EGGER BARONY

Three Ayrshire schools took part in EGGER Barony’s ‘Make Off’ competition, which was hosted at its plant in Auchinleck, East Ayrshire. Stewarton Academy, East Ayrshire; Greenwood Academy, North Ayrshire; and Kyle Academy, South Ayrshire, all submitted a team.

The schools were asked to design, calculate, and manufacture a mechanical solution to sort hack chips, sawdust and recycled material into separate groups. Each team had up to £500 to spend on materials to build the solution. The teams presented their submissions at the plant and had to demonstrate the process during the judging process.

Gail Millar, from the Ayrshire Developing the Young Workforce team was on site, and EGGER’s Plant Management team was the judging panel.

The judges were impressed by the creative designs and efforts from the entrants, noting that each team had created a completely different design, yet all were viable options.

The teams, and their supporting teachers, were given the opportunity to tour the East Ayrshire site. This gave them an insight into the process involved in the manufacture of EGGER’s wood-based panels and the engineering involved. More specifically, they saw where their separation solution would be involved during the production process.

The winning team was Kyle Academy, supported by the Principal Teacher of Design and Technology, Sarah Cooper. They were awarded £2000 worth of equipment for their school's technology department and each team member received a £50 voucher. Both Greenwood and Stewarton Academies received £1000 worth of equipment for their technology departments, with each team member receiving a £25 voucher for their participation.

All of those involved enjoyed the challenge, the site visit to EGGER Barony, and their prizes!

Hopefully it was inspiring for some of Ayrshire’s future engineers!

Katrina McEwan, HR Senior Specialist

offered Auchenharvie and Greenwood academy an opportunity to visit the site. The pupils who attended are part of the DYW Construction Operatives Group which is in partnership with Ayrshire College. They also got the chance to take part in a practical demonstration on site thanks to Branniff Joinery & Arc Tech.

Keir Construction

Kier Construction has been appointed by NHS Ayrshire & Arran to deliver Foxgrove, a mental health facility in Irvine. It will be the first medium secure adolescent inpatient service for young people in Scotland. Foxgrove will be an inpatient unit for children aged 12-18 years who have complex difficulties and need a high level of care.

The new unit will comprise of 12 en-suite bedrooms, a dining area, recreational areas including a gym and sports barn, external relaxation and horticultural areas, therapy and education space.

Throughout the construction of the new centre, we have been engaging with DYW Ayrshire who have introduced us to local schools. Recently we

I wasn’t sure what to expect, however I had a really good experience seeing the site and the management and trades on site took the time to show us what was taking place and explain what was happening, and it has given me a few ideas on what I could possibly do in the future.

(Rachal, Student DYW Construction Operatives, Auchenharvie Academy)

Can I take this opportunity to thank the management team from Keir Construction, on our DYW Con-ops groups recent visit to their ongoing project at Woodland View Hospital, Irvine. I know I speak for the whole group when I say we had a comprehensive and in-depth tour which the whole group thoroughly enjoyed. (Alan Brown, Lecturer: Construction Ayrshire College)

Andy Kimmett, CSR Coordinator