23 July 2016 – by Amber Rolt Amazon is to sign Europe’s largest logistics prelet for what will be one of the sector’s most revolutionary buildings. The e-tailer has agreed to take 2.2m sq ft at Roxhill and Port of Tilbury’s 70-acre London Distribution Park in Essex, which will trigger
The train station of Stamford located in the area of Lincolnshire is finally in the ending processes of its planned repair works by Network Rail. Operating throughout the country in order to improve the conditions of railway stations and the experiences of passengers, Network Rail has worked tirelessly over the
The excitement in London South West 1 is being permeated everywhere now that London & Oriental have announced the building of a brand new home and work area in the heart of London known as the new Buckingham Green. Situated in the heat of the capital right in the middle
A property development company that specializes in building and constructing homes all over the United Kingdom known as Avant Homes has recently joined forces with energy provider British Gas. This is a very important occasion for both companies as it involves the first partnership between them as part of Avant
Construction Industry Solutions (also known as COINS) were excited to organize a special conference dedicated to showing the different ways in which the building and construction industries in the United Kingdom can work together in order to implement the brand new innovations that expansions in technology enable them to do
The Minister responsible for implementing the “Northern Powerhouse” strategy into this country, Andrew Percy, has claimed that the government is investing as much as it can into the cities of the North and expects to do much more besides. This statement precedes what he will explain to a number of
BigChange the Mobile Workforce Management technology specialist has won contracts to supply some of the UK’s biggest equipment rental businesses with its three-in-one JobWatch system for over 5000 mobile technicians, engineers and drivers. A hire-specific version of the JobWatch system has been implemented by leading players including A Bird, Elliott
A marketing company faction known as Prodo Housing with a location in Cheshire has recently been awarded for its efforts of designing a special online app at the Housing Innovation Awards this year. It is a sign that the building and construction industries dealing with the development of housing all
16 April 2016 – by David Hatcher UK investment volumes have plunged by a third this year as the bull run enjoyed for the past five years fades. Just £10.1bn traded during the first quarter – a 31.8% decrease on the same period last year and a 27.3% decrease on
COINS has recently announced the six winning contestants of its yearly competition that will help to pave the way for greater innovation and sustainable methods of production that the industry will be able to implement into its workings in the near future to ensure its progression and development into the
23 July 2016 – by Amber Rolt Amazon is to sign Europe’s largest logistics prelet for what will be one of the sector’s most revolutionary buildings. The e-tailer has agreed to take 2.2m sq ft at Roxhill and Port of Tilbury’s 70-acre London Distribution Park in Essex, which will trigger the UK’s biggest industrial investment deal. It will be the first four-storey distribution centre in the UK. The development will be forward funded by Legal & General through its annuity fund, which buys long-leased property. The fund manager will pay £150m, reflecting a 5.25% yield. Amazon is signing a 20-year lease at a rent of close to £3.60 per sq ft. Legal & General’s investment underlines its commitment to UK logistics and the confidence of institutional investors in a new generation of high-tech assets. Work started on site this week after planning was granted on 6 July. The shed will be the largest and tallest warehouse in the UK at more than 70ft, with four floors, each of just under 600,000 sq ft. It will also feature a mezzanine on the first floor. All the content from this weekís magazine, including this article, is available in the new app. Unlike SEGRO’s two-storey warehouse X2 at Hatton Cross, Heathrow – the only other multi-storey in the UK – the ground floor will act as the main processing area for deliveries, and lorries will not drive up to the upper storage floors. Instead, there will be 61 loading doors for incoming and outgoing goods. The scheme also comprises a 100,000 sq ft office block and car park for 94 delivery trucks and 1,900 cars. The warehouse will contain Amazon’s most cutting-edge technology and will be operated by its Kiva robots – the robotic business that it