Hochtief Murphy Joint Venture has been selected for a major multi-million pound tunnelling contract on a £10bn potash mine development in North Yorkshire. Above: The mine site, south of Whitby Fertiliser company Sirius Minerals has planning permission to build a mine that is expected to produce an initial 10 million
The Utility Week Awards 2016 are now open to entries. Former Water UK chief executive Pamela Taylor collecting the Utility Champion award last year The fourteen award categories are open to any company involved in the utilities sector – companies producing, distributing and retailing energy or water. Other
The Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) has brokered an agreement with the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) under which CIBSE will make its professional-level training courses available to BESA members at a 10% discount. Source link
A new research from the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) reveals that the UK economy is missing out on £10 billion each year because homeowners are scared they might be hiring a cowboy builder. Other key results show that one third (32%) of homeowners delay major home improvement works that
Amber Precast Group, the Alfreton based manufacturer of bespoke precast concrete, has recently undergone a brand make-over with the help of Armstrong, the leading B2B branding and marketing agency. The new ‘look’, together with the new website and the restructured offering will strengthen and refocus the business as it moves
Now that the Carillion’s collapse is becoming old news, ArchOver CEO Angus Dent outlines the lessons to be learnt and the steps that smaller businesses should take to make sure future failures will not touch them. At the time of its demise, Carillion had £1.5 billion worth of outstanding payments,
Work on the £35 million extension to Babraham Research Campus in Cambridge will commence shortly. Local business Mick George Ltd will be completing Earthworks at the site, for MJS Construction (March) Ltd on behalf of SDC Construction Limited. The partnership announced back in October 2017 between the campus and BioMed
Category: Construction Industry Today | Subscribe to Construction Industry Today Feed Published Wed, Mar 2nd 2016 Simple, flexible and robust recorder efficiently and accurately measures vibrations, shocks and tremors from construction & building works Posted via Industry Today. Follow us on Twitter @IndustryToday AcSoft Health & Safety
24 August 2016 | Herpreet Kaur Grewal Pest control could undergo a major transformation following the discovery of a gene responsible for giving insects their waterproof coating. The coating protects them from microbes and environmental stress. An international research team, led by Joanne Yew from the University of Hawaii,
A month ago, the UK foreign secretary Boris Johnson suggested that a bridge across the English Channel would be a great idea. Now, the French company that runs the Channel Tunnel opened the subject to the UK government, writing to UK Prime Minister Theresa May. “The idea of a second
Hochtief Murphy Joint Venture has been selected for a major multi-million pound tunnelling contract on a £10bn potash mine development in North Yorkshire. Above: The mine site, south of Whitby Fertiliser company Sirius Minerals has planning permission to build a mine that is expected to produce an initial 10 million tonnes of potash a year from 2021, reaching 20 million tonnes on full production. Sirius has chosen Hochtief Murphy for the mineral transport system. The team that built the £250m Crossrail C310 Thames Tunnel in London will now be responsible for the design and build of a 23-mile long, 4.1-metre diameter tunnel to link the mine south of Whitby with the materials handling facility at Teesside. Mineral will be transported on a high-capacity conveyor belt. Preferred contractor for the mine site itself is AMC UK, a German-Canadian joint venture of Thyssen and Redpath Group. Work includes all of the shaft construction at the mine site and the shaft construction of the mineral transport system. The selection of contractors follows a 19-month tender process Sirius managing director Chris Fraser said: “This is the culmination of a huge amount of work by both the successful bidders and those that have been unsuccessful and we thank all of the groups involved for their efforts. We are delighted to now be moving forward with our selected partners towards the implementation of the project.” Sirius Minerals – The video This article was published on 3 Jun 2016 (last updated on 3 Jun 2016). Source link
The Utility Week Awards 2016 are now open to entries. Former Water UK chief executive Pamela Taylor collecting the Utility Champion award last year The fourteen award categories are open to any company involved in the utilities sector – companies producing, distributing and retailing energy or water. Other companies are welcome to enter jointly with utility partners. We are looking for those companies that go above and beyond the call of duty, so we will be asking you to demonstrate that you had ambitious aims, proportionate to the size of your company, and that you met or exceeded them. They recognise excellence across the industry, no matter what the sector, the size of the company or the scale of the project. Competition for these awards is fierce, and winning a place on the shortlist is an achievement in itself. We’ll honour all our winners, reveal who are the best of the best – and have a great