To help businesses streamline heavy lifting operations with safer, more efficient, and cost-effective solutions, Hendrik Veder Group UK has strengthened its strategic alliance with Lift-Tex®. This partnership will ensure that industries reliant on heavy lifting across the UK, including maritime, shipping, construction, oil and gas, and renewables, will gain direct access to the Lift-Tex® advanced Extreema® round sling product line, known for its superior strength, flexibility, and ease of use. As a key supplier of Lift-Tex® Extreema round slings in the UK, Hendrik Veder Group UK has reinforced its position as a provider of premium heavy lifting solutions. This collaboration is particularly valuable for the growing renewable sector, where the slings play a critical role in handling and transporting the blades used in offshore wind farm foundations. Manufactured in the Netherlands, the Extreema® slings incorporate cutting-edge ‘parallel laid fibre technology,’ making them up to eight times stronger than steel on a weight-for-weight basis. They also reduce overall weight by up to 80% compared to wire rope, making lifting operations safer, more flexible, and more cost-efficient. By integrating these high-performance slings into its offering, Hendrik Veder Group UK enhances its ability to support businesses in achieving safer and more efficient lifting operations. Bertwin Zonneveld, Managing Director of Hendrik Veder Group UK, commented: “This collaboration is a strategic step forward for our customers. By bringing Lift-Tex®’s innovative Extreema® slings to the UK market, we provide industries with a lifting solution that is lighter, safer, and more durable than traditional alternatives. Whether for long-standing marine and shipping clients or those developing the UK’s renewable energy infrastructure, this partnership ensures that our customers receive the best lifting technologies available. We look forward to connecting Lift-Tex® products to our loyal customers.” Bert Snel, Director of Lift-Tex added: “We are committed to supporting lifting requirements worldwide, and the long-term partnership with Hendrik Veder Group allows us to do just that. Our Extreema® slings have already proven their value across Europe, and through Hendrik Veder Group UK’s strong network, we are confident they will make a difference to UK industries, particularly in the fast-growing renewables sector.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

Bobcat, a brand of Doosan Bobcat, has won a significant order for 90 PA7.2 portable air compressors from Speedy Services, one of the UK’s leading providers of tools, equipment and plant hire. This latest order underscores Speedy’s confidence in Bobcat’s outstanding service, strong existing relationship and industry-leading reputation. Speedy Services has been a long-term partner of Bobcat, choosing the brand not only for its high-quality products but also for its commitment to reliability, innovation and sustainability. The PA7.2 compressor from Bobcat provides a free air delivery of 2.0 m³/min (70 cfm) and is built for high performance and durability. The compressors at Speedy Services have been supplied with fully bunded bases to ensure complete spill protection and compliance with the latest environmental regulations. This latest deal highlights Bobcat’s position as a trusted supplier in the equipment hire industry, providing market-leading products backed by exceptional service and environmental responsibility. In addition to this order, Speedy Services has also chosen to incorporate Bobcat’s ECOmizer technology into its fleet, ensuring that all new compatible models it purchases in the future from Bobcat will feature this fuel-saving innovation. The Bobcat ECOmizer system automatically adjusts engine speed during periods of low demand, significantly reducing fuel consumption, emissions and operating costs. Depending on the idle time of the machine, the ECOmizer system can deliver fuel savings of up to 70%, helping Speedy Services further enhance its environmental and cost-efficiency goals. By making ECOmizer a standard across its fleet where compatible, Speedy is reinforcing its commitment to sustainable operations and smart fleet management. Nick Kealy, UK Sales Manager for the Bobcat Portable Power range, expressed his enthusiasm about the deal, stating: “We are delighted to strengthen our relationship with Speedy Services through this major order. Their continued trust in our brand reflects our reputation for delivering high-quality, reliable and environmentally responsible equipment. Speedy’s decision to implement ECOmizer across all compatible models further demonstrates their commitment to sustainability, and we look forward to supporting their operational needs in the future.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

