Two of the biggest environmental challenges we face as a society – tackling habitat loss and designing ‘carbon conscious’ buildings – are areas of focus for Ibstock at this year’s London Festival of Architecture (LFA). The LFA is a month-long celebration of architecture and city-making, taking place every June across
Ibstock plc, a leading manufacturer of clay and concrete building products and solutions, has today launched its new ESG Strategy to 2030. The company, which is widely credited as leading the way in sustainability within the construction products sector, says its new ESG Strategy to 2030 will simplify the way
Strengthening its status as one the most sustainable manufacturers of building products in the UK, Ibstock plc has been named as a CO2nstructZero Business Champion. Selected by the Construction Leadership Council (CLC) as part of its CO2nstructZero campaign, the initiative enables companies to be role models in the industry change
Ibstock plc has become the first building products manufacturer in the UK to procure 100% of its electricity from renewable sources. This milestone announcement enables Ibstock to make significant steps in reaching its Sustainability Roadmap target of a 15% reduction in CO2 per tonne of production by 2025, and accelerates
A talented apprentice from Ibstock Brick has won a prestigious regional award. Zac Payne – who is based at Ibstock Brick’s Chailey Factory, near Lewes – was a finalist for the Make UK Manufacturing Awards in the Engineering Apprentice of the Year (Final Year) for the Southern Region. And on
An award for the UK’s Most Ethical / Sustainable Manufacturer of the Year at the 2019 has been won by Ibstock Brick, a business division of Ibstock plc. Organised by leading business publisher, INSIDER Media, the Made in the UK Awards took place in Coventry on June 20th 2019. The
Ibstock Brick has been shortlisted for The Inspire Awards which celebrate diversity and inclusion in the construction, engineering and housing sectors in the UK. The leading brick manufacturer, part of Ibstock plc, has been named as a finalist in the Most Inspiring Apprenticeship Programme category. Ibstock Brick offers two engineering
Forticrete will be showcasing its innovative range of precision engineered concrete building products at the Build Show, part of UK Construction Week (October 9-11 2018). Amongst the products on display will be its Low Pitched Roof Window System and SL8® large format roof tile. Forticrete’s low pitch roof window system
Abtec Building Technologies (Abtec BT) has recently completed a project to install a connected lighting system at a newly constructed brick factory in the East Midlands. Ibstock Brick, an Ibstock PLC company, has built a new factory capable of producing 100 million bricks a year, helping to address the UK’s housing shortage.
The UKs largest brickmaker, Ibstock has achieved an ISO 14001 accreditation as part of its system for environmental management. The accreditation is for the Ibstock-Kevington factory located in Sharpthrone, but now it means that all Ibstock’s UK production sites will hold this accreditation. The Independent Organisation for Standardisation is a
Two of the biggest environmental challenges we face as a society – tackling habitat loss and designing ‘carbon conscious’ buildings – are areas of focus for Ibstock at this year’s London Festival of Architecture (LFA). The LFA is a month-long celebration of architecture and city-making, taking place every June across London. The festival’s mission is to open up discussions around architecture, test new ideas and uncover and promote new talent. The theme for the LFA 2022 is ‘Act’. Through the festival, Patrons such as Ibstock and its visitors will be asked to examine how we can act for ourselves, each other, our cities and the environment. Inspirational speaker line-up Ibstock says it has put biodiversity and environmentally sensitive specification right at the heart of its content programme at this year’s festival. Bringing together inspirational speakers from the worlds of diversity and wildlife, alongside members of its Design & Specification and Sustainability Teams, Ibstock is hosting four inspirational events at its i-Studio focused on key themes within its new ESG Strategy to 2030. Each talk is designed for broad appeal to both architects and designers and even eco-conscious self-builders, homeowners and nature-lovers. EVENT 1 Making friends with the ‘Bat Pack’: How to design urban environments that support a diverse eco-system and the bat population Guest speaker: Jo Ferguson from the Bat Conservation Trust and Helena Rivera from A Small Studio. This brilliant team collaborated to change the way the built environment supply chain – from planners, to architects, to home-owners & their children, through to landlords and building managers – views bats and how we can support them. We’ll find out how they did it – and how it’s delivering positive change. Event Hosted by: Ibstock Design Advisor Irina Hughes & Ibstock Specification Consultant Agne Metlovaite. Date: 14 June 2022 (12:30 – 15:00 BST) EVENT 2 Why Bugs Matter: How to encourage a strong, Diverse and Healthy Ecosystem in Urban Habitats Guest speaker: BUGLIFE’s Paul Hetherington, Director of Fundraising and Communications.Paul is a truly inspirational figure driving positive change in the world of biodiversity – he’ll be sharing his passion for insects – and details of his charity’s recent Bugs Matter survey. Event Hosted by: Ibstock Design Advisor Irina Hughes & Ibstock Specification Consultant Agne Metlovaite. Date: 22 June 2022 (12:30 – 15:00 BST) EVENT 3 & 4 Carbon Conscious Specification: How to take a Balanced Approach to Design & Specification The built environment accounts for nearly 40% of global carbon emissions. So, what can we all do to drive this figure down? Our design and sustainabilty team present the facts, figures and supporting evidence for more carbon-conscious approaches to specification. Event Hosted by: Ibstock Design Advisor Irina Hughes & Ibstock Specification Consultant Agne Metlovaite – with Michael McGowan, Ibstock Group Sustainability Manager, and Emily Landsborough, Ibstock Group Sustainability Advisor. Date: 09 June 2022 (12:30 – 15:00 BST) 29 June 2022 (12:30 – 15:00 BST) Ibstock’s Group Sustainability Advisor Emily Landsborough commented: “At Ibstock, we’re witnessing an increased demand for products that address biodiversity and environmentally sensitive specification. Through our new ESG Strategy to 2030 we are also doing all we can through to deliver positive change in the built environment, which is why we’re putting these key sustainability issues right at the heart of our presence at the London Festival of Architecture. We are delighted to be hosting four inspirational events at our I-Studio where we’ll talk about the ways in which we can tackle habitat loss and how to design and specify ‘carbon conscious’ buildings.” How to register Ibstock’s events at London Festival of Architecture are open to anyone with a passion for sustainability. But, numbers are limited – visitors are asked to book ahead to confirm their place. All of our events are free to attend. Carbon Conscious Specification: How to take a Balanced Approach to Design & Specification – 9th June. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/carbon-conscious-specification-london-festival-of-architecture-tickets-324716865887?aff=ibstockweb Making friends with the ‘Bat Pack’: How to Design Urban Environments that support the Diverse Eco-System and the Bat Population – 14th June. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/making-friends-with-the-bat-pack-london-festival-of-architecture-tickets-324925339437?aff=ibstockweb Why Bugs Matter: How to encourage a strong, diverse and healthy Eco-System in Urban Habitats – 22nd June. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/why-bugs-matter-london-festival-of-architecture-tickets-324929602187?aff=ibstockweb Carbon conscious specification: How to take a Balanced Approach to Design & Specification– 29th June. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/carbon-conscious-specification-london-festival-of-architecture-tickets-324922761727?aff=ibstockweb COMPANY INFORMATION Ibstock is a leading manufacturer and supplier of clay and concrete building solutions to the UK construction industry, specialising in products and systems for the building envelope and infrastructure. Ibstock comprises two divisions – Ibstock Clay and Ibstock Concrete – both with leading market positions in the UK. Ibstock Clay: Our Clay division offers the largest range of bricks manufactured in the UK as well as prefabricated elements, precast solutions and brick-faced façade systems for both low rise and high-rise developments. Ibstock Concrete: Our Concrete division manufactures high quality, precast concrete products for the residential housing and hard landscaping markets and also has a growing position in infrastructure. Building Design and Construction Magazine | The Home of Construction & Property News
Ibstock plc, a leading manufacturer of clay and concrete building products and solutions, has today launched its new ESG Strategy to 2030. The company, which is widely credited as leading the way in sustainability within the construction products sector, says its new ESG Strategy to 2030 will simplify the way it articulates its goals and ambitions – thus enhancing understanding of the journey ahead with both its colleagues and external stakeholders. The Ibstock ESG Strategy to 2030 is an evolution of the company’s five-year Sustainability Roadmap set back in 2019 – with a number of its original targets achieved ahead of time. Ibstock’s evolved strategy defines a new era of responsible business and manufacturing and serves as an important accelerator in speeding up the pace of positive change. Ibstock’s ESG Strategy to 2030 has been structured in a way that its milestones and ambitions are communicated clearly and simply. Organised under