The latest research by Unlatch, new homes progression and aftercare platform for developers and housebuilders, reveals that the annual price growth of British new-build homes has outperformed existing homes by almost 20% in the past year. Homebuyers and professional property investors alike are keen to buy homes that can promise
Ox Tools, a world-leading manufacturer of hand tools, diamond tools, workwear and safety products, is delighted with its decision to implement a complex digital transformation project with business software partner BrightBridge, and urges other businesses in a similar siloed position to make the switch. One year after the ‘go-live’ of
Air conditioning innovator, Weatherite, celebrates 50 years in business. West Bromwich-based, Weatherite, has racked up 50 years of operation, a milestone that reflects the strength, stability, and success only a few companies ever achieve. Founded in 1972 by current Chairman John Whitehouse, Weatherite’s early days of business were carried out from
The Construction Innovation Hub has today launched the Construction Product Quality Planning (CPQP) framework. CPQP is a new quality assurance framework setting out a best practice approach for manufacturers to follow during the creation of new platform systems and offsite manufactured construction products. Aimed at driving improved quality and safety
Mobile Mini UK, one of the leading worldwide providers of portable accommodation and secure storage containers, has been shortlisted for three major awards alongside their partner ThinkWow, at the prestigious UK Customer Experience Awards (UK CXA®22). Widely regarded as Britain’s original and biggest CX celebration, recognition at UK CXA® is
Councillor Jane Meagher has officially broken ground at Scotland’s largest net zero housing development in Granton. The start of construction works at the £72m ‘Western Villages’ project represents a significant milestone for the City of Edinburgh Council in the delivery of the £1.3bn Granton Waterfront regeneration project. Over the next ten years,
Caddick Construction has started work on Phase 2A of the Gateway 36 industrial scheme near Barnsley after been appointed by Eos Inc Ltd, part of the Harworth Group Plc. The £9.3 million contract initially covers Plots 1-3, as well as external yards, car parking, associated highways and off-site drainage work.
The firm has secured 85% of their 2022-2023 budget (in fees) by August 2022 , just 3 months into the financial year, a staff increase of 18% with 20% of staff having received a promotion within the last year. Award-winning engineering consultancy Harley Haddow has reported a stellar year for
RSK Group Ltd has announced the addition of Proeon Systems, a specialist systems integrator supplying industrial grade control and safety solutions, to its thriving business portfolio. The company provides complete control and automation systems incorporating both hardware and software solutions. Proeon specialises in solving control and monitoring issues within some
Balfour Beatty, the international infrastructure group, today announces the appointment of Lee Hewitt as UK Health, Safety and Environment Director. Lee will take up his new role on 5 September, following Heather Bryant retiring on 18 November, having spent eight years at Balfour Beatty. Lee will be responsible for driving
The latest research by Unlatch, new homes progression and aftercare platform for developers and housebuilders, reveals that the annual price growth of British new-build homes has outperformed existing homes by almost 20% in the past year. Homebuyers and professional property investors alike are keen to buy homes that can promise good investment returns. So what is their best, most reliable option? Should they be buying new-build homes or investing instead in existing properties? The current average price of an existing home in Britain is £272,851 having increased by 8% in the last year. At the same time, the average price of a new-build has risen from £330,662 to £422,414, marking annual growth of 28%. New-builds in Britain have, therefore, outperformed existing homes by 19% when it comes to house price performance. But where in Britain do new-builds offer the very best returns when compared to the performance of existing homes? On a regional level, new-builds have performed most strongly against existing homes in Wales. The average new-build home in Wales has seen its value increase by 34% in the past year, rising from £246,740 to £331,159. This growth is 23% higher than that of existing homes which, in the same time period, saw their value increase by 11% from £181,199 to £201,633. In Scotland, new-build growth of 29% compared to existing property growth of 7% – a difference of 22% – while in the East Midlands, South West, and North East respectively, new-build growth outperformed existing homes by 21%. In the East of England, South East, Yorkshire & Humber, and West Midlands, new-build price performance is 20% better than existing homes, in the North West the difference is 19%, and in London, it’s 15%. On a local authority level, new-builds are