The Knowledge: Spring 2023

Welcome to our home for regular updates about Mackenzie Construction. Our team are at the heart of our success and this newsletter aims to ensure we celebrate our achievements and keep you informed of everything you need to know.

SPRING 2023

FOREWORD

I would like to take this opportunity to extend my thanks to everyone for their hard work and commitment over the last 12 months, particularly in implementing new systems and procedures the benefits of which we are now starting to see in terms of both time and cost efficiencies and savings.

People remain at the core of all we do, and I am delighted to welcome those who have recently joined us at Mackenzie Construction. I am also pleased to see so many colleagues take up the opportunities available for training and development which range from IT training to leadership courses with a focus on training, development, and promotion from within.

Workload remains excellent and despite a healthy order book we are continuing to explore opportunities with new clients and increasing the geographical coverage of where we work with regional offices now in Inverness, Dundee and Newcastle.

There is much to share since the last edition of The Knowledge and I am sure the following pages will help ensure you are aware of all the great work and activities that have taken place recently.

Andy Dalrymple Managing Director

Mackenzie Construction has now approved the five-year business plan which maps out our vision for where we want the business to be in 2028. This plan outlines how far we have come to date and sets out our five-year strategy which is focussed around our three brand pillars: Commitment to Net Zero, People Excellence and Innovative Approach.

With over 40 years of construction experience and nearly 300 employees bringing in an annual turnover of £60 million Mackenzie Construction continues to be a leading civil engineering and structural refurbishment contractor in Scotland and northern England.

Our brand vision for 2028 is to be recognised as the contractor of choice by clients, supply chain and employees and to be renowned for industry leadership, exceptional quality, trusted support, and client service excellence. We have a long history in the industry and have fully demonstrated success in several disciplines from road construction to waterways and drainage works while we continue to invest in sustainable growth across all services and projects.

Our commitment to Net Zero is focused on our ambitions as a business and how we can best support our clients in achieving their goals. We recognise the challenge in reducing our carbon footprint, but our journey has already started with our Carbon Plan where we have outlined our actions in order to reach our goal of being carbon neutral by 2040. Our projected reduction trajectory will be regularly reviewed and continual collaboration with our people, clients, supply chain and innovative organisations to support the uptake of new carbon technologies in the construction industry.

Our people are at the very core of what we do, and we are committed to the long-term training and development of the full Mackenzie Construction team. We encourage the sharing of knowledge and skills and have various internal Working Groups to address specific issues such as our Young Peoples Committee, Net Zero Committee, as well as leadership and IT training programmes.

Innovation is integral to Mackenzie Construction’s success and is key to successfully achieving our business objectives over the next five-years. We will endeavour to create a culture of innovation across the business with an aim to make continuous and incremental improvements in all areas. We are eager to seek ideas, create an open enlivenment to share these ideas, nurture innovation, measure success and share our knowledge with the wider industry.

The Mackenzie Construction Business Plan is reliant on our people, and we are confident that we have the right people and right plans in place to continue the sustainable growth of Mackenzie Construction.

Copies of the business plan can be requested from Andy Dalrymple.

CARBON PLAN

The Climate Pledge is the call to businesses and organisations around the world to take collective action and build towards a safe and healthy plan for future generations. Mackenzie Construction have recognised the importance of carbon reduction for our business, our clients and the Scottish Government and steps to move towards our Net Zero goals are already underway.

To meet our targets, we shall be taking a step-by-step approach with all everyone involved in their part of this reduction plan, from small changes like paperless processes to big changes like moving to an electric or hybrid vehicle fleet.

As a civil engineering business our largest carbon impact is from the fuel used across our vehicle fleet, company cars, employees’ own vehicles and site plant. To address this, we have implemented use of HVO fuel on site and we are investigating incentivising staff to change to electric vehicles.

We have scoped three phases to focus on in our Carbon Plan:

• Scope one focusses on where most of our carbon is expelled (98.8%), our vehicle fleet. We will be looking at our hired vehicles, company cars, contract staff vehicles and site plant.

• Scope two addresses the energy suppliers for our office and our sites which currently accounts for 1.1% of our carbon emissions. In spring 2024, our head office will automatically move to a green tariff and our Green Site approach will consider transferring all temporary and permanent energy sources to renewable sources at our sites.

• Scope three will look at the remaining 0.1% of emissions which covers a wide area of elements from waste, business travel, supply chain and digital services. Scope three has been included to ensure we step up and increase reporting year on year as we identify areas we have perhaps missed.

At Mackenzie Construction we appreciate the words of Greta Thunberg “we have to wake up and change” and this will mean changing our approach to our sites, offices and how we go about our daily lives.