three themes; Address Climate Change; Improve lives; and Manufacture Materials for life, headline ambitions include: 40% reduction in absolute carbon (Scope 1 & 2*) by 2030 Increase female senior leadership representation to 40% as part of a proactive approach to diversity and inclusion 20% of sales turnover revenue to come from new products and solutions that deliver customer value and improved sustainability Fostering engagement & ownership Key to the launch of Ibstock’s ESG Strategy is a desire to drive ownership and engagement of the company’s ESG goals. Using a strong, clear ‘call to action’ of ‘WE WILL’ which sits in front of its ambitions. The company hopes its new strategy will connect with colleagues at all levels of the business. Building on its award-winning People First approach to ESG and sustainability engagement, Ibstock will continue to drive employee engagement and understanding of its goals and ambitions – focusing on how individuals and their actions can contribute to the bigger picture. Ibstock says it new strategy is informed by a materiality assessment which has taken into consideration the views and perspectives of its key stakeholders. In addition, the company is also launching a major customer survey of attitudes to sustainability amongst housebuilders, builders merchants and architects and specifiers. The results of this process will shape a long-term programme of communications aimed at informing and connecting with Ibstock’s external stakeholders. Accelerating the pace of progress “We are very pleased to launch our ESG Strategy to 2030. It takes our business on the next exciting – and energetic – stage in its evolution,” says Joe Hudson, Ibstock plc’s Chief Executive Officer. “Whilst our new strategy sets our longer-term ambition, we are also very proud of the progress we have made on our journey so far to becoming a more sustainable, purpose-led business. Where the past decade has been about incremental improvement and embedding change, the next decade needs to go much further, much faster. “To get where we need to be, we must continue to bring our people with us on this journey to enable us to make progress more swiftly and with greater impact. This is work that requires our passionate people with a desire to make positive change at pace. We are confident we will achieve our goals – but we will need to do this together. We are calling on our colleagues, suppliers, partners and customers to work with us – as we will work with them – to deliver on the challenges and opportunities that we share.” Ibstock plc’s ESG Strategy to 2030 can be accessed at https://www.ibstockplc.co.uk/sustainability
Strengthening its status as one the most sustainable manufacturers of building products in the UK, Ibstock plc has been named as a CO2nstructZero Business Champion. Selected by the Construction Leadership Council (CLC) as part of its CO2nstructZero campaign, the initiative enables companies to be role models in the industry change programme. Being named as a CO2nstructZero Business Champion recognises the commitment Ibstock has made to reduce carbon emissions in the delivery and operation of the built environment. Investment in decarbonisation measures and production efficiencies at its facilities, thus accelerating its journey to Net Zero carbon emissions, was a key factor in Ibstock’s inclusion in the scheme. Recent examples of this include; constructing a 4.9MW solar farm at its Leicestershire headquarters, procuring 100% of its electricity from renewable sources and confirming investment in a pathfinder project to achieve world’s first Net Zero brick factory in the West Midlands. The news comes shortly after Ibstock launched its latest Sustainability Report for 2020. It’s most in-depth to date, the report outlines the decarbonisation initiatives the Group is making across its clay and concrete businesses to reduce the carbon intensity of the manufacturing process as well as providing an open and transparent overview of the progress it is making against its Sustainability Roadmap 2025 targets. Ibstock plc’s Chief Executive Officer Joe Hudson comments; “We are honoured to be named as a CO2nstructZero Business Champion. There is no doubt that climate change is one of the greatest challenges we face globally. It is part of our DNA to steward our resources and ensure we have a sustainable and positive impact on the world around us. As a leading building products manufacturer, we recognise that we have to adapt and respond – and this is reflected in the targets we have set ourselves in our Sustainability Roadmap to 2025. “We have seen a transformational shift in attitudes from all of our key stakeholders, and there is a ‘sea-change’ in how our customers, and, in turn, their customers, view environmental issues. Collaboration is a linchpin of achieving carbon reduction targets across the construction sector and we look forward to working alongside the CLC to share best practice, supporting the industry’s move to Net Zero.”
