Integrated industry partners

Having recently announced our integrated industry partnership with Enisca Ltd, we caught up with its Managing Director, Conor King, to find out more about this exciting news.

Tell us about the partnership between Mackenzie Construction/Enisca Ltd and how it began

The relationship between Enisca and Mackenzie Construction began in 2015. Though the joint bid we developed at the time, alongside another company who is no longer in business, wasn’t to be, Andy and myself have kept in touch ever since. Over the years we’ve built a really strong relationship and have remained keen to find ways that we could develop a partnership which adds value to our businesses, clients and the wider industry.

What can your clients expect from this partnership?

By far the best thing about this partnership for our clients is that the whole of our collective offering is greater than the sum of its parts. Not only do our services complement one another, with Mackenzie’s civil engineering experience alongside our MEICA capabilities creating a complete turnkey solution, we can also each benefit from one another’s processes, experience, people and relationships. Additionally, our integrated team is fully committed to reducing the impact we have on our natural environment. We understand the drive to reduce greenhouse gas emissions cannot be achieved as a lone entity, but by working in close collaboration to improve the environmental performance of our products and services.

What synergies are there between Mackenzie Construction and Enisca Ltd?

We’re likeminded people and we have a similar management style and setup, with approaches to both our client relationships and the way we build and deliver our projects. At both Enisca and Mackenzie Construction, our people are the most important asset and the culture we cultivate is open, friendly and fair. We invest in the development and careful management of skills and expertise across our team and supply chain to offer a safe and innovative environment for those we work with and for.

What does the partnership offer to your teams?

With Enisca and Mackenzie co-locating in Glasgow, our teams can expect to learn, innovate and grow together. We will continually strive to build a partnership that provides growth, fosters innovation and creates development opportunities across our team, driving us all to be even better tomorrow than we were today. We want our team to feel part of something bigger, as one team who are clear on their roles, contributions and added value to our clients.

What are your focus areas for this partnership moving forward?

First and foremost, we are both relationship contractors, working hard to build authentic and trusted relationships with our clients. Moving forwards, our key focus is on offering a long-term partnership solution which offers continuity of service to our clients in the water industry, and beyond.

What added value do you see this partnership offering to your clients?

The fact that our partnership offers a single point of access to a turnkey solution which covers a broad range of specialist services. From Enisca’s MEICA, MCC and DfMA capabilities to Mackenzie’s Civil Engineering, we have our client needs covered.

In addition, we both have an established approach to developing relationships within the industry and work hard to maintain long- term client and strategic partner relationships based on mutual respect, honesty and trust. Our clear focus on safety, customer needs, and project delivery efficiency, supports their key objective of ensuring long-term customer satisfaction.

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Client spotlight: Scottish Water Horizons

For the last 40 years, our clients have been at the core of everything Mackenzie Construction does. One of our longstanding client relationships is with Scottish Water Horizons, who we have worked with collaboratively for over 10 years.

Scottish Water Horizons is a commercial subsidiary of Scottish Water, and our work with them falls under its current framework for Infrastructure Delivery, focusing on the development and subsequent construction of Design and Build Contracts that have ranged from £5,000 to £3.7M in value. We spoke with Steven Greenhill, Senior Project Manager at Scottish Water Horizons to discuss the relationship between the two businesses and how we align to bring value to our shared stakeholders, and the communities in which we work.

How would you describe Mackenzie Construction as a business and how does this align with Scottish Water Horizons?

My initial response would be collaborative. They operate very much in partnership with us and integrate closely with our team, working effectively with our project managers. Both businesses have a similar ethos and are keen on an inclusive approach to contracting, so we maintain a close interface throughout design, development and delivery. Both Scottish Water Horizons and Mackenzie Construction are also very focused on how they train, manage and reward their people. You can see that from Mackenzie Construction’s recent investment in its in-house Training Academy which will drive forward health and safety performance, as well as technical skills development for its staff.

How does Mackenzie Construction work with you to bring about value for your clients and the communities where you work?

The nature of our work and the changing demands and timescales of construction projects often makes it very difficult to forecast and this is one of our key challenges. Mackenzie Construction is very aware of this and appreciates the environment we are operating in. As a result, the team are very flexible so that when jobs do come online, we can respond quickly and minimise lead times for our clients.

There’s also a shared sense of responsibility for the communities in which we work and operate, with both businesses valuing their reputation in the public eye. I very much view Mackenzie Construction as a responsible pair of hands – we form part of Scottish Water and its reputation is of the upmost importance to us. I can rely on the Mackenzie team to be sensitive to local residents in the way it manages its operations in the community, or with private landowners.

Do you have any standout moments from working on projects with Mackenzie Construction?

Recently, we encountered one of our biggest challenges to date on a construction project with Mackenzie Construction, at Barrhead. Due to the geology and rock types on site, we had to re-evaluate our drilling methods and utilise a specialist drilling rig to tunnel through notoriously hard granite. Mackenzie Construction took on this challenge, in addition to the safe management of evolving COVID-19 guidelines and has

How do you feel Makenzie Construction has responded to the challenges this year has brought?

