Demolition Hub Magazine - December 2021

DeMOLITION

HUB MAGAZINE December 2021 | Issue #8

DEMOLITION DISCUSSION Toby Comley

Industry awards bags new principal sponsor

DEMOLITION TOYS ... Just in time for Christmas

UK, European & worldwide demolition

matters

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PUBLISHER

Ben Chambers ben@chambers.media 01903 952 648

EDITOR

Toby Wilsdon toby@chambers.media 01903 952 645

DEMOLITION EDITOR Paul Argent paul@chambers.media 07813 064 590

COLUMNISTS

I can’t quite believe that I am writing the final piece in the final Demolition Hub of 2021, after a full complement of six issues this year and a total of eight editions of the magazine, representing the very best in demolition.

I’ll boast now that after 15 months of feedback, we have (with huge thanks) accepted and acted upon any advice, allowing us to firmly establish Demolition Hub as the go-to demolition publication every other month.

We couldn’t have built this industry magazine and brand way back in September 2020 were it not for the support of the NFDC, and although our PR partnership formally ends on the 1 January 2022, the NFDC and Demolition Hub are making plans to work closely next year and beyond.

This is not just to give the NFDC a useful presence in the magazine through advertising, but as we are now fully invested with many of the members as well as considering them friends, we intend to give them as much coverage as before while our new agreement as ‘proud supporters of NFDC’ begins. Together, we continue to share the goal of #championingdemolition.

Our relationship with the IDE has got stronger recently and we will be pushing its Foundation Degree in Demolition Management, a world first delivered by the University of Wolverhampton. As part of this campaign, I will be taking the course; watch this space for my blog. As an aside, I was a mechanical engineer once upon a time.

So on to this issue. We have the Demolition Discussion with Toby Comley of Comley Group, our Supplier Talk interview with Leigh Harris of SANY and Paul Argent has seemingly had a busy couple of months, as you’ll read.

This leaves me to thank you for your support this year, thank you for reading and investing in what we are doing and to wish you and your families a wonderful and well deserved seasonal break.

Happy Christmas

Ben Chambers Publisher, Demolition Hub ben@chambers.media

Jacqueline O’Donovan Richard Dolman

SALES

Ben Chambers ben@chambers.media 01903 952 648 Luke Chaplin luke@chambers.media 01903 952 643

DESIGN

Nicki Chambers nic@chambers.media Aaron Lloyd Alex Jarrett

PRODUCED & PUBLISHED BY

Global News Media Ltd Suite 5 & 6, Chapel House, 1-6 Chapel Road, Worthing, West Sussex BN11 1EX ben@chambers.media 01903 952 640

Proud supporters of National Federation of Demolition Contractors

Demolition Hub is the international media partner for the European Demolition Association Demolition Hub is published six times a year.

The subscription rate is £60 per year.

Subscription records are maintained at Global News Media Ltd, Suite 5 & 6, Chapel House, 1-6 Chapel Road, Worthing, West Sussex BN11 1EX. Articles and information contained in this publication are the copyright of Global News Media Ltd and may not be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the publishers. The publishers cannot accept responsibility for loss of, or damage to, uncommissioned photographs or manuscripts.

DemolitionHUB Magazine | 3

34

CONTENTS

16

6

NEWS

Executive Hire Show 2022 is back McGee appointed for enabling and structures package at The Acre Chambers Media harnesses power of demolition to furnish big cats’ homes Liugong Direct sponsors British Demolition Awards 2022 Wacker Neuson Group posts positive Q3 results Cawarden sponsors a cracker of an event for the Lighthouse Club Hitachi Construction Machinery UK at COP26

16

THE DEMOLITION DISCUSSION

Toby Comley, Managing Director of the Comley Group on the business, himself and demolishing a 127-year-old school in Southampton

24

CASE STUDY

High energy – Metro Deconstruction brings down the Rexel UK warehouse in Dagenham

26

AWARDS

Green glory for Cawarden

28

SUPPLIER TALK

Leigh Harris, Business Development Director for SANY UK and Ireland on the relative newcomer’s place in the domestic market

46

4 | DemolitionHUB Magazine

34

CASE STUDY

Hammer and tongs by Paul Argent. Thor Atkinson Group demolishes an asphalt coating plant

38

TECHNOLOGY FEATURE

Constructing a zero carbon future Welsh technology pioneer combating carbon emissions Blackwood Plant Hire joins Xwatch safety revolution Revolutionary noise and vibration monitoring device unveiled at London Build 2021 PistonPower delivers force on demand for demolition attachments Bobcat MaxControl takes charge of the future Keeping track of demolition demolitionhub.com

54

THE DEMOLITION CONTRACT INTERVIEW

Mark Davison, Managing Director of MGL Group on the demolition of the former Redcar steelworks and his career in the family business

60

CASE STUDY

A touch of glass. Blue Rock Demolition takes down Pilkington’s South Wales depot

64

PROFILE

Fenestration specialist ASWS facilitates ‘forensic’ demolition work to preserve heritage windows

68

CASE STUDY

Demolition toys, by Paul Argent. HiTec Demolition calls time on Toys”R”Us’ Coventry warehouse

74

CASE STUDY

Bringing down the house – in just two days. How a compact excavator and compact loader proved the dream team

76

PRODUCTS

S Evans and Sons invests in MSD LaBounty Steelwrist’s UK Country Manager, Richard Aulin, on the company’s SQ products Avoiding demolition downtime with technology protection New Stage V compressors from Doosan Portable Power

84

OPINION

Rachel Hoolahan, Orms Designers and Architects.

Designing from the future to the now Richard Dolman President of the IDE reports on his first year in post and plans for the second Terry Lloyd, Head of Construction Asset Finance, Paragon Bank. Funding green assets of the future Jacqueline O’Donovan, Managing Director, O’Donovan Waste Disposal. Red, white and green

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CLASSIFIEDS

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DemolitionHUB Magazine | 5

news

Executive Hire Show is back for 2022 The Executive Hire show is back, taking place on 9 and 10 February 2022 at the Coventry Building Society Arena (CBS Arena), formerly known as the Ricoh Arena.

The CBS Arena has received a cash injection of more than £7.5 million, delivering a world-class exhibition, event and conference

6 | DemolitionHUB Magazine

centre. Following the revamp, the EHS will remain largely unchanged, but the organisers have promised that the event will be bigger and better than ever before.

The compact plant hire industry is booming, with infrastructure projects propelling the sector to new heights. The construction

equipment industry is also embarking on the journey to netzero by 2050, meaning investment and innovation in technology, particularly renewables and sustainable solutions, are at an all-time high.

During the exhibitor ‘Kick-Off’ meeting on 4 November the EHS team reported that 130 exhibitors had already signed up for the show and the 15th annual hire event was now 85 per cent sold out.

Chris Moore, Executive Hire Show Publishing and Events Director, said: “We continue to receive regular stand enquiries with stands being booked every couple of days, so once again we expect to achieve 100 per cent stand sales.

“We are also delighted to report that, out of the 130 confirmed exhibitors, a staggering 28 of these will be making their Executive Hire Show debut, which is confirmation of the strength and the resilience of the hire industry [and] confidence in the show to deliver.”

New exhibitors include Pinnacle Platforms, a new business and exclusive GB distributor for Sinoboom Aerial Work Platforms; Dymac Global, which specialises in renewable power products; and Powr2, a US-based manufacturer of renewable power and energy storage systems that claim to

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For more details of the show and a full exhibitor list, visit www.executivehireshow.co.uk

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news

decrease emissions and noise on any temporary power application.

SANY has also confirmed its first attendance at the show, which forms part of the OEM’s renewed focus on the UK and Ireland.

Leigh Harris, Business Development Director SANY UK & Ireland, said: “We are embarking on a new chapter with SANY in the UK and Ireland and have lots of exciting plans for 2022 and beyond.

“A key objective for us is to show the quality of our products and dealer network and, therefore, we have decided to attend our first ever Executive Hire Show as it will give us a great platform to meet with key decision makers from the UK’s hire industry.”

Many of the exhibitors have increased their stand space – MHM is returning with a stand that is roughly twice the size of the space it occupied in 2020.

JCB has chosen the Executive Hire Show as one of the very few tradeshows it will attend in Europe next year. Speaking for the EHS, Chris Moore said: “We are honoured that JCB has committed to the EHS. For many of our visitors, the company’s slick showcase is an event in itself, so it really is fabulous to be able to welcome them back.”

The Innovation Trail Eco: Live is making a return but the focus will be on emerging trends and technologies that are shaping the future of the industry.

The EHS team has revised the criteria for nominations to reflect environmental and sustainable solutions that embrace the latest technologies and offer efficient and futureproof solutions for the evolving hire sector. The EHS is inviting entries from companies that are implementing new technologies to deliver efficiencies, cost savings or better service, not forgetting emerging technologies that are paving the way to net-zero.

Plans for The Acre project by architects Gensler and engineers Arup

McGee appointed for enabling and structures package at The Acre Specialist engineering contractor McGee has been appointed to undertake enabling and structures on The Acre, a landmark office building in the heart of Covent Garden.

Development managers, Platform, appointed McGee early in the design process for pile testing, soft strip and enabling works. As a result of this early engagement and active collaboration with the client team, as the design progressed the benefits of McGee’s integrated offer were realised.

McGee has subsequently been appointed for demolition, piling and RC works.

With self-delivery at the core of its proposition, McGee will use

its in-house capabilities, including its construction engineering team and extensive plant and haulage fleet. Working this way means it can deliver the works efficiently and add value by creating bestfor-project solutions, managing risks and delivering certainty.

Seb Fossey, Group Managing Director, said: “I’m exceptionally proud of the McGee team working on this exciting central London scheme, who have drawn upon our experience of delivering complex engineering projects in the heart of the city to deliver a high-value solution to the client. I look forward to delivering these works with Platform and the rest of the client team.”

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news

Publisher harnesses power of demolition to furnish big cats’ homes

Demolition Hub and Diggers LIVE magazines are joining forces to help Howletts Wild Animal Park and Port Lympne Hotel and Reserve in Kent.

The campaign aims to acquire large rocks and boulders to enrich the living environments of the larger animals such as lions and bears, homed at the two parks, which work in conjunction with partner charity, The Aspinall Foundation.

The Aspinall Foundation works in some of the world’s most fragile environments to save endangered animals and return them to the wild, combining captive breeding, education, reintroduction and habitat protection through its overseas projects across three continents.

The Demolition Hub/Diggers LIVE teams are campaigning for donations of large rocks and boulders to be transported to the two wildlife parks. They are asking their readers and advertisers in the construction equipment and demolition industries to share this news, assist with the acquisition and transportation of the rocks, or donate to the cause.

The magazines and associated brands will be working closely with Howletts and Port Lympne to promote the campaign and provide regular updates in print, as well as across their social channels.

The campaign came about when The Aspinall Foundation’s Corporate Partnerships Manager, Daniel Nicholls, approached publisher Ben Chambers after seeing his visit to the Seth Hill & Son quarry as part of the Molson open day on social media.

Ben Chambers said: “At first, I wasn’t quite sure what to make of the request – it’s certainly different from a site visit or advertising query in my inbox. But as a huge animal lover myself, it didn’t take much of a sell to get me and my brands 8 | DemolitionHUB Magazine

onboard.

“Being asked if I could use the reach of Demolition Hub and Diggers LIVE magazines to help this appeal was an honour for me and having encountered some fantastic brands and people in my time, I know we can make a difference for these animals.

“We are very big on charity and having raised over £6,000 for Mates in Mind at last month’s British Demolition Awards, I have every faith in us being able harness the demolition and plant communities to make this happen.”

Corporate Partnerships Manager at The Aspinall Foundation, Daniel Nicholls, said: “We are always looking to enrich the naturalistic environments where possible for all the animals at our partner parks, and this relationship provides the perfect opportunity to do that.

“We’re hugely grateful for the support from Ben, Demolition Hub and Diggers LIVE and are hopeful that the campaign will capture the attention of potential donors.”

The Aspinall Foundation has bred, nurtured and released hundreds of animals from Howletts and Port Lympne back to protected areas of their natural habitat. From the two sites in Kent and other collections in Europe plus working in situ in Congo, Gabon, Java and Madagascar, the charity has released 8 black rhino, 180 primates, 11 European bison and over 70 western lowland gorillas back to the wild.

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LiuGong Direct UK has agreed to be the principal sponsor of the fourth annual British Demolition Awards, powered by Demolition Hub magazine.

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The awards, to be held at Leicester City’s King Power Stadium on 2 September 2022, champion all things British demolition.

Event organiser, Ben Chambers said: “My team and I are delighted to have such a huge name as our lead sponsor. Having had a year of being invited out and about with demolition contractors, there is one name that I see more and more, and that is LiuGong.

“My last couple of visits to Cawarden and Metro Deconstruction are testament to the fact that the company is making a huge mark in the UK demolition sector, so what better brand to have as official event sponsor than LiuGong, with its range of specialist demolition excavators.”

The 2021 British Demolition Awards, held in September at Brighton and Hove Albion’s American Express Community Stadium and the last to be sponsored by McCloskey Equipment, was a huge success.

Ben Chambers said: “I thank Noel and his team at McCloskey massively. Their investment since 2018 has allowed these awards to happen. I will be forever thankful to

news

Liugong Direct sponsors the British Demolition Awards 2022

McCloskey for their support over the years and I really look forward to sharing a drink with Noel and the team in Leicester.”

Steven Ford, Managing Director of LiuGong Direct UK said: “2022 will see Liugong moving up a gear throughout Europe in an effort to gain further brand recognition.

Liugong UK has always focused on demolition as one of its core segment groups and this will continue in 2022. We recognise Demolition Hub as a strong supporter of the demolition sector and therefore we are delighted to be given the opportunity to sponsor the 2022 British Demolition Awards being hosted by them.”

The 2022 event will cater for up to 600 guests from the demolition, construction and asbestos sectors, with a late licence at the King Power Stadium until 2am.

Well over £6,000 was raised for the mental health charity Mates in Mind at the 2021 awards, and the organisation will once again be the designated partner in 2022.

For attendance or any other enquiries, please contact the British Demolition Awards team via: awards@chambers.media.

DemolitionHUB Magazine | 9

news

Wacker Neuson Group posts positive results for Q3 10 | DemolitionHUB Magazine

Wacker Neuson had a successful third quarter, with revenue increasing 18.1 per cent relative to 2020 and profit before interest and tax (EBIT) almost doubling to EUR 44.7 million. Material shortages and resulting interruptions to production did curb growth, although the group largely managed to avoid extended production shutdowns.

Dr Karl Tragl, CEO of the Wacker Neuson Group, said: “The third quarter was a successful but also very difficult three months for us.

Supply chain strains and repeated disruptions were major challenges for our teams, suppliers and business partners – and there are still no signs of easing.” demolitionhub.com

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Europe and Americas report strongest growth

Business developed particularly dynamically in Europe and the Americas, where Wacker Neuson reported double-digit Q3 gains. In Europe, which accounts for 79 per cent of the group’s total, revenue for the third quarter rose 16.8 per cent to EUR 362.2 million.

