Plans for an advanced manufacturing training hub in Shropshire have been announced, with the aim of supporting ‘2020 learners by 2020’. The Marches Centre of Manufacturing & Technology (MCMT), which is led by a consortium of Classic Motor Cars, Grainger & Worrall, Salop Design & Engineering and training provider In-Comm,
Network Rail is set to be stripped of its full control of railways in England’s as part of a major government shake-up. Chris Grayling, Transport Secretary, has announced that he intends to bring track and train operations back together, handing train operators greater influence over the work that takes place
Carillion, a subsidiary of Wolverhampton-based support and construction services group, has been chosen as the preferred bidder for a power transmission contract worth £120 million. Manitoba Hydro has chosen Rokstad, a division of Carillion Canada, as the preferred provider for the next phase of its Bipole III high voltage transmission
Amec Foster Wheeler has announced that work is nearing completion on a major new refrigeration plant at BP’s Grangemouth site that will help maintain efficient operations across the Forties Pipeline System. Amec Foster Wheeler is providing engineering, installation, project, construction and supply chain management services for the Kinneil Liquid Petroleum
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) is set to continue its collaboration with MPact Thales (MPT) and WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff to deliver the Metrolink extension to intu Trafford Centre via Trafford Park. Council leaders gave the green light for TfGM to continue the contracts for the delivery and management of the
The University of the West of England (UWE) in Bristol has recently quadrupled its solar generating capacity through the installation of 1,731 solar panels, which will enable it to produce over 400 MWh of electricity each year and making it the largest solar panel array in the UK university sector.
Birmingham’s New Street Station and Grand Central development is in the running to become the most popular civil engineering project in the UK. The huge scheme, named the winner of this year’s Institution of Civil Engineers West Midlands’ 2016 Annual Awards, is one of the projects listed for the ICE
The South Devon Highway has picked up another major national award. At the British Construction Industry awards, the link road scheme won the Community Engagement Award. The project team, made up of WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff, Torbay Council, Devon County Council, construction firm Galliford Try and its designer Ramboll, accepted the
Warwickshire based civil engineering firm O’Brien Contractors has secured a contract to begin working on the development of a major new factory complex in Staffordshire. Readie Construction has signed the firm up to work on the £126.3 million construction of the new Gestamp site at Bericote Properties’ Four Ashes Park
Highways England is mulling several changes to its work procurement methods as part of its £7 billion Routes to Market framework. Jim O’Sullivan, Chief Executive of Highways England, said that the body was in the process of consulting with contractors regarding the structure of the framework and that several changes
Plans for an advanced manufacturing training hub in Shropshire have been announced, with the aim of supporting ‘2020 learners by 2020’. The Marches Centre of Manufacturing & Technology (MCMT), which is led by a consortium of Classic Motor Cars, Grainger & Worrall, Salop Design & Engineering and training provider In-Comm, will provide a “high-tech environment for individuals to learn from engineering experts on the latest technology”, which will involve working on real life manufacturing situations. Supported by the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership, work will start on fitting out the 36,000 sq ft building on the Stanmore Industrial Estate in January 2017, with plans in place to create dedicated fabrication, foundry, lathe, metrology, milling, robotics and vehicle trimming sections, as well as a specialist CNC Zone and spray booth/mixing capabilities. There will also be an auditorium lecture theatre, bespoke learning environments, five vehicle ramps and a rolling road test facility. It will look to support 2020 learners between now and 2020 and this will largely involve developing apprentices in advanced manufacturing and engineering, giving employers a strong pool of skills to tap into as they continue to compete globally. In addition to this, there will also be capacity to work with 400 companies on developing existing manufacturing professionals up to Level 7 qualifications, covering business improvement techniques, team leadership, vehicle body repair and paint, vehicle body building, technical development, quality and continuous improvement. Matthew Snelson, director of Grainger & Worrall and managing director of the MCMT, said: “We believe the MCMT is critical to closing the skills gap for Shropshire businesses, but we are under no illusions that we will need the rest of local industry, education and training to play their part. This could be through informing how the provision develops, using the services and even offering time and expertise to help with delivering some of the learning.”
