Trenchless technology is a type of construction done underground which involves only little or no trenches at surface level or street level. This type of technology, crafted by engineering experts, is new, and makes use of new inventions and technology to ensure that there is less disruption to the ground.
Flanges are used in piping to connect sections of a pipe or join it to a pressure vessel, pump, valve or any other piece of equipment. You might think that that is a simple piece of equipment, but there are many different types of flanges and you can get steel
Further development of the major Portsmouth commercial hub, Dunsbury Business Park, has been sparked as a new client has been attracted by the highly successful hub. Portsmouth City Council, working through Procure Partnerships, has appointed BAM Construction and BAM Design to create the fifth unit at the 45-acre business Park
Chancerygate and Bridges Fund Management’s joint venture (JV) has exchanged contracts to acquire a 7.5-acre site in Edinburgh. The site, currently known as Grayfield House, is located in Sighthill which is approximately five miles south west of the city centre and currently comprises 90,000 sq ft of office accommodation. The
Sigmat have been appointed by Torsion Group to deliver 51 new townhouses in the heart of Lincoln. Situated close to Morrisons on Tritton Road, the 4-storey development ‘Pine Mill’, will deliver a total of 361 en-suite bed spaces, including seven accessible ground floor en-suite bedrooms. The townhouses will be arranged
Smart cities are now much more ambitious. That means new materials are their biggest enabler, with information and computer technology dropping to an important support role. The major new IDTechEx report, “Smart Cities Emerging Materials Markets 2021-2041” explains. Consider the $0.5 trillion NEOM smart city being reclaimed from the Saudi
The launch of a Climate Action Roadmap from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) which aims to bring the retail industry and its supply chains to Net Zero by 2040 has been welcomed by Priva UK. However, to achieve these goals, greater levels of investment in smart building technologies will be
Housing association Network Homes has transformed part of a Lambeth estate into 177 new homes with landscaped communal spaces as well as a community room and resource centre facilities for the benefit of local residents. There are 41 homes for affordable rent and 40 rented apartments for Active Elderly residents
Half of tradespeople say social media gets them more work, but most don’t know how to maximise its potential A quarter say that Facebook and Google reviews help get them more customers Builders get the most work from social media, plasterers the least Experts reveal how to get the most
AFTER dominating the domestic EPDM rubber flat roofing market for the past two decades, Permaroof – the UK’s leading importer and distributor of Firestone RubberCover – is expanding into the commercial sector. Building on its past experience of supplying rubber membranes to its customer base working on commercial projects and its expansion into modular projects during the UK-wide lockdown this
Trenchless technology is a type of construction done underground which involves only little or no trenches at surface level or street level. This type of technology, crafted by engineering experts, is new, and makes use of new inventions and technology to ensure that there is less disruption to the ground. This makes engineering easier and more environment-friendly as it avoids further damage caused by the usual equipment used to achieve the same goal. What Is a Trench? Generally, a trench is a depression in the ground, also known as an excavation, which is deep and wide. However, the measurements for its deepness vary from how wide it’s supposed to be. It’s important to note that trenches are more deep and narrower. In the world of engineering, trenches are created to keep easily damaged materials underground. An example of this is an oil tank. Oil tanks are usually placed underground to directly provide oil to be pumped to the surface. The tanks are buried because, if kept outside, they’re more susceptible to damage from natural elements like air, fire, and water. Some other infrastructure kept in trenches are telephone wires and water pipes. Trenches can also be used to serve as a foundation for a building. Beams and concrete will be erected deeply into the ground to help support the weight of the building. Sometimes, trenches can also be used for underground transport like railway systems to shorten the travel time of people living in congested cities. Three Types of Trenchless Technology As more people create innovations that help improve different engineering processes, the work becomes easier to handle. This will not only aid engineers in speeding up production time, but construction workers who are directly in charge of all the digging and cementing will benefit from them the most. There are three types of trenchless technology you need to know about. Pipe lining. This type of trenchless technology is famous for replacing old sewer drains. It’s a way of restoring your pipes and making them free from corrosion, cracks, and leaks. With your old pipes being buried deep into the ground, it became susceptible to different natural irritants which include metal, minerals, oxygen, and water as well as chemicals that have seeped into the ground. By using the best trenchless equipment for pipe lining, your sewers will finally remain intact and work best to regulate your home’s drainage system. Sliplining. In sliplining, the purpose is to fix. To further