Edwin James Group has reported strong trading as the engineering and technical services company saw growth across all of its core market sectors. The annual results saw turnover rise 15% to £153m with an increase in earnings (EBITDA) of 28% from the previous year.  The group continued to see organic growth across all operations and the recent acquisitions of Jex Process Services and Peak Technology Solutions, which support the expansion of its process services business. Commenting on the results, Derek Smith, CEO of Edwin James Group said: “We are harnessing the expertise of our people and the benefits of our technology solutions to provide our customers with unparalleled service to help them manage assets through the full lifecycle. It’s an approach that is driving revenue growth across the business.  “We continue to be open to acquisitions that can add value to our customer offering by enhancing our capabilities in key sectors. This year’s results are a robust platform for continued growth.”  The group is a leading national engineering services business, employing 1,100 people with its head offices in both Glasgow and Burton-on-Trent.  The group has increased investment in its own Academy, which supports lifelong learning at every stage of an employee’s career. It has over 100 apprentices working across the group, and they form a key part of its workforce strategy. It plans to expand its apprenticeship and graduate programme further in 2021.  Mr Smith concluded: “While the last seven months have proved a challenging environment for all businesses to operate in we have continued to trade robustly and we are well placed to return to growth in 2021. The synergies between our businesses continue to enhance value for clients, which is supporting organic revenue growth.” Edwin James Group was founded by investment firm Aliter Capital, which initially acquired Ingen Technical Services then Korrie, both Scottish-based businesses. It was followed by the acquisition of Burton-based WT Parker Group, in April 2017 and then Peterborough business, PEME, also in 2017. The acquisitions of Jex and Peak took place in 2019. 

Overheating is costing lives and Specialist Building Service Engineers, Milieu, have decided to share their expert knowledge of competing demands of design, to help prevent overheating in residential builds. The government may encourage people to open their windows to mitigate the risk of Covid-19 transmission this winter. Yet, there will be some individuals who may not have the physical or mental capacity to open windows at all, or they may live in homes where windows cannot be opened due to security issues and/or noise pollution. It is these people who are also at higher risk from overheating in the summer months when they are unable to open windows to cool down. Often overlooked, there is a very real risk of death in the UK due to overheating – almost 900 pensioners died last year during Britain’s summer heat waves, and the Committee on Climate Change has estimated that mortality rates arising from overheating could, without any adaption from the population, rise from a current average of 2000 per year to 7000 per year by the 2050s. To reduce the risk of overheating in a residential build, there are a number of competing demands to consider: all of which need to be balanced by careful planning and design. Acoustics – internal noise levels have to fall within acoustic requirements for residential buildings: this can mean windows may not be openable as would allow too much noise, so cooling via windows is impossible. Daylighting – glazing installed to allow sufficient daylight to penetrate into rooms: but, too much glazing, especially on south and west facing buildings can lead to high levels of solar gain and increase risk of overheating. Energy – buildings need to be well-insulated to prevent heat-loss and reduce the use of heating systems thus reducing carbon emissions: however, well-insulated buildings trap heat and increase risk of overheating. Overheating – buildings need a way of letting excess heat escape to prevent occupant discomfort. If a building is very well-insulated, has windows that can’t open due to acoustic requirements and has high levels of glazing to satisfy demands for daylight, occupants are at increased risk of overheating. Passive methods of cooling, such as opening windows and doors and closing shutters and blinds, are the most desirable to reduce risk of overheating, but these cannot always be achieved. Overheating needs to be taken into account at the design stage of a building. Retrospective cooling is a lot more costly and less energy efficient. “Every development is unique and requires individual consideration. We find that the most efficient and cost-effective way to address the competing demands of design is for building service engineers to be involved from the initial stages: early engagement with architects and developers to understand the challenges of a development and to assess risk of overheating, are essential to provide healthy living spaces, reduce risk of ill health due to overheating and reduce long term costs associated with retrofitting cooling solutions,” said Carl Carrington, CEO Milieu. “An example of this in practice is our current work with Ayre Chamberlain Gaunt Architects on a new build development in the London Borough of Hackney. It’s impossible to use purely passive methods of cooling due to site-related constraints, so we’ve proposed to make use of underfloor cooling in order to avoid overheating within the apartments.”

