area located at the Port of Hull’s Eastern Access, on King George Dock, is now being leased for the storage of the 75 metre, 30 tonne blades in order to accommodate the expanding business. An operation is underway to transport the fibreglass blades nearly two miles from the current site on Alexandra Dock. “We’re proud to be able to say that we have been an essential link in a major green project such as this, which will eventually see the blades powering one-million homes. It’s also another example of our expertise in handling such large and specialist components. We have worked closely with Siemens Gamesa to offer solutions and to support their business growth, so that together as partners, we can keep Britain trading and provide the nation with environmentally-friendly power,” commented David Morriss, ABP Humber Head of Property. The transportation process requires for a remote-controlled loader to be guided by an operator to carefully transport the wind turbine blades through the port to its new location at 5mph. Each blade takes around 1 hour 15 minutes to move during the early hours of the morning to cause minimal disruption to port traffic. “Siemens Gamesa is delighted to again be working with ABP, continuing a ground-breaking partnership in Humberside. To deliver clean, green energy to millions of UK households is a complex team effort, and ABP is a crucial member of that team,” said Anton Bak, Factory Director, Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy Hull. Hull City Council has also made improvements to the Northern Gateway Roundabout to help facilitate the movement of abnormal loads, as well as create further investment opportunities in the city and port. The council utilised funding from the Green Port Growth Programme to create a route through the centre of the junction and part-time signals to control traffic during the movements.
After relocating to larger headquarters in Doncaster, civil engineering firm Specialist Engineering Services (SES) has centralised its commercial and operational arms. Employing more than 200 people and boasting a turnover of £9 million, the company made the decision to move its headquarters to Balby Court, Balby Carr Bank, Doncaster earlier in the year. Funding for the firm’s relocation, as well as modifying the access point to its rail operating centre to allow for heavy plant access, has been secured from Business Doncaster, a partner of the Sheffield City Region Growth Hub Enhancement Project. “It’s great to see SES choosing Doncaster as the location of its headquarters and we are thrilled to have been able to support the team throughout this transition. Here at Business Doncaster, we are dedicated to offering comprehensive business support packages to established businesses and encourage all local business owners to get in touch and benefit from our independent advice and support service,” said Michael Stanley of Business Doncaster. Furthermore, with the help of Northern Rail Alliance and National College for High Speed Rail, SES is now in the process of rolling out an apprenticeship scheme that will allow students to benefit from their training programme. “Our move to the area contributed to boosting the local economy and creating jobs and so, as a result, we were able to benefit from funding which really helped us to transition between sites and improve the accessibility of our nearby operating centre,” said Emma Shrimpton, business services manager at SES. “We were delighted that Business Doncaster could introduce us to the Northern Rail Alliance which led to us working with the National College for High Speed Rail and getting access to students for work experiences and apprenticeships,” Emma added.
BrandSafway’s acquisition of Lyndon Scaffolding resulted into the merge of two major UK scaffolding companies. Lyndon Scaffolding will be combined with BrandSafway’s scaffolding and access company SGB to become Lyndon SGB. “This is an exciting combination. It allows us to bring together a full range of scaffolding solutions — plus deliver excellence in a suite of other access technologies for our customers. By combining the assets, expertise and reputation of Lyndon Scaffolding with SGB, we will be able to expand our service solutions in key major cities in the UK, broaden our overall footprint and accelerate our growth,” explained Dave Witsken, president of Energy and Industrial for BrandSafway. Robert Lynch, CEO of Lyndon Scaffolding, also commented on the acquisition: “We look forward to being on the same team with SGB. SGB is one of our industry’s best-known and well-respected names. By working together and sharing our expertise and best practices, Lyndon SGB will be able to offer customers more products and services and improved solutions.” Having worked on some the UK’s largest projects, Lyndon Scaffolding’s portfolio includes JubileeBridge at Runcorn, BBC Broadcasting House, Tate Britain, Severn Bridge, Birmingham Gateway Station, Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, and the Scottish Parliament Building. Mick Herke, managing director of Brand Energy & Infrastructure Services in Europe, thinks that this is a smart move for Lyndon SGB, as it will gain access to more locations and greater depth of expertise, resulting in improved customer service. “Both Lyndon Scaffolding and SGB are strong companies with an emphasis on excellent quality and service. Together as Lyndon SGB, we can create more value for clients,” Mick concluded.
