Health and safety Update
SEPTEMBER 2017
BOROUGH GREEN UPGRADE
InSite
Iain Gordon and his Health & Safety team are hard at work in anticipation of the procedural changes that will accompany the new machinery arriving at the Borough Green factory from Germany. As the factory upgrade approaches, it is helpful to remember the sheer scale of the work taking place, and what it will mean for the company. Almost all of the equipment within the Borough Green factory will be stripped out, and replaced with cutting-edge machinery from our partners Wehrhahn. apart from the autoclaves themselves, and part of the packaging equipment, much of the Borough Green equipment will be replaced. Whilst this is incredibly exciting for everyone involved with H+H, there are still a few operational issues to consider to ensure that the upgrade does not have any implication for health and safety.
As the new equipment arrives, we will have to totally reassess our approach to health and safety to ensure that risk is kept to a minimum.
works at the factory, the Health and Safety team will take direct responsibility for some processes which normally sit with shift managers.
Wehrhahn will provide us with their own recommendations, but it will be down to the Health and Safety team to develop the standard operating procedures, as well as updating all of the risk assessments surrounding the machines.
The team will be directly responsible for all contractor inductions, safety inspections, fire coordination etc during this period. In addition, the Permit to work system will remain live until it is taken out. Please continue to follow these InSite editions for any further changes in regular protocol.
Much of this work can only take place once the machines are in-situ, and we expect that the updated procedures will be completed by the end of the installation process. For the duration of the upgrade
The upgrade approaches
But crucially too, the upgrade will provide us with a unique opportunity to improve our already strong culture of health and safety, to ensure we minimise the risk to all employees of the company.
Welcome all to another edition of our InSite newsletter. Suddenly we are in to October and our Works teams are firing on all cylinders to ensure that the upgrade programme at Borough Green is concluded promptly. Upgrading Borough Green represents a vital step for H+H UK as well as the wider International Group. It will help us to meet the growing demand for aircrete amongst our partners whilst helping us open up new areas of the business in the process. The success of our recent collaboration with SIG Offsite, the I-House, using Celcon Elements, is a testament to the fact that H+H still has much to offer to the construction industry and that aircrete will hold its own on some of the most innovative projects currently taking place across the country.
During the last few months the focus at both Borough Green and Pollington, has been on manufacturing high volumes of stock which will allow us to maintain continuity of supply for our partners throughout the upgrade. However, there is a great deal of work being done at the Wehrhahn factory which will ensure that the Borough Green works will begin immediately after the factory closes in December. In this edition of InSite we’ll hear about how our equipment partners have been preparing for the upgrade, as well as providing a health and safety update. Everything is proceeding as planned, so my message to all of you is simple: when we conclude this upgrade process we will be a far stronger company and in a better position to supply our customers. Calum Forsyth, MD.
1. What role have you played in the production of the equipment for the H+H factory at Borough Green?
success and productivity of the factory is even more vital. This is why during stress testing; all of the equipment must prove that it is capable of handling a tough 24/7 production life. During the testing, we recreate extremely rough conditions in order to simulate the environment of an AAC factory.
I was the head of the WEHRHAHN Technical Services team when the Borough Green plant was initially set up in 1994. Since then I have been involved in several upgrades and refurbishments at the factory.
4. Were there any areas of particular focus or concern that you were anticipating during the stress testing period of the manufacturing?
The current upgrade project is much larger than a usual refurbishment, so during the planning phase it was my job to identify the particular needs of H+H, and develop suitable solutions for the new challenges. When H+H placed its order in the summer of 2016, I took control of the project on our end as Project Manager. In this role, I have overall responsibility, from the design to manufacturing and testing, right up to the start-up of the new plant.
2. Please provide an outline of the time-frame under which this project has progressed. Right from the start, the strategy was to spread the manufacturing of the equipment over the last three quarters of 2017 and begin shipping it in November. That is the best way of ensuring there was time to test the equipment before shipping it.
The view from WEHRHAHN Jochen Auffarth, Manager of Technical Services at WEHRHAHN, explains his role in the Borough Green upgrade, and how things are coming together from his perspective.
The design work has been completed, and we are now in the manufacturing stage of the process. At WEHRHAHN more than 200 professionals are now involved in the manufacturing and quality assessment process. Function and stress tests for about a quarter of the machinery has been completed, with the tested equipment stocked in a warehouse awaiting transportation to England.
3. Just how important is it to stress-test the equipment before it is sent to England for installation? The stress test is a vital part of the quality assessment of this project. As the time-frame for commissioning and installation is fairly narrow, H+H and WEHRHAHN have made efforts to prepare the equipment and ensure that these two processes take as little time as possible once the equipment arrives at Borough Green. Whilst fast installation is important, the long-term
No. All of the equipment has been designed from the ground up, and I am convinced that all tests will be successful. I am sure there will be minor shortcomings, and areas for improvements too, but that is normal and will be corrected right away.
5. Is any of the equipment still being manufactured, or is the process now focused on quality control and stress-testing of components. The majority of the equipment is still being manufactured. Almost every day a new machine is completed in the workshop. After completion and first inspection, the machines will be wired and connected to the electronic control. If everything is correct, the Automation Specialists will take over and bring the machines online.
6. What logistical challenges must be overcome to safely transport the equipment to the UK safely for installation? Transport is always a risk, especially during winter. We always anticipate poor road conditions and limited capacity on the Channel ferries. The machines will be stowed safely on a flatbed, and then wrapped in plastic film for weather protection. Another challenge is the tight time-frame. The goal is to send 100 trucks within six weeks starting from early November. We are trying to avoid shipments during Christmas-week and during the dismantling of the existing equipment. The last shipments will arrive at Borough Green in January 2018.