Copies of the plan can be requested from requested from Mark.Wilson@mackenzieconstruction.com.

SMART SURFACE UPDATE

Our commitment to innovation and high-quality, progressive products and services has led us to develop Smart Surface™ – the sustainable surfacing solution now offered as our sustainable product offering.

Smart Surface™ is the soil stabilisation solution offered by Mackenzie Construction as a more sustainable surfacing alternative to traditional methods of road and pathway refurbishment and construction. Now officially trademarked, Smart Surface™ allows us to offer clients an innovative low-carbon alternative to traditional surfacing methods helping support our commitment to Net Zero as well as our partners and suppliers commitment to reducing their carbon emissions.

Working with clients including Scottish Water, Scottish Canals, Perth and Kinross Council and Paths for All we have successfully delivered multiple contracts with notable results. Where sufficient material exists it’s possible to have zero importation of aggregates and zero offsite waste disposal. If sites are not aggregate free, we can treat host soils and recycle these into a useful and durable end product in a low carbon, low cost and sustainable manner.

35% TOTAL 35% COST SAVED

8015 KGS OF CO 2 EMISSIONS SAVED

900 METRES 2 OF PATH

REGIONAL SPOTLIGHTS

GLASGOW

With Glasgow being the place Mackenzie was born, we’ve built and established relationships with a number of key clients and partners across the central belt.

We asked our Construction Director, Mark Wilson, to tell us his project highlights from the last 12-months, and he has a lot to touch on.

SCOTTISH WATER

Our continued delivery of work to address water quality for Scottish Water has seen over 100 Clear Water Tanks & District Service Reservoirs being refurbished, the delivery of over 80 critical sampling stations and over 30 bypass projects being carried on large diameter strategic mains.

SCOTTISH CANALS

Working with our partners to complete the critical installation of the Lock Gates at Crinan Canal was a real highlight. The site teams faced challenging conditions but were still able to deliver on time and within budget.

ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS

As part of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh Biomes’ Project, which aimed to conserve plant life through restoration and providing new facilities for cutting edge science, we have successfully delivered enabling works to a value of £850K!

Other notable projects include: the completion of Lionthorn Landscaping Project in Falkirk for new client Green Action Trust, with a value of £700k; The continued success and delivery of Landmarc Support Services projects at Garehochhead and Fort George circa £1.5m has led to new clients Reds 10; Scottish Water Horizons continued healthy delivery of Pumping Stations, SUDS and Vesting works.

Alongside the positive project highlights, it’s been great to see several internal promotions to the demanding role of Project Manager. The following colleagues, who started their careers with MCL as trainees or graduates, have recently been promoted: Jonny Hall, Stuart MacNicol, Craig Waton, Paul Ferry, Scott MacDonald and Chris Magee.

We’ve also successfully introduced the Site Manager role, which elevates long serving and experienced Foremen to advanced management positions. Thomas Baird and Ritchie Bennett have recently progressed into this new position.

Above is a delivery overview showing 156 sites started and finished between March 23rd 2023 and April 24th 2023 (including 115 Sample Taps), 56 ongoing live sites and 108 new contracts by mid 2024.

INVERNESS

Mark Bramley, Regional Director for Northern Scotland, gave us an update on recent progress in Inverness where the team have a new office and new support staff to help our sites in the North.

Since October 2022 the team have sourced and established the Inverness office which has encouraged long-service staff like Bill Henderson and Keith Niven to work from an official MCL office for the first time in over two years!

Mark has also recruited Fiona Stoddart to provide support to the regional team, and has also recruited some water operatives (Ryan McLaughlin, Nathan Hunter and Lewis Fitzgerald) to the team. Additionally, during the last few weeks, Calum Nicolson and Alex Smith have joined the team in temporary roles as Site Supervisor/Engineer and Contract Manager respectively. It’s great to see the team starting to establish itself in the Inverness area and bodes well for the planned growth in the region over the coming months/years.

The primary partners and clients in Inverness are Scottish Water and Scottish Water Horizons but the team have also been working on some smaller scale projects for a variety of locally based private sector clients.

In recent months, Mark’s highlight has been the ongoing and positive working relationship with the Invernessbased Scottish Water team which has seen continued awards of further projects under the SPMA Tank programme and Sample Tap Upgrade programme.

We recently spoke to Robbie MacLean, Contracts Manager at our Dundee site to find out a little bit more about the main works Mackenzie Construction carry out in the Dundee area.

Robbie confirmed that the main partner he works with in the Dundee region are Scottish Water, more specifically as part of the Sub Programme Management Approach (SPMA) programme to repair treated water tanks. The SPMA Repairs Programme have contributed significantly to the repair and refurbishment of treated water storage structures across Scotland which in turn will improve and protect water quality.