explain, it’s used to repair existing pipelines by pulling or pushing a new pipe into an existing pipe. In this way, you don’t have to extract the old pipe by digging it up again. You can just insert a new pipe within and wait for the rest of the materials from the old pipe to break down. In doing so, a lot of time and effort will be saved, and workers can do more tasks. Directional boring. In directional boring, you can install underground pipes directly by boring into the ground. Unlike trenches which are very deep in nature, the process of directional boring involves installing underground utilities using only a shallow arc to minimize impact to the ground. As such, this can also help protect the environment because the hole will not be too deep, and there will be less chances for chemicals to seep into the cracks of the hole. Advantages of Trenchless Technology Trenchless technology offers many advantages to people involved in the process. Aside from making it easier to replace old pipes, it also reduces the possibility of cave ins. Workers do not need to dig deep holes and put their lives in a lot of danger because trenchless technology will ensure that everything will be replaced and improved at lesser cost and amount of time. Also, using trenchless technology reduces congestion and road traffic because there won’t be any open trenches. This also proves safe for car owners and motorists because the possibility of driving into a manhole will be significantly reduced. Installation in trenchless technology allows shorter working schedules. Also, it helps in lessening destruction of the environment, as open trenches were very prone to natural elements. In the case of trenchless technology, aside from doing away with deep excavations on the ground, the requirements to have projects that use the technology can be approved faster than in the traditional way of doing things. Hire an Expert Whether you’re an owner of a huge firm that needs services involving trenchless technology or someone needing to fix up a few pipes at home, you need to hire an expert that can help you with your needs. Experts have a lot of experience and can do the job faster. Likewise, considering the use of trenchless technology will be a good step in improving the planet’s life.
Flanges are used in piping to connect sections of a pipe or join it to a pressure vessel, pump, valve or any other piece of equipment. You might think that that is a simple piece of equipment, but there are many different types of flanges and you can get steel flanges made from carbon steel, alloy steel, stainless / duplex steel, nickel alloys/superalloys and titanium, but they can also be made in aluminium, copper and polypropylene. Then as well as different materials, you have different types of flanges, but what do they all do and why are there so many? Here’s a quick guide to give you an idea. Welding Neck Flange A welding neck flange is used in high-pressure and high/low temperatures applications that require an unrestricted flow of the fluid conveyed by the piping system. Long Welding Neck Long weld neck flanges are similar to weld neck flanges, however, the neck is extended and acts as a boring extension. They are generally used on vessels, columns or barrels. Slip-On Flange A slip-on flange is connected to the pipe or the fittings by two fillet welds, one is executed inside and one outside the cavity of the flange. Slip-on flanges are also known as “Hubbed Flanges” and are easy to recognize due to their slim and compact shape. Threaded Flange Threaded flanges are joined to pipes by screwing the pipe onto the flange without seam welds. They are mostly used for small size piping in low pressure and low-temperature applications, like water and air utility services. Socket Weld Flange Socket weld flanges are connected to pipes using a single fillet weld executed on the outer side of the flange. They are used for small-size and high-pressure piping that do not transfer highly corrosive fluids. Lap Joint Flange Lap joint flanges feature a flat face and are always used in conjunction with a stub end. This is a cost-effective solution for stainless steel or nickel alloy pipelines, as the material of the lap joint flange can be of a lower grade than the material of the stub end. Blind Flange Blind flanges do not have a centre hole, and are used to blind or seal a pipeline, a valve/pressure vessel and block the flow of the fluid. Nipoflange A Nipoflange is used for branch pipelines at 90 degrees and is a product manufactured by combining a welding neck flange with a forged Nipolet. Weldoflange A Weldoflange is similar to a Nipoflange but is made out of a single piece of solid forged steel, not by welding separate parts together. Elboflange And Latroflange Other less common types of flange Olets are the Elboflange which is a combination of a flange and an Elbolet and the“Latroflange which is a combination of a flange with a Latrolet. Elboflanges are used to branch a pipeline at 45 degrees. Swivel Flange Swivel ring flanges facilitate the alignment of the bolt holes between the two mating flanges. They suit oil, gas, hydrocarbons, water, chemical and other demanding fluids in petrochemical and water management applications. Expander flange Expanding flanges, or “expander flanges”, are used to increase the bore of the pipeline from a specific point to another or to connect pipes to other mechanical devices such as pumps, compressors, and valves that have different inlet sizes. Reducing Flange (“Reducer”) Reducing flanges, otherwise called reducer flanges, have an opposite function than expander. they are used to decrease the bore of a pipeline.
