When looking at the primary challenges and solutions associated with the UK’s 2020 renewable energy targets for transport and heat, the EUA has highlighted what it considers to be the primary step forward in solving the problem – decarbonising the gas grid, it argues. Most specifically, the 2009 EU Renewable
Conder Allslade – Building Quality with Steel (The Following is a Promoted Article) Steel continues to be the choice material in the construction industry, favoured for its sustainability, durability, versatility and affordability. Operating by those very same tokens, Conder Allslade has secured a resolute identity in the structural steel sector,
Most recently, the most prominent coastal investigation study has begun alongside the Welsh coast. Incorporating everything from mathematical modelling, the monitoring of water quality and field surveys, the study exists to provide the DCWW and Natural Resources Wales with the knowledge essential to better protecting Welsh coastal waters, not solely
The Need For Speed (The Following is a Promoted Article) Virgin Media has been at the forefront of UK broadband infrastructure for a number of years. However, its ambitious endeavours show no sign of slowing. Indeed, the accelerator pedal has been floored once again with the announcement earlier this year
A Considerate Constructor (The Following is a Promoted Article) The completion of the Chelmsford Effluent Pipeline Works by Roadbridge was met with the glowing commendation that is expected by this award winning company. As one of Ireland’s most prominent and well-respected civil engineering businesses, Roadbridge has enjoyed significant growth over
Strength In Depth Capable of design, build, installation and refurbishment, Briton Fabricators has emerged as one of the UK’s most respected steelwork solution providers (The Following is a Promoted Article) Now boasting turnover in excess of £14m, Briton Fabricators Ltd has emerged as one of the UK’s most respected steelwork
The complete timetable for delivering four stations in London and Birmingham has recently been released by HS2, providing optimism and a sense of anticipation for the works to begin in the coming years. It is expected that the contracts for the construction of the stations will go out to tender
Teapots are the nickname for independent oil refineries in China, the oil refineries are causing an increase in market share, and the slowing economy is rewarding the refineries who have more flexible and adaptable business models, it piles further pressure onto margins for the country’s oil majors who have found
Offering consulting engineers with the opportunity to provide clean and safe water to local communities, a new loyalty programme, Waterdrop, has been announced by Xylem to provide a “once in a lifetime” opportunity for those with a responsible mindset. As has recently been reported by water.org, there are a staggering
The construction industry continues to be defined by collaboration; the length of the supply chain often proves critical when it comes to contractors’ ability to carry our quality workmanship, and in a safe and conscientious manner. Adept in design, construction, installation and maintenance, appropriate across industries, Alliance Group Solutions quickly
When looking at the primary challenges and solutions associated with the UK’s 2020 renewable energy targets for transport and heat, the EUA has highlighted what it considers to be the primary step forward in solving the problem – decarbonising the gas grid, it argues. Most specifically, the 2009 EU Renewable Energy Directive set out the goal for 15% of energy consumption in the UK to be found from renewable sources by 2020. To hit this target, the government has subdivided areas of focus to try and see 30% of electricity, 10% of transport and 12% of heat to be found from renewable sources individually – this then allowing for progress to be made more easily, as well as ensuring progress is still made across all areas. Thus far, progress has been praised as being very positive on the electricity front, yet there are worries that transport and heat targets may not actually be achievable for us to hit by 2020. As such, the EUA, as explained by Head of External Affairs, Isaac Occhipinti, believes that the 2020 target for renewable energy target is not one appropriate for the overarching goal of lowering UK carbon emissions as a whole. Urging the Energy & Climate Change Committee to take a step away from “arbitrary and ineffective” targets for 2020, the EUA instead wishes to pin focus upon decarbonisation of the grid as a way of making progress. Isaac Occhipinti went on to say: “The only sensible, cost effective and deliverable solution to decarbonising hear it by ‘greening’ our gas. It can be done, it can be delivered effectively, and it is already being done on a small scale across the country.” He also went on to highlight that in “The Future of Gas”, written by National Grid, it could be seen that circa 50% of heat energy may be able to see supply from biogases by 2050, thus providing a renewable source of heat to residential homes across the grid without any action needed by the homeowner. As such, this is being regarded as a potential for where focus should instead be laid, looking to aim for achievable and meaningful targets.
