Construction software platform, Zutec, has been tasked with helping global commercial real estate company, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, to build the largest shopping mall in Europe In 2008, the world faced one of the greatest economic crises in modern history. Many businesses suffered, and the high street appeared to become a thing of
FOLLOWING the outbreak of Covid-19, the construction industry was forced to move many of its processes online and modernise at a rapid rate in order to stay afloat. As we start to come through the pandemic and restrictions are beginning to ease, many of these practices have been implemented permanently
Building decision-makers list budget constraints and buy-in from senior leadership as the two biggest barriers to their adoption of smart technologies, according to a new research report from Johnson Controls. The report, ‘Thinking Smart: How the foundations of the UK will be defined by smart buildings’, found that 99% of
Two tech companies have joined forces to create a new turnstile with an in-built software system to improve safety and security on construction sites across the UK and Ireland. Security technology company Envision Intelligent Solutions, which also has offices in Northern Ireland, England and the USA, teamed up with software
The launch of a new mobile app for operators of mobile elevating work platforms (MEWPs) and mast-climbing work platforms (MCWPs) aims to bring training certification into the digital era and reduce the environmental impact involved in issuing the International Powered Access Federation’s (IPAF) PAL Card and all training certification. IPAF’s
Even before the pandemic, every business needed to take a strategic approach to communications, and the Engineering and Construction Contract (ECC) has always promoted clear and concise communication. With many disputes that arise within the construction industry being due to poor or ambiguous communication, director at Sypro and NEC4 co-author,
Hybrid cloud approach to accelerate digital transformation in the construction industry SpecifiedBy, the specification-led marketing and product data specialist, has been named as one of the global collaborators helping to develop OpenBuilt, a new platform designed to help securely connect fragmented construction industry supply chains. Built on Red Hat OpenShift
The construction of Birmingham’s first smart-enabled building, Enterprise Wharf, is now underway at the Innovation Birmingham Campus in what is a major boost to the city’s economic recovery. The development of Enterprise Wharf by Bruntwood SciTech, a 50:50 joint venture between Bruntwood and Legal & General, marks the expansion of
FOLLOWING an assessment process that has taken just over 12 months, Hull-based companies Pagabo and Sypro have announced that the two organisations have successfully become ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 certified. ISO 9001 is the internationally recognised Quality Management System (QMS) standard that can be accredited to any size organisation.
Pelion, the Connected IoT Device service provider, and subsidiary of Arm, jointly announced a partnership with Johnson Controls, the global leader for smart, healthy and sustainable buildings. This partnership will accelerate innovation in connectivity, security and intelligence at the edge for Johnson Controls OpenBlue technology. “This partnership combines Johnson Controls
Construction software platform, Zutec, has been tasked with helping global commercial real estate company, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, to build the largest shopping mall in Europe In 2008, the world faced one of the greatest economic crises in modern history. Many businesses suffered, and the high street appeared to become a thing of the past. However, against all odds, amidst a fast-deteriorating retail landscape, one company was able to complete the construction of a mall visited by over two million shoppers in its first three weeks of opening. Westfield Group’s Westfield Shopping Mall, in White City, West London, became the largest covered shopping development in London in October of that year. It began with a retail floor area of 1,600,000 sq. ft., and with additional investment and expansion, by 2018 it became the largest shopping centre in Europe, with an area of 2,600,000 sq. ft. To ensure the mall was completed on time despite the poor economic climate, commercial real estate company, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, sought the aid of cloud-based software platform, Zutec, for Phases 1 and 2 of the project from 2007 until present. Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield was formed in 2018 when Unibail-Rodamco SE, a European company, acquired Australian shopping centre operator Westfield Corporation, and has the largest development pipeline in the industry. Phase 1 In 2007, Westfield Design & Construction (now part of Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield) procured Zutec to manage the handover and completion process for the first phase of the shopping centre. When the mall opened the following year, the platform became a powerful tool for the management team, who used it to access interactive and digital operations and maintenance manuals, continuously upload retail fit-out information onto the platform, and update both capital and minor works to maintain a Source of Truth for the entire facility. Phase 2 From 2017 onwards, Westfield D&C once again procured Zutec for the handover and BIM data management and integration of Westfield London’s £600 million Phase 2 retail extension, as well