outperforming older properties by the largest margin in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales, up by 38% in the past year, 18% higher than existing homes which have seen their value increase by 20%. This is followed by Scotland’s Western Isles where new-build growth of 35% matches against 17% growth for older homes – a difference of 18%. In East Ayrshire, East Lothian, and Glasgow new-build performance is 17% higher than existing properties. Richmond ranks top in London, where new-build house prices have outperformed existing by 14%, while Bexley (12%), Camden (12%), Hackney (12%) and Tower Hamlets (12%) also rank amongst the highest in the capital. Lee Martin, Head of UK for Unlatch says: “New-build homes are increasingly desirable. Their overall finish and quality has improved dramatically over the past decade and they are vastly better than older properties when it comes to energy efficiency and fuel consumption. In today’s world, this looms large in homebuyers’ minds, even more so since the cost of living crisis kicked in. This is not only true for end users, but also for investors alike. Investors on the whole do prefer to go for a new build property for many reasons, one more being that by the time said investor completes on their purchase, the agent usually already has a tenant lined up to move in; meaning no void periods. In a fast, frantic, and highly competitive housing market, new-builds also offer more reliability in terms of the actual purchase itself. Fewer sales are subject to falling through as a result of unwanted discoveries during the surveying process, as well as the fact there is no dreaded chain to contend with. Of course, this heightened attraction does mean that new-builds have seen a far greater level of house price growth when compared to the existing market, but the flip side to this is the fact they also make a far sounder investment.” Data tables Data tables and sources can be viewed online, here.
Ox Tools, a world-leading manufacturer of hand tools, diamond tools, workwear and safety products, is delighted with its decision to implement a complex digital transformation project with business software partner BrightBridge, and urges other businesses in a similar siloed position to make the switch. One year after the ‘go-live’ of its cloud-based Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution – NetSuite OneWorld – the firm is not only reaping the rewards of consolidating disparate financial, stock and CRM systems, but also the global firm has visibility over all its subsidiaries. Plus, Ox Tools UK no longer requires significant resource to tend on-premise servers. Donovan Payne, Director at Ox Tools, explained: “By having one central solution – NetSuite – we have naturally benefitted from more automated, slicker and accurate processes and accessing it from smartphones on the move is extremely useful. However, our primary aim was to gain visibility over each corner of the business and be 100 per cent sure that the data painted the true picture – with BrightBridge’s expertise we have certainly achieved that. “The UK subsidiary was previously siloed from the rest of the global business in its architecture; now having spent 12-months having consolidated accounts with the other OX regions we can see, predict and strategically do so much more. I would recommend any companies in a similar position to plan their global platform transformation – it has been a game changer and a move that has become increasingly vital as global economic turmoil and supply chain challenges continue.” Ox Tools’ UK subsidiary is in-part driven by operations, decision making, and in-house software developed in Australia, which is where the company was founded in 1974. Therefore, the design and execution programme for the chosen solution – Oracle NetSuite – required meticulous planning, open communication with teams across the world and reliable connectivity with multiple systems. BrightBridge is the only European partner of both Oracle NetSuite and leading API integration platform Jitterbit, so Ox Tools was confident in its ability to unify all external system data with the cloud ERP solution rapidly. The data assimilation included areas such as pricing and inventory, and Jitterbit negated weeks of intricate coding. Furthermore, BrightBridge has a wealth of experience with resolving rebate challenges through automation and has also developed a custom-made interface for managing multiple shipping carriers within NetSuite; both solutions were integral to streamlining Ox Tools’ business processes, creating greater efficiencies and negating the potential for manual errors. Ox Tools selected Oracle NetSuite because it was already implemented across the other subsidiaries. However, finding the right expert partner to design and execute the sophisticated system was a more demanding process. Ox Tools turned to BrightBridge due to the Leicestershire-based company’s focus on clients within manufacturing, retail and distribution. Donovan added: “We were focused on the solution benefits at the start of our digital transformation project, and the