Conder Allslade – Building Quality with Steel (The Following is a Promoted Article) Steel continues to be the choice material in the construction industry, favoured for its sustainability, durability, versatility and affordability. Operating by those very same tokens, Conder Allslade has secured a resolute identity in the structural steel sector, and is continually favoured by clients for its high quality, comprising service. Following its establishment in 2008, Conder Allslade has solidified its reputation in the steel construction industry, fast-becoming a leader in the provision of high quality structural steel and now equipped to carry out both design-and-build and consultant-designed projects. With its network of regular partners and sub-contractors, the company realises itself much like a one-stop-shop in structural steelwork and continues to add further capabilities under its structural steel header. It’s with such a comprehensive service that the company finds itself working within multiple sectors, including: warehouse and industrial distribution, manufacturing, commercial, offices, town centres, car parks, cinemas, retail facilities, leisure centres, education and health. Inundated with a variety of projects though Conder Allslade may be, its focus on quality has yet to wane and the company prides itself on its ability to work exactly to individual clients’ needs. “We like to think we work with our clients rather than simply for them,” Mike Hunter, Managing Director of Conder Allslade insists. “We work across a variety of projects and, within that, undertake new builds, extensions and refurbishments. Whether we’re approached at a design, manufacture or erection stage, we strive offer superior, integrated customer service and support at all times so as to offer something which is tailored exactly to a customer’s brief.” Whilst each of the projects on which the company works necessitate a different approach and bear distinct challenges, Conder Allslade’s distinct hallmark of quality is consistent throughout. Having invested in a state-of-the-art processing facility, the company is now able to carry out shot-blasting, sawing, drilling and robotic profiling – each to CE Mark EX3. Now with over 15,000 square metres of production facilities, the company is well-equipped offer its customers maximum quality and flexibility in the manufacture of high quality structural steelwork and complex components. Cutting edge technology aside, the quality and accuracy of its steel is largely attributable to Conder Allslade’s highly-qualified manufacturing team who, followed up by dedicated inspections, enact various quality control measures before, during and after production. In view of the crucial role its staff play when securing contracts and carving out a unique identity in the sector, Conder Allslade has devoted real time and attention to its operatives, sourcing the best in the sector as well as providing opportunities for training and development so as to safeguard the quality of work carried out. “We tend to employ full tradespeople,” details Hunter, “And find that they come with a certain assurance in quality because of the breadth of experience they have in complex manufacture and precision engineering, rather than being purely single discipline specialists. We make sure everyone has that adaptability; our operatives are trained to both plate and weld so they do the whole job on the bar, they put the whole assembly together.” Emphasis on existing staff aside, there is the added pressure of securing a future workforce for which training and development simply will not do. It’s been widely reported that there is declining interest amongst younger generations in manufacturing and engineering industry and fewer and fewer people are going on to pursue a career in the sector. It’s resulted in a lack of specialist tradespeople and concern for the national face of the industry. With expressed determination to secure the future of the sector and its own esteem within that, the company has acknowledged those skills shortages threatening the sector and actively sought to address the deficits in technical expertise by engaging with local apprenticeship schemes. Hunter details further: “We engage with local colleges and have supported two apprentices through to NVQ Level 3 in the last five