His Majesty The King visited JCB’s World Headquarters today as part of the company’s 80th anniversary celebrations, getting a first-hand look at the future of hydrogen-powered machinery. During his tour of JCB’s Innovation Centre in Rocester, The King was introduced to the company’s latest breakthrough – a hydrogen-powered internal combustion engine. Chairman Anthony Bamford showcased one of the first JCB diggers to run on hydrogen, demonstrating how the machine can be refuelled in just minutes. The visit also marked another milestone for JCB – the production of its one-millionth backhoe loader. This iconic machine revolutionised construction worldwide by replacing manual labour with mechanised earthmoving. Lord Bamford expressed his gratitude for the royal visit, stating: “It is a real honour for us all that The King has visited JCB to help us celebrate 80 years in business. It was also a great pleasure to show The King the progress we are making with hydrogen-powered machines. Today was an occasion that will live long in the memories of everyone who was present.” The King was welcomed by Lord and Lady Bamford, George Bamford, and JCB CEO Graeme Macdonald before touring the backhoe loader production line, where he even helped fit a wheel to a JCB digger. During the tour, His Majesty met several JCB apprentices, including Eleanor Pitt, only the second female welding apprentice at the company. He also spoke with long-serving employees, including Richard Williams, who has worked at JCB for 38 years, following in his father’s footsteps. Richard’s wife Sarah, son Josh, and daughter Kaitlan – all JCB employees – were also introduced to The King. The visit concluded in JCB’s main reception, where His Majesty was shown the one-millionth backhoe loader and greeted by over 60 guests. Among them were members of two families with nearly 1,000 years of combined service to JCB. Bill Boot, who started working at JCB in 1949, was joined by nine current Boot family employees, including his great-grandson Leigh. Ken Harrison, aged 100, one of the last surviving members of the 1953 team that built the first backhoe loader, was also in attendance with his family. Former JCB Academy student Rhys Bradbury, now JCB’s Regional Sales Manager for Central Europe, Austria, and Switzerland, reflected on the visit: “It was fantastic to be involved in today’s visit and a great start to JCB’s 80th anniversary year.” Olympic silver medallist Adam Burgess, a JCB-sponsored athlete, also attended the event. Before departing, The King unveiled a plaque to commemorate his visit and was met by thousands of JCB employees, who lined the route waving flags and cheering in celebration of this historic occasion. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

GAP Hire Solutions, the UK’s largest independent hire company, has launched its new Hoist Services Brochure, showcasing an expanded range of lifting solutions designed to improve efficiency, safety, and productivity on construction sites. With demand for reliable hoisting solutions at an all-time high, GAP has strengthened its offering with a comprehensive selection of GEDA construction hoists capable of lifting up to two tonnes or transporting up to seven people. These high-performance hoists provide construction teams with the power, precision, and reliability needed for modern projects, ensuring seamless vertical transportation while reducing downtime and enhancing site safety. GAP’s specialist hoisting division operates nationwide, providing full installation, maintenance, and expert support to meet the varied demands of construction sites across the UK. Karen Greenshields, Managing Director – Technical and Environmental Services, commented, “This is another exciting development for GAP Hire Solutions. We own more than 100 of our depots nationally and remain family-owned. This allows us to plan for the long term with the flexibility to continue to diversify and meet our customers’ demands, which is unique in our industry. Hoist Services is the latest example of GAP’s commitment to investment in people, premises and products. We have been delivering lifting and up to 850kg hoisting solutions for over 10 years, so bringing a fleet of new Goods and Passenger Hoists up to 2T into the market is exciting for both our customers and our expanding Hoist Services Team.” Explore GAP’s brand-new Hoist Services Brochure here. For more details, contact GAP on 03330 094 096 or email hoist.services@gap-group.co.uk.   Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

