Prova has strengthened its investment portfolio with another major acquisition. The global leader in automotive, cleantech and environmental communications has acquired a stake in X Machines. X Machines aims to provide a community for machinery sales across the mining, oil & gas, forestry, marine, construction and renewables markets, among others. Via a unique platform, buyers and sellers can access an international marketplace, rather than being limited by more traditional channels.  Welcoming the new partnership, X Machine founder Alex Slowen said: “Over the past few months, we’ve seen a significant amount of money committed to the business, allowing us to take the X Machines platform to market next month. We want to enable a global reach via innovative IT and digital engagement. By listing equipment and services via X Machines, organisations can interact with suppliers around the world. No other platform is trying to connect people and equipment, while bringing added value services to market.” He added: “Five years from now, we want to be the dominant marketplace for heavy equipment, with a balanced buyer and seller network, offering outstanding customer service. Coming from a 50 year old family business dedicated to buying and selling machinery, we know the challenges and how to maximise the opportunities. We want to bring people and machinery together and create a global network with unlimited capacity.” Shedding more light on Prova’s recent investments, Richard Postins explained: “These are uncertain times for the UK economy but across the critical sectors of cleantech and transport, there is real drive, determination and innovation. As a society, we need to be looking for the right solutions and, at Prova, we’re committed to delivering success for the next generation. X Machines is an excellent example of disruptive capability and we look forward to working alongside the business as it goes from strength to strength.”

‘First fire’ has been achieved at SSE Thermal’s Ferrybridge Multifuel 2 (FM2) project in West Yorkshire – a major milestone ahead of the plant becoming operational later this year. FM2, which entered construction in 2016, is being developed as a joint venture between SSE Thermal and Wheelabrator Technologies at a total cost of £325 million. When completed, the facility will have a generation capacity of 70MW, converting waste-derived fuel into enough electricity to power around 180,000 homes. In doing so, it will help divert an estimated 570,000 tonnes of waste from landfill annually. The project is located next to SSE’s existing FM1 facility and adjacent to the company’s decommissioned coal-fired Ferrybridge ‘C’ Power Station. “We’re delighted to have reached ‘first fire’ at FM2, which is one of the last big milestones before the plant becomes operational. This achievement is the culmination of three years of hard work and I want to say a big thank you to our lead contractor Hitachi Zosen Inova (HZI), and the entire project team, for getting to this point safely and on schedule,” said Stephen Davis, Head of Construction (Multifuel) for SSE Thermal, about the milestone. At peak construction over 900 people were working on the FM2 project, and 34 full-time roles are expected to be created once the plant becomes fully operational.  SSE’s thermal plants provide important and complementary flexible electricity generation to support increasing renewable power across GB.

Starting a construction project can be a daunting task. There are so many things that you need to consider to complete your numerous building tasks. On that note, often big jobs require the use of a wide array of equipment. These pieces include road sweepers, dumpers, telehandlers, rollers, shovels, and attachments. FGS Plant is a UK based construction company that has a wide range of utilities available for quick order. With our competitive hire rates, flexible hire periods, free site survey, and telephone support, we are the premier destination for purchasing or considering equipment for your constructional needs. Despite the wide variety of construction companies in the UK, FGS plant is specific in the fact that we are dedicated to providing you with quality service to fulfill your personal and professional goals. We have a broad range of plant available to hire. Whatever your requirements, FGS Plant guarantees to meet your needs and surpass your requirements.  Things to Consider When Looking For the Plant Hire Services:  Most companies have come to understand that there are many benefits associated with selecting to work with a plant hire service. Employing a plant hire service can help them save money because they can rent as opposed to buying expensive constructional equipment. Despite the apparent economic benefit of hiring a plant hire service, one must consider additional factors when looking to purchase equipment. With that said, purchasing any piece of equipment comes with obligations that we all need to be made aware of.  The first thing to do before hiring a plant hire service, is to do your research. Before purchasing equipment or engaging in a professional plant hire service you must understand what your end goals are. By doing this, you can prevent yourself from pairing with a company that does not have the skills or resources to meet your constructional needs.  Also, credibility is another factor to consider. You must ask yourself, “How do the majority of people rate this plant hire service?” If you discover that a majority of people have had a negative interaction with the company, you can save yourself a lot of time and stress. If you’re looking to engage with a plant hire Kent company then consider FGS Plant.  On that note, the age of equipment and delivery time are also things to consider. Old building equipment can be a hazard to you and those around you. The state of the material you are receiving can also be the difference between establishing a safe environment or a hazardous one. Having the latter will lead to countless lawsuits and inconvenience on your company and its employees. Furthermore, depending on when you want your project completed, a plant hire service’s delivery time is a significant element. It is best to avoid companies that will not respect your time in regards to completing projects. Understanding the relationship a company has with time-sensitive projects is something to consider strongly before hiring a plant hire service.  Requirements Every Plant Hire Services Should Meet: Not many people know this, but there are some aspects that all plant hire services should meet. One of these requirements states that all equipment must have a risk assessment or method statement carried out before being used. This risk assessment component is to ensure the safety of everyone involved with the construction process. All building equipment must have a qualified person in charge of the operation to ensure that the project is running smoothly without situations that could harm people. Finally, all equipment must have sufficient insurance cover for all personnel involved, members of the public, machinery and for each item being used.  Conclusion: Since 2004, FGS Plant has become a leader in the South East but supplying a wide range of equipment to major contractors throughout the area. We are not like other suppliers; our goal is to exceed your expectations so that you can produce the best results. More ever, besides providing top-notch service, our equipment and staff meet the highest standards demanded by the Construction industry. When working with FGS Plant, you are guaranteed to receive professional service that promptly meets all of your building requirements.