years. More than just a box-ticking exercise, apprentices are trained in other areas of the business; in particular, aspects related to shop-floor operation. With the additional opportunity to work with our Maintenance Engineer, they become multi-skilled engineers capable of getting the best out of the kit, and doing so in the safest possible way.” The two apprentices have since qualified as platers, and are employed full-time by the company. At each level of employment, staff benefit from the ability to train and work in multiple areas and thus gain insight and experience within a number of discrete but inter-related disciplines. Indeed, the company’s versatility can be attributed to the cross-pollination of practices and processes that occurs during its keen training and development schemes. A recent project for the Farnborough International Airshow (FIA) made use of Conder Allslade’s flexible and all-encompassing structural steel service. It saw the company provide the entire superstructure, from the steelwork to the floor, and from the cladding to each window and door. Whilst the company has gone on to establish itself in a number of different aspects of steel manufacture and construction, Conder Allslade’s unique, end-to-end service is only made possible through the partnerships it sustains with sub-contractors and suppliers. After design and fabrication, the company utilises the services of fellow steel specialists for management and erection, and its role becomes that of ensuring all interfaces between trades are covered. Collaboration between itself and subcontractors inevitably throws up challenges to health and safety, as well as threatening lapses in either schedule or quality. With an ingrained health and safety culture, Conder Allslade refuses to tolerate anyone flouting the rules and retains a strict code of conduct by which partners must abide. Subcontractors must complete a health and safety questionnaire as part of the approval process in which they must detail their safety performance, competence, training, insurance and other issues. Risk to health and safety is taken incredibly seriously, as Hunter continues: “All our supervisors have gone through either the Site Supervisor Safety Training Scheme (SSSTS) or the
Most recently, the most prominent coastal investigation study has begun alongside the Welsh coast. Incorporating everything from mathematical modelling, the monitoring of water quality and field surveys, the study exists to provide the DCWW and Natural Resources Wales with the knowledge essential to better protecting Welsh coastal waters, not solely today, but tomorrow and into the future. The study itself, which is expected to be finished by the close of 2017’s first quarter, will see members of the DCWW Capital Delivery Alliance pursuing a schedule of works across 49 Welsh coastal sites as part of a project totalling in at a value of circa £8m. For the study, members of the alliance will create computerised models of Welsh coastal waters, then carrying out studies on bathing as well as of shellfish water to better assess how and where investment will be needed to sustain, or improve, water quality levels along the Welsh coast. Although the alliance already maintains considerable in-house expertise, to best ensure accuracy and proficiency in the study, partnerships have also been made with specialists in the field, including water consultant, Intertek, as well as APEM, Fugro and CREH to assist in the delivery of the study. As explained by alliance member, Mott MacDonald Bentley’s Project Manager, Mark Dives, the project will see a variety of innovative techniques for the survey as well as some of the latest specialist coastal survey technology ever used. This will include state of the art modelling and microbial tracers, pollutant transport and the simulation of coastal dynamics. He explained: “The sheer scale of the task in hand – to gather a huge amount of historic data to feed the study and drive a substantial survey programme to gather new data – in the time available will provide a big challenge.” Yet, despite the challenges laid out, Mark Dives remains sure that the alliance will be able to complete the study in a safe and efficient manner as well as find a sustainable outcome which can benefit both customers of the DCWW and the wider environment.
