Construction & Civil Engineering Issue 192 October 2021

www.ccemagazine.com 192 OCTOBER

Promising certainty The primary goal of SOCOTEC UK is to ensure the integrity and performance of its clients’ assets and the safety of their people See page 30

Resort unveiled: TRSDC shares the design plans for the spectacular Desert Rock project F World’s first: Balfour Beatty has successfully built the world’s inaugural T-pylon

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Chairman Andrew Schofield

EDITOR

www.ccemagazine.com 192 OCTOBER

Managing Director Joe Woolsgrove Editor Libbie Hammond libbie@schofieldpublishing.co.uk Assistant Editor Will Daynes Staff Writers Alex McDonald Danielle Champ Managing Art Editor Fleur Daniels

Promising certainty The primary goal of SOCOTEC UK is to ensure the integrity and performance of its clients’ assets and the safety of their people See page 30

Resort unveiled: TRSDC shares the design plans for the spectacular Desert Rock project F World’s first: Balfour Beatty has successfully built the world’s inaugural T-pylon F

Getting greener

Art Editor David Howard Advertising Designer Paul Gillings Sales Director Alasdair Gamble Operations Director Philip Monument Operations Manager Natalie Griffiths Research Managers Jo-Ann Jeffery James Page Ben Richell Editorial Researchers Adam Blanch, Mark Cowles Jeff Goldenberg, Mark Kafourous James Page, Wendy Russell, Richard Saunders Advertising Sales Johanna Bailey, Jessica Eglington Alex Hartley, Theresa McDonald, Ibby Mundhir, Sam Surrell,

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ello and welcome to the October issue of Construction & Civil Engineering. I was very interested to read Lee Marshall’s feature on page 10 – his assertion that the ‘invention of the lightbulb was one of the worst things to happen to the construction industry’ is certainly controversial! If you want to find out what he means, you

Web Sales web@schofieldpublishing.co.uk

will have to read the full story – his premise is fascinating.

Subscriptions i.kidd@schofieldpublishing.com

that we constantly return to – in this magazine on page 12 we also share details

Administrator Jessica Olley

Lee’s feature does essentially have sustainability at its heart and this is a topic

about a new concrete repair system that is helping reimagine the way concrete is composed and used.

Our profiles companies are also dedicated to being greener and considering the environment in their projects. For example in our report on the operations of

Construction & Civil Engineering Magazine

SOCOTEC, our interviewee Peter Godfrey, SOCOTEC UK’s major projects director, stated that: “Sustainability considerations are fully integrated in our business

@CCE_magazine

decision-making, implemented through such applications as environmental awareness training for our employees, measuring our carbon footprint and promoting a sustainable approach to all of our clients and stakeholders.”

© 2021 Schofield Publishing Ltd Schofield Publishing Cringleford Business Centre, 10 Intwood Road, Cringleford, Norwich, NR4 6AU, U.K. Tel: +44 (0)1603 274130 www.ccemagazine.com Please note: The opinions expressed by contributors and advertisers

What are your environmental credentials and can they be improved?

Libbie Hammond Editor

within this publication do not necessarily coincide with those of the editor and publisher. Every reasonable effort is made to ensure that the information published is accurate, and correct at time of writing, but no legal responsibility for loss occasioned by the use of such information can be accepted by the publisher. All rights reserved. The contents of the magazine are strictly copyright, the property of Schofield Publishing, and may not be copied, stored in a retrieval system, or reproduced without the prior written permission of the publisher.

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REGULAR FEATURES 4

SUPPLY CHAIN

A series of crises have left the British building industry with supply chain challenges. Does the key to a dynamic future lie in better

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COVER STORY

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training and recruitment?

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GROUNDS MAINTENANCE

Why companies in this sector are having to think differently to survive and thrive in what is a hugely volatile climate that includes staffing and Covid challenges

10 SUSTAINABILITY Why it is time to turn things around, redefine living spaces and get away from traditional square houses with big roofs

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CONCRETE

Global building products manufacturer Sika is among companies aiming to reimagine the way concrete is composed and used

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SOCOTEC UK

Metro Mechanical

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MTX Contracts Ltd

PGR Builders and Timbe

REMEDIATION

When is the optimal time to engage a remediation specialist – why you need to consider the ‘who’, the ‘how’ and the ‘when’

20 SUSTAINABILITY Why more thought needs to be given to the type of structures and urban spaces that we want to create, and other design questions we need to be asking

22 DIGITAL CONSTRUCTION To navigate the disruption in the wake of Covid-19 and increase efficiency, contractors and engineers ned to consider digital

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Blue Phoenix Group

John Nicholls (Trading) Ltd.

solutions

26 NEWS Updates and information from the construction and civil engineering market

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CONTENTS

COMPANY PROFILES

cal

d Timber Merchants

Ltd.

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Highwood Group

Indoor Climate Systems

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Arcadis UK & Ireland

Gripple

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Rochford Construction Ltd

L Lynch Plant Hire & Haulage

Total Vehicle Solutions Group

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SUPPLY CHAIN

Dynamic future

The ‘perfect storm’ of Brexit, Covid and the Suez blockage has left the British building industry in the midst of a supply chain crisis, but it could bring about long-overdue change, says Dan Grimshaw

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an, founder of design and construction firm Beam Development, says the present disruption, although tough to take, could ultimately hasten the modernisation of the sector and deliver a fundamentally different ‘new normal’.

“If we look at the current dominance of next-day delivery options, we need to ask whether it is the most efficient and sustainable way of doing things,” said Dan. “Suppliers have little idea what is coming down the line, because nobody is looking forward; they are just looking back at what

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Dan Grimshaw

they sold last week and the week before and basing the next week’s orders on that.

“For the industry to adapt and flourish, we need to co-ordinate information across the supply chain and embrace the use of new digital technologies, such as product configurators or cloud manufacturing. It could lead to a visible shift to a more-considered, more-productive, more-planned way of working in the next five to ten years.”

Dan says employing a more vigorous project management process could also lead to a reappraisal of geographic links and vulnerabilities. “Each sector of materials has its own story,

but all of those stories are interconnected by Covid and Brexit,” added Dan. “Hitherto builders and contractors have had little idea where their materials came from because they had no need to ask about the breakdown and traceability of products. But since leaving Europe and the start of the pandemic, we are more tuned into how and why a supply chain might be affected.

There is an appreciation of where materials are coming from and the challenges of procuring and transporting them. From being dependent on next-day-delivery options and doing things in bits and bobs,

adapting to the new changes will ultimately make the sector more productive.

“Ordering ten bags of cement for tomorrow and then 50 in the next day or when you need it, is not necessarily the most efficient way of doing things.

Thinking and planning ahead a bit more is no bad thing. And from a sustainability point of view, the harder it is to get hold of something, the more valuable it becomes. Scarcity increases value, and in turn you attach more value to it.”

Dan says the future may see the decline of just-in-timestyle procurement and the increasing importance of project

management and says this will also require training. “For the sector to prosper, we urgently need to develop and nurture the people that work for us. We need more home-grown permanent staff and to build teams and keep them, rather than just drafting people in.

“The key to a dynamic future lies in training, on-boarding and recruiting people into the sector from an early age and who have an energetic outlook to their prospects and their career.

Without doubt the industry has a daunting task ahead of it that will require bold and agile moves and deft navigation, but the size of the prize is enormous.”

Dan Grimshaw is a design and construction specialist based in Bath and London who has worked on premium residential projects for more than 15 years. Dan believes in the importance of nurturing talent and is a mentor to the British Library’s prestigious Innovating for Growth programme, and is on the jury for the BLT Built Design Awards 2021. Dan is also the founder of Beam, a full-service construction company that specialises in restoring, renovating and building bespoke, premium residential homes in London.

For more information, please see:

www.beamdevelopment.co.uk

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GROUNDS MAINTENANCE

Maintaining

environments Marc Wilkinson discusses the challenges of keeping things neat and tidy in a messy marketplace

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Marc Wilkinson, National Operations Director at Ground Control

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ike many other industries, the grounds maintenance sector has seen many of the issues it faces brought into much sharper focus by the Covid-19 crisis. Its response to these challenges has created an even more competitive landscape that has been intensified further due to clients demanding similar or higher levels of service at a lower cost.

When you add in an industry-wide recruitment crisis and weather conditions that have been driving incredible levels of vegetation growth over the last few months, it’s little wonder companies in the sector are having to think differently to survive and thrive in this hugely volatile climate.

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GROUNDS MAINTENANCE

For many sectors, it’s important grounds maintenance companies continue plying their trade, especially when premises are public-facing and image is an essential part of their overall offer. The retail industry is particularly reliant on grounds maintenance and is the sector that has the most frequent demand for such work too – they need an aesthetically pleasing landscape to attract customers and that means we need to stay on top of it more than we would if appearance was less of a factor. But other sectors count on the industry to keep their environments in trim too, notably utilities, public transport and local government.

Services we offer range from arboriculture and landscaping to pothole repair and pest control, but the bulk of the work involves grass cutting, shrub and hedge maintenance and weed control, which accounts for at least 80 per cent of our activities. But increasingly, the industry is branching out into other, more niche services – partly down to customer demand but also due to a general need among companies within the sector to diversify their offer to compete.

Among such new services are installing electric vehicle (EV) charging points not only on public highways for local government and on site at commercial properties but also at company employees’ premises so they can charge their vehicles when at home. While we are yet to reach a ‘tipping point’ of widespread EV adoption, more and more companies are looking to transition their fleets or delivery vehicles over to electric as they look for ways of reducing their carbon footprint, so this is likely to become a significant area of growth.

Responding to the challenge of climate change in ways such as this will be a significant driver of

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change in the industry for years to come. Fuelled by increasingly unpredictable and mixed weather patterns, plant growth rates are soaring, which means we not only need more people to control it, we also need to think of new ways of dealing with it.

It’s no secret the industry is in the middle of a recruitment crisis, struggling to compete for talent against other sectors and seeing a large decline in the number of available, willing candidates following the UK’s exit from the EU. Companies in the sector recognise this and most have signed up to the Real Living Wage Foundation to make salaries more attractive and we’re all increasingly looking to offer more apprenticeships, so potential candidates see there’s a genuine career path they can follow in grounds maintenance.

At Ground Control, we’ve taken that one step further, launching a scheme called Changing the Landscape that aims to reach agricultural and horticulture students and offering them a route to small business ownership.

Alongside this, the industry is turning to technology to tackle the crisis. Where possible, we are deploying cutting-edge solutions such as robotic, GPS-guided lawn mowers that free up our people to perform other activities and can cut grass 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Advanced technology is also helping us respond to the sustainability challenges we face. The entire industry has acknowledged it needs to care more for the environment and, as a result, it is increasingly replacing petrol-powered tools with battery alternatives.

Innovation will also help the industry tackle one of its biggest challenges: huge downward pressure on price. Driven by the fallout from a hugely damaging Covid-19 crisis that saw many

customers halt all activity and some go out of business, the industry has become incredibly competitive. What’s more, all clients have become much more financially astute and aware they are able to demand – and achieve – lower prices for the services we provide. In almost all cases, clients are paying less than they did ten years ago but still expect the same levels of service. So adopting technology that allows us to make the best use of our resources and is cheaper for us to maintain is likely to be a big part of our focus in future.

As we begin to emerge from the pandemic and into a postCovid world, the issues we face will be similar to those encountered by other industries and will be increasingly focused around using resources smarter and more efficiently and innovating where we can. Clearly, sustainability is going to be high on the agenda and we will all be seeking ways of reducing the impact of what we do on the environment. Automation will have a large part to play, but so will education. We need clients to see the value of investing properly in their environments and recognise how damaging the race to the bottom can be, not only for our industry but for their own businesses as well.

Marc Wilkinson is Ground Control’s National Operations Director for Grounds. For almost 50 years, Ground Control has been caring for the UK’s green spaces, delivering sustainable landscape management solutions for many of the country’s most recognised public and private sector landowners in pursuit of its mission to care for our environment. The company services over 50,000 private and public sector sites, with a client list that includes three of the country’s four biggest supermarkets, and directly employs 1,000 people and supplies work to over 5,000 contractors.

For more information, please see: www.ground-control.co.uk

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SUSTAINABILITY

Light bulb moment

The invention of the light bulb was one of the worst things to happen to the construction industry, according to chartered engineer Lee Marshall

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here is no disputing the economic and social impact that the arrival of the light bulb had on our lives. It allowed factories and businesses to run into the night, revolutionised our homes and social lives, and allowed us to travel safely in the dark.