In the construction sector, the German, Austrian and Swiss markets proved robust, with business developing at an even faster pace in the UK and France, where the group reported double-digit gains.

Revenue for the Americas in the third quarter amounted to EUR 84.3 million, a rise of 27.9 per cent. Developments including a rebound in the worksite technology product business and significant gains with excavators and wheel loaders contributed to this.

Business in Canada developed particularly well, with the group already exceeding pre-crisis levels. By contrast, business in Asia-Pacific stagnated, with revenue on a par with the prioryear quarter at EUR 14.9 million.

Sharp rise in profitability

Orders high, revenue and earnings guidance raised

At EUR 44.7 million, EBIT nearly doubled relative to the previous year. This was driven by a rise in sales volume flanked by cost control measures. The EBIT margin reached 9.7 per cent and was clearly higher than the previous year but still below the level for the first half of 2021. A rise in prices for raw materials, components and shipping had an increasingly dampening effect over the course of the year. In addition, material shortages and the resulting production disruptions and rework efforts all had a negative impact on productivity.

The group’s strategic goal is to sustainably reduce the net working capital ratio expressed as a percentage of revenue to 30 per cent or lower. This was again within the target range at the close of the nine-month period (September 30, 2021: 29.7 per cent).

Order intake continued to develop at a dynamic pace, however, with material reserves depleted, the Executive Board expects increased production downtime in the fourth quarter.

In addition, the ever-rising prices for raw materials, components and shipping will have a greater impact than in recent months.

Taking into consideration the development of business to date, prevailing conditions and opportunities and risks facing the group, the Executive Board has recently raised its revenue and earnings guidance for 2021 as a whole. Revenue is now projected in the range between EUR 1,775 and 1,825 million, and the EBIT margin is expected to lie between 9.3 and 9.7 per cent.

Key indicators for the Wacker Neuson Group

Key figures in € million

Q3/21

Q3/20

Delta

9M/21

9M/20

Delta

Revenue

461.4

390.8

+18.1%

1,389.7

1,187.5

+17%

EBIT

44.7

22.8

+96.1%

144.8

73.2

+97.8%

EBIT margin (as a %)

9.7

5.8

+3.9 PP

10.4

6.2

+4.2 PP

Profit for the period

31.2

11.1

+181.1%

101.2

33.8

+199.4%

Earnings per share in €

0.45

0.16

+181.3%

1.46

0.48

+204.2%

52

86.5

-39.9%

185.5

179.4

+3.4%

Free cash flow*

* Free cash flow before a fixed short-term investment in the amount of EUR 100m 12 | DemolitionHUB Magazine

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news

Cawarden sponsors a cracker of an event for the Lighthouse Club Derby-based specialist contractor, Cawarden, is delighted to have sponsored the Lighthouse Club’s Derby Christmas Lunch once again.

The event took place at the Derby County Cricket Club on Friday 26 November and was an opportunity to celebrate getting together with good food, friends, entertainment and prizes.

Cawarden representatives were pleased to join the festivities alongside hundreds of other industry supporters to raise muchneeded funds for the charity, supporting its vital work to provide emotional, physical and financial wellbeing support to construction workers and their families.

To mark the sponsorship, Cawarden unveiled its brand new 15-tonne LiuGong demolition spec machine (915FCR zero tail swing) at the venue. Complete with the Lighthouse Club’s branding, the machine was on display throughout the day at the entrance to the glittering marquee within the cricket club grounds.

The machine is the first of its kind in the UK, so Christmas really has come early for Cawarden. After the event it will make its way 15 miles up the road to Nottingham, where it will be put to work for the first time, powered 100 per cent by Green D + HVO (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil), the cleaner alternative to red diesel.

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news William Crooks, Managing Director of Cawarden and President of the NFDC, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to be the main sponsor of the Lighthouse Club’s Derby Christmas Lunch. As a business we have been fortunate to have successfully navigated our way through the pandemic – all while continuing to grow, expanding our team and developing new client relationships. And I am proud our achievements have been recognised with several external accolades.

“But one of the greatest rewards of our success is that we can support an organisation such as the Lighthouse Club – who have worked tirelessly to support our industry throughout this tough time. We are therefore delighted to be a part of this very special fundraising event.”

Darren Lowe, Secretary at the Lighthouse Club said: “Thank you to Cawarden for their second year of sponsorship and tremendous support for the Derby Christmas lunch – which we hold annually in aid of the Lighthouse Club. The machine and stand look superb.”

Cawarden and the NFDC both had stands at the event, with plenty of freebies and merchandise up for grabs. The NFDC’s support for the charity is longstanding and it makes regular donations to help fund its vital work. The Lighthouse Club also helps administer the NFDC’s Benevolent Fund. demolitionhub.com

Hitachi Construction Machinery UK at COP26 The recent United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) brought together 197 countries as well as NGOs and other interest groups to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

As part of COP26, Hitachi Construction Machinery UK (HCMUK) was working in partnership with Balfour Beatty.

Balfour Beatty showcased a number of innovative ways in which it could reduce its carbon footprint at its Sustainable Evolution Showcase at Shotts in Glasgow, with Hitachi Construction Machinery UK providing a highly specified Hitachi ZX135US-7.

The ZX135US-7 is no ordinary machine. In addition to the latest Stage V engine and TRIAS III pump technology

as standard, it was equipped with semi-automated Leica Geosystems machine control; Xwatch 5 height and slew limiter; Hitachi’s real-time CT fleet link telematics system; and fuelled with Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO).

David Roberts, CEO of HCMUK said: “All of these separate items combined reduce emissions while the machine is running, and increase productivity and efficiency to minimise running time, which results in a significant reduction in the carbon footprint of a job site.”

Hitachi Construction Machinery UK is also developing zero emission battery-powered machines and alternative fuelled products with ultra-low emissions to ensure the industry can meet net zero targets.

DemolitionHUB Magazine | 15

interview

THE DEMOLITION DISCUSSION Toby Comley, Comley Group Toby Comley, Managing Director of The Comley Group, is a Member of The Institute of Demolition Engineers and currently sits on its Council of Management. He is a Fellow of the Asbestos Removal Management Institute and has a BSc (Hons) in Waste Management Pollution Control.

The Comley Group offers licensed asbestos removal, demolition and skip hire from its head office in Odiham, Hampshire and operates a reclaim yard and sawmill in Farnham, Surrey.

Here, he takes us through the company’s demolition of a Southampton school

16 | DemolitionHUB Magazine

Q

What attracted you to the industry and how has your career developed?

Blimey…where to start?

In terms of what attracts me to the industry, I would probably say the satisfaction of solving problems that aren’t usually foreseeable, the diverse sites that we work on and of course the eclectic characters we encounter.

I was always out and about with my father from a very young age.

One of the first jobs I remember going to was a job in Woking in about 1992, which would have made me five or six years old. I was hooked. Typically, school holidays saw me de-nailing timber, cleaning bricks, helping out at the reclaim yard and then moving on to driving machines and HGVs as I got older.

Then I went to the University of Northampton to study Waste Management. This wasn’t the typical university education that my school friends experienced, as there were only two of us on the course. I enjoyed the course and the social side of uni life, including playing rugby for the university team, graduating in 2009 with a degree in Waste Management Pollution Control.

On leaving full time education my focus turned to waste management; landfills, transfer stations and the like before taking up a role in the asbestos division of the Comley Group – Jeto Limited.

I started on the tools and made demolitionhub.com

interview my way up to become Contracts Director and successfully renewed the licence on multiple occasions. During this period, I worked closely with Richard and managed both asbestos and demolition jobs with him, learning the quirks of the industry from a man who had been there and done it. Richard passed away from stomach cancer in 2013 at the age of 56, but not before he made sure I was ready to step into his shoes.

Since then, I’ve taken the role of Group Managing Director, which has grown to incorporate Comley Reclaim, Comley Skips, Jeto Limited and Comley Demolition.

Q

How did Comley Group start how has it evolved since then?

My grandfather started the business in 1959 with agricultural contracting and general plant hire. My father and his brother took over the business and it was incorporated in 1982 under the name C.G. Comley & Sons Ltd. We joined the NFDC in 1992 and our company has grown to offer asbestos removal, skip hire, demolition and a retail outlet/sawmill where we sell our reclaimed materials back into the market and make bespoke furniture from shelves to dining tables. We rebranded as The Comley Group in 2016 and continue to develop our services.

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DemolitionHUB Magazine | 17

interview

Q

Is there a fundamental company ethic?

Our company ethos is based around family and long-standing relationships. We have multiple family groups within the business, fathers and sons, cousins, uncles, mothers and daughters. We don’t want to be the biggest or flashiest company, but we quietly go under the radar offering a safe, quality service and try to do our bit for the environment.

Q

What kind of projects do you work on most frequently?

We have worked on all manner of projects, schools, universities, factories, hospitals, leisure, MOD, to private homeowners. We don’t really have a go-to job, but we prefer jobs where we can offer a full package of service disconnections, asbestos removal, demolition, salvage, crushing on site and hopefully the skip hire for the new build.

Q

Are there any standout projects from Comley Group’s history?

schools, sports clubs and the like.

Recently we have been working with a junior school to provide raised planters and reclaimed timber for the kids to make vegetable planters and all manner of things. We’ve even supplied totem poles to a local forestry commission to incorporate into a trail.

Q

Tell us about recruitment and training

As a family-orientated business, we try to recruit and promote from within. Our supervisors usually start as labourers and we encourage them to gain experience and demonstrate competence to achieve supervisor qualifications. It is the same with machine operators; we work with them to develop and operate the machines in a way that supports us to maximise salvage of materials etc. We would rather employ someone with no industry experience but who has the same ethos and ambition as we do.

In regards to attracting people into demolition, the industry struggles with generating

interest and attracting new labour.

Demolition continues to be male dominated and has a negative public image. As an industry, we should celebrate the diversity of our team members and help break down the toxic stereotype the industry still suffers from.

There are external factors that have come into play as we have seen with Brexit and the knockon effect with HGV drivers. This has increased the demand for support from the UK workforce to cover the shortfall. By being part of the IDE Council of Management and working with the education committee, I have seen the efforts the industry and IDE members such as Stuart Accleton, Richard Dolman, Stephen McCann and Duncan Rudall are putting into ensuring individuals have access to academic qualifications.

I have seen the benefits of this first-hand, with the Comley Group Operations Director and Asbestos Office Manager gaining the University of Wolverhampton’s Foundation Degree in Demolition Management with hopes to undertake the

A long term project that jumps out is the demolition of multiple hangers in Farnborough Airfield over the last 15 years. The challenges we encountered included live services, Licensed Asbestos, crossing taxiways and all the considerations for working in a live airfield such as FOD (Foreign Object Debris) and security requirements.

Q

How do you spread the word about your services?

We don’t want to be the biggest, so we focus a lot of our tender leads through the PQQ process.

This comes with the added comfort of reasonable payment terms (hopefully) and working with reputable clients. We do some local advertising for domestic asbestos removal and skip hire and conduct sponsoring work with

18 | DemolitionHUB Magazine

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Demolition: Higher and Faster.

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interview

checks give it a go and realise its benefits has been rewarding. I’ve been amazed how the industry has embraced video conferencing, particularly during the pandemic.

If I was to have said to you that the NFDC would be holding a regional meeting or the AGM via Zoom in 2019, I would have been laughed out of the room.

Q

How do you see the demolition industry and Comley Group developing post-COVID? Will you be doing things differently? Do you foresee different demands on contractors in the medium term?

Master’s Degree. I strongly recommend anyone who wants to achieve academic qualifications in our industry to visit the IDE website for more details.

Q

Do you undertake any ongoing training or Continuous Professional Development?

Personally, I undertake as much CPD as possible, not just because it’s a requirement of the IDE and other professional bodies but because I enjoy learning and speaking to people about their experience and knowledge. There is so much to be learned from other people – everyone looks at things differently and interprets situations in their own way.

As a business we are constantly upskilling our workforce. It gives them the confidence and knowledge to do their jobs to the best of their ability and most importantly to do their jobs safely. The sense of achievement team members

20 | DemolitionHUB Magazine

gain through attaining new qualifications is also so valuable to our workforce.

Q

What are the biggest technological developments you have seen in the industry and what do you envisage will be the future game changers?

The biggest advance in my opinion is the development of the quick hitch. I’m sure your readers are aware of the benefits of integrated couplers, so I’m not going to go on about them.

Looking away from the demolition sites and into the administration side of things, I’m impressed by how tablets and digital recording of information has advanced, particularly in the asbestos industry. Accurate, real time recording of information is an extremely important tool for planning and managing asbestos removal projects.

Seeing team members who have been reluctant to embrace technology for site diaries and daily

The video technologies off site have made good advances and become normal in the industry. I don’t see that going away. For example, ARCA has confirmed that it will continue to offer training and refreshers online as well as face to face in its training facilities, with a video conferencing option for regional meetings. I believe this is hugely beneficial in terms of time management and easy access for individuals.

In terms of on site, I don’t think the idea of machine operators leaving the cabs and carrying out the work remotely will happen any time soon. In my opinion, the operator must be in the cab and have the kinaesthetic feedback through the machine to satisfy themselves that they are working efficiently. Basically, if I get hold of something and it’s giving some resistance, it must still be attached – so more processing needed.

Q

Do you have any notable projects in progress?

A demolition project we are currently working on is Farnborough Leisure Centre for Willmott Dixon, forming part of the civic centre redevelopment for Rushmoor Borough Council. The site is quite complex with a live substation within the building, BT boxes, live footpaths and car parks in close proximity. All the usual challenges.

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interview

All about Toby

What would you be in an alternative life?

I quite fancy joining Parker Schnabel and doing a season mining for gold in the Yukon.

Who is your favourite artist?

Elvis Presley What do you do for fun?

My fun outside of work is on the rugby pitch playing for Farnham. We train on Tuesday and Thursday nights and this allows me to switch off after a day in the office or out and about.

What would be your desert island exile luxury?

I would have to have a way to play music or audio books.

What would you do for a company excursion, money no object?

We would have a chartered boat to take us from one end of the River Thames to the other to see the sights of London. All drinks and food included, with a live band too.

What’s your favourite cuisine?

Italian What’s your tipple of choice?

Depends on the occasion. Guinness if rugby is involved or a chilled premium lager in the sun.

Project Focus: St Mark’s CoE Primary School, Southampton

Tell us about the building to be demolished The original red brick Victorian school was built in 1894 and in use until weeks before we demolished it in October 2020. The structure had pitched timber roofs with slate weatherproofing. There was also a substantial boiler room in the basement with associated 18-metre brick chimney. Generally, the structures were in good condition.

It was quite fascinating to see the history of the building and the people who had worked within it unravel as the works progressed.

And the plans thereafter?

The aim of the project is to deliver Southampton’s first ever allthrough school, with 900 places for children from four to 16 years old.

A temporary modular school was constructed before the demolition commenced to minimise disruption.

