Polyframe Group, the Halifax-based manufacturer and distributor of trade windows and doors, has been bought out by its senior management team. The management buyout (MBO) is backed by specialist investment firm Cairngorm Capital. Polyframe began in 1992 and has grown into one of the UK’s largest manufacturers of PVCu and
Carbon60, the technical recruitment company has released information that looks into how contractors that are involved in the construction industry are managing to increase the number of projects completed that have an element of social value and considerations for the local community. It now widely considered that the social factors
With the General election looming, and votes taking place on the 8th June, the political parties are having one last push for votes from the public. As part of the manifesto, all of the main political parties have released plans for climate change. The election was first announced in order
As part of their sustainability planning, and IT company that has numerous different offices around the world, has started to use solar thermal as an energy source. This IT company is the only the latest company to begin using this as a form of sustainability planning and it is thought
Crown has announced that they have been recognised in more than 100 international design awards for the industrial sector. The company has been given these awards for the designs of their forklifts. Crown has a reputation for award winning and is also one of the largest companies for materials handling
Jarvie Plant Group has successfully opened their new hire plant depot. The depot is located in Astley which is in north-west Manchester. Jarvie Plant Group’s new location is the business’ first to be opened in England and the new facility reflects an investment in the country of around £1 million
Trivandi is celebrating their fourth anniversary this year. The consultancy company was established by the senior members of the LOCOG’s venues and Infrastructure department that was created as a part of the work towards the London 2012 Olympic Games. LOCOG was the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic
Sparrows Group has been awarded a contract to provide inspections on behalf of CertainTeed. The contract will involve Sparrows delivering inspections across 17 of the client’s US Gypsum plants. Sparrows Group is a company that works to deliver specialist equipment and and other integrated engineering solutions that are used within
Savills latest research reveals an active farmland market in Scotland, both in terms of the level of land being launched to the market and healthy level of buyer interest. There has been a 43% increase in the amount of land being offered for sale on the Scottish market compared to
22 June 2016 | Herpreet Kaur Grewal Geoff Prudence told attendees at the Facilities Show this week that he is intending on producing BIM retrofit guidance. Prudence, who is chairman of CIBSE’s facilities management division, said: “I am aiming to put together a group of proactive people
Polyframe Group, the Halifax-based manufacturer and distributor of trade windows and doors, has been bought out by its senior management team. The management buyout (MBO) is backed by specialist investment firm Cairngorm Capital. Polyframe began in 1992 and has grown into one of the UK’s largest manufacturers of PVCu and aluminium windows, and composite doors. Group turnover tops £50m and it has 470 employees. The acquisition, led by chief executive Ian Macdougal, was prompted by the retirement of founder and chairman Martyn Buckley. Joining Mr Macdougal in the MBO are fellow Polyframe directors Jeremy Stott, Peter Dyson, David Eagle, Richard Lee and Nick Summers. Oliver Robinson, will join as interim COO and Jim Faulds joins as non-executive chairman. Martyn Buckley said “Having built my company to become the industry leader over the past twenty-five years, it is pleasing to pass it on to such a strong management team.” Ian Macdougal said: “The outlook for our industry is strong and extremely positive. This, together with the quality of our operations and the calibre of our staff were the deciding factors in our acquisition. As part of this transaction, we have been fortunate to secure funding from Cairngorm Capital, a specialist investment firm which has considerable expertise in our industry, both as an investor but most importantly for us, operationally. Together as partners, we will have the resources and the expertise to make Polyframe the definitive supplier of choice.” Cairngorm Capital’s investment was led by managing partner Andrew Steel, who said: “Polyframe is an excellent example of the sort of business in which we like to invest – it is the leading competitor in its market with attractive growth opportunities and a highly capable management team. Our involvement will allow Ian and his team to pursue their strategy of enhancing the breadth of Polyframe’s offering, to the benefit of customers, employees and suppliers.” This article was published on 8 Jul 2016 (last updated on 8 Jul 2016). Source link
Carbon60, the technical recruitment company has released information that looks into how contractors that are involved in the construction industry are managing to increase the number of projects completed that have an element of social value and considerations for the local community. It now widely considered that the social factors of a construction project is vitally important although does not necessarily receive an adequate level of exposure. Social value as a factor was added in 2013 to Carbon60’s insight. However there is an increased level of recognition being given to it because it has been seen to benefit construction projects. An increasing number of contractors that work within the private sector are utilising social value as a way of measuring the success of their projects and as more time goes on there is expected to be a higher demand for access to this information in the future. The Carbon60 report that has recently been published also looks at a number of different case studies and how big companies within the sector such as Kier Construction and Willmott Dixon has been working in order to put more investment into the community around projects that are being carried out as well as taking part in work support and help disadvantaged groups. Similar works that are carried out by these companies and other construction contractors has contributed to a reduction of £15-20 billion that is lost each year by the British Council of Offices in possible social benefits. Carbon 60 think that monitoring the social value in a project can add extra challenges to a construction project however, it is important for companies to support the local community such as the creation of jobs in the area. The recruitment company feel that supporting and improving the employment in the local area of the is a vital part of adding social value on to construction projects and developments.
