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
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
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
A thousand solar panels have now successfully been integrated at a water treatment works in the service of Edinburgh and areas within West Lothian by Scottish Water. As a result, 25% of Marchbank Water Treatment Works’ energy is now sourced from solar panels and the associated energy., which supports the
It has been recently announced that Irish power organisation, Viridian, is set to be purchased by I Squared Capital, a US-based owner of considerable assets in the renewables industries of India and the US.. The move by I Squared Capital is one which is expected to act as a way
A recent piece of construction news; Lagan Construction International has been announced as successful in winning a multi-million-pound contract for large infrastructure works at London’s only airport runway, at London City Airport. Works, however, are not expected to disrupt the day-to-day operations of the airport much, if at all, with
As well as being granted permission to proceed with London’s £27bn Crossrail 2 project, the latest construction news highlights the sheer number of green lights given to construction projects, not solely in London, but across the North of England. With landmark projects such as HS3, expansion to the M62 and
Increased woes have been reported on the matter of the potential of the UK exiting the European Union; SSE has stated that the move may put its business at risk should a perceived period of legislative and, or regulatory uncertainty pursue. Of course, in the short term SEE has reported
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.
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.”
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.
A thousand solar panels have now successfully been integrated at a water treatment works in the service of Edinburgh and areas within West Lothian by Scottish Water. As a result, 25% of Marchbank Water Treatment Works’ energy is now sourced from solar panels and the associated energy., which supports the treatment works’ ability to provide for some 68,000 properties. Capable of producing some 0.2GWh per year, the solar panels serve as progress in the environmental agenda, where the treatment works is looking to handle the balance of where it sources its energy from, effectively prioritising renewable sources of energy. And with the treatment works presently outputting some 40 mega-litres of water on a daily basis, the operations of the works of undeniable proportion, serving drinking water to some 17,000 properties in areas of West Lothian, and Southern and Western Edinburgh. The project is the latest of those developed by Scottish Water Horizons, the public utility’s subsidiary which essentially exists to promote the inauguration of a sustainable economy for Scotland itself. Nodding to the sheer amount of energy utilised around Scotland for Scottish Water’s operations, the organisation’s General Manager, Chris Toop, explained: “Every day, Scottish Water provides our customers with a massive 1.34 billion litres of drinking water and then treats over 840 million litres of waste water. This means we currently need 440GWh of electricity annually around Scotland.” And considering the scope of the company’s operations, electricity usage can prove to be quite expensive, which is why Scottish Water has, in turn been working hard to reduce the amount of energy purchased, which can be achieved through self-generating energy with solar panels. This, in effect, will then allow for Scottish Water to keep a hold down on customer charges, maintaining them below the UK average, yet also delivering a high standard of service, as explained by Chris Toop.
It has been recently announced that Irish power organisation, Viridian, is set to be purchased by I Squared Capital, a US-based owner of considerable assets in the renewables industries of India and the US.. The move by I Squared Capital is one which is expected to act as a way for the company to break into the UK’s energy sector, and, sitting at a total value of €1bn, will prove to be a sizeable investment into the UK-based assets, with Viridian’s present, considerable assets crossing both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. In total, Viridian presently provides some 20% of domestic energy in Ireland, which is generated through a combination of gas-fired and renewable, wind farms. As of I Squared Capital’s motives, an expression of consideration has been made as to whether buying into the market with Viridian will prove to be a foothold for breaking into it entirely, with Gautam Bhandari, Partner at I Squared Capital highlighting how the company has been weighing the potential of buying into the market, or pursuing a more organic approach to entering it. Of course, despite already being a highly competitive market, with a handful of operators presently dominating the UK energy sector, this, to Bautam Bhandari seems only to be perceived as a challenge, with him passing comment that: “There is a need for new contenders in the UK power-market, where customers are looking for solutions other than the Big Six.” Of course, this is seemingly only the first step in considerable international expansion plans for the company, with plans already nodded to for entering the European market more significantly. This, however is expected to come some time in the future, with the expectations being of about one year before the company would be comfortable with it’s UK-based market entry plans.