company already had confidence in NetSuite. However, we quickly realised that it was equally as important, if not more, for our UK implementation partner to have specific sector expertise, possess in-depth knowledge about third-party tool integration and be easy to get along with. When we met the BrightBridge team, we simply knew the partnership was the right fit for us.” Ian Robertson, Sales and Marketing Director at BrightBridge, said: “Ox Tools came to us with a number of specific implementation and integration challenges at a time when they were also feeling the challenge of not being able to find the right solution provider. We were able to quickly illustrate our team’s skills and experience of working on similar projects as well as build that all important rapport, giving them the utmost confidence in our ability to deliver. “Our unique NetSuite app partnerships and own custom-made solutions allowed us to design the architecture rapidly and to confidently drive the project forward for Ox Tools. This digital transformation project is a great example of productivity enhancement and global strategic change we’re delighted Ox Tools are just as happy with the architecture 12-months on.” For more information, please visit www.brightbridgesolutions.com, or follow BrightBridge on Twitter – @brightbridge_uk – or LinkedIn. Learn about Ox Tools by visiting the company’s website, Twitter or LinkedIn.
Air conditioning innovator, Weatherite, celebrates 50 years in business. West Bromwich-based, Weatherite, has racked up 50 years of operation, a milestone that reflects the strength, stability, and success only a few companies ever achieve. Founded in 1972 by current Chairman John Whitehouse, Weatherite’s early days of business were carried out from a sun lounger with his late business partner, Lou Simmonds, and over the last 50 years as John recalls “it’s been quite a journey”. Its defining qualities over the past five decades have been a combination of ability, agility, flexibility and responsiveness, and proof that thriving, not just surviving, is a true test of grit in business. The company began life selling Diakin air conditioning equipment and as John recalls his first ever order “was a job in Combe Abbey and was designed, installed and wired by us and worth £585.” Weatherite soon began rapidly expanding by selling more HVAC equipment, so much so, that six years later the company moved to larger premises and started its journey into manufacturing its own equipment. “This was a game changer when we received an order for a huge fan-coil unit order for local office block “Midland-House” in Halesowen – a £250,000 job. It considerably improved cashflow and helped us ride out the peaks and troughs in the AC market.” Then came the 80s when Weatherite built its first free-cooling telephone exchange cooling unit for telecoms giant BT– still one of its flagship products, albeit somewhat evolved, 42 years on. The company continued to supply over 15,000 units across the UK, first in the Midlands, then Manchester and Wales. But it was as London got to grips with the digital exchange that work really started to take off for Weatherite. “That’s when we seriously got into manufacturing as a business. When BT called, we sprang into action, designing and testing within three weeks,” he said. Another significant milestone in the mid-80s came when Tesco made its was first order for a ‘packaged’ Rooftop Air Conditioning Unit. “We had been making regular trips to Daikin’s Japanese factories and became increasingly impressed by the quality and detail of their equipment,” said John. “We soon realised that we had a number of well-trained engineers in the factory to give us the ability to manufacture our own bespoke designs. “Tesco and Marks & Spencer grabbed us by the collar and took us aboard the retail express train. We moved premises again and doubled the workforce to cope with the expanding demand as they were both developing their sales floor areas and needed air conditioning. Needless to say the 90s were a period of considerable growth and Weatherite also acquired DLT Shopfronts & Shutters Ltd, as part of an opportunity with Tesco. Now named Weatherite Aluminium Solutions Ltd, the company works for many major UK retailers and contractors delivering bespoke manufacturing solutions for commercial security systems including shopfronts and high end curtain walling systems, windows and doors. Weatherite’s free cooling and AHU systems were being manufactured at an extraordinary rate during this period before the decades of trigeneration, power generation, heating and cooling which then moved towards the more user-friendly “energy centres”, driven by Tesco’s need for onsite energy – a demand that quickly widened to other supermarkets. In the early 2000s, Weatherite started working with JLP, Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, Next, Primark and continued to grow its retail portfolio. In 2006 Weatherite moved into larger premises to cope with further demand for its expanding HVAC product solutions. A concerted push to target the data centre market was made in 2008 with its