So much has been made possible with artificial light.

However, in my view, it was also one of the worst things that could have happened to the world of construction as it made everything smaller. It led to the death of large, airy windows that let natural light flood in. Before

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Lee Marshall, Managing Director - Viridis Building Services Limited

the light bulb was introduced in the nineteenth century, properties were built to let in as much daylight as possible, thanks to the astronomical cost of oil lamps and candles.

In the post-war era, ceiling heights in properties really came down and windows became smaller as we could light our homes artificially. This continued into the housing boom of the 1950s and 60s and into the social housing growth of the 1970s and 80s. With the advent of LED lighting, our homes are more energy-efficient to run – not to mention warmer thanks to modern insulation and double

glazing – but we haven’t updated our construction methods.

This needs to change. We need to not only start building better but also change our approach to how we build. I firmly believe that if you have a good, sustainable housing offering that is scalable then there is an opportunity to transform the market – but designs need to be more creative.

For example, there is a huge waste of space and volume with traditional triangular roof trusses you are probably losing about 25 to 30 percent of the building for nothing.

We could push into that volume. By lifting the first floor

area. If an entire neighbourhood is organised in this way, it creates a sensitive layout that gives privacy but maximises daylight – reducing the reliance on artificial light.

As a practice, we know that being sustainable and saving CO2 emissions is about spending as little as possible in order to save as much as possible. As a result, we offer a different perspective to our clients and the projects we are involved in, and we have certainly seen a good response. In fact, we are currently working on a selection of social housing that gives properties bigger windows and a higher floor to ceiling height.

I’ve been working in this industry for 20 years and understand it takes time to turn things around. Many in the building industry have convinced themselves that people want a square house with a big roof and there is a reluctance to break the mould.

So, while the invention of the lightbulb has led to building sizes being reduced unnecessarily, the energy revolution we are experiencing will allow people to live happily in homes that still have those important echoes of the past. a few hundred millimetres and raising the bedroom ceiling further into the loft, you could push up the space by about ten feet and put in bigger windows, create some nice features such as vaulting, and reduce the energy consumption.

Under current regulations, a window area must equate to approximately 20 percent of the floor area to allow a small amount of daylight. If we said it should be increased to 40 - 50 percent and the minimum ceiling height should be three metres, it would transform how we live and improve health and wellbeing.

We could also redefine our

living spaces by changing the layout and geography of a house, which is normally dictated by the position of the stairs. If we put the stairs at the back of the property, then all the downstairs rooms could be at the front of the house.

Would you even need windows at the back? It could be a northfacing wall that is timber-framed and well-insulated.

Then you could have bigger windows on the front. The bedrooms would be front or south-facing, making the property a more rectangular shape, and you would have a larger, south-facing front garden that is accessible from both the kitchen and living

Lee Marshall is managing director of leading sustainable building services company Viridis Building Services Limited. Viridis specialises in providing sustainable passive environmental building services solutions that incorporate renewable, low carbon, low energy, H.V.A.C and MEP systems for the built environment.

The firm is committed to innovation and sustainability, firmly believing that green solutions don’t have to cost the earth. Through the constant development and implementation of low-energy building services, Viridis is helping to create a greener, more sustainable future.

For more information, please see: www.viridisbsl.co.uk

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CONCRETE

Building

sustainability

A concrete repair system from SIKA spares the environment and the reputation of the world’s most widely-used building material. By John Baron

C

oncrete is one of the most popularly used construction materials globally – after water, it is the most consumed substance on earth. But its reputation struggles

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to rise above the misperceptions it often receives at the hands of the media in relation to its environmental impact.

According to the Concrete Centre, however, the concrete industry’s emissions are 55

percent lower than in 1990 due to manufacturing improvements such as a move away from fossil fuels, plant improvements and material formulation. In addition, new product innovations are setting new standards by

significantly reducing CO2 emissions.

Global building products manufacturer Sika is among companies aiming to reimagine the way concrete is composed and used. As a result, it’s created

a concrete repair system that, when compared to other concrete repair solutions, uses less carbon emissions – up to one ton of CO2 per 100m2.

Suitable for both new-build and refurbishment projects, Sika’s new

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CONCRETE

Corrosion, water infiltration, freeze/thaw cycles, seismic activity and reactive aggregates are among the issues that have a debilitating effect on concrete over time. Refurbishment, rather than demolition and building anew, is the sustainable option when structures become blighted by wear and tear

MonoTop® system rewrites the rule book in terms of low-carbon concrete repair. With 45 million buildings in the UK thought to be in need of refurbishment, MonoTop® is the ideal repair solution as it uses less embodied CO2 than other repair mortars.

The sustainable composition of MonoTop® is also noteworthy, with each British Standard-approved product within the system, including the bonding primer and the concrete and levelling mortars, containing recycled waste materials.

Dust busting solution In addition to its superior CO2 performance, MonoTop’s dust-reducing properties limit particle emissions by up to 70 percent during application. This outstanding characteristic not only helps create a safer, lesspolluted environment for site operatives and the surrounding environment, but it also helps to protect the ecosystem by preventing particulates from soiling plants and greenery,

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and reduces material waste.

The issue of construction dust emission continues to go under the industry’s radar. According to a CITB survey of builders, more than half of responses (56.6 percent) indicated that workers had no awareness of the significance of particles caused by cutting, drilling, sawing and mixing of materials. However, occupational risk factors – a term used to describe the harmful effects of breathing in various particles – reveal the toll it can take, with a reported 1.4 million workers suffering from work-related ill health due to long-term exposure to airborne particulates.

Sustainable contribution The causes of concrete deterioration are numerous and if not treated appropriately, can put a building’s structural integrity at risk. Corrosion, water infiltration, freeze/thaw cycles, seismic activity and reactive aggregates are among the issues that have a debilitating

effect on concrete over time.

Refurbishment, rather than demolition and building anew, is the sustainable option when structures become blighted by wear and tear. Indeed, with the UN’s recent issue of a code red warning emphasizing the need for an urgent response to the global warming crisis, any contribution from the construction industry in terms of introducing smarter working practices to limit pollution would be most welcome.

The sector is responsible for more than a third of energy and process-related CO2 emissions worldwide, therefore sustainably innovative solutions in MonoTop’s model will help the global energysaving effort.

To provide a clearer picture of how the MonoTop® system’s performance compares to other concrete repair solutions, the amount of CO2 it saves – based on a ratio of 1 tonne of CO2 per 100m2 of material – is the equivalent of:1 • An average petrol car driving for half a year • One car on electricity driving for one year • Electricity consumption by .65 households in one year

•

•

72 trips by train between Amsterdam and Paris 2.6 economy flights between msterdam and Rome

Additional benefits MonoTop®, due to its simple, rapid-install qualities, reduces site working hours to improve the likelihood of projects being completed on time and to budget. Minimizing on-site labor times also means fewer emissions are released by plant and other heavy machinery, leading to less pollution and a more environmentally-friendly application.

MonoTop’s sustainable performance is facilitated by three environmentally-friendly products: Sika MonoTop® 4012, a durable concrete repair mortar; Sika MonoTop® 3020, a smoothing and levelling concrete repair mortar, and Sika MonoTop® 1010, a bonding primer and corrosion protection slurry.

As well as measuring a concrete repair system’s environmental performance in terms of CO2 and particle emissions, perhaps the greatest advocate for its sustainability is its long-term

effectiveness. Quality repair eradicates the need for further maintenance, meaning vital structures such as bridges and tunnels can remain operational.

It’s an outcome that prevents the type of traffic build-ups which are proven to have a detrimental effect on pollution levels.

Therefore, by introducing MonoTop®, an eco-friendlier concrete repair product to market, Sika’s emission-reducing solution is not only good for the environment, it’s helping burnish the reputation of the world’s most widely-used building material.

1: Figures supplied by Climate Neutral Group

John Baron works at Sika. Sika Limited and Sika Ireland Limited are part of the global Sika Group, specializing in the manufacture and supply of chemical based products. Sika has a leading position in the development and production of systems and products for bonding, sealing, damping, reinforcing, and protecting in the building sector and the motor vehicle industry For more information, please see:

www.sika.co.uk

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REMEDIATION

U

ndertaking a construction project is extremely complex with many contractors involved, but there is an optimal time to engage each one that can lead to more collaborative working, and reduce uncertainty and costs. This article shall help

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Joe Jackson MD - Jackson Remediation

you determine the optimal time to engage a remediation specialist.

Many would assume that the remediation contractor should be involved in the project at the earliest possible stage, however, there are a number of challenges to this. To make the right decision, you need to consider the ‘Who’, the ‘How’ and the ‘When’.

In construction, every business brings different skills and experience to the table.

Therefore, certain projects and issues are better suited to certain contractors. As a result, a potential obstacle to early contractor involvement (ECI) would be not knowing which contractor is best suited to advise

The time is right

When is the perfect time to involve the remediation contractor in your project? By Joe Jackson

on the project or get involved in the work. This is particularly true where the scope of the project is not well defined at such an early stage.

Depending on the identified issues, it is possible to create a tentative shortlist of suitable contractors. The market includes groundwater specialists, asbestos

in soil specialists, materials management specialists, generalists and many others.

Again in selecting the remediation contractor, it’s important to have one eye on what comes next. For example, the procurement strategy for the project may include the remediation/enabling works

contractor undertaking reduced level excavations for development or pile mat preparation. These considerations should be made when selecting a shortlist of contractors.

Another challenge which could arise from ECI is potential dissenting voices. Asking a diverse group of contractors for their

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REMEDIATION

views may give unhelpfully diverse responses unless there is real clarity on what the project goals and objectives are.

So if the earliest stage is too soon to involve a remediation contractor, when is the right time?

To answer this, let’s go one step further down the line and work on the basis that we have engaged a good consultant to define what needs to be achieved. This will have been determined by carrying out design work (of the end product; not how the end product is achieved), and establishing the robust minimum of remedial action required. In other words,

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they should bring to bear all the tools at their disposal to ensure that the contaminated sites are not over remediated.

This initial design should be part of an iterative process between the consultant, the client and other stakeholders (including the remediation contractor). The highlevel remediation strategy is a good point to begin conversations with contractors to get their perspective.

Assuming that the remediation strategy has focused predominantly on the end product and not the methodology, then this is a very good time to engage with remediation contractors.

However, it is worth pointing

out that ‘how’ the contractor is engaged with is just as important as ‘when’. Engagement can range from an invitation to critique the strategy to the provision of budget costs or a program for discussion. This is often provided free of charge to curry favour with the client. At the point where a formal pre-construction service agreement (PCSA) is signed, the contractor(s) is paid to undertake further studies and develop proposals.

There are advantages and disadvantages to both the paid and unpaid approaches. If the client is paying for advice, they may have to limit the number of opinions sought, however if

The most effective engagement strategy, in our opinion, is to rely upon the consultant to handpick a suitable list of contractors based on the likely scope of works who then undertake prescriptive ECI on a short form basis. This then leads into a two stage tender process

described above, the tendering pool is reduced to a select few who then refine the scope of works based upon tender returns received.

The disadvantage of this approach is that it may extend the overall tender program significantly and ultimately, the costs of tendering are borne by clients if not on the job in hand then as an overhead cost that is carried across the industry to participate in potentially abortive tendering activity.

So when is the best time to go to a remediation contractor?

unpaid, the contractor may wish to retain certain IP or safeguard the opportunity or position going forward.

Traditionally, a strategy is produced and the contractor is engaged with at the point of tender. This inevitably leads to several different approaches to achieve the same end: a variety of value engineering proposals and potentially a difficult and lengthy adjudication process. This also runs the risk of the best solution presented only being legitimately costed by one or a few of the tenderers.

To get around this, some opt for a two stage tender process whereby after a first round, as

ECI can work well if it is structured i.e. the consultant can issue a high-level strategy and ask specific questions of the remediation contractor on behalf of the client. This provides clarity and also prevents a significant potentially abortive activity for the contractor.

The alternative option – the use of a PCSA - is very effective in determining the scope of the remediation project and finalising costs. However, it doesn’t lend itself as a competitive precursor to an open tender as invariably the incumbent PCSA contractor has better knowledge than others (and may be tempted to report in a limited fashion for a competitive gain). PCSA is therefore best used when the contract has been selected and the quantum of works needs refining.