VINCI Building has seen the first of two tower cranes go up on Sheffield Forgemasters’ Brightside Lane site last week. Each crane, a WOLFF 355 B Luffing Jib Crane from WOLFFKRAN of Germany, is fully electric and has the capacity to lift of 28 metric tonnes. The two WOLFF 355 Bs are the first wholly owned by VINCI Building and together represent an investment of around £2.5m for a full package and a significant commitment to the strategically important work at the £138m project at Sheffield Forgemasters to build a 13,800 sqm building to house the UK’s largest open-die forging facility, as the MoD-owned company drives its substantial recapitalisation programme forward. The cranes will be used to construct the press pit foundations – a key element in the works – a 40-metre-high superstructure, erect gantries, chimneys and redistribute materials. The second WOLFF 355 B will be on site in the middle of 2025, and both will be working until early 2026. The two tower cranes, ordered by VINCI Building, are driven by all electric motors – in line with VINCI Building ambitions to provide zero emission electricity to complement their carbon reduction roadmap and journey. Craig Fisher, Programme Director at Sheffield Forgemasters, said: “The arrival of tower cranes on our new Forge site will be one of the first external indicators of the large programme of work we are undertaking and marks a step forward in the delivery of the Forge building.” The WOLFF 355 B travelled across Europe from the WOLFFKRAN Plant in Heilbronn, southern Germany. The journey took almost a week and setting up the first tower crane took around 48-hours – all of which you can follow via videos on social media and VINCI Building (vinci-building.co.uk). Transporting the WOLFF 355 B is both cost-effective and convenient. The crane’s slewing elements can fit easily on standard trucks, optimising space, and reducing transportation costs. The WOLFF 355 B is designed for ease of assembly on site: its components are divided into separate latticework sections, keeping the total mounting weight low. Chris Winspear, VINCI Building regional director, said: “These cranes are a first for us – we own them outright and the arrival and set up of the first WOLFF 355 B is a major landmark for Sheffield Forgemasters and particularly for us at VINCI Building. It marks an investment in the project and our business. We are optimistic for 2025 and this all-electric crane proves our intent to deliver on major schemes of benefit for the UK economy and to do it in as sustainable a manner as possible. We are grateful to the WOLFFKRAN team for all their assistance in the specification and delivering it to our team.” Adrian Hawkins, WOLFFKRAN Ltd. Sales Director, said: “We are incredibly proud and privileged to be VINCI Building’s chosen supplier. Witnessing the cranes being erected in Sheffield, is a special moment for us. Both WOLFF 355 B tower cranes will receive comprehensive service and maintenance from WOLFFKRAN under our maintenance agreement for many years to come. We eagerly anticipate collaborating closely with VINCI Building on the Sheffield Forgemasters project and future endeavours where these cranes will play a vital role. We sincerely thank VINCI Building for their confidence in WOLFFKRAN products, and we look forward to building a more sustainable future together with this partnership.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

SITECH® UK & Ireland, an authorised dealer of Trimble® Civil Construction Field Systems, has announced a new partnership with Foxdown Construction Ltd. This collaboration will see Foxdown Construction utilising technology on Vistry Group’s Gateway development project in Bexhill-on-Sea in the South East of England. As part of this partnership, Foxdown Construction has acquired seven Trimble® Earthworks machine control kits, two Trimble R750 base stations with Internet Base Station Service (IBSS), Trimble® Business Center software and Trimble® WorksManager software. This suite of advanced technology – with a combination of hardware and software working hand in hand – will be deployed to enhance efficiency and accuracy on the Gateway project, which spans a considerable land area and is set to provide a range of housing options. Phillip Matchett, Technical Sales Consultant at SITECH UK & Ireland, commented on the partnership: “We’re thrilled to be working with Foxdown Construction on this project. The Trimble solutions are designed to address the complex challenges faced in large-scale developments like the Gateway project. The combination of machine control systems and software solutions will enable Foxdown to work with precision and efficiency.” The Trimble Earthworks Grade Control Platform is designed for excavators and dozers. It offers operators real-time guidance on the position of the machine’s blade or bucket relative to the desired grade, improving accuracy and efficiency. “One of the key advantages of Trimble Earthworks system is its ability to maintain accuracy in areas where other GPS systems struggle,” added Matchett. “This means Foxdown can keep their machines operating efficiently, even when working close to buildings or in areas with dense tree cover. The system’s advanced signal processing and error modelling called Trimble® ProPoint provide robust protection against interference, ensuring consistent performance across the entire project site.” The Trimble® R750 GNSS Modular Receiver provides