The Federation of Master Builders has released a comment on the Migration Watch paper that was published earlier this week. The Chief Executive of the Federation has said that the conclusions made by Migration Watch that there is no need for EU workers directly contradicts those who have experience of the construction industry. The construction sector is experiencing a significant skills shortage that in a number of areas in the country, the consistent flow of EU workers has helped to mitigate with the result of allowing the economy and the industry to continue to grow. After Brexit, the free movement of people will stop, however the Government needs to make sure that they are being both realistic and flexible when assessing the likely need for workers in areas such as the construction industry. The shortage of skilled workers in the UK construction industry is becoming more of a barrier for SMEs looking to develop and expand their businesses. The lack of skilled workers is also preventing the construction of houses around the UK that are desperately needed in order to reduce the housing deficit. The Federation of Master Builders has recently carried out research that has shown that over the course of the next three years, with Brexit expected to take place in less than 18 months, and the repercussions of this becomes a reality, it is thought that half of SME house builders will find the skills shortage a barrier to their growth as opposed to more traditional concerns such as the planning system. Research has shown that more than a third of SME house builders currently employ EU workers. This figure rises to 70% in London and the South East. A third of these employers feel that the end of the free movement of workers after Brexit could act as a major barrier to their growth.

Facilities management (FM) is a highly competitive market with an increasing number of providers trying to offer the most cost effective contract. So, how does an FM company differentiate itself from the rest of the crowd? Two of the most important criteria is quality of service, closely followed by the speed of response. The ability to deliver these vital attributes is usually dependent on the level of support from their suppliers. Facilities management is essentially the art of delivering solutions to a wide range of problems. To be successful in this industry a provider must be either so large that it can deliver all of the necessary services in-house, or have the ability to carefully select partners, such as Sulzer, to supply some aspects of the overall solution. With such a diverse range of services that need to be provided, most facilities managers have to decide which can be delivered by in-house professionals and which need to be outsourced to external partners. Of course, there will be differing strategies and assets depending on the types of building being managed. Multiple unit residential buildings have very different needs compared to commercial or industrial premises. Discovering the right partners Engaging external maintenance providers with the required levels of expertise and experience can deliver enhanced reliability especially if changes are required to the original specification. With the necessary skills and resources, expert maintenance providers can also deliver design and manufacturing facilities capable of implementing changes to promote efficiency and sustainability. As a leading global supplier of repair solutions, Sulzer has extensive experience of delivering cost effective repairs and improvements for electric motors and rotating equipment such as air handling units (AHUs). As a pump manufacturer, the company also has the capabilities to design, manufacture and repair all makes and sizes of pump. Every FM strategy will have unique aspects to it that require the project manager to collate a specific group of skills in order to deliver an effective solution. Depending on the customer, these can include central utilities, pumping systems, energy management as well as mechanical and electrical engineering support. Delivering the service It is important that any maintenance partner has, not only the skills and resources, but also original equipment manufacturer (OEM) partnerships and a distribution network that is capable of supplying the high-quality products and services throughout the marketplace. In addition, it may be necessary to be available on a 24/7 basis, in which case any partner must be properly staffed to ensure suitably skilled personnel are available round the clock. As a worldwide supplier of electromechanical repair solutions, Sulzer has the expertise and an extensive network of service centers that ensure a fast response and swift resolution is never far away. This wealth of knowledge is being appreciated by more and more facilities management companies in the UK and further afield. Accustomed to delivering turnkey solutions, Sulzer has a wide range of comprehensive asset management of electromechanical services. This includes support for pumping assets, ventilation fans as well as variable speed drives that can reduce energy costs and improve reliability. In addition, periodic preventative maintenance techniques such as thermal imaging surveys for electrical equipment or vibration analysis for bearings can also be deployed as part of the project strategy. For those involved with complete industrial or commercial parks there may be a responsibility to service and maintain the high voltage transformers on the site, which is certainly a specialist operation. Sulzer can maintain and repair these transformers with a minimum of downtime, ensuring minimal disruption to the companies on the park. Ultimately, for continued success, every FM team must deliver a reliable and cost effective service. This can be achieved by efficient management and careful matching of in-house and externally-sourced expertise, and ensuring that the latter is well positioned to deliver a high quality service.

Creative decor is often less about how much you spend and more about the quality of your ideas. Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication after all. Wooden pallets—yes, the ones used for building materials, hauling groceries, and transporting bulk good—can be recycled, restored and repurposed for your home. From garden plants to bedroom furniture, these surprisingly versatile pieces of lumber can bring a unique and tasteful design to the interior and the exterior of your house.   Desks and Tables   We’ll start with perhaps the easiest thing to do with the pallets—stack them on the floor and you’ve got a table. Bolt the pallets together for something sturdy. If you want a more visually appealing table surface, consider covering the pallets with plywood board. Add wheels to the table bottom to prevent the rough pallet surface from scratching and scarring your floor.     Couch and Bed   It’s probably not too hard to visualize a stack of pallets as a table. However, it is a bit more difficult to see how pallets can form a functional couch or a bed. Worry not; you will need a mattress and cushions. It’s fairly simple: all you need is to push the pallets together to form a frame. Paint or stain the frame for added panache. For the bed, nail some pallets to the wall to form a fitting headboard.   Rooms   You can create impressive spaces from pallets. This will take significantly more time and effort than the beds and the tables but can be well worth it. Ever thought of having a pallet floor? The installation will perhaps not be much different from a conventional wood floor. You’ll have to spend on sanding and staining but this would be cancelled out by the low cost of obtaining the pallets. Use the pallet wood to panel walls as a rustic substitute for wallpaper. If you want to temporarily partition a room into distinct living or working spaces, nail upright pallets together to form a room divider. You can customize the divider with designs or colors.   Shelves   If you think about it, pallets are actually shelves that need just a little structural creative reorganization. Cut the pallet to the desired shelf height and use some of the resulting scrap wood as the base and the backing for your customized shelf. Set books, tax paperwork, old music records or plants on the shelf and your work is done.   Fences   Now that we have a pretty good idea how pallets can be used indoors, it’s time to take the adventure outdoors. Consider beautifying your backyard with a pallet fence. The simplest approach would be stick to the height of the pallets by bolting them together, digging a trench and filling it with concrete to support the new fence.   Garden Plants   You can deploy pallets to your garden without the need to rip them apart. Position the pallet as a vertically aligned stand-up planter. You can staple fabric on the back, bottom and sides of the planter before planting your herbs and flowers. This should suffice if you have a small garden. For larger backyards, you can create raised beds. This is achieved by cutting the top side of the pallets that you’ll then use to form the sides of the garden. Unless you are fortunate to work in a career where you can get pallets at nearly zero cost, pallet collection isn’t always easy. You could start by asking the manager of a local grocery, big box or hardware store if they have any to spare. If the pallets are meant for inside use, exercise caution when buying them. Used pallets have after all been exposed to bacteria, rodents, insects and the weather. Once you identify the ones that are in an acceptable state, wash them. Sand and smooth the pallets to get rid of potentially injurious rough edges, splinters and protruding nails.   Image Source: Pixabay