Further development of the major Portsmouth commercial hub, Dunsbury Business Park, has been sparked as a new client has been attracted by the highly successful hub. Portsmouth City Council, working through Procure Partnerships, has appointed BAM Construction and BAM Design to create the fifth unit at the 45-acre business Park which was formerly farm land. BAM Design is also the masterplan architect for the business park.Unit five will be a 10,000m2 industrial warehouse and 750m2 office which is being taken by Bio Pure Technologies Ltd, part of the high-end industrial /pharmaceutical pipework specialist Watson-Marlow. The company’s products are highly valued by customers in the biopharmaceutical sector, a sector which has been at the forefront of news during the global pandemic. The building will be ready for production in 2022 when it will create around 120 new manufacturing and engineering jobs. The circa £12.5 million works follow the creation of three other units by BAM that are now occupied by 3M Fat Face, VW, and DPD UK. The new facility is the largest of the plots to be developed so far. The development of the business park began in 2016. The Portsmouth City Council-owned business park is expected to generate millions of pounds of rental income for the authority. Kevin Hudson, the council’s head of development, said: “This is the largest development of a dedicated manufacturing facility on the south coast this year.‘It’s also the biggest new warehouse facility to be built on the south coast since BAM built a global headquarters for international clothing brand Fat Face in 2017 – also at Dunsbury Park.” John Rixon, Commercial Manager for BAM’s South East team, said:“This is an interesting appointment for us because Portsmouth has used Procure Partnerships, and it is a direct appointment for us.“Our enabling works across the whole of the business park put us in an excellent position to compete for each unit, but we have to prove the quality and value of what we do each time. Its pleasing to build on a strong relationship with Portsmouth City Council and on the strong track record we have down here on the south coast.” Phil Osborne, Procure Partnerships Key Account Manager, said:“We are delighted to be supporting BAM and Portsmouth City Council on the further development of Dunsbury Business Park. Procure Partnerships is proud to support local investment and it is fantastic to see new jobs being created in Portsmouth through schemes like Unit 5. This scheme is helping a local firm to expand and it has been a pleasure support Portsmouth City Council in appointing the right contractor for the project; hopefully Portsmouth can continue to attract investment for years to come.” BAM has been on site in preparation for works commencing while the final contractual elements were agreed and is now commencing works in earnest. This scheme is helping a local firm to expand and it has been a pleasure support Portsmouth City Council in appointing the right contractor for the project; hopefully Portsmouth can continue to attract investment for years to come.” John Rixon, Commercial Manager, BAM
Chancerygate and Bridges Fund Management’s joint venture (JV) has exchanged contracts to acquire a 7.5-acre site in Edinburgh. The site, currently known as Grayfield House, is located in Sighthill which is approximately five miles south west of the city centre and currently comprises 90,000 sq ft of office accommodation. The vendor is Mapeley and the sale will complete next April. The JV intends to speculatively develop a ‘best-in-class’ urban logistics scheme on the site, which will be known as Capital Park, and has a projected gross development value of £25m. The JV will be submitting a planning application to redevelop the site to deliver 165,000 sq ft of industrial and warehousing space across 20 units ranging from 3,400 sq ft to 25,000 sq ft. Units will be available freehold or leasehold. Neighbouring occupiers to the proposed development include Evans Halshaw, Tool Station, Edinburgh College, Edinburgh Napier University and Burton Biscuit Company. Commenting on the acquisition, Chancerygate development director, Mike Walker, said: “We are very pleased to have secured this development opportunity in what is widely regarded as Edinburgh’s prime industrial location. “We believe there is an undersupply of Grade A best-in-class industrial space in Edinburgh and our site will go some way to addressing this imbalance. We will be offering the units on a sale or leasehold basis, which is quite rare within the city, and we already have interest from a variety of potential occupiers. “The site is situated within close proximity to Edinburgh’s motorway network, commuter links and airport, making it an ideal location for SME occupiers, trade counters and last mile logistics operators.” Chancerygate and Bridges Fund Management have been working in partnership on projects for more than 10 years. Investments include the development of ‘The Curve’, a student housing development in London SE1; the regeneration of Beeston Business Park, Nottingham; and the acquisition of sites earlier this year for industrial development in Coventry and Peterborough totalling 454,000 sq ft. Bridges Fund Management partner, Guy Bowden, added: “It’s great to be finalising our third recent JV with Chancerygate following our acquisitions in Coventry and Peterborough. The site offers an excellent opportunity to carry out some significant regeneration work and we will ultimately provide space that is much more environmentally sustainable the accommodation currently available in the area.” The JV was advised by property consultancy Galbraith on the site acquisition whilst property agents Savills and Ryden advised Mapeley. Galbraith and Ryden will be the retained agents on the development.