Tell us about the tender The negotiations with Morgan Sindall were quite lengthy and eventually we were chosen on our ability to complete the programme while salvaging the architectural elements for incorporation into the new school buildings.

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demolitionhub.com

interview

Project: • Client: Morgan Sindall • Building area: Approx. 2500 m2 • Site area: 11,000 m2 not including temporary school and playing fields • Age: 126 years • Length of works: 12 weeks

Equipment: • Hitachi 130LCN-6 with Lehnhoff hitch – Rotar RG12N grab, INDECO breaker, MBI RP10 IT muncher • Doosan DX255LC-5 with standard hitch, MPQ25 and MBI GR3.5 grab • Hitachi 225US-5 with standard hitch, MPQ25, MBI GR3.5 grab and breaker • Doosan DX420LC-5 with OilQuick hitch, Rotar RDP muncher, MDI SH400 shear, MBI GR2200 grab and Prodem PRB400 breaker • MotoFog MF20 • Doosan 400 22-metre high reach.

• MotoFog MF40 • Demolition curtain suspended by mobile crane • Pegson PremierTrak 1100x650 mobile jaw crusher Morgan Sindall Construction is an organisation striving to minimise the impact that construction and regeneration has on the environment. Their vision is to be the most sought-after and sustainable business in the industry.

It was a pleasure working with the company on this project because the site team shared similar attitudes towards sustainable demolition and gave us the support we required while sharing the site with groundwork contractors.

What were the challenges on this project?

It was the environment rather than the demolition works themselves that provided the challenges. The temporary school, houses and roads were very close, so particular attention had to be paid to airborne dust, traffic management and resident communications. The site entrance was shared by the school and deliveries were restricted to between 9.30 and 2pm, which required some forward thinking.

One of the gable ends to the south east elevation was within five metres of the road, which was open throughout to allow residents access. The road could demolitionhub.com

not be closed so we deployed a demolition curtain suspended from a mobile crane to minimise the risk of demolition arisings ejecting from the site.

How about disposal and recycling?

Disposal is always the last option; all C&D waste was taken from site to our waste transfer station in Odiham where we could safely maximise recovery and segregation of the materials. Salvaged timber from the roof and first floors were taken to our reclamation yard in Wrecclesham, Surrey for denailing and further processing.

Any non-salvageable timber was taken to local recycling facilities in

Southampton for further treatment.

Heavy and light iron was processed on site and taken directly to the docks for recycling. All hardcore and concrete arisings were crushed on site in accordance with the WRAP protocol and incorporated within the new works. All arisings were transported from site in roll on/off bins on our HGVs. How long did the job take?

We completed within 12 weeks, however we had to achieve sectional completion of the south east part of the site within six weeks to allow piling mat installation and subsequent piling works. This was critical for achieving the overall construction programme.

DemolitionHUB Magazine | 23

case study

High energy

Rexel UK warehouse, Dagenham,

by Metro Deconstruction

The Rainham Road site The 6.1-acre site, previously occupied by wholesale electrical distributor Rexel UK, is on the north-western edge of the Sterling and Wantz Industrial Estate in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. To the north, the site is bounded by Oxlow Lane, with residential properties beyond; to the east by Rainham Road South (A1112) with some residential properties and Eastbrook School opposite; and to the south and west by further industrial and commercial units.

Existing buildings Prior to commencement of the project, the site comprised warehouse buildings with ancillary trade counters and offices.

The buildings were separated into two distinct footprints, one to the north, one to the south.

The warehouse running along the southern boundary, terminated with a three-storey office building adjacent to the Rainham Road in the east, with several storeys providing two levels of warehousing.

The building to the northern boundary on Oxlow Lane was used as warehousing with office space arranged over two floors.

The works The scope of demolition can be described as the removal of all superstructures on the site down to ground level. The ground floor and foundations of all buildings were to be demolished with the arisings of all materials crushed and stockpiled on site.

The existing ground floor slabs and associated foundations were to be removed and demolished through on-site crushing to provide a clean, inert material that could be reused to infill excavations and provide a pile mat.

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demolitionhub.com

case study

Start date: Monday 27 September 2021 Projected programme: 20 weeks Targeted completion date: Friday 18 January 2022 (includes 1 week Christmas closedown) Complete scope of works: • •

•

•

• • • • • • • • •

• •

•

Provide method statements that demonstrate how noise, dust and vibration can be controlled to minimise impact on neighbouring properties, Provide all site accommodation for duration of the demolition works and connections to temporary services, in accordance with Safety Health and Welfare at Work (Construction) Regulations 2013, Carry out pre-condition survey of all the surrounding pavings and surfaces, including a written description accompanied by photographs, prior to commencement of works, Remove/relocate and manage all service disconnections/isolations on site. Client to arrange and pay for all service disconnections prior to commencement of works, Install CCTV cameras, Install time-lapse camera, Remove asbestos as identified in provided survey (both NNLW and NLW), Implement tree protection in accordance with TALA drawing, Design and install timber hoarding to all boundaries and paint to specific RAL colour with allowance for two vehicle gates, M&E strip out in accordance with Cudd Bentley Consulting specification, Soft strip existing buildings, High reach and mechanical demolition of existing buildings down to top of ground floor slab, Break out existing concrete ground floor slabs, hardcore, subbases and foundations to existing building and redundant drainage down to a depth of two metres below ground, Crush concrete arising from demolition to produce certified, non-contaminated 6F2 material, Provide testing evidence that the crush material is suitable for use (i.e. not contaminated with asbestos or similar) and that crush material has been suitably graded for use as 6F2, Backfill pits where existing foundations have been broken out with 6F2 site-won material,

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•

• • •

Stockpile all retained certified and noncontaminated 6F2 crush material above within site boundary in agreed locations. Manage stockpile area, including but not limited to stockpile height management, liaison with third parties and dust netting on top of stockpile, Implement all required safety measures as per client health, safety, quality and environmental standards, Fully complete and provide copies of waste consignment notes and transfer notes within project completion health and safety file report, Provide Completion Health and Safety file report.

DemolitionHUB Magazine | 25

awards

Green glory for Cawarden

Derby-based specialist contractor, Cawarden, has claimed two new awards to add to its 2021 collection of prizes – receiving gold and silver recognition from the Green Apple Awards for Environmental Best Practice delivered at the former Summit Colliery site in Nottinghamshire.

Cawarden competed against more than 800 other nominations and representatives were presented with their trophies and certificates at a glittering presentation ceremony hosted by Liz Kendall MP at the Royal Horseguards Hotel, London on 15 November.

Cawarden was awarded the accolades for the remediation and 26 | DemolitionHUB Magazine

conservation work it carried out at the former colliery site on behalf of Bolsover Properties Ltd. Its work enabled the site to be redeveloped for commercial/industrial use, while providing a long-term sustainable solution to protect the existing botanical diversity – examples of which included the common spotted orchid and bee orchid – and to maintain the conservation status of dingy skipper butterflies.

The vision for the site was brought to life through the creation of new habitats and the relocation of rare species from their current locations on the site to the periphery of the development.

The project succeeded beyond

expectations and has provided the population with a long-term future in the area. Numbers are such that expansion into new habitats beyond the existing range will likely occur in the future.

William Crooks, Managing Director of Cawarden said: “We are delighted to have won gold and silver in the International Green Apple Environment Awards.

These prestigious award wins have shone a light on our passion and unwavering commitment to the environment, and the partnership approach we take to supporting our clients to achieve their sustainable development goals.

“We hope our work at Summit demolitionhub.com

awards

Colliery helps others around the world to learn from our achievements. These awards are a testament to the hard work and dedication of our teams who continue to raise the bar in the delivery of our works through industry and environmental best practices.”

Darren Rideout, Head of Land Regeneration and Planning at Bolsover Properties Ltd said: “Congratulations to Cawarden on winning gold and silver at the Green Apple Awards. I am incredibly proud that Summit Colliery has received this international award recognition.”

As a result of Cawarden’s Green Apple Award success, it has been invited to have its winning paper published in The Green Book, the leading international work of reference on environmental best practice, so others around the world can learn from its achievement and follow its example. Cawarden could also progress to represent the United Kingdom in the Green World Awards 2022 and have 100 trees planted in its name as part of the United Nations Billion Trees initiative.

The Green Apple Awards began in 1994 and have become established as the country’s major recognition for environmental endeavour among companies, councils, communities and countries.

The awards are organised

by The Green Organisation, an international, independent, nonpolitical, non-profit environment group dedicated to recognising, rewarding and promoting environmental best practice around the world.

The Green Apple Awards are supported by the Environment Agency, the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, the Chartered Institution for Wastes Management, REHIS and other independent bodies.

If you know a company, council or community that deserves recognition for its environmental efforts, you can nominate them for a Green Apple Award by telephoning 01933 665 591. demolitionhub.com

DemolitionHUB Magazine | 27

interview

SUPPLIER TALK

Leigh Harris is the Business Development Director for SANY UK and Ireland, responsible for building and developing the SANY business and making SANY a leading manufacturer in the market

Q

What attracted you to the industry and how has your career developed?

I joined the industry through luck rather than judgement, having seen a really interesting opportunity that I thought I could be well suited to.

I’ve now been in the construction equipment industry for more than 15 years, in a number of roles with two major manufacturers. My career has developed from a sales role in the UK and Ireland, into senior roles within sales operations, international

28 | DemolitionHUB Magazine

sales, dealer development and latterly general management, including running a manufacturing and assembly business.

Q

Tell us a little about the development of SANY SANY is a relatively new entrant to the construction equipment business. Founded in China in 1986, it only started building excavators in 2003. From then it has rapidly grown the excavator business and it is now the largest excavator producer

worldwide, building 100,000 machines in 2020. It is the market leader in China, south-east Asia and has a real focus on developing the business in Europe.

Q

How has the scope of SANY’s business developed over time?

The excavator business has developed at an astonishing pace.

There has been significant focus on R&D to build machines that are acceptable to European markets. demolitionhub.com

interview wheeled loaders, piling rigs, material handlers and other machines to the market. We also intend to have a major focus on the demolition industry next year.

We have a 50-tonne high reach demolition rig that will be available for local customers, and the general quality and reliability of the excavator range will really lend itself to the demolition sector.

Q

“With SANY you get more than machines.” What does this mean for you?

Equally important to the machine is the service back up a customer can expect. SANY wants to offer the best aftermarket support in the industry. As such, we offer an industry leading five year warranty as standard on our machines and are heavily investing in our aftermarket support with a UK based parts warehouse based in Glasgow as well as a team of industry experts who can support our customer base. We have recently appointed 11 independent dealers nationwide, who really understand their local markets and can provide great service and support to their local customer base.

Q There has always been a focus on quality and reliability, but the key focus for Europe has been to improve the operator experience over the past five years to the extent that the machines are comparable, if not better now than the main competitors in the market.

Q

Tell us about any standout products from SANY’s history Although best known for the excavators, SANY is a major

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manufacturer of piling rigs, cranes and concrete machinery. Having recently purchased the Putzmeister business, SANY is the world’s largest producer of concrete machinery.

Q

Is SANY in the process of developing its range?

Absolutely. SANY is looking to introduce new excavator models within the next three months, such as a 39-tonne machine and a 16-tonne wheeled excavator.

In future, SANY will introduce

Tell us about your team and working culture.

The mission statement of SANY is “Quality changes the world,” so the key underlying focus is the quality of the product. However, we have a very ambitious culture within the team, all focused on growing the SANY UK business.

Culturally, it’s a really interesting place to work as we have a team of UK and Chinese nationals working together to build the business and we have a number of Chinese expats working with us based in the UK. The important point for our customers is that, regardless of the issue, we can get prompt and efficient support from our HQ in Kunshan, China as required.

DemolitionHUB Magazine | 29

interview

Q

You are the Business Development Director.

How do you gain business and spread the word about your products and services?

The initial strategy was to appoint professional dealer partners throughout the country who can spread the word and build exceptional relationships with customers in their territories.

While we have managed to build a great following on social media, our growth now is coming through word of mouth.

New customers are really impressed with the quality and performance of our machines, and in turn are introducing new customers to us.

We also have excellent support from the team in China, who have committed to supplying the UK market with all the machines we need. In a market that is experiencing major shortages of machines, the fact that we have stock on the ground, ready to sell has been a major advantage.

Q

Does SANY have any notable projects in progress or in planning?

We plan to introduce our own telematics system in the UK next year as well as our first electric mini excavator. For SANY, this will be just the start as we have huge R&D resources focused on developing these areas.

Q

Tell us about one of SANY’s key products SANY SY500 HRD is our 50-tonne excavator with high rise demolition rig, tilting cab and expanding undercarriage, which will be available in the UK market from January 2022.

Q

Why should demolition contractors buy it?

The machine is designed and built in house. As such, we have control of the supply chain and can have total confidence in the quality of the product. We won’t have to rely on third party suppliers to design and manufacture the booms and dippers or the tilting cabs. This will obviously lead to cost as well as quality advantages.

Q

Tell us about the SY500’s development Machines of this type have been on the market for some time from various manufacturers. However, not many are available as a total

Q

How do you see the industry and SANY in particular developing post-COVID? With the continued focus on construction and infrastructure in the UK, we expect to see really strong market conditions into 2022.

We will keep doing what we have for the last 12 months and focus on the customer, support our dealers and make sure we have stock on the ground to support the market.

There are a lot of changes from a health and safety perspective and we need to ensure we protect our customers and employees, but generally we are really optimistic about the future.

Q

What are the biggest technological developments you are seeing in the industry?

There is a huge focus on efficiency, automation such as GPS devices, telematic systems and the drive towards renewable power such as electric or hydrogen machinery.

30 | DemolitionHUB Magazine

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Stage V emission OEM solution so we are really excited about the opportunity for the SANY business.

Q

How have you found takeup among demolition contractors?

We have really only had a major push in the UK market since October 2020. Having now completed our dealer network, and having got a good reputation on the quality of our products, we now intend to start supporting the demolition industry. Given the arduous nature of the demolition business, we wanted to build our business with other sectors to ensure we had the confidence to provide a suitable product

and service. We like to have a measured and careful approach to the market. We will join the NFDC in the very near future and from that we will build relationships and build our understanding of the market so that we ensure we have the right product offering.

From then, I’m pretty sure we will have the time-tested approach of machine demonstrations along with proving our ability to provide a 360-degree service to the customers within this segment.

Q

Have you had any feedback?

We have had great feedback on our general excavators so we are confident of similar feedback once we start supplying machines into demolition.

QUICKFIRE What would you be in an alternative life?

A professional footballer for Tottenham Hotspur What’s the most expensive non-essential you’ve ever bought?

Probably my golf clubs What’s your bucket list activity?

A skiing holiday to New Zealand as my brother moved there some years ago and we have not yet had time to visit.

What’s your ideal weekend?

I’m really into hill walking, fell running and family, so a weekend in the Lakes or Snowdonia with my wife, girls and dogs does it for me.

What’s your tipple of choice?