The most effective engagement

strategy, in our opinion, is to rely upon the consultant to handpick a suitable list of contractors based on the likely scope of works who then undertake prescriptive ECI on a short form basis. This then leads into a two stage tender process. Critically, the first stage of the tender process should also invite the contractor to issue a risk and opportunity matrix along with measures to mitigate risk or to capitalise on those opportunities in a fully costed and transparent manner. This approach leads to a suitable early ‘light touch’ involvement by the contractors, maximising their input, before a focussed tender process is carried out. This should then result in optimal solutions at a competitive price.

Joe Jackson is Managing Director of Jackson Remediation, a remediation and enabling works specialist, focused on contaminated land assessment and remediation design, remediation construction and enabling works and waste management. Founded by Joe Jackson, a remediation expert with over 20 years of experience in contaminated land and brownfield development, the company’s mission is to improve the reputation and quality of remediation contracting in the UK, whilst delivering at the best price possible.

This is made possible thanks to the team’s laser focus on value creation and quality delivery, drawing upon their deep technical expertise and profound understanding of the construction process.

For more information, please see:

www.jacksonremediation.co.uk

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SUSTAINABILITY

Designs on good

engineering Good design is paramount in engineering, says Andrew Fairburn, who believes success lies in creating sustainable places where people want to live and build a home

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ellengineered housing can be empowering, making people feel safe, secure and at home. And this extends to the wider environment and infrastructure, which surrounds and envelops us all - from the fundamental layout of streets and pavements to the provision of useful local facilities and community services.

It may seem a simple formula.

Yet it’s surprising how easy it is to get this wrong. In balancing

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Andrew Fairburn, director of civil and structural engineers RWO

the demands of design and engineering, I would argue more thought needs to be given to the type of structures and urban spaces that we want to create.

How will people live in the houses we build, and how will they interact with space to create a home.

Those involved in property development need to be far more robust in answering some fundamentals if we are to deliver better housing. Who is this development for? Who will want to live here? And why will they want to come here?’ Indeed, far

more needs to be invested in thinking long and hard about what should be built and why.

Effective design in engineering can generate increased value throughout the entire property development process, differentiating the perfunctory from the exceptional. In simple fiscal terms, it can help to deliver more value and return on investment for developers and house builders in a competitive sector reawakening post lockdown. It doesn’t have to cost more as ‘affordable quality’ can be secured through thinking

differently or a more creative approach to problem solving.

It can start inside the home with efficient, well thought through spatial arrangements while the health and wellbeing of property owners can be enriched by the internal environment, so flooding spaces with natural sunlight will contribute to well-being, while designing in good air quality and ventilation will also help energy efficient build minimises the running costs, improves affordability and minimises carbon emissions.

Thinking about how homes can

be engineered better to ensure they meet changing needs and more resilient to changing tastes, mores and the ravages of time is also paramount. Similarly, good properties need to incorporate well-engineered elements, which make them more adaptable to warmer winters and wetter summers as we inevitable climate change.

Schemes that get the design/ engineering balance right feature a mix of factors but it’s also important to consider creating a ‘buzz’ about a place. For example, smaller sites can create a better use of space with appropriate garden sizes and sufficient internal amenity space.

Such schemes, which feature an element of what is euphemistically called ‘place making’ throughout all the development stages, can transcend other developments.

Effective place making has to be in engineered from the outset – it’s hard to create once a project is complete - and must be considered as part of a wider community consultation process, contributing to the longterm happiness and security of residents.

Developers can undoubtedly facilitate better engineering through improved engagement with the customer and wider communities, but working collaboratively to test new technologies and techniques to improve build quality, while finding different ways of working, that involve a wider range of stakeholders and skills earlier on, also plays a part.

Government, and by implication, local authorities, need to continually press to raise standards as they balance the demands of quality and long term sustainability with speed and expediency of delivery within the design and build process.

It’s clear that we all need to think about the long-term legacy for those who will live in

the houses we build if we are to deliver superbly engineered homes. Improved engagement with the customer helps, as will better collaboration across the industry’s professional sectors and trade bodies, but we must not overlook the great strides that have been achieved in engineering as part of the design and planning process too.

However, in the clamour to build the quantity and quality of new homes that the country desperately needs - 300,000 units per year - it remains as important as ever to continually strive improve, innovate, and think beyond the traditional and conventional.

Perhaps this might involve more development of hitherto ‘untouchable’ Green Belt land as the opportunities to develop brownfield sites dry up.

Construction sustainability also offers engineering opportunity, and those who show leadership in this arena will contribute to securing future viability and margins. We are seeing increasingly high standards of building efficiency and sustainable methods of construction being specified - something that will increase as innovative building engineering solutions continue to come on stream. It’s certainly a bold agenda but sitting alongside a more forward-looking vision from local authorities, it’s certainly one I believe can deliver change.

Andrew Fairburn is director of civil and structural engineers RWO. RWO, which operates from offices in Newcastle upon Tyne and Leeds, specialises in a range of work including flood risk assessments, residential, commercial, industrial and leisure structural engineering. Its civil engineering services cover road design, drainage, external works and SuDS (Sustainable Urban Drainage).

For more information, please see:

https://rwo.group/

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DIGITAL CONSTRUCTION

T

he global pandemic has hit the construction industry hard in several ways: worksite lockdowns,

supply chain disruptions, and delayed and suspended projects.

Nevertheless, for many within the industry it has accelerated innovation. In years to come the

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past 16 months may be seen as a pivotal time, and the virus a key catalyst for change that led the sector into a much stronger and more robust future.

Breaking down barriers There’s no doubt that the impact of the pandemic is still being felt, with projects facing

ongoing supply issues, a halt in planning and inspection timetables, and new measures to ensure workforce safety.

However, although the past year has been one of the most challenging in recent memory, it has presented opportunities for the construction industry to improve and overcome its historic

Digital

revolution Matt Wiseman explains why digital technologies will prove to be worthwhile investments for contractors and engineers looking to make efficiency gains and navigate disruption in the wake of Covid-19

barriers to change by forcing the incumbents to adapt and work differently. Businesses have embraced new technology to ramp up productivity and ensure work is carried out in accordance with ever evolving health and safety regulations.

Before Covid-19, many construction businesses’

processes, operations, and procedures were considered outdated, with recent events further bringing this to light. A recent McKinsey report1 has predicted big changes across the construction industry over the next decade, adding that the bulk of short and long-term pandemic-driven issues will be

solved with technology. It reports that the mandate for change and technological adoption in construction has never been stronger, with the pandemic ‘only serving to provide additional urgency to the pre-existing productivity and data-visibility issues facing construction companies.’

23

DIGITAL CONSTRUCTION

Technology like the integration of AI and BIM to modern methods of construction is not new, but the uptake has been slow. The pandemic, however, has provided the necessary impetus for many to adopt alternatives to traditional practices and digitalisation is playing a key role. In PwC’s 23rd Annual Global CEO Survey last year, even before the disruption of Covid-19, 77 percent of engineering and construction CEOs were

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already planning for more 4IR operational efficiencies to drive growth2.

Key benefits of digital engineering tools in construction 1. Better communication Digital solutions in construction contribute to a more inclusive construction process where the flow of information is unhindered.

The latest digital engineering tools

offer realistic 3D visualisations of temporary works on a build, helping to break down any communication barriers and ensure transparency across the supply chain for any specified systems. This means any potential issues can be quickly raised and remedied by contractors.

2. Winning tenders Digital technology not only helps to improve productivity and

streamline decisions across the supply chain but can also play a crucial role in helping contractors win tenders. Early collaboration at the pre-tender stage can reap real rewards.

By using digital engineering technology, recommendations on project structures and construction phases, not to mention the ability to identify any potential challenges, can be ascertained.

3. Tackling the skills shortage In November, data from the Office of National Statistics revealed that redundancies during the pandemic had resulted in the lowest number of people employed in the construction sector since 2013.

However, with projects up-andrunning again with renewed vigour, it’s anticipated that more positions will become available in the coming months. A construction sector that is innovative, collaborative, and forward-looking will be more attractive to new entrants.

Time for change In response to evolving working practices in the industry, which

have been further accelerated by the outbreak of Covid-19, leading international manufacturer and supplier of formwork, falsework, groundwork and safety systems, RMD Kwikform, has created LocusHUB; a ‘one-stop’ hub for all its digital innovations and resources.

Available at locushub. rmdkwikform.com, it brings together all RMD Kwikform’s digital assets including apps, product videos, CAD resources and technical data.

Designed and developed to meet the changing needs of the construction industry, LocusHUB offers users an evolving library of digital tools to help optimise working processes and improve productivity levels. Tools on LocusHUB include LocusEye, RMD Kwikform’s innovative 3D visualisation software, which offers high-quality interactive 3D models of temporary work schemes. RMD Kwikform’s entire catalogue of material handling and guidance notes for its products is stored on LocusHUB, too.

It’s clear that now is the time for the construction industry to fully

embrace digital technology and new ways of working to address evolving health and safety regulations, drive substantial operational improvements and maximise potential in the ‘new normal’.

Matt Wiseman is Divisional Digital Innovation Manager at RMD Kwikform, a leading global supplier of formwork, shoring and access solutions. With a diverse product range, designed to maximise safety, on-site effectiveness and lowest in use cost, matched with engineering excellence, RMD Kwikform provides customers with the most effective solution to get the job done.

For more information, please see:

www.rmdkwikform.com

To find out more about LocusHUB from RMD Kwikform, please visit https://locushub.

rmdkwikform.com 1 McKinsey & Company, ‘Rise of the platform era: The next chapter in construction technology’, https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/ private-equity-and-principal-investors/our-insights/rise-of-theplatform-era-the-next-chapter-in-construction-technology 2 PwC, ‘Construction’s digital past and future: Where do we go from here?’ https://www.pwc.com/us/en/industries/capital-projectsinfrastructure/library/construction-workforce-digitalization.html

25

NEWS

Framework place

European partnership

Following Highways England’s rebrand to National Highways and its recent announcement to change its current contract mechanisms, Winvic Construction Ltd has been awarded two Lot contracts across four regions within the new Scheme Delivery Framework (SDF). Winvic is one of 50 contractors to deliver £3.6 billion of road renewal works on England’s motorways and trunk roads over the next six years.

The two lots awarded to Winvic within Band C are Lot 8 Structures, Waterproofing and Expansion Joints and Lot 10 Structures, Structural Services & Concrete Repairs.

Winvic will be undertaking works in these programme areas across the south east, east, north west and north east.

Rob Cook, Winvic’s Civils and Infrastructure Director, said: “Winvic has built a strong relationship with National Highways over a number of years, not least through the complex collaborations at SEGRO Logistics Park East Midlands Gateway and then SEGRO Logistics Park Northampton, where we remain on site and undertake weekly, if not daily interfaces. Therefore, working on more significant National Highways renewal projects is a natural progression for us due to our expertise in highways works involving structures, through both S278 agreement works and on vast industrial and infrastructure schemes.”

A new digital service to help homeowners in the UK and Europe improve the energy performance of their homes is being created as part of a joint €6.7m ‘Stronghouse’ project between Robert Gordon University and 20 European partners.

The Stronghouse app is a digital one stop-shop where owners can carry out a self-assessment to find out more about the energy efficiency of their homes and to receive guidance, support and information on available grants to renovate their homes.

The new platform also offers advice on European Energy Performance Certificates (EPC), tips on energy efficiency and solutions to help homeowners invest in energy efficiency.

“Stronghouse wants to redesign the system to gain a better understanding of the factors that motivate homeowners,” said Professor David Gray, project lead at RGU. “Whilst doing so, we will help them invest and reduce the environmental footprint of their homes and develop innovative digital tools to help them do this.

“The energy used by buildings has been a key research theme for The Scotts School of Architecture and Built Environment for many years, and this project is another example of collaboration with the School of Creative and Cultural Business. Stronghouse is a brilliant example of the positive effects of research undertaken with partners from across Europe, from both the public and private sectors. The immediate usefulness of this project to home owners is really clear and will help to improve issues of fuel poverty.”

Resort unveiled The Red Sea Development Company (TRSDC) has revealed design plans for its new mountain resort named Desert Rock in the beautiful wadi vistas in the west of Saudi Arabia.

