The CEO of CABE (The Chartered Association of Building Engineers), Dr John Hooper, has been awarded the UK Chief Executive of the Year 2017 at the annual Association of Association Executives awards. The Association of Association Executives is the largest of its kind in Europe, having members in other regions
The term, ‘disruptive innovation’ was coined by Harvard Business School professor, Clayton M. Christensen in his 1997 bestseller, The Innovators Dilemma. It refers to a new technology that disrupts an established product, shaking up or creating a new industry. Here, Jonathan Wilkins, marketing director at industrial obsolete automation equipment supplier
Hussain Architectural Design (HAD) are part of the finalists at the British Muslim Awards 2018, running under the ‘Service to creativity and Technology’ category. This year will hold the 6th awards ceremony on the 31st of January at the Bradford Hotel in Bradford. The aim of the British Muslim Awards
Western Thermal Limited, a leading specialist in heating and ventilation insulation, ductwork, electric heating, fire stopping, and thermal energy auditing, is offering its services to the Wexham Park Hospital Emergency Department. The NHS unit will benefit from thermal insulation, trace heating, and fire stopping on the building’s pipework and ductwork,
Listed consulting engineer Waterman Group has reported a 50% rise in profits on revenue up 9% and beaten its three-year targets. For the year ended 30th June 2016, Waterman generated revenue of £91.3m (2015: £83.9m) and profit before tax of £4.3m (2015: £3.4m). The board had previously set targets for
Primary Engineer was first started in 2005, and has throughout the company’s lifetime worked to promote the inclusion of engineering in education from the earliest possible age. Susan Scurlock is the Chief Executive of Primary Engineer and was released an explanation of the company’s success as well as offering schoolchildren
The interior design and all the specific elements that you will decide to incorporate in your home have an effect on the general air in the place. A badly chosen item can provoke anger, anxiousness or even physical headaches on a daily basis, just as the right fit can light
Staff at pioneering roofing manufacturer Russell Roof Tiles have pulled out all the stops and raised an amazing £32,500 to help local vital services – close to its factories. Staff from Burton on Trent and Lochmaben have danced, hiked, run and quizzed their way to raising the cash. Russell’s monies
The large construction company, Kier has been handed down a £1.8 million penalty following a road resurfacing death. The division of the major contractor has been fined following the death of one of its workers, who was fatally hit by a 96 kph contraflow while work was taking place to
Technology business owner and Managing Director Leanne Bonner-Cooke will be accepting her most prestigious award to date and adding the letters ‘MBE’ to the end of her name in 2018. Leanne who runs software development business Evolve-IT Consulting Ltd in The Midlands, recently discovered her name had been submitted to
The CEO of CABE (The Chartered Association of Building Engineers), Dr John Hooper, has been awarded the UK Chief Executive of the Year 2017 at the annual Association of Association Executives awards. The Association of Association Executives is the largest of its kind in Europe, having members in other regions such as Africa, India and the Middle East. Its associates are part of professional, scientific, business, and academic Associations, Societies, Federations, Councils and Chambers. The purpose of the Association Awards is to recognise excellence in leadership, development and service in membership organisations, appreciated for their dedication and success. At the evening of the event held in Manchester on the 14th of December, the judges pointed out that during his tenure CABE has achieved a Royal Charter in only 2 years, has expanded its boundaries to an international level, and has grown its memberships. Dr John Hooper said about his success: “I’m delighted for the recognition for the whole CABE team in the successful development of the Chartered Association and its achievements over the last few years.” CABE was founded in 1925 and is a leading professional body for building engineers specialised in design, construction, evaluation and maintenance of buildings. Its practice reaches UK, mainland Europe, and other continents. The professionalism of its members is reflected in its prime qualification of Building Engineer, and even though John is due to retire and step down from the role of CEO in April 2018, he will keep mentoring other professional bodies.