A good pint of real ale

32 | DemolitionHUB Magazine

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case study

Hammer and tongs

by Paul Argent

Thor, one of the most prominent figures in Norse mythology, proudly adorns the latest arrival to the fleet of equipment operated by N&R Contractors, part of the Thor Atkinson Group.

Based on the edge of the Lake District, the group has expanded over the past few years to offer a wider range of services aimed specifically at the quarrying and aggregates industries.

Contracts Manager Colin Scott 34 | DemolitionHUB Magazine

explains: “We are here to offer quarry users a one-stop-shop for everything from contract crushing to the fabrication and erection of new plants. Our business has developed rapidly into offering a bespoke and comprehensive service from demolition through to design and fabrication of steel structures along with their installation. We also offer our long-standing contract crushing operations

for quarry operators and can tailor this for any hard rock applications.”

Established more than 50 years ago, N&R Contractors has an enviable reputation in the aggregates industry for delivering the safe demolition of complex structures. Thor Atkinson took over the company six years ago when the previous owners decided to retire, keeping the existing team of experienced operatives and expanding the fleet of machinery and ultimately the company’s abilities.

Running a small but specialised fleet of excavators allows the company to tackle almost any project from static crushing and screening plants to asphalt production plants, and the company can successfully demolish almost any structure found within the quarry environment.

The most recent investment for the company has come in the shape of a new Liebherr R 945 straight boom demolition machine complete with LaBounty MSD2000 steel shear. The new Liebherr follows on from the excellent service given by the R 946 and R 906 excavators and the R 945 is set up similarly to the spec of the R 946.

“We have a full order book ahead of us and the investment in the new R 945 has come at the right time,” Colin explains.

“We have been asked as to why we don’t use a high reach

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demolitionhub.com

technology

machine for our jobs as some of the buildings we demolish are quite tall. We are old school in that respect and would rather collapse a structure in a controlled manner and work on it on the ground, where it is far safer to do so. Hence the reason for a straight boomed machine.”

Designed and built at Liebherr’s Colmar factory, the R 945 is currently the largest of the Generation 8 models currently available and comes with a myriad of options that can take the weight up to 48 tonnes. This particular model weighs in at 44 tonnes thanks to a larger 9.4-tonne counterweight and comes with a seven-metre mono boom and 3.25-metre dipper arm.

This combination gives the machine a potential pin height of 10.5 metres, more than enough reach for any building once it is on the ground. Add in the almost 2.7 metres of the MSD2000R shear and the potential cutting reach extends to an impressive 13 metres.

The Liebherr is powered by a four-cylinder engine developing 299 hp and meets Stage V emissions regulations thanks to a combination of DOC and SCR systems with passive regeneration. As a demolition specific machine, oil flow and pressures are key to effective operation and the new Liebherr hasn’t disappointed thanks to a pair of 315 l/min pumps capable of delivering a maximum 380 bar. A dedicated return to tank line has been installed to keep the oil flowing quickly and enables it to keep at a lower operating temperature.

Cab protection has been added with both the top and front covered with heavy duty guarding. Inside the cab, regular operator Paul Ward has been treated to an upgraded interior with all the luxuries of a top end car with heated seat, Bluetooth connection, infinitely adjustable

DemolitionHUB Magazine | 35

case study

seating and joysticks and a comprehensive yet easy to navigate menu on the new touchscreen.

The first job for the new Liebherr was the demolition of a redundant asphalt coating plant in a Warwickshire quarry.

Following the disconnection of services, the structure was dropped to the ground, where Paul and his colleague John Wright were able to quickly and safely cut and segregate the different grades of material.

While the Liebherr comes in for high praise and is seen as the Rolls Royce of excavators, the LaBounty garners equal praise.

“This is the second MSD2500R we have had,” Paul says. “They are a great shear, well built and quick to operate.”

Cutting structures on the floor prolongs the life of a shear Paul believes, as ‘you’re not twisting and tugging at anything or trying to stop it from falling.

You cut it and it drops a few metres to safety. It makes so much more sense’.

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Despite the arrival of the R 945, the R 946 will remain on the fleet as the company has plenty of work for both machines at the moment. “I have had many years of experience with Liebherr products,” Colin says. “They are very good machines and are

certainly built for the job we do.

We have them in our quarrying fleet too and have a good relationship with our local depot and our salesman John Tierney.

They’re easy to deal with and are always at the end of the phone should we need them.”

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technology

Constructing a zero carbon future JCB’s Chief Innovation and Growth Officer Tim Burnhope highlights the innovative technology JCB has developed to help drive the construction industry towards a zero carbon future 38 | DemolitionHUB Magazine

Climate change and rising global temperatures are one of humanity’s greatest challenges. Ignored and the consequences will be catastrophic.

We need to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

COP26 brought the need for unilateral cooperation into sharp focus. No individual manufacturer, organisation or industry can solve this carbon problem single-handedly.

But construction as a whole can unquestionably play its part.

Having led JCB for 45 years, our Chairman Lord Bamford knows a thing or two about change. And there is one particular change he is now fixated on – accelerating on the road to zero carbon. As a

business, JCB is absolutely focused on the future and overcoming the emissions challenges we all face.

As an industry we must channel a sense of urgency on this most crucial of challenges. At JCB we are striving to be at the forefront, with a series of world first innovations to bring zero carbon operation to construction with no reduction in performance.

JCB pioneered the construction industry’s first fully electric mini excavator, which has now been joined by electric telescopic handler, industrial forklift, site dumper and tracked dumper models in our E-Tech range.

Then the wraps came off a

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technology Boris Johnson said: “Great British manufacturers like JCB are developing innovative solutions to slash greenhouse emissions and advance the UK’s green industrial revolution.

“It was fantastic to see JCB’s super-efficient hydrogen engines, which could overhaul UK manufacturing, help us to rapidly reach our climate targets and ramp up the UK’s hydrogen economy – an exciting area that will be essential to tackling climate change, creating new jobs and attracting investment.”

JCB is investing £100 million on

our project to produce super-efficient hydrogen engines. A team of 100 engineers is already working on the development with the recruitment of up to 50 more underway as we target the end of 2022 for the first machines to go on sale.

At the heart will be JCB’s purposeengineered zero CO2 hydrogen fuel motor that harnesses our existing expertise and supply chain infrastructure. It marks an important and pioneering step towards a zerocarbon future and is testament to the amazing abilities of our British engineers.

prototype hydrogen-powered JCB backhoe loader model before another JCB hydrogen machine – a loadall telescopic handler – was unveiled at an event attended by the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson in October this year.

Our revolutionary hydrogen technology also starred in the Green Zone at COP26 in Glasgow as world leaders debated measures to drastically reduce greenhouse emissions. JCB’s emergence as a leader in hydrogen technology comes as governments around the world unveil strategies to develop the infrastructure needed to support the use of hydrogen to drive down CO2 emissions.

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DemolitionHUB Magazine | 39

technology

With the COP-26 climate conference in Glasgow concluded and delegates from 197 countries returning home to consider their next steps, many companies will be wondering what they can do to reduce their own carbon footprints.

Hydrogen and renewable energy systems will no doubt become an increasingly important part of their equipment operation in the future, but for construction, mining and industrial companies, diesel looks set to remain the fuel of choice for some years to come. Ensuring the engines that power heavy machinery only burn the cleanest possible fuel has never been more important, as maximising efficiency minimises fuel use and exhaust emissions.

Wales-based technology company FuelActive is playing a critical role for a growing number of businesses, helping construction, mining, transport and agricultural companies to achieve optimum machine performance.

The award-winning FuelActive system, which ensures that fuel injection systems remain free from contaminated fuel, has been delivering an average five per cent fuel efficiency saving for customers across the world, resulting in a similar reduction in CO2 emissions.

Equally importantly for customers, the patented system greatly reduces downtime, resulting in productive performance and a reduced carbon footprint.

The company, based in Taff’s Well near Cardiff, is backed by private equity syndicate Adjuvo, along with the Development Bank of Wales.

The business also received an award from Innovate UK’s Smart Grant, as it continues to develop its fuel delivery system to meet the future needs of customers across the world.

Rafael Jones, Investment Executive at the Development Bank of Wales, said: “After all of the headlines from COP-26, it is fantastic to see that there are Welsh earlystage technology companies capable of making such an impact on diesel engine emissions worldwide.

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Welsh technology pioneer combating carbon emissions “We realise that this is a rapidly changing sector of the market and we are proud to support a local company that is pioneering carbon reduction technologies in developed and emerging markets throughout the world.”

Coinciding with COP-26, Alex Davies-Jones, Member of Parliament for Pontypridd visited the FuelActive facility. She said: “I am extremely impressed with the incredible work that the team are doing at FuelActive.

Their innovative solution to the problem of fuel contamination in diesel engines is particularly welcome at a time where action to protect our planet is needed now more than ever. While I can’t claim to be much of an engineer myself, it was fascinating to learn about their patented technology which increases fuel efficiency and reduces emissions in diesel engines. And I do feel incredibly proud that FuelActive have found their home in Taff’s Well. I look forward to seeing how the business continues to thrive and grow and they can count on my full support both now and going forward into the future too.”

FuelActive’s CEO Nick Massey said: “We are extremely grateful to Adjuvo and the Development Bank of Wales and to our other investors for their continued support. FuelActive is increasingly being recognised as a

global leader in technical innovation.

We continue to work with customers in the field, as a technical solution provider for manufacturers and end users, in a wide range of applications across the globe.”

The rapidly expanding business has seen revenues rise by almost 260 per cent in the last 12 months, leading to a doubling of its workforce in Wales. With over one billion diesel engines operating around the world, FuelActive delivers a solution for today’s operations that will help customers to take the first steps on the road to carbon reduction.

Massey said: “Despite the global industrial upheaval caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, we have continued to grow, serving customers in markets across the world.

“This cost-effective product ensures delivery of diesel to fuel injection systems that is up to 92 per cent cleaner, significantly reducing harmful emissions. FuelActive delivers optimal performance in both new and old diesel engines and this is particularly important for used equipment going overseas, where FuelActive can provide an easy solution for reducing emissions in emerging markets. Further developments will provide new ways to help increase uptime and to maximise machine utilisation.” demolitionhub.com

Made in the USA

LaBounty Demolition and Scrap Shears Looking for the world’s most powerful & reliable shears and demolition attachments? BPH is the exclusive dealer of LaBounty in the UK and Ireland.

LaBounty’s unrivalled and market leading MSD range of steel shears sits alongside BPH’s vast collection of attachments.

BPH are carrying out refurbishment and servicing on LaBounty and all other hydraulic attachments.

BPH is a family-run nationwide supplier and attachments specialist. Founded in 1972, we have extensive demolition and recycling experience, and offer knowledgeable help and advice to ensure your project is at maximum productivity and profitability.

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Head Office/South-East 0845 017 6972

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technology

Blackwood Plant Hire, based in Kilmarnock, specialises in the hire of operated and self-drive excavators throughout central Scotland and the UK. The company boasts a modern fleet of 300 excavators, including JCB, Komatsu, Kobelco and Hitachi crawler, and wheeled excavators – plus a range of other plant equipment including dump trucks, dumpers, and rollers.

The company has also invested in two new 25-tonne zero tail swing Hitachi ZX225USR-6. These machines will join Blackwood’s fleet of zero tail swings ranging from three to 25 tonnes.

Having joined the ‘Xwatch Safety Revolution’ in June this year, Managing Director Paul McCormack said: “The first batch of XW1 height limiters were installed by Derek Park, DP Auto Electrics to four of our Kobelco SK210 machines, at the request of a customer who wanted a key lock height restrictor system fitted.

“We were very impressed with the system, as was the customer and we have taken the decision to install the XW1 system to all of our machines 13 tonnes and above going forward. We have 20 on order to be fitted this year, and another 26 systems coming in 2022.

“The key lock system (access

42 | DemolitionHUB Magazine

Blackwood Plant Hire joins Xwatch safety revolution key switch) prevents tampering once set. It’s also easy to install and I can’t fault Derek Park’s work and service.

“We have had previous brands of height limiters before but we found them very temperamental and over complicated. The Xwatch system is simple to use and reliable.

“As a hire company, it’s easier for us to have height limiters fitted to all of our fleet over 13 tonnes, as we then don’t have to swap machines about. If a customer specifies a height limiter we know we can deliver.

“The information Dan at Xwatch has provided has been brilliant. Simple and safe is what you look for and Xwatch has delivered. We look forward to continuing our partnership moving forward.”

Dan Leaney, Director of Sales and Operations at Xwatch said: “We were delighted to have been given the opportunity to work with Blackwood Plant Hire.

Having been in discussions

with Paul McCormack, with Derek Park leading the way, we were able to offer a simple yet effective solution for Blackwood’s customer. This has led us to supply the entire Blackwood fleet over 13 tonnes, with the Xwatch height limiter system. We couldn’t be more proud.”

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E

The Erith Group have over half a century of complex enabling works experience, now occupying the position of Europe’s 2nd largest demolition contractor.

Asbestos Removal Construction Solutions Demolition Earthworks and Infrastructure Engineering and Geotechnical Haulage and Logistics Remediation and Gasholders 0370 950 8800 hello@erith.com www.erith.com

technology

inspHire

inspHire is an award-winning rental software provider for the demolition sector. It remains at the forefront of the industry due to continuous development and attention to detail in its hire and rental solutions. With a global customer base of more than 15,000 daily rental users, inspHire has a touchpoint in all rental industries and prides itself on having a solution for everyone, no matter their requirements.

•

•

•

Ensure your team are in the right place at the right time, with all the necessary documents. inspHire Office and Corporate Edition provides a range of flexible features helping you improve the cost and efficiency of the movement of your workforce and equipment.

Easily manage your workshop with preventative maintenance and inspection scheduling, breakdown management and fitter scheduling. Digitising the workshop process with inspHire’s web portal gives you live information at your fingertips.

Support your accounts department through flexible integration with hundreds of

44 | DemolitionHUB Magazine

•

account packages and ERP systems. inspHire Corporate Edition offers a fast and reliable rental management software solution that will improve the bottom line, reduce administrative burdens, and cut manual data entry.

Control the entire hire process and effortlessly manage equipment, contracts and workshop jobs. inspHire Office Edition gives you total visibility and transparency of your equipment so you can see exactly what you need to.

Working in the demolition sector means being a total solution provider and having a rental software solution that manages the entire rental cycle from start to finish is crucial when executing mass projects. From maintaining your equipment, ensuring compliance is always up to date, to knowing what’s out where with real-time notifications, inspHire saves you time, costs and most importantly, drives sustainable and efficient processes – so you can focus on customer loyalty, winning new business and making strategic business decisions.

demolitionhub.com

Acoustics consultancy and environmental monitoring expert KP Acoustics Group unveiled its pioneering noise and vibration monitoring device at London Build 2021 on 17-18 November. The show brings

demolitionhub.com

together leading professionals and senior decision-makers from across the construction sector.

KP Acoustics Group’s eNView environmental noise and vibration monitoring device is a revolutionary alternative to noise and vibration monitoring, establishing the new industry standard. The robust, lightweight and user friendly monitoring solution combines real time noise and vibration monitoring

technology

Revolutionary noise and vibration monitoring device unveiled at London Build 2021

equipment into one device, boasting plug and play usability, with an accompanying web application.