Sigmat have been appointed by Torsion Group to deliver 51 new townhouses in the heart of Lincoln. Situated close to Morrisons on Tritton Road, the 4-storey development ‘Pine Mill’, will deliver a total of 361 en-suite bed spaces, including seven accessible ground floor en-suite bedrooms. The townhouses will be arranged in a series of seven, four storey linear blocks, which overlook private and secure landscaped courtyards. Vehicular access to the 99 space car park would be maintained via the existing access road, which also serves B&Q and Hamilton House from Beevor Street. The Sigmat team will be on site for 28 weeks from November 2020, with 400 plasterboard packs and 354 bathroom pods craned in. Mike Hesp, Pre-Construction Manager at Torsion, commented “We have worked successfully with Sigmat on a number of projects now, following the success of our recent project at Bailey Street we chose to work with Sigmat again and benefit from the programme and cost efficiencies that the Sigmat system bring. Early engagement in the design process allows us to take full advantage of the offsite manufacturing process.”
Smart cities are now much more ambitious. That means new materials are their biggest enabler, with information and computer technology dropping to an important support role. The major new IDTechEx report, “Smart Cities Emerging Materials Markets 2021-2041” explains. Consider the $0.5 trillion NEOM smart city being reclaimed from the Saudi desert and the $0.1 trillion Forest City being reclaimed from the Malaysian sea. They will gain energy, food and water independence, zero emissions, resilience and verdant, affordable, delightful living from next-generation materials and good design. Forest City names smart materials as pivotal. Raghu Das, CEO of IDTechEx advises, “Of the trillions of dollars being spent on smart cities, the advanced materials part is rising to hundreds of billions yearly over the next twenty years. Newly multipurpose buildings make food and surplus energy, eventually with no service infrastructure to them because they treat sewage, for example, and are otherwise independent.” He adds, “Multifunctional infrastructure, equipment, and materials are making possible independence in city energy, food, and water with zero-emissions, greater security and empowerment of the disadvantaged with free travel, electricity “too cheap to meter”. Welcome the wooden high-rise building but also the 3D printing of buildings using mud, trash, or green concrete. 3DP vehicles arrive, such as the Olli robot shuttle replacing ten existing vehicle types. 3D parts even use metals, inorganics, and composites, even creating 3D printed electronics nowadays.” Das believes, “Smart cities will widely deploy multifunctional composites, structural electronics, smart glass, flexible glass and transparent electronic-electric plastic such as headlamp RadarGlass™. A smart window can have a large microLED display, darken when the sun shines, saving air conditioning, heat insulate and make electricity at the same time. Bear in mind that residential and commercial buildings currently use 74% of all electricity and 39% of all energy in the United States, most of that for heating and cooling. That could be zero.” Green concrete, newly possible recycling (wind turbine blades, fluoropolymers, batteries) collapse the 16% of global warming caused by regular concrete and steel. Partly, this is because they eliminate massive tidal barrages, power stations, hydro dams outside cities, and toxigens. Grasp the flexible organics, membranes, bioplastics, advanced polymers, thermal interface materials, thermal insulation, 2D and 3D molecules, graphene, CNT, materials for 5G, 6G, and THz electronics. A huge $35 billion market is ahead for the varied materials providing ubiquitous photovoltaic power that silicon cannot serve. For example, a high rise will have those solar windows hopefully with something less toxic than methylammonium borate on lead perovskite, but the façade and roof would be different. Lightweight flexible copper indium gallium diselenide facades are already a multi-billion dollar business, with ones eliminating the tiny amount of cadmium yet gaining best silicon-level efficiency are on the way. However, the roof may justify sun-tracking multi-junction lll-V compounds twice the amount of electricity per unit of area. The IDTechEx multilingual, PhD level analysts have identified over 50 gaps in the market for smart city materials, many of which are capable of creating billion-dollar businesses. Examples include photovoltaic paint that is non-toxic, unlike the three routes being pursued today, solar roads not trashed by traffic, and wave power not trashed by storms. Self-healing vehicle bodywork making and storing electricity and glowing in the dark? No, not a silly dream but well-funded serious research projects. From the vehicle viewpoint, they call that “massless energy”. Over 200 companies develop vertical takeoff city air taxis, but their autonomy systems are too expensive and their batteries are inadequate, making them fall out of the sky in only one hour or so. Those are materials’ challenges, and they will be solved with such things as solid-state LIDAR and lithium-metal batteries. The 20 year forecasts, roadmaps, and analysis can only be found in the IDTechEx report, “Smart Cities Emerging Materials Markets 2021-2041”. There are even drill-down reports on most aspects for those who want to go even deeper as they create new billion-dollar businesses in city materials of the future. For more information on this report, please visit www.IDTechEx.com/SmartCitiesMats, or for the full portfolio of Smart Cities research available from IDTechEx, please visit www.IDTechEx.com/Research/SmartCities. IDTechEx guides your strategic business decisions through its Research, Subscription and Consultancy products, helping you profit from emerging technologies. For more information, contact research@IDTechEx.com or visit www.IDTechEx.com.