Over the past 12-months Peter Neen, our Project Manager, who lives and is based in the East, along with his team have maintained a very high rate of delivery of tanks across the east region for Scottish Water. They work closely with all of the Scottish Water partners to ensure these projects have been safely and efficiently delivered to a very high standard of quality.

The East SPMA Team have just been awarded another substantial number of tanks to be delivered over the next period. This will bring improvements to the quality of water being stored within the assets by carrying out internal and external refurbishment works to prevent ingress and egress into the tanks.

DUNDEE NEWCASTLE

Mark Brown, Contracts Manager at Mackenzie Construction has given us some insight on our Newcastle office, which at present serves all clients south of the border.

Our Newcastle region primarily works with Northumbrian Water on the framework of concrete repairs and refurbishment to service reservoirs with a turnover of £1M per annum. The highlights of this project are continuing support for NWL with tank refurbishment works to improve water quality with a number of schemes ongoing and larger scale ‘named projects’ now moving into the programme. This project allowed for a new office, as well as a growing team that includes some local to the area; a new Lead Project Manager Bob McKinnie, and two new Site Managers, Richy Helens and Iain Cunnginham.

Works at Severn Trent Water are another key focus for our Newcastle Region, with the addition of a new Lead Project Manager, Andrew Kennedy. This project had an increased workload via a new direct allocation strategy which means we no longer need to rely on the competitive tendering, this highlighting the trust and rapport we have built with Severn Trent Water. This strong relationship means we are now carrying out inspections for the client and passing on key advice on the scope of the works, utilising our experience and specialist knowledge of these assets. The turnover for this project is circa £3M per annum, with plenty of scope for growth.

Mark highlighted that the key element for our Newcastle region at the moment is recruitment. So if you know anyone that might be interested in working with us, don’t hesitate to email us at HR@mackenzieconstruction.com to find out about any career opportunities.

Crinan Canal Partnership Work with Scottish Canals

Mackenzie Construction has been utilising the historic Crinan Canal to transport the newly fabricated lock gates that will be used for critical upgrades as part of an ongoing programme of refurbishment works on the canal.

Traditionally used as a shortcut for commercial and sailing vessels, the canal is once again being used for industrial purpose which has minimised disruption to the community by avoiding road closures that would have been necessary to transport the large structures through the small local villages.

Over the winter months, Mackenzie Construction will be working closely with Scottish Canals’ operational team to replace lock gates 12, 13 and 14 with gate 14 also having the full gate actuation replaced.

The Mackenzie Construction project team has been engaging with locals in Lochgilphead, holding two public meetings in September and a further community engagement meeting earlier this month to discuss the progress of works to date. We welcomed the public to see the fish relocation from the dewatered canal sections to protect fish species and we have also arranged access for the public to visit the site in early December.

“We are striving to ensure the local communities surrounding the Crinan Canal are kept informed of project progress throughout. The lock gate upgrades are critical to securing the future of the canal which is used by many locals and tourists for health, leisure and social purposes.”

Richard Millar, Chief Operating Officer at Scottish Canals added:

“Utilising water-based machinery to transport four pairs of lock gates from Ardrishaig to Crinan was a significant milestone in this year’s planned winter works on the Crinan Canal. This reduced disruption for the local community, while demonstrating our commitment to reducing carbon emissions.

“We’re delighted that Mackenzie Construction work so closely with us to keep the local communities up to date with the project, and for their enthusiasm to facilitate unique opportunities for people to discover the canal and its incredible historic infrastructure from a new perspective.

“The canal attracts thousands of visitors by land and water each year, provides benefits for the communities here, and generates investment for the local economy. Our essential works programme, following Scottish Canals’ Asset Management Strategy, will

safeguard the waterway for all, for the years to come.”

UAV365 Partnership

We are delighted to announce a new partnership with UAV365 that provides our clients with industryleading digital surveying and data capture services. This partnership further enhances our structural refurbishment capabilities and reaffirms our commitment to building our reputation as one of the UK’s leading contractors for structural refurbishment.

UAV365 provide drone-based data solutions across the UK surveying, inspecting, and monitoring with aerial and internal drone platforms. Using the latest Unmanned Aerial Vehicle equipment to create high quality 3D models and imagery. This equipment can access hazardous and inaccessible environments, making UAV365 the perfect partner for Mackenzie Construction to help support their Surveying and Inspection services and collect data from both above and below-ground environments.

Our Managing Director, Andy Dalrymple says “Our partnership with UAV365 aligns with our vision to be recognised as the leading civil engineering and structural refurbishment contractor of choice. The highly innovative and forwardthinking technology UAV365 bring to us meets one of our key values of being a progressive company.