bought in 2012 in a $775m (£531m) deal. Kivas are square, orange machines which run on wheels. They are about 16 inches tall, move at 5mph and can carry parcels weighing up to 700lbs – the weight of a small car. Although they have only been operating in Amazon warehouses in the US for two years, the Kiva robots have already cut Amazon’s expenses by about 20%, according to Deutsche Bank – roughly $22m (£16m) for each fulfilment centre. Amazon has been the most aggressive occupier in the UK logistics market this year as it continues to expand its Amazon Prime premium delivery service. After this deal, Amazon will have accounted for 24% of all deals of more than 100,000 sq ft so far this year, according to Savills. Knight Frank is acting for Roxhill; CBRE is advising Legal & General and Amazon. All parties declined to comment. Source link
The train station of Stamford located in the area of Lincolnshire is finally in the ending processes of its planned repair works by Network Rail. Operating throughout the country in order to improve the conditions of railway stations and the experiences of passengers, Network Rail has worked tirelessly over the year to improve the way that transportation works in this country, but they would not be able to do this without the efforts of a hard-working and committed workforce of individuals and hired contractors in the building and construction industries of this nation. For Stamford station, Network Rail collaborated with East Midlands Trains as well as the well-respected Railway Heritage Trust. Much of the work itself involved the improvement of the station’s roof structure, which was done so through the implementation of Collyweston stone, a material that the structure has been used in stations around Lincolnshire for centuries. The work also involved creating a canopy area as well as improving the surface conditions of the platform areas of the station, amounting to a total staggering cost of more than £1 million. It is clear that the project however was worth the money that it cost and the personality and uniqueness of the structure will soon be able to be admired by users of East Midlands Trains and commuters in the local Lincolnshire area. Network Rail were also financially backed in this ambitious enterprise by the Railway Heritage Trust, which contributed £150,000 in grant funding: this revenue was used to implement the station’s beautiful new canopy that is set to be the talk of Stamford and the Lincolnshire train-crazy population. Andrew Conroy of East Midlands Trains is hopeful that users of Stamford station will be pleased with the changes that have taken place. Similarly, Andy Savage of the Railway Heritage Trust is delighted that the Trust was able to make such a valuable contribution to the project.
The excitement in London South West 1 is being permeated everywhere now that London & Oriental have announced the building of a brand new home and work area in the heart of London known as the new Buckingham Green. Situated in the heat of the capital right in the middle of Victoria and St James, it is clear that Buckingham Green will be a vital new location for booming businesses wanting to situate themselves at the vital hub of the middle of one of the richest cities in the world. With the intention of being finished by next year in 2018, the building will cover 240,000 square feet of space and will divide itself to be a space for accommodation as well as one for vital office and business interaction. Valued at the very apex of graded accommodation (Grade A!) the building will include 55,389 square feet of space for its lucky new residents and will also devote 11,334 square feet of its space towards expensive retail outlet transactions. With a brand new square area that walkers on foot in the area will be able to use, the building has been designed by a company known as Fletcher Priest Architects who turned to designs by the celebrated architect Mies van der Rohe. With a combination of space that will be rented to booming businesses as well as a number of private landlords with the funds to buy the land space, the new Buckingham Green will be the symbol of capitalist fat cat gains and is set to be a landmark of the way business has changed in the City of London. With its adherence to existing industrial and private wealthy areas already established in the capital that include such areas as Chelsea as well as Marylebone, it is hoped that the new area by London & Oriental will be a consistent addition to the area. Mark Cannell of London & Oriental is very pleased that plans have been forward and that the site will be able to welcome its new residents and retail outlets open for business by the time of 2018.
