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.

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.”