Created by the world-class architectural design firm, Oppenheim Architecture, Desert Rock is designed to protect and preserve the environment and will allow guests to connect with the nature and local culture of the region.

Guests will enter the resort through a hidden valley nestled between the mountains.

From there, they will find 48 villas and 12 hotel rooms within the mountain. A range of accommodation will be available, from ground level dwellings to crevice hotel suites midway up the mountain, and a select number of excavated rooms within the rock massif itself.

As part of TRSDC’s commitment to regenerative tourism, Desert Rock will be designed to achieve the highest Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification level. The architecture has been designed to reduce energy consumption and regenerate native flora. Water retention and distribution systems will be used throughout the site, while materials excavated from the site will be used to create the infrastructure.

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World’s first Balfour Beatty has successfully built the world’s inaugural T-pylon on behalf of National Grid, representing the first new electricity pylon design in Great Britain for almost 100 years.

The T-pylon is the first of 116 to be erected along the 57-kilometer route in Somerset, South West England. The first 48 T-pylons near East Huntspill will be constructed in 2021, while the remaining 68, north of Sandford, will be built in 2022.

Upon completion the newly designed pylons will connect six million homes and businesses in the surrounding area with lowcarbon electricity generated at Hinkley Point C, the UK’s first nuclear power station in a generation.

The T-pylon design is the result of a 2011 international competition organised by the Royal Institute of British Architects and Government, with the aim of reducing the impact of electricity pylons on the local environment and surroundings.

Standing at 35 metres in height, the revolutionary new design forms a ‘T’ shape and is approximately one-third shorter than the traditional lattice pylon design. As a result of its reduced size the T-pylon has a smaller land footprint and a reduced impact on the local environment.

T-pylons are designed to be assembled in up to four sections, halving the usual construction time from around ten days to five.

Getting greener

Marina milestone Morgan Sindall Construction has hosted a milestone topping out event to mark progress on Great Yarmouth’s £26m Marina Centre development.

It is being delivered by Morgan Sindall Construction on behalf of Great Yarmouth Borough Council and will occupy the site of the town’s former and now demolished leisure centre.

The new health and fitness centre will comprise a 25 metre swimming pool suitable for competitions and galas, along with a learner pool with moveable floor, leisure water with fun play features, a water confidence area and two water flumes.

The complex will also be equipped with a health suite, incorporating a four-court sports hall, fitness studios and spin studios, a 100-station gym, an indoor climbing zone and a café with views to the seafront.

The development is intended to act as a catalyst for further investment as well as providing an important community and tourist hub for the promotion of both indoor and outdoor activity.

Arcadis, the leading global design & consultancy organization for natural and built assets, has announced the commitment to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions (Net Zero) in 2035 within its global operations.

Arcadis’ strategic ambition includes making a significant, quantifiable, and positive contribution to sustainable development, and this Net Zero pledge is a crucial step.

“To get to Net Zero, we must reinvent economies and rethink business, to help regenerate our communities and restore our world. Arcadis is committed to showing that sustainability isn’t just about fixing things, it’s about improving quality of life. The recent floods in Northern Europe and the heatwave in the US and Canada reminds us that now is the time for the world to adapt, and this commitment to Net Zero is a natural next step for our organization to play its part in combating climate change,” says Peter Oosterveer, Arcadis CEO.

27

PROFILE: SOCOTEC UK

Promising certainty

In a world full of ambiguity, SOCOTEC UK uses its industry-leading data technology to provide clients with the assurance they need

T

he SOCOTEC Group was founded in 1953, and in the wake of World War II, helped the construction and infrastructure industries build out of difficult and uncertain conditions by providing assistance in the areas of health and safety, quality assurance and the environment. Sixtyseven years later, the SOCOTEC Group’s UK division, SOCOTEC

30

UK, has built itself a reputation as a trusted partner of Britain’s construction and infrastructure sector.

SOCOTEC UK provides inspection and measurement assistance, as well consultancy, certification and training. Its primary goal is to ensure the integrity and performance of its clients’ assets and the safety of their people.

Since its genesis, the company

has seen exponential growth and success as the result of its dedication to innovation and excellence. Most notably, the company was able to acquire ESG, the UK’s leading provider of inspection and compliance services, in 2017.

“Since the acquisition, SOCOTEC UK has acquired five more companies in the health and safety, building control and geotechnical sectors. These

There is a real readiness and drive from our clients for digital transformation, and we will reinforce our position and experience in this area to enhance digital customer experience and be at the forefront of digital innovation

include ITM Monitoring in 2018, 4See in 2018, Survey Associates and Butler and Young in 2019, and finally TOR drilling in 2021,” summarises Peter Godfrey, SOCOTEC UK’s major projects director.

“With a turnover of £140 million, and over 1,700 employees, SOCOTEC UK is the second most important geographical platform in the SOCOTEC Group. Nicolas Detchepare joined the business

as UK CEO in April 2021, and his appointment aligns with the SOCOTEC Group’s ambition to become the leading third party company in testing, inspection and certification for the construction and infrastructure sectors,” he adds.

SOCOTEC UK’s plethora of services range from asbestos management to geotechnical monitoring. “We are committed to continuous improvement, innovation and quality,” Peter details.

“The company offers a wide range of services to assist and advise clients through every step of a project’s life cycle.

These include comprehensive infrastructure solutions, safety

their projects in the areas of quality, health and safety and the environment. Our technical experts are the bedrock of our business, and we recognise that it is the calibre of our teams that differentiates us from our competitors.”

SOCOTEC’s leading team of engineers and industry experts are currently working to support a local contractor in the Warwickshire region who is undertaking major transport work.

“SOCOTEC Central has recently secured a four-year contract to provide concrete compliance testing on 80km of track between the Chiltern Tunnels and Long Itchington. SOCOTEC will send a significant number of trained

compliance and sustainability, environmental compliance, environmental science, building control and fire consultancy.”

Offering a wide variety of services is integral to SOCOTEC mission, as Peter explains: “We deliver tailored solutions to meet clients’ needs across a wide range of sectors. Whether they require one-time engagement or longterm management, our team of experts are well positioned to offer technical advice to stakeholders in a variety of areas. These experts will strive to

technicians to multiple sites along the route daily, where they will perform tests in-situ and manufacture concrete cubes to be brought back to our central facility for curing and compressive strength testing,” Peter summarises.

“The presence of our technicians and the locality of the laboratory will allow our clients to concentrate on their demanding schedules, while SOCOTEC assures the data they need to progress is returned in a timely and efficient manner. We will also

ensure the safety, sustainability, compliance and performance of a client’s assets.

“SOCOTEC UK assists clients throughout the lifecycles of

provide an early warning for any materials that may fall short of specification, so that remedial action can be taken instantly,” he continues, illustrating how client-

31

PROFILE: SOCOTEC UK

centric the SOCOTEC process is.

The company has also recently opened a new 50,000 square foot, state-of-the-art facility in Coventry, which has specifically been built to cope with the everincreasing demand for testing, inspection and compliance services. “Infrastructure projects on this scale demand heavy resources and a much larger capacity than previously known,” comments Peter. “SOCOTEC Central has space for more than 18,000 concrete cubes to be cured at any one time, providing plenty of scope to support additional projects.”

Striving to innovate as well as expand, SOCOTEC UK has spent the last 12 months researching its new Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) in order to take its system’s platform to the next level.

“SOCOTEC UK has partnered with an Australian construction specialist systems provider,

32

‘Spectra Qest’, who will implement their ‘Qest Platform’ with SOCOTEC for the first time in the UK market,” details Peter.

“The new software will help to manage SOCOTEC’s field and laboratory testing operations, schedule field technicians, interface with testing equipment

and communicate technical information to clients.”

This decision also aligns with the broader goals and values of SOCOTEC as a company, as Peter elaborates: “This lines up directly with the organisation’s strategic ambition to grow its digitisation capabilities, significantly enhancing the existing field-based mobile data capture capabilities we use for key tests.

“This is a major investment for SOCOTEC UK, which is expected to transform our service delivery in the future and will further enhance and grow our existing digital capabilities in the UK. It also massively complements our new office and laboratory facility in Coventry, enabling vastly improved end-to-end data processing and instrument interfacing.”

It is clear that innovation and investment in the newest technology are activities that SOCOTEC holds in high regard.

“SOCOTEC is committed to the continuous improvement and development of new, innovative methodologies, processes and products,” confirms Peter.

“We are driving an industrywide technological revolution, bringing efficiency, quality and visibility to everything we do.

SOCOTEC’s team of advanced,

VJ Tech VJ Tech have had an amicable relationship with Socotec since 2010, and are proud to have provided a number of Systems for their Test, Inspection and Certification requirements.

So why did Socotec choose VJ Tech?

• Over 30 years of service to the Geotechnical Industry • Manufactured in the UK and sold with competitive pricing • All design, manufacturing, software and testing is done in-house • Complete product lifecycle overseen for quality control • Automated Systems – reducing testing times and man hours • Our equipment tests for geotechnical factors to help project engineers effectively manage risk and costs • Our software conforms to the required standard(s) for the Test • Supporting documentation and videos to help the User • Training from our technical experts – either remotely or on-site • Reliability of the equipment • We consistently receive good feedback from our customers Please contact us to arrange for a demonstration of our equipment, software and capabilities, and/or discuss how we can help upgrade your testing facilities.

PROFILE: SOCOTEC UK

Pile Dynamics, Inc. Pile Dynamics, Inc. (PDI) manufactures quality assurance deep foundation instruments for driven and bored piles, along with other foundation types. PDI is known for its state-of-the-art products, and worldwide representatives’, such as SOCOTEC, commitment to providing exceptional customer support.

The Pile Driving Analyzer® (PDA), PDI’s flagship product, evaluates the capacity and integrity of piles and shafts using the High Strain Dynamic Testing method. Additional innovations include: • SHAPE® – real time verticality evaluation • SQUID™ – borehole base cleanliness assessment • TIP™ – cloud based thermal integrity profiling of cast-in-place piles • CHAMP-Q – 4-channel crosshole sonic logging system • PIT – pulse echo / low strain testing Visit www.pile.com for additional information.

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in-house software architects are working alongside the Nashtech offshore development team, and our current chosen system partners are continually developing innovative technologies in order to deliver seamless client solutions.”

An example of such innovation comes in the form of an exciting new cloud-based capability, which Peter suggests ‘will significantly enhance and complement the existing data management and mobile data capture capabilities we already have in place across our ground investigation division.’

“SOCOTEC UK has committed to building on our existing relationship with Bentley Systems by investing in their ‘OpenGround Cloud Geotechnical Data Collaboration Platform’ and ’OpenGround Data Collector’.

This is a tablet-optimised, fieldbased data capture tool that uses configurable mobile data entry profiles. It enables data to be captured offline and quickly synchronises with The Cloud when an internet connection is available.

“The investment will ensure that this business-critical part of the company is underpinned by a robust, future-proofed and fit-forpurpose technology platform.”

It is apparent that SOCOTEC is finely tuned into the demands of the construction and infrastructure sectors, one working symbiotically with the other. Nothing makes this relationship clearer than the way in which SOCOTEC is predicting the needs of its clients following the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The investment needed to build a laboratory and kit it out

Northern Balance Northern Balance, specialists in calibrations, testing, maintenance, supply and installation of weighing solutions nationwide, congratulates SOCOTEC on their exponential growth. Daniel Egan-Sheath, Finance and Operations Director comments: “SOCOTEC’s success is a testament to their focus on quality and trusted adviser status. As their metrology partner, we see their commitment and expertise first-hand within their laboratory where our UKAS calibrations are routinely performed to ensure measurement accuracy and service integrity. Their partnership approach dovetails with ours to ensure success and we look forward to supporting SOCOTEC as they expand.”

Visit www.northernbalance.co.uk to discover how our solutions can support your weighing goals.

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PROFILE: SOCOTEC UK

with the latest in geotechnical testing instruments demonstrates SOCOTEC’s confidence in the recovery and growth of the UK construction market after the pandemic,” outlines Peter. “We foresee a huge demand for geotechnical and construction materials testing services as the restrictions begin to ease.”

The company not only safeguarded the construction and infrastructure industries during the Covid-19 pandemic, but it was essential to the nation as a whole: “In line with government guidance, SOCOTEC remained operational throughout 2020. Most of our workforce became key workers, due to the fact that our services were critical to keeping the country operating throughout the Covid-19 lockdowns,” reflects Peter.

