CIVIL engineering solutions provider Wrekin Products has received a special award by The British Standards Institution (BSI) to recognise 30 years of continuous ISO 9001 certification. In 1995, Wrekin achieved the internationally recognised standard for quality management systems, covering its design, stockholding and supply of ductile and grey cast iron
The search has begun for a development partner to lead the flagship redevelopment of Crompton Place in the heart of Bolton Town Centre. The project will deliver a vibrant, residential-led mixed use development including hotel, office and commercial space, surrounded by the town’s rich heritage assets, vibrant amenities, and excellent
Morson Group, a global leader in talent solutions, has completed the acquisition of 3B Training, a Wigan-based specialist provider of health and safety training in the construction sector. The acquisition marks a significant step in Morson’s strategic expansion of their training capability and reinforces its position as one of the
MATERIAL Evolution, a pioneering sustainable materials company, today announced it has secured a venture debt facility from HSBC Innovation Banking UK, a leading financial partner to high-growth, innovation-led businesses. This facility will support Material Evolution’s continued development and scaling of its breakthrough ultra-low carbon cement technology. Founded to decarbonise the cement industry,
A fire safety solution from Siemens for the Irish Prison Service (IPS) is providing protection for inmates and staff across eight prisons, significantly reducing the chances of false alarms while saving valuable resources. The IPS, operating under the Department of Justice, is a crucial part of the criminal justice system.
CIVIL engineering solutions provider Wrekin Products has received a special award by The British Standards Institution (BSI) to recognise 30 years of continuous ISO 9001 certification. In 1995, Wrekin achieved the internationally recognised standard for quality management systems, covering its design, stockholding and supply of ductile and grey cast iron manhole covers and gully gratings, geosynthetics, steel access covers and related civil engineering items. The recent award acknowledges Wrekin’s long-standing commitment to quality, excellence and consistency, as well as maintaining a mutually supportive relationship with BSI for three decades. Barry Turner, castings technical manager at Wrekin, said: “Having worked at Wrekin since we first obtained our ISO 9001 certification in the mid 90s, I’ve seen how valuable it continues to be across the business. This award from BSI reflects the enduring strength of our internal systems, our culture of accountability and our collaborative approach with customers and partners. “Our internal systems across all departments became more robust when we decided to adopt the standard, and we have worked with our supply chain ever since to share our expertise so that they can improve their processes too.” During the six-month period in 1995 when Wrekin aligned its quality management system with ISO 9001, a new quality manual was established to list all the procedures used across the business and, in doing so, several important improvements were made at the time, including revision of procedures covering; customer feedback review, contract review and a commitment to undertake regular, scheduled internal and external audits. Not only has Wrekin credited the standard for its ability to improve overall operational quality, but it has also recognised the positive impact on transparency across the business and provided clear processes which help all employees in their introduction and adoption. Barry continued: “This milestone highlights our dedication to; continuous improvement, customer satisfaction and industry betterment, which have all helped cement our position as a trusted name in the civil engineering sector.” To learn more about Wrekin, visit www.wrekinproducts.com Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
The search has begun for a development partner to lead the flagship redevelopment of Crompton Place in the heart of Bolton Town Centre. The project will deliver a vibrant, residential-led mixed use development including hotel, office and commercial space, surrounded by the town’s rich heritage assets, vibrant amenities, and excellent transport links. The successful bidder will also be expected to improve public spaces and reintroduce a direct pedestrian route between Victoria Square and Bradshawgate. The council has issued a tender notice using the new competitive flexible procedure under the Procurement Act 2023. This will be the second significant step forward following the application to demolish the former shopping centre, which the authority purchased in 2018 as part of its town centre regeneration masterplan. Pending planning approval later this year, demolition is expected to take just 50 weeks and be completed in a single phase. The council is working with leading real estate advisors CBRE to deliver the successful transformation of Crompton Place. Bolton Council Leader, Cllr Nick Peel, said: “Crompton Place represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity, and we look forward to welcoming the right development partner to take the transformation of Bolton to the next level. “We continue to see the successful delivery of regeneration projects in the town centre and across the wider borough, including Neighbourhood Moor Lane, Deansgate Gardens and the first phase of Church Wharf. “Having now launched this procurement opportunity on Crompton Place we are sending a clear signal that Bolton means business. “We are confident that investment in the site will attract even more developers to other parts of the town centre.” CBRE Executive Director, Adam White, said: “This is another significant step forward to find a best-in-class development partner to deliver a high-quality, inclusive, residential-led mixed-use scheme. “The council has a proven track record in securing public sector financial support; and Crompton Place is a vital component of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority’s £10 billion investment plan. “The council will be procuring its development partner with the support of CBRE, Trowers & Hamlins, and KPMG.