Gavin Chesney, Contracts Manager at Mackenzie Construction shared:

Here at Mackenzie Construction, we have a huge passion for continuous improvement and progressive approaches while we strive to work smarter for a more sustainable future.”

UAV365 use a hybrid of the latest technologies to capture data at live sites, steering away from the traditional methods of surveying such as GPS and utilising state-ofthe-art UAVs and LiDAR to provide survey grade information. This data is then processed in-house by UAV365, to provide Mackenzie Construction’s clients with topographic drawings, pointclouds, 3D models, digital surface models and orthomosaics.

This partnership is part of our ongoing digital transformation strategy and reinforces our commitment to exploring new technologies to add further value to clients. Following a successful first site visit and drone inspection at a Clean Water Service Reservoir on 11th March, UAV 365 was able to gather primary data collection on all structural components of the asset, with specific attention on all potentially comprised areas and any defects noted within the tank.

This partnership will directly impact our commitment to Net Zero and sustainability targets by reducing the overall carbon footprint on site. UAV365 inspections negate the need for an equipped survey team to enter and review hazardous areas

and also capture detailed data to support our clients in facilitating strategic planning and more efficient site maintenance.

Wooden Spoon Charity Partnership

At Mackenzie Construction we are committed to giving back and each year we support a local charity by raising money and awareness for a cause close to our hearts.

We are delighted to announce that this year we will be fundraising for Wooden Spoon, an organisation that makes a huge difference in the lives of children and young people throughout the UK. Our recent growth into Inverness, Dundee and Newcastle will encourage regional fundraising and increase the reach of our support for this great cause.

Wooden Spoon was born from friendly competition between rival rugby teams and has grown into an organisation that holds youth development & accessibility at its core. Now boasting three Scottish bases covering the central belt, Aberdeen and Inverness, Wooden Spoon is committed to supporting a diverse range of community projects in Scotland and has granted more than £4 million to over 100 life-changing initiatives.

Having previously supported the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, Cancer Support Scotland, and local mental health charity Chris’s House, we are

humbled to be raising money and awareness for another wonderful cause in our local areas. With the new office in Inverness now up and running, we’re excited to widen our fundraising efforts and support even more communities than before.

In previous years our team have had great fun coming together to raise money and awareness by taking part in running events, cycling challenges, football matches and even Christmas jumper competitions. Our Health and Wellbeing Committee have been working on an exciting programme of events for this year and we look forward to coming together for another great cause.

Our Health and Wellbeing Committee Chairperson, Alison Irwin shared:

“Choosing our annual charity is an important and difficult decision for the business, with so many welldeserved organisations in need of support. This year, we are delighted to be supporting a cause that offers support throughout all the areas we are working and we’re really looking forward to getting everyone together and raising money for some brilliant causes.”

IT TRAINING

Mackenzie Construction recently partnered with Digital Construction Skills to deliver IT Training to all their Site Foremen – over 60 members of staff benefited from this training course where they learned basic email and IT skills to help increase efficiencies on-site.

The training sessions were delivered over the course of two months and discussed barriers that were identified regarding internal IT security and to discuss the changes to procurement within their teams and the impact this will have on their job roles.

David Wylie, Procurement Manager, joined the training at the start of each session to explain the recent changes to the procurement process and how this aims to improve their working day.

The objective of this training was to ensure that all Site Foremen were proficient in email skills to be able to support this new procurement process.

David said of the sessions, ‘It was great to see the whole group of participants being actively engaged in this training and to be able to share the recent changes to the procurement process in their areas.

It’s important that we continue to develop and support our wider teams to ensure they feel comfortable & confident in using technology, where required, and have the opportunity to build on these skills for their own personal development.’

Gail McEwan from Digital Construction Skills said, ‘The fact that Mackenzie Construction identified the need for basic IT training and used it as a stepping stone to get everyone in the company up to the same level is fantastic.

They are paving the way for construction training and are industry leaders in employee training and development.’

Due to the success of our IT Training session, we have organised another training programme with Digital Construction Skills covering bespoke Excel training.

LEADERSHIP TRAINING

Mackenzie Construction’s Senior Contracts Engineers and Site Managers recently undertook a Management and Leadership Programme. The programme is designed to help develop management and leadership skills to help Mackenzie Construction employees in their current roles and as they progress in their careers.

The programme ran as six one-day sessions spread over the period of six weeks, with each session covering a different topic, and the final session being held at Scotstoun Stadium, Glasgow. In the final session, attendees shared a presentation on their reflections from the course and how they will utilise their new skills gained within their respective roles, and within the business.