as the URW UK Head Office Building and Newall Court. Early engagement with Westfield’s management team, via workshop sessions held with key management personnel, was crucial to success during the implementation of the software for this phase of the project, which included adding 740,000 sq. ft. of retail space. During this time, Zutec evolved from an interactive folder structure for the capturing of handover information, to a 3D Model Management and Visualisation Solution, and repository for all BIM attributes linked to Asset Registers and Manuals/Documents. Benefits The project was a success due to the multitude of benefits Zutec provides its customers. The platform, which is used for all project data to be defined, captured and managed throughout the entire lifecycle of a project, allowed Westfield quicker access to information, enhanced knowledge of built assets, a reduction in existing condition surveys and a faster reaction time in emergencies. Zutec continues to be utilised as a single Source of Truth, where the as-built records, changes and modifications which take place throughout the facility’s life cycle continue to be updated and maintained. Commenting on the partnership, Zutec’s Global Head of Digitalisation, Tom Boland, said: “This project has been one of our greatest achievements, and we are proud to have been involved from the very beginning. It’s thanks to the hard work and dedication on both sides that Westfield was able to open its doors on time and achieve the level of success that it has experienced to this day. We hope to continue this more than 10-year-long partnership with Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield and collaborate on equally groundbreaking projects in the coming years.”
FOLLOWING the outbreak of Covid-19, the construction industry was forced to move many of its processes online and modernise at a rapid rate in order to stay afloat. As we start to come through the pandemic and restrictions are beginning to ease, many of these practices have been implemented permanently by businesses that have reaped the benefits of working online – and complete construction partner Stepnell is no exception. The family-run business had been embracing cloud-based technology and digital platforms long before the Covid-19 pandemic, but the positive impact digitisation has had on client satisfaction has become even more prominent throughout the pandemic, making project delivery as cost and time efficient as possible. Stepnell, which works on public and private sector projects across the UK, has been utilising a selection of programmes to maximise efficiency and deliver outstanding service to its clients – as well as recently hiring a new technical manager as part of its company-wide advancement in BIM. One of the programmes currently being used by its team is Fieldview, a cloud-based app which offers managers the ability to view and amend shared documents – such as quality checks and health and safety protocols – on a live platform that provides updates in real time to project teams, stakeholders and sub-contractors. It also allows managers to have a detailed overview of each project while working remotely and collects data that enables Stepnell to make informed improvements about its ways of working. Fieldview runs alongside Viewpoint for Projects, which is a design management tool that stores plans and drawings, allowing architects and sub-contractors to effectively collaborate with the Stepnell team while keeping the client up to date with building design alterations. The team also uses Biosite to maximise site management efficiencies, helping to speed up induction processes, oversee the number of operatives on site and monitor the expiration of qualifying documents such as CSCS cards. Biosite also works to monitor the sustainability of each project, measuring the carbon footprint of each site worker’s commute in order to moderate transport emissions on eco-friendly builds. Tom Wakeford, joint managing director at Stepnell, said: “Without a doubt, the future of the construction sector lies in technology – especially following the pandemic, which forced us to embrace cloud-based platforms and move processes online in order to continuously collaborate while social distancing. Stepnell is intent on being at the forefront of this change, and we believe that these tools are a great place to start on our journey towards digitisation. “As a construction partner, it’s important that our role remains collaborative, so we’re in constant communication with both our clients and sub-contractors to keep them updated on the progress of the build. Transparency is an essential part of our service, and these platforms enable us to deliver this to our clients by not only providing live updates, but also by protecting their personal data and ensuring our teams are trained to a high standard so they can exceed expected requirements.” Stepnell has also been working to upgrade its systems internally, being one of the first businesses in the sector to migrate to the Nutanix Enterprise Cloud. Stepnell has also listened to customers and was one of the first contractors to achieve ISO27001 and Cyber Essentials Plus qualifications, which reinforces the company’s efforts in protecting sensitive client data. The team is also using Clear Review to help manage the performance of its staff online, a programme which helps to set objectives, arrange in person or virtual catch ups with mentors and line managers, and deliver constructive feedback to aid professional development. Tom continued: “Stepnell is constantly looking for ways to evolve and improve, so we are