Network Rail is set to be stripped of its full control of railways in England’s as part of a major government shake-up. Chris Grayling, Transport Secretary, has announced that he intends to bring track and train operations back together, handing train operators greater influence over the work that takes place on the rail lines throughout the country. At present, the UK’s track infrastructure is solely owned and maintained by Network Rail, which is publicly owned, with trains and services operated by private train operating companies such as Virgin and Southern. However, Mr Grayling has called for a change, with both track and trains to be managed by “one joined-up team of people”. Under the changes, Network Rail and train operating staff will be integrated into operating teams for renewal and maintenance work. It is not yet clear how much control Network Rail will have over the tracks – as is the make-up of the teams. Mr Grayling is also expected to reveal plans to create a organisation, separate to Network Rail, called East West Rail. This will oversee the construction and operation of a rebuilt multi-million-pound train line linking Oxford to Cambridge. This will be the first fully integrated rail operation created since the end of British Rail in 1994, and will be tasked with securing private sector design, build and management of the route. The move will be a step away from the way major enhancement projects, which are usually delivered on the UK’s rail lines through Network Rail’s Infrastructure Projects Division. Last month, the chancellor Philip Hammond gave £100m to the speed up the delivery of the western section of East West Rail between Cambridge and Bedford, and a further £10m to develop a preferred route from Bedford to Oxford. Network Rail chief executive Mark Carne has welcomed the changes, saying more needed to be done to align incentives between the organisation and train operating companies.
Carillion, a subsidiary of Wolverhampton-based support and construction services group, has been chosen as the preferred bidder for a power transmission contract worth £120 million. Manitoba Hydro has chosen Rokstad, a division of Carillion Canada, as the preferred provider for the next phase of its Bipole III high voltage transmission line scheme. The project will involve clearing rights of way, installing access roads, anchors and foundations, the assembly of towers and the stringing of cables for three packages of the Bipole III project, which will include 1,384 km of transmission lines and two converter stations, beginning at Keewatinohk in Northern Manitoba and will end at Sandy Bay Ojiway First Nation in Southern Manitoba. When the Bipole lll project is fully completed, it will deliver renewable energy to the United States and Southern Manitoba. Carillion said it expected to agree final terms and achieve contract signature shortly to enable work to begin before the end of the year, with completion scheduled for 2018. Carillion chief executive, Richard Howson, said: “We are delighted to have been selected for this important project, which further demonstrates the quality and strength of Rokstad’s offering and the success of our strategy of expanding our infrastructure services activities in Canada into the power transmission and distribution market, with the acquisition of Rokstad in 2014.” The announcement was made at the same time as a full year training update was published by the parent group, in which it said performance was meeting expectations with strong growth expected to be reflected in increased operating profit and total revenue. It showed that revenue growth continued to lead the performance, along with a strong margin in support services. The group has also forecast that net borrowing is expected to reduce from the half-year level. New orders plus probable orders in 2016 are expected to reach £4.5bn, with total orders plus probable orders of approximately £16 billion (December 2015: £17.4 billion) by the end of the year.
Amec Foster Wheeler has announced that work is nearing completion on a major new refrigeration plant at BP’s Grangemouth site that will help maintain efficient operations across the Forties Pipeline System. Amec Foster Wheeler is providing engineering, installation, project, construction and supply chain management services for the Kinneil Liquid Petroleum Gas (KLPG) Chilldown Project located at BP’s Refrigerated Liquid Petroleum Gas (RLPG) site in Grangemouth, Scotland. Amec Foster Wheeler’s completions and commissioning specialist, qedi, is providing commissioning support for the project. Jim Lenton, Amec Foster Wheeler’s Interim President Northern Europe and CIS said: “We are proud to deliver this project for BP using our leading brownfield and onshore engineering experience and expertise. We have been working with BP at Grangemouth since the 1970s and we are delighted to have been a part of an impressive collaboration to successfully maintain the efficiency of the Forties Pipeline System.” Mark Thomas, BP’s Regional President for the North Sea, said: “The UK-based engineering services industry offers a wealth of expertise and capability which is being demonstrated through the safe and efficient delivery of this complex project. It is great to see so many companies from all parts of the UK working together to contribute towards a project that will, once complete, maintain efficient operations across the Forties Pipeline System for many years to come.” The RLPG plant currently operates with R22, a colourless, refrigerant gas. EU legislation requires the replacement of R22 and Amec Foster Wheeler provided the conceptual design study identifying R410a as a suitable more environmentally friendly and efficient replacement refrigerant. Refrigeration is required to chill the Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) to enable storage and eventual transportation by ship to market. Without refrigeration, the Forties Pipeline System would be unable to operate. The UK supply chain has played a vital role in this project with BP and Amec Foster Wheeler drawing on the capabilities of a highly skilled local workforce to achieve successful delivery.