With the General election looming, and votes taking place on the 8th June, the political parties are having one last push for votes from the public. As part of the manifesto, all of the main political parties have released plans for climate change. The election was first announced in order to stop the struggle that the Prime Minister claims she was facing while carrying out the plans for Brexit. However throughout the campaign the plans to improve or increase the sustainability of the country haven’t been a vital part of the campaign process. Despite this, all of the main political parties have announced some policies in regards to climate change and with the signing of the Paris Agreement being signed, the ability of the country to meet the restrictions that have been applied have been a consideration throughout the election campaign. The Conservative party has pledged as a part of their manifesto that they will be working to tackle the air quality in the Country. This aim has been announced because of the High Court action that has taken place against the current Government because of the illegal levels of air pollution that have been recorded in some populated areas. The party is expected to release a plan that will span 25 years and will improve the company’s environment while the UK leave the European Union. In terms of the construction and building sector, the Conservative want to create a programme that will help larger companies become more green. The Labour party also looks at cleaner air, and will also look to put energy distribution back into the public sector. The Party will be working on protecting the environmental protection that have been put in place through Brexit and improve the energy efficiency regulations that are expected by landlords in order to help renters save money on their bills. The political party are also wanting to support nuclear projects and will aim to make sure 60% of all the energy used in the UK comes from renewable sources or through processes that do not use carbon. We will have to wait and see how how the winning party’s manifesto gets put into action over the course of the next few weeks.
As part of their sustainability planning, and IT company that has numerous different offices around the world, has started to use solar thermal as an energy source. This IT company is the only the latest company to begin using this as a form of sustainability planning and it is thought that solar thermal will be used at the company’s new offices which have been built in Dublin. The building in question is situated on the EastPoint Business Park, and ideal location in Dublin. The construction has already managed to earn the LEED Platinum rating for the efficiency of the building. As part of the building’s sustainability features, there are cutting edge solar thermal systems installed onto the roof. The system will be used to heat up all of the domestic use water for the building’s occupants, which has been estimated to be around 2,300 litres each day. This means that the company can save money on the fuel bills that would be required when heating this much water, bt it will also greatly improve the company’s sustainability. Kingspan Solar’s engineers were involved in the installation of the equipment and the engineers for the company have used specialised T*SOL software which gave them the capabilities to work out the energy yield for the building. In this case the energy yield for the building in Dublin is 9.83 MWH/year which means that the multi-national IT company could expect and annual natural gas saving of around 1,270.8㎥. There has also been a green Biosolar roof in order to improve the solar output of the solar equipment. Kingspan also worked on a number of different aspects of the build and there was a focus on making sure that the building met all of the relevant energy requirements in order to be considered for the LEED and the BREEAM construction scheme.
Crown has announced that they have been recognised in more than 100 international design awards for the industrial sector. The company has been given these awards for the designs of their forklifts. Crown has a reputation for award winning and is also one of the largest companies for materials handling in the world. The business focuses on developing equipment that is cutting edge and can deliver the best performance for their companies. Crown has been working to design forklifts since 1965 and the most recent accolade has been given to the company as part of the Good Design™ Awards. This award was given to Crown for the design of their SC 6000 Series of products. While being recognised and receiving these 100 awards, the business have been designing forklifts are tailored in order to be safe and visible on site and while in use as part of the industrial industry. The forklifts have also been created in order to be efficient and comfortable to use while being used. It is a great achievement for the business to broadcasts that they have managed to gain more than 100 different awards for the design of their vehicles. Despite the amazing news of the company’s awards tally, it has been said that it is more important to Crown that they focus on making sure that those in the industrial sector get the best experience from the machines as well as focussing on making sure that Crown employees, that will be using the forklifts have an input into any new designs. The latest range to receive awards is the Crown SC 6000 Series which has been advertised to be fully adjustable for the comfort of the operator as well as being a robust and versatile to use. Other ranges that have been given awards in the past includes the Crown PTH 50 Series, a pallet Truck which has the ability to move around 2,300kg of palletised goods.