extensive knowledge (through BT) of IT mission critical cooling techniques, ensuring the company continued to expand. In 2012, the company celebrated its 40 years in business and grew its data centre business with clients including Virtus, EE, Equinix, Vodafone, Virgin Media, to name a few. As well as telco and retail, the company further expanded into other sectors including leisure, pharmaceuticals, and health. Weatherite was soon recognised as the UK’s largest independent manufacturers of bespoke HVAC equipment in all sectors and won its largest ever single data centre order valued at over 12 million euros, as well as industry awards along the way. Today the business turnovers over £34 million as a Group, primarily through Weatherite Air Conditioning, which represents the major proportion of that turnover with about £25 million. Like many other businesses, the company has encountered some major obstacles over the last few years but working with organisations which operate within a mission critical environment has meant the company continues to thrive. “We survived the effects of the pandemic in good shape and are looking forward to an interesting market in very interesting times, said John. Weatherite has recently doubled the size of one of its existing factories and continues to invest in new manufacturing equipment and storage areas to counter-manage the global shortage and price hike on raw materials. There are many who will affirm that John’s entrepreneurism, leadership, and willingness to take a risk on ideas are the major reason for the company’s success. “We never walk away from a problem. If we’ve got a problem, we solve it satisfactorily,” says John. However, it takes more than one person to make a successful business and marking the five-decade milestone is an opportunity to both reflect on its past and to look forward to its future. John’s son, Tim, has also worked at the business for the past 25 years and John believes an emphasis on family helps when it comes to retaining staff. “There’s a big difference between being a family business and being part of a multi-national. There is a bigger sense of belonging. We have a lot of people who have worked at the company for a long time – our staff retention is excellent and somewhere between ten and fifteen people have one or more family members working here out of a workforce of 209,” he said. “We would like to think that our continued success can be attributed
The Construction Innovation Hub has today launched the Construction Product Quality Planning (CPQP) framework. CPQP is a new quality assurance framework setting out a best practice approach for manufacturers to follow during the creation of new platform systems and offsite manufactured construction products. Aimed at driving improved quality and safety standards, CPQP sets out a five-phase process, ranging from product definition to product launch. It also includes the creation of a live control document, which provides a digital audit trail that forms the basis of a building safety case. At launch, a set of guideline documents is being made available including the CPQP Guide, the Construction Product Approval Process (CPAP) Handbook and nine supporting guidelines to follow which help complete crucial aspects of the quality assurance process. Amongst the benefits of using the new framework, CPQP will ensure that products and platforms are manufactured to the highest standards, in line with best practices and regulatory standards such as BSI 99001 and the Building Safety Act. QPQP also provides means for effective change control measures to mitigate risk, and product journey mapping from design through to manufacturing. CPQP also ensures accurate product data is managed and maintained throughout as per the golden thread recommendations. The CPQP framework is designed to complement the Hub’s Product Platform Rulebook and Value Toolkit. It aligns with the ambitions of the Construction Playbook, where the Government is enabling more investment in innovation by committing its buying power to encourage offsite and platform construction. As part of the Hub’s Platform Programme, CPQP aims to support this approach. Speaking ahead of the launch of CPQP, Dame Judith Hackitt said: “I am delighted to see this very positive response to the new regulatory requirements for quality assurance. Learning good practice from Manufacturing sectors is a smart way to accelerate the pace of change in Construction.” Keith Waller, programme director at the Construction Innovation Hub said: “CPQP provides tools that will enable the accelerated adoption of platform approaches by helping to ensure quality and consistency across all of UK construction manufacturing. When applied in conjunction with the Product Platform Rulebook and Value Toolkit, the CPQP framework will improve the overall safety, performance, and quality of new construction products by identifying risks as early as possible in the design and development process, when the cost of change is lower.” The CPQP guidelines, Industry case studies and other supporting materials are available on the Hub’s website.