connectivity, flexibility and scalability to meet the exact needs of GNSS-based workflows. Used as a permanent or semi-permanent base station, it provides GNSS corrections for site measurements and machine control. It also uses the latest Maxwell™ 7 GNSS technology to track all-in-view GNSS constellations and signals, enabling more reliable coverage to keep machines and people up and running. Complementing the hardware, Trimble Business Center is a powerful office software that transforms field data into high-quality deliverables. It enables surveyors to process data from various sources, including GNSS receivers, total stations, and laser scanners, in a single environment. Trimble WorksManager, meanwhile, is a cloud-based application that facilitates seamless data transfer between the office and field, allowing for real-time project updates and efficient resource management. “What’s exciting about this partnership is the opportunity it presents for innovation in the housing development sector. As projects grow in scale and complexity, the need for advanced technology becomes increasingly critical. Our solutions not only improve accuracy and reduce rework but also provide valuable data insights that can inform decision-making throughout the project lifecycle,” said Matchett. Dave Hiscock, Managing Director at Foxdown Construction, expressed enthusiasm about the new technology: “This is our first venture into GPS machine control, and the journey has been extremely positive. SITECH’s support throughout the process has been outstanding, with instant assistance at every step. The training provided to our novice operators has resulted in competency within a day, which is a testament to both the intuitive nature of the Trimble systems and the expertise of the SITECH team. “The ability to work continuously, regardless of satellite visibility or environmental obstructions, has significantly boosted our productivity. We’re now able to tackle areas of the site that would have previously caused delays or required alternative methods. This technology is transforming how we approach our earthworks and is providing invaluable insights on a project of this scale.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

Field service engineer Tom March has taken the lead in the technical assessment of the Caterpillar® Global Dealer Technician Challenge and progressed to the next stage of the competition. The competition is a new global Caterpillar initiative that recognises excellence in the field of engineering and Tom’s performance to date puts him in with a chance to compete with the best-of-the-best at the competition’s final, at the CONEXPO trade event in Las Vegas. Finning UK & Ireland, the world’s largest dealer of Cat® machines, parts and aftermarket services, used their Staffordshire headquarters as the base for the first round of the competition which saw seven engineers take part in three timed technical challenges. The next stage of the first round will see Tom complete a written assessment set by Caterpillar as well as a five-minute video interview. Tom was delighted to emerge victorious from the first stage, as he says the competition was extremely close: “I was up against some excellent engineers, some with a little bit more experience than me, and none of the challenges were straightforward, so I was honoured to be considered as a front runner.”  The Caterpillar Global Dealer Technical Challenge builds on the success of the Global Operator Challenge which sees huge CONEXPO crowds flock to see the world’s best plant machinery operators. Caterpillar see this new initiative as equally important, as Christina Pritchett, Learning and Development Lead in Engineering and Technical, at Finning UK & Ireland explains: “It’s great that Caterpillar is recognising the exceptional work that engineers in the dealer network do, and also promoting what an amazing career you can have as an engineer both in field service, or the workshop.” Tom March certainly agrees on this second point, and says that taking part in this competition is the latest in a series of remarkable experiences in his career so far: “I began my career working for Finning in Canada, which involved a lot of travel, working in some incredible places. Having settled down I am now lucky enough to be working as a field engineer in the North-West where I grew up. Every day is different, and I get to meet some interesting people and solve problems for them. I’m delighted to still be in with a chance to compete in this global competition, and I’m looking forward to what comes next.” Subject to a written exam and video submission, Tom will go forward to the next round of the Global Dealer Technician Challenge: the European regional qualifier, which will be held next March at the Caterpillar Demonstration and Learning Center in Malaga. To find out more about a career in engineering here Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals