Molex has announced six partners have joined the new Transcend Alliance, a consortium of companies working together to expand and promote the use of network connected lighting in commercial buildings by developing and implementing new systems and protocols.   New integrated lighting network solutions, such as the Transcend connected lighting system from Molex, are rapidly becoming an integral part of commercial building design. Companies like Molex that create enabling technology will help drive the industry through the transition from traditional lighting to network connected lighting. By utilising the Transcend system of enabling ‘network intelligent components, lighting fixture companies in the Alliance will make a large variety of fixture types available to the market. This provides lighting designers and architects with a wider range of fixture choices, making it easier for them to choose fixtures that are not only appropriate for the building type, but also align with and enhance the brand image of the company that owns or leases the building. With the Transcend system, LED lighting fixtures become intelligent and connected. From LED lighting to the network that supports it, Molex can integrate the entire system. As a Cisco Solutions Technology Integrator (STI), Molex can design and deploy the optimum system integration of Cisco network technology and Molex network connectivity and middleware expertise. In February 2016, Molex was named an inaugural partner in Cisco’s Digital Ceiling Framework, an ecosystem of companies committed to industry standards, open architecture and unified infrastructure for indoor building networks. “A network connected lighting system offers far more than new fixtures,” said Giovanni Frezza, group product manager, Molex. “Integrated network solutions such as the Transcend system are complete LED lighting management systems that can be monitored and controlled for different building environments via sensor data. They not only offer substantial energy savings, but also dramatically improve working and living environments. Members of the Transcend Alliance are dedicated to advancing the network connected lighting concept, and our mission is to help transform the way people use and interact with their indoor environments.” The Transcend system is an intelligent, low-voltage system network that both powers and controls in-building objects that are intelligent, such as LED lighting. The overall system enabling components include Molex Transcend PoE Gateways, sensors, cables and software, as well as luminaries and networking infrastructure from Alliance partners. As Alliance partners, the companies will strive for seamless integration and testing that assures that components will work end to end. Inaugural members of the Transcend Alliance are: JLC Tech LLC, Pembroke, MA, maker of the T-BAR LED Smartlight, and a designer and manufacturer of other lighting products utilising LED technology. MHT Lighting, Staten Island, NY, a leading manufacturer of energy efficient products, including induction and LED lighting and power management optimisation systems. The company is an ISO 9001 approved facility. New Star Lighting, Chicago, a division of 555 International, a leading luminaire manufacturer that offers several of its products with LED light sources and is developing LED light options for the vast majority of its products. Spectrum Lighting Inc., Fall River, MA, a designer and manufacturer of commercial and architectural lighting fixtures Swann Lighting, Lincoln, UK, a manufacturer that specialises in customer-specific luminaires and refurbishing and re-testing existing equipment. Waldmann USA, Wheeling, IL, a developer and manufacturer of professional lighting for industrial, architectural, and medical applications. In addition to improving lighting efficiency, network connected lighting systems can gather valuable data, and the Transcend Alliance will focus on developing applications in this area as well. “These data are expected to open up a new value proposition for commercial buildings, including real-time energy reporting, sensor-based occupancy reporting, light status and environmental monitoring,” said Frezza.   Source link

Severn Trent has successfully prosecuted a restaurant in Codsall, South Staffordshire for blocking the sewers with fat, oil and grease, in a “landmark case”. Café Saffron was ordered to pay a total of £5,495, including costs, at Wolverhampton Magistrates’ Court. This is only the second example of such a case being brought in the UK, and it is a first for Severn Trent. Blockages had been reported on several occasions, with complaints from neighbouring businesses that they could not flush their toilets. The restaurant was found to have caused the blockage by pouring fat used in cooking down the drain and into the sewer, where it coagulated. Severn Trent visited the premises on several occasions, sent various letters and had many conversations with the restaurant owners, asking for grease traps to be installed and warning of the consequences, but the owners refused. Severn Trent managing director of wholesale operations Emma FitzGerald said: “The verdict in this case is an important milestone for us, and we really want this to make other companies think about what they are doing with regards to disposing of fats, oils and grease and how it impacts our customers. “We clear around 45,000 blockages a year and fat contributes to the majority of those, as it binds together all the other things that end up in the sewer rather than the bin and creates huge lumps which block the sewers. “This is totally avoidable and in this case, simply installing a small grease trap could have prevented the situation.  Legal action is a last resort for us, but our customers shouldn’t have to suffer because of the actions of one business not following the rules, and ignoring our advice.” The restaurant has now committed to install a grease trap. Source link