Mobile Mini UK, one of the leading worldwide providers of portable accommodation and secure storage containers, has been shortlisted for three major awards alongside their partner ThinkWow, at the prestigious UK Customer Experience Awards (UK CXA®22). Widely regarded as Britain’s original and biggest CX celebration, recognition at UK CXA® is considered by many as the ultimate marque of achievement in customer experience. These awards span all industries and sectors and Mobile Mini will be representing the construction industry when they compete with the likes of Sky, BT, Octopus Energy, Virgin Media, 02, E.ON, Aviva, Yell, DHL, Thomas Cook, HSBC, Yodel, Vodafone, TalkTalk and many other iconic national brands. Mobile Mini and ThinkWow have been shortlisted for Best Employee Driven CX and Best CX for SMEs categories, with Simon Gray, Head of Region at Mobile Mini, shortlisted for CX Leader of the Year. Winners for 2022 will be announced at an awards evening held at Wembley Stadium this October. Earlier this year, Mobile Mini and ThinkWow were named the GOLD winner of the Customer Experience category at the 2022 UK Business and Innovation Awards (UK B&IA). The company has a fleet of over 40,000 portable units for a variety of storage solutions and 16 strategically placed sites throughout England, Scotland and Wales. Post-pandemic, it was clear that customer needs, expectations and behaviours had significantly changed and Mobile Mini understood maintaining standards, as well as improving approaches, had become more essential than ever. Over the past 18 months, Mobile Mini has worked in partnership with ThinkWow to enhance its customer experience strategy and training. This team of experts undertook a deep-dive review of company culture, shared objectives and customer feedback, then use detailed insights to expertly design a positive future strategy. The end goal remains to empower all staff and customers to both provide and receive the best possible experiences. Over 90% of the 380 members of staff at Mobile Mini have contributed to this project, with many customers also providing external views to help build insightful and accurate improvement objectives. These activities have resulted in an increase in average NPS scores from 71 to 80+, increased revenue (aiming for a third record-breaking year) and higher volumes of customer feedback. Increased training, the creation of a dedicated customer experience team, interactive workshops, customer journey mapping workshops with cross-functional employee groups and the implementation of a customer steering group (comprised of multiple roles and seniority levels) has all contributed to empowering employees to deliver great CX locally. Rebecca Brown, CEO of Think Wow said, “We are delighted that Mobile Mini has been recognised in this way and we are very proud to partner with them on their ongoing Customer Experience strategy. This project has been one of the most rewarding experiences we’ve had at Think Wow, thanks to the genuine passion of employees at all levels within the business. This has been a collaborative process in every sense and truly employee-driven, with everyone from branch managers to HGV drivers having their say and playing their part in shaping innovative new approaches and solutions.” One of the driving forces behind this project from the Mobile Mini side was Simon Gray. On being shortlisted for the CX Leader award in recognition of his efforts, Simon said, “I am proud to have been named alongside a diverse group of impressive CX professionals, but what makes me incredibly proud is the way in which all our Mobile Mini teams have engaged with what we are trying to achieve. Our people look after our customers every day to such a high standard and yet we have all wanted to get just that little bit better. Our results speak volumes for what our people have done this year as we have achieved NPS scores in the 80’s in multiple months which is an incredible achievement. “It’s also fantastic that our CX efforts over the last 12 months have been embedded in 3 of our Golden Rules: People are our most valuable asset, The Customer is King (or Queen) and Everyone contributes. It’s been an absolute pleasure working with Dan & Rebecca from ThinkWow and utilising their considerable CX knowledge and experience to help us reach even higher CX standards.”