The launch of a Climate Action Roadmap from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) which aims to bring the retail industry and its supply chains to Net Zero by 2040 has been welcomed by Priva UK. However, to achieve these goals, greater levels of investment in smart building technologies will be needed, says the controls manufacturer. With over 60 leading retailers committing resources to delivering the new Roadmap, the BRC’s initiative is proof of the retail industry’s determination to decarbonise stores by 2030, deliveries by 2035 and products by 2040. The Climate Action Roadmap sets out five areas of action: Putting decarbonisation at the core of all business decision making Reducing carbon emissions from shops and distribution centres Moving to net zero logistics operations Increasing sustainably sourced products Helping customers and employees to live low carbon lifestyles Working with several of Britain’s biggest retail brands – including two major supermarket chains – building controls manufacturer Priva UK says it stands ready to support its retail customers in meeting their energy efficiency ambitions. “We are delighted to see such energy and determination from within the retail industry in the fight against climate change,” says Gavin Holvey, General Manager UK & Ireland at Priva UK. “It’s fair to say the opportunities to reduce carbon emissions in retail are huge. However, for this vision to be realised, the retail industry will need to work with its suppliers – like Priva UK – to accelerate the adoption of smart building technologies which have the potential for energy savings (within buildings) of up to 40%. For any retailer yet to invest or implement such technologies, we stand ready to help them start this journey.” Commenting on the launch of the Roadmap,Helen Dickinson OBE, Chief Executive of the British Retail Consortium said: “Never before has an entire industry been so ambitious in tackling climate change. Retail is the critical gateway between vast international supply chains and every one of us as citizens. We have a fantastic opportunity to make a real global difference if we can all work collectively.” BRC Climate Action Roadmap Executive Summary found here BRC Climate Action Roadmap found here
Housing association Network Homes has transformed part of a Lambeth estate into 177 new homes with landscaped communal spaces as well as a community room and resource centre facilities for the benefit of local residents. There are 41 homes for affordable rent and 40 rented apartments for Active Elderly residents being moved from Wynter House, an old sheltered block on the estate. Of the remaining homes, twenty are for shared ownership and 76 apartments for private sale. At up to 20 stories high, the £70million development provides a new landmark for Stockwell Park and includes three large commercial units. It has been built on the site of Thrayle House, an unmodernised former council owned block built in the 1970s. The old deck access building was in a poor state of repair with empty shops and a dark disused undercroft car park. The scheme, which received over £4.2 million of funding from the Greater London Authority (GLA), marks the final stages of the wider £200 million regeneration of the Stockwell Park Estate. This investment has gone towards building new homes, refurbishing and improving existing homes and upgrading community spaces on the estate. Active Elderly resident, Washington Hylton, moved over to the new development from Wynter House. He said: “I’m so grateful as my new home is a 100% improvement on my old place which didn’t suit my needs. My flat has more space and the presentation of the accommodation is nice and clean with better facilities.” David Gooch, Network Homes Executive Director for Development, commented: “I am very proud of our new development at Thrayle House which provides much needed high-quality modern homes. The positive feedback from the residents who have transferred from Wynter House, and some of the original tenants of the original Thrayle House who have moved back, has been great to hear and I wish them all well in their new homes.” Delroy Rankin, Executive Director at SW9 Community Housing, said: “The new development on Stockwell Road, Thrayle House, was transferred into the management of SW9 in July. Those residents that have lived on Stockwell Park for many years know that the estate has had its difficult and challenging times, and on occasion people did not want to live here. It is now a place of choice. The regeneration of the estate is an example of how to merge the new with the old whilst retaining the heart of the community. We are proud to be welcoming new people to the area as well as supplying wonderful new homes to our existing residents.”