Used to working through uncertainty, SOCOTEC’s malleability meant it could adapt to the new conditions of a pandemic. “We adapted many of our working practices to ensure that we mitigated the risk by closely following the measures advised by Public Health England,” says Peter.

36

“Where it is necessary for employees to attend the workplace or client site, we have strict health and safety procedures in place, and field-based employees are also asked to familiarise themselves with specific client arrangements on site. As well as changes to our site staff, our IT infrastructure was adapted to enable office staff to work from home as effectively as they would on SOCOTEC premises.

In addition, our health and safety team continues to review the Covid-19 measures in place, in order to ensure that they follow current Government guidance.”

Protecting its people is of the highest priority for SOCOTEC UK. “Our employees are our most valuable asset, and we are committed to strengthening their skills and capabilities in order to help them achieve their career goals and our business objectives,” asserts Peter. “At SOCOTEC, we strive to foster a working culture that helps staff to achieve their professional goals, while ensuring that their growth and development also aligns with our own business objectives. All of this combined creates a culture that

can be described as collaborative, dynamic and ambitious.”

The company’s dedication to social responsibility includes the wellbeing of the planet, as well as its workforce. “SOCOTEC is committed to reducing our environmental impact via the implementation of an Environmental Management System (EMS). This acts as a framework to drive continual improvement and environmental performance,” Peter reveals.

“Sustainability considerations are fully integrated in our business decision-making, implemented through such applications as environmental awareness training for our employees, measuring our carbon footprint and promoting a sustainable approach to all of our clients and stakeholders,” he adds, asserting the importance of a sustainable model for SOCOTEC going forward.

Looking into the future, the company aims to publish its first carbon management plan at the end of September 2021, in line with the UK’s ambition to be carbon ‘net zero’ by 2050. “Our wider CSR strategy will launch in October,”

Peter states. “It will cover our aims to achieve a more sustainable world, promote social inclusion and develop our teams to cultivate expertise. This in turn will enable innovation and provide value to our clients in the construction, real estate, infrastructure and industry sectors.”

For SOCOTEC UK, its future growth and development aligns with the SOCOTEC Group’s ambition to become the leading trusted third party in testing and inspection certification. “There is a real readiness and drive from our clients for digital transformation, and we will reinforce our position and experience in this area to enhance digital customer experience and be at the forefront of digital innovation,” concludes Peter.

“There are also many opportunities for us as a company, as the focus for our clients moves to safety, the sustainability of buildings and infrastructure and the support of energy transition.”

SOCOTEC UK www.socotec.co.uk Services: Testing, inspection and certification services for the construction industry Site Vision Surveys It’s important to establish what may lay beneath a development site prior to commencement of works. Not knowing only increases the potential risks one may be exposed too effecting design concepts, time frames, budget and the untold dangers that might harm persons on site.

Socotec are aware of this and so working with Site Vision Surveys, alongside their own capability have created a working solution that addresses many of their site needs.

Continued training along with the adoption of new and relevant technologies, enhanced by site experiences and knowledge has created an unapparelled facility that builds confidence while reducing risk.

37

PROFILE: METRO MECHANICAL

Drainage done differently

Metro Mechanical’s methodical approach to drainage sets it apart as an industry leader

F

or over 30 years, Metro Mechanical

has been the go-to specialist contractor for many blue-chip businesses across the UK. Having grown into a company of over

38

130 people, Metro Mechanical now has offices in London and Greater Manchester, as well as depots throughout the southwest, northeast and midlands.

The company has always been driven by a desire to prevent

disaster above all else, as Managing Director, Nico Gaisman, describes: “Although we have evolved a lot as a business over the years, what drives us today is a very similar mentality to the one that has powered us in the past.

We have a real determination to solve problems where other contractors may have failed; we also have technical expertise and a desire to invest in people, so that we can continue to deliver a really good service.”

Metro Mechanical offers a wide range of services, including grease management, CCTV support, and surveying, on top of 24/7 reactive coverage for clients. “Our focus is on providing very rigorous, maintenance-led solutions,” says

Nico. “We work with pretty much all of the leading managing agents in some capacity; for example, Savills and JLL, as well as the large Facility Management (FM) companies.

“We maintain many retail parks

39

PROFILE: METRO MECHANICAL

and industrial estates around the UK, as well as landmark office buildings in central London, very well known department stores and centres, care homes, and fast food franchises,” he adds.

With such a breadth of both end-markets and disciplines, Metro Mechanical has built

itself a reputation for providing comprehensive maintenance solutions: “In some ways our product is like an insurance premium; we are investing upfront to mitigate the risks of catastrophic flooding, damage or environmental liability,” elaborates Nico.

It is Metro Mechanical’s unique surveying technique that has made it an industry leader in terms of transparency and data processing. As Nico explains: “The business really started to grow in the 1990s and 2000s, and that was a result of taking a methodical approach to surveying.

Because we are dealing with big clients, and sites that need to be maintained properly, we decided to send survey teams to lift every manhole on site, take detailed photos, and make high quality reports, at our own cost.

“That not only gives the FM an idea of the condition of the site, but it also allows us to go back and create a detailed draining plan. We now have two CAD technicians working full-time in-house, who create very unique draining plans. This means that

Ford Fleet Management (FFM) Metro Mechanical Services, the leading national specialist commercial drainage and pumps contractor in the UK, was introduced to Ford Fleet Management during COVID by their Ford dealership. Lee Jones, Metro Mechanical’s dedicated Account Manager successfully onboarded Metro Mechanical as a FFM Client during COVID through hosting a series of virtual meetings with key people from each side.

Metro Mechanical, an established business for over 30 years, currently operates a multi-marque fleet all over the UK and was looking to replace its entire fleet over the next 12-18 months. “Due to our growth over the past few years, we found our piecemeal approach of owned and rented vans was no longer working well operationally or financially. We wanted to partner with a major marque to provide a consistent LCV fleet solution going forward,” says Michael Marks, Finance Director at Metro Mechanical.

FFM provided a consultative approach to assist Metro Mechanical develop the correct specification for the fleet and help the business find the best method of funding for its business model. “Due to our multiple funding options, we were able to position Finance Lease as the optimum product for Metro Mechanical’s current fleet requirements,” commented Lee Jones.

“As part of our pledge to become the number one funder for Ford LCVs in the UK market, we aim to offer competitive pricing alongside flexible funding solutions and complementary expert consultancy for all of our customers,” he added.

“Being in our infancy, it’s been great to have these introductions from the Ford dealers and to be able to provide competitive solutions to a well-established and growing organisation such as Metro Mechanical. We look forward to supporting Metro Mechanical with this sizeable order of Ford Transits and supporting their future growth across the fleet.”

Business customers only. Funding / finance solutions provided by Ford Fleet Management UK Ltd, Oakwood Drive, Emersons Green, Bristol, BS16 7LB. Ford Fleet Management UK Ltd is registered in England no. 12782519. Finance subject to status. Guarantees and indemnities may be required.

To find out more, contact Ford Fleet Management W: www.fordfleetmanagement.co.uk E: information@fordfleetmanagement.co.uk T: 0370 325 0023

40

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PROFILE: METRO MECHANICAL

when it comes to maintenance, our engineers can walk onto a site and know exactly how it works, as well as how it should be cleaned. This became a bit of a turning point for the business, and we really led the industry when it came to taking this kind of approach. In fact, we still do that, and it is continuously improved upon.”

Metro Mechanical’s forwardthinking approach also means it has been able to introduce new technologies to the drainage and maintenance sector. “We have recently made a six-figure investment into technology and systems,” Nico announces. “In addition, because we feel like a big driver for our clients is information, data reporting and compliance, we have put in place a very high spec IT system, which ensures the efficiency of our service.

“Excitingly, there have been a bunch of field innovations around technology that we are pushing.

The drainage sector has some unique challenges and has been slow to adopt Internet-of-Things technology, but Metro Mechanical have found some really good partners to detect blockages and issues. This technology means that if you are dealing with a critical environment, you can get a warning and call an engineer to site, before something starts to go wrong.”

Metro Mechanical continues to invest in the technology that has bought it success. “We have just been phenomenally busy which is a great position to be in.

As a result, we have been able to purchase three new jet-vac tankers,” Nico enthuses. “These pieces of equipment are the flagships of our fleet, and they can cost several hundred thousand pounds, but we are experiencing a level of growth that justifies our investment.”

The recent growth of Metro Mechanical is even more

42

impressive in the face of a global pandemic. Tom Garty, who is Director of Operations at Metro Mechanical, is frank about the challenges and opportunities posed by Covid-19: “We saw a lot of our clients closing their doors, obviously offices were shutting down and hospitality was changing how it operated; as a result, we did see an impact in the first few months of the pandemic.”

However, despite many buildings being closed, Tom and his frontline teams remained key workers through the depths of

lockdown. “Particularly because underused pipes will get this really dry, hard build-up of scale, many buildings continued maintenance; otherwise, when they then came to restart their systems, they could have had pipes bursting and all sorts of issues. Really, I think because of that experience, we didn’t see that much of a dip from 2020,” Tom explains.

The people behind Metro Mechanical were also a major contributing factor to its success throughout the last year. “The team of people we have is very

unified and we have a great culture,” asserts Nico. “We have a lower employee turnover than the rest of the industry, with people in our company who have been with us for ten-plus years,” he adds.

The Metro Mechanical company culture is backed by a determination to safeguard the needs and interests of clients, and prevent unexpected problems. “In instances where we have been to a site a couple of times over the space of a few months to carry out reactive maintenance, we send the manager free of charge to investigate the site, and try to see if there is an underlying issue that hasn’t been picked up yet. We can be really proactive and that

been particularly deliberate about organic growth. A lot of our draw comes through reputation, word of mouth, and people moving around the industry,” he adds.

The company also aims to maintain its ethical and sustainable practices, as Nico outlines: “We have made a big push to capitalize on our current success, and organize a structure for developing the business, because there is so much opportunity in the market.

There are also several important initiatives the quality, health, safety and environment side of things that we want to push. We have become Real Living Wage accredited, and have a plan to

is something we are really excited about,” elaborates Nico.

It’s clear that the resilience and pragmatism of Metro Mechanical has won it a loyal and satisfied client base. “It is our mission to take as much stress off FM’s as possible, in this one discipline that we focus on,” Nico affirms.

“We aim to do what matters to them, which is ensuring that their buildings are kept up to scratch.

“Throughout the pandemic, our

be carbon neutral by 2030, so we are making some strides in terms of our corporate social responsibility.”

Metro Mechanical has provided a vital service to its many valued clients since the 1980s, and the success it sees now is the direct result of providing reliable service and building invaluable relationships with its clients. As Nico concludes: “A lot of our clients have been with us for over a decade - these are deep and important relationships. In the future, we will carry on ensuring that we are doing everything we can to maintain our core services, whilst continuing to innovate and develop to remain at the forefront of our industry.”

Metro Mechanical https://metromech.co.uk/ Services: Drainage, CCTV, surveying, pumps and grease management

clients have shown their faith in us as their suppliers, and we want to continue to reciprocate that by supporting them. They are obviously incredibly busy, and the challenge is to maintain our very high standards of service while things get busier and expand,” he continues.

Backed by years of innovation in technology and data processing, long-standing industry connections, and an innovative, unified company culture, the future of Metro Mechanical is certainly promising. “We are hiring for a whole bunch of positions, and we have won some new accounts, so we are really feeling positive,” reveals Nico, as he ruminates on the company’s next steps.

“The amazing thing about Metro Mechanical is that we have never

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PROFILE: HIGHWOOD GROUP

Stronger than ever

Despite recent challenges, Highwood Group has continued to develop award-winning projects, and moving forward, the Hampshire-based business is set to maintain the exemplary company culture and distinctive quality with which its name has become synonymous

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ot new to the construction industry and certainly not new to the pages of Construction and Civil Engineering, the 34-year-old care and residential contractor, Highwood Group, has been keeping busy since it last featured in the magazine, partly as a result of the pandemic that has shaken the globe for 18 months or so. Recently, a particularly exciting opportunity brought the business a new Construction Director, Andy Stevenson, who takes the time to share with us the developments that have taken place at Highwood since we last spoke with the company in February 2020.