A property development company that specializes in building and constructing homes all over the United Kingdom known as Avant Homes has recently joined forces with energy provider British Gas. This is a very important occasion for both companies as it involves the first partnership between them as part of Avant Homes’ implementation of an all-inclusive proposition in the way of wireless thermostats known as Hive Active Heating. This special type of thermostat enables the home user to benefit from being able to regulate the heat in their homes wherever they are located so long as they have access to the internet. This means that large amounts of wasted energy can be saved by residents lucky enough to be in homes built and constructed by Avant Homes, who have made this ambitious move in the hope that their customer satisfaction rates will soar to even greater heights than ever before. Operating all over the different expanses of the country in areas that include Scotland and the areas of Yorkshire and the Midlands, this new technological device is being built into Avant locations all over the place throughout the course of the year. Indeed, this is an excellently innovative from Avant Homes who continue to lead the way with flying colors as a major player in the home building industry. As the company’s CEO Colin Lewis explains, the company is always looking at ways in which it can grow and expand to improving the lives of its lucky future residents and part of this means a consistent involvement and exploration of the various forms of technology that are becoming more and more available on the market. In collaborating with British Gas to improve the lives of potential property residents, Avant Homes indicates itself as a prime example of what businesses in the construction sector can do to invest into the future.
Construction Industry Solutions (also known as COINS) were excited to organize a special conference dedicated to showing the different ways in which the building and construction industries in the United Kingdom can work together in order to implement the brand new innovations that expansions in technology enable them to do in this day and age. Over 240 fully qualified professionals operating in the sector were involved in the conference and it is clear from photographic evidence that the event was a success. With such a broad range of topics that included the new technological opportunities available to mankind as well as how growth can be sustained in the industrial sector today, there was something to amaze everyone at the event which also included talks from leading members and affiliates of companies such as Microsoft and Tesla. It is clear that the jewel in the crown however was COINS’ dedication to promoting growth and the endless variety of possibilities that are available to prospering businesses and enterprises within the building and construction industry. Being the first event of its kind to have been organized by COINS, there was overall relief that the event went so well as it did and it is clear that the company will be holding similar events of that kind again in the future, so that the promotion of growth and investment in industries all over the United Kingdom can continue to be showcased and celebrated before the very people that will help to instigate change in the way the industry operates. Robert Brown the CEO of COINS was there to express his delight that the event was such a successful one and it is clear that the gala dinner and awards ceremony to young entrepreneurs in the business was the key highlight of the Conference & Exhibition event. It is hoped that more enterprises in the construction industry will have been inspired from their attendance to prosper and grow for the years ahead.
The Minister responsible for implementing the “Northern Powerhouse” strategy into this country, Andrew Percy, has claimed that the government is investing as much as it can into the cities of the North and expects to do much more besides. This statement precedes what he will explain to a number of leading businessmen and investors in the country at the next Northern Powerhouse Conference, which is planned to be held over two days in Manchester Central from the 21st-22nd of this month of February. With the intention of drawing the attention of over 3,000 representatives of different countries looking to invest and promote the growth and prosperity of the area, this suggests a great deal of confidence in Andrew Percy that the event will be a successful one and will ensure that the future of the “Northern Powerhouse” is in safe hands. Indeed, in a statement that he made a few days ago, Andrew Percy said that with an area valued at £316 billion (and this was back in 2015, imagine he seems to say what it will be now!) the North is very much set and ready to experience an even greater amount of investment and growth into its economy than it has ever experienced before. Andrew Percy is confident that with the government’s support and with the help of such international corporations looking to invest into the area such as Nissan as well as Lufthansa the dreams of a “Northern Powerhouse” are certain to be achieved. Despite the worries of Britain’s exit from the European Union and the maneuvers of a Tory government that is spreading social inequality in the country that is harkening back to the dark days of social desperation that were rife during the Margaret Thatcher reign, Andrew Percy remains evermore confident that the plans to erect a “Northern Powerhouse” are still well and truly capable of being achieved. I have the feeling I’m not in Kansas anymore.