always on the lookout for technology that will help us to develop further. The use of these platforms, and the appointment of our new technical manager, will help us move towards continued growth, and we look forward to seeing how the rest of the construction industry embraces these changes over the next few years.” With more than 14 years’ BIM experience within the sector, new technical manager Charlotte Brogan will be dedicating her time to working with other technical and design managers in the business to improve the use of new and existing platforms across the business, pushing Stepnell to further expand its technological capabilities. Charlotte said: “I’m very excited about getting stuck into my new role and working alongside the Stepnell team to embrace new technologies and processes that will help to continuously elevate the business. “I was initially attracted to Stepnell as it is a family-run business, which means it has the values and company ethos that I often look for in an employer. The scope for development at Stepnell – both as a business and for my personal career growth – is huge and I look forward to working alongside teams in each department to introduce new platforms that can streamline processes and make sure we deliver the best service possible to our clients.” Stepnell is not only using these tools to improve relationships with existing clients, but it is also using online platforms to attract new business and win potential bids. Tom said: “We have also been utilising the Conquest estimating tool for many years and we are currently upgrading to its enquiries system, which will replace our own bespoke system. This will make us more efficient and means our teams can do more. “These platforms have all had an incredible impact on the success of Stepnell, and we’re excited about trialling more BIM products in the future and continuing to push the boundaries of modernisation within construction. Next up is an upgrade to our finance system to make us more efficient.” To find out more about Stepnell, visit https://www.stepnell.co.uk or join the conversation at @Stepnellltd.
Building decision-makers list budget constraints and buy-in from senior leadership as the two biggest barriers to their adoption of smart technologies, according to a new research report from Johnson Controls. The report, ‘Thinking Smart: How the foundations of the UK will be defined by smart buildings’, found that 99% of decision-makers see the value of smart tech – yet just 34% of buildings are currently fitted with smart solutions. In the short-term, this could be putting occupant health and safety at greater risk, while long-term, sustainability targets will be impacted. During the COVID-19 pandemic, smart technologies helped 87% of respondents keep their buildings safe – and over a third (37%) say it was critical or essential to doing so. Despite these evident benefits, budget constraints caused issues for two-thirds (64%) of decision-makers, while 42% struggled to get senior buy-in. When it comes to the smart building budget abyss, commercial office space organisations have to make their money stretch furthest, with required budgets as high as £2.7 million per building, and real budgets coming in as low as £1.3 million. Higher education is also struggling, with a £300,000 deficit from the £1.8 million they need, while government and healthcare organisations feel they have sufficient budgets to see value from their smart technology investments. For senior leaders, this exposes a difficult question: whether to address the problem head-on and make major investments now, or be forced to make urgent improvements down the line – both to reduce ever-mounting costs and meet increasingly tough sustainability targets. But it’s not only a problem in the present. Occupant health and safety takes top priority now, but decision-makers say that in five years’ time, energy efficiency will be top of their priority list. In ten years’ time, sustainability and net zero will take the top spot, signalling a growing focus on climate change. Worryingly, without the right smart technologies in place soon, businesses will struggle to achieve these goals. Priority in the next year Priority in the next five years Priority in the next ten years Occupant health & safety 59% 32% 32% Regulatory compliance 42% 28% 26% Employee experience 40% 34% 37% Operational efficiency 39% 42% 36% Energy efficiency 38% 58% 37% Cost efficiency 37% 44% 31% Security 34% 32% 29% Sustainability & net-zero targets 17% 37% 49% Profits 16% 21% 22% “Smart buildings haven’t only helped businesses get through the pandemic – they’re also essential to achieving ambitious sustainability targets like Carbon Net Zero,” said Andy Ellis, VP and General Manager, Johnson Controls UK&I. “Smart solutions that integrate with your fire, security, controls, HVAC, and occupancy systems can look across a whole building to see in real-time where efficiencies can be made. Without technologies like these to do the hard work for building staff, achieving new levels of sustainability targets and creating healthy workspaces – that support both the environment and employees – will be hard.” “It appears that building decision-makers understand the challenge, so now it’s on organisations like ours to speak out, educate the market and embrace the challenges we face around sustainability. We can do this by using smart technologies, so taking this message to the C-Suite and senior leaders – with tangible evidence on the benefits they will bring – will be critical. Then, we can gain their buy-in to ensure our buildings and businesses can be future-ready.”