The company also showcased its services in each of its three divisions – KP Acoustics, KP Monitoring and KP Acoustics Research Labs. KP Acoustics Group recently expanded, continuing to offer its full range of acoustic consultancy services alongside a separate division for environmental monitoring and its very own in-house research, development and education capability.

Dr Kyriakos Papanagiotou, founder of KP Acoustics Group and the innovator behind eNView said: “It has been a year like no other for KP Acoustics Group. In June we became the only acoustics consultancy to offer our own research and development capability in-house and now we’re launching eNView, the paradigm shift in technology in environmental monitoring.

“Construction, demolition, health and safety, highways and mining are just some of the sectors that eNView is perfect for.”

DemolitionHUB Magazine | 45

technology

PistonPower delivers force on demand for demolition attachments Hydraulic cylinders played a major a part in the industrial revolution of the 20th century and have been around for decades. Yet in some instances their simplicity becomes an obstacle. When high force is needed, the cylinder becomes bigger and thus also slower. This can be overcome by putting a regenerative valve (aka speed valve) on top of it, yet there is still no workaround for the size without increasing the pressure.

Pressure amplification technology has been around for a few decades as well, with the external amplifiers establishing their first niche markets in industrial applications. Why not integrate the pressure amplifier directly into the hydraulic cylinder, making it able to deliver force based on need? That’s what PistonPower decided to do with its Cartridge Amplifier (CA).

Think of it as a “hydraulic gearbox” that trades between flow and pressure in the same way as mechanical gearbox trades between speed and torque – allowing you to drive fast on flat land and climb the steepest hills.

Cartridge pressure amplifier The advantage of PistonPower’s CA is the integration into the piston rod of the hydraulic cylinder. This allows for a very compact package

46 | DemolitionHUB Magazine

and increased safety thanks to the reduction of all external highpressure hydraulic components (e.g. hoses, fittings). The extensive in-house and field testing ensures a robust solution at the same life expectancy as the cylinder.

The CA is rated for amplified pressure up to 700 bar and is available in different sizes (for max. cylinder input flows of 100, 200 and 300lpm) and with different amplification ratios (2.0, 2.4 and 2.8) to allow various machines with different pump flows and system pressures reach their full potential.

Automatic activation Pressure amplification activates automatically based on the cylinder load. Under light to medium load, the cylinder is powered by the flow and pressure of the pump and the Cartridge Amplifier inside is not active. Thanks to the smaller diameter, the cylinder moves faster compared to standard cylinder designed for the same peak force.

Once the load reaches the limit to what the pump on the machine can handle, the amplification process starts automatically and instantly increases the pressure inside the cylinder further to overcome the load and reach the peak force.

Where it shines PistonPower CA is establishing itself in the market of demolition excavator attachments, where using cylinders with integrated pressure amplifiers may result in the force of a larger tool with the speed, size and weight of a smaller one. This gets the job done faster so the contractor can move on to the next one.

Any applications that require high peak force, high stroke speed, outer restrictions to size or weight of the cylinder and the right duty cycle (high force not required most of the stroke or most of the time) can benefit. Examples of other projects include scrap cutters and balers, waster compactors and balers, filtration and extraction presses and more. demolitionhub.com

Spe ecialisst Soluttion ns forr Compllex Pro ojects Swante est is a specialisst company pro oviding structura al testing, investigatio on, remedial and strength hening solution ns for complex projects. We arre a tea am of multi-disciplined engineers who ca an provide a wide range of sp pecialist site serv vices to the demolitio on FRQVWUXFWLRQ and d civil eng gineering indusstry.

We spe ecialise in: • • •

• • •

Load capacitty tests Geotechnica al tests Balcony & ba arrier tests $QFKRU À[LQ QJV WHVWV Weld inspectiions Nondestructiv ve Testing Bespoke Testing

• • • • • • •

Sttructural surveys & inv vestigation 3D D Point cloud surveyss Sttructural alterations & strengthening Hy ydraulic c lifting & jack king Prreloadin ng & torque lo oading Concrete e repair & rem mediation Composiite solutions

When itt comes to site solutions, we want to provide our clie ents with a co omplete package of work ks. Therefore, Sw wantest can ca arry out all requiired ele ements for any y complex project.

Includin ng initial site inv vestigation and d surveys, structu ural testting, subsequent remedial and strength hening solution ns and design works if required d. We ca an also provid de ongoing monitoriing and inspections where e necessary.

Swante est are part of a specialist tem mporary works design co onsultancy; Swanton Consulting Ltd. Thiss gives us the advantage of having capabilitty to carry out comp plex design solutions in house e. We are UKA AS accredited and have been working with industrry leaders for over 10 0 years.

For more information call us on 0370 950 7707 Website: www.swantest.co.uk Email: info@swantest.co.uk 52-54 St. John Street, Farringdon, London, EC1M 4HF

8691

technology

Bobcat MaxControl takes charge of the future Bobcat has launched the MaxControl Remote Control system, giving a vision of the future by enabling operators to control Bobcat compact loaders remotely via an iPhone or iPad. The MaxControl system has applications in many markets including construction, demolition, agriculture, landscaping, cleaning, recycling and general lifting and handling.

With MaxControl, owners 48 | DemolitionHUB Magazine

of Bobcat loaders do not need the latest machines or costly hardware updates to enjoy remote control. The system is compatible with all Bobcat loaders with Selectable Joystick Controls (SJC) dating as far back as 2004. MaxControl is available now on iOS devices, but an Android version will be available shortly.

Vijayshekhar Nerva, Head of Innovation and Acceleration

for Doosan Bobcat EMEA said: “The jobsite of the future is a more connected place and gamification will play a vital role. Changing demographics and consumer preferences are pushing our industry into categories that have been unheard of or have been poorly addressed in the machinery sector. At the same time, the need to address environmental impact, safety and elimination

demolitionhub.com

of downtime has become paramount.

“Our Innovation team has delivered a solution that is complex enough to improve productivity on the jobsite and at the same time, packaged to be accessible and simple to use. MaxControl was born out of these ideals and changing preferences to address our ability not just to keep up but keep ahead of competition in both the ‘Iron’ as well as the Digital side of our business.”

demolitionhub.com

Going solo Some two person jobs can now be achieved solo, such as loading

technology

Remote operation at your fingertips The MaxControl system ensures remote control capability is always at the operator’s fingertips. They simply reach for the phone in their pocket and control their Bobcat compact loader within seconds, without having to worry about any extra gadgets. Being app-based, it is easy to get the newest features the moment they are available.

By combining jobs without having to jump in and out of the loader’s cab, the MaxControl system gives the operator a different view of the job in hand, allowing them to carry out tasks remotely and repeat the process with maximum comfort. Being able to operate outside the cab provides a different angle of view, helping new and even less experienced operators in tight areas. When lifting and carrying large loads, the use of MaxControl eliminates blind spots in front of the load and raises awareness of the surrounding environment. Being outside the cab also allows for face-to-face communication with co-workers on site, enabling faster organisation of the work.

Operators may never know in advance when remote operation will come in handy, but with MaxControl on their phone, they are always ready for any challenges that can arise.

Vijayshekhar Nerva said: “Bobcat has much wider plans for the MaxControl system. We are looking to make MaxControl a simple modular solution, with one hardware box for the groundwork, laying the foundation for other features.

Remote operation is the first feature and we are looking into adding more in the future such as Object Avoidance and SemiAutonomy.”

a Bobcat loader onto a trailer with maximum precision and without the need for an additional set of eyes. Operators can dig posts or install fences without getting in and out of the cab and finish backfilling without having to switch between machines multiple times.

Bobcat MaxControl provides an extra set of hands, saving time and money in simple everyday tasks such as opening and closing gates or loading bales in shorter time and with a smaller crew. Being outside the cab also comes in handy when operating close to livestock or cleaning inside barns.

Bobcat MaxControl is a new hardware kit, combined with an iOS application, with easy touch controls that are designed for smartphones, so that remote control using the system is just as intuitive as using a phone app. The system also allows an operator to carry out two jobs at once, using remote control to comfortably operate a second machine from the cab - for example, an operator can sit in an excavator and use a loader remotely for back-filling.

Full control of the job site The MaxControl system provides ultimate control over the jobsite by synchronising the app with multiple machines, seamlessly switching between them and accomplishing more with less effort. The system avoids the need for users to climb in and out of protective equipment, they simply use their phone to send the machine into a dusty or potentially unsafe environment – it does the work, while the operator stays a safe distance away. In a few simple steps, the operator can synchronise any compatible machine with their phone and start working within moments. No specialised equipment or service technician is needed.

DemolitionHUB Magazine | 49

technology

MaxControl features and specs MaxControl uses a wifi signal to communicate with the customer’s iOS device and operates in a range of up to 100 metres.

In remote areas with poor connectivity, the system keeps the operator logged on for 12 hours of operation. Other features include: • Machine diagnostics communicate all important information about the carrier • Peer-to-peer sharing allows multiple users access to the machine, enabling a quick change around • Error codes identify errors from the service codes appearing on the phone • Hours of operation tracks

50 | DemolitionHUB Magazine

• •

how many hours a machine has been in operation Retrofittable to all SJC Loaders from J to R-Series Upgradable software, with more features coming soon.

Positive feedback The new MaxControl system has been very well received by the first customers around Europe, including the first installations in Spain and Germany.

Eduard Heredia, Manager of Obras y Construcciones Corbera said: “It’s fantastic, very easy to assemble and disassemble and to use. In just a few hours I had mastered the operation of the loader through my own iPhone.

“The MaxControl system is very useful and versatile as I can use it with the bucket or with a variety of Bobcat attachments to

carry out different tasks safely such as clearing brush or using a wheel saw.

Child’s play setup Poth Garten + Landschaftsbau specialises in clearing work and planting in parks, cemeteries and playgrounds. Markus Poth, the company’s owner and Managing Director, said: “The set-up was child’s play and very intuitive.

You simply connect the device to the machine via the joystick control and a remote dashboard forms and is displayed on the smartphone. The operator can simply start the machine, pull out his mobile phone and control the machine remotely. Switching back to manual driving is just as quick. MaxControl provides us with two extra hands, saving time and money.”

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technology

Keeping track of demolition

Specialist Trimble technology provider, SITECH UK & Ireland is launching new real-time site progress software, WorksOS, in December 2021. The software tracks site work and collates work site data, allowing site supervisors and project managers to maximise efficiency and increase the visibility over the site from a simple dashboard.

Construction businesses can use WorksOS to easily track work completed against work outlined by mapping the current as-build surface. The real-time oversight allows site managers to monitor the progress of the overall project and analyse trends, ensuring the project is carried out on time and to budget.

Site managers can also use clear project updates to work with a just-in-time model, hiring 52 | DemolitionHUB Magazine

new workers and renting any equipment for immediate use, rather than having a labour surplus or letting machines sit on site idle.

Working to this model reduces costs, prevents compulsory overtime and avoids a labour surplus, as certain activities, such as bulldozing a building, require less manpower than clearing the rubble later in the project.

The new software has a centralised dashboard, which automatically generates a digital progress plan for each demolition project. The dashboard accurately calculates the productivity of each construction asset and associates this with the exact project cost.

Site managers use software to monitor daily activities to help make more financially supported decisions. The dashboard will also show the real-time cut, fill,

volume and compaction data as the demolition continues, allowing increased visibility and understanding about the project.

This is particularly helpful for large demolition projects, such as a hospital, where large number of dozers, excavators and operators are working in tandem and site managers may not be able to personally get progress updates from each operator.

WorksOS will also have the capabilities of 3D productivity monitoring to help avoid reworking and will produce progressive volume charts to easily convey data with stakeholders. To find out more about the technology and how you can integrate the software into your current fleet, before it launches in December, contact the SITECH team at www.sitechukandireland.com

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interview

The demolition contract interview: Mark Davison of MGL Demolition talks about the company working as part of the framework to demolish the former Redcar steelworks and his career in the family business, which celebrated 50 years in 2021

Q

Tell us about the history of the site The world famous former steelworks site was once home to household names such as Bolckow, Vaughan and Dorman Long and at one time was the largest producer of steel in Great Britain and the modern iteration of British Steel still has a small presence on site today. The South Bank Coke Ovens and Redcar Blast Furnace were iconic buildings synonymous with Teesside and its industrial heritage.

Q

Tell us about the buildings to be demolished One of our first demolitions was the controlled explosion to level

54 | DemolitionHUB Magazine

the Coal Handling Facility, a 1970s steel structure that was used to help blend the coal that came in via ship and transform it into different grades for onward export.

This was part of the wider scheme and kickstarted the next phase of redevelopment.

We have worked on other demolition projects across the site including the Raw Materials Handling, RDL Stores and Tube City and the clearance programme is being accelerated to make the land ready for future investment.

Q

And the client Mayor Ben Houchen and STDC are transforming Teesworks into a

world class industrial site. The site, part of the UK’s largest freeport, is home to projects such as NET Zero Teesside and companies like GE Renewables all coming together to create over 20,000 new jobs and ensuring a cleaner, brighter industrial future for Teesside.

Q

What prepared you for the project?

Drawing on prior experience of similar projects and our extensive demolition capabilities, we are working closely with our partners to make sure the land is investorready faster. For this project, we have a dedicated management team and have grown our skilled demolitionhub.com

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interview

local workforce. We have also invested in new equipment to dismantle the site effectively and efficiently.

Q

How about disposal?

The demolition of the Coal Handling Facility was the first project of the Advanced Demolition Programme.

All steel was processed to size and removed from site and we were able to recycle 98 per cent of all materials recovered.

Q

What specialist equipment was required?

For this project we have invested in three new 50-tonne excavators, two from Komatsu and one from Hitachi, and three new Rotar shears.

the entire programme. There have been no time lost incidents on site as we continue to raise the bar for safety.

We are a local business, so we know the steelworks played a vital part in the region’s history.

It’s never easy seeing things come down but it’s an important part of the regeneration plan and creating good quality jobs for local people.

We have safely undertaken five explosive demolitions, created 10 new jobs and so far, our teams have spent 20,000 manhours on site.

Q

Were there any specific considerations regarding the location?

Teesworks is Europe’s largest brownfield site that still has live services in some areas, so we have had to be mindful of this at all stages, especially when preparing the demolition plans and method statements.

It is a complex and challenging environment, being an upper tier COMAH site has meant rigorous health and safety checks throughout

56 | DemolitionHUB Magazine

demolitionhub.com

interview

All about Mark and MGL Demolition Q

How did MGL start, and how has it evolved along with your role in it?

The company was founded by my father, Alan Davison, in 1971. Initially he employed one person and carried out small civil engineering and surfacing projects for national housebuilders, the coal board and shipyards. Fast forward 50 years and we now employ more than 500 local people.