The term, ‘disruptive innovation’ was coined by Harvard Business School professor, Clayton M. Christensen in his 1997 bestseller, The Innovators Dilemma. It refers to a new technology that disrupts an established product, shaking up or creating a new industry. Here, Jonathan Wilkins, marketing director at industrial obsolete automation equipment supplier EU Automation, discusses three sectors that automation and robotics have disrupted. There are examples of disruptive technology across every industry sector. In consumer technology, the personal computer and the smartphone permanently changed the way we do things. Not only can new technologies create new markets, they can also have a huge impact on industry. Industrially, technologies like additive manufacturing are changing the way products can be manufactured. But it is not just manufacturing and consumer technology that have been affected. Here, we look at three industries that have been forever changed by automation. Automotive The automotive industry was quick to adopt automated technology and automotive production lines already feature some of the latest industrial robots. Automation has been a useful technology in automotive manufacturing as it is flexible and able to respond to the dynamic needs of the industry. Of all manufacturing sectors, industrial robots have made some of the biggest waves in automotive manufacturing. As well as automation being used in automotive manufacturing, vehicles are getting smarter. Many already offer partially automated functions, for example predictive emergency braking and parking-related functions. There are a number of technologies in the pipeline to improve the driving experience and fully automated systems are expected to be implemented after 2025. Construction Companies are combining emerging technologies to build complex structures. Robots can now be used to construct beams, lay bricks or drill. In fact, nearly any job in the process can be automated. In future, this means construction could be planned and coordinated remotely, performed on site only by robots. Construction environments are less structured and more unpredictable than most manufacturing facilities, which can make it more difficult to integrate autonomous technologies, particularly if they are mobile. However, vision and inspection systems are proving extremely popular in the industry. Healthcare In the healthcare industry, many of the skills needed in certain roles are impossible to automate, especially those involving human connection. However, there is still a role for robotics in this sector. One area where automated technology is booming is the surgical robot market, which is currently worth approximately $4 billion a year and is expected to grow to $20 billion by 2024. Surgical robots allow doctors to perform complex procedures with improved precision and control than was previously possible. Automation is common across a number of manufacturing sectors, but it has branched out to a range of industries. Companies operating in the construction, automotive and healthcare sectors are certainly being shaken up and there is more innovation to come.
Hussain Architectural Design (HAD) are part of the finalists at the British Muslim Awards 2018, running under the ‘Service to creativity and Technology’ category. This year will hold the 6th awards ceremony on the 31st of January at the Bradford Hotel in Bradford. The aim of the British Muslim Awards is to give recognition to different aspects of the society, including business, charity, sport, arts, and culture. What the evening wants to highlight is the determination, hard work, and the personal and commercial achievements of Britain’s Muslim individuals, groups, and businesses. Hussain Architectural Design was founded by the Huddersfield University graduate, Saira Hussain, and has expanded its offices in Burnley, Blackburn, London, Huddersfield, and Manchester. HAD is known for its work to inspire females in the construction industry with an all-female management to back its ideas. Saira, the winner of the 2016’s ABA Business Woman of the Year Award, said about their work at HAD that it transforms homes and building sites into masterworks: “Creativity lies at the heart of every design process and technology is what bring everything together, it’s always humbling to be recognised for the work we do.” Nixie Edwards, the Practice Manager, also said that this achievement proves that hard work pays off and it is what encourages them to keep going: “We are really proud to be part of this industry, and love to find architectural solutions to the challenges that our clients may face.” One of HAD’s newest additions is the interior design department that covers high end housing projects and commercial interiors such as retail, restaurants, coffee shops, and bars. By the looks of it, the company has started the year with an honourable achievement that will only help the business grow bigger and stronger in the future.
Western Thermal Limited, a leading specialist in heating and ventilation insulation, ductwork, electric heating, fire stopping, and thermal energy auditing, is offering its services to the Wexham Park Hospital Emergency Department. The NHS unit will benefit from thermal insulation, trace heating, and fire stopping on the building’s pipework and ductwork, including fitted fire rated insulation sleeves. The Executive Operations Director of Western Thermal, Michael Slater, said: “We are proud to be a part of such an important NHS project for the country. Wexham Park Hospital also adds to our project count in the Slough Area, which include LDC data centres and Slough Power.” Western Thermal’s Thermal division is one of the leaders in providing heating and ventilation insulation contractors. It is known by its clients for its services meeting the demands for economic and environmental efficiency and also for its groundbreaking insulation jackets that use removable and reusable thermal materials. While the Trace Heating division specialises in supplying the building’s pipes with water at a constant temperature that also protects the pipes from frost, the trace heating systems offer self-limiting, flexible resistant, and metal-sheathed resistant heating cables. The £49 million hospital project will benefit of all these advantages that Western Thermal has up its sleeve. Wexham Park Hospital has a total of 36 individual rooms and a separate children and minor injuries unit. The main contractor for the project is Kier Construction Ltd, a leading property, residential, construction, and services group. The company has previously contributed to other major projects, including Heathrow Airport Terminal 5, Wembley Stadium, and Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham. Recently, it had installed thermal insulation at Victoria Station, helped with the redevelopment of Bond Street Underground Station, and together with the University of Leeds it contributed to the Worsley building and the Edward Boyle Library projects.