Prior to the workshop, Mackenzie Construction participants completed the Insights Discovery personality profile to allow some wider understanding of the participant’s leadership style and helped to identify their preferred approach in leadership situations and provided them with a guide on interacting effectively. This task brought awareness to different personality types and showcased how best to work alongside particular personalities to be more effective in the workplace. Allowing Mackenzie Construction staff to better understand their strengths, weaknesses, and potential developmental areas.

The Management and Leadership programme put a large focus on being highly interactive in group workshops, including group discussions, presentations, interactive exercises, and guest speakers. The aim of these group workshops is to encourage better leadership thinking and sustaining leadership effectiveness. These workshops covered topics such as leadership impact, personal effectiveness, communication and influencing, getting the most from your people and dealing with difficult situations.

The programme also included two 1-2-1 coaching sessions for each person attending the course. The first session focused on thinking about career ambitions and implications for development. The second coaching session, delivered after the programme, helped identify a series of relevant learning and development activities to grow the employee’s own capabilities in line with what Mackenzie Construction requires of people in more senior roles.

A successful application to the CITB for funding has allowed us to carry out another leadership training programme for all Heads of Department at MCL. This six-week course has just commenced, with more programmes to follow.

‘A big thank you goes out to Graeme Crombie from Matrix Consulting for delivering such a fantastic leadership & management programme to the Mackenzie Construction team. We are always striving for continuous improvement and investing strongly in our people through training and personal development, aiding current roles and allowing for career progression.’ Andy Dalrymple, Managing Director.

SUPPLY CHAIN ENGAGEMENT EVENT

Mackenzie Construction held its first Supply Chain Engagement event in several years on Friday 21st April 2023 at Scotstoun Stadium. The event was split in to two halves – firstly Mackenzie Construction sharing information and updates followed by table discussions to allow our supply chain to share information and feedback with members of our senior management team.

Managing Director, Andy Dalrymple opened the event giving a business update. This included informing attendees on who Mackenzie Construction’s Senior Leadership Team are and their roles within the business and giving an update on the growth of Mackenzie Construction. Andy concluded his presentation with a refresh of the Mackenzie Construction Brand Pillars; commitment to net zero, people excellence and innovative approach, which the Mackenzie Construction supplier code of conduct reinforces.

David Wylie took to the stage next to introduce Mackenzie Construction’s new procurement team, which has grown in recent months and now consists of Buyer, Ciara Cushley, Hire Controller John Martin and Purchasing Administrator Caroline McDonald.

Scott Harvey also spoke at the event to discuss areas of focus for which the support of Mackenzie Construction’s supply chain was requested. He made reference to the vendor onboarding journey and the internal review procedure to ensure that all new health and safety procedures were noted and discussed.

The presentations concluded with an environmental update from Mark Wilson, focusing on one of Mackenzie Construction’s brand pillars, Net Zero.

Attendees then broke off into groups allowing Mackenzie Construction’s supply chain to share their feedback on how best Mackenzie Construction can support them in safely and efficiently delivering works on site. The breakoff groups allowed Mackenzie Construction to gather learnings from their supply chain, with a key theme of effective planning and preparation being completed prior to any work commencing. This communication is crucial at all levels and at all stages of the procurement and delivery lifecycle.

The session concluded with a viewing of the Glasgow Warriors Captain’s Run where the group were able to watch the team in their final training session before their match against Connacht – which they won! Watching the Captain’s Run provided an excellent networking opportunity for many of our supply chain who have been working with Mackenzie Construction for more than 30 years.

David Wylie, Procurement Manager said, ‘We’re pleased with the number from our supply chain who joined us for this session. This is the first time in over seven years that we have made a change to our internal procurement process and it’s integral that this aligns with our commitment to our three brand pillars and that all of our partners are aware of the standards we set to ensure we’re delivering the best service possible.’

Q&A WITH OUR PROJECT MANAGER, SCOTT MACDONALD

What initially motivated you towards a career in civil engineering?

When I left school, I knew the academic route was not the best option for me. I was more of a handson learner and needed to be part of the task to truly understand it. I had the opportunity to join Mackenzie Construction as an apprentice when I was 17 and jumped at the opportunity to learn hands-on with a day of college one day a week. As a typical boy, the machines and type of work at Mackenzie Construction really piqued my interest. I was fortunate to work on some great projects from a young age which helped develop my love for construction.

Where is your current position based and can you give me a bit of background about your career history at Mackenzie Construction?

I completed my modern Apprenticeship with MCL when I was 21 and after I qualified I took a year’s sabbatical to travel the world before returning to MCL as a site engineer for a further two years. A new opportunity arose, and I moved on from Mackenzie Construction in my early 20’s, but fate brought me back when I met Mark Wilson 15 years later at the gym and he asked me to come back to help with the SPMA programme with Scottish water. I currently oversee frameworks with Scottish Water and Severn Trent Water from the Glasgow office and I’m very happy to be back, at the place that first sparked my love for the industry.