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Construction Director, Andy Stevenson

Andy’s skillset and experience complement the Highwood business model, and despite the unstable circumstances that welcomed him when he joined the business mid-2021, he is proud of the ways in which Highwood has manoeuvred through economic obstacles, while upholding the safety of its employees and the longevity of its business. “The pandemic has tested us all,” he begins. “We dipped slightly during 2020 due to the impact of Covid-19, which brought a number of site constructions to a halt, and unfortunately, some of our newer projects were placed on hold. Some of our sites closed completely, and then reopened with restrictions

that were challenging to our workforce, especially our on-site teams. On the other hand, some of our staff who were forced to work from home continued to maintain business as usual. However, regardless of these difficulties, we were determined to help people who were already in the final stages of buying a Highwood home to complete their move with the lowest amount of stress possible, and, above that, support our communities as best as we could,” he shares. One of the ways in which Highwood did this was through the donation of food vouchers and toys to local food banks, as well as through the provision of computer equipment to a local primary

school to help children continue to learn remotely during the third lockdown.

As the consequences of Covid-19 have begun to slowly dissipate, Andy informs us that the business is back on track and extremely busy as his team redirects its gaze towards a medium-term target of becoming a £100 million regional business; an impressive leap from its £68 million turnover achievement, which it reached at the end of 2019’s financial year.

In order to achieve this revenue milestone, Highwood is pushing itself to take on more high-profile projects and completing contracts with exceptional service. One such project is North Stoneham

Park, a landmark development of homes that sits within a historic, 120-acre setting on the outskirts of Eastleigh, Hampshire, which went on to be named ‘Development of the Year’ in 2018 at the South Coast Property Awards. “This contract is without a doubt the jewel in our crown. As a multi-phased delivery project, our work was able to capture the imagination of the homebuyers who have already purchased property, and the wider community that enjoys what the new landscape and local centre has to offer. Above that, because it went on to become an awardwinning development, we are naturally delighted the park has gained the interest of the wider property industry as well,” he explains. This, he adds, has been a massive boost to the business, and, following this project, the company feels re-energized to keep up the pace in tackling projects that challenge its capabilities and support its ambition to reach its full potential.

Another impressive project involved a development in the quiet

residential area of Westergate, Sussex, which began in June 2019. Named Monaveen, after the Queen’s former racehorse, which made its first winning appearance at the town’s prestigious local racecourse in October 1949, the new care home had its first residents move in earlier this year.

The home provides 60 one and two-bedroom apartments for rent and shared ownership and affords over-55s superb services and facilities, including a bistro, hair salon and a communal lounge alongside offices for the care team.

Andy believes, in order to deliver this level of work, there needs to be a collaborative approach between the business, its suppliers, and its staff to keep Highwood’s inner cogs running smoothly. “Partnerships are central to our success story and we are proud that the relationships we have forged have helped us to achieve great progress in the key areas of our operations,” he says, which is why the business nurtures strong and dependable relationships with its suppliers.

“From the leading care operators,

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PROFILE: HIGHWOOD GROUP

to the housing associations who deliver high quality homes and shared ownership schemes across a range of mixed tenure sites, our collaborative approach speaks volumes,” he shares.

It comes as no surprise that with a strategy built around looking after and working closely with its suppliers, Highwood is just as determined to maintain a stable and supportive working environment for its staff. In keeping with this approach, it has recently implemented a few measures to further buttress excellent working conditions for the Highwood team.

One such initiative is its partnership with ManGang, which is an organization that encourages men The management team at Highwood Group: Back row left to right: Phil Prosser, Simon Beech, Martin Hawthorne, Elliot Lord Front row: Andy Stevenson, Steve Matthews, Mark Baskerville, Nigel Meek

to talk about their mental health experiences. “In a male-dominated industry, it’s vital that we put the wellbeing of our teams first and remove those stigmas that so many men struggle to overcome,” Andy says. The ManGang group hosts multiple meetings across Southampton and the surrounding area to provide men who are struggling with mental health with the opportunity for a comfortable conversation space to better cope with the day-to-day stresses of modern day work.

Not only does ManGang assist the Highwood team in a supportive capacity, the two also join forces to provide a more practical assistance to their community. Recently, Highwood was happy to assist with the building of a mobility scooter shelter for a member of the ManGang initiative. The company and those in its supply chain worked to construct a timber storage shed for a member who was unable to bring his mobility scooter indoors.

“We believe it’s vital to give back to the communities we serve.

Above our work with ManGang, we also prioritize our Corporate Social Responsibility commitment, because we recognise how fortunate we are to be in a position to help those who are less so.

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To do this, for every project we complete, we aim to set aside £5000, which then goes towards local community initiatives, which is how we were able to help fund the refurbishment of a pre-school playground near a care home we developed. Additionally, at Christmas, we donated £10,000 to Trinity Winchester, which supports the vulnerable and homeless in the city,” Andy explains.

Taking into consideration Highwood’s impressive catalogue, it is no wonder that in May 2021, the company was given a prominent position on the list of ‘One of the 100 Best Companies to Work for in the South-East’ by Best Companies. The accreditation is based on insights and feedback from confidential employee surveys, which are conducted by organisations that are committed to valuing their employees and measuring how engaged they feel with their respective businesses. In conjunction with this achievement, Highwood also scored the fourth highest index in Best Companies ranking, making it ‘One of Property’s Five Best Companies to Work For in 2021’.

Although the business is deeply appreciative of being celebrated as a top performer in its sector, it also acknowledges that these sorts of incentives are crucial to help regulate organisations by placing a significant emphasis on a workplace wellbeing and engagement strategy. This,

blended business, and maintaining our client focused, land lead deals approach. Complementing this, we are looking forward to the continued opportunities that come to fruition through the close collaboration with our clients,” Andy says. Andy’s early observations indicate the business’ strategy and culture is geared to tackling industry obstacles head on, with its robust team and dependable work ethic. We look forward to catching up with the group again in the near future to learn more about its continued success. and care home business. “Within the next three years, we will achieve our goal of £100 million turnover across both our housing and care home sectors, but this can only be made possible by maintaining our

Highwood Group www.highwoodgroup.co.uk Services: Care and residential home contractors

Highwood believes, is what will bring in new talent and assist in keeping Highwood a stand-out pioneer in its industry.

With each of these measures in place, Andy is optimistic about the company’s upcoming journey.

Looking further ahead, Highwood is determined to keep up its good work, while also pushing itself to take on challenging projects. “We’re starting on two new care villages, and at the same time, we are absolutely continuing to grow the capabilities within our residential

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PROFILE: INDOOR CLIMATE SYSTEMS

The perfect fit-out One of the UK’s leading mechanical services contractors, Indoor Climate Systems is delivering ‘snag-free, defect-free projects, on-time and on budget’ across the UK

P 48

roviding a complete mechanical service, from design through to construction, Indoor Climate

Systems (ICS) brings buildings to life. Operating in its current state since 1994, the company has grown from a small £600,000 business into a major force in the

industry with an annual turnover of £16 million.

Based in Lapworth, Warwickshire, ICS specialises in the provision of building

services to the commercial office fit out industry, predominantly undertaking CAT A and CAT B mechanical services work in the city of London and Thames valley

region. Privately-owned and run by engineers, the company maintains a high rate of repeat business.

“Our company ethos is very

much focused on project delivery and quality engineering expertise,” states MD Steve Blundell.

“Internally, we employ our own designers, contract managers

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PROFILE: INDOOR CLIMATE SYSTEMS

and commercial managers/ directors, who, collectively, have over 200 years of onsite project management and installation experience.

“This industry is all about relationships, and the business is all about people,” he continues.

“Our sales team have been working in the sector for a long time now and there is a shared philosophy across the ICS business. I think in terms of our workforce, we have only lost around three team members in ten years, so our staff retention rate is fantastic. We like to see people rewarded for their efforts and retain the talent that has helped us grow. The strengths and qualities of our staff and the quality of the projects we deliver ensure that we are always at the forefront of our key clients’ minds.”

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ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certified, as well as a member of Constructionline, ICS is proud to boast preferred contractor status with a number of its major clients.

With all CAD and design work performed in-house by qualified mechanical engineers, the business has become renowned for creating the ideal, costeffective, controlled environment for the end-user.

“When it comes to our core activities, at present, we undertake project design and management of all aspects of mechanical services, which could include heating, cooling, ventilation, air conditioning, building management systems, public health and domestic water systems,” Steve reports. “We can then take that through to the commissioning and final handover stage.”

Of course, ICS is well aware that a project’s journey does not end with handover and, as a result, the firm’s post-project department closely monitors all aspects of aftercare and posthandover support. In an everchanging environment, Steve believes it is the flexibility and the capacity to adapt to complex market issues that sets successful construction businesses apart from the rest.

“It’s all about delivery in commercial fit-outs,” Steve asserts. “A project end date generally cannot change because there are so many people depending on you meeting that date, so you have to make sure that things are delivered and that they are handed over on-time and without defects. At ICS, this is what we always set out to do.”

One important contributing

factor to enable this level of reliability is the firm’s celebrated ‘Take Time’ initiative. “Take Time has been developed by our Projects Director, Matt Round, and is based around the idea that, before we actually get started on a project, we need to stand back, take time, and rather than doing things two or three times, do the work properly, do it right, and, consequently, do it only once,” Steve explains. “In short, that is the whole Take Time approach doing things right the first time.”

Among a long list of significant projects completed by the company during the course of its history, ICS counts refurbishment work carried out for Qantas

seven-floor fit-out for Fora in London.

More recently, in the summer of 2021, ICS won a number of

in Chiswick and for Croydon Borough Council’s Integrated Children’s Hub, as well as a £1.6 million design, build and

new contracts. In July 2021, for instance, ICS was awarded the opportunity to deliver the mechanical fit-out works at

Westminster Bridge, for a leading commercial office client. This was followed by another £1 million contract for a mechanical fit-out project at St James’ Square, London.

“We have taken on three major projects over the last three months with some of the top ten fit-out contractors in London,” Steve says. “All three of these contracts are valued in excess of £1 million. It’s been a nice way to cap off a difficult 18 months in which we have experienced the challenges of Brexit and the pandemic side-by-side.

“Back at the start of 2020, there was a knee-jerk reaction when the first lockdown came into place. We work with many top fit-out contractors in London and everyone took a few weeks to step back and look at the way

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PROFILE: INDOOR CLIMATE SYSTEMS

we could manage sites properly.

Obviously, the first thing in everyone’s mind was the safety of their employees and a couple of our clients came up with innovative ways to manage the processes during the pandemic.

For example, in Cambridge, one customer set out a two-metre grid all over the building so that people working there could maintain social distancing.

“Three weeks after the Covid-19 outbreak,” Steve continues, “we were pretty much back up to 100 percent in terms of working.

It was difficult, we were having to bring people in via our own transport, deliver them to the site and take them home again, but the company remained resilient throughout and turnover has been completely stable during the whole period.”

With the worst of the pandemic, and the widespread disruption that accompanied it, almost in the past, the construction sector, Steve suggests, is buoyant. As we move into the final third of 2021, ICS is already looking forward to substantial growth.

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“We are looking for 10 percent growth this year, taking us up towards £18 million in turnover.

Additionally,” Steve remarks, “we hope to acquire a service and maintenance business, and importantly, expand our JV partnerships with other specialists in the industry, such as electrical and BMS companies.”

In support of its ambitious future plans, in June 2021, ICS was the subject of a management buyout. As well as providing the company with additional funds, the move will enable ICS to underpin its succession chain and allow the senior members of the team to benefit from the growth of the company that they now have a stake in.

“The management buyout (MBO), involved five members of the existing ICS team who have been with the company for varying lengths of time between eight and 25 years,” Steve notes. “We always knew that we needed a succession chain below senior management level, so the business went out to the market, raised some capital, and that has

through organic and acquisitionbased growth, ICS now aims to continue delivering high-quality projects, while further expanding its Service and Maintenance Division.

“As far as the next year or so goes, we have a forum of clients that I speak to regularly and they are all experiencing an unprecedented volume of enquiries at present,” Steve says in closing. “The whole sector is buoyant, and we are looking to secure as much of that business as we can. It is an exciting time to be in commercial office fit-outs.

The future looks bright.”

Indoor Climate Systems www.indoorclimate.co.uk Services: Mechanical services contractor been used to buy out an outgoing Director, who has retired, as well as retiring shareholders. The MBO team then continued in their place.