The Need For Speed (The Following is a Promoted Article) Virgin Media has been at the forefront of UK broadband infrastructure for a number of years. However, its ambitious endeavours show no sign of slowing. Indeed, the accelerator pedal has been floored once again with the announcement earlier this year of Project Lightning. In the single largest investment in UK broadband for a decade, Virgin Media is investing £3bn to extend its ultrafast capability to an additional four million premises, taking its reach up to 17 million by 2020. As the world’s most internet-based major economy, broadband infrastructure and the opportunities it offers, is increasingly central to the country’s growth over the coming years. Virgin Media is already central to this growth but it recognises that it cannot stand still. The £3bn of additional private investment it is making is essential for individuals and businesses to thrive in the global digital economy, currently providing speeds up to 200Mbps with 300Mbps announced for 2016. Significantly, the investment also has the potential to create thousands of new jobs in what will be a multi-billion pound boost to the national economy. Certainly, Virgin Media Business has the potential to make a huge impact in future. It already provides products and services to a wide community of businesses and public sector organisations with most of its 40,000 clients being small and medium-sized enterprises. In a groundbreaking report issued recently, it found the economy could receive a £92bn boost if firms fully develop their digital potential. It also found that in the last 12 months, digital capabilities generated £123bn in business revenues, equivalent to 3.4% of total GDP. It is therefore fundamental for both the growth of business and the UK economy, that businesses of all sizes have access to cheaper, faster, more reliable broadband in order to fulfil this potential digital opportunity. Critically, Virgin Media Business works closely with key government departments including the DCMS to remain at the forefront of developments. This has included assistance to enhance commercial opportunities through the internet. For example, recently it launched a free small business broadband installation scheme to help them get online. This came as the Government’s Super Connected Cities (SCC) voucher programme closed in October. Following high levels of demand for the vouchers and the support the scheme provided to thousands of small businesses, Virgin Media Business committed to cover up to £1,000 of installation costs for new business customers in the same cities covered by the SCC. This is being trialled until the end of the year. Elsewhere, in September, Virgin announced it was bringing ultrafast broadband to Manchester’s Tech Quarter, giving a boost to the local economy and business productivity in the area. Through a package that has been specially designed to support the connectivity needs of businesses located in multi-tenanted buildings, 3,000 businesses co-located in 300 buildings will now have access to the fastest, cheapest and most reliable internet connections. This followed a similar launch in London’s Tech City earlier this year where more than 450 London businesses located in 70 buildings are being connected to Virgin Media Business’s dedicated connections. Delivery of its ambitious plans isn’t a straight forward task but these are challenges Virgin Media Business is confident it can tackle. When rolling out broadband there are numerous things that can get in the way – wayleaves, business rates and even things like parking restrictions – so it is vital that a close working relationship with local authorities is established. Innovative ways of deploying fibre cables such as narrow trenching are assisting the process through increased efficiency and speed of installation. Moreover, narrow trenching reduces the width of the trench used to lay fibre cables from around 40cm to just 10cm and enables engineers to cover up to 100m in a day, twice as fast as current methods. Crucially, Virgin Media is the only widely available provider to use DOCSIS 3 technology to provide broadband from the cabinet to people’s homes. It is the use of this coaxial cable which enables it to support faster speeds without deterioration over distance and is what allows for ultrafast speeds of 200Mbps and beyond. Yet, the advantages of this are only possible through support at a local level. It’s important local authorities work with Virgin Media to cut red tape and remove barriers to broadband rollout. Plans are now in motion with over 250,000 premises already earmarked for build in Manchester, Nottingham and Leeds with more locations to be announced this year.
A Considerate Constructor (The Following is a Promoted Article) The completion of the Chelmsford Effluent Pipeline Works by Roadbridge was met with the glowing commendation that is expected by this award winning company. As one of Ireland’s most prominent and well-respected civil engineering businesses, Roadbridge has enjoyed significant growth over the last few years, now boasting activity across the United Kingdom as well as further afield with projects completed in Poland, the South Pacific and the Middle East. Since its formation in 1967, Roadbridge has continued to develop around the family traditions on which its foundations have been built upon. This has seen it develop enduring relationships with clients, successfully delivering projects across a variety of sectors for customers serving the transport, renewables and energy, utilities, commercial, industrial, waste management and leisure industries. A key component of its ethos is consideration for the client’s needs, the community in which its endeavours may impact upon, and the wider environment in terms of sustainable, long-term