1. What role have you played in the production of the equipment for the H+H factory at Borough Green?
success and productivity of the factory is even more vital. This is why during stress testing; all of the equipment must prove that it is capable of handling a tough 24/7 production life. During the testing, we recreate extremely rough conditions in order to simulate the environment of an AAC factory.
I was the head of the WEHRHAHN Technical Services team when the Borough Green plant was initially set up in 1994. Since then I have been involved in several upgrades and refurbishments at the factory.
4. Were there any areas of particular focus or concern that you were anticipating during the stress testing period of the manufacturing?
The current upgrade project is much larger than a usual refurbishment, so during the planning phase it was my job to identify the particular needs of H+H, and develop suitable solutions for the new challenges. When H+H placed its order in the summer of 2016, I took control of the project on our end as Project Manager. In this role, I have overall responsibility, from the design to manufacturing and testing, right up to the start-up of the new plant.
2. Please provide an outline of the time-frame under which this project has progressed. Right from the start, the strategy was to spread the manufacturing of the equipment over the last three quarters of 2017 and begin shipping it in November. That is the best way of ensuring there was time to test the equipment before shipping it.
The view from WEHRHAHN Jochen Auffarth, Manager of Technical Services at WEHRHAHN, explains his role in the Borough Green upgrade, and how things are coming together from his perspective.
The design work has been completed, and we are now in the manufacturing stage of the process. At WEHRHAHN more than 200 professionals are now involved in the manufacturing and quality assessment process. Function and stress tests for about a quarter of the machinery has been completed, with the tested equipment stocked in a warehouse awaiting transportation to England.
3. Just how important is it to stress-test the equipment before it is sent to England for installation? The stress test is a vital part of the quality assessment of this project. As the time-frame for commissioning and installation is fairly narrow, H+H and WEHRHAHN have made efforts to prepare the equipment and ensure that these two processes take as little time as possible once the equipment arrives at Borough Green. Whilst fast installation is important, the long-term
No. All of the equipment has been designed from the ground up, and I am convinced that all tests will be successful. I am sure there will be minor shortcomings, and areas for improvements too, but that is normal and will be corrected right away.
5. Is any of the equipment still being manufactured, or is the process now focused on quality control and stress-testing of components. The majority of the equipment is still being manufactured. Almost every day a new machine is completed in the workshop. After completion and first inspection, the machines will be wired and connected to the electronic control. If everything is correct, the Automation Specialists will take over and bring the machines online.
6. What logistical challenges must be overcome to safely transport the equipment to the UK safely for installation? Transport is always a risk, especially during winter. We always anticipate poor road conditions and limited capacity on the Channel ferries. The machines will be stowed safely on a flatbed, and then wrapped in plastic film for weather protection. Another challenge is the tight time-frame. The goal is to send 100 trucks within six weeks starting from early November. We are trying to avoid shipments during Christmas-week and during the dismantling of the existing equipment. The last shipments will arrive at Borough Green in January 2018.
Health and safety Update
SEPTEMBER 2017
BOROUGH GREEN UPGRADE
InSite
Iain Gordon and his Health & Safety team are hard at work in anticipation of the procedural changes that will accompany the new machinery arriving at the Borough Green factory from Germany. As the factory upgrade approaches, it is helpful to remember the sheer scale of the work taking place, and what it will mean for the company. Almost all of the equipment within the Borough Green factory will be stripped out, and replaced with cutting-edge machinery from our partners Wehrhahn. apart from the autoclaves themselves, and part of the packaging equipment, much of the Borough Green equipment will be replaced. Whilst this is incredibly exciting for everyone involved with H+H, there are still a few operational issues to consider to ensure that the upgrade does not have any implication for health and safety.
As the new equipment arrives, we will have to totally reassess our approach to health and safety to ensure that risk is kept to a minimum.
works at the factory, the Health and Safety team will take direct responsibility for some processes which normally sit with shift managers.
Wehrhahn will provide us with their own recommendations, but it will be down to the Health and Safety team to develop the standard operating procedures, as well as updating all of the risk assessments surrounding the machines.
The team will be directly responsible for all contractor inductions, safety inspections, fire coordination etc during this period. In addition, the Permit to work system will remain live until it is taken out. Please continue to follow these InSite editions for any further changes in regular protocol.
Much of this work can only take place once the machines are in-situ, and we expect that the updated procedures will be completed by the end of the installation process. For the duration of the upgrade
The upgrade approaches
But crucially too, the upgrade will provide us with a unique opportunity to improve our already strong culture of health and safety, to ensure we minimise the risk to all employees of the company.
Welcome all to another edition of our InSite newsletter. Suddenly we are in to October and our Works teams are firing on all cylinders to ensure that the upgrade programme at Borough Green is concluded promptly. Upgrading Borough Green represents a vital step for H+H UK as well as the wider International Group. It will help us to meet the growing demand for aircrete amongst our partners whilst helping us open up new areas of the business in the process. The success of our recent collaboration with SIG Offsite, the I-House, using Celcon Elements, is a testament to the fact that H+H still has much to offer to the construction industry and that aircrete will hold its own on some of the most innovative projects currently taking place across the country.
During the last few months the focus at both Borough Green and Pollington, has been on manufacturing high volumes of stock which will allow us to maintain continuity of supply for our partners throughout the upgrade. However, there is a great deal of work being done at the Wehrhahn factory which will ensure that the Borough Green works will begin immediately after the factory closes in December. In this edition of InSite we’ll hear about how our equipment partners have been preparing for the upgrade, as well as providing a health and safety update. Everything is proceeding as planned, so my message to all of you is simple: when we conclude this upgrade process we will be a far stronger company and in a better position to supply our customers. Calum Forsyth, MD.