Category: Construction Industry Today | Subscribe to Construction Industry Today Feed Published Wed, Sep 14th 2016 Sword Dynamic Services is using Ctrack’s vehicle tracking system to drive down costs, improve customer service and operate more responsibly Posted via Industry Today. Follow us on Twitter @IndustryToday Sword Dynamic Services, a Bristol-based construction company, is using Ctrack’s vehicle tracking system to drive down costs, improve customer service and operate more responsibly. Since adopting Ctrack Online across a fleet of 10 vehicles in January – made up of vans and a JCB digger – the company has reduced staff costs by 12 per cent and increased productivity by almost 10 per cent. As a result, Sword Dynamic Services is targeting a return of investment of more than £10,000 in the first year. Sword Dynamic Services took the decision to install a vehicle tracking system following a strong period of growth. The company needed greater visibility and control over its mobile resources and workforce to ensure construction teams arrived onsite on-time and were meeting customer requirements. Using the Ctrack Online web portal and Ctrack Mobi2 mobile tracking app, senior managers can now monitor the exact whereabouts of vehicles in real-time from both the office and on the move. Ctrack Online’s reporting tool is enabling Sword Dynamic Services to verify timesheets and overtime claims by capturing and collating accurate working hours. This is not only streamlining financial management processes and reducing administration, but also helping the company to make payroll savings of 15 per cent. Meanwhile, historical vehicle usage data is being used to monitor operational performance, which to date has helped achieve productivity improvements of almost 10 per cent. Sword Dynamic Services is also using Ctrack Online to identify any incidents of harsh or poor driving as part of its Duty of Care initiative. In particular, the company operates a zero tolerance policy to speeding, so the tracking system is allowing it to quickly address any problem areas and better engage with employees about road safety. By encouraging responsible driving and targeting a reduction in collisions, Sword Dynamic Services is minimising fleet risks and reducing associated insurance costs. Steve Lillis, Director of Sword Dynamic Services commented: “Ctrack Online is proving to be a valuable fleet technology solution that is improving our performance and helping us achieve significant efficiencies. The system is highly-functional and easy to use, while the Ctrack team is always on hand to ensure we can make the most of our investment. Moving forward, it will also support the expansion of the business as we open a depot in Manchester, employ new staff and grow our fleet.” John Wisdom, European Managing Director of Ctrack said: “Ctrack offers a wide range of vehicle tracking, satellite navigation, workflow, mobile job planning and security tools that deliver a unique combination of flexibility, reliability and functionality. By providing cost effective and scalable solutions, we are suitable for fleets of all sizes, meeting their exact needs now and in the future as they grow. This is why we are telematics partner to an increasing number of business in the UK, mainland Europe and worldwide.” Ctrack Online is a web-based vehicle tracking system providing visibility and control over mobile assets. Designed to be intuitive and simple-to-use, this solution enables businesses to better manage their fleet operation and deliver real benefits by driving down costs, boosting productivity and improving customer service.  Contact information Source link