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) is set to continue its collaboration with MPact Thales (MPT) and WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff to deliver the Metrolink extension to intu Trafford Centre via Trafford Park. Council leaders gave the green light for TfGM to continue the contracts for the delivery and management of the scheme to design and construct the line at a meeting of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA). MPT is a consortium of Thales, Laing O’Rourke and VolkerRail. Laing O’Rourke and VolkerRail carry on having responsibility for the design and construction of the civil engineering and track, while Thales will deliver the operating systems for the trams and WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff will continue as TfGM’s Delivery Partner. Trafford Park is the biggest major employment zone in Greater Manchester away from the city centre and is home to more than 1,300 businesses and over 35,000 jobs. It’s employees travel from across Greater Manchester and further afield. The new Trafford Park line – 3.4mile – 5.5km – will increase the size of the Metrolink network to more than 64 miles – 103km – served by 99 stops. It will branch off from the existing Pomona stop and call at six new tram stops at key destinations, including Wharfside, near to Old Trafford football stadium, the Imperial War Museum, key business areas through Europe’s largest industrial estate and to visitor destinations such as Eventcity and the intu Trafford Centre. TfGM’s Metrolink Director, Peter Cushing, said: “Together we have developed a tried and tested approach to delivering our award winning expansion programme. “We have achieved a phenomenal amount since 2008 with bigger and better things still to come so I’m pleased our award winning partnership will continue with the expansion of the Trafford Park line.” Bryan Glass, MPT’s joint venture board director, said: “The Laing O’Rourke, VolkerRail and Thales MPT consortium has successfully delivered three main contract extensions for Manchester Metrolink with the team on schedule to complete the Second City Crossing early next year. “We are therefore delighted that TfGM has appointed us as a trusted partner to deliver the latest phase of the Metrolink’s growth taking the line through Trafford Park to the Trafford Centre
The University of the West of England (UWE) in Bristol has recently quadrupled its solar generating capacity through the installation of 1,731 solar panels, which will enable it to produce over 400 MWh of electricity each year and making it the largest solar panel array in the UK university sector. The new solar array has been installed on the roof of the University Enterprise Zone (UEZ) and the Bristol Robotics Laboratory, which have both undergone extensive refurbishment as part of the required works. Prior to the solar panels being installed, approved contractor Mitie Tilley Roofing overlaid the original failing single ply waterproofing with over 12,000m2 of Bauder’s lightweight, robust PVC single ply waterproofing system Thermofol. Read more at http://specificationonline.co.uk/sections/education/articles/2016-11-28/bauder-delivers-largest-solar-array-in-higher-education-sector About Bauder Bauder is a leading international manufacturer of building construction materials. We provide clients with waterproofing membranes and insulation to make buildings watertight and thermally efficient, photovoltaic installations for renewable energy generation, and green roofs to support the environment and create better living and working spaces for people. Customers choose us because of the way in which we do business, the way we treat every project individually and how we work alongside clients to deliver the best solution for a building.
Birmingham’s New Street Station and Grand Central development is in the running to become the most popular civil engineering project in the UK. The huge scheme, named the winner of this year’s Institution of Civil Engineers West Midlands’ 2016 Annual Awards, is one of the projects listed for the ICE People’s Choice Award. It will line up against 11 other schemes from throughout the UK, with the general public having until November 30 to vote for its favourite. The winning infrastructure project will be named in January next year. The Queen opened the new look station in November last year, and features an iconic new atrium over a big passenger concourse, which is five times the size of the atrium at London Euston. The site is characterised by brighter, more spacious platforms, improved entrances, a range of new facilities and an abundance of natural light over the new concourse. At concourse level, it is home to 43 shops with the new Grand Central shopping complex located above, including one of the biggest department stores in the UK – John Lewis. The 450,000 sq ft shopping facility is set to create over 1,000 jobs and will attract more than 50 million visitors each year. ICE said the project had created a dramatic space for rail passengers and redefined the way people use the station – providing them with an impressive new environment for doing business, shopping and socialising. The project has also boosted the city’s image and is acting as a major catalyst for job creation and regeneration. Stephen Ashton, engineering director, Transportation at Atkins said: “We are very proud to have worked in collaboration with our partner organisations to have delivered this iconic station, which has made such a positive impact in just one year to the city of Birmingham and its visitors.” Patrick Power, station manager at Birmingham New Street, said: “The transformation of the station is nothing short of stunning. It is now bigger, brighter and better able to meet the needs of the growing number of passengers who use it each day.”