value. Roadbridge – acting as principal contractor was responsible for the design and build of an 8km effluent pipeline between the Chelmsford Sewage Treatment Works in Essex to an existing outfall on the River Blackwater – brought it the attention of the Considerate Constructors Scheme (CCS). It came as little surprise to Quality and Environmental Manager Peter Byrne who said Roadbridge had exhibited the qualities of a “considerate constructor” since its inception; it is part of the company’s defining approach. Recognised by the CCS for its work on the Chelmsford Effluent Pipeline with the award of Bronze, the accolade joins others achieved by Roadbridge including Silver for a road improvement scheme in Wales. The Executive Summary recorded by CCS representatives following inspection of the site scored the company highly across all categories with the appearance of the site achieving particularly high marks. The report said Roadbridge clearly approached “everything in a very professional manner” and that this is “evident immediately when arriving on site”. The CCS award was a chance for the company to celebrate its work ethic – combining the elements that make a “considerate constructor” with sound implementation of civils expertise. Indeed, as Byrne notes, it was a fitting endorsement of the company’s abilities. “The Considerate Constructors award actually mirrors our ethos,” he says. “It gave us an opportunity to be externally recognised for our policies and procedures which we have always considered to be standard practice. “When we’re looking to stand out in a competitive market, awards such as the CCS Bronze gives us that edge. But, importantly, it is an endorsement of the successful systems we have in place – systems that have driven the business over the years, resulting in its success today.” The pipeline project, one of the biggest of its kind in the UK, saw Roadbridge install around 8km of concrete pipe alongside 2km of upgrades. The contract with Northumbrian Water involved the design, supply and installation of the underground gravity pipeline to run in parallel with the existing pipelines including numerous strategic crossings of roads and watercourses. The project was successfully completed on time, to budget and to the total satisfaction of the client in November 2014. The success of the project led it to being awarded Project of the Year Finalist at the Northumbrian Water Group Framework Awards for 2014 – 2015. One of the considerations when undertaking the contract was the close proximity it had to a caravan park. A popular destination for holidaymakers in the summer, Roadbridge liaised with the park owner in regards to working hours in order to mitigate noise, while measures were put in place to prevent potential pollution to nearby water courses from the site’s large areas of exposed soil. It was representative of the company’s overall approach. “When we leave an area we’ve worked in, we want only to have left a good impression. We will buy from local suppliers, we’ll help out with local interest groups in the area. We try to give back to the community meaning there’s a lot more value to our presence than merely the job at hand,” explains Byrne. This means mitigating disruption to daily life, communicating with local residents to keep them up to date with project works, caring about the wider environment and the health and safety of both the workforce and others who may visit or be affected by the site works. It all adds up to being an ideal “considerate constructor”. Byrne calls it the “non-adversarial approach”. He adds, “The very nature of civils work means we are inherently impacting on people’s day-to-day lives. We aim to be transparent and to work closely with the client as much as possible to limit the adverse effects of our work. Our ability to do this is paramount and it’s something that we’ve been able to highlight through the CCS awards.”
Strength In Depth Capable of design, build, installation and refurbishment, Briton Fabricators has emerged as one of the UK’s most respected steelwork solution providers (The Following is a Promoted Article) Now boasting turnover in excess of £14m, Briton Fabricators Ltd has emerged as one of the UK’s most respected steelwork solution providers. Capable of design, build, installation and refurbishment, the company is a specialist in the provision of sign and signal gantries, pedestrian footbridges, road and rail bridges, temporary works, station steelwork, access ramps and stairs. However, its diverse expertise does not stop there, allowing it to confidently tackle many other forms of steelwork. Indeed, more recently it has been involved in a number of projects for the provision of overhead line structures for electrification works. Established in 1973, Briton began fabricating steel for the oil refinery market out of a 200m² workshop in Kirkby-in-Ashfield before growth necessitated a move to bigger premises in 1978. This saw the production of the company’s first gantry which was installed on the M25 at junction 1. Further development saw Briton extend its capability, diversifying into other construction including stations steelwork, airport links and blast proof barriers. Exampling its development, Briton’s Plant 1 at Hucknall, Nottingham started with a 450m² bay before a second bay was added in 1980, increasing floor space to over 900m². By this time, the business was a market-leading provider of bridges and gantries allowing it to expand further, adding a third bay in the early nineties to increase floor space to 1600m². Demand has continued to increase. A new extension in 2007 was added for use as a prep shop, and in 2014 extensions were added to the main fabricating bays taking them from 32 metres to 56 metres in length. Today, Briton has one of the largest