Our successful expansion into demolition in the mid ‘80s was a natural progression following the demise of the coal industry and shipyards. Things have come a long way since we purchased our first Fiat Allis FE28 Excavator. We now have one of the most impressive fleets of modern demolition equipment in operation today, with more than 50 excavators.

I always knew I would be part of the family business; my first ever job was the demolition of Horden Colliery in May 1987. A month later, I oversaw the company’s first explosive demolition at the Herrington Colliery site.

Q

What kind of projects do you work on most frequently and how has this developed?

I think our success is down to the broad range of projects we can undertake. We are currently working on a number of industrial, residential and commercial demolition projects, with ongoing large, complex and challenging deconstruction projects in the city centre environment. This

demolitionhub.com

also includes explosive demolition and managing the added challenges this can bring.

Through close working with our key clients, we have expanded the capabilities of our earthworks and remediation division, many of our demolition projects now include earthworks. This requires a different skillset so we have had to recruit to make sure we have the right people in place.

Q

What are the standout events from MGL’s history and your own career?

A standout project for me is the demolition of the ballistic missile early warning system at RAF Fylingdales (above). It was a high security military site in the North Yorkshire Moors and we demolished the 110ft high by 80ft wide ‘golf ball’ structures, which were made of carbon fibre paper and aluminium struts. We had everything in place to safely carry out the demolition, including roped off areas and protective netting, but the biggest challenge was convincing the authorities that when we demolished the golf balls they wouldn’t roll across the moors. Of course, we had planned so this could never happen, and we undertook

the demolition without any delays or issues.

Another standout job was the demolition of one of Durham’s best known landmarks, Relley Bridge, which spanned the East Coast Main Line. It took place on Christmas Day and Boxing Day back in 2004 and required lots of forward planning and extreme precision to complete the works before trains began running on the line. We completed the demolition of the five arches and removed more than 3,000 tonnes of rubble five hours ahead of schedule.

Seeing everything come together was really satisfying.

Achieving our membership of the NFDC was an important milestone in MGL Demolition’s history. I was proud to be the chairman for the North East Region for four years; we really pushed industry training during this time and achieved some fantastic things. It’s a time in my career I will always remember fondly.

DemolitionHUB Magazine | 57

interview

Q

Why work with MGL? I think it’s as simple as we deliver what we promise and do a really good job.

We are a family business and pride ourselves on quality. We have done for the last five decades. Being part of the MGL Group means that for specific projects we can offer wider services to clients and add more value.

Q

Tell us about any trainee schemes and the availability of labour to fill them We make a significant contribution to the local economy in terms of employment, skills, and training opportunities. We presently have 24 employees following a structured learning route and we want to give all our people the opportunity to be the best.

As with all industries at the moment, labour is proving a challenge but with a strong local reputation for training and looking after employees we are able to attract and retain new people.

Q

How has COVID impacted your team’s work?

Working from home has suited certain individuals; we’ve found new ways of working and engaging with our people to maintain productivity.

For site staff, we adapted our safe working procedures to make sure we could continue our work without impacting on programmes. It’s been challenging but I am hugely proud of what we have all achieved, we’ve overcome everything that’s come our way and completed projects safely and on time.

Q

How do you see the industry developing technologically?

Our industry is constantly evolving.

Robotic machines will play a bigger part in demolition and streamline how we do things. Sustainability will remain a key driver, using HVO fuel with our new machinery will also make sure we are working more sustainably.

Incorporating modern technology like drones and 4D imagery into our day-to-day

58 | DemolitionHUB Magazine

operations makes demolition more appealing to younger people and will help to attract new talent.

Q

Do you have any notable projects in planning?

In the south of the region, we are preferred contractor for an exciting project in a complex urban location next to a railway line and main route into the city centre. The demolition of the 1960s multi-storey car park and associated offices will include asbestos removal and recycling.

To the north of the region, we are the preferred contractor on a city centre regeneration scheme, undertaking the demolition of an iconic building that was the first purpose-built multi-storey car park in the north of England.

Q

Tell us about any engagement MGL has in the community and how you believe responsible companies should behave in this regard For many years we have supported causes including the Royal Variety Club Charity. Then in 2016, we formed the MGL Foundation Trust to support people in our local area throughout the year. We make donations to help our community, from sponsoring sports clubs to purchasing two minibuses for local disabled children. Giving back goes beyond the Trust, it is company wide and something that is important to

everyone in the business. We have dress down Friday and all donations are matched by the company. We also get involved in fundraising and charity events throughout the year.

Being a responsible business is all about continuous improvement and addressing some of society’s biggest issues. Everyone has a part to play. By engaging with the local community and offsetting carbon to reduce the environmental impact of projects we can achieve long term value.

Q

How do you envisage MGL in five to 10 years?

Third generation family members have joined the company at a really exciting time as we continue to grow and build on our success. They will help to strengthen the business and drive us forward.

We will continue to grow sustainably and organically by working with long-standing customers in the sectors where we have a strong presence and a proven track record of success.

We will continue to adapt to meet the changing market and customer needs and we are currently working with potential partners to explore new opportunities and prospects in other sectors.

It’s been a difficult year for everyone, but it is ending positively and I am looking forward to 2022 and beyond.

And finally: What’s your ideal weekend?

On Saturday, watching my daughter compete on her horses followed by watching my son play at the local rugby club, and then a few pints after. Finally, ending the day by going out for dinner with my lovely wife.

Sunday would be spent on the golf course with my father and my sons.

What’s your favourite food?

Steak, medium rare.

What’s your tipple of choice?

Whiskey demolitionhub.com

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case study

A touch of glass

60 | DemolitionHUB Magazine

Headquartered in Swansea, the Blue Rock Group undertakes a variety of operations, from demolition to construction and it operates across South and Mid Wales and over the bridge into England.

One of its latest projects sees the company undertaking the demolition of the former South Wales depot of glass and glazing specialists Pilkington. The former warehouse and office block lies in a square mile of demolition and construction operations that the company has carried out over the last couple of years for its wide and varied client base.

Headed by Sean Thomas, with a capable team the company has grown from its construction and fit-out past to provide a complete development service for its clients.

Sean explains: “We were getting more and more projects landing on our desk that required us to sub out work such as demolition and heavy civils work. So we decided it would be more beneficial to look at completing this work in-house, enabling us to keep a better lid on the costs and also to ensure we were able to complete the work in the timescales required.”

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case study

Acquiring a fleet of machines takes a while but Blue Rock Group has expanded as and when the funds and the right machines are available. It has helped that Armac’s Adrian McLean has been able to source a number of machines and attachments for them at reasonable rates. Sean says: “Adrian has been a great help in finding us good quality used machines and attachments.

We didn’t want the massive expense of buying new just yet and Adrian has been a great help to us.”

The kit is predominately Hitachi as Sean likes the build quality and reliability of the Japanese brand. The fleet includes machines from eight tonnes to the latest Zaxis 300, which has recently entered service on the fleet with its first major project being Pilkington. “We were looking for a larger machine as the jobs we are winning are getting bigger and bigger.” Sean explains. “Prices for used kit were going through the roof when we came across a 30 tonner and travelled to Liverpool to look at it. The machine was immaculate and after looking into its history, we found out the previous owner had passed away and the machine had been parked up after being used for less than 1,500 hours. It was too good an opportunity to miss and we immediately paid the money for it.”

The machine in question is a Zaxis 300LC-6 with two-piece boom and full demolition specification.

62 | DemolitionHUB Magazine

This included side impact protection, full cab guarding and auxiliary hydraulic services. Essentially, it was ready for Blue Rock to put straight to work. A slightly delayed start to the Pilkington depot meant the Hitachi could be serviced and ready for the start of the job.

Essentially the building was a standalone steel framed warehouse with office accommodation at one end. The building was, however, constructed tight to the gable of its neighbour with the cladding sheets on the abutting wall lapped over the neighbour’s roofing slates and sealed with a temporary flashing.

The removal of the final parts of the cladding and steel frame were therefore undertaken by hand from the basket of a cherry picker as the neighbouring building was listed and Sean and his team couldn’t risk any damage being caused to the stonework.

The remainder of the structure was carefully taken apart by the large Hitachi excavator, aided by another recent addition to the fleet, a VTN steel shear. Sean says: “Again, Adrian came up trumps for this reconditioned unit.”

The added reach of the twopiece boom enabled the highest of the steel purlins to be removed safely to the ground before being processed by a full demolition spec Hitachi ZX225 Blue Rock machine and shipped off site. There was very little room around the building for any demolished materials to be stored so it was a case of loading the materials and taking them off site straight away.

Another recent addition to the growing fleet of equipment is a DAF hook lift truck. “This has been a great acquisition for us,” Sean says. “As with our own fleet of plant of varying sizes, we are now

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case study

in control of material removal and carrying our own machines and kit about.” The addition of the DAF has enabled Blue Rock to remove both waste and scrap from the job as required. “We’re not waiting for subcontractors to move bins or send in bulkers,” he says.

With the steel frame down and the slab cleaned, this marks the end of Blue Rock’s involvement at the site for now. “We have several other demolition projects in the pipeline for this part of town,” Sean explains, “and it would be good to be able to carry on with assisting in the redevelopment of this part of the city.

“Blue Rock Group is a continually growing and expanding business and we are excited in our upcoming future projects. We pride ourselves on investing in new up to date equipment and forward thinking, skilled operatives.”

DemolitionHUB Magazine | 63

profile

Fenestration specialist facilitates ‘forensic’ demolition work The finesse and forensic attention to detail displayed by Associated Steel Window Services (ASWS) when removing, cataloguing and eventually reinstating old windows or other architectural metalwork could not be further removed from the world of the wrecking ball, or Fred Dibner burning timber props from beneath a factory chimney.

It is a capability the south London-based company has developed over decades of working with main contractors, their demolition contractors, and leading firms of consultants. The long-standing member of the Steel Window Association has evolved the skill from being tasked with removing windows so that hoists and waste chutes could be deployed or to allow bulky items of M&E such as fan coil units to be installed.

Such is the sophistication of the service offered by ASWS that it is often called in at the earliest pre-contract stages to assess the condition of fenestration, providing documents and drawings crucial to gaining permission for work from Heritage England or councils’ conservation officers.

Kris Bennell, Contracts Director for ASWS, said: “While we have for many years helped contractors by carefully removing windows to enable hoists or building

64 | DemolitionHUB Magazine

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profile services plant to be installed, in more recent years we have been called upon to remove windows and facade structures to facilitate facade retention and to protect the heritage assets including storing the windows off site.

“More recently we have assisted Erith Contractors with challenges like facade retention at Whiteleys shopping centre and dismantling a 60-metre-long copper canopy within London’s Olympia exhibition centre.

“Together with the expertise of our personnel in the forensic removal of windows – causing the absolute minimum of damage – our wide ranging experience is why ASWS is trusted by bodies including Heritage England and many London boroughs like Camden and Westminster. We can offer confidence and comfort to consultants and our clients.”

Typically, ASWS will conduct a full condition survey on behalf of the client or architects, which can include laser scans of the building, intrusive metal sampling to determine the materials used, and recording each piece of glass.

Even components like metal glazing beads and fragile brass screws can be saved, meaning that on major projects tens of thousands of items must be double tagged, catalogued 66 | DemolitionHUB Magazine

in an Excel heritage asset register and securely stored.

James Williams, Assistant Project Manager for Erith Contractors, said: “Having worked with ASWS for nearly two years on the Whiteley’s project, I could not recommend them enough.

Their professionalism, knowledge and experience in the heritage sector is second to none and was invaluable throughout the project. Their site team is continually trying to progress the works, even in the demanding demolition sector. They were able to move about the building with their works to support our developing programme demands.”

“Where the ASWS team was most useful was with the continued provision of information and continual support with their elements of our works. As with all heritage and listed projects, the demands on the main contractor to provide support, evidence and proof of safe and effective removal and storage was incredibly intense.

This was made simple by the whole ASWS team. From their removal teams, to tagging and registering, to off-site storage and logistics, they were always able to give that confidence that both the planning officers and our client demanded.”

Dependant on the requirements of the project, ASWS can

produce high quality document presentations, including electronic and physical records. These can contain data and drawings of every window, which can be passed to the planners and heritage officers, as well as forming the basis of the contract pricing document.

The service also extends to involving structural engineers on bracing larger frames for removal while ASWS has even supplied screen-prints of the fenestration as a temporary aesthetic measure.

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case study 68 | DemolitionHUB Magazine

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case study

Demolition toys

by Paul Argent

As we move towards Christmas, one of the biggest names will be missing again from our TV screens – Toys“R”Us. The American retail giant collapsed in 2018 with just its Australian division remaining [STOP PRESS: in October WHP Global announced a licence agreement for Toys”R”Us ANZ to run digital and physical retail commerce in the UK].

The company’s UK operations had been centred around a huge 600,000 square foot warehousing scheme in Coventry, which has lain empty apart from a short spell of use by the NHS for PPE storage during the height of the COVID pandemic.

Built in the mid 1980s, the huge single and double storey warehousing was built to an American design and in its time, offered one of the largest storage spaces anywhere in the country. As trends in large scale storage have moved on, the design of the space

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DemolitionHUB Magazine | 69

case study

became unwanted by potential customers and occupiers were being tempted away by new developments with large open areas of space created from huge portal frame constructions.

The owners of the building decided that redevelopment was the only answer and employed the services of HiTec Demolition to demolish the structure and remediate the site by lifting the slabs and removing the foundations.

HiTec’s Contracts Director Dominic Curran says: “We have worked closely with the property owners on a number of projects.

They are a great outfit to deal with, very open and honest and totally understanding of the demolition processes and the hoops we have to jump through to deliver a project ready for them to build on.”

The huge site at Coventry is one of the most modern buildings the company has had to demolish during the decade it has operated. Over that period, it has become known for its work in safely and compassionately undertaking fire damaged demolition works.

“We have worked with several insurance companies to quickly mobilise our men and machines to work alongside fire services across the UK,” Dominic explains. “We will be on site within a couple of hours in most cases to ensure buildings are safe for the emergency services to work in or alongside and will then take care of any cleanup work that is required in bringing a site back into use as quickly as possible.”

The modern design of the Coventry site has allowed Dominic; Managing Director Mark Mates; and Site Agent Lee Anderson to recycle almost 100 per cent of the structure.

A single asbestos gasket was the only hazardous material

70 | DemolitionHUB Magazine

encountered on the job; raised computer flooring was sold on, the remainder of the soft strip material recycled. This was continued throughout the demolition phase of the operations.

The steel structure required the attention of several high reach machines to remove sufficient buildings and allow processing of the slab and foundations. Hiring in kit where needed, the company’s own Komatsu high reach was helped for a couple of weeks by three additional high reach machines to take the bulk of the warehousing down and at the time of our visit, just a single Hitachi Zaxis 350 piloted by experienced high reach operator Keith Healey was completing the final parts of the building.

“The key to delivering the job safely and successfully is getting material out of the gate,”

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case study

Dominic explains. “We have a pair of dedicated material handlers on site just for loading the bulkers we have going out for recycling. We are hoping to get up to 35 trucks leaving site on a daily basis for a few weeks just to allow us the get more room for the slab lift works to progress.”