night out – at the Grosvenor House hotel in Park Lane on 12 December. It’s the industry’s “Christmas party” and a great opportunity to join the great and good as they celebrate the year’s achievements. Entries will be judged by independent panels of industry experts. Our judges know the industry, so they are less impressed by a glossy entry than by one that clearly demonstrates achievements – and backs them up with evidence. So decide where your company has excelled: submit your entries by 9 September and get ready to celebrate your company’s achievements. The important dates to your diary are: Call for entries – now open Entry deadline – Friday 9 September Shortlist announced – Friday 7 October Award ceremony – Monday 12 December Register your intention to enter here and receive an extra week on the entry deadline and be kept up to date with all the latest new regarding the awards. For more information, visit: www.utilityweekawards.co.uk Source link
The Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) has brokered an agreement with the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) under which CIBSE will make its professional-level training courses available to BESA members at a 10% discount. Source link
A new research from the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) reveals that the UK economy is missing out on £10 billion each year because homeowners are scared they might be hiring a cowboy builder. Other key results show that one third (32%) of homeowners delay major home improvement works that require a builder because they fear the builder might not be trustworthy, which leads to the next point that if all homeowners trusted the building industry 100%, then they would be spending an average of £40,000 on major home improvement project over the next five years. “A third of homeowners are so anxious about the possibility of choosing a bad builder, they don’t commission any building work whatsoever. This means that the UK economy could be missing out on £10 billion of activity every year. Indeed, the FMB’s latest research shows that on average, your typical homeowner would spend £40,000 on major home improvement projects over the next five years if they could be guaranteed a positive experience,” said Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB. He goes on saying that if consumers could get over this fear, then the potential growth and jobs “would be enormous”. In 2017, UK had the slowest growth since 2012, with a rise in GDP of only 1.8% and the future could look even worse with Brexit just around the corner. Therefore, it is vital that the Government “pulls as many leavers as possible to turbocharge the economy and protect it from any potential economic wobbles”. To get over this fear of hiring a cowboy builder, the Government “should consider introducing some form of mandatory licensing system for domestic builders so that consumers know that all building firms have a base level of skill, competence and professionalism,” said Berry. Unlike in other countries, in the UK “anyone can be a builder”, so the industry gains a bad reputation because of that. “We’re exploring mandatory licensing with industry and Government, but in the meantime, our advice to homeowners who are looking for a builder is to ask for a recommendation from family or friends. If they can’t help, consumers should approach a professional trade association like the Federation of Master Builders who can put them in touch with a vetted and inspected building firm,” concluded Berry.
Amber Precast Group, the Alfreton based manufacturer of bespoke precast concrete, has recently undergone a brand make-over with the help of Armstrong, the leading B2B branding and marketing agency. The new ‘look’, together with the new website and the restructured offering will strengthen and refocus the business as it moves into the future. The industrial marketing specialists Armstrong led the design and development work, to accomplish the right ‘refresh’. “It was a pleasure to work with the Amber Precast team and translate ‘what they do well’ into brand values and messages which reflects this. We pride ourselves on developing a concept which is able to communicate this succinctly to our clients’ customers. This then forms the basis of the true values and attributes of the brand,” commented Armstrong director, Daniel Owen. Amber Precast is renowned for producing a wide range of architectural, structural, and glass fibre reinforced products for the house building, construction, civil, and nuclear sectors. What they do, together with the products they have to offer has to be reflected in the message they send; which is exactly what Armstrong did for the manufacturer. Daniel adds that “the essential message needed to be refreshed and clarified” and then the communication tools, including the website, had to highlight it. “We’re very pleased with our new positioning. The Amber Precast brand has been thoroughly modernized, reflecting our true status within the industry, and, moving forward, we are now well positioned to serve our clients with a ‘one-stop’ solution for all precast concrete product types,” said Mark Johnson, Amber Precast Managing Director. Armstrong has existed since the early 90s and it aims to dig deep into the commercial mechanics of a business I order to ensure that any customer proposition is powerful enough to outperform market growth. Armstrong draws on all aspects of a company and channels it to stakeholders in a simple, memorable way.
Now that the Carillion’s collapse is becoming old news, ArchOver CEO Angus Dent outlines the lessons to be learnt and the steps that smaller businesses should take to make sure future failures will not touch them. At the time of its demise, Carillion had £1.5 billion worth of outstanding payments, a £2.6 billion pension debt, and it issued three profit warnings in just five months, so in reality its failure should have come as no surprise taking the state the company was in. What happened to it is an important reminder that no matter how big a company is, it can still fail. The industry did not know how bad Carillion’s position was and now the consequences of it are 43,000 jobs left in uncertainty and money owed to more than 30,000 small business. Although credit insurers have confirmed that they will pay out a £30 million compensation, that only accounts for a small portion of the total debt owed. Unpaid invoices generally account for 25% of bankruptcies, with the figures for the construction industry being even higher. This sector experiences the highest levels of insolvency per year, so SMEs need to be more aware of the risks they are exposed to. If you are the owner of an SME, then do your research before working with a big company. Don’t just rely on its reputation for reassurance. You could look at whether they have a good record for paying their debts. Or how about asking your peers if they had issues with invoicing them? Additionally, consider what would happen if a customer was to default and ensure that you have protection, such as credit insurance, in place. The Carillion collapse proves that credit insurance does pay off when a big contractor goes bust, but not enough companies took it out. Trusting a company’s longevity or size is understandable, but it can also be a risky mistake. Investments and contractors can go bad, so you need to make sure you are protected. SMEs should not accept contracts where there’s a risk that they won’t be paid or where there aren’t measures in place to protect them against losses.
Work on the £35 million extension to Babraham Research Campus in Cambridge will commence shortly. Local business Mick George Ltd will be completing Earthworks at the site, for MJS Construction (March) Ltd on behalf of SDC Construction Limited. The partnership announced back in October 2017 between the campus and BioMed Realty will see the creation of two new buildings, with a combined 108,000 square feet of space for integrated laboratories and offices. It is anticipated that the scheme will house life sciences start-ups and scale-ups. The Campus is now home to some 60 enterprises and around 2,000 people and when the new development will be completed, the entire space will exceed the 300,000 square feet mark. The Babraham Research Campus is managed and developed by Babraham Bioscience Technologies (BBT) on behalf of its shareholders, The Babraham Institute and the Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). Cambridge is known as Europe’s leading technology cluster, with 57,000 people employed by 1,500 technology based firms. BioMed Realty recognised this potential back in 2012 when it acquired Granta Park and is now looking into further expansion in the county of Cambridgeshire. ‘’As a local business ourselves, we know the importance of sites such as Babraham Research Campus and the likes, in developing the thriving business community of our county. This development will have an impact for many generations to come on the local surroundings, and for that reason we’re pleased to play our part,” said Michael George, Contracts Director at Mick George Ltd. Mick George is one of the leading suppliers to the construction industry in East Anglia and the East Midlands. They specialise in bulk excavation, demolition & earthmoving services, ready mixed concrete, a wide range of skip hire and waste management services, commercial waste service and aggregate supply. One of the company’s main priorities is to offer support to the local community, so it donates up to £900,000 annually to community developments and projects.