BigChange the Mobile Workforce Management technology specialist has won contracts to supply some of the UK’s biggest equipment rental businesses with its three-in-one JobWatch system for over 5000 mobile technicians, engineers and drivers. A hire-specific version of the JobWatch system has been implemented by leading players including A Bird, Elliott Group, HSS Hire, Nixon Hire, John Deere, Morrison Utilities, Komatsu, Haulotte, Garic, A1 Group, Procomm Site Services, Hawk Group and Fourjays. The turnkey solution from BigChange has introduced a paperless revolution, equipping mobile workers with a Samsung Android tablet that manages receipt of job instruction, electronic proof of collection and delivery, site servicing, timesheets, electronic start-of-day vehicle walkaround checks, driver behaviour scoring promoting safe eco-driving, tachograph interface and Health and Safety procedures. The system is also a rich vehicle tracking system providing real-time location updates. The system is integrated with leading Hire Management systems including MCSrm and InspHire meaning that planned services, repairs, deliveries and collections are automatically pushed through to JobWatch. On logging on to the app at the start of each day, drivers and technicians are guided to start their timesheet, conduct a walkaround check that meets DVSA requirements (recording, photographing and alerting any vehicle defects) and have instant access to their jobs for the day. In the back-office, the system is enabling planners to respond faster to customer needs, intelligently allocating work orders based on real-time engineer availability, skills, live location and parts stock levels. This is significantly increasing productivity, minimising customer wait time and driving first time fix and ensures this can be achieved at the most competitive cost. The JobWatch system is saving Hire operators across Modular Buildings, Portaloos, Construction & Forestry, Plant & Equipment, Lifts, Platforms and Power Generators hundreds of thousands of pieces of paper annually and has significantly improved back-office administration. Engineers and drivers receive their work orders instantly on the JobWatch mobile app with paper job-cards and service repair worksheets replaced by equipment-specific electronic workflows that guide technicians at every step including risk assessments and method statements. Engineers no longer need to return paperwork to the back-office, saving a huge volume of previously manual back-office processing. The workflow also effectively manages damages and chargeable items; photos captured at the point of delivery or collection are automatically relayed to the back office, allowing them to instantly raise an invoice for chargeable work. Photos are time, date and location watermarked, providing robust proof of condition. Graham Wood, Group Logistics Manager at Nixon Hire commented: “With the support of JobWatch, every one of our fitters has boosted their productivity by around 20 percent. This allows us to further absorb company growth and efficiently deploy the current resources we have before we look at recruiting additional resources. We get to where we need to be, when we need to be there, and we do what we say we are going to. This is also improving our customer service levels – evidenced by an increase in On Time Arrivals by more than 10 percent and a rise in First Attempt Job Completions by more than 5 percent.” The JobWatch system is also providing a detailed work and maintenance history for all rental assets, giving management visibility of productivity and utilisation across their operation as well as a real-world view of how long jobs are taking. This ensures they are able to more intelligently schedule and deploy resources to meet actual requirements. A detailed picture of costs are reported down to the resource level, taking into account travel time, fuel, parts and resource costs. For portable loos, the technology is even automating waste transfer notes. BigChange users benefit from 24/7 on-demand RoadCrew customer service for all back office users and drivers including remote support and management of all tablets.
A marketing company faction known as Prodo Housing with a location in Cheshire has recently been awarded for its efforts of designing a special online app at the Housing Innovation Awards this year. It is a sign that the building and construction industries dealing with the development of housing all across the United Kingdom can be pleased that they are paving the way not just physically but also in the digital age. The enterprise was rewarded for their efforts by being given the trophy for the Most Innovative Housing App and the award was for Orbit Move. This unique house acquisition app enables potential buyers to quickly and simply sort out the administration necessities that usually cost more time and money if done on paper, but is made much easier in no more than five simple online stages. The app itself was designed in collaboration with an app-building company known as Orbit, who specialize in creating online apps in the housing industry and have a client base of more than 100,000 people dotted all over the different expanses of the country. The judging panel was clearly in awe of the new online tool, which will help to facilitate the home and property acquisition processes that are usually such a headache and a drag for customers all over the country. Whilst the English reportedly like queues, all they will need now to acquire property that they can afford will be having access to that special app, and time and money will be saved in the long run thanks to the combined inventive efforts of Orbit and Prodo Housing. Paul Billington the MD of Prodo was delighted that the app was such a success at the event and was pleased to see his company’s efforts being recognized and rewarded in such a lavish and congratulatory way. It is a sign that the building, construction and property industries can go forward with the digital revolution after all.