Two tech companies have joined forces to create a new turnstile with an in-built software system to improve safety and security on construction sites across the UK and Ireland. Security technology company Envision Intelligent Solutions, which also has offices in Northern Ireland, England and the USA, teamed up with software development firm NTD (North Time and Data) to launch the latest development of their bespoke security turnstile that uses facial recognition technology and records temperatures to help ensure a Covid-free workspace. The Gateway Turnstile, which is manufactured by Envision, incorporates a new cloud-based software system that links directly to the company’s payroll and HR systems. The first turnstile with the new cloud-based software has rolled off the production line and has been shipped to a large building site in Chepstow in Wales for construction fit-out company Beacons Business Interiors (Bbi Group). Philip Murdock, Envision IS Managing Director said: “Our clients in the construction industry asked for a bespoke security system that incorporated facial and thermal access readers with a time and attendance system, which is completely cloud networked. During the pandemic, they needed a contactless product that could link back to their head office and provide the data in real time.” Amanda Campbell Envision IS Commercial Director added: “Envision moved quickly to get contactless turnstiles to the marketplace to support construction companies to keep sites open and personnel safe.” Envision partnered with NTD to create the cloud software for the new turnstiles that gave construction companies improved security and communications between the sites and their head offices. NTD adapted its successful NT Pro Workforce Management System to the requirements of the construction industry. NTD Managing Director Stephen Brown explained: “The Biometric Facial Recognition Terminals and NT Pro Software not only record the time and date of an employee coming onto a construction site, but it also takes their temperature and alerts management if an employee has a high temperature. We believe that with this partnership, there will be a well-structured and user-friendly system that makes it easy for smooth operations and overall profit maximization.” The software comes with modules that are particularly useful to construction site security. For example, it allows companies to upload CSR/CSCS qualifications and gives access to personnel training files that can all be viewed from the live dashboard ensuring health and safety qualifications are up to date. Additionally, the software provides full job costing, financial reporting and statistics. The first turnstile was shipped to commercial fit-out specialists Bbi Group, which design, fit-out and refurbish commercial premises across the UK. The company has secured a contract to completely refurbish a 20,000m2 storage warehouse in Chepstow and will have approximately 100 people working on site over the 13-month period. Dave Bastier from Bbi said the company chose the Envision Gateway turnstile as it needed an efficient means to control access to and from site that would not cause an issue with social distancing and contamination of touch surfaces. He said: “The Envision Gateway has been positioned between the car park and the principal entrance to site and provided the perfect solution to that need. Training and backup for our site administrator has also been excellent.” For more information on the Gateway Turnstile go to www.envision-is.co.uk
The launch of a new mobile app for operators of mobile elevating work platforms (MEWPs) and mast-climbing work platforms (MCWPs) aims to bring training certification into the digital era and reduce the environmental impact involved in issuing the International Powered Access Federation’s (IPAF) PAL Card and all training certification. IPAF’s new ePAL mobile app is free to use and features the first ever digital IPAF PAL Card, operator log book and operator safety guide. It also allows operators to receive the latest best practice tips and safety information, and means operators can share their qualifications with site managers quickly and easily. “A typical year’s output in terms of IPAF PAL Cards and certificates issued used to amount to a 130-metre stack of printed plastic and paper, shipped from supplier, to IPAF, to the IPAF Training Centre and then on to candidates. Then, after five years, the candidate would dispose of it and start again,” said Peter Douglas, IPAF CEO & MD. “The new app will lead to us reducing the number of steps in processing a PAL Card and cut down on all that waste, as well as the expense, delays and carbon emissions involved in shipping items around the globe needlessly. Developing an operator app has been a key priority for IPAF since I took up post in 2019, and we were excited to team up with IPAF member