Listed consulting engineer Waterman Group has reported a 50% rise in profits on revenue up 9% and beaten its three-year targets. For the year ended 30th June 2016, Waterman generated revenue of £91.3m (2015: £83.9m) and profit before tax of £4.3m (2015: £3.4m). The board had previously set targets for the three years to 30th June 2016 of making £3.3m pre-tax profit and increasing return on capital employed to more than 20%. On the latter count, it delivered 47% in the past year. Chief executive Nick Taylor said: “Waterman is in excellent shape, having reported results which exceed its previously declared financial objectives.” He said: “Over the last three years, the group has delivered a six times increase in the annual dividend paid to shareholders to 3.0p from 0.5p and during the same period, after paying shareholders dividends of £1.4m, net funds have increased to £5.5m from £1.1m. “Our future aspiration remains to improve the group’s adjusted operating profit margin towards 6% over the next three years and to continue to increase our dividend payout consistent with the cash generative nature of the business.” This article was published on 10 Oct 2016 (last updated on 10 Oct 2016). Source link
Primary Engineer was first started in 2005, and has throughout the company’s lifetime worked to promote the inclusion of engineering in education from the earliest possible age. Susan Scurlock is the Chief Executive of Primary Engineer and was released an explanation of the company’s success as well as offering schoolchildren a more hands on experience for engineering. The methods that have been used by the business to train teachers and link them to the industry while also working to bring engineers in to the classroom have been described by some as a nice initiative. However, over the course of 2017, Primary Engineer has been working to grow up, and become more than just a little initiative, and get more and more of a following. In January, the University of Strathclyde accredited Primary Engineer Postgraduate Certificate in Engineering STEM, which is a part-time master’s level course that takes a year to complete. As part of the company’s work, teachers interview engineers in order to develop a range of strategies that can then embed engineering in to the classroom and then work to evaluate the impact of these changes. This form of impact research has allowed Primary Engineer to develop their own base and has, as a knock on led to a continued improvement of all of their activities. Teachers have been working together as a part of this research and development from all areas of education, preschool, primary, secondary and college lecturers included. Primary Engineer has also had an amazing year as it has also featured in the Scottish government’s skills plans and has also begun to work with the Advanced Forming Research Centre at Strathclyde University as well as trade associations, universities, councils and blue chip companies. Primary Engineer is based in Burnley has is also working to develop connections with councils and schools in this area, giving the work carried out by the company a national impact.
The interior design and all the specific elements that you will decide to incorporate in your home have an effect on the general air in the place. A badly chosen item can provoke anger, anxiousness or even physical headaches on a daily basis, just as the right fit can light up the room without the use of electricity. You might not believe in good vibes, Feng Shui or whatever you prefer to name it. Still, there is no denying that some rooms make you feel like you can play casino games here and never lose a hand, while others practically suck the life out of you. Years of extensive research have identified the presence of various types of plants as one of the main interior design elements to have had an effect on the research subjects. Following is a list of the top recommendable indoor plants you should keep in your home – and with factual proof to support their claims. Aloe Plant A room filled with sunshine is the perfect location for an aloe plant in your home. Under such conditions, the plant grows rather fast and will be able to protect you from all kinds of chemicals from cleaning products that might pollute the air. Apart from that, the leaves from the aloe plant could come in handy in case you burn or damage your skin during activities like cooking, repairing or cleaning around the house. Peace Lily The peace lily is the perfect solution for someone that doesn’t have too much of a ‘green thumb’, as it is low maintenance and doesn’t need any extra living conditions. In fact, it is better off kept under a cooler temperature in shade. Still, residents in your home are bound to benefit from its presence there, as it is known to purify the air of all kinds of toxins. Snake Plant The snake plant is yet another low-maintenance instance of indoor flora that could survive just fine in any corner of your home. Remembering to water it from time to time is enough to make it grow tall and do its thing – it is known to absorb the carbon dioxide from the air at night and release pure oxygen, making it the perfect bedroom decoration. Philodendron Philodendron owners could enjoy its benefits for years at a time, as long as they are able to provide it with proper amounts of water and exposure to sunlight on a regular basis. Despite the gentle appearance of its heart-shaped leaves, the philodendron is a known protector from the commonly found chemical substance xylene. Red-Edged Dracaena The red-edged dracaena is primarily famous for the pleasant aesthetic effect it provides. Under the right conditions (which mostly implies lots of exposure to sunshine), the dracaena can grow higher than ten feet and fill up any awkwardly empty space in your home. As for health benefits, owners of the red-edged dracaena plant will experience a toxic-free environment, as its leaves relieve the air of xylene, formaldehyde and trichloroethylene.
Staff at pioneering roofing manufacturer Russell Roof Tiles have pulled out all the stops and raised an amazing £32,500 to help local vital services – close to its factories. Staff from Burton on Trent and Lochmaben have danced, hiked, run and quizzed their way to raising the cash. Russell’s monies raised is being split equally between Shropshire.Staffordshire.Cheshire Blood Bikes and Dumfries and Galloway Blood Bikes. Both are volunteer-led, providing lifesaving medical supplies to NHS foundations, by transporting vital blood products, bone marrow, breast milk for premature babies and other life-critical supplies to local hospitals via motorbike, where every minute counts in helping seriously ill and injured patients. This takes Russell’s total fundraising efforts for the blood bikes to £56,000 across 2016 and 2017. Last year generous Russell Roof Tiles 170 staff at its three sites and suppliers raised an impressive £24,000 – smashing the original £20,000 target and enabling both charities to buy a much-needed new motorbike each. The money was raised by a wide range of fun and challenging fundraising activities. Most of the company’s 100 staff at its two Burton sites, on Wetmore Lane and Nicolson Way and its sister site in Lochmaben participated in some form or other. This included a gruelling 72-mile hike across Hadrian’s Wall, a ballroom dancing competition at Brewhouse Arts Centre “Dancing on the Tiles”, golfing activities and football matches. For the first time a Big Quiz evening, hosted at the Pirelli Stadium in Burton raised a remarkable £8,550. The event was a triumph, and included 48 teams included members from Russell’s parent company Crown Global Equity travelling from Texas, Mexico and Florida who joined local staff, customers and suppliers. Andrew Hayward, Managing Director at Russell Roof Tiles added: “I have been amazed and delighted to see the lengths that the staff have gone across all our three sites. I want to recognise the support of the families of our staff who have been a huge support, also so many of our suppliers and friends who have gone above and beyond this year. All to help these two amazing charities and their dedicated teams who work incredibly hard to provide a vital and lifesaving service.” Both charities operate 24/7 on a totally voluntarily basis and does not receive any government or local authority finance. Jeremy Cartwright, Chair of SSBB explained “We are totally dependent on donations and the goodwill of our volunteers to enable us to provide this important service to the NHS. We undertake over 5000 jobs a year covering over 200,000 miles which of course takes its toll on the bikes we use. This fantastic donation from Russell Roof Tiles will buy us a new bike and go a long way to help keep the service running. We are all extremely grateful to the staff of RRT for their tremendous and very creative efforts to raise this money for the charity.”