The slump in the price of oil is having far-reaching consequences for business and politics. Brent crude, the international oil benchmark, was trading at $115 a barrel in June 2014, but it fell as low as $27 in January this year. It is now trading at about $40, but few who follow the energy industry expect it to go back above $100 soon. As the Financial Times publishes a new series about the wide-ranging implications of the oil crash, below is a selection of the best writing on this subject in the FT during the past 18 months. US shale under pressure © Bloomberg November 12 2014: If there is “price war” in the oil market, as Adel Abdul Mahdi, Iraq’s oil minister, has suggested, the US shale industry is refusing to take flight at the first sound of gunfire . . . “[But] activity is already starting to slow. There were 1,568 rigs drilling for oil onshore in the US last week, 41 fewer than in mid-October … Debt has fuelled the shale boom … As prices fell, the companies that borrowed too much have started to find themselves under strain. The bond markets have already started to reflect some nervousness, with yields on junk bonds in the energy sector rising to their highest level in more than a year.” See full story Saudi Arabia fights back Saudi oil minister Ali al-Naimi © Barry Falls March 9 2015: During periods of instability, the Saudis adjusted their production to restore balance. But [in 2014], as concerns about oversupply escalated, the kingdom changed tack and refused to act as the oil market’s safety net. Cutting output, Saudi Arabia believed, would only help its rivals — and it was time to take a stand . . . Some suspected [the shift in Saudi oil policy] was rooted in geopolitics … But a close examination of Saudi actions suggests an unexpected series of global political events and — crucially — a misreading of the market were the driving forces behind Riyadh’s gamble. See full story Perfect storm in the North Sea February 25 2015: Ageing North Sea fields, already seen as a marginal bet from which the biggest oil companies have been retreating, look very vulnerable. Oil & Gas UK, which represents offshore operators, says a fifth of production, or a third of fields, is now unprofitable. Cash losses, or the deficit after subtracting costs from revenues, topped £5bn in 2014, the biggest shortfall since the 1970s. This loss follows a long-term decline in production. Output on the UK continental shelf, despite record investment in recent years, has been sliding since 2000. See full story Shell-BG mega deal April 8 2015: There is no arguing that Shell’s move is bold. By acquiring [BG] its smaller rival, it will become the largest foreign oil company in Brazil, one of the world’s most highly prized oil provinces, and cement its position as the global leader in liquefied natural gas, the increasingly popular clean-burning fuel . . . BG may have been on Shell’s radar screen for decades, but was long seen as too expensive a target. That all changed when the oil price started to slide [in 2014], dragging down the valuations of all the world’s energy companies, including BG. See full story US shale in crisis April 24 2015: [Juan] Ramos was brought to Williston, North Dakota, by perhaps the most important innovation of the 21st century: the technology for extracting oil from unyielding shale rocks. The Bakken formation, which runs underneath North Dakota and into Montana and southern Canada, is one of the largest oilfields opened up by that revolution. Along with similar oil-producing areas in Texas, it has transformed the outlook for US energy security, created hundreds of thousands of high-paying jobs and rattled the leaders of rival oil-producing countries from Riyadh to Caracas … While the new oil industry is still in its infancy, though, it is facing its first real test. American producers have become victims of their own success. In the past nine months, the flood of new oil supply they created has caused a collapse in the price of crude … See full story Canadian oil sands marginalised June 16 2015: With the collapse in crude prices, energy companies have suspended or cancelled billions of dollars in new projects, thousands of workers have lost their jobs and voters ousted the party that ran the [Alberta] provincial government for 44 years … The effects of cost cuts are starting to bite in the Fort McMurray region. At the airport, which opened a new C$258m terminal in June 2014, charter flights are discharging 30 per cent fewer passengers. More families are visiting the community food bank. And as a sympathetic gesture the Wood Buffalo Brewing Company reduced its price for pale ale to a tenth of the cost of a barrel of West Texas Intermediate crude. See full story Petrobras reels from scandal, oil plunge December 30 2015: Few large oil companies globally have disappointed investor expectations in recent years as badly as Petrobras. The company’s 2007 discoveries of “pre-salt” offshore oil reserves kicked off a flurry of industry excitement. [Run] by officials handpicked by Workers’ party-led governments, Petrobras moved to exploit the discoveries by embarking on the largest corporate capital expenditure programme in the world. The company also began a huge refinery building project. But things went awry in 2014 when police launched the Lava Jato (Car Wash) investigation into allegations that former Petrobras directors collaborated with politicians and contractors to extract bribes from the company. See full story Gazprom eyes gas price war © Bloomberg February 3 2016: With the prospect of a wave of US liquefied natural gas supplies starting to hit the market later this year, energy investors fear Gazprom may adopt the same strategy in the gas market that Saudi Arabia has done in oil. It may seem like … the last thing that Russia, reeling from the impact of low oil prices, needs. But analysts say that such a strategy may be

Mabey Property Ltd, represented by international real estate advisor Savills, has sold a retail unit let to Boots in Stratford-upon-Avon to Hawbridge Properties Ltd for £5 million.  The deal reflects a net initial yield of 5.25%. Boots is occupying the 16,799 sq ft (1,560 sq m) store on five-year lease until 2021 at a passing rent of £280,000 per annum.  It is located in a prime position opposite Marks & Spencer on Bridge Street, the main pedestrian link between the town’s historic attractions, with other national retailers including New Look, Laura Ashley and Jaegar in close proximity. Ned Jones, investment director at Savills, comments: “This prime retail investment combines a strong covenant and re-based rent with a high footfall location and therefore attracted significant interest.  We are pleased with the swift result achieved on behalf of our client.” Marc Robson of High Street Investment represented the purchaser. Source link

Browser does not support script. Contact us RIBA Council has approved the following appointments: Geoff Alsop has been reappointed Honorary Treasurer for a further two years Roger Shrimplin has been reappointed Honorary Secretary for a further two years Alan Jones has been appointed Vice President Education for two years Peter Oborn has been reappointed Vice President International for a further two years Edward Williams has been reappointed Honorary Librarian for a further year Caroline Buckingham has been appointed Vice President Practice and Profession for one year Virginia Newman and Pierre Wassenaar have been appointed to the RIBA Board for three years. Anthony Clerici continues in his role as Vice President Membership, Nations and Regions. Ends Notes: For further press information: Melanie Mayfield, RIBA Press Office: melanie.mayfield@riba.org 020 7307 3662   Posted on Friday 25th September 2015 Source link