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Morson Group, a global leader in talent solutions, has completed the acquisition of 3B Training, a Wigan-based specialist provider of health and safety training in the construction sector. The acquisition marks a significant step in Morson’s strategic expansion of their training capability and reinforces its position as one of the largest and most influential providers of applied, supplied, deployed and developed talent worldwide. Founded in 2011 by Executive Chairman Dave Brooks and Managing Director Mat Bewley, 3B Training has a rich history of providing recognised training in the construction sector. Since its foundation, 3B has grown to be one of the UK’s largest construction training providers and has developed a national presence, including offices across the North West, Yorkshire and Midlands. Under the leadership of Managing Director Mat Bewley, the team brings significant industry expertise and provides a comprehensive suite of practical training services, online training, eLearning and NVQs. At a time when the demand for skilled professionals continues to rise—driven by widespread labour shortages, an ageing workforce, and evolving infrastructure investment—training has never been more important. The integration of 3B Training into the Morson family significantly enhances Morson’s ability to develop and deploy deep talent pools, delivering industry-ready individuals who can immediately add value in high-demand sectors. A shared philosophy, strong cultural alignment, and complementary capabilities make this acquisition a natural and exciting next step. For now, it will be business as usual as leadership teams collaborate to enhance both organisations’ operations and ensure a seamless integration. Morson Group CEO Ged Mason commented: “This acquisition represents a key strategic move to develop Morson Group’s training business, with 3B’s suite of construction offerings complementing Morson Training’s established and substantial expertise across rail and power. The synergies between Morson Training and 3B Training will create an enviable training and development unit for the Group. I look forward to seeing the business integrate and collaborate over the coming months to deliver even greater value for our clients and people.” Mat Bewley, Managing Director at 3B Training, said: “Joining the Morson Group marks an exciting new chapter for 3B Training. We’ve always been passionate about delivering industry-leading training and this acquisition allows us to scale that ambition even further. Being part of Morson Group will broaden our reach, enhance our offering, and ensure we continue to deliver the high-quality service our clients know and trust. We’re proud to be part of a group that shares our values and vision for the future of skills development.” Matthew Leavis, Morson Group Training Director, said: “This acquisition is a strong strategic move, bringing together two organisations that share a commitment to quality and client service. The synergy between us will support growth across our key markets and enhance the value we deliver to clients. It’s a positive step that strengthens our collective offer and positions us well for the future.”Morson was advised by Beyond Corporate and RSM UK Corporate Finance LLP. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
MATERIAL Evolution, a pioneering sustainable materials company, today announced it has secured a venture debt facility from HSBC Innovation Banking UK, a leading financial partner to high-growth, innovation-led businesses. This facility will support Material Evolution’s continued development and scaling of its breakthrough ultra-low carbon cement technology. Founded to decarbonise the cement industry, Material Evolution uses alkali fusion and AI-powered design to create ultra-low carbon alternatives to traditional Portland cement. The company’s proprietary technology enables their first product, MevoCem, to reduce CO₂ emissions by up to 85% compared to conventional methods, addressing one of the most significant contributors to global greenhouse gas emissions. “As a climate tech hardware business, we know that debt will become an important part of our capital stack as we mature and scale globally,” said Dr. Liz Gilligan, co-founder and CEO of Material Evolution. “Securing this venture debt facility from HSBC Innovation Banking is a first step toward diversifying our own financing beyond grants and venture capital and accelerating us toward our fully scaled capital stack.” The venture debt facility will be used to help grow the company’s commercial traction. Avisha Blakeway, directorat HSBC Innovation Banking UK, commented: “We are proud to unlock growth and open doors for innovative climate tech companies. We are delighted to support Material Evolution on this next milestone in the company’s journey and we look forward to working together with the team as they scale their technology and impact.” This announcement underscores HSBC Innovation Banking’s ongoing commitment to supporting climate tech innovators that are aiming to build a more sustainable future. To learn more about Material Evolution and HSBC Innovation Banking’s partnership, watch this video. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