Trackunit to bring its considerable technical expertise to bear to roll this out. “IPAF’s ePAL brings huge benefits for operators and IPAF Training Centres alike, while allowing us to streamline and digitise our processes. We are monitoring the roll-out of the new app and are already planning new functionality. These are exciting times.” The ePAL app is a major a step forward in IPAF’s ongoing drive to boost sustainability, as it shifts away from issuing plastic, credit-card sized PAL Cards via the post to every training candidate successfully completing or renewing an IPAF operator course. The new ePAL app also phases out paper certification of qualifications and logging of machine time and replaces the printed paper version of IPAF’s operator safety guide; it speeds up the processing time and resource required to issue training candidates with their PAL Card and certification. Søren Brogaard, CEO of Trackunit, IPAF member company and specialist in fleet management solutions for construction that helped develop the app, says: “This is a big step up for the industry when it comes to safety and efficiency. It has been long in the making, at least in terms of an industry wish-list, and now it is finally here. “The app allows IPAF to communicate directly with operators and offers them a digital platform to record, show and share their qualifications and operating experience worldwide. ePAL is a commitment to enable collaboration between the operator and the digital ecosystem. “We all know filling out paper operator logbooks and keeping them up to date can be a challenge. This app provides contractors and operators secure access to equipment and a convenient way to document machine activities. We can also use the app to encourage and make it easier to report an accident or near-miss incident through the new IPAF reporting portal. My hope is we can all contribute to building a safer, digital future for operators.” IPAF ePAL mobile app is available now in the UK and Ireland. It is initially offered in English with other languages to follow, and is available for Apple iOS and Android devices. The app will be updated with additional features as usage demands and developing technology allows.
Even before the pandemic, every business needed to take a strategic approach to communications, and the Engineering and Construction Contract (ECC) has always promoted clear and concise communication. With many disputes that arise within the construction industry being due to poor or ambiguous communication, director at Sypro and NEC4 co-author, Dr Stuart Kings, examines why the cloud-based leap is central to better contract communication. Despite construction projects being valued in the millions, many project managers and construction teams still rely on managing contracts in the old-fashioned way – i.e. complicated spreadsheets, lots of paper, unrecorded phone calls, and large email chains. With poor contract management being a major source of disputes between a client and contractor, the value of clear communication is evident. The move from NEC3 to NEC4 was labelled as an ‘evolution, not a revolution’, meaning that it built on and improved what we already had in place. The NEC3 Engineering and Construction Contract (ECC3) required all communication to be in a form that could be read, copied and recorded, and notified matters communicated separately. This means those using a paper-based system find themselves inundated with intensive admin – plus will have faced the associated problems of managing physical paperwork caused by a sudden move to homeworking during the pandemic. This approach to communication is a key difference in Version 4, which states that ‘If the Scope specifies the use of a communication system, a communication has effect when it is communicated through that system specified in the Scope’[i]. In contract speak, this means that communication only has effect when it takes place within the specified system – no other communications would have effect. This essentially advocates a cloud-based operation, with no need for paper-based registers or huge logs of communications – and this is the direction the industry needs to go towards and is why systems like Sypro’s Contract ManagerTM not only exist, but also thrive. The last thing any business has needed during the past year is to deal with a dispute that was ultimately avoidable. The whole premise of systems like Contract Manager is to run projects more efficiently, with everything you need in one place, thereby allowing teams to move to working remotely quickly and simply, with no loss of information or the all-important project communications. Due to the long-term nature of construction projects, we must also keep in mind that every file, piece of data, and communication will need to be accessible for years to come. This is another benefit to cloud-based systems, as this