Councillor Jane Meagher has officially broken ground at Scotland’s largest net zero housing development in Granton. The start of construction works at the £72m ‘Western Villages’ project represents a significant milestone for the City of Edinburgh Council in the delivery of the £1.3bn Granton Waterfront regeneration project. Over the next ten years, 3,500 mixed-tenure homes and associated infrastructure will create a new, sustainable coastal community. Cllr Meagher was joined by representatives for the project – including the Council’s own development and regeneration team, contractor CCG (Scotland) and architect Cooper Cromar – at the site located on West Shore Road adjacent to Forthquarter Park. The 444-home masterplan will consist of one, two, and three-bedroom apartments, including wheelchair-accessible ground-floor dwellings, available in a mix of social rent (195) mid-market rent (193) and private sale tenures (56) that will each benefit from stunning parkland and sea views. To achieve net zero carbon, all homes will be constructed using advanced construction methods to improve thermal performance (and reduce heat loss). Delivered by an on-site energy centre containing air-source heat pumps and renewable technologies such as solar PV panels, this low carbon heat system and zero emissions strategy is being supported by £4.1m of funding from the Scottish Government’s Low Carbon Infrastructure Transition Programme. Complemented by carbon offsetting measures, this pioneering approach to reducing Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions has been developed by CCG in partnership with energy and sustainability consultancy, Carbon Futures. Sustainability credentials will be further enhanced by a reduction in car usage, provision of Electric Vehicle charging, and increased emphasis on active travel to lower the development’s carbon footprint over the longer term. Set for completion in 2024, the homes for rent will be managed by the Council whilst the private homes will be led by CCG Homes, the private housing arm of the CCG Group. Councillor Jane Meagher, Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Convener, said: “We are so proud to lead the country’s biggest net zero housing development and to break ground today. “With an ambitious target to become a net zero city by 2030, this first phase of Granton Waterfront will act as a blueprint for future sustainable development and help Scotland transition towards a greener economy. This housing is going to provide hundreds of affordable homes, right at the centre of what will be Edinburgh’s newest neighbourhood – offering a fantastically lively, active, and sustainable waterfront lifestyle for everyone who moves in. “People moving in will benefit from a real 20-minute neighbourhood, with great progress being made in our £1.3 billon wider regeneration project including a growing cultural and arts cluster in the area, after we announced works to refurbish the former Granton Station building into a creative workspace, as well as a new creative and community hub at 20 West Shore Road by Edinburgh Palette. It’s also great to see the iconic Granton Gasholder is being brought back to life – now illuminated in solidarity with Ukraine it is set to be fully restored and opened as a public amenity space. “The operators of the Pitt Street market have also announced their plans to take up a new residence here, with more than half of all stalls to be led by start-ups and entrepreneurs, and we’re only going to see more and more new services, businesses and creative endeavours choose Granton. This is the start of an exciting new chapter for the city and for how we build new homes and new neighbourhoods and I look forward to seeing it all take shape.” CCG Managing Director, David Wylie, said: “CCG’s contribution to the regeneration of Granton is significant with over 500 homes set to be under construction by the middle of this year. Western Villages, alongside a further 75 homes with the Council at Waterfront Avenue (known as Granton D1, the first pilot project of the Edinburgh Homes Demonstrator initiative), will play a major role in the creation of this new coastal community and also help shape our understanding and capabilities of net zero housing delivery in Edinburgh and across Scotland. “We are very proud to be pioneering applied research and development into net zero housebuilding to support our economy’s green ambitions whilst also ensuring that high-quality, highly energy efficient homes remain accessible to our communities.”