Axis Communications, the global industry leader in network video, has called for a reinvigorated emphasis on the outer layer of security, the physical perimeter, in its latest whitepaper, Perimeter protection with intelligent surveillance. As the global threat landscape continues to evolve with new enterprising methods to breach organisations’ physical and virtual barriers, more advanced perimeter protection methods capable of providing verifiable real-time alerts, location data, target tracking and the ability to package the evidence and data for post incident investigation, is urgently needed. With the identification of new threat vectors, it’s important to continuously risk assess the types of attack and the resulting protective measures required. In the face of more stringent government and industry regulations and standards around perimeter protection, a need to reduce manpower costs, and more awareness around increasing terrorist threats of different means and sizes, the security of the perimeter has never been more vital. The whitepaper explains the importance of employing comprehensive protection at the perimeter, and offers a breakdown of sensor options and applications, highlighting the key points for consideration across all industries when choosing and implementing such a solution. In the case of critical infrastructure sites, a breach could be catastrophic, with the possibility of someone tampering with water quality or altering gas pressure bringing huge risks and potential loss of life. In addition to this, a physical attack can often coincide with a cyber attack; the dual approach serving to confuse staff and leave key assets vulnerable. Yet while many organisations already implement effective cyber security strategies, an inadequately guarded perimeter can prove to be the weak link in the chain, enabling criminals to access premises and cause damage to key assets, or launch a well-orchestrated attack. Intelligent physical security solutions can play a vital role in securing a site. While barriers and gates will work to slow down an intruder, or delay someone entering a premises, it is the installation of automatic intrusion detection technology that will prove a formidable defense against today’s threat actors. Lucas Young, Business Development Manager, network surveillance, transportation and critical infrastructure at Axis Communications, commented: “As threats and countermeasures evolve, one critical aspect remains constant; the integrity and security of the perimeter; a fundamental consideration in providing a safe and secure environment for all staff, visitors and members of the public. With regulations placing ever more onus on industry sectors to demonstrate security understanding and compliance, a scalable, future-proof solution, backed by the full support of a trusted partner will create a formidable barrier against the next generation of attack.” Network cameras offer high quality video surveillance both inside and at the perimeter of a site, with options such as thermal image detection further enhancing this capability. The capture of real-time evidence of a physical attack in progress, rather than the after-the-fact forensic video typically offered by legacy systems, provides authorities with timely evidence of any attack on the premises as it occurs. IP audio systems, comprising digital speakers on a network, can be used to sound alarms and issue live or pre-recorded verbal warnings, complementing video for a combined audio-visual deterrent and surveillance solution. Understanding current technology capabilities as well as an appreciation of future trends is a sound operational security and procurement approach for any security practitioner. To aid in knowledge building and enable customers to make an informed decision around the adoption of such solutions, this whitepaper covers the following key areas: Perimeter protection solutions – Physical solutions and intrusion detection Video-based solutions – The application of cameras, thermographic and visible light options Modern enhancements – Processing speeds, deep learning, AI and analytics Cost evaluation – Establishing total cost of ownership (TCO) and measuring ROI Axis’ proposal – Summarising Axis’ own approach to integrated perimeter protection Through the multi-layering of different measures, commonly referred to as ‘defence-in-depth, comprehensive protection is achieved when all of these layers work together. Security is not significantly reduced with the loss of any single layer. This converged approach to security is the best line of defence as the dynamic threat evolves, with strategies employed across physical and cyber security to address vulnerabilities and maximise resistance. Working with partners and vendors to build trusted relationships across the supply chain establishes guarantees as to the authenticity and integrity of such systems, and helps to build a smarter, safer world.