information will be stored in a compliant manner and will accommodate for any future circumstances like office moves or staff changes. This, in itself, can help prevent any issues from escalating into full disputes, allowing information to be gathered clearly and quickly to evidence the situation. Throughout the pandemic – with staff on furlough and unable to meet physically – information could easily be forgotten, lost, or miscommunicated, and so the benefits of cloud-based systems have become even more apparent. The industry was certainly working towards better use of technology for our everyday processes, but the pandemic has accelerated this further and systems like Contract ManagerTM don’t simply streamline communications but cover all facets of the contract from the Early Warning Register, management of Defects, and payments. It’s easy to see where cloud-based management systems benefit project managers when we examine the number of communications that go through Sypro’s Contact Manager, which is used on some of the biggest construction projects across the country. For example, in the first quarter of 2021, more than 15,000 communications of various types took place via the tool across live projects. This is more than 15,000 opportunities for miscommunication, which would be at much higher risk of happening if these communications were not streamlined through a central system. A final obvious benefit to a cloud-based system is just that – it is cloud-based. This means that information is stored digitally, and we are able to save physical storage space in our offices and reduce the amount of paper we use within our businesses. Many companies are working to reduce their carbon footprint and work in a digital first manner – and cloud-based systems will help any construction company (or client) to reduce physical paperwork. Our overall move towards digitisation in the industry will be crucial in the coming years. It will improve transparency, information exchange, payment performance, and contract management across the sector for all parties – and will ultimately help us collectively deliver on several of the key principles outlined in The Construction Playbook, which makes it clear that government strives to see this transformational change in the sector. For more information, please visit https://www.sypro.co.uk/
Hybrid cloud approach to accelerate digital transformation in the construction industry SpecifiedBy, the specification-led marketing and product data specialist, has been named as one of the global collaborators helping to develop OpenBuilt, a new platform designed to help securely connect fragmented construction industry supply chains. Built on Red Hat OpenShift and running on IBM Cloud, OpenBuilt will offer new digital solutions to help innovate and drive more efficient, sustainable and safer construction projects. SpecifiedBy has been invited to integrate its industry-leading solution for finding and researching building products for specification into OpenBuilt during the development. This will enable OpenBuilt users to build additional functionality into their intelligent workflows. SpecifiedBy’s Founder and CEO, Darren Lester, said: “OpenBuilt has the potential to transform the building and construction industry by leveraging the huge benefits of technology within an ecosystem to advance digital transformation for everyone. “For us it’s always been about enabling the building and construction industry to adopt more sophisticated digital approaches to their product research and specification processes, and we do this by giving them the tools that they need to make this as simple and straightforward as possible. This exactly aligns with the ambition of OpenBuilt, so we’re delighted to be one of the first to be part of this unique cross-industry collaboration.” The construction industry has long been challenged with project delays, cost overages as well as wasted materials often caused by disconnected processes and poorly coordinated activities and resources. Companies across the built environment including architects, building material suppliers, manufacturers, construction and engineering firms are now looking to innovate and speed up the expansion of their digital strategy. By moving away from largely manual processes, the industry will be able to explore more effective ways of working. OpenBuilt is designed to allow companies across the global built environment and construction industry to securely connect their current technology platforms and digital solutions to partners, suppliers or subcontractors in their supply chain via a single integration hub. It aims to help improve communication and securely exchange data across the supply chain. Alongside IBM, Red Hat and CoBuilder as leaders, the OpenBuilt development is being steered by founding partners Cemex, EDIN Network, Backe, Sol Services and Element.
