The covers give access to vital below ground services such as drainage while blending the floor’s paving with the overall surface. They are typically used in retail parks and public areas that demand a prestige finish. FAB PAVE products can also be found at Arsenal’s Emirates stadium, The Amex which is home
Skip hire services, while second nature to those in the construction industry, can seem a daunting enterprise for those who may have never used one. From knowing what you can and can’t throw in them to deciding what size to hire, skips for some are alien; but they needn’t be.
The approval of a horticulture/landscaper supervisor apprenticeship is the latest in a suite of new standards which are revolutionising careers for the future in arboriculture, forestry horticulture and landscape industries. The new apprenticeship, announced by the arboriculture, forestry, horticulture and landscape apprenticeship trailblazer group will provide the technical and supervisory
Two women managing directors who have carved out successful niches in Scotland’s male-dominated construction sector have been elected joint winners at the latest hub South West Building for Growth Programme awards event held last week in Glasgow’s 29 Club. In a break with tradition, a panel of eminent construction sector
Countryside Properties has started construction work on the Royal National Institute of Blind People’s (RNIB) residential site in Redhill, Surrey. The redevelopment project will provide RNIB with specialised accommodation for up to 50 residents as well as 77 luxury new homes for sale on the open market. The completed development
Friday (7 December) at the 42nd BALI National Landscape Awards, BALI Registered Contractor Bowles & Wyer received the coveted Grand Award for a Private Residence in the Chilterns, the stunning implementation of a garden design by BALI Registered Designer Gavin McWilliam and Andrew Wilson. A BALI member since 1993 and
Cube Glass, the fast-growing Scottish glass and aluminium specialist installer, has won another six-figure order, this time for Park’s Motor Group and its prestigious new McLaren dealership in Leeds. As part of a substantial project, it will supply aluminium curtain walling at a purpose built, 12,000 square feet showroom at
Sarah Toon is a specialist construction and architectural photographer based in Norfolk. With a lifelong interest in photography, after a decade working as a bookkeeper and practice manager for an accountancy business, Sarah decided to develop a new career as a professional photographer five years ago. Rather than following many other
The UK construction industry employs approximately 3 million people in the UK, making up 10% of UK employment. Significant skills shortages are restricting construction economic growth in the industry that employs 8% of EU workers, however in London this amounts to a staggering 28%. According to research by TowerEight, 35% of
East Midlands demolition firm AR Demolition has marked another success in 2018 with the election of managing director Richard Dolman as vice president of the Institute of Demolition Engineers (IDE). Mr Dolman was voted into the position at the IDE’s annual general meeting, held in Drapers Hall in London earlier
The covers give access to vital below ground services such as drainage while blending the floor’s paving with the overall surface. They are typically used in retail parks and public areas that demand a prestige finish. FAB PAVE products can also be found at Arsenal’s Emirates stadium, The Amex which is home to Brighton & Hove Albion, West Ham’s London stadium, Old Trafford, St James’ Park in Newcastle and Leicester’s King Power ground. Champions League finalists Liverpool also have a number of FAB PAVE access covers outside its club shop at Anfield FSP also has Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club onside after providing its FAB TRAY™ recessed cover during a recent Molineux Stadium upgrade while FAB TRAYs can be found at the reigning Eithad Stadium, home to Premiership League Champions Manchester City. The firm developed and supplied bespoke circular solid top access covers for a project to the Bearwood training ground where Reading FC plays and the home of British tennis at the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club in Wimbledon commissioned stainless steel drainage channels from FSP during improvements to its entrance. Its access covers can also be found at the nation’s footballing mecca Wembley and the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, in Stratford, London, and FSP has also supplied products to Chelsea and Manchester City’s training complexes. Richard Hilton, Managing Director of the firm, which is based in Telford, Shropshire, said: “Our ranges are ideal for paved environments, particularly where a high quality finish is important, such as these world class sporting venues. “It is a testament to the versatility of our ranges that we have been able to make such in-roads to this sector. The ability to order off the shelf or have a bespoke design to suit specific engineering function or aesthetic design means FSP products are fast becoming the product of choice for contractors and clients.” FAB PAVE access covers have also featured in other high profile locations including the refurbishment of Eleftheria Square in Nicosia, Cyprus, the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès Cannes in France where the world famous film festival takes place, and Terminal 2a, known as the Queen’s Terminal, at Heathrow Airport.