The ongoing threat of poor and potentially dangerous electrical work has been highlighted once again by SELECT, the industry body for Scotland’s electrical sector professionals, as it is revealed that counterfeit copies of vital wiring regulations are being offered for sale. The bogus PDF copies of BS7671:2018, the IET (Institution of Engineering and Technology) Wiring Regulations, could be devastating for electrical professionals, with missing or corrupted information potentially leading to unsafe work and risking fire, electric shock or even death. The latest counterfeiting activity reinforces the message that SELECT has been promoting in the Scottish Parliament in its campaign, backed by the Scottish Joint Industry Board and Unite the Union, for recognition of electricians as a profession. SELECT’s case was pressed recently (October) in a Holyrood debate in which evidence was presented of unqualified and under-qualified people who masquerade as electricians endangering public safety by carrying out work across Scotland. Dave Forrester, Head of Technical Services at SELECT, said: “Only a short time after the issue of safety was debated in the Scottish Parliament, we have now uncovered bogus British Standards and other manuals being offered online to companies which will put consumers in further jeopardy”. Mark Coles, Head of Technical Regulations at the IET, said that the fake PDFs, which were being distributed through a variety of channels, looked “convincing” on the first inspection. However, they are sprinkled with errors and corrupted information. The IET is now taking action to combat the counterfeiters by inserting a hologram in its Regulations, commonly known as the 18th Edition, to help users identify genuine copies. It contains the IET logo and the word “Genuine”. Mr Coles said: “Ensuring that genuine copies of IET publications are being used by electrical professionals is important in order that correct standards are used to protect the public and those working in the industry from injury and fatality.” SELECT’s campaign for protection of title has been at the forefront of its work following a speech by a Government Minister at a European electrical contractors’ conference in Edinburgh in 2015. It has been supported by unions, trade bodies and politicians from all parties. Jamie Hepburn, Minister for Business, Fair Work and Skills, recently said in Parliament that discussions would continue with the aim of bringing a Ministerial view to Parliament in due course. SELECT’s 1250 member companies account for around 90% of all electrical installation work carried out in Scotland. They have a collective turnover of around £1 billion and provide employment for 15,000 people. For more information please contact Alan Wilson, Acting Managing Director at SELECT, the Electrical Contractors’ Association of Scotland, The Walled Garden, Bush Estate, Midlothian, EH26 0SB. T: 0131 445 5577<tel:0131%20445%205577>. F: 0131 445 5548. E: admin@select.org.uk<mailto:admin@select.org.uk>. W: www.select.org.uk<http://www.select.org.uk/> Twitter: http://twitter.com/updates_select https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWJVjt14CvIig8bIKwidVug
Leeds Property Investor marks the launch of its latest 10 Year Strategy Plan for the Merrion Centre with its largest development project to date. Leeds-based property investor and car park operator, Town Centre Securities PLC (TCS), has submitted a planning application for a 17-storey office and retail development at the Central Square in the Merrion Centre. Over the last decade TCS have undertaken a phased redevelopment and refurbishment of the Merrion Centre transforming it into a busy, relevant, mixed-use destination. The company has invested more than £70M of capital in the last five years delivering a number of projects including the completion of the development of Merrion House, an ibis Styles Hotel with adjoining Arnold’s Restaurant & Bar and refurbished 1100 space CitiPark car park. The proposed new building will sit above the Home Bargains store with plans including the creation of a new central welcome hub, co working offices and brand-new head office building for StepChange Debt Charity. The building, currently known as 100MC, will offer over 10,000 sq ft of ground floor retail space for a refurbished Home Bargains store and 168,810 sq ft of commercial office space over 16 levels. It is anticipated that 100MC will be the place of work for circa 2000 people. Edward Ziff, Chairman and Chief Executive of TCS, commented; “We have identified considerable latent opportunity within our Merrion estate which we believe provides a platform for future growth and we are therefore delighted to submit this important planning application, launching our second 10-year strategy for the Merrion Centre. “We firmly believe we are on the right track with Merrion and will continue to invest in and develop the asset, broadening our offer and delivering more for Leeds from this important mixed-use city centre destination. “We are also keen to communicate our unique history, achievements and transformation of the ultimate sustainable Centre, nationally and internationally and we are excited by this next phase.” For more information visit www.tcs-plc.co.uk