16 April 2016 – by David Hatcher UK investment volumes have plunged by a third this year as the bull run enjoyed for the past five years fades. Just £10.1bn traded during the first quarter – a 31.8% decrease on the same period last year and a 27.3% decrease on the quarterly average for the past three years, research by Cushman & Wakefield shows. The upcoming vote on Britain’s EU membership on 23 June is prompting buyers and sellers to stall. The International Monetary Fund has downgraded its forecast for UK growth in 2016 from 2.2% to 1.9% due to the EU referendum, with the Bank of England adding it expected “some softening” as a result. Jeremy Beckett, senior director of investment at Cushman & Wakefield, said: “We would expect Q2 to follow Q1 as this sentiment continues.” However, he added that there was “significant potential for a very strong H2 in the event of a vote to remain in Europe”. The Brexit referendum is just one of a number headwinds the industry faces, and the slowdown is not only UK-oriented. JLL research shows that EMEA volumes were down 20% year-on-year to €40bn (£32bn) in the first quarter, and globally were down 17% to $154bn (£109bn). All the content from this weekís magazine, including this article, is available in the new app. The IMF has also downgraded global growth for 2016 from 3.4% to 3.2%. The collapsed oil price, slowdown in the Chinese and emerging market economies, a spate of retailer downsizings in the UK and the shrinking of investment banks as their profits are squeezed have all contributed to the slowdown. The new figures come in the week that Citi put two of its long-standing directors in its European lending team on consultation for redundancy as it anticipates a continuation of thin volumes and tough credit markets. The £500m purchase of Cannon Place, EC4, which was one of the largest ongoing transactions in the UK, also collapsed this week as Taiwanese insurer Fubon was refused regulatory approval. Seller Hines said it is now in discussions with an alternative buyer. Proptech start-up We Are Pop Up fell into administration this week as it failed to find new equity to keep it afloat (p32). Concerns are also rife in the London luxury residential market that buyers are walking away from deposits and developers are offering large discounts for bulk purchases of flats. Short selling of shares in residential developer Berkeley Group currently stands at 6.5% of those outstanding – the highest level since 2008. C&W’s Beckett said: “Institutional investors from the UK and to some extent overseas are leading the cautious sentiment towards the market, being conscious of loss aversion in the short term. They don’t want to call it wrong and might rather invest and pay a stronger price in H2 when the [referendum] outcome is clear.” Source link
COINS has recently announced the six winning contestants of its yearly competition that will help to pave the way for greater innovation and sustainable methods of production that the industry will be able to implement into its workings in the near future to ensure its progression and development into the 21st Century. With the amount of climate change and the dwindling of the world’s resources and materials, it is becoming more than ever a reality and a top priority for businesses in the building and construction industries to do what they can in order to improve themselves. The six deserving winners of the COINS competition were treated to a luxurious London gala dinner on Wednesday the 8th of this month of February and it is clear from the photographic evidence that the evening was a barnstorming success in every sense of the meaning of the word. Mister Robert Brown, the Chief Executive Officer at COINS, wishes to explain that despite the fact that there can only be six individual winners to the competition, the efforts and enthusiasm of all involved is what makes the competition what it is and wants to say well done to all who showed an interest in the contest. Finally, Mister Brown wishes good luck to all of those that proved themselves so good and worthy of the vital building blocks to ensure their success in the construction industry. With an agenda devoted to greater sustainability as well as different forms of leadership skills, the company ensures that every single year entrepreneurs and young minds with the capacity to promote change and progress in the construction industry are rewarded with the just merits that they deserve. The various forms of awards that COINS issues range from research and development programs to internships with exclusive and award-winning companies around the country, thus ensuring that future generations of innovation and progress remain possible within the building, design and construction industry.