Skip hire services, while second nature to those in the construction industry, can seem a daunting enterprise for those who may have never used one. From knowing what you can and can’t throw in them to deciding what size to hire, skips for some are alien; but they needn’t be. From the skip hire services you should expect to see available to the benefits you can enjoy and of course, the many uses associated with them, we want to share the ultimate guide to skip hire – what you need to know. Let’s take a look. Skip Hire Services Available Domestic – domestic skip hire covers households that may be renovating their homes. Whether you’re redoing your bathroom or clearing the garden, domestic skip hire is available for all your non-commercial or trade needs. In the end, you may find them quite useful even for domestic purposes. By typing on your browser commercial dumpster rental near me, you will find attractive local services entirely hassle-free, thus ideal for you. Builder/Trade – builder or trade skip hire usually refers to smaller tradesmen or a builder, usually working alone that may be carrying out smaller jobs such as the renovations a client isn’t able to do themselves. While still technically commercial, they aren’t considered a company, rather sole traders or loan workers. Commercial – commercial skip hire is quite possible the biggest umbrella term as it covers everything from small companies to large, industrial sized companies that require skip hire and waste management on a regular basis. Wait And Load – ideal for both domestic, trade and commercial uses. The wait and load skip hire service does exactly what it says on the tin. One of our team will arrive with the size skip of your choice, wait while you load it and leave. This is ideal for those in need of multiple skips in quick succession or those without the space to house a skip for a prolonged period. The Benefits Of Skip Hire Whether you’re a commercial client or domestic, everyone can appreciate the same benefits that skip hire can offer; from simple convenience to cost. Convenient – it’s one of the biggest reasons people choose skip hire – sheer convenience. skip hire with Mackers means simply telling them what size skip you want, when you want it and where you want it. Some companies offer same day delivery of your skip, quickly and efficiently. If the skip will be placed on your front drive or private site, great, if not you can even pay for the necessary skip hire permit needed to place them on a public road. While some may argue that you could of course take your waste to your local council skip, there’s always the question of how you’re going to get it there. This can be especially problematic for particularly dirty or dusty jobs, when you don’t own a commercial vehicle. Add on the time needed to load and unload your vehicle as well as drive to and from your local tip and it makes perfect sense to simply have a skip delivered to you. No need to worry about opening times and the added labour of unloading your vehicle when you get there. Cost – many assume the cost of a skip and immediately decide against it, when they can, “sling it in the car and take it to the tip myself”. What many don’t realise however, is that skip prices start from far lower than most assume. Then of course when you take into account the time it takes travelling to and from your local tip, as well as the cost to clean and in some cases, repair your vehicle and it’s a no brainer. Don’t have a vehicle and have to rent a van in order to do it yourself and you’ll find yourself spending a lot more money than perhaps even multiple skips would cost. Save Your Car – our cars, besides our homes, are perhaps some of the most expensive purchases in our lifetime. We work hard to pay for them so why risk damaging them by filling them with rubbish, waste from renovations, old metal and more, just to save spending money on a skip. Not only would you risk damaging the interior of your car but you would be adding unnecessary mileage on to it too. Try cramming too much in there and you’ll also risk the sight of blue lights pulling you over before laying a heavy fine on you. Just imagine how many trips you’d have to make to the tip in order to move the same amount of waste a small 6-yard skip could hold. Environmentally Friendly – using a company such as, Mackers Skip Hire, you not only find a convenient and cost-effective way to rid you of your waste but you also find an environmentally friendly skip hire method too. Mackers Skip Hire In short, using a professional skip hire company will not only save you time but it will also save you money. Add to this the ‘green’ factor as well as the damage you’ll save to your car and it makes perfect sense to hire a skip instead. For more information on the skip hire services check out Mackers Skip Hire.