The buildings consisted of steel frames clad in lightly insulated panels and roof coverings and poor watertightness had caused the owners issues for a number of years. Dominic explains: “This was one of the reasons the owners were keen to redevelop the plot as potential occupiers would have had issues with keeping stock dry at all times.”

With Keith dropping the steel structure at a rapid pace, Dominic has several of his excavators along with a handful of additional hired in machines undertaking the slab lift. The concrete had been poured in small bays to the hardstanding areas around the building and a pair of 35 tonne excavators were able to lift the slab with ease. A third machine was loading the concrete into an ADT, which then moved it to a stockpiling area where it will eventually be crushed for use in the future development of the site.

Crushing and screening of material was already underway

72 | DemolitionHUB Magazine

on part of the site as was the removal and recycling of an area of scrubland bounding the site.

“We don’t just do the demolition works,” Dominic says. “We will deliver a clean and clear site from all obstructions for the client if they so wish.”

While still a relatively young company, HiTec looks to invest its money carefully when it comes to increasing the size of its fleet. “We have recently taken a couple of low-hour machines from Adrian at Armac,” Dominic says. “They are in excellent condition and come with a service record to match.

We’ve also added a couple of refurbished attachments from Adrian but while he is OilQuick on his headstocks, we have gone down the Lehnhoff route.”

With almost all of the huge structure down and rapidly disappearing from site within four weeks of commencement, the HiTec team are already looking at the company’s next large project, perhaps something a little more complex and involved. Watch this space.

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case study

Bringing down the house – in just 2 days How a compact excavator and compact loader proved the dream team In the Czech Republic, refurbishing homes dating from the Soviet era is often not worthwhile and as a result, many of these are demolished. This was the case with a house in Rudná near Prague. The house was on a tight plot, with the neighbour’s fence in close proximity and a beautiful walnut tree that required protection during the work.

Quotations for the work were expensive, however, so the owners decided to carry out the work themselves with the help of a friend, Jiří Vrzáček, an industry expert who regularly reviews machines and methods for this type of work.

Jiří approached the project analytically and calculated which solution would be most effective in terms of speed, cost and risk of damage to the environment.

He considered three approaches – using a 22-tonne excavator, a classic backhoe loader or a compact excavator working in coordination with a compact loader.

Compact demolition wins out Demolition with a large excavator would be fast but the tight dimensions of the site did not allow for this. Working with a backhoe loader would take too long so they chose to use two machines with precisely defined tasks: a new Bobcat E55z mini-excavator undertook the demolition and a Bobcat T76 compact track loader deposited the debris. Together with specialised attachments, this combination, proved highly effective.

In just six hours, the house was razed to the ground.

Overall, the demolition and removal of debris was completed

74 | DemolitionHUB Magazine

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Bobcats used in the demolition An E55z mini-excavator featuring Bobcat’s unique Zero House Swing (ZHS) feature added another level of protection to the standard zero tail swing design, providing peace of mind when operating near walls and other obstacles. The E55z has an operating weight of 5,346 kg and offers a maximum reach at ground level of 5,843 mm.

The T76 is the largest of the new R-Series compact track loaders that Bobcat began manufacturing at the end of 2020. It has a tipping load of 4,050 kg and can lift a load to a maximum height of 3.2 metres.

case study

in a record two days and it was only the delays in trucks arriving at the site to take away the spoil that meant a second day was needed.

Jiří Vrzáček said: “We started the demolition very carefully – we tore down the chimneys and gables by hand, due to the proximity of the neighbour. This was followed by lightning-fast demolition, which we actually had done in six hours. Next in line was the loading of 400 tonnes of material, where we were mainly limited by the speed of debris removal from the site.

“Here the power of specialised technology was fully demonstrated.

The E55z excavator with a hydraulic grab gradually dismantled the house and piled the debris to one side at the same time as sorting through the material rather than by hand.

The T76 compact track loader was then able to load 32 tonnes of debris in 15 minutes. Thanks to quality planning and a really careful selection of equipment, including the attachments, we managed to reduce costs by almost half.”

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S Evans and Sons invests in MSD LaBounty One of the UK’s leading demolition and dismantling specialists, S Evans and Sons has recently invested in a new frontline LaBounty shear for its ongoing projects demolishing British Steel’s huge Scunthorpe Steelworks in Lincolnshire. The site has all but stopped being the production hub for UK steel it once was and is now in the hands of S Evans and Sons to demolish the many structures spread across the site.

The Widnes based company operates around the UK on highprofile and complex demolition and dismantling projects and runs 76 | DemolitionHUB Magazine

a variety of shears in its extensive fleet, including a newly purchased LaBounty MSD4000 supplied by UK dealer BPH Attachments.

Operations Director Jordan Sumner said: “We needed a new shear to tackle the heavy dismantling works we have programmed at Scunthorpe. We spoke to Matthew at BPH and both he and his team were very helpful in explaining the upgrades recently made to the US-built MSD shear.

We have some very heavy steel sections on our upcoming projects and the revised beak design with

improved penetration and lower maintenance costs impressed us immensely.”

With an operating weight close to 10 tonnes, the MS4000 has been mounted to Evans’ 90-tonne Hitachi 870 excavator. Operated by experienced demolition man Neil Durkan, the new shear has made an impressive start. “For such a heavy shear, it seems a lot smaller than our other 10-tonne class models,” he said. “It’s also very quick and cuts like a dream. We’ve got an older version of the shear on site, but this new version is about 1.5 demolitionhub.com

products metres shorter, making it far easier to handle.”

The MSD4000 boasts a jaw opening width in excess of one metre and a cutting force of over 1,800 tonnes, allowing it to handle the heaviest of steel sections found at the works. “We have been very impressed with the shear’s productivity so far.” Sumner said.

“We’ve also been impressed with the service and the back up so far from BPH. They have met our operating cost and specification requirements, and nothing has been too much of an issue for them.” demolitionhub.com

DemolitionHUB Magazine | 77

products

Steelwrist UK Country Manager for Steelwrist, Richard Aulin, speaks to Demolition Hub about the company’s SQ products

Steelwrist is a global company headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden. For many years, its core product has been the tiltrotator, and it still is, with the later addition of quick couplers and a complete work tool range for the construction industry.

A few years back we successfully introduced our automatic quick 78 | DemolitionHUB Magazine

couplers to the construction and demolition industry and with the recent launch of the SQ90, we believe we have a complete lineup.

To set the offering off, we supply a complete programme of weld on adaptors and bolt on adaptor plates, which allows for the customer to adapt existing or new work tools to fit the system without leaving the cab, exchanging tools in seconds in a safe, clean manner with no people around the machine.

The safety philosophy we have practiced for years with our Front Pin Lock system will now also fully benefit the demolition industry. This is a mechanical lock of the front pin, which significantly limits the risk of an unintended dropping of the work tool. One of the advantages with this system is that it doesn’t require any additional installation, sensors, or control system – it’s fully mechanical and a standalone standard feature that is always there – now in a reinforced and upgraded version to support the heavy work tools in the demolition industry.

We strongly believe in open standards where customers are free to choose and combine products from different brands to their liking, and so our SQ products follow the global Open-S industry standard for fully automatic couplers for excavators. This standard makes it easier for machine operators and contractors to choose quick couplers and work tools from different manufacturers and be confident that they will work together.

In the UK market we have had our established subsidiary for many years, and its core task is to support our dealers in the market. For the demolition segment, we have a very successful partnership with ECY Haulmark and Inmalo, where they provide the high level of service the demolition industry expects.

There is significant growth and a very strong outlook for the UK market and contractors are rapidly adopting new technology to stay ahead of competition. We want to be there to provide the best possible back up for our dealers on this journey forward. demolitionhub.com

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Avoiding demolition downtime with technology protection People take out insurance to help cover their most expensive assets, homes, cars and life but despite demolition machinery being far more costly than your average vehicle, those in the construction industry rarely take out services plans for their assets. Here, Lisa Cheshire, Inside Sales Specialist from Trimble provider, SITECH UK & Ireland, explains the importance of investing in a comprehensive protection plan for demolition equipment Construction technology such as sensors, antennas and GPS receivers are the workhorses of the construction site and come into constant contact with the elements and possibly falling debris during demolition. Keeping these vital parts working effectively can be a costly battle for demolition businesses after a few years, especially after a part finishes its standard factory warranty.

Demolition businesses face the reality of components needing repairing, recalibrating or maintaining, sometimes without any warning. Often, an expert must 80 | DemolitionHUB Magazine

carry out specific maintenance or replacements, leaving the business without a fully functioning machine until it is returned. In addition to hardware, if platforms are not regularly updated to the latest version, software and firmware can cause connectivity issue between components, leading to faults during the building process.

Why choose a protection plan?

Ensuring that construction technology is well maintained and updated reduces the risk of faults and unexpected down time.

However, keeping track of all of this can seem like an overwhelming task, especially with a large fleet of technology that businesses might not understand how to maintain effectively.

Investing in protection plans Businesses can avoid downtime by investing in a protection plan, such as Trimble Protection Plan, which covers all Trimble construction technology. Service plans give businesses the peace of mind that they have budgeted for future repairs, and access to experts

who can diagnose and resolve technology issues. Typically, repairs under warranty are completed faster than non-warranty repairs because there’s no need to generate an estimate and approval before the work commences. When an active service plan is in place, SITECH may also provide free equipment hire while the part is being repaired, so clients don’t have to worry about unexpected downtime.

Businesses can develop bespoke protection plans that cover any range of equipment, from a oneoff bulldozer to entire fleet cover, accommodating all a customer’s requirements. For example, if their hardware is only covered by factory warranty for a year and the software is covered for five years, they can take out a four-year policy for the hardware, so the technology is fully under warranty for that period.

Covering your demolition technology is as important as insuring your car and will give you peace of mind that machine faults will not lead to extensive downtime.

To find out more about reducing your construction site downtime, visit www.sistechukandireland.com. demolitionhub.com

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New Stage V compressors from Doosan Portable Power

Doosan Portable Power has launched a new range of small portable compressors for the European market, offering four new models with free air deliveries from 2.5 to 5.0 m³/min (90-180 cfm) with a focus on simplicity, durability, reliability and transportability.

About 70 per cent of the EU portable compressor market is represented by machines between 2.0 and 5.0 m3/min. The main European markets are the UK, GAS (Germany, Austria and Switzerland), France and Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg), which together represent more than 70 per cent of the industry covering many sectors including rental, construction, utilities, demolition

and general industry. Doosan Portable Power is one of the top three players in this market.

In the new small compressors, the first number in the model name indicates the pressure in bar, the second number represents nominal air flow in cubic metres per minute, while the number 5 at the end indicates a Stage V compliant engine. There are three models operating at 7-bar nominal pressure – the new Stage V Yanmar-powered 7/25, 7/45 and 7/55 with outputs of 2.5, 4.0 and 5.0 m³/min (90, 140 and 180 cfm), respectively. The small compressor range is completed by the new 14/35 higher pressure model providing 3.0 m³/min (105 cfm) of compressed air at 13.8 bar.

Environmentally-friendly Jan Moravec, General Manager, Doosan Portable Power for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, said: “The design complexity required for the implementation of the latest Stage V engines led us to completely rethink the design of the small compressor range, while maintaining the well accepted, superior durability of our products, improving the serviceability and fulfilling all possible transportability requirements, at the same time as expanding our focus on environmentally friendlier solutions.

“As a result, like in our larger compressor ranges, a leak-free bunded base is now fully integrated into the bottom frame of the new small compressors and includes the central drains for all fluids. For the Stage V units with electronic control, we have also introduced the option of the ECOmizer feature, which reduces emissions, noise and fuel consumption.”

Machines equipped with the ECOmizer option will automatically recognise the working phase and will act on pressure and engine speed without the intervention of the operator to optimise the fuel consumption and to reduce noise and emissions. As soon as the operator activates a pneumatic tool powered by the compressor, the machine will recognise the demand of flow and pressure, providing maximum performance immediately. For example, in a working cycle with 50 per cent full load and 50 per cent idle speed, the ECOmizer provides 60 per cent savings in fuel.

Fresh new look Michele Corsi, Product Manager, Doosan Portable Power, said: “The most immediate, noticeable change in the 7/25, 7/45, 7/55 and 14/35 Stage V units is the new dynamic and modern appearance, thanks to an updated design, bringing a fresh new look. The success of the previous Tough Top (polymer) canopies has led Doosan Portable Power to offer this solution as standard.

“The new easy-to-open canopy creates a fantastic line with the

82 | DemolitionHUB Magazine

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reports the pressure, and on models with electronically controlled engines there is an additional switch to force DPF regeneration. For machines with the generator option, there is also an additional three-position switch and voltmeter.

Portable features, service and maintenance All the new small portable compressors are equipped with unbraked or fully-braked running gear, both available in fixed and variable height configurations.

All the new models have been designed to guarantee a weight below 750 kg, even with additional options, such as an aftercooler or lubricator. This means that anyone with a standard Category B driver’s licence can tow the units behind their vehicle. All the models are also homologated up to 950 kg, helping those customers who need to install even more options for maximum flexibility.

Doosan Portable Power compressors are known for the simplicity of their daily maintenance and service requirements. These latest generation small machines continue this legacy in several ways:

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newly designed polymer mudguards and bumpers. The newly integrated LED lights are also offered as standard for all the machines. And of course, the long-standing metal canopy versions will still be available to customers as an option.”

Other improvements in the new small compressor range include the updated control panel, which has been repositioned for more ergonomic access and is now protected by a lockable cover. A simple mechanical manometer

• The canopy opens toward the draw bar, guaranteeing maximum stability when servicing the machine, • The ‘maintenance position’ opening is more than 90 degrees, allowing easy access to any components of the compressor, • The cooling pack is mounted on the back, making daily cleaning extremely fast and efficient, • All replaceable parts are located right in front of the operator, ensuring the quickest possible maintenance work.

Michele Corsi said: “The new generation of small portable compressors is the perfect response to meet what our customers have been asking for. To satisfy any customer needs, we also offer a wide range of options and customisations.”

As well as portable compressors for the construction, rental, quarrying, utilities, general industry and many other markets, the Doosan Portable Power range includes generators and lighting products aimed at the same markets.

DemolitionHUB Magazine | 83

Image: Timothy Soar

opinion The Standard Hotel, London by Orms Architects

Deconstructionism – designing from the future to the now

by Rachel Hoolahan, Architect at Orms Designers and Architects Ltd As architects practicing in London for over 35 years, we have a lot of experience working with existing buildings. Instinctively, we knew that this was the most sustainable approach to development and have prioritised retention of structure wherever possible. Although this approach is helpful in reducing carbon impact, the CD&E industry is still responsible for two thirds of the UK’s waste production and the demand for new construction products is draining our natural resources at a frightening rate.

So how do we do better as an industry? This question isn’t unfamiliar and there are many 84 | DemolitionHUB Magazine

approaches currently being explored within industry research.

This is something I have been actively involved with for the past year, and I was invited to share some of these ideas at the recent National Federation of Demolition Contractors’ conference.