How do you feel that the projects you have worked on with MCL have impacted the communities around them?

For me, construction is the future, it allows us to adapt and thrive in a constantly evolving world. The big things like roads and buildings are impressive but it’s the quiet things that are the most important. People want clean, safe, water, they want sanitary drainage and waste removal. Most people don’t think about how these things come and go in their lives and that’s because they are done well. Construction’s greatest success is when there is no noticeable impact and life works just as it should.

What do you find is the best part of your day-to-day job?

The people really do make Mackenzie Construction a great place to work, the general day-to-day chat and company are one of the best things about the job, but I really enjoy working with our junior team members. Throughout my career, I’ve always been passionate about the development of eager young people and enjoy being able to help them develop their skills and live up to their full potential.

What has been your biggest career highlight to date?

My first job with MCL will always be my favourite, the groundwork for a new store and tunnel access to Marks and Spencer on Argyle Street, Glasgow for Tarmac. It was a massive undertaking with so many different facets of construction that I was able to learn a lot in such a short period of time. As my career has developed and my role progressed my recent highlight is setting up two successful framework delivery teams to successfully deliver water retaining structure repairs for both Scottish Water and Severn Trent Water

Q&A WITH OUR SITE AGENT, PAUL DUNNE

What initially motivated you towards a career in civil engineering?

Growing up the thought of working in an office doing the same things day in and day out never appealed to me so I wanted something that meant I wouldn’t be in the same location for an extended period of time, I wanted different challenges each day. Since a young age, I’ve always been interested in how buildings, roads and general infrastructure are constructed so this led to me studying Civil Engineering at university and going on to get a career in it when I graduated.

Where is your current position based and can you give me a bit of background about your career history at Mackenzie Construction?

I’ve been with Mackenzie Construction for almost nine years, I started as a site engineer and have progressed up to site agent over this time. I’ve always worked on deep drainage and sewers with the majority of work being undertaken for Scottish Water and Scottish Water Horizons.

I’m currently working in Edinburgh repairing a Brick Built Combined Sewer which has badly deteriorated over the years and caused a sinkhole, this is next to a major gas main that supplies most of Edinburgh so there are a lot of engineering and potential H&S difficulties that we need to overcome to successfully complete this project.

How do you feel that the projects you have worked on with MCL have impacted the communities around them?

Although the majority of the projects we work on cause temporary delays and inconveniences to local residents and/or businesses during the construction phase they all ultimately have a positive impact on local communities which vary from flood prevention works, improving sewer and surface water networks and improving existing roads/pedestrian footpaths.

What do you find is the best part of your day-to-day job?

Overcoming any challenges that arise onsite. Most recently, the project I’m currently working on in Edinburgh. We were employed by Scottish Water to repair a collapsed small diameter sewer which was initially thought to have caused a sinkhole. However,

upon further investigation, we found that the large diameter brick built combined sewer next to it was in very poor condition and this was the root cause of the sinkhole. We had an initial design to completely remove the deteriorated brick built combined sewer but after several meetings with SGN and their designers, we were advised by them not to remove this as it could cause movement and ultimately failure of their large diameter gas main which is in very close proximity to it.

As a result, we have had to come up with a solution of fitting a new pipe through the existing brick built combined sewer, due to the awkward shape and difficult access conditions we have had to get specialist pipes fabricated to exact dimensions and angles so they can be lowered down into the existing structure and built in situ. Before any of this can go ahead, we have had to get GPR surveys carried out to locate any voids around the existing structure and the gas main which will need to be filled by injecting a polyacrylate non-expansive grout that will improve the surrounding ground conditions and prevent differential settlement of the ground and the gas main.

What has been your biggest career highlight to date?

Mauldslie Bridge was a challenging and unique project for me. It is a category A listed building that was in a state of disrepair and SW needed this so their tankers could access their WWTW. Due to the poor structural integrity of this, we had to carry out full repairs and structural strengthening works to get this open to SW tankers and the public again.

There were many different parts to this project including, structural repairs, stone masonry repairs, drainage, working over a watercourse with varying water levels so we had to use an overhanging scaffold to repair the underside of the three arches over the Clyde and there were also ecology issues where we had to build bat bricks out of sandstone and fit into the bridge structure so we complied with ecology licenses from Nature Scot. Overcoming these issues and successfully completing the project was a highlight as it involved a lot of thought, problem-solving, planning and management of multiple contractors.

CELEBRATING LIFE-LONG CAREERS SCOTT MCGUIGAN

Scott McGuigan has been with Mackenzie Construction for 30 years this year, he joined the business at 18 years old in 1993.