Caddick Construction has started work on Phase 2A of the Gateway 36 industrial scheme near Barnsley after been appointed by Eos Inc Ltd, part of the Harworth Group Plc. The £9.3 million contract initially covers Plots 1-3, as well as external yards, car parking, associated highways and off-site drainage work. Unit 1 consists of two 10,000 sq ft units, Unit 2 is 49,500 sq ft and Unit 3 is 38,500 sq ft. Overall, Phase 2 will be developed over 51 acres to either side of the A6195 Dearne Valley Parkway at Rockingham and provides a range of industrial and logistics units with easy access to Junction 36 of the M1. Building on the success of Phase 1, the overall development comprises of a broad mix of medium to large industrial options together with a number of roadside units including the Greene King Public House. The scheme will accommodate a range of units from 5,000 sq ft up to 462,000 sq ft with a minimum BREEAM rating of “Very Good”. It is already proving popular with logistic and last-mile delivery specialists. Gateway 36, located within the heart of the Sheffield City Region, was established following the long-term remediation of the former Rockingham Colliery. It was developed by Harworth Group from 2014 onwards with the first three speculative industrial units, totalling 65,000 sq ft, completing in 2016. The latest Units 1-3 of Phase 2A are being constructed by Caddick on a speculative basis and are due to complete towards the end of this year. The following Units 5-8 will be offered on a design and build basis. Richard Gaukrodger, Caddick Construction Director, said: “We are delighted to be appointed to deliver this key logistics scheme at Phase 2 Gateway 36. Our construction and design teams are making excellent progress with the structural steelwork and cladding now in progress to all three units and we look forward to continuing the support of our local supply chain partners and local businesses to deliver a successful scheme. Cameron Sanderson, Development Manager from the Harworth Group, added: “Phase 2 continues Harworth’s strategy of increasing our direct development of industrial & logistics space over the next five to seven years. Gateway 36 is extremely well-connected adjacent to Junction 36 of the M1 and our trusted delivery partner Caddick Construction are doing an excellent job in facilitating our ambitions to provide high specification industrial and logistics space. “The development will support continued economic growth and jobs for South Yorkshire with the first three units nearing completion.” For all enquiries contact Knight Frank or Gent Visick.
The firm has secured 85% of their 2022-2023 budget (in fees) by August 2022 , just 3 months into the financial year, a staff increase of 18% with 20% of staff having received a promotion within the last year. Award-winning engineering consultancy Harley Haddow has reported a stellar year for growth after winning a number of high-profile project wins including appointments for the Royal Academy of Arts and the Clifton Street & Holywell Row Site in Shoreditch amongst others. The work at the Royal Academy is to support their partners Knight Harwood in the refurbishment of the RA schools’ studios within the lower ground and ground floors of Burlington House. The Clifton Street & Holywell Row site in Shoreditch will deliver industry leading new-build commercial office scheme with a focus on low energy and carbon design alongside a holistic sustainability strategy. Against the challenging backdrop of ongoing supply chain issues and cost of living crisis, the UK-based firm has continued to lead the way in driving buildings forward to becoming Net Zero and surpass targets set by the UK government. Working alongside the Horniman Museum and Gardens in London and Art Fund Museum winners, the firm provided energy and carbon analysis and technical options appraisal for their Net Zero Masterplan. The company has also attracted interest from lucrative student residences in North England, including to provide low energy and net zero carbon ready residences that will be certified as BREEAM Excellent, demonstrating exemplar sustainable performance. Over the last year, Harley Haddow has taken its learning into new territories and opened office space in Manchester and relocated to a bigger Net Zero conversant office in London. With five offices across the country, the firm now holds a roster of 118 staff throughout, spanning a range of expertise from operational roles to marketing and bid management. Eager to harness their team internally, the firm reported 20% growth of staff promotions from within in the last year. Guy Willis-Robb, Director, at Harley Haddow said; “It’s rewarding to have expanded our operations across the country and to be working in so many key markets. Last year was a challenging one for many businesses and it doesn’t look to be easing any time soon. However, thanks to the resilience of the industry, we’ve had the opportunity to scale up our current business model and work and bid for some amazing projects. “A surge in student residencies and repurposing old buildings has shown us that the market isn’t slowing down just yet but it’s crucial that we continue to reiterate the importance of responsible practices and thanks to our expanding team, we know we can keep making a positive impact.”