The construction of Birmingham’s first smart-enabled building, Enterprise Wharf, is now underway at the Innovation Birmingham Campus in what is a major boost to the city’s economic recovery. The development of Enterprise Wharf by Bruntwood SciTech, a 50:50 joint venture between Bruntwood and Legal & General, marks the expansion of the region’s leading digital and tech campus, which is already home to an established cluster of more than 150 businesses working in high growth areas such as fintech, proptech, edtech, 5G and VR and will provide much needed grow-on space for tech businesses looking to expand or relocate to the city. Located next to Aston University and Birmingham City University, in the heart of the Birmingham Knowledge Quarter, the 10 storey, 120,000 sq ft Enterprise Wharf will feature a large, open plan reception and collaboration space, cycle storage with kit drying room, space for electric vehicle charging, showers and a roof garden with stunning views over the city. New external landscaping will create a new green space for the campus, providing direct, much improved access to the adjacent Birmingham and Fazeley Canal. Embedded with smart, Internet of Things (IoT) technology, Enterprise Wharf will collect and have the ability to monitor data from the Building Management System, HVAC, lighting and CCTV. Data from a range of sensors will be displayed in a purpose-built dashboard; allowing air quality, lighting and energy consumption to be managed and optimised, creating a healthy, productive and sustainable workplace. Enterprise Wharf will be the first new development at the Innovation Birmingham Campus to incorporate measures towards the achievement of Net Zero Carbon; including an A-rated EPC together with 100 m2 of PV solar power, and a combined air source heat pump and chiller system enabling highly efficient heating, heat recovery, and cooling. The building’s facade has also been optimised to provide high thermal efficiency, minimising internal artificial lighting requirements. David Hardman, Managing Director, Bruntwood SciTech – Birmingham, said: “Enterprise Wharf will be a valuable and important addition to Birmingham’s already thriving tech ecosystem. Birmingham boasts world-class universities, a skilled talent pool and fantastic transport links making it the UK’s top city for startups. The Innovation Birmingham Campus has long held a reputation as a dynamic innovation community for SMEs. This expansion now opens up the Campus’ innovation capabilities to larger companies looking for opportunities to access innovation and talent in the region. “Birmingham’s first smart-enabled building offers a unique and unrivalled opportunity for tech businesses to benefit from super-fast and reliable connectivity, smart access control and visitor management as well as the ability to control temperature and lighting to reduce CO2 emissions and improve wellbeing and sustainability.” Part of the Bruntwood SciTech network, the Innovation Birmingham Campus is part of the West Midlands 5G testbed and home to ‘5PRING’, the UK’s first 5G commercial applications accelerator programme which provides offices and demonstration spaces alongside access to 5G technology, allowing businesses to experiment with features that aren’t yet commercially available to test solutions to major problems. Planning permission for Enterprise Wharf was granted in April 2020. GRAHAM has been appointed as the main contractor and agents include Avison Young, CBRE and Savills. On GRAHAM’s appointment, David Hardman commented: “We’re very much looking forward to working with GRAHAM. Their commitment to the local supply chain and the development of future industry talent is more important now than ever. The development of Enterprise Wharf will help to support six work experience placements and three existing apprenticeships as well as create opportunities for two new apprentices and 65 full time positions in a boost to local employment.” Commenting on the project GRAHAM Regional Director, Ronan Hughes, said: “Enterprise Wharf is a unique development for Birmingham’s Knowledge Quarter, and we are looking forward to making the ambitious plans a reality through the implementation of our intelligent construction methodology and programme. “At GRAHAM, we pride ourselves on being ‘digital by default’, and we will apply our innovative digital construction and BIM Level 2 processes to add value to this smart-enabled building project. Equally, we are committed to making a lasting impact within the communities where we operate. That’s why we’ve developed a robust Employment Plan specifically for Enterprise Wharf that will generate a considerable social value impact, particularly in the creation of employment opportunities.” Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership has invested £5m from its Local Growth Fund to support the development of Enterprise Wharf, in line with its strategic aims to support the region’s digital and innovation sector. Enterprise Wharf is due to complete in late 2022.