A recent piece of construction news; Lagan Construction International has been announced as successful in winning a multi-million-pound contract for large infrastructure works at London’s only airport runway, at London City Airport. Works, however, are not expected to disrupt the day-to-day operations of the airport much, if at all, with Lagan Construction working outside of normal hours of operation so that disruptions to flight schedules can be avoided. With an anticipated start date of May this year, the project will see Lagan Construction working to overlay the present runway with a grooved solution of Marshall Asphalt, as well as works to widen and reinforce some of the runway’s taxiways. In addition, works are also set to include the refurbishing of the present drainage network, as well as the addition of a brand new pit and duct network. Upgrades are also to be made to lighting fixtures, with the addition of LED lighting alongside the addition of a brand solution for new centre line lighting. Completion of the works is planned for November this year, with the works done on the runway regarded as a major project which will play a vital role in the future-proofing of the runway at London City Airport, and essentially the only runway presently in London itself, as explained by Darren Grover, Chief Operating Officer of London City Airport. Also nodding to the challenges of the project, he added: “The runway overlay is a major project, made more complex by the unique location of our runway surrounded by water on three sides.” Of course, with Lagan Construction having a tried-and-tested reputation for performing on airport infrastructure projects, Steve Turner, Director of International Operations at Lagan displayed confidence in the team to be able to deliver both air-side and ground-side support facilities, as result of the experience and skills of the team, backed up by the technology to support effective delivery of works.
As well as being granted permission to proceed with London’s £27bn Crossrail 2 project, the latest construction news highlights the sheer number of green lights given to construction projects, not solely in London, but across the North of England. With landmark projects such as HS3, expansion to the M62 and improvements made to both the A69 and A66 all given the green light, optimism is rife for the benefits the improved infrastructure of these schemes will bring. Additionally, a study as to the feasibility for a Trans-Pennine tunnel between Manchester and Sheffield was also given the go ahead for further investigation. Of course, the budget is, by very essence only a plan for development, yet with this plan clearly highlighting government dedication to improved infrastructure, the industry of tomorrow is one of great hope. And while direct benefits of the projects are some time down the line, with projects such as Crossrail 2 planned to be completed by approximately 2030, the industry is optimistically excited due to the volume of work the schemes will generate between now and then, with a vast number of construction jobs to be created in accordance. Yet, despite a forecast rise in the availability of construction jobs, key to remind ourselves of is the availability of skilled workers in the industry. Firstly urging a focus on the availability of such skills onto and into the future, Clare Watson, Chair for the North West of the National Federation of Builders highlighted that: “Improving transport and infrastructure will not only improve business prospects, it will increase social mobility and widen the opportunities available in construction for the next generation. With aforementioned plans already reported by the CITB to provide much-needed support in the training of tomorrow’s construction workforce, a clear effort is being made to shorten the skill gap, yet, with some 22,500 construction jobs to be created in the North West, even further emphasis throughout the sector is urged.
Increased woes have been reported on the matter of the potential of the UK exiting the European Union; SSE has stated that the move may put its business at risk should a perceived period of legislative and, or regulatory uncertainty pursue. Of course, in the short term SEE has reported that there would not be a direct risk to the provision of its service to customers, and it is expected that the industry giant will be able to continue investing back into its business and infrastructure as planned, regardless of the decision made on the EU referendum. Yet, in the longer term, the effects of drawn out regulatory and legislative changes may cause a degree of risk for SEE, as it most likely would also effect other key industry organisations. As for predictions over the course of the year, SSE has predicted a similar degree of success this year as was achieved in the last, perhaps a nod to the potential uncertainty of the market as a whole, yet also maintaining a positive outlook on being able to turn a meaningful profit in various areas of the business this year. Specifically, those profits pertaining to networks operating are expected to see a degree of increase, with wholesale operating profits expected to maintain, and those retail operations expected to see a reduction due to reduced energy-supply customers. Key areas attributed to the mixed predictions on profits can be attributed to the challenges faced by dropping prices for commodities, as well as increased competition within the retail market. However, Gregor Alexander, Finance Director of SEE commented towards a more positive outlook, saying: “Nevertheless, completion of the CMA investigation and the UK government’s consultation on the future of the electricity capacity market imply progress towards a more settled regulatory and policy framework.” With this in place, a far more positive outlook could be perceived for next year, and we can only expect predictions for the year to follow suit.