Chepstow Construction Equipment has been a Kubota Construction dealer since 2013 and covers South Wales as well as a large part of the West Country, areas that are both steeped in National Hunt Racing history. Both of CCE’s depots (Chepstow and Tiverton) conveniently have race courses located nearby, and the company has a long-running association with the Chepstow Racecourse and has sponsored the Silver Trophy Handicap Hurdle for the past two years.  CCE has 25 years’ experience in the plant industry and supply a range of Kubota machines, including the market-leading mini excavators, tracked dumpers and RTVs, to a variety of different customers such as plant hire firms, contractors and builders.   Since becoming a Kubota dealer, CCE has supported Chepstow Racecourse and used the superb facilities for charity events and hospitality functions for suppliers, customers and employees. Most recently, the firm supplied a Reggae-style U48-4GL machine for its Caribbean-themed race night which is currently being raffled.   CCE’s goal is to develop strong working relationships with construction and plant hire across the area it serves, and be the leading provider of compact construction equipment and mini excavators in particular. Therefore, Kubota has been the perfect partner with which to do so, and both companies have shared values of putting customers at the forefront of everything they do.   The reliability of the Kubota product has helped to save customers a considerable amount of potential downtime and lost productivity on sites, as well as time in administrating machine problems and breakdowns. But they also save the CCE team huge amounts of time, both in terms of engineering and administration work on breakdown and warranty claims. Instead, this time can be much better spent on providing customers with a swifter reaction time to an issue, or to provide advice or training, for instance.   As a result, CCE’s market share has grown by some margin over the last five years with three times the amount of Kubota machines being sold now than in 2012, and the company has been able to expand its service area into Devon to better serve customers in the West Country. Customer retention is above 90%, even during a very volatile and competitive period for the market.   There are many likenesses between the thoroughbreds that race on the tracks at Chepstow and the Kubota mini excavators that are sold by CCE – both are top of their class. Hard working, reliable and with an impeccable pedigree but perhaps not quite as fast (!), Kubota’s mini excavators work just as well in soft ground as well as on good to firm, and always deliver a winning result.  

For all operations, controlled bolting is highly important. It ensures that the tightening and loosening of bolts are done in a controlled manner. If you rush through this process, then you could risk complications further down the line. If you correctly use a controlled bolting technique, then it can help you meet tighter deadlines and also has a number of benefits and advantages. Together, with Bolt Torque specialists, HTL Group, we cover the advantages of controlled bolting techniques: Improves SafetyFirst of all priority in any equipment, is safety. The controlled bolting equipment in this scenario can take away any unsafe actions of manual uncontrolled tightening. This is because the equipment requires highly-skilled and trained operators who follow specific procedures. Reduces timeBecause controlled bolting has an automated set-up, there’s no heavy loading and manual effort required. This means that fatigue won’t set in, which in turn would lower productivity levels. Not only is the manual labour a lot more strenuous on workers, it’s also a lot more time consuming for a human to do this task. Consistency When dealing with joints which have gaskets, consistency is crucial. This is because an even and consistent compression is required so there’s no damage and so that the gasket can work effectively. Human error is one of most common cause of error in engineering. This in itself would mean the task could take a lot longer. But, controlled bolting eliminates this risk. With this bolting technique, you can feel assured that you will be correctly operating every time. This is possible thanks to skilled operators using calibrated and tested equipment and follow specific procedures.   Accurate calculations can also be provided by controlled bolting, which can help give the operator the required tool setting so that usability is easier. It’s essential to bare in mind before you undergo any tightening procedures, that give the equipment a full inspection. It’s also imperative to check the lubrication of any nuts and bolts and to make sure they’re flush against the flange. Be sure to check for uneven bolt tensioning as this can result in bolts being overloaded or too loose, a gasket leakage, and less than 100% tensioning. Even though controlled bolting is more consistent, time-effective and safe, you must ensure that you’re correctly trained in the method used. Sources https://www.hiretorque.co.uk/advantages-of-controlled-bolting-techniques/