The large construction company, Kier has been handed down a £1.8 million penalty following a road resurfacing death. The division of the major contractor has been fined following the death of one of its workers, who was fatally hit by a 96 kph contraflow while work was taking place to carry out repairs to a road surface in Suffolk. The Kier Subcontractor Sean Hegarty has also been fines a total of £75,000 as a part of this ruling due to their role in the accident. The incident took place on a stretch of the B106 to the north of Lidgate. The principal contractor for this repair work, Kier had employed Sean Hegarty to repair the road surface as a part of a contract that had been agreed with Suffolk Council Council. The accident took place on the 13th May 2014 and a Health and Safety Executive investigation that was carried out found that the Hegarty workers were using a road planer in order to remove the old tar from the southbound side of the road. On the northbound side of the road had traffic lights in place in order to control the direction of the traffic. During the repair work on the B106, a flatbed lorry driver saw a road worker lying in the road, he was taken to hospital but died from their injuries. It has been reported by Suffolk Police and the HSE that nobody witnessed the incident and although there is a possibility that there was a motor vehicle involved, they were not able to speculate. As a part of the investigation in to this incident,. The HSE found that both companies had been at fault as they had failed to design and plan the roadworks properly in order to ensure that road workers and members of the public could move safely around the road surfacing work that was being carried out without the risk of being hit by moving vehicles. Kier has pleaded guilty to the breach in Health and Safety regulation and has been fined £75,000 as well as £12,405. It is vital that planning for road repairs starts with planning and designing a system that will protect workers and members of the public from moving vehicles. The cones in the centre of the road at this Suffolk site were insufficient and allowed vehicles to pass the site at 96 kph close to workers with no safety zone due to lack of space on the site.
Technology business owner and Managing Director Leanne Bonner-Cooke will be accepting her most prestigious award to date and adding the letters ‘MBE’ to the end of her name in 2018. Leanne who runs software development business Evolve-IT Consulting Ltd in The Midlands, recently discovered her name had been submitted to The Queen in a letter detailing her appointment as a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the New Year 2018 Honours List, by order of The Prime Minister. Leanne will receive the MBE for Services to Women in Business, something she is extremely passionate about as a woman leading a technology business which provides software solutions and professional services to blue chip corporations. Evolve specialise in the Construction, Manufacturing, Retail and Health and safety industries. Recognised with a ‘Businesswoman of the Year’ award in 2017, and a trophy for ‘International Business of the Year’ amongst many others, Leanne isn’t unfamiliar with awards and accreditations in association with her successful enterprise grade software development business, celebrating its 11th year in 2018. However, being awarded an MBE is something Leanne had never dreamt of; “My husband and I were on holiday in Bali when we got the news, which was a welcome distraction as the volcano there was causing huge problems at the time – we thought we were going to be stuck there for a while. My Father sent me a message telling me I’d had a letter from the Home Office and a picture of the contents; I was thrilled with the news and had no idea I had been put forward, I couldn’t quite believe it.” Leanne has watched Evolve grow year after year in the last decade, watching technology trends come and go and worked with countless customers to improve business processes by introducing an Evolve custom-built solution. Constantly staying ahead of the technology curve is key to the success of official ‘Women-Owned’ Evolve and its Managing Director and her latest official royal recognition. As a ‘hands-on’ MD always looking for a new challenge, Leanne plans to break away their rebate management software solution, ‘e-Bate’, into a stand-alone business in 2018 and is already looking for investment: “We’ve done lots of research into the rebate space and we know there is a huge opportunity there. Nearly all large corporations have rebate deals between themselves and their suppliers, but we know there’s billions of pounds not being accounted for or claimed, through poor rebate management. e-Bate is an end-to-end rebate management solution that can recover and save our customers a lot of money. In fact, we believe they will see returns within the first 6 months. We think e-Bate has huge potential not just in our target markets, but far, far wider.” Leanne, also listed in the 2017 ‘BusinessCloud 101 Female Founders of Tech’ will attend a ceremony where she will be presented with her MBE in the next few months by The Queen, or in the name of Her Majesty. The New Year Honours have been presented to individuals for outstanding service to the community for over 127 years. As a pioneering woman in a technology business, the MBE title of ‘Services to Women in Business’ is fitting to Leanne’s professional achievements. Regularly attending inspirational talks and presenting to her peers and associates, Leanne has always done her best to give back to the business community and to help her fellow business people wherever she can. “I am very proud to be receiving an MBE; it feels surreal! I cannot wait to attend the ceremony and hopefully meet Her Majesty the Queen. This is definitely both my career and lifetime highlight.