The approval of a horticulture/landscaper supervisor apprenticeship is the latest in a suite of new standards which are revolutionising careers for the future in arboriculture, forestry horticulture and landscape industries. The new apprenticeship, announced by the arboriculture, forestry, horticulture and landscape apprenticeship trailblazer group will provide the technical and supervisory skills for those who are maintaining and installing parks, gardens and commercial landscapes. This apprenticeship joins the arborist, forest operative and horticulture / landscape operative apprenticeship standards that were approved in the summer of 2017. Designed by employers working together as the trailblazer group, they contain the skills, knowledge and behaviours that will provide the industry with highly-qualified workers. All these apprenticeships contain the key practical skills required for workers in their respective roles – from tree climbing, planting and felling to soil cultivation and hard landscaping. Successful candidates must pass rigorous end tests that demonstrates they have not only reached the standards required by employers, but also that they can put their skills and knowledge together and do the job effectively. In their first year of being available for delivery, 127 candidates registered on the arborist and 507 on the horticulture / landscape operative apprenticeships. This represents a solid start for these new programmes and the trailblazer group is committed to working with training and assessment providers to make these programmes successful. The employers in the trailblazer group are now discussing future applications for further apprenticeship standards, based on the findings of a recent survey of relevant businesses. Bartlett Tree Experts has stepped down as the lead employer for the trailblazer group and we would like to thank them for their tireless leadership throughout the project. They remain Chair of the arboriculture sub-group and are succeeded by Ground Control Ltd, who have been Chairing the horticulture sub-group since the start in 2014. This work would not have been possible without the hard work, investment and persistence of employers and trade organisations from the industries concerned, which shows how important it is that we work together to ensure the supply of skilled and motivated new entrants to our respective sectors.
Two women managing directors who have carved out successful niches in Scotland’s male-dominated construction sector have been elected joint winners at the latest hub South West Building for Growth Programme awards event held last week in Glasgow’s 29 Club. In a break with tradition, a panel of eminent construction sector judges concluded that of the eight participating companies on the Building for Growth programme, two businesses, one run by Claire Donnelly, MD of Hillington-based Aspire Industrial Services, and another by Caroline Barrett, MD of CVD Fire Protection from its base in Carluke, Lanarkshire, best demonstrated their vision, strategic planning and leadership. Aspire Industrial Services, which was established only last year is a one-stop shop for the supply hire, testing and servicing for asbestos, construction and demolition activities, with an open trade counter where customers can buy their Personal Protection Equipment (PPE), Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE), and branded work and corporate wear. Claire said: “We are a young business, but we have already been fortunate enough to win a number of major contracts on construction sites throughout the UK by introducing innovative products which seek to make construction sites safer. “The Building for Growth programme has been a brilliant opportunity to consider carefully how we can make our business bigger and better and capable of regularly winning work from Tier One construction sector contractors.” CVD Fire Protection, which was established in 1997 is a 50-employee strong, £3m turnover business which provides fire protection, diamond concrete drilling and cutting services to the construction industry. Caroline said: “I really enjoyed the hub’s Building for Growth programme. It was full of ideas on how to make your business better and focused our brains to think about “working on” our businesses rather than simply “working in” them. Above all, I think, it has taught me the importance of having a strategic approach, and I am delighted to have won this award.” A public-private partnership funded by Scotland’s business development agencies and a clutch of Tier One contractors including Morisons, Ashleigh, Graham, Morgan Sindall and Keir, hub South West’s development programme is aimed at ambitious companies in construction and related sectors based in Lanarkshire, Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway. Now in its ninth cycle, its Building for Growth programme is targeted at ambitious local SMEs looking to grow in a sustainable manner by building upon the skills and internal capacity to take on increasing volumes of work. Over 90 delegates from 72 companies across the region have now graduated from the course. Session workshops focus on topics such as smart tendering, team building, strategic growth and exit options, marketing planning, supplier development programmes, corporate social responsibility and pitching for business. Gordon Hunter, Supply Chain Development Manager at hub South West, said: “Our Building for Growth programme, has already delivered success to the leaders of its participating companies by both broadening and deepening their grasp of the factors needed to win more new, bigger contracts from the Tier One contractors. “We hope and trust that Claire and Caroline and the other participants in our ninth Building for Growth programme will follow in their footsteps.”