Jarvie Plant Group has successfully opened their new hire plant depot. The depot is located in Astley which is in north-west Manchester. Jarvie Plant Group’s new location is the business’ first to be opened in England and the new facility reflects an investment in the country of around £1 million which has been put into the development of the 3 acre site. The site is in a really good central location, just 10 miles out of the city to the north west. The construction and opening of the site has led to the creation of 10 new jobs. The maiden hire form the new Manchester location was first reported merely days after the new plant equipment for the site had been delivered. In this case it was a ground works contractor based in Scotland that was quick off the mark to get their hands on a 14m telehandler which will be utilised at the Chaddock Lane facility in Astley. Jarvie Plant’s new location seems to be off to an excellent start, seeing business in such a short space of time after being operational. This is good news for the company’s first venture into the english market with this facility. Hopefully there will also be more locations opening for the hire company. The new location just outside of Manchester also implies a focus on expansion for the company, which could lead to more locations being opened and more jobs created. Jarvie plans to grow in order to improve how visible they are to main contractors within the construction industry. Jarvie Plant Group are aiming to expand their visibility to main contractors, civils contractors and house builders around the UK. The company already has facilities that have been purpose built open in Dundee and Aberdeen. Jarvie has total of 8 different facilities in Scotland. There will be a ninth depot opened it Scotland at some point later this year. The ninth facility will be located in Nairn, on the north coast of the country.
Trivandi is celebrating their fourth anniversary this year. The consultancy company was established by the senior members of the LOCOG’s venues and Infrastructure department that was created as a part of the work towards the London 2012 Olympic Games. LOCOG was the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Trivandi works in order to offer their clients delivery and operational advice on a variety of different venues and mega-events. Since the company was created they have been able to secure 30 contracts that have been carried out in 17 different countries worldwide. The contracts that have been awarded to and carried out by Trivandi have been on behalf of a number of different venues around the worlds and many big international events. As part of the successful contracts carried out by the company, Trivandi has given advice and implementation services on a number of well covered events such as Rio 2016. The business is also involved in a number of events that are in the pipeline including the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and the FIFA World Cup which is being held in Qatar and the 50th Super Bowl in San Francisco. The co-founders experiences with these types of events, such as the London 2012 Olympic Games have clearly given the business a competitive edge and the knowledge and experience necessary to be successful in this sector. Trivandi was co-founded by James Bulley, Paul May and Jonathan Branson. James Bulley provides the company with strategic advice which is used while carrying out work on complex and major projects. In previous roles, James has been the Director of Venues and Infrastructure as part of the London 2012 Olympic Games. Paul May worked for 7 years as the Head of Venue Development on the London 2012 Organising Committee and has also worked as the Estates Director at ExCeL, the Exhibition and Convention space in London. Jonathan Branson Was the Head of Olympic Park Operations for the Games in London and is now involved with Trivandi as a client and key stakeholder. Jonathan is also involved in the completion of a number of contracts that involve some of the most popular and well known sports project that take place in the UK, including Wembley National Stadium and the facilities that were required for the Commonwealth Games that have been held in Manchester and Glasgow.
Sparrows Group has been awarded a contract to provide inspections on behalf of CertainTeed. The contract will involve Sparrows delivering inspections across 17 of the client’s US Gypsum plants. Sparrows Group is a company that works to deliver specialist equipment and and other integrated engineering solutions that are used within the energy and industrial industries. Sparrows focuses on offering their clients a wide variety of different solutions by using their specialist knowledge in order to offer safe efficient and high performance services. The business is most known for being a worldwide specialist for leading crane, lifting and mechanical handling. The new contract has been awarded by CertainTeed, who is a subsidiary of one of the largest and oldest building product companies in the world, Saint-Gobain. The company focuses on products that can be used in both interior and exterior locations. For example the company provides products for roofing, fencing, insulation, gypsum and ceilings to name just a few areas. As part of the agreement that has been formed with CertainTeed, Sparrows will be looking at all of the lifting equipment that is installed at the Gypsum sites in order to make sure that they are operating at their best. Gypsum is known for being one of the leading manufacturers of products that are used in the construction industry. Included in the products that are manufactured are overhead cranes, crawler cranes, loose lifting equipment and hoists. The new contract is great news for the equipment and engineering services company, as they are working towards diversification. The company is looking at spreading their expert knowledge of lifting equipment as well as their inspection services into different sectors. Sparrows consists of a team that has a wealth of experience inspecting products and facilities and hopefully they will be to work with CertainTeed in order to improve the safety and efficiency of the building product company’s equipment. By offering their services across a number of different sites, Sparrows will be able to make sure that there is a consistent quality of equipment across all of their facilities.