Ibstock plc has become the first building products manufacturer in the UK to procure 100% of its electricity from renewable sources. This milestone announcement enables Ibstock to make significant steps in reaching its Sustainability Roadmap target of a 15% reduction in CO2 per tonne of production by 2025, and accelerates its Net-Zero Carbon journey. Total Gas & Power, Ibstock’s energy supplier, says its Pure Green energy tariff enables Ibstock to report zero emissions for electricity under the GHG Protocol Corporate Standards, Scope 2 as the electricity can be matched to Renewable Energy Guarantee of Origin (REGO) certificates. Pure Green guarantees that the REGOs will only come from solar, wind or hydro sources. The generation mix of Total’s Pure Green power is typically hydro/wave power (0.31%); solar (24.69%); and wind (75%). Decarbonisation measures This switch to renewable electricity is the latest in a series of decarbonisation projects Ibstock has invested in, including the completion of a solar park – the first of its kind in the brick industry – at the Group’s Leicestershire head office. Supplying 20-30% of the power requirement on site. The company is also continuing to play its part in the reduction of reliance on fossil fuels through the installation of electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure across several sites. Joe Hudson, Chief Executive Officer of Ibstock, said: “This is a very significant moment for our business. We take our goals and ambitions on sustainability extremely seriously and procuring all of our electrical power from renewable sources is further evidence of that. “We are a market leader in an energy intensive sector, and we believe it is vital that we demonstrate that leadership in terms of reducing carbon emissions and supporting the market for renewable energy. Many of our customers right across the construction sector have made commitments to achieving net zero emissions and our move to Pure Green shows them that we are with them on that journey. “We have many more projects and initiatives planned and under way to further reduce our carbon impacts – but, there is no doubt that this move to Pure Green really is a very big step forward in achieving our decarbonisation goals. “As the first UK building products manufacturer to make a move to 100% renewable electricity, we believe we have set an example to others in our sector; we hope our peers are quick to follow suit.” Dave Cranfield, General Manager of Total Gas & Power, said: “We are proud to have been working with Ibstock since 2013 and during that time we have seen them become an industry leader in the drive towards carbon neutrality. It’s particularly pleasing to be helping them reach their Sustainability Roadmap target of a 15% reduction in CO2 by 2025 by supplying them with Pure Green, 100% renewable electricity. As one of the largest electricity suppliers in the UK, Total shares the ambition, together with society, to become net zero by 2050 for all of our activities. We will continue to work closely with our customers, including Ibstock, as the demand for renewable electricity grows, and we will continue to evolve and invest significantly in carbon neutral initiatives over the coming years.” Ibstock’s operations commenced use of Pure Green electricity on January 1st 2021.