“The team – Head of PreConstruction, Patrick Tea; degreequalified engineers Tom Newell and Ben Revell; Operations Director Tony Fletcher; and Paul Carter, who delivers larger projects – are all stakeholders in the business with an interest in its success, growth and future.

They all have different strings to their bows and they all have major roles to play. Everyone on that team looks after their own areas of the business so that the Senior Directors, Matt Round and myself, are free to undertake our respective Business Development and Commercial Director roles.”

Over the course of its history, ICS has built a healthy portfolio of repeat business with clients and consultants due to the company’s ability to provide a high level of service, create professional environments and deliver quality installations. As the firm looks to break the £18 million barrier

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PROFILE: MTX CONTRACTS LTD

The writing’s on the wall

T

he roots of MTX date back to 1983, when the company specialized in the refurbishment and remodelling

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of operating theatres, and the construction of cold storage facilities.

Less than two decades later, in 2002, it had grown to establish itself as the niche contractor of bespoke

healthcare buildings. To achieve its sustained success, the company is particularly experienced in the utilisation of modern methods of construction (MMC) and is proud

MTX Contracts Ltd is making one message clear: MMC is the way forward. Through innovation and ambition, the company is determined to lead the construction industry with the highest quality of efficient and cost-effective building services

to be a passionate pioneer, as David Hartley, the Managing Director and Co-founder of MTX, shares with us.

“We saw an opportunity to support a new demand in healthcare, and

accordingly, we built our first modular operating theatre in Aberdeen, which was subsequently followed by another project in Leicester and a third in Aberystwyth, Northern

Wales – the rest is history really. Since then, we’ve gone on to install nearly 1000 buildings across the country, not only operating theatres, but patient environments as well; intensive care

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PROFILE: MTX CONTRACTS LTD

units, emergency services, endoscopy, the list goes on,” he says. David’s career has followed in his father’s footsteps as a building services engineer, after having studied the trade in college and completing his higher national diploma. This was followed by an apprenticeship with one of the UK’s largest diesel engine manufacturers.

He then brought his expertise to the business and introduced the potential that MMC had to offer. “MMC is not only in reference to the actual building, we’re also utilising other forms of MMC premanufactured mechanically electrical services, pre-manufactured lift shafts and cladding services for example, which all come under MMC. By adopting other elements of MMC, we’re able to reduce the amount of disruption on site, which allows hospitals to focus on operations and treating patients,” he shares.

But why the interest in healthcare services? According to David, healthcare buildings are one of the most onerous buildings in terms of service requirements, whereas schools for example, required fairly minimal work. “We’ve got to

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supply ventilation and good lighting obviously, but healthcare is a bit more of a challenge, particularly in operating theatres and intensive care units. But our history and knowledge really is the pinnacle of what can be achieved and equips us with the ability to provide optimum solutions,” David expresses. Another advantage to implementing MMC practices within its operations is that MTX is able to level up on environmental conservation and support local economies to get the job done.

“Our operations are consolidated in areas where up to 60 percent of the buildings are constructed away from hospital sites, which means we are able to minimise our travel. The other thing that we do is, once the building lands on-site, we utilise our supply chain, especially SMEs working within a 30-mile radius of the site to support local workforces,” David says.

Kingston Modular Systems Our team have over 150 years of cumulative experience in the modular construction industry and have deployed it across all manner of projects.

What sets us apart is our commitment to personal service at every step of the journey. Each project has a dedicated project manager at all stages of the design, build and delivery process.

There’s a reason why we form long term relationships with our clients and deliver a return on investment time after time.

Whatever the size or scope of your project, trust Kingston Modular to deliver your company’s project on time, in full and error free.

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PROFILE: MTX CONTRACTS LTD

The ability to sustain these measures is owed to a novel model that the business has created for its infrastructure. “We have five Yorkshirebased manufacturers who will build to our specification, which means that on every single project, we are able to market test and our clients are presented with the best value and the best programme available,” he shares. This, David adds, ensures that the business can maximise on other production facilities should one warehouse fill to capacity.

Additionally, the unique model has enabled the company to be appointed for the second time to the £1.6 billion NHS Shared Business Services Framework project. MTX has had the opportunity to work with the NHS Trust over the past two decades, putting it at the forefront of specialising in its sector and highlighting the full range of its MMC practices. “We’re currently on site in Oxford, working on a £10 million project for them. We also completed the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital ward development project, and now we’re in Hereford and Kent just to name a few. I am very passionate about

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I don’t want to tempt fate, but I cannot imagine a more challenging time to direct a business at the moment. On top of the pandemic, we are also beginning to experience the impact of Brexit and only now are we starting to see what the Brexit landscape could look like

clients understanding that MMC is not a compromise on what is considered traditional building solutions; we are still providing concrete floors and cladding systems that are in keeping with the existing regulations, because, at the end of the day, these buildings require a 60-year lifespan, which means that the quality of the build has to be top-notch,” he explains.

Staying on topic with MMC’s capabilities, MTX is looking to continually push boundaries and provide a service that is greener, faster

and supportive of the government’s plans to cement MMC into the foundations of construction. “If you look at all government departments, particularly the NHS, they are mandating to adopt MMC and for the very reasons that we’ve discussed.

Given that we’re all adapting to the consequences of the Covid-19 crisis, I feel that MMC is the way forward, especially considering the lack of resources and skilled labour that have come about as a result of the pandemic. In addition to what we’re already doing, we are also implementing apprenticeships that are going to help us on the recruitment side,” David shares.

Further to the concerns brought on

by Covid-19, the biggest struggle that the business has had to endure over the past 18 months is the instability of supply chains. However, had it not been for the resilient MTX team, David fears the business would not have been nearly as successful. “We battled to get hold of materials, but that was quickly corrected when certain suppliers were instructed from central government to continue with their activities and support organisations who were working on critical facilities.

Another thing that I am incredibly

a few high-profile projects coming to a close, MTX is seeing through the remainder of 2021 with dexterity to take on bigger projects as it sets itself up for a ten percent increase in the coming years. “I don’t want to tempt fate, but I cannot imagine a more challenging time to direct a business at the moment. On top of

the pandemic, we are also beginning to experience the impact of Brexit and only now are we starting to see what the Brexit landscape could look like.

“Nevertheless, our key focus moving forward is always going to be to prioritise our clients. In order to do that, I want to ensure that we have a happy team, which means ensuring that we are strengthening our staff above to remain stable through any challenge that may come our way. Tying in with that, we are going to continually innovate our industry, which I believe is what will set us apart. With these factors, there is nothing we cannot achieve,” he concludes.

MTX Contracts Ltd www.mtxcontracts.co.uk Services: Healthcare building service contractors

proud of is that there was not a single person that we needed to furlough.

Above every difficulty, we ensured that our employees were safe, happy and in constant communication with that was happening. There’s a massive value that we place on looking after our team; so much so that we’ve been given the Investors of People Gold Accreditation and we’re going for Platinum. A huge amount of work and preparation that goes into receiving these accolades, which is an impressive testament to our company culture. This is why, regardless of the difficulties, I will always put the wellbeing of our people at the forefront of our operations because they are the ones driving our success,” he expresses.

Now, looking to the future, the journey ahead of the building services business is promising, despite the obstacles that may lay before it. With

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PROFILE: PGR BUILDERS AND TIMBER MERCHANTS

The right tools

Above: PGR, Southend 60

Above: PGR, Chelmsford

Left: PGR Braintree branch

Since 1984, PGR Builders and Timber Merchants has provided a uniquely broad range of building materials and resources to the UK construction industry

I

t has been 37 years since Graham Toomey, founder of PGR Builders and Timber Merchants (PGR), noticed that builders in his local area of Basildon were struggling to source materials for their work.

Seeing it as an opportunity, he began cutting and selling timber, and from there PGR has seen decades of success as a familyowned builders merchant. The company now has nine branches across Essex, and one in Surrey, all of which offer an exceptionally diverse range of products, from sheet materials to landscaping technology.

Since its genesis in the 1980s, PGR has changed and grown exponentially. As Operations Director, Mark Gunner, observes: “The last ten years is when we’ve significantly grown in size. We have begun stocking a lot of new products, and tried to diversify our business, away from what you might expect a ‘normal’ business merchant to be like.”

Diversification has helped PGR

Above: PGR, Egham

keep up with the demands of an ever-changing construction market. “I would say we’re very modern, and we change very quickly. Fashions and tastes

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PROFILE: PGR BUILDERS AND TIMBER MERCHANTS

change; we’re very quick to see that and adapt,” Mark confirms.

“I would say we keep a unique product range. We obviously need to invest in building essentials, such as bricks, blocks, timber, and cement. However, we are also very big in landscaping, so we really invested heavily in a range of landscaping materials as well; things like patio slabs, block paving for your drives, sleepers, top soil, all your garden-only products.

When I started five years ago I took this element of the business under my wing, and it’s broadened our range massively.

“Ultimately, we offer a good choice for customers, as we now also stock premium products, such as millboard decking. Millboard is a top of the range composite decking, and I’d say products like that have really helped us stay unique,” he adds.

PGR’s range of products and services is not the only thing setting it apart. The company’s loft

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We’ve got a very good relationship with all of our suppliers, and throughout the last 18 months that’s been essential for us. With Covid-19, and the restrictions it bought, there have been issues. Supply has been dreadful and it still is. But, because we’ve got good relationships with our suppliers, they have really helped us out. They’ve given us great service, and without it we wouldn’t be where we are today, that’s for sure

department provides an essential service to many working on home conversions, as Mark reveals: “Our loft department is quite unique; it essentially means that we have a lorry that cranes into people’s lofts.

Builders haven’t got to carry or crane all of their stuff up, because we do it all for them on delivery.

“We had the idea to incorporate this department when we were supplying a company that had this kind of lorry with a crane

attached; they were buying all of their timber from us, collecting it, and going on to supply the loft converters. We saw that this was something we could do ourselves, and so invested in that technology.

We got one lorry in, and put our Sales Manager in charge of the department. It’s been going very well, and we now have three lorries and one more on order. It’s gone from strength-to-strength, really.”

From providing timber to the

construction workers of Basildon in 1984, to adopting the use of crane technology in 2016, PGR has always been backed by people who have the ability and drive to innovate. “We are an independent, family-run business, and that is reflected in our company culture,” explains Mark. “We’re very close to our staff. We are always encouraging them to come up with ideas, and keep us updated on what builders are doing. In addition, the director’s doors are always open to everyone. I don’t believe any of the staff would have any qualms in coming to talk to us about anything. People feel very comfortable communicating here, even with the owner himself.”

PGR’s open and accepting company culture is one of the key components of its success. “I think communication is really central to

AABC Group AABC Group is one of the leading bagged aggregate suppliers in East Anglia, London and the Home Counties. With clients including builders merchants, building contractors, construction companies and garden centres, the business has gone from strength-to-strength since it was founded in 2001.

AABC works closely with PGR Builders and Timber Merchants, having grown alongside the business as it has expanded. Offering additional support on sourcing difficult materials (including bagged and loose product), AABC has developed key connections with all PGR’s staff members.

By understanding each other’s business and pressure points, and prioritising communication, AABC and PGR have created a successful working relationship, which AABC looks forward to developing in the future.

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PROFILE: PGR BUILDERS AND TIMBER MERCHANTS

what we do; I certainly like giving managers authority and ownership over their own branch, so they feel comfortable trying new things and coming up with their own ideas,” says Mark.

“Communication is made stronger by the fact that, as managers, we’re still actively involved in running the business day-to-day,” he continues. “We remain part of the sales process, as we’ve got our own customers that we still interact with every day.

I think it helps us keep our ear to the ground; we know what new innovations and products are out there because our builders tell us.”

It’s clear that PGR values its people, and as the company experiences growth, those people remain its driving force. “In the two new branches we just opened, with the exception of one staff member, they were all promoted

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internally,” Mark announces. “That’s 14 members of staff we were able to promote, and I’m quite proud about that. It was a nice boost to all the other staff, who realized that, with us, you really can get on. We want that, we want progression within the business.”

As it expands, PGR has developed its services in order to keep up with increasing demand.

“We’ve got a sales office; it started with two people, and it’s now grown into five. It’s a central sales office for the whole company, meaning it can take larger enquiries, and deal with the excess demand from any of our branches.