The South Devon Highway has picked up another major national award. At the British Construction Industry awards, the link road scheme won the Community Engagement Award. The project team, made up of WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff, Torbay Council, Devon County Council, construction firm Galliford Try and its designer Ramboll, accepted the prize at the London awards ceremony. They are considered the UK’s most prestigious awards for the entire built environment. The project has won a number of awards since it opened, including a gold Green Apple award for its environmental activities, a regional Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation South West award, an institute of Highway Engineers award, a gold Considerate Constructors award and two Institute of Civil Engineering regional awards. Devon County Council cabinet member for economy and growth, Cllr Andrew Leadbetter, commented: “Building the South Devon Highway was highly complex, involving many partners and engineering challenges. “The proximity of the project to residents meant engaging with the community was crucial to the success of the project. This award is therefore formal recognition of our thorough communication with residents and motorists throughout the project.” Gordon Oliver, mayor of Torbay, said: “This is brilliant news for the project and is well deserved. “We know the community engagement activities, including setting up a community liaison group, all helped to keep people informed of activity on the project and helped activity to progress smoothly.” Chris Hastings, Galliford Try project director, added: “The award is a tribute to the huge effort made by the team. “Close collaboration and strong working relationships with the community played a huge part in the project staying on programme. “The community was kept informed of developments at all times and had a say in the construction process through the community liaison group.” The scheme also received a highly commended rating in the major civil engineering project of the year (over £50 million) category and was shortlisted in the low carbon construction, judges special and Prime Minister’s better public building categories.
Warwickshire based civil engineering firm O’Brien Contractors has secured a contract to begin working on the development of a major new factory complex in Staffordshire. Readie Construction has signed the firm up to work on the £126.3 million construction of the new Gestamp site at Bericote Properties’ Four Ashes Park site, located near to Wolverhampton. The new 50,000 m2 manufacturing site is set to replace the existing Gestamp facility in Cannock, which is struggling because of capacity restrictions. The new facility will be fitted out with new state of the art stamping equipment and is designed to ensure the safety of 800 jobs at the current factory. Gestamp develops, designs and makes automotive components for carmakers such as Toyota, Nissan-Renault, Honda, BMW and Jaguar Land Rover. O’Brien will carry out the installation of three 6 metre deep factory pits, office floor slab, capping beam, service trenches, associated internal and external drainage and external works. Managing Director at O’Brien Contractors, Peter O’Brien commented: “We are very pleased to have been awarded another subcontract by Readie Construction. We have an excellent track record of delivering civil engineering services across the Midlands.” O’Brien Contractors was established in 1958 as a second generation, family run firm. Among its portfolio of civil engineering projects are: the regeneration of Longbridge Town Centre, Beacon Barracks SFA housing scheme in Stafford, Primark Distribution Centre in Kettering, New Cross Hospital’s new Accident and Emergency Centre in Wolverhampton and University of Birmingham’s campus expansion. Earlier in the year, O’Brien was appointed to the campus expansion project at the University of Birmingham. The company was chosen to work on a design and build contract for the construction of a new footpath and cycle way from the main campus to the student residence village, the Vale, along with associated works and soft landscaping.
Highways England is mulling several changes to its work procurement methods as part of its £7 billion Routes to Market framework. Jim O’Sullivan, Chief Executive of Highways England, said that the body was in the process of consulting with contractors regarding the structure of the framework and that several changes were being considered. Among the potential changes is the procurement of major road projects away from the framework. O’Sullivan said that the scale and size of schemes such as the A303 tunnel and Lower Thames Crossing made it a clear step for the organisation to take. He also confirmed that there is a high possibility of mini-bids being scrapped and replaced with a system of allocation based on the successful delivery of previous jobs. O’Sullivan explained: “If you deliver the last job to budget, to quality and to time, then we will try to roll it on to the next job. “If you are in a particular lot, then we will simply allocate the next job to the most successful contractor or team.” He also said that Highways England was looking at new methods of dividing the Routes to Market framework and was eager to add more flexibility to the lots. Its existing Collaborative Delivery Framework is divided lots organised by project value, with the smallest covering work up to and including £25 million and the highest comprising projects between £100 million and £450 million. Mr O’Sullivan said the organisation was reviewing whether lots based strictly on project values was the most efficient way to move forward. “We recognise that it is not a straight line correlation between complexity and size; a smaller complex project may find itself in the wrong lot if you are working on the basis of capital value,” Mr O’Sullivan said. He added that there had also been situations on the current framework where five £20m projects, which could have been procured as a £100 million job, were instead divided between contractors across different lots.