A talented apprentice from Ibstock Brick has won a prestigious regional award. Zac Payne – who is based at Ibstock Brick’s Chailey Factory, near Lewes – was a finalist for the Make UK Manufacturing Awards in the Engineering Apprentice of the Year (Final Year) for the Southern Region. And on October 15th, Zac was announced as the winner at a ceremony held at Aerospace Bristol. The judges remarked that Zac’s award was recognition of his outstanding attitude towards work, willingness to learn and the lead role he had taken on technical electrical projects. He will now go forward to the Make UK National Awards which will be held in London on January 29th 2020. Zac, who joined the Ibstock Brick apprenticeship programme in 2016, commented: “My apprenticeship has been hugely valuable in helping me extend my knowledge through practical and hands-on experience. This has allowed me to contribute to engineering projects across the factory. My mentor Paul Charlesworth has been a great help in helping me achieve my goals. I was delighted to win and it is a privilege to be recognised by the judges.” Paula Wardle, Group Learning and Development at Ibstock plc, comments: “We are extremely proud of Zac’s achievements. Since beginning his apprenticeship he has shown great ability in all areas of his work. His attitude towards learning has been excellent and this award recognises how he has made the most of the training and development opportunities presented to him during his apprenticeship.” For more information about Apprenticeship opportunities at Ibstock plc
An award for the UK’s Most Ethical / Sustainable Manufacturer of the Year at the 2019 has been won by Ibstock Brick, a business division of Ibstock plc. Organised by leading business publisher, INSIDER Media, the Made in the UK Awards took place in Coventry on June 20th 2019. The event – one of the largest of its kind – was the national finals. Ibstock Brick had previously impressed judges in the regional round; the company won in the same category at the Made in the Midlands Awards in early May. Having won commendations for its sustainability commitments and progress at five high-profile awards ceremonies over the last 8 months, Ibstock Brick is now widely recognised as leading the field in terms of sustainable manufacturing. As the UK’s leading brick manufacturer, Ibstock Brick believes the secret of its sustainability success is a combination of clear goals and ambitions – as identified within its Sustainability Roadmap 2015 – and its unique People First approach. The Made in the UK Awards judges felt Ibstock Brick “…went above and beyond policy and regulations to embed a sustainability strategy”. Commenting on the Made in the UK Awards 2019 win, Michael McGowan, said: “We are all absolutely delighted that Ibstock Brick has been called to the winners’ podium once again. This latest award offers proof that our hard-working team is doing the right things and our people led strategies are working. “Looking more widely, we hope that our approach inspires our peers in the fields of commerce, technology and manufacturing to go ‘the extra mile’ in terms of their own sustainability goals and targets. Whilst the journey to greater sustainability can be a long and challenging one, it is certainly very rewarding and it is a path we are absolutely committed to.”
Ibstock Brick has been shortlisted for The Inspire Awards which celebrate diversity and inclusion in the construction, engineering and housing sectors in the UK. The leading brick manufacturer, part of Ibstock plc, has been named as a finalist in the Most Inspiring Apprenticeship Programme category. Ibstock Brick offers two engineering apprenticeship programmes, both four years in duration; Advanced Mechanical Engineering and Advanced Electrical Engineering. There are currently 35 apprentices within the business, ranging from 16 to 25 years old, including two female engineering apprentices. One of these is Courtney Scarlett, a Dual Engineering Apprentice. She says: “I wanted to do something where I could use my practical skills rather than just learning about the theory behind it. An engineering apprenticeship allows me to do exactly that. Women are still a minority in engineering, and this is why I love working in an engineering team and showing other people that women can also be successful in a male-dominated field.” Paula Wardle, Group Learning & Development Manager at Ibstock plc, commented: “We are delighted that Ibstock Brick has been shortlisted for the Most Inspiring Apprenticeship Programme. It recognises the investment we have made in developing a comprehensive programme focussed on delivering world-class engineering skills and knowledge. As a building products manufacturer, our apprentice population currently reflects the traditional nature of the industry, yet we are working hard to encourage a more diverse range of apprenticeship applications, and are proud of the steps we are taking. “Our apprenticeship scheme has gone from strength to strength, and ensures that we create a pool of engineering and technical specialists who will help drive forward innovation and manufacturing excellence. It is only by nurturing our future talent that we will have people with the technical expertise and skills to manufacture our products for years to come.” The winners of The Inspire Awards will be announced on June 5th at The Hilton, Deansgate in Manchester.