This has been a very tough year for the construction industry, through site shutdowns, lockdown and adapting our processes and procedures when we returned to work to ensure safe working operations. Mackenzie Construction’s response to this, from my perspective, has been excellent. Firstly, the way in which they shut down our sites was tidy, safe and secure. Many of the sites were in the public domain and could have posed a risk had this not been managed properly. However, Mackenzie Construction’s proactive, pragmatic and stringent pandemic response really has set the benchmark.

What do you see the future of the industry looking like and how do you think businesses like Mackenzie Construction can contribute towards this?

We’ve seen some excellent progress recently towards carbon reduction. For example, at our site in South Queensferry, minor alterations to design were suggested by the Mackenzie Construction team to incorporate the use of products which reduced the carbon impact of the project. You can see that Mackenzie Construction is proactively challenging industry standards in order to bring about positive change and innovation.

Another major trend in the industry at the moment, is digitalisation. Mackenzie Construction has been embracing this opportunity, which you can see from its use of new technology. For example, 3D scanning to facilitate decision making and planning in the current remote working environment, which we know we may be dealing with for some time. You can see that the team are working hard to think outside of the box. From how it trains staff through to its carbon reduction strategies, it is clear that Mackenzie Construction is planning ahead and adapting in order to better the future of the industry.

Do you have any words for Mackenzie Construction on reaching their 40th anniversary year?

It’s great to see Mackenzie Construction celebrating 40 years in business – it’s always been a pleasure to work with them and let’s hope for another 40 years of success!

Steven Greenhill, Scottish Water Horizons

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An interview with Paralympian and Mackenzie Construction People Ambassador, Scott Meenagh

We caught up with our People Ambassador, Scott Meenagh to see what he got up to through lockdown and how he’s staying focused through these challenging times.

What has been going on in your world for the past few months?

In terms of my sports training, the initial lockdown actually created a good opportunity to do some really focused sessions over the Spring and Summer. The start of the season tends to look like that anyway with long hours on your own, working on building endurance. So, from a training point of view at least, it couldn’t have come at a better time.

As travel restrictions eased slightly, we were able to take part in team training camps. I’ve done two land-based training camps and I am just back from Germany. Hopefully we will get on actual snow soon and are hoping to get to Norway soon for training, dependent on new Covid-19 restrictions.

What impact has the current situation had on your training?

The impact of lockdown for me, has given me more time to focus and make the most of training opportunities close to home. This involves a lot of time spent training along the Forth and Clyde Canal, l where I regularly bump into some of the Mackenzie Construction team. One of the hardest things to manage though, is the lack of team time with coaches and the other athletes, as its mentally tougher to get through the hard solo sessions.

What does a typical day at a training camp look like for you?

Both land and snow camps tend to follow a similar pattern. They usually involve training twice a day – one morning session which is more physical, in terms of intensity, and then usually something more technical focused in the afternoon, like weight training or shooting practice for the biathlon. In between sessions, there’s a three-to-fourhour break. This may seem like a lot but we need to include active recovery and mobilisation work in our programme, as well as eating and ensuring the body is fuelled and prepped for sessions.

What support services do you receive as part of your programme and which sporting bodies support your sporting journey?

We have technical skills coaches, physiotherapists, a physiologist and sports psychologist so we’re really supported with the full package. Our Governing Body is GB Snowsport which is the National Governing Body for ski and snowboard disciplines in the UK. We also receive support through the sportscotland institute of sport.

What motivates you during tough training sessions?

One of the big things that has helped when I’ve got to go out and do a hard session on my own is to think of all the other athletes in the world that are doing the same thing right now. Being able to get through the dark, lonely mornings at this time of year is a challenge but I pride myself on doing the right thing when nobody else is watching and this helps pull me through the tough sessions.

What do you do to relax during your downtime?

One of the biggest things sport has taught me, is how important it is to have something I can do to switch off. I spend a lot of time with my dog and have been playing golf which is also a great way to catch up with friends. Usually, I have a few weeks off between training camps, which gives me a chance to do other active pursuits, like climbing. Often this time gives me a chance to engage with my friends and watch rugby which is a huge passion of mine – it’s always great to catch up with the players at the Glasgow Warriors too.

What do you enjoy the most about being Mackenzie Construction’s People Ambassador?

What I enjoy the most is the family feel of the business. From the top, all the way through to being on-site there’s a real camaraderie amongst the workforce. I enjoy connecting with the team - they’re all personable, open people and are receptive to new ideas and change, which I’ve been really impressed with.

Through lockdown I felt a big pull together from Mackenzie Construction, who embraced innovative ways of keeping in touch with the community and making sure people who were isolated were able to be kept in the loop. Another area I’ve been impressed with, is their emphasis on mental health and wellbeing. When attending the Foremen’s Training Course last year, I heard the way the team opened up to voice and share their own experiences which is quite rare, especially in male dominated environments and something they should be very proud of. Andy and Mark really make a point of getting in amongst the team and do a fantastic job of leading by example.

If you had one piece of advice for the Mackenzie Construction team right now what would it be?

The big one for me is keeping a sense of perspective and understanding it’s a very different world we’re living in – we must adapt and keep our eyes open to it. With this, there’s always going to be down periods but it’s a collective experience we’re all going through, so lean on each other and the team around you to try and thrive through it. One thing the team at Mackenzie Construction have been phenomenal at is forging the new normal and grabbing it by the horns rather than waiting for it to come along and hit them. My one piece of advice would be to embrace the change.