Countryside Properties has started construction work on the Royal National Institute of Blind People’s (RNIB) residential site in Redhill, Surrey. The redevelopment project will provide RNIB with specialised accommodation for up to 50 residents as well as 77 luxury new homes for sale on the open market. The completed development will include the refurbishment of the Grade II Listed Tudor House and Garden Cottage. At the heart of the scheme is a Sensory Trail which uses sounds, smells and textures to aid navigation around the site. “We are proud to be working with the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) on redeveloping their Redhill site. Central to the new site are innovations such as the Sensory Trail, which highlights the role that hearing, touch and smell can play in assisting people with sight loss to navigate around the site. We hope that this will also inspire other property developers to pursue more partnerships in the charity sector that benefit social care and help connect local communities,” said Iain McPherson, Managing Director of Countryside’s New Homes & Communities South Region. In November 2015 planning permission for the redevelopment was granted and after a complex demolition and infrastructure programme, the first RNIB accommodation and private homes are now under construction. The first specialised accommodation is expected to be completed by Spring 2019, along with the occupation of the first open market homes. Meanwhile, Countryside will be launching a show home in January 2019 to demonstrate the quality of their homes.
Friday (7 December) at the 42nd BALI National Landscape Awards, BALI Registered Contractor Bowles & Wyer received the coveted Grand Award for a Private Residence in the Chilterns, the stunning implementation of a garden design by BALI Registered Designer Gavin McWilliam and Andrew Wilson. A BALI member since 1993 and winner of numerous BALI Awards, including the Grand Award and the Design & Build Award in 2010, Bowles & Wyer impressed the BALI Adjudication Panel with this year’s scheme. The BALI National Landscape Awards, with headline sponsor Green-tech, are held annually at London’s Grosvenor House on Park Lane and are the largest landscape Awards in Europe. They recognise excellence in landscape design, construction and maintenance, and in Affiliate customer service, achieved by Registered members of the British Association of Landscape Industries. 127 entries were judged this year and 101 National Awards made. The Awards ceremony was hosted by popular sports journalist and breakfast TV presenter Dan Walker, who addressed the record-breaking audience of over 1000 BALI members and guests during the luncheon and joined Awards sponsors on stage to present the 29 Principal and 3 Special Awards. The presentation of the Grand Award to Bowles & Wyer’s Managing Director Dan Riddleston was made by headline sponsor Green-tech’s Sales Director, Richard Gill. VIP guests this year included Sue Biggs CBE, Director General of the Royal Horticultural Society; Adam White, President and Daniel Cook, Chief Executive of the Landscape Institute; Sarah Morgan, Chair of the Society of Garden Designers; Matthew Bradbury, Chair of The Parks Alliance; and Rod Winrow, Chairman of the Association of Professional Landscapers. Bowles & Wyer, which is based in Bedfordshire, received the Grand Award – BALI’s highest accolade – at this year’s ceremony for their landscaping of a Private Residence in the Chilterns. The BALI Awards adjudication panel highlighted the sheer scale of the project, from the initial major earthworks and installation of attenuation draining to the outstanding hard paving and construction of multiple walls and terraces. The stunning planting schemes in a series of garden rooms had, said the judges, “also benefitted from the expert horticultural hands of the contractor”, making it a worthy recipient of the Grand Award. Bowles & Wyer is no stranger to BALI Awards success and has a long track record of delivering exceptional schemes, in both the domestic and commercial markets. Commenting on the company’s achievement, outgoing chair of the adjudication panel Greg Allen said: “It is wonderful to see a private garden scheme winning the Grand Award. The complexity and challenges of this project belie what is a simply beautiful and tranquil space. Designed to create a series of garden rooms, each with their own ambience and interest, this scheme is proof that however good a design may be it relies entirely for its truthful implementation on the skill and expertise of the contractor. Bowles & Wyer has demonstrated its professional excellence across the board and the judges’ decision to recognise the company’s achievements was unanimous.” A full list of award-winners and a description of the winning schemes is available on BALI’s website here. Benefitting from a collection at the event, this year’s chosen charities were Greenfingers Charity, which creates beautiful outdoor spaces in hospices for children with life-limiting illnesses and their families, and the BALI Chalk Fund, which supports education and training in the landscape sector, including the BALI GoLandscape careers outreach initiative. The total amount raised was £5,353.