Forticrete will be showcasing its innovative range of precision engineered concrete building products at the Build Show, part of UK Construction Week (October 9-11 2018). Amongst the products on display will be its Low Pitched Roof Window System and SL8® large format roof tile. Forticrete’s low pitch roof window system has been specifically developed to enable roof windows to be installed at pitches as low as 10° – much lower than many other systems, when used with Forticrete’s Centurion roof tile. Designed primarily for single storey extensions, the revolutionary system includes a patented two-piece tray drainage flow system. This stops water pooling and leaking by collecting water running under the tiles, dispersing it and controlling its flow into the guttering with no overshoot. The SL8 roof tile is another innovation designed to meet the increasing demands of the roofing market. With just 8 tiles per square metre needed it provides greater coverage with approximately 20% less tiles required per roof. It also has the visual characteristics of natural slate with benefits that no other interlocking tile can match. John Lambert, Managing Director of Forticrete, says the Build Show is the ideal opportunity to discover Forticrete’s range of products. He comments: “With well documented waiting times for popular building products, and margins being squeezed, we’re actively encouraging everybody in the supply chain to look at the alternatives, such as products made from concrete. Our precision engineered range includes products which are revolutionary in design and meet the growing demands of the construction sector. By considering materials that are sustainable, durable and have a more competitive price point, it provides a win-win for everyone in the supply chain.” Forticrete, part of Ibstock plc, is a leading manufacturer of concrete roof tiles, architectural masonry and walling and cast stone. Visit Forticrete at Stand B642 or visit www.forticrete.co.uk.
Abtec Building Technologies (Abtec BT) has recently completed a project to install a connected lighting system at a newly constructed brick factory in the East Midlands. Ibstock Brick, an Ibstock PLC company, has built a new factory capable of producing 100 million bricks a year, helping to address the UK’s housing shortage. With lighting such a fundamental part of any manufacturing facility, the company wanted to install the latest technologies to help save on costs, energy consumption and CO2 emissions. Ibstock Brick is the UK’s market leader in brick manufacture with 20 factories across the country and a total annual capacity in excess of 750 million bricks. In addition, the firm employs almost 1400 people, with a substantial number in the local Ibstock and Ellistown areas in Leicestershire. Despite the impressive output figures, the UK as a whole is suffering from a housing shortage that is not helped by a lack of bricks. To address the shortfall, it is estimated that a further 400 million bricks will be required annually; a demand that is currently met by imports from continental Europe. In response, Ibstock Brick is increasing its output by constructing one of the most modern brick factories in the world. In fact, the company estimates that the new £54 million facility will increase its production capacity by a further 100 million bricks per annum. Total connectivity All modern factories call for connectivity, and this includes services such as lighting, for which the company was keen to ensure the latest technologies were utilised. “We were introduced to the project by Siemens as we are a solutions partner for their building technologies division,” explains Dave Watkins, director of Abtec BT, a specialist in bringing cost-saving intelligence to buildings. “After an initial chat with Ibstock, at which we had the opportunity to put forward our ideas, we were asked to tender formally for the project, which we duly won.” The solution proposed by Abtec BT was based on a number of class-leading technologies, including LED sources, open platform functionality, sustainability and, of course, connectivity. This proposal contrasted notably to the original brief, which was based on fluorescent lighting. “We had to justify the technology and why Ibstock should go for it,” states Mr Watkins. “However, the advantages of the proposal were pretty apparent and the company soon placed the order.” Demonstrating the payback Abtec BT’s alternative to traditional lighting and controls facilitated the potential to build an energy-efficient building management system. Significant payback on the proposed solution was demonstrated, along with CO2 savings to match. In terms of the actual choice of lighting, the nature of the environment within the factory made this task especially challenging. Specialist conditions meant that the system not only had to be energy efficient, but had to be installed to a very specific standard, a factor that called for careful thought in the design of the concept, as well as consideration for future maintenance requirements. “We proposed DALi light fittings, which were rated to a high IP (ingress protection) with no metal exposed,” explains Mr Watkins. “This is important as a combination of brick dust and moisture in the atmosphere can cause incorrectly specified light fittings to corrode. In addition to their suitability for the operating environment, the use of DALi lighting would also provide the control and feedback needed at the management graphics end of the system.” 