Scott’s father, Shug McGuigan first introduced him to Mackenzie Construction as Shug himself was working for them at the time, and even still works for them today. Scott’s first job title at Mackenzie Construction was Labourer, which today would be described as an Operative. Scott began on the civil side of the company, working on numerous contracts such as landscaping, any kind of paving, concrete work, and kerbing. He moved from that operative role to a ganger role and finally moved into the role of foreman, which he has been carrying out since 2006. Scott receives regular training from Mackenzie Construction and has done over the past 30 years which helps him to learn and implement new skills into every job he undertakes. More recently, over the last two years, he started working on the Scottish Water works, again learning new skills. Working on the water tanks has been a great opportunity for Scott to learn different aspects and ways of working.

Scott talks about his career fondly and recalls some of his highlights being a number of Edinburgh contracts that Mackenzie Construction carried out. The Lothian Road contract where Mackenzie Construction had to lay new slabs on the footpaths on either side without putting pedestrians on the road. During a contract on The Royal Mile where works were being carried out outside the old Parliament building, Scott saw Tommy Sheridan and Jack McConnell on a daily basis and Uncle Bates heckling them. He also makes note of works Mackenzie Construction did on Princes Street, working on the Trams contract, which was the biggest site he had worked on, with up to 150 men on-site daily.

When asked about his mentor when he first started at Mackenzie Construction, Scott without hesitation mentioned his Dad (Shug). He mentioned that Shug

Years

continues to pass on his knowledge and still gives the occasional rollicking. He believes he truly learned from the best and believes it to be the reason he is still at Mackenzie Construction today, and to quote Scott, ‘cheers Da’.

Scott enjoys sharing his knowledge with some of the young engineers and immersing himself in jobs with various squad members and various squads. He believes it gives a well-rounded experience at Mackenzie Construction for all parties, as well as ensuring that a dull day never goes by.

Scott’s favourite thing about working for Mackenzie Construction over the last 30 years is the security of having a job that is backed up by so many good people in the company. He values his fellow employees, and it makes going to work each day, that much more enjoyable.

DANIEL BROWN RYAN GOURLAY

Daniel Brown is celebrating 10 years at Mackenzie Construction. He first started at the business in April 2013 as an apprentice/ trainee. Daniel progressed into his current role as a site agent through development working on multiple clients and projects. As he undertook these different projects and worked alongside

new clients, his skills continued to grow to allow him to progress in his career.

When asked about his career highlight so far at Mackenzie Construction Daniel could pick just one. His first highlight was being part of the team delivering the Kirkcudbright AJAX project ahead of programme completion to a high standard highly regarded by the client. Daniel’s second highlight was being part of the Crinan Canal Project. His team installed three sets of lock gates to a high standard, amongst additional works being carried out to this same high standard, allowing the canal to reopen on time and as planned.

Daniel describes himself as being lucky in his career as he had several mentors during his time at Mackenzie Construction. When he first started back in 2013, he worked under Robbie Maclean who showed him how the business worked as well as key pieces of information when managing sites such as quality and HSE. He also tells of working alongside some of the best foremen over the years at Mackenzie Construction who helped his development from a construction and site perspective. Daniel currently works under Gavin Chesney and has been for the last five to six years, and believes his mentoring has been crucial in his career development.

Daniel’s fond mentoring experience at Mackenzie Construction, made him want to be a mentor also. He currently mentors various engineers from trainee level to senior contract engineers, with the aim to assist them and develop their careers and overall skillsets.

The overall family feel Mackenzie Construction has given Daniel over the last 10 years has been the reason for his contentment in his career. He has really enjoyed the people he has worked alongside over the years and is truly grateful for the vast opportunities to work on interesting projects and clients, as well as developing great relationships within the business and with clients.

Ryan Gourlay has been with Mackenzie Construction for 10 years. He began his journey with us as a general operative and progressed to ganger before finishing up in his current role as foreman.

During Ryan’s first few years at Mackenzie Construction he spent his time completing jobs in the civil engineering realm and in more recent years he has completed jobs in waterproofing. Ryan has picked up many other jobs wherever he was required over his 10 years with us, including machine and operator tickets.

We asked Ryan if he could talk to us about his career highlight with Mackenzie Construction and he couldn’t pick just one. He talks of having taken part in and completed many successful jobs with Mackenzie Construction. Ryan spoke of Mackenzie Construction as a company being his career highlight due to the support and kindness they have given him throughout a period of illness and coming back to work. He is grateful for the help and generosity provided by MCL and how his colleagues were so inclusive and welcoming upon his return.