Savills was awarded the Variety Club’s ‘Residential Agent of the Year’ at a ceremony at the London Hilton, Park Lane, this week, beating off competition from Knight Frank and JLLS. Ed Lewis, head of London Residential Development Sales, who collected the trophy says: “This award is testament to the hard work and skill of our teams across the UK in both agency and residential development and I was delighted to accept it on behalf of the business” The Variety Club was founded to provide practical help and memorable childhood experiences for less fortunate children.  Variety’s ‘Props’ Lunch is one of the oldest property industry awards event and has been running for 25 years. Source link

The University of Durham has opened bidding for a contractor to design, build, finance and operate a £100m student accommodation contract. Source link

The ONS data showed that the total volume of construction output fell but was 0.2 per cent higher year-on-year. Output had increased by 0.5 per cent in July compared with June in the immediate aftermath of the vote to leave the European Union, but has showed signs of slipping according to the ONS. The only sector to report an increase month-on-month was private commercial by 1.5 per cent as well as a 3.6 per cent year-on-year increase in August. Commercial activity is now at its highest monthly level since May. All other sectors saw a decline, with notable falls in public R&M work (-6.3 per cent), infrastructure (-5.0 per cent) and private industrial (-2.7 per cent). ONS senior statistician Kate Davies said: “Construction output has fallen back quite sharply in recent months and contracted by 1.5% in August. As the fall this month is led by infrastructure, it seems unlikely that post-referendum uncertainties are having an impact. “Monthly construction data can be quite erratic, though, so we would warn against trying to read too much into one set of figures.” Note of caution on ONS construction data. Clearly an issue with infrastructure data given that activity has been rising in the past year… pic.twitter.com/d6ad9m1l0b — Noble Francis (@NobleFrancis) October 14, 2016 But Markit senior economist Chris Williamson argued that the figures showed construction was “on course for its worst quarter for four years and at risk of heading back into recession”. “Survey data provide a ray of hope, suggesting conditions may have stabilised in September, but it’s clear that the sector remains under pressure from widespread uncertainty about the economic outlook and that growth has, at the very least, consequently slowed considerably since earlier in the year,” he said. Data from the Markit/CIPS Construction PMI showed the industry recovered slightly in August and has since returned to growth in September. Overall, all new work dipped by 1.4 per cent in August, compared with July, but it was nevertheless 1.1 per cent higher year-on-year. On a monthly basis, private housing output dropped by 1.1 per cent compared with July after posting an increase immediately after the EU referendum, but output in the sector was still 9.4 per cent higher year-on-year. Have revisions to ONS stats taught us nothing?? August stats up yoy. Keep calm. — Tom Fitzpatrick (@CNTomFitz) October 14, 2016 Public other new work was also 2.5 per cent higher year-on-year, despite posting a 1.6 per cent monthly decline. Public R&M (-14.6 per cent) and private industrial (-13 per cent) both saw double-digit year-on-year falls in output. Source link

Accountant Alix Partners, which was appointed to handle the administration, blamed pressure from creditors and an increasingly competitive market for EIC’s collapse. Administrator Kevin Coates told Construction News that EIC has “ceased to trade and we are seeking novation of contracts where possible”. He said 398 EIC employees had been made redundant and 10 retained to assist administrators. EIC’s website referred to it having “over 1,000 men in vans throughout the UK”. A statement by Alix Partners said: “[EIC’s] financial distress was driven by increasing pressure from its creditors as a result of a poor recent trading performance, underpinned by an ever-increasing competitive market.” It added that cash pressures on the company were too great, leaving no alternative but to place the company in administration. EIC was founded in 1971 and worked in the facilities management, building services, energy and sustainability and retail sectors. It has a turnover of £80m. It works with major contractors including Bam Construct, Carillion and Morgan Sindall. EIC’s latest accounts for the six months ended 31 December 2014 showed a pre-tax profit of £1.43m, up from £1.07m in the previous six months. As recently as 19 May it secured a contract for electrical installation for a new four-storey office facility for retailer Aldi and earlier that month won a 27,000 sq ft NHS project in Swindon with Rydon Construction. The company said in its last accounts that its order book and pipeline were strong, its liquidity position “robust” and it expected its “vastly improved” financial performance in 2014 would continue. A source familiar with the company said it had not been involved in ‘suicide bidding’ but had recently changed strategy to chase work only from clients well known to it. EIC had also been expanding in the south west region. It was owned by a management buyout dating from 2008 from which investor MML was understood to be seeking an exit strategy. MML declined to comment.   Source link