RSK Group Ltd has announced the addition of Proeon Systems, a specialist systems integrator supplying industrial grade control and safety solutions, to its thriving business portfolio. The company provides complete control and automation systems incorporating both hardware and software solutions. Proeon specialises in solving control and monitoring issues within some of the harshest of environments, including Nuclear; Renewables (Offshore Wind) to Deepwater subsea for the Oil & Gas sector. Proeon has an enviable reputation for design, build, and installation of control solutions from: multi-level communications platforms. The Norwich-based business was established in 2004 by Kevin Magee and Eddie Pond, initially as a specialist consultancy business and as Proeon has developed over the years it has a solid reputation and strong client base which includes National Grid, Procter & Gamble, Shell and Crosswind, along with contractors such as Balfour Beatty and Worley. Proeon Systems Managing Director Richard Miller, who will continue to lead the business, said: “Proeon’s flexible approach to challenging control system problems, together with its dedicated team, has allowed it to grow into new emerging markets in recent years. The Proeon team is focussed on providing unique robust cost-effective solutions for our clients. The business also maintains multiple accreditations that allow it to service highly regulated industries where many system integrators cannot. “in joining the RSK family, our more than 50-strong team will continue to deliver the quality services needed to exceed client expectations and will explore new growth opportunities that come with being part of a larger group.” RSK Group CEO Alan Ryder said: “RSK is proud to add the business-critical skills and expertise of Proeon Systems to the group. Proeon takes great pride in its company culture and core values as these inspire their employees and partners to rise to the challenges of a competitive business climate. This provides sustained growth, which RSK fully supports, and will create opportunities for the group to access new and growing sectors.”
Balfour Beatty, the international infrastructure group, today announces the appointment of Lee Hewitt as UK Health, Safety and Environment Director. Lee will take up his new role on 5 September, following Heather Bryant retiring on 18 November, having spent eight years at Balfour Beatty. Lee will be responsible for driving the company’s Zero Harm, Health, Safety and Wellbeing strategy across the Group, working closely with Balfour Beatty’s leadership teams and the Board Safety and Sustainability Committee. An experienced construction and infrastructure leader, Lee has undertaken several strategic roles, most recently as Programme Director for Site Wide Delivery and Logistics for Balfour Beatty VINCI’s HS2 Area North contract, Britain’s new high-speed rail line and the largest infrastructure project in Europe. In addition, he has held roles at the SMB (Skanska MWH Balfour Beatty) joint venture delivering the Thames Water capital programme, as well as the Head of Capital Procurement for Gatwick Airport Limited, Director of Procurement and Contract Management at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games, Head of Infrastructure, Project Management and Construction EMEA for Lendlease, and the Head of UK Procurement for National Grid where he spent 25 years. Lee’s experience will drive further operational focus and insights as the Group continues to deliver against its Zero Harm strategy. Having joined Balfour Beatty to work on the HS2 project in 2020, Lee is further testament to the Group’s ongoing commitment to developing broad leadership careers through a strong commitment to internal mobility. Heather Bryant has been instrumental in progressing Balfour Beatty’s Health & Safety agenda, a core value of the Group’s Build to Last strategy, most notably, overseeing a 50% reduction in Lost Time Injury Rate since 2014, and the launch of the company’s Observation App which has seen over 750,000 health and safety observations. Heather has also been instrumental in many industry-wide initiatives including co-founding the Health in Construction Leadership Group to focus on treating health like safety and spearheading the industry conversation around mental health. Leo Quinn, Balfour Beatty Group Chief Executive, said: “Health and Safety is our License to Operate and it is imperative that our teams are empowered and supported to deliver our Zero Harm vision. With his extensive deep domain knowledge and understanding of the industry from leadership and project-based roles, I know that Lee will continue to drive this agenda forward across Balfour Beatty, and I am pleased to welcome him to the Group. “I would like to thank Heather for her steadfast commitment to making the construction and infrastructure industry a safer and healthier environment for everyone.”