manufacturing facilities in the country dedicated to infrastructure engineering. Its plant in Nottingham provides over 2900m² of covered, fully serviced fabrication workshops and has access to 3600m² of specialist protective treatment facility. In addition, its CE Marking accreditation to Execution Class 4 allows it to tackle anything the infrastructure sector can throw at it, making Briton a vital asset to the industry. This is in addition to other vital accreditations such as RQSC for bridgeworks and LINK-UP for its work as a supplier to the UK rail network. It is also a full member of the British Constructional Steelwork Association. Indeed, over the last few years, the business has enjoyed significant growth. In less than a decade it has turned over £100m worth of infrastructure work, almost tripling its own turnover since 2007. The workforce on the shop floor has risen by 20%, its onsite staff by 50%. This is in addition to its ongoing dedication to apprenticeship schemes where it currently has trainees in estimating and drawing with ambitions to increase this intake. This sees Briton currently employ around 85 people in total. The result of its success means the business is increasingly busy across the UK. For example, it’s currently working on a major project in the North West for Mersey link, fabricating and soon to be installing a 65-metre span arch pedestrian footbridge. Briton also remains active in sectors of key strength – rail station footbridges, motorway sign structures including portal and cantilever gantries, plate girder road bridges, rail decks and its increasing involvement in the construction of overhead line structures. Highlighting its expertise, the company won a BCIA award for its work in Derby for a swing bridge over the river Derwent which has the ability to swing shut in the event of a flood, protecting this asset from damage. Commercial Director Dean Morcom acknowledges Briton’s widespread expertise, experience and ability to work closely with clients as distinguishing factors of this family-owned business. However, he also highlights the company’s close involvement with major industry bodies such as the BCSA Bridgework Committee (currently chaired by Briton’s Operations Director Carl Powell) and Highways England (Briton represents the Gantry Community on the Collaboration Board) where, it can make a positive impact on sector development. Importantly, Briton therefore finds itself at the forefront of the sectors in which it operates. It makes it a key industry asset. “Clients are concerned at the moment that the industry isn’t going to be able to deliver Highways England and Network Rail’s increased spend profile,” says Morcom. “So we have Tier 1 contractors advising the need for expansion as they look for increased capability. “We have taken small strategic steps to ensure the business is in a good place to deliver an improved turnover to these people and in doing that we’ve managed to get ourselves on the Highways England framework to supply sign gantries, for instance. Elsewhere, for the CP5 spend, our work is spread out working for Tier 1 contractors such as VolkerFitzpatrick, Costain and others on frameworks such as Kent and Anglia. We’re also actively tendering for work in the other CP5 regions.” It means Briton is ideally placed to enjoy further growth in future. “We want to steadily take the business forward with a view to diversifying into other markets; it’s important we don’t stand still. We’ve witnessed some markets dwindle over the years so we must ensure we’re in a position to capitalise on areas of growth. “For example, we forecast spend in certain sectors is going to reduce in the coming years thanks to a shift in technology and the new plans for squeezing the most out of the current motorways as an asset. To counterbalance this we’re positioning the business to be ready to capitalise on alternative markets where we see an increase in spend/investment. We’re constantly evaluating the industry to see what areas we need to look at in order to continue our success as a company.”
The complete timetable for delivering four stations in London and Birmingham has recently been released by HS2, providing optimism and a sense of anticipation for the works to begin in the coming years. It is expected that the contracts for the construction of the stations will go out to tender during Q1 of 2018, with preferred bidders set to then be announced in the early stages of 2019. Works across the stations will incorporate the development of the Euston station, in addition to the building of a new station in West London, as well as two in the city of Birmingham. The works have a predicted costing of greater than £6bn in total, with the schedule for completion on the three new stations to be built pencilled in for 2026 – a date we can be sure to view with much anticipation, yet also at a date with more than enough opportunity for further development or changes in the meantime. Not everything is scheduled to be completed by 2026 however, with HS2 highlighting just over half of the eleven platforms at Euston to be finished by the same date, with five more to follow in the times coming up to 2033. Of course, it’s great to see HS2 getting the ball rolling regardless, and it is expected that HS2 will be looking to start its procurement process for the phase one stations by this Christmas, with Simon Kirby, Chief Executive of HS2 hoping for a procurement strategy to be ready for announcement by the end of this year for all four areas. As such, HS2 is expected to begin communication with prospective partners for both the desgn and build at supplier events coming over the course of the year. In fact, it is expected that the design packages for the aforementioned stations is to be sent out to tender further into 2016.