Wildfires destroyed large portions of residential areas of Fort McMurray The charred remains of a classic Triumph GT6 destroyed by wildfires in Fort McMurray, Alberta, As flames destroyed forests and houses, production of at least a fifth of the 2.4m barrels per day of oil from Canada’s oil sands was halted. The violent wildfires in Canada’s oil sands region forced the government to declare a state of emergency. Smoke hangs in the air as the fire, fueled by shifting winds, raged out of control after consuming 80 sq km of land and damaging 1,600 buildings. Over the past few days companies including Suncor Energy, Royal Dutch Shell and Connacher Oil and Gas have stopped operations, both as a precaution against approaching fires and to accommodate people fleeing Fort McMurray. A picture by Twitter user @jeromegarot shows the wildfire raging through the town of Fort McMurray, Canada. Violent wildfire in Canada’s oil sands region forced the government to declare a state of emergency and . A picture by Twitter user @TechDeckSafety shows fires and smoke in the dark, as seen from an airplane leaving Fort McMurray. A picture by Twitter user @SlimCat_23 shows smoke clouds moving in the direction of an evacuation centre set up in Anzac, about 50km south of Fort McMurray. A woman picks through donated clothing and goods at a makeshift evacuee centre in Lac la Biche, Alberta, after fleeing the forest fires Marlee Hildebrandt and her daughter Oakley Hildebrandt, 2, clean cots at a makeshift evacuee centre in Lac la Biche A man and his dog sleep on a makeshift bed at a recreational centre in Lac la Biche Previous image Next image Next Thumbnails Previous Thumbnails Wildfires continued to blaze through the heart of Canada’s oil patch, expanding to cover 1,000 square kilometres in what is expected to be one of the costliest natural disasters in the country’s history. The forest fires destroyed large parts of Canada’s oil sands capital, Fort McMurray, this week, forcing the evacuation of about 90,000 residents and shutdowns at plants in the world’s third-largest oil production hub. More On this topic IN Canada “The fire continues to burn out of control,” Rachel Notley, Alberta’s premier, said on Friday. “The wildfire is still unpredictable and the evacuation needs to be co-ordinated and safe,” she added, promising a gift of $1,250 to each adult and $500 to dependants who were evacuated. A convoy of about 1,500 vehicles began taking evacuees from Fort McMurray early Friday morning, leaving in groups of 50 vehicles guided by police and military helicopters. A mass airlift of evacuees was expected to resume on Friday, a day after 8,000 people were flown out of the town, with the hope that 5,500 would be evacuated by the end of the day. So far the blaze has destroyed about 1,600 buildings, although Ms Notley warned that final toll could be ‘much bigger’. The fires reduced crude output from the oil sands, with companies including Royal Dutch Shell, Suncor Energy and Syncrude curtailing operations to evacuate workers or offer shelter for fleeing residents. As much as 1m barrels per day, or 40 per cent of oil sands production, was potentially at risk, according to Platts Analytics. Oil futures briefly jumped on Thursday as the fires spread but ended the week lower amid plentiful global supplies. Economists have cut their outlook for Canada’s economy since the fires erupted. Robert Kavcic, a senior economist at BMO Capital Markets, now expects no growth in the second quarter, having previously projected a 1.3 per cent annualised gain, with most of the reduction because of the wildfire. The fires could cost insurers as much as C$9bn, according to Bank of Montreal Capital Markets. Analyst Tom MacKinnon said it was more likely that one-quarter to half of assets in the region would be damaged, leading to total insurance industry losses of C$2.6 billion to C$4.7 billion, or as much as four times the costliest Canadian natural disaster to date. Canada’s federal government has promised to match individual donations to Red Cross Canada from May 3 through May 31. Some C$30m in donations have been received so far, the Canadian Press reported. “The city that contributed so much to Canada’s economy over the years needs our help. We’ll be there for Fort McMurray”, prime minister Justin Trudeau tweeted on Friday. Syrian refugees in Calgary, a city south of Fort McMurray, donated money to those escaping from the fires after Rita Khanchet, a Syrian who fled her country five months ago, posted an appeal on Facebook, said a report by the Calgary Herald. Additional reporting by Gregory Meyer 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