At Orms, we believe that good design is inherently sustainable and should influence every decision in the design process at every level and scale. We take a balanced approach to sustainability, reviewing each of our projects against the RIBA sustainable outcomes, which in turn align with the UN sustainable development goals. However,

there are two topics that are justly receiving a lot of effort and attention right now – net zero and the circular economy.

Before I delve into these further, I feel that it’s important to define what I mean for each term.

Sustainability is a fast changing word, and it’s easy to overwhelm each other as we grapple with increasingly technical language and evolving concepts.

Net zero ambitions aim to reduce carbon emissions and mitigate climate change. Circular economy ambitions aim to live within our planet’s means by being careful with the depleting natural resources. demolitionhub.com

Net Zero ambitions aim to mitigate carbon emissions and climate change

Circular Economy ambitions aim to live within our planet’s means

Net zero is often a loose term that can mean quite a range of concepts.

For the purpose of this discussion, I will adopt the UK Green Building Council’s definitions. Net Zero Operational Carbon and Net Zero Embodied Carbon come together to achieve Net Zero Whole Life Carbon.

To achieve either, you must reduce the impact as far as possible and only offset the residual carbon.

This emphasis on reduction is extremely important for operational

energy because our grid simply won’t be able to support the electricity demand in the future.

When we start to measure embodied carbon, any new material will incur a carbon cost. To keep this as low as possible, we must reuse as much existing material as we can first. We are quite good at this when the material remains in situ, but it’s virtually unheard of to remove a material from one building and reuse it in another.

The demolition and construction This question has been asked of industry has made significant the UKGBC’s Design for Circularity progress in recent years, moving Working Group quite a bit over away from a linear economy by the past year, and we have found adopting a recycling economy. The that many use the terms reuse and diversion of large percentages of recycling interchangeably.

Construction In fact, Demolition there is quite & Excavation a difference, (CD&E) waste and we from landfill believe that has become the adoption standard of the ISO practice, 20887 with CD&E definitions diversion would be rates now invaluable typically in providing exceeding 90 some clarity. per cent in Reuse is England and defined as suggested the use of targets of products or 95 per cent components included in more than Defining net zero the London once for Plan Circular the same, Economy Statement Guidance. To or other purposes, without take the next step towards a circular reprocessing. economy, we need to prioritise Although not explicitly defined reuse over recycling. So why is in the ISO Standard, this reference reuse different from recycling? to reprocessing is important.

demolitionhub.com

opinion

“

Reuse is defined as the use of products or components more than once for the same, or other purposes, without reprocessing

”

Reprocessing is inherent to recycling, which enables materials or parts to be separated and used as material input for the same or different use. It is important to note that activities involved in preparation for reuse such as cleaning and stripping back is not considered to be reprocessing.

Take a timber joist as an example. Sixty years after installation, a building is being redeveloped and the joist is no longer required. At this point it will be removed, gathered with other timber from the project and sent for recycling. As a Grade B recycled waste wood, this will likely be shredded into timber chips and used as feedstock for the panel board industry.

The timber’s life span has been extended as component of a board product. After a further 60 years, this board product is removed from the building and sent for recycling. It is now a Grade C recycled waste wood and can only be used as biomass fuel. Its life in the recycling economy ends at 120 years old.

DemolitionHUB Magazine | 85

opinion

“

Lifecycle of a tree in a recycling economy

Material should only be recycled when its utilisation is completely exhausted

”

86 | DemolitionHUB Magazine

Although the use of recycled content in manufactured products generally reduces demand on resources, in this instance it has resulted in a downgrading of the timber; thus it shouldn’t be considered as equal to reuse. Reuse in this scenario would mean recovering the joist from a building, testing it for safety and quality, cleaning and reinstalling as either a joist or framing within a wall.

For each joist we remove, shred and turn into chipboard, we need to fell another tree for the new joist. Imagine instead that we use the original joist again, as a joist

in another building, negating the need for a new one. This saves on virgin materials, but also saves on the energy and embodied carbon required to reprocess it.

Of course, the joist won’t last forever, but adding a further two life cycles onto the original 60 years means that at 180 years old, it will become the feedstock for a board product. And maybe after two lifecycles as a board product, it becomes biomass fuel. Its life in the reuse economy ends at 300 years, 180 years longer than the recycling alternative.

Lifecycle of a tree in a reuse economy By reusing materials instead of recycling, we can keep materials at their highest utility (and therefore value) for as long as possible. As such, the material should only be recycled when its utilisation is completely exhausted. By adopting the ISO definitions in waste reporting, we will gather more accurate data and encourage more meaningful reuse. This in turn will encourage a move towards a circular economy.

This leads to a very simple conclusion. To achieve net zero whole life carbon, we must reuse. To achieve a circular economy, we also need to reuse. So what is stopping this significant material reuse? And how do we get around it?

Our first challenge is the quality of the materials in the existing built environment. For the past fifty years or so, we have found ways of making cheaper materials. It is currently

more cost effective to demolish and buy new, than it is to deconstruct and refurbish. Part of this issue is how we constructed our buildings.

Chemical fixings, such as glues, compounds and composites don’t make it easy to remove components without damage. Lastly, there is a perception of risk.

I have been working on a piece of research called material passports, which aims to reduce this risk by gathering critical data about materials contained within the built environment. This data is captured in a materials database that in the short term could be linked to the design team process, but in the long term will capture useful information to encourage deconstruction and enable material reuse. This work was carried out as part of a wider innovation project, supported

by Grosvenor, and is available at grosvenor.com/materialreuse.

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opinion

We need to kickstart this reuse economy, and extracting high quality materials from our existing buildings is the first step. We know that the demolition industry is key to unlocking these opportunities, so here’s this architect’s proposal to you all.

Firstly, is it time for a company rebrand? Should you be further emphasising your role as deconstruction and dismantling specialists rather than as demolition contractors?

Secondly, what does early demolition contractor engagement look like? What services can you offer as specialists during the design stage to help release materials from existing buildings, but also to ensure that the design team are making sensible choices in the specification of the new construction to ensure that future material release is possible?

Thirdly, what opportunities do

Vision of a Material Passport

you see? Could the pre-demolition, or pre-deconstruction audit be working harder? Can you help inform Module C of the whole life carbon assessment by contributing

actual data, both on a project and industry scale?

We are throwing open the door for this conversation, and would love to hear from you.

Happy New Year 2022!

Head Office Holland | T +31 (0)72 503 93 40 | info@betonblock.com | www.betonblock.com | BB adv 190x133mm X-mas EN.indd 1

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19-10-2021 17:30

DemolitionHUB Magazine | 87

opinion

Half term report Writing exclusively for Demolition Hub magazine, Richard Dolman, President of the IDE reports back on his first year in the position and his priorities for his remaining period in office

It’s been an honour and a privilege to have been President of the Institute of Demolition Engineers for the past year, during what has been a challenging period for everyone in our industry.

Given what we’ve all been through, I’m pleased to report that the IDE remains in a healthy position. We have a solid platform from which to grow again and to be an influential voice in the future of our sector.

So where do we go next?

Well, for the remaining year of my presidency I have three main priorities. Firstly, to continue to promote our Foundation and Masters’ degrees, so that we raise standards of learning within our industry and so we have a means of attracting and nurturing talent.

Secondly, I want to help foster a culture of shared learning, of openness and honesty about how we can use our experiences to improve standards across the board. We’re launching a programme of CPD talks and events from the start of next year – a welcome return with significant work put into the programme.

And thirdly I believe it is vital that 88 | DemolitionHUB Magazine

we continue to innovate and pioneer new demolition methods and techniques, so that our industry is at the forefront of the technological and sustainability revolution, rather than playing catch-up with it.

On this latest point, it was pleasing to be able to report at our recent AGM that we have made good progress recently towards collaborative conversations with fellow construction professionals in other sectors.

Working closely with the National Federation of Demolition Contractors, we have held talks with the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) about how we can learn more about each other’s industries and explore how we can work together.

The fact is that there remains considerable unfamiliarity about the important role that demolition can play in the sustainability agenda.

We should be talking proudly about our record for recycling and reusing materials. And we should be advising the construction industry about how to create buildings with truly sustainable lifecycles.

I actually believe this is key to the future of our industry – not

only because our expertise is particularly relevant right now, but also because our sustainability credentials are vital to attracting the next generation.

In tandem with our new degrees – we have our fourth intake of the Foundation Degree scheduled to start in 2022, with the third intake of the MSc also already underway – we have a message to promote and a means by which to attract and train new talent.

We all recognise the challenges of recruiting, engaging and retaining the modern workforce. However I believe that demolition can offer a stimulating, exciting and constantly developing career path, for new entrants into the sector as well as professionals already employed by our companies.

These are challenges that I think the IDE is well placed to help our members meet. I would like to thank my colleagues on the Council of Management for their support during this challenging period over the past year, and I want to emphasise how eager I am to maximise the opportunity we have to grow and develop over the coming 12 months.

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opinion

Funding the green assets of the future in the demolition industry

by Terry Lloyd, Head of Construction, asset finance at Paragon bank Green funding within the demolition space is set to be a dominant trend as we look to 2022 and beyond.

Now is a great time for businesses in the sector to begin this journey to a greener future. The pandemic has definitely moved the dial on the green agenda – we are coming out of the pandemic with a much bigger focus on improving quality of life and there is a much bigger consumer emphasis on a business’ environmental credentials.

It’s important for businesses within the sector to take proactive steps now and consider how the move towards a net zero economy will impact the resale value of their assets. It’s key for businesses to be forward thinking and plan carefully for the future – specialist funders can help them do this.

As one of the UK’s leading, independent specialist lenders, Paragon is continuously expanding its expertise, innovating its product range and extending its lending. As a funder, it is looking at how it can support its customers on their green journey within the construction and demolition space.

90 | DemolitionHUB Magazine

What will green technology of the future look like?

The greener assets of the future will likely include a broad range of technologies – some of those have already been developed whereas others are still to be discovered.

It’s an incredibly exciting and innovative space. Currently, some of the technologies available include electric, hybrid and hydrogen.

As a lender, we are not nailing our colours to the mast of any one solution – different types of technology are suited to different assets and assets of the future are likely to include a blend.

It’s important for businesses in the sector to remember that the government’s industrial decarbonisation strategy, which was revealed earlier this year, isn’t just about electric technology. Electric solutions will be right for some businesses and assets, but other greener technologies will be better suited for others.

One of the challenges with electric technology is the weight of the battery, so we are seeing a lot of design innovation taking place

to address that, such as solid state batteries. Battery weight offsets against the load a vehicle can carry, for example, and therefore reduces capacity and increases cost. There is a lot of work focused on how this can be adapted into the equipment without affecting the volume of material a vehicle can transport.

We are noting that hydrogen fuel cell technology is a massive trend in other parts of the world and this is gaining momentum in the UK. Ultimately, the fuel is the polluting entity, not the engine, so working to change fuel from petrol and diesel to a cleaner solution, for example green hydrogen, will be effective in significantly reducing emissions. We are seeing this technology emerge across a large range of assets, including construction equipment.

Where should demolition companies start on their green journey?

A good place to start is for a business to get to grips with its current carbon footprint.

It’s quite hard for a lot of small to medium-sized businesses to know what their carbon footprint is, but there are resources available to support with this, including those offered by The Carbon Trust. If business owners do the work to establish this, they will often find there are incentives available to lower it.

It is also a good time to apply for funding for greener, more innovative assets. In the past, a lot of traditional lenders might have shied away from assets that weren‘t ‘tried and tested’, which meant innovative assets sometimes struggled to secure funding – including in the green space. The Recovery Loan Scheme, which was recently extended until summer 2022, means that some accredited funders – such as Paragon – can be very innovationfocused and support businesses through their own transformation.

This is because the scheme facilitates loans that funders would sometimes struggle to offer as part of their everyday ‘business as usual’ lending policy.

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n o i t i t e p Com

WIN a luxury Fortnum & Mason hamper delivered to you in time for Christmas 1. Take a picture of this very magazine with you holding it.

2. Post to LinkedIn, Instagram or Twitter along with the hashtag: #championingdemolition and you will be in the draw.

The winner will be announced in the next couple of weeks.

opinion

Red, white and green

by Jacqueline O’Donovan From 1 April next year, the rules around the use of gas oil (also known as red diesel) will change, with the majority of users having to switch to white diesel, with the exceptions of the agricultural and rail sectors. The changes were announced in the 2020 budget as part of the government’s target to achieve net-zero by 2050. While the sector supports efforts to reduce carbon emissions, it begs the question, just how will the industry hold up at a time when rising costs are already having a huge impact.

To summarise a history of the rebate, the tax reduction for gas oil has existed in one form or another since fuel duty was introduced in 1928, originally intended as a tax on motoring. When the diesel engine for road motoring was introduced in 1935, the rebate was suspended for road users but left in place for vehicles and other machines whose usage was categorised as ‘incidental’ and not classified as road vehicles.

In 1959, the entitlement to use the reduced rate was extended to all vehicles used exclusively off road and non-road mobile vehicles.

Since diesel and gas oil (red diesel) are essentially the same, dyeing was introduced in 1961 to help differentiate for tax purposes and eliminate illegal usage of rebated gas oil.

Over the years as costs have increased, the red diesel rebate has remained substantial, with the current tax standing at 11.14 pence per litre for red diesel as opposed to 57.95 pence per litre for regular diesel. This forthcoming increase in tax of 46.81 pence per litre for the construction and demolition sectors 92 | DemolitionHUB Magazine

will have a catastrophic effect on many businesses.

With no extension to the deadline announced in the recent budget, the onus is now on the sector to reassess ongoing and future contracts and plan how to move forward with the massive increase in fuel costs that will ensue.

The Civil Engineering Contracts Association has previously estimated that demolition and construction firms could be forced to pay almost £500 million a year more in fuel costs. At a time when the sector is emerging from one of its most trying periods and facing substantial challenges and uncertainty due to Brexit and the coronavirus pandemic, little has been done by government in terms of guidance and direction.

The demolition and construction sectors want to improve their environmental performance and are working hard to streamline operations, but we can only go so far. The majority of demolition and building sites do not have power and rely on portable generators as well as plant that is powered by diesel. It is all well and good setting objectives and targets to achieve net zero, but where is the logic in introducing tax hikes on red diesel when there are few cost-effective alternatives readily available. The irony is that there is no notable tax increase on white diesel which is more widely used and therefore, the greater pollutant.

Government and industry bodies need to lead the way here with urgent investment to introduce workable and affordable low carbon alternatives. Otherwise, we are left

with no option but to use diesel as we do now, albeit white, meaning costs will skyrocket in an already precarious market and there will be absolutely no reduction in emissions.

We all want to work together to improve our green performance and reduce the use of fossil fuels but where are the viable alternatives?

There is little available in terms of cost-effective, permanent and sustainable options to replace fossil fuels and the removal of the rebate will further compound the financial strains on a sector experiencing rising material costs as well as a critical labour shortage. demolitionhub.com

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