300 light fittings In total, Abtec BT calculated the need for 300 light fittings above the 295 x 86m factory floor in order to maintain the necessary lux levels. Contamination from the brickmaking process will of course affect lux levels over time, but the nature of the connected lighting solution proposed by Abtec BT means it is possible to account for this eventuality. “At installation, new lights can be dimmed to counter the fact that they will probably emit lux levels that are too high,” says Mr Watkins. “However, as time passes and the lights get contaminated from factory production processes, so we can dim up accordingly. Having a high understanding of issues such as these helped us to secure the Ibstock contract.” The installation undertaken by Abtec of the electrical elements such as the busbar also had to be carefully selected and installed. Due to the challenging height of the building (over 17m), the sensors used and the location required close scrutiny. Effective energy management Abtec BT’s system has all the elements necessary to provide effective energy management, including presence detection from sensors mounted throughout the factory, automated function and duration testing of emergency lighting, constant daylight control and some scene setting. “Constant light control means that we monitor natural light levels across the whole factory and adjust the DALi lighting accordingly,” says Mr Watkins. “For instance, if the sun comes out and natural light levels improve we can slowly dim the lights [not noticeable by the naked eye], thus generating savings.” In total, energy savings of around 50% are anticipated in comparison with a traditional lighting install, along with an annual CO2 reduction of 170,041 kg. When coupled with the automated emergency testing, further savings are expected, leading to an estimated project payback of less than two years. Open platform “The system installed is open in its approach to technology; KNX has been used for the field based sensors, BACnet for integration to heating and ventilation, and MODBUS to bring in the metering data,” explains Mr Watkins. Importantly, the entire system links to Abtec’s integrated building energy management system, HYDRA, which allows users to easily navigate and visualise logged events. Built on the latest vector graphics platform (HTML5), HYDRA helps users zoom in to the information they need, whether on a PC, laptop, tablet or smartphone. The HYDRA system, with its supervisor control and data acquisition functions, is a window into the heart of a building, as well as a proactive tool giving information to managers so they can make informed business decisions. HYDRA supports OPC, ModBus and BACnet, and allows integration with third-party systems. Data aggregation
The UKs largest brickmaker, Ibstock has achieved an ISO 14001 accreditation as part of its system for environmental management. The accreditation is for the Ibstock-Kevington factory located in Sharpthrone, but now it means that all Ibstock’s UK production sites will hold this accreditation. The Independent Organisation for Standardisation is a non-governmental independent membership organisation. The ISO is also the world’s largest developer of voluntary International Standards. Being awarded with the ISO 14001 means that a business works within the standard that was internationally agreed and focuses on requirements for an environmental management system. The requirements laid out for the standard makes sure that the business improves their environmental performance. This improvement can come from more efficient use of resources and a reduction of waste. By giving Ibstock-Kevington site the ISO accreditation, and thereby giving all Ibstock sites the accreditation meaning that tis company is the first to be awarded the certificate since 2001. The achievement is testament to Ibstock’s hard work to improve the environmental impact of their business. Ibstock paces a great deal of importance on continuously improving the environmental impact of their business. The company continuously aims to reduce the impact of their company on the environment. The company intend on improving their systems in the long term in order to match up to their commitment to sustainability. Ibstock plan on opening a new £54 million brickworks at their site in Leicestershire that the company hopes will provide strength to their sustainability plans. The site of the new brickworks is expected to have new energy efficiency plans and water and waste recovery systems that will set new sustainability standards for the company. Ibstock has won other awards for their sustainability, as it was awarded a rating of very good for responsible sourcing of materials. This certification for responsible sourcing was the BES 6001. Ibstock has also been accredited with the internationally recognised ISO 50001 as a result of the company’s work on energy management at all of its brickworks.