Half of tradespeople say social media gets them more work, but most don’t know how to maximise its potential A quarter say that Facebook and Google reviews help get them more customers Builders get the most work from social media, plasterers the least Experts reveal how to get the most out of your social media trade platforms Social media has transformed businesses in all industries, but despite helping many tradespeople get more work, a staggering 85% say they don’t know how to use it effectively. New research[1] by IronmongeryDirect, the UK’s largest supplier of specialist ironmongery, has explored how trade businesses currently use social media and how many are currently missing out on its benefits. Almost half (47%) of tradespeople say that having a social media presence helps them get more work, with Facebook being the main platform (22%). This is for several reasons, including the ability to build stronger client relationships (15%), get ahead of competitors (15%) and interact with community groups (22%). Such is the power of social media, one in six (16%) tradespeople believe it is now just as important, if not more, than traditional word of mouth. Because of this, 45% now actively advertise on at least one social platform and more than one in ten (12%) use social media as their only form of marketing. However, despite recognising its importance, the vast majority of tradespeople say they are not using social media effectively. Nearly nine in ten (85%) don’t know how to get the most out of it, with plumbers the least likely to maximise its potential (90%). Joiners are the most social savvy of all the trades, yet 79% still don’t know how best to use their channels to help their business. While social media helps all trades bring in more work, builders are the most likely to attract new customers with it. Two thirds (66%) of builders say their social channels help bring in business, followed by bricklayers (53%) and landscapers (51%). Plasterers are the least likely to see an increase in work (25%). The trades most likely to get more work by using social media are: 1) Builders – 66% 2) Bricklayers – 53% 3) Landscapers – 51% 4) Painter / Decorators – 46% 5) Electricians – 45% 6)Plumbers – 45% 7) Building Surveyors – 37% 8) Carpenters – 33% 9) Joiners – 33% 10) Plasterers – 25% One business that has directly seen the benefits of social media is The Brighton Loft Co, a loft conversion company in East Sussex. Gilles Buxton, Director, said: “When the pandemic hit this year, we started sharing our projects on social media and since we’ve started doing that, we’ve seen an increase in business and enquiries. “In 2019, we had 40 enquiries, but we’ve already had 72 this year – so we are already up 80% year-on-year, which is fantastic news.” On average, female tradespeople dedicate the most time to social media promotion, with over half (51%) pursuing leads online, compared to just 41% of men. They are also more likely to ask customers to leave reviews online (28% vs 23%) and such digital feedback is growing in significance. Over 20 million business reviews are posted on Google every day[2] and they can have a huge impact on a company’s performance. A recent study found that businesses with positive scores on review sites can earn up to 58% more revenue[3]. Overall, a quarter (25%) of trade businesses ask for reviews and a similar amount (26%) believe that positive comments can directly lead to more custom. However, more than a fifth (21%) of tradespeople worry about receiving negative reviews and the impact that might have. Charlie Carlton, Head of Digital at IronmongeryDirect, said: “Whether you’re a start-up looking to increase brand awareness, or a larger firm trying to expand, most trade businesses can benefit from being on social media, so it’s definitely worth creating accounts if you don’t already have some. “For those who already have social channels, our research has shown that the majority aren’t currently getting the most out of them. However, it doesn’t take that much time or effort to create a basic profile that can start to pick up work.” For expert advice on how to get the most out of social media for your trade business, visit: https://www.ironmongerydirect.co.uk/blog/six-tips-for-boosting-your-trade-business-using-social
AFTER dominating the domestic EPDM rubber flat roofing market for the past two decades, Permaroof – the UK’s leading importer and distributor of Firestone RubberCover – is expanding into the commercial sector. Building on its past experience of supplying rubber membranes to its customer base working on commercial projects and its expansion into modular projects during the UK-wide lockdown this year, the business – which was set up in 1999 and is based in Derbyshire –now offers design, specification and installation on commercial projects using the proven and durable rubber membrane Firestone RubberGard EPDM. Adrian Buttress, managing director of Permaroof and the wider PermaGroup, said: “During our time specialising in domestic flat roofing projects, we’ve proven ourselves in the residential sector and