Teapots are the nickname for independent oil refineries in China, the oil refineries are causing an increase in market share, and the slowing economy is rewarding the refineries who have more flexible and adaptable business models, it piles further pressure onto margins for the country’s oil majors who have found themselves to be inflexible and undependable to meet the needs of cheaper alternative oils. Now accounting for 20% of China’s capacity in oil refining, the teapots are responsible for the growth in imports after Beijing had allowed them new import quotas at the end of last year. Their competitors are running at higher operating costs and rates and the teapots contribute to a new wave of exports in China’s diesel exports and fuel demands. The success of the teapots comes as a surprise to many after years of attempts by Beijing government limiting the independent refinery companies to crude supplies and restricting their access to bank loans. The economy slowed and the teapots’ lower costs in operating allows China to stay supplied with alternatives to expensive fuels, cushioning a lot of the impact to the economic growth in the industry and relating industries. Russian crude has been routinely and regularly purchased by teapot companies that the Chinese border had to undertake an upgrade to accommodate them. The oil industry is undertaking some major changes with some teapot refineries, sixteen of the teapot refineries such as Dongming have formed an oil coalition for importing oil, making purchases of spot crude from places in the Americas and Middle East. Dongming is potentially going one step further than its competitors by looking at singing an annual agreement with industry giant BP. With growing cash flow and confidence many teapots have announced plans to refineries in other areas in Asia later this year including Malaysia and the Indian Ocean coast.
Offering consulting engineers with the opportunity to provide clean and safe water to local communities, a new loyalty programme, Waterdrop, has been announced by Xylem to provide a “once in a lifetime” opportunity for those with a responsible mindset. As has recently been reported by water.org, there are a staggering number of individuals who die each year as a result of diseases attributed to drinking water and poor levels of sanitation sits – 842,000 per year, in fact (circa 2,300 each day). In support of resolving this concerning issue, Waterdrop has been brought to the market as a means by which consulting engineers can contribute to bringing clean water to local communities, simply through their traditional daily work. This, most specifically, is done through the collection of “water drops” which are rewarded through the leaning, selection and specifying of Xylem services and products in CBS applications. These drops are then translated into contributions made by Xylem into the construction of new water towers, thus providing access to those without the proper water provisions. In total, each “water drop” constitutes an investment of $1 into this. And although this may seem somewhat like a drop in the ocean, the opportunity for consulting engineers to make a difference together, and act on a moral and ethical high-ground is there, with Waterdrop. Most recently, Xylem also undertook its very first volunteer trip for Waterdrop, with the company taking fourteen volunteers from Germany, France and the UK over to the Philippines for the construction of water towers at elementary schools, serving just shy of 1,000 young people, families and the wider community. While the work undertaken in building the towers was expectedly difficult, the opportunity to make a difference is one difficult to avoid, and volunteers also worked to educate children on the importance of the supply of clean water.