©Bloomberg Dong Energy delivered a mildly disappointing maiden set of results as a listed company just weeks after the Danish offshore wind group became the world’s largest stock market flotation this year.  Sales in the second quarter fell 12 per cent to DKr16.4bn ($2.45bn) compared with a year earlier while its preferred measure of profitability — underlying earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (ebitda) — fell 2 per cent to DKr4.32bn. Consensus estimates from analysts were for sales of DKr17.3bn and ebitda of Dkr4.44bn, according to figures provided by Dong.  More On this topic IN Energy The world’s largest offshore wind developer and operator raised DKr19.7bn from its flotation in June as investors including the Danish government and Goldman Sachs reduced their stakes.  The shares, which had risen 20 per cent since their listing in Copenhagen, were down 2.9 per cent at lunchtime on Thursday.  Henrik Poulsen, Dong’s chief executive, hailed the results as showing the strategy of pushing aggressively into offshore wind was paying off for what was once purely a Danish utility. Ebitda at its wind power unit almost doubled in the quarter to DKr2.3bn.  Mr Poulsen said that “analysts are still getting their arms around how we operate” with a wide range of estimates heading into the results. “We are relatively new to the stock exchange . . . We believe this is a strong set of numbers,” he added.  Dong, which unsuccessfully tried three times before to list, pulled off the listing just weeks before the vote to exit the EU in the UK, one of its biggest markets.  Mr Poulsen underscored Dong’s commitment to the UK, saying it would stick by its pledge given earlier this year to invest £6bn in the next five years on top of its £6bn of investment in the past decade.  “When it comes to the fundamental energy policy in the UK, we don’t expect big changes to the offshore wind market with support to continue. It is important for the security of supply and industrial strategy,” he added.  Dong’s chief executive declined to speculate on the fate of the proposed Hinkley Point nuclear power plant after the UK government again delayed its approval of the controversial plan. But Mr Poulsen added that “should there be a need for offshore wind to fill a gap” he had no doubts that Dong and others could deliver that.  The costs for offshore wind have been coming down rapidly and Dong won a tender in the Netherlands last month at the lowest cost yet achieved — the same as its 2020 target of €100 per MWh. That compares with US Department of Energy estimates for 2020 of about €85 per MWh for nuclear power and €70 per MWh for natural gas.  Dong reiterated its guidance for the full year of ebitda of DKr20bn-23bn. It amounted to DKr12.4bn in the first half. 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

Date of publication: Sept 2016 ISBN: 9780717666539 Series code: L23 (fourth edition) Price: £15.00 Download a free copy   Who is this guidance for? This guidance is mainly for employers, managers and safety representatives, but may also be useful for employees. Key messages Employers must comply with the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992, as amended by the Health and Safety (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2002. The guidance explains how to avoid, assess and reduce the risk of injury from manual handling. Changes since the last edition The publication has been restructured into four parts, with the regulations and brief guidance in Part 1 and more detailed guidance to help carry out risk assessments and control risks in Parts 2-4. Colour coding helps to identify the different parts. The appendix contains risk filters which help identify those tasks that do not require a detailed assessment. It explains how HSE’s assessment tools can be used as part of the risk assessment process. The full risk assessment checklists are now online only and do not appear in the book. It reflects changes introduced for the self-employed by the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 (General Duties of Self-Employed Persons) (Prescribed Undertakings) Regulations 2015 and the Deregulation Act 2015 (Health and Safety at Work)(General Duties of Self-Employed Persons) (Consequential Amendments) Order 2015. Source link

Dairy farmers are being urged to act now to take advantage of a newly launched EU support fund. The Milk Production Reduction Scheme is designed to help those who will be producing less milk in the last quarter of this year than the same period in 2015. Successful applicants will receive 14 eurocents per litre, which subject to exchange rates equates to approximately 12 pence per litre. So for those whose output will be 100,000 litres down against 2015, they could claim approximately £12,000. Adrian Matthews, of Savills Food & Farming, said: “At this stage the exact application process is unclear but if you suspect your herd performance may make you eligible for support funding then you need to act now. “Your herd performance may have been affected by disease or herd health; or you may have deliberately downsized due to the low milk prices received; in any event it is worth a look.” The first window for application will open shortly and close on September 21st 2016. Adrian adds: “Other application windows will be available but ‘when it’s gone it’s gone’; the money will be paid out on a first come first served basis.” • If you believe your milk deliveries in October, November and December 2016 will be lower than the same months in 2015 then you can claim the support• You will need evidence of deliveries in 2015 (copies of milk statements)• You will need a forecast for 2016• Or, you will have to provide evidence of 2016 milk volumes by mid January 2017 For more information and help with the application process, contact Savills Food & Farming. Source link