gained unrivalled expertise of the industry. “After hitting our 20-year-old company milestone and with a record year in 2020, we were ready to expand our offering. The next logical step was to use our knowledge and move into the commercial sector – further increasing our portfolio of providing permanent solutions to age-old problems. Our vision is to become a leading commercial flat roofing supplier within just two years.” As part of the firm’s strategy to increase the delivery of large-scale installations, Permaroof has hired experienced national commercial manager Sunny Lotay to lead its new commercial flat roofing division. Adrian said: “While we’re not new to EPDM, having specialised in Firestone membranes for the past 17 years, residential rubber roofing and commercial flat roofing are two very different animals. Because of this, we’ve recruited an experienced national commercial sales manager, who will lead our new commercial flat roofing division and work with the Firestone technical team to ensure its global reputation is maintained. “Permaroof will be following Firestone’s proven business model, which has led to some very prestigious jobs around the world, totalling millions of square metres. “Through our national contractor stockist network, we have extensive access to commercial projects, which will enable us to organically tap into this source. We know we will be able to make a substantial difference in the number of projects we can bring flat roofing solutions to and we are thrilled to now be offering design, specification and installation to the commercial sector.” Sunny – who has more than 14 years’ experience under his belt – started his career at SIG Roofing where he spent almost seven years as a business development manager, followed by one year as a specification manager at SIG Design & Technology. He then moved to Saint-Gobain/Jewson as head of flat roofing. A five-year stint was followed by almost two years as a regional specification manager at Flex-R. He said: “The launch of the commercial flat roofing division in partnership with Firestone is part of Permaroof’s continued success story, which is steeped in providing waterproofing systems and solutions to its customers. “Because of the number of waterproofing solutions available for commercial flat roofing, building owners and project managers need to think in the long term and research the economics of their decisions, and this is where we can help. Our industry knowledge and experience combine to make us perfectly placed to support customers in finding the best commercial roofing system for their premises. “I’m incredibly excited to start working closely with customers to help them get the most value from their roofing system investment. From the initial design right through to the end user walking into the building, we’re on hand throughout the entire lifecycle of a built environment project, providing an excellent waterproofing solution with full technical assistance, and a warranty to back it up – providing peace of mind.” Firestone RubberGard is a high performing synthetic flat roof membrane that has an expected lifespan of more than 50 years. The system offers a unique combination of features, including superior weatherability and durability, low lifecycle cost, and high flexibility and elongation. The material is available in standard grade at 1.14mm and premium grade at 1.52mm for heavy duty installations and can be custom cut to size. Adrian added: “Since their introduction, Firestone EPDM membranes – which are backed by more than a century of Firestone experience in rubber technology – have dominated the single-ply roofing market through their proven performance, durability and flexibility over a wide range of building types. “EPDM – which has a low lifecycle cost, requiring little to no maintenance once installed correctly on a well-prepared substate – is proving to be the leading flat roof material for the future, particularly due to its environmental properties. “If you are an architect, specifier or building owner, please do get in touch with our team of experts, who can fully explain how Firestone RubberGard can benefit your commercial project.” Permaroof offers products and services that provide permanent solutions to age-old problems. It offers this through a variety of products – its central offering of Firestone RubberCover EPDM roofing, as well as artificial grass through its Permalawn brand and maintenance-free fencing via Permafence. This is in addition to Permatile promenade tiles, skylights and rooflights through The Skylight Company and, most recently, steel-framed buildings. In 2020, Permaroof celebrated its most successful year in its 20-year history, after maximising the lockdown effect on the DIY market as well as quickly diversifying in the face of the pandemic. Its positive end to the year follows several record months including a 26% increase in sales in May 2020 compared to 2019 and a staggering 86% increase when comparing June 2019 to 2020. For more information on Permaroof UK, please visit www.permaroof.co.uk or call 01773 608839.