The construction industry continues to be defined by collaboration; the length of the supply chain often proves critical when it comes to contractors’ ability to carry our quality workmanship, and in a safe and conscientious manner. Adept in design, construction, installation and maintenance, appropriate across industries, Alliance Group Solutions quickly puts to rest the age-old dilemma and, by maximising its construction capabilities, offers clients minimal risk. With three specialist strands dedicated to contracting, flood defence and consultancy, the Kirkby-in-Ashfield based company is well-versed in the interdisciplinary approach and, defined by its plurality, can effectively carry a project from inception to sign-off. With an array of services, Alliance Group Solutions is capable of a great many feats and perhaps adds the most value as an end-to-end service provider. It’s with the interaction and collaboration between each of its distinct, subsidiary businesses that the company is able to deliver on quality as well as cost. With quality and cost the principal deciding factors for any client, Alliance Group Solutions continues to attract a great variety of customers in both the public and private sector, on a one-off and long-term framework agreement basis. For clients looking for flexibility and cost competitiveness, there is little to rival the company’s spectrum of services and, it’s with that, Alliance Group Solutions secures contracts with major, blue chip organisations and high profile clients. A recent project saw the company work with a client working on behalf of the Ministry of Defence (MoD), its raft of services adding significant weight to its initial contract. John Mattinson, Marketing and Development Director at Alliance Group Solutions details further: “What began as a contract centred on a vehicle wash facility subsequently became a showcase of just what we’re capable of. In the first instance, we had to meet a number of challenging criteria to win the contract, and were charged to ensure the site was serviced to the highest degree. The contract also incorporated major water and drainage construction and saw us conduct lighting installation work, install interceptors on the vehicle wash, a waste water treatment plant and create a large, vehicle manoeuvring facility to provide better access and mobility for the client’s heavy-duty vehicles. Worth £750k, the job also allowed us to flex our consultancy muscles and make use of the new surveying technologies we’ve recently developed.” Indeed, over the last six months, Alliance Group Solutions has developed in-house surveying services and, with the aid of pioneering software, is now equipped to carry out land, property-level, flood, topographical and ground-penetrating radar (GPR) surveys. This latest addition comes alongside the company’s prolonged investment in highway design and terrain modelling software as well as hydraulic modelling software, developments which have seen Alliance Group Solutions go from strength to strength and the company now boasts a breadth of consultancy services, including: project management, procurement and technical reporting, cementing its lead in project delivery. Committed to minimising partnership with sub-contractors from the very beginning, Alliance Group Solutions has only solidified its identity as a one-stop-shop further which provides both competitive edge and significant advantage to clients: “Our ability to deliver a total project without recourse to third parties allows us to control quality as well as ensure our strict codes of practice are being adhered to. For us, health and safety will always come first. One accident, serious or worse, can spell the end of a company as well as being totally unacceptable from a people point of view. By taking on a whole job, we prevent the risks associated with interfacing and operating to multiple standards, and require significantly less operatives on site therefore reduce the opportunity for accidents to happen.” In rare cases where the company works alongside others (during projects that require specialist services that Alliance Group Solutions is unable to support), partners are fully-briefed from the outset, undergo induction, are provided daily instruction, and are audited by the group’s site management team. Also vetted at a procurement stage, third parties are considered against Alliance Group Solutions’ health and safety and environmental standards, alongside proposed costs. Despite undergoing major investment, diversification and expansion over the years, Alliance Group Solutions’ dedication to safe contracting has remained and the company has retained OHSAS 18001 accreditation and membership with CHAS. Though, by and large, expressing its will to do better by its operatives, membership with the leading health and safety association has, too, rapidly sped up the tendering process and bestowed the company nationally-recognised esteem. “The robust framework and criteria you have to meet make it a badge of honour for contractors like ourselves”. “With the support of accreditation, we’re able to come into our own during bidding. All our investment is geared toward penetrating the marketplace and membership with CHAS is very much a part of that drive.” With a holistic approach to service delivery, Alliance Group Solutions continues to demonstrate its understanding of the market and regularly outstrips rival companies on account of its all-encompassing capacity, each stage imbued with quality and transparency. Enjoying organic growth, the company is looking to widen its customer base and, as it does so, will look to increase its expertise. John Mattinson states “We are a growing company working up and down the country across a great range of projects”. “There are a number of opportunities to come and join us for people at all stages of their careers, particularly new trainees, apprentices, graduates and experienced site operatives. People are our biggest asset and, for anyone as excited about the industry as we are, the message is very much to come and talk to us.”