Category: Construction Industry Today | Subscribe to Construction Industry Today Feed Published Wed, Mar 2nd 2016 Simple, flexible and robust recorder efficiently and accurately measures vibrations, shocks and tremors from construction & building works Posted via Industry Today. Follow us on Twitter @IndustryToday AcSoft Health & Safety – leading specialist in noise and vibration monitoring instrumentation for occupational health and the environment – is now offering a Menhir ground vibration monitor from Semex-Engcon GmbH. The simple, flexible and robust ‘Modular Enhanced Intelligent Recorder’ efficiently measures vibrations, shocks and tremors generated by construction and building works, as well as mining, demolition and quarrying activities. In conjunction with SDC (Smart Data Centre) software, the web-based, high resolution Menhir system is capable of accurately recording, analysing and transferring data from complex structural and vibration monitoring and metrology applications in harsh environments. The SDC software offers a fully integrated cloud solution for quick access to data and Menhir device status at any time from PC, tablet or smartphone. An optional complete analysis module is also available, allowing reports to be automatically generated and transmitted electronically in freely adjustable intervals. Allowing easy operation with minimal training, the intuitive Menhir can be customised to suit individual monitoring requirements and configured for immediate set up and use. A simple configuration tool means settings can be changed at any time, with quick and full access to the monitor’s parameters and values, as well as all analytical options and results. For maximum flexibility, the Menhir is available with internal and external SIM card slots. The latter enables the user to determine which provider is transmitting data, without having to open the device. The system can also be equipped with a low cost M2M solution. An internal battery provides up to 48 hours operating autonomy, depending on transmission requirements. The Menhir can be placed with up to 15° offset on the ground. The innovative measurement device detects the offset and corrects it automatically. It can also be aligned with the three integrated levelling screws so no mounting platform is required.The Menhir offers a dynamic range > 130dB at 100 measurements per second per channel, as well as a bandwidth from 1 to 400 Hz. It incorporates a selectable alarm output to designated personnel via SMS or email. Source link
24 August 2016 | Herpreet Kaur Grewal Pest control could undergo a major transformation following the discovery of a gene responsible for giving insects their waterproof coating. The coating protects them from microbes and environmental stress. An international research team, led by Joanne Yew from the University of Hawaii, Mānoa, identified the ‘spidey’ gene (nicknamed after Spiderman) in vinegar flies. The team hopes that with further study they can bridge the gap to pest species. News reports state that Yew said: “When we knocked out spidey in adult flies, the flies exhibited several striking features: their life span was shortened by about 50 per cent, they lost almost all of their waxy coating and flies frequently got stuck to the sides of the plastic vials and were unable to free themselves.” Vacant property firm Orbis said: “Infestations are incredibly difficult to avoid and once infected, a building can need multiple treatments.” “The ability to remove an insect’s waxy coating could make their control easier and will enhance expert services. This is particularly important news in light of the study Orbis reported on earlier this year, revealing that bed bugs are developing a resistance to insecticides.” Source link
A month ago, the UK foreign secretary Boris Johnson suggested that a bridge across the English Channel would be a great idea. Now, the French company that runs the Channel Tunnel opened the subject to the UK government, writing to UK Prime Minister Theresa May. “The idea of a second fixed link is something that we regularly consider in our long-term plans and we would be delighted to engage with your officials to explore the possibility further,” wrote Eurotunnel Chief Executive Jacques Gounon. “As part of the Treaty of Canterbury and the Concession Agreement which established the Channel Tunnel, Eurotunnel has the right to build the next fixed link.” Even though in the beginning Johnson’s idea of a cross-Channel bridge was dismissed as an economic impossibility and an engineering liability, Eurotunnel seems to be interested in it, even stating they have first rights to build the link. “Building a huge concrete structure in the middle of the world’s busiest shipping lane might come with some challenges,” said the UK Chamber of Shipping. Firstly, the Channel would have to include a suspension bridge able to accommodate 80m high ships, meaning it would need towers more than 500m high, said Wanda Lewis, Professor of Structural Engineering at the University of Warwick. A more likely choice seems to be a second tunnel or even a combined bridge and tunnel, as the costs would only be a small fraction of the £120 billion needed for a bridge. The idea was brought forward by Johnson during a discussion with French president Emmanuel Macron, as a way of binding the UK and France after Brexit. However, the developments on the project need to wait until Westminster and Brussels reach a deal on Brexit.