FOLLOWING an assessment process that has taken just over 12 months, Hull-based companies Pagabo and Sypro have announced that the two organisations have successfully become ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 certified. ISO 9001 is the internationally recognised Quality Management System (QMS) standard that can be accredited to any size organisation. Designed to be a powerful business improvement tool, this certification allows businesses to continually improve, streamline operations and reduce costs. Similarly, ISO 27001 is the specification for an information security management system (ISMS). Its aim is to provide a framework of standards for how a modern organisation should manage its information and data. Risk management is a key component of this accreditation, ensuring that an organisation understand where their strengths and weaknesses lie. Pagabo and Sypro’s services are closely related, with interconnecting teams providing services within the built environment. Simon Toplass, chief executive at Pagabo, which is a national framework provider working primarily within the construction sector, said: “ISO accreditations are a trusted symbol of quality and are woven into our everyday life – from credit card numbers to road signs. We spend a great deal of time and energy on our processes to ensure we remain wholly compliant to the processes required for our business function and provide our clients with the excellent expertise they know us for. “Gaining these accreditations was the next step in demonstrating the commitment to quality that our current and potential customers and staff deserve. The certification process has been just over 12 months and has helped us to further improve our service offering – even in those areas we felt our delivery was already solid.” Simon Hunt, chief executive at Sypro, which is a software solutions company providing compliance, project and contract management tools, said: “We’re of course really pleased to have gained these certifications to further cement our credibility both to customers and the sector as a whole. Both of our companies – especially Sypro – are deeply rooted in software and technology to provide our clients with the excellent services and solutions to help them do their jobs better. “This of course means that data protection and privacy need to be rooted at the heart of our organisations and having a clear set of information security management procedures in place will keep all contacts and information safe. Knowing that we now have additional certifications to cement our compliance with top-quality business standards will further increase the level of trust our customers can have in us as service providers – and create pride within our teams for this achievement too.” For more information, please visit https://www.pagabo.co.uk/ or https://www.sypro.co.uk/
Pelion, the Connected IoT Device service provider, and subsidiary of Arm, jointly announced a partnership with Johnson Controls, the global leader for smart, healthy and sustainable buildings. This partnership will accelerate innovation in connectivity, security and intelligence at the edge for Johnson Controls OpenBlue technology. “This partnership combines Johnson Controls deep domain expertise in healthy buildings with Pelion’s device and edge management capabilities to usher in an era of truly smart, updatable facilities at cloud scale,” said Mike Ellis, chief customer and digital officer for Johnson Controls. “OpenBlue’s AI capabilities at the edge will consolidate diverse points of intelligence distributed across various floors, sites or even continents into insights and actions, creating an updateable building that can self-heal and evolve over its lifespan.” This innovation mirrors the automotive sector, where software, multiple sensors and AI-trained models have transformed the industry by enabling autonomous driving and software updates that blend data to continually improve vehicle capabilities and experience. Johnson Controls is applying the concept to the built environment. They will leverage Pelion’s flexible device management capabilities to unite diverse device types and application layers to feed AI models that respond to dynamic workloads. “Johnson Controls has the strategic foresight to rely on a partner to streamline the complexity of IoT device management security and secure firmware updates over the air,” said Hima Mukkamala, CEO of Pelion. “Pelion’s connected device platform will standardise the onboarding process for all systems, including the edge and endpoint devices that run on them, plus offer world-class public key infrastructure for secure and simple integration with third-parties.” This secure, open and flexible approach to device management will allow OpenBlue to run any device and hardware configuration, from hardware gateways to constrained temperature sensors. In order to provide sustainable, low cost and low power intelligent processing at the edge, the partnership will utilise proven energy-efficient processors from Pelion’s parent company, Arm, which are a key part of Johnson Controls’ distributed hardware deployment.