Ryan tells of how Mark Wilson has shaped where he is in his career. Mark was there to help Ryan in his career progression and allowed him to advance into his current role as foreman. Mark’s mentoring to Ryan was crucial in both his professional and personal development. Ryan is keen to follow in Mark’s footsteps and aims to provide that same level of mentorship onto the 7 men who are in his team. He wants to offer his personal and professional experiences to help shape their careers.

Ryan’s favourite thing about working for Mackenzie Construction is the whole structure of the company. He loves how at every stage of your career journey there are quality training opportunities provided. Ryan fondly talks of how helpful Mackenzie Construction and his colleagues are and gives thanks for their support through the challenges and triumphs over the last 10 years.

FOOTBALL SHIRT SPONSOR

We’re always looking for ways to support the communities that we work in, and we’ve been delighted to sponsor the Riverside Girls Football Club in Stirling for the past three years.

The club support their local community in many ways from Walking Football to the boys and girls clubs and it’s been great to be part of the team.

One of their recent highlights was the girls’ U14 and U16 group weekend in Manchester, where they were coached by Manchester City coaches which was an incredible opportunity for them and the local management team!

Riverside have also formed a new Partnership with Stirling University providing a clear development pathway with the creation of an U18’s and Women’s Development team linked to the University SWPL Team. With the Girls team goalkeeper developing to a level where she has been signed by Heart of Midlothian FC there are interesting times ahead.

We wish the team all the best this season and we can’t wait to cheer you on from the stands.

Alan Montgomery, Contracts Director at Mackenzie Construction, whose daughter plays for the team said of the partnership, “It’s been great to be able to support a local club who make such a difference in their community, and I know as this relationship continues to build, we can strengthen our local ties and build our reputation in the community”.

GLASGOW WARRIORS Litter Pick Support

As part of our sponsorship agreement with Glasgow Warriors, we are always looking at ways to build our relationship and support the local community where possible.

Mackenzie Construction recently supported a local ‘litter pick’ where the full Glasgow Warriors team which included players and support staff, helped to clean at Victoria Park and along the Scotstoun Nature Trail.

The team spent the day collecting rubbish and helping to clean up our neighbourhood and we could not have been happier to support this event. We provided picks, gloves and bags for the team and will be looking to support events like these more in the future.

ALLY MILLER Work Experience

Our partnership with the Glasgow Warriors continues to grow and is one that is very important to the business. Together we both share a keen passion in talent development and recently we welcomed Warrior, Ally Miller, to Mackenzie Construction for work experience to provide him with insight into our business.

Ally spent the first half of the day at our Head Office, meeting and speaking with all our head office teams and received an introduction to the business from Mark Wilson. Following this he then visited the Stockingfield Bridge site to see a Mackenzie Construction site team in action. We hope to continue to welcome other players in the future to be able to provide experience of our business and insight into the wider industry.

LINKING COMMUNITIES IN NORTH EDINBURGH

The Background

Part of the Transport Infrastructure Frameworks included upgrading some essential ‘Core Paths’. This was a joint venture between the City of Edinburgh Council, Sustrans, and Mackenzie Construction, where a request was issued to determine the cost of upgrading an existing footpath located within the Granton area of North Edinburgh. The path was in poor condition and ran between Caroline Park Avenue and West Shore Road, linking an area of old industry buildings and the historical site of Granton Castle’s Walled Gardens.

The Challenge

Having been in a state of misuse in some areas for a number of years, different sections of these works brought their own unique challenges. This pathway had to remain open and unblocked throughout the works to ensure local businesses, schools and tourist attractions were accessible to the public. Planned activities at The Granton Walled Gardens had to be considered to ensure access was maintained to a safe and suitable standard. Collaborations with archaeologists were required to ensure that any historical artefacts found in the excavation phase were handled properly.

The Scope

The objective of this project was to widen the existing footpath from Caroline Park Avenue and create a new 250m+ long asphalt footpath & cycle path. This new stretch of path would run continuously from Caroline Park Avenue to West shore road, forming and repairing the existing gravel and overgrown pathway. This would form an extension of existing foot and cycle paths already within the Granton area and allow for an established access route from West Shore Road through to Caroline Park Avenue.

The Solution

While there were several challenges, the project was delivered on time and within budget for the City of Edinburgh Council. Throughout the project, the Mackenzie Construction team worked well and collaborated efficiently with external stakeholders and their site teams. A phased approach was developed to deliver the works in sections, splitting the north and south end requirements to create working areas and allow for safe and secure access to all areas of this public path. The final stages of the upgraded path were completed in December of 2022 and have received praise from local stakeholders at Granton Castle Walled Gardens and have improved the area markedly. New street lighting through this section will also improve the area for local residents travelling at night.