Cube Glass, the fast-growing Scottish glass and aluminium specialist installer, has won another six-figure order, this time for Park’s Motor Group and its prestigious new McLaren dealership in Leeds. As part of a substantial project, it will supply aluminium curtain walling at a purpose built, 12,000 square feet showroom at Aire Valley Drive, featuring the latest McLaren brand identity. The company will cover 370 sq metres with a special product from the German-based global giant Schueco Group, the industry leader in window, door and façade technology and service. The new contract for a top-end client is the latest in a string of successes for Cube Glass, which focuses on curtain walling, doors, windows, glass roofing systems and shop fronts as well as bullet, bomb and blast resistant glass. It is set to secure record sales this year of around £2.75 million. “We have carried out work for Park’s Motor Group in the past, but this is a particularly exciting project at its fantastic new space in Leeds, which is only the eighth McLaren retail partner in the UK,” said Gary Thorn, Cube Glass founder and Managing Director. “Park’s is a leading name in the luxury car market. The work, which will be carried out by APP Construction, takes us into new areas and expands our portfolio as well as continuing our association with some very prestigious brands,” Gary added. The company currently has 14 direct employees and 12 sub-contractors and expects this number to increase in the new year. Around 80 per cent of the company’s sales are made to major companies including Hilton Hotels, the Ministry of Defence, Morris and Spottiswood and Clark Contracts.
Sarah Toon is a specialist construction and architectural photographer based in Norfolk. With a lifelong interest in photography, after a decade working as a bookkeeper and practice manager for an accountancy business, Sarah decided to develop a new career as a professional photographer five years ago. Rather than following many other female photographers and focusing on fashion, weddings and family portraits, she has chosen to specialise in the more male-dominated niche of construction and property photography. Sarah recently completed an eighteen-month project as official progress photographer for the Wells Maltings project in North Norfolk. Working closely with architects, contractors and the client team, Sarah’s images have become iconic in the retelling of this new cultural and arts centre’s story. Other regular clients include regional construction firms RobSon Construction Limited, who were the main contractor for the refurbishment of the Lady Elizabeth Wing on the Holkham Estate, Norwich-based surveyors Daniel Connall Partnership, Chaplin Farrant architects and most recently, Daylight Developments Ltd. She is due to start work on several projects this autumn in London, for a structural engineering consultancy in London. In recognition of her role within a traditionally male workplace, in September 2018 Sarah was selected to take part in the National Association of Women in Construction’s project, Image of Women in Construction. Aimed at highlighting the diversity and strength of women who work within the construction industry, to encourage the next generation of girls to consider it as a future career path, the project is being led by acclaimed architectural photographer Morley von Sternberg, FRIBA. As one of so few women specialising in construction and property photography, Sarah jumped at the chance to be involved in such an inspiring project and has subsequently joined Morley on a number of his commercial shoots. Sarah is keen to promote equality across the sector by showing young women that creative careers in the construction and architecture sector are open to all.
The UK construction industry employs approximately 3 million people in the UK, making up 10% of UK employment. Significant skills shortages are restricting construction economic growth in the industry that employs 8% of EU workers, however in London this amounts to a staggering 28%. According to research by TowerEight, 35% of construction workers stated Brexit has created a shortage of EU migrant labour in the UK construction industry that has already increased project costs. Non-UK workers in the UK construction industry are mainly employed as general labourers (22%) and architects (15%). However, a high percentage of professional roles such as quantity surveyors (11%), project managers (11%), engineers (7%), have been placed within the last year by agencies as EU workers. Labour shortages appear to have increased rapidly since 2013 and a majority of surveyors have stated this is a significant hinderance on output. Skills’ shortages created more pressure on the delivery of projects with the triple constraints of time, cost and quality. A survey by Inside Housing revealed that the biggest skills shortages were for construction project managers (32%) and quantity surveyors (31%), followed by electricians (29%), plumbers (24%), carpenters/joiners (24%) and bricklayers (20%). However, only a fifth of those surveyed saw Brexit as the biggest problem, suggesting that skills shortages have been in existence for numerous years. This finding is supported by The MacFarlane who reports that 68% of construction SME’s are struggling to hire bricklayers and 63% are struggling to hire carpenters and joiners which have increased more than 10% in Q4 2017. The skills’ problem is an issue the sector has been facing for some time. RICS warns that “30% of construction professionals surveyed believe that hiring non-UK workers was critical to the success of their businesses”. The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), estimates that to meet current demand more than 36,000 new workers a year will be