A fire safety solution from Siemens for the Irish Prison Service (IPS) is providing protection for inmates and staff across eight prisons, significantly reducing the chances of false alarms while saving valuable resources. The IPS, operating under the Department of Justice, is a crucial part of the criminal justice system. It is responsible for the safe and secure custody of individuals who are sentenced to prison, held on remand, or detained for immigration-related matters. As a trusted partner for more than three decades, Siemens has consistently delivered comprehensive fire safety solutions and lifecycle support to this valued customer. This included the recent completion of a significant upgrade of their life safety systems by implementing advanced detection systems and the deployment of Siemens innovative Building X Fire Manager platform with cloud-enabled capabilities. New technologies and services have resulted in enhanced operational practices and increased protection for staff, inmates and the Siemens engineering team. In addition, the investment in digital services is improving system uptime and enabling data-driven decision making. Smart fire safety technologies The upgrade has been engineered to address the specific demands of the IPS. Smart Disturbance Free Testing (DFT) Sinteso detectors are adept at differentiating between genuine fire sources and deceptive phenomena such as steam or dust, ensuring precise detection and significantly reducing the chances of false alarms. These intelligent devices also perform regular self-diagnostics, verifying their functionality and maintaining peak performance, with automatic reporting of any issues and analysis of test results, either on-site or remotely. For the prison environment, this translates to significant practical benefits, as the need to access restricted, sensitive areas is substantially reduced through remote testing capabilities, while hard-to-reach locations such as high atriums can be managed more efficiently. Data-driven decisions To facilitate immediate investigation of any fire incident, authorised prison personnel can now monitor live the status of any fire event from any location via the new Sinteso Connect app. This enables rapid situation assessment and early decision-making, including determining whether evacuation is necessary and how to best manage a planned, phased evacuation, a particularly important factor given the significant disruption invloved in evacuating a prison. Further efficiencies are being achieved with the introduction of the new automated eLogbook system, which automatically records all fire-related events and interactions. This digital approach eliminates the need for manual logging, providing authorised officers with instant access to comprehensive system records from any device, while ensuring accurate, time-stamped documentation of all system activities. To enable comprehensive monitoring across multiple prison locations, Siemens has implemented Building X with Fire Manager. This solution provides full visibility of the status of all sites on a single dashboard, offering access to both real-time and historical data. Designed to support the IPS by delivering greater operational insights, it enhances maintenance planning, execution, and reporting. Customer gains The IPS is able to take advantage of new corrective and preventive service models, alongside continuous system performance monitoring and checks. Remote fault interrogation allows issues to be diagnosed, resolved, and restored without always requiring an on-site response. In cases where on-site intervention is necessary, engineers arrive fully equipped with detailed system diagnostics and historical data, significantly reducing problem resolution time and improving first-time fix rates. The integration of smart, self-testing detectors combined with remote servicing capabilities has produced significant operational efficiency gains for the IPS, automated diagnostics have reduced manual inspections, remote troubleshooting has eliminated unnecessary site visits and real-time performance monitoring is enabling predictive maintenance. A mandatory Health & Safety protocol means that officers must always escort contractors during service visits, involving considerable resource. A pilot test has revealed the extent of the efficiency gains: a total of 76 escort days have been saved, enabling valuable time to be redirected to core security duties. This new approach not only enhances operational efficiency but also maintains rigorous safety standards while significantly reducing resource demands on security personnel. Governor of Works for the Irish Prison Service, Rónán Dunning, commented, – “The integration of new digital systems and services represents not only our commitment to technological excellence but also our dedication to deliver a sustainable, future-proof safety infrastructure across our organisation.” Joe Walsh, Head of Siemens Smart Infrastructure summarised the project – “Through our strategic partnership with the Irish Prison Service, we have engineered a holistic fire safety solution that not only addresses their multifaceted requirements and supports the complexities of their operational environment, but one that is also delivering measurable outcomes.” For further information on Siemens Smart Infrastructure – Buildings www.siemens.co.uk/cerberusFor further information on Siemens Smart Infrastructure, please seewww.siemens.com/smart-infrastructure Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
