Smart surface updates

Welcoming our Smart Surface Research Associate

Having been awarded funding from Innovate UK for a Knowledge Transfer Partnership project with the University of Strathclyde to further test and develop Smart Surface, we have now appointed our Research Associate, Bruna Lopes. Bruna will be working closely with Conor Boyle on Smart Surface with a focus on technical research which will enable us to test and capture the performance of the service under a range of environmental profiles. This is key to the development and growth of Smart Surface which will ultimately help our clients, and ourselves, contribute to the circular economy and reach net zero targets. Welcome, Bruna – we’re excited to see the impact of this important project.

Showcasing Smart Surface to MSP, Graham Simpson

As we continue to develop our innovative Smart Surface service, we were delighted to welcome Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland and Shadow Transport Minister, to showcase the strides we are making in sustainable practices and reaching our net zero targets. Graham initially visited our head office, meeting some of our young people to discuss their training and development journeys. This was then followed by site visits where Graham witnessed a demonstration of Smart Surface in action.

Graham Simpson, Conservative MSP for Central Scotland, said,

“Construction is a vitally important sector to the Scottish economy and Mackenzie Construction plays an important role in supporting that sector and the Scottish economy. “I want to thank Andy Dalrymple and his team for taking the time to showcase the innovative approach they are taking to build a world class training and development environment.

“The Scottish Government will continue to support employers like Mackenzie Construction to invest in skills and training to meet the changing needs of employers, the workforce, young people and Scotland’s economy.”

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Lee Jones has had a glittering rugby career that saw him play for the Warriors for eight years as well as appearances on the Scotland senior squad, the Six Nations, the Commonwealth Games and the IRB World Series Sevens. However, before his time with Glasgow Warriors, Lee graduated with a BEng in Mechanical Engineering from Heriot Watt University and has been exploring engineering as a potential new career following his retiral from Glasgow Warriors in April 2021. Back in October, the former winger took time out from his secondment with Mackenzie Construction, Glasgow Warriors’ official Civil Engineering sponsor, to talk about his passions outside rugby and his hopes and plans for his future career.

When did you first realise you had a passion for engineering?

I think for me it was about the range of subjects that I was good at – every career calculator I did at school pointed towards engineering as the best option for me based on what I enjoyed and did well in. My mum and dad would probably add that when I was young, I was always taking things to bits as I wanted to know how they worked. It’s fair to say that I wasn’t always able to put them back together again at that stage! When I did make the decision to study Mechanical Engineering, I found the broad range of topics and disciplines really challenging but hugely rewarding. It overlapped with my rugby career towards the end, but it was a fantastic experience all round.

Tell us about the placement you’ve been doing at Mackenzie Construction and how that came about? What does a typical day look like for you now?

I was very aware of Mackenzie Construction as part of the Glasgow Warriors family and had met Managing Director, Andy Dalrymple, as part of this partnership. We talked about my interest in engineering and even though Mackenzie Construction is a Civil Engineering Contractor (which is very different to Mechanical Engineering), he offered me an opportunity for a short-term secondment to build my understanding of civil engineering and I jumped at the chance. I’m six weeks into the placement now – I’ve have done a lot of shadowing of the engineers on live sites, getting to know what they do, and I’ve also seen how mechanical elements are applied in their field too. It’s been brilliant so far – a big learning curve but so worthwhile and it is opening my eyes to what my future career might look like.

How has being a professional rugby player (and a Glasgow Warrior) helped to prepare you for the career you’re now exploring at Mackenzie Construction?

I think the biggest parallels I’ve noticed are around strong communication and being a team player. On a construction site where you have a team working on a project (big or small) the connection between them, the communication, the collective skills – for me, the parallels