required. Both skilled and non-skilled in labour will decline rapidly in the coming years in the UK construction industry. Data by Build UK found that 43% of contractors reporting rising labour costs in the first quarter of 2016, with a lack of suitably qualified staff a key factor. This impending threat of reduced labour movement, coupled with already existent shortage of labour would appear to pose a major risk to the future performance of the UK construction industry. The ONS data suggests that on the date the UK voted to leave the EU, migration fell from 336,000 to 246,000. A survey by Helm supports this as they had found 55% of skilled workers were either planning to leave or considering leaving the UK. However, could departing from the EU be beneficial? It could create a wider range of job opportunities within the UK that would become available and allow a growth of UK suppliers. Knight Frank reports that Brexit has done little to deter investors from London as purchases of assets increased from the previous year. The value of the pound is likely to go down which could create an upsurge of overseas investment in UK real estate. Brexit will reduce EU competition when tendering for work. But there is also the likelihood that wage rises are likely to occur and restrictions on free movement could pose a problem for the UK construction industry which already faces a labour skills crisis. Under a soft Brexit the UK GDP would decline by 3.5% and a hard Brexit, the construction industry’s contribution would fall by 8.2%. Brexit will affect urban areas more than rural communities and if access to skilled EU workers is cut, projects such as HS2 and Crossrail will be undeliverable. In conclusion, James Morris, Director at Tower Eight explains why there is a real importance of immigration to the labour market, “It is critical that we have flexible access to labour from overseas as without this we would fail to deliver against the commitments for construction, such as housebuilding and infrastructure. The pound’s value has descended as a result of the UK voting to leave the EU. Costs are expected to climb for contractors and UK developers due to their heavy reliance on importing and exporting with a less favorable exchange rate. Once the UK has left the EU, the UK Government could potentially only allow UK-based firms to tender for government work, consequently meaning that the UK’s construction Industry would no longer have to compete with foreign firms. But until the exit plans are revealed we are left hoping that the Government recognises the dual challenges of an ageing workforce and a lack of skilled labour; both of Britain needs to meet housing targets and deliver the infrastructure required for growth.”
East Midlands demolition firm AR Demolition has marked another success in 2018 with the election of managing director Richard Dolman as vice president of the Institute of Demolition Engineers (IDE). Mr Dolman was voted into the position at the IDE’s annual general meeting, held in Drapers Hall in London earlier this month. The honour caps an eventful year for AR Demolition in which the company, which is based near Nuneaton, achieved record turnover and was named in the London Stock Exchange Group’s prestigious ‘1000 Companies To Inspire Britain’ report. Mr Dolman said: “AR Demolition is becoming recognised as a truly innovative, cutting-edge company and we are doing our part to help create a demolition industry for the future. “I hope to use my position as vice president of the IDE to help address the skills shortage, inspire a new generation of demolition engineers, to promote ideals throughout our connected sectors and promote safer ways of working in our industry. “I look forward to working closely with the IDE’s new president Gary Bishop in working with industry and government bodies to promote innovative thinking to complex scenarios, sharing best practice and raising the positive professional profile of demolition within the construction industry.” Mr Dolman was made a Fellow of the Institute of Demolition Engineers in 2016 and already occupied a seat on the body’s council of management. Alongside other IDE members he has been instrumental in developing and promoting the industry’s first Foundation Degree and Masters Degree in Demolition Management, with the University of Wolverhampton. He said: “As owner of AR Demolition, I am a passionate advocate of innovative demolition techniques and health and safety best practice. Our company has invested heavily in cutting-edge plant over the past two years, bringing efficiency, safety and environmental benefits for our personnel, our customers and the communities in which we work. “The other major issue I want to tackle is the skills shortage in our industry and this is where our work with the University of Wolverhampton can be key. “Alongside the qualifications which I and two of my co-directors are currently studying for, we are also proud to be developing graduate schemes and apprenticeships which will help attract talent from the construction sector towards our industry. “The demolition industry has great potential to contribute practices and processes which can have enormous and widespread ramifications throughout construction and society in general. I am excited to be in a role at the IDE which can help facilitate that change.” AR Demolition recently reported its best ever start to a year in the first half of 2018, with the six month period to July seeing turnover rise by 54% compared to the same period in 2017 and with year-on-year gross profit increasing by 18%. The figures follow significant investment in new plant and machinery, including £1.5m spent on three new cutting-edge high reach Kiesel machines last year after previous investment of £1m in 2016.