Savills latest research reveals an active farmland market in Scotland, both in terms of the level of land being launched to the market and healthy level of buyer interest. There has been a 43% increase in the amount of land being offered for sale on the Scottish market compared to a modest drop south of the border, and viewer numbers in Scotland are up compared with the same period last year. Evelyn Channing of Savills Farm Agency team said there are several reasons why the Scottish market is bucking the UK trend, despite challenges facing the sector. These include referendum fatigue, improved bank lending, value for money and the desire to diversify farming income. She said: “Although it is early days for many farms launched on the open market across the length and breadth of Scotland, viewer requests and pre-emptive offers paint an unexpectedly positive picture in an industry beset with concerns. In addition there is a strong appetite from farmers who are looking for purchasing advice in this uncertain market. “The farming industry is largely dependent on subsidies, and as such we anticipated a pause in market on the run up to the EU vote, but this has not been the case. Coming hot on the heels of the Scottish Referendum and local elections, a level of fatigue has set in and the EU debate has had minimal impact north of the border as a result. Our advice to sellers has not been to hold back until after the vote, but to launch their farms; albeit with delayed closing dates to accommodate any pre-referendum nerves. “In terms of buyers, we are seeing those who wish to stay in farming for the long term gearing up to expand in order to weather any storms that may lie ahead. Again, this strategy is operating regardless of the EU vote. Banks are increasingly supportive of such expanding farms and lending is on the increase. According to Savills the commercial need to secure value for money has been a greater driver than politics in the current market. The gap in values between what is available in Scotland and prices in England and Ireland is therefore attracting a growing number of viewers to Scotland. Evelyn said: “Demonstrating outstanding value for money has been key to generating interest.” Crofthead in Dumfriesshire, an attractive mixed agricultural, forestry and sporting estate at a total of 1,258 acres, and Falahill in Midlothian, an extensive arable and stock farm in the Scottish borders at 1,500 acres are both attracting English viewers. “Overlaw, a small dairy farm of around 311 acres in Kirkcudbright, Dumfries & Galloway, has been inundated with viewers from far and wide despite challenges within the dairy sector. Buyers from Northern Ireland, where land values have risen once again, are back in the market and we are also seeing those driven by the desire to relocate beef units from areas blighted with TB. A unit such as Overlaw in a particularly attractive part of the UK is highly appealing in this regard. “Scale will be the key to attracting interest in Cowford, a 777 acre unit north of Perth which includes an established forestry plantation adjoining the principal equipped lot (417 acres) and a secondary bare land lot of 95 acres. Meanwhile in Stirlingshire Alton of Bandeath, a 499 acre arable and stock holding on the Carse of Stirling, offers those developers and strategic land buyers the opportunity to acquire a well located unit with zoning for 75 houses in the Stirling Local Development plan and further land allocated for business use. “Recent launches demonstrate buyers are keen to secure a diversified income, which potentially can deliver a secondary income in more challenging times.” Parknowe Farm near Cupar, Fife extends to about 250 acres and for the past 11 years has slowly evolved to become an established livery business, delivering an income in farming terms that would equate to £250 per tonne of grain produce across ever acre. Strong interest in Falside Farm south east of St Andrews is anticipated as a satellite unit to run in conjunction with a main holding given its reputation of comprising a compact block of arable land of quality. Source link
22 June 2016 | Herpreet Kaur Grewal Geoff Prudence told attendees at the Facilities Show this week that he is intending on producing BIM retrofit guidance. Prudence, who is chairman of CIBSE’s facilities management division, said: “I am aiming to put together a group of proactive people who are directly involved in using retrofitting and using BIM and bringing it to life in reality… a group that can help promote best practice and case studies. “BIM is not often used in retrofitting, but therein lies a great opportunity. You can still use the same philosophy. If the group comes together, we can put out a short guidance publication.” He also said that in general the industry has “a long way to go when it comes to producing a good maintenance strategy in retrofits and design”. Prudence said he was looking to produce the guidance over the remainder of 2016. Source link