Just last month our sales team put through £1 million for the first time; that’s quite a big development, and really good for them,” Mark confirms.

“We’ve really gotten into marketing since taking on our

first Marketing Manager about four or five years ago,” he adds, ruminating on how the company has changed over recent years.

“Before that we relied on inhouse communication and word of mouth, but we’ve now got Charley Kober, who is fantastic.

We’re heavily into social media, promotions and pushing new products, which in turn helps promote the business; this is especially important now that we’ve started selling online. Our website went live this year, and it’s something we’ve never done before, so going online really is bringing in a new era for us.”

As PGR steps into a new era, so do the rest of us. With the effects on daily life that Covid-19 brought with it slowly becoming a thing of the past, Mark reflects on how the business weathered the storm of a pandemic: “It was

PGR Builders and Timber Merchants is a testament to the power of strong communication and brave innovation. To continue providing high-quality products and services, the company aims to build a distribution centre, and another five branches, in the next three to five years. In fulfilling these goals, the company will no doubt stay true to the fundamentals that have gotten it this far, as Mark asserts: “The main thing, as I’ve always said, is that we do the basics right. Customers and customer service is our number one priority.” so new to us; we shut the business on April 1st 2020 for about two to three weeks, because the staff were very nervous of the situation, and supply looked like it was going to become an issue. We needed time to sit back and think about what we were doing. I think what we did very well was react quickly; we got screens set up, we ordered the sanitizing solutions, and masks, even before it was made legislation.

In the end, we managed to get everything done within two weeks.

“Once we re-opened we wanted to ensure that the staff could feel comfortable, so we limited the amount of customers allowed to come into a branch at any one time. At first they weren’t allowed in at all, it had to be delivery only.

After that, they had to book a slot to come in. We adapted to the situation, and we did it quickly. I think that’s been the key.”

It wasn’t just Mark and his team being proactive that helped PGR define itself during a global pandemic, as its long-standing relationships with suppliers came into play: “We’ve got a very good relationship with all of our suppliers, and throughout the last 18 months that’s been essential

our suppliers, they have really helped us out. They’ve given us great service, and without it we wouldn’t be where we are today, that’s for sure,” Mark affirms.

PGR Builders and Timber Merchants www.pgrtimber.co.uk Services: Builders Merchants

for us. With Covid-19, and the restrictions it bought, there have been issues. Supply has been dreadful and it still is. But, because we’ve got good relationships with

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PROFILE: ARCADIS UK & IRELAND

Supporting a changing world

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Striving each day to find sustainable solutions to pressing challenges, Arcadis exists to improve the quality of life for people around the world

or Arcadis, sustainability is at the heart of everything this global design, engineering and management consulting company based in Zuidas, Amsterdam, Netherlands, does. This is as true in 2021 as it was back in 1888, when the business was established with the purpose of transforming unusable wetlands in its home country into prosperous land upon which people could farm, live, and build communities.

This was the origin of Arcadis’ passion for improving quality of

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life and the driving force behind its commitment to sustainability.

Today, it proudly describes itself as the leading global design and consultancy organisation for natural and built assets. With revenues in excess of €3.3 billion, and over 27,000 people under its employ and active in more than 70 countries, Arcadis now supports the likes of UN-Habitat –the United Nations Human Settlements Programme – with knowledge and expertise to improve the quality of life in rapidly growing cities.

“The world has changed the way we live and work,” Mark

Cowlard – Arcadis’ CEO for the UK and Ireland – tells Construction & Civil Engineering. “Unexpected events and megatrends such as rapid urbanisation and climate change are putting pressure on communities, cities and resources worldwide. As a business, we want to maximise our impact by harnessing the power of technology and data to develop solutions to today’s challenges.

We are focused on improving the way resources are utilised, protecting our environment, creating transporting solutions, and planning for the places where

we can enjoy our work and home lives. You can see all of this in the work that we do for our clients, the opportunities we create for our people, and in our efforts to enhance our communities.”

Here in the UK, the organisation celebrated the opening of its new London office at 80 Fenchurch Street (80Fen), in the heart of the city, in June 2021. This new premises stretches across 40,800-square feet – across two floors – and incorporates Arcadis’ Building Intelligence solution in order to ensure a seamless office experience. “Building Intelligence helps us to make best use of space, provide energy and maintenance savings, and improves health and

and adapt. After all, what we’re doing at 80Fen isn’t just a one-time fit-out, it’s a step change in how we use and curate space.

“Long before the emergence of Covid-19, we had been reviewing how we use our work space, with choice and flexibility being key.

80Fen will provide a blueprint for future workplaces within the Global Estates portfolio - best practice feedback will be incorporated into other spaces in the future, and we are now taking this to clients around the world.”

During the course of its illustrious history, service innovation has been a key characteristic that has helped inspire Arcadis to be a leader in its field, and is a trait that remains

wellbeing. A combination of new flexible ways of working with the sensors, machine learning and insights that we gain through Building Intelligence gives a detailed picture of how the building is operating and how our people are engaging with it,” Mark explains. “This in turns means we can choose how to flex our space and be agile in the different ways it can be used. Collecting data over time means we can test theories

just as important today. “Through our unified innovation platform, QuickLaunch, we have been able to capture innovative ideas and solutions, and accelerate several initiatives that have delivered proven value to our clients,” Mark continues. “These solutions have not only helped the digitalisation of our core services but have also supported the creation of new digital tools to embed sustainability, automation, digital data collection and analysis as part of clients’ business as usual activities.”

Arcadis has also grown its digital and data expertise through the acquisition of the software and analytics firms SEAMS and EAMS, that aims to improve infrastructure performance and resilience. The recently opened Arcadis Innovation Hub in Amsterdam is being used to develop innovative solutions in a start-up environment, and is also home to the Arcadis City of 2030 Accelerator program that it delivered through a partnership with TechStars.

“Digital transformation is a top priority for Arcadis,” Mark goes on to highlight. “Every day we are using cutting-edge digital solutions that deliver real value and developing tools to help our clients complete programmes quicker and

more efficiently. We also launched ArcadisGen in 2020, which was a shift towards productization, away from pure services and effectively into some areas of subscriptionbased revenues.

“Further to this, we have invested in developing our people’s skills in digital through a number of programs including our Expedition DNA Program and through our knowledge partnership with Vlerick Business School, all helping our people to equally be aware of the role that digital plays today, and in the future in our business, and the critical role of data too in exploring how we can improve client outcomes.”

Acardis’ care and thought for its people and their individual development can be witnessed on a daily basis throughout the business, and has seen it recognised as being among the very best big companies to work for in the UK. “We constantly strive to improve our employee experience and ‘People First’ culture, as we know that an engaged workforce is happier, motivated, and more productive,” Mark enthuses. “It is tremendous that our people genuinely feel we have an environment at Arcadis that enables them to grow and realise their full potential. Our ‘People First’ approach is all about building something for our people, by our people, and we are committed to attracting the best talent and providing fantastic opportunities to learn, collaborate and – importantly - work on some very exciting projects.

“Over the last year, we’ve been listening to the needs of our colleagues and have implemented actions and improvements such as strengthening leadership skills and improving our processes to recognise colleagues. Our ethos is all about striving to improve people’s quality of life, and I’m delighted to see this being played out in every aspect of our business.

Some examples include our mental

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PROFILE: ARCADIS UK & IRELAND

Below: Mark Cowlard, UK CEO at Arcadis health first aiders, who have an integral role in ensuring ongoing support for those in need and help to signpost professional services where necessary. We also offer a Family Mental Healthline to colleagues within their company benefits.”

When Mark speaks about the exciting projects that Arcadis’ employees can look forward to being a part of, there are numerous examples upon which he can draw. For his part, Mark is keen to note a recent contract awarded to the company by Highways England. “Highways England has appointed Arcadis to Lot 1 and Lot 2 on its new £420 million, six-year Commercial and Project Management (CPMS) services framework,” he notes. “The sixyear framework across two lots will include commercial, project and risk management, as well as planning services, to all parts of Highways England. The framework will also provide access to services to support work undertaken by, or in partnership with, the wider government and transport research bodies. Lot 1 will involve providing commercial management services, including quantity surveying and estimating services, while Lot 2 will include project management commissions, including risk management and planning services.

“This is a significant opportunity for Arcadis to build on the success we have enjoyed during the past ten years, and position ourselves as a major provider of commercial and project management services to Highways England. This significant win can be attributed to exceptional account leadership and an unerring focus on service excellence.”

Other significant developments and projects of note involving Arcadis include – but are by no means limited to – securing a commission with Sheffield City Region to design South Yorkshire’s digital infrastructure strategy,

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being appointed by Transport for Wales to monitor progress and compliance on one of its major highways’ improvement projects (a 17.7km, 70mph all-purpose dual carriageway with six junctions), and working in partnership with the City of Edinburgh Council to support the regeneration of Granton Waterfront (a 66-acre site that will ultimately house 3500 new homes, a school, healthcare, retail and public spaces). Further to these projects, Arcadis is also supporting various sustainable and environmental initiatives, including Tesco’s plan to deliver and install the UK’s largest retail electric vehicle charging network, creating the infrastructure for the UK’s first low-carbon aviation test centre in Scotland, and delivering the country’s first carbon-neutral bus station in Leicester.

The unprecedented year that was 2020 also saw Arcadis respond to the sharp rise in Covid-19 infection rates in the early months of the pandemic by playing an integral role in the delivery of three NHS emergency Nightingale hospitals in Birmingham, Harrogate, and Cardiff. Here its team provided project and cost management services at pace to create new critical care facilities to help in the fight against the virus.

In terms of how the pandemic has impacted its own operations, while Mark confirms that Covid-19 ushered in new ways of working virtually overnight, Arcadis’ employees across the UK adapted quickly to the changes.

“Through our ‘Beat the Market’ programme, the team met the challenges and opportunities in the industry head-on, training over 200 people in virtual bidding skills and successfully helping clients navigate the new operating environment. We were also fortunate that we had already been encouraging our people to work from home when and if it suited them, so when we were hit by the pandemic, working from home was not something new to most. In fact, they and our technology were already well equipped to respond to our client needs from home.”

Before turning to what the future holds for the organisation, it would also be pertinent to mention the fact that the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has awarded Arcadis ‘Chartered Practice’ status, recognising quality, ethics and best practice. “Arcadis’ Buildings Design practice was launched in 2019, and now has 100 colleagues spanning architecture, interior design, mechanical, electrical, public health, and structural engineering. These

multidisciplinary design experts span multiple and diverse sectors,” Mark points out. “We are very proud to have been awarded the RIBA Chartership, which recognises Arcadis’ commitment to quality, health & safety, sustainability, equality, diversity and inclusion.

The chartership reassures our clients with an independent and external kite mark on the high standards of our work, and it recognises the talented people who work with us, and their continued commitment to service excellence. The RIBA Chartership will support our mission for future growth of the Practice, opening doors with new and existing clients.”

As for Arcadis’ goals for the coming years, maximising its impact for all of its stakeholders is the key objective of its 2021-

2023 strategy. “We are expecting increased growth opportunities resulting from a combination of ongoing urbanisation, climate change, digitalisation, and societal expectations,” Mark adds. “Our new strategy will accelerate growth by placing sustainability at the centre of all client solutions, leveraging global scale and sharpening our focus on areas of strength, and remaining a digital frontrunner.

“By achieving all of the above, we have every confidence of meeting our targets for 2023, which

include mid-single digit organic revenue growth, increasing our operating EBITA margin to exceed ten percent, raising the number of women within our workforce by more than 40 percent, and reducing our emissions in line with a 1.5C science-based target before 2030.”

Arcadis UK & Ireland www.arcadis.com Services: Design, engineering and management consultancy

Infraco-Consulting Infraco-Consulting are working with Arcadis on the HS2 project providing specialist utility management and support to their joint venture, ASC, alongside Setec and Cowi. Appreciating that this project is one of the most iconic and complex underway in the UK, the Infraco team are able to provide our skills and experience, gained from other multi-faceted and major projects, to bolster the ASC offering and tackle the challenges that our client and partners face. We are proud to have nurtured and developed our relationship with Arcadis over the past few years and believe we have an exciting and collaborative future ahead.

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PROFILE: GRIPPLE

A firm grip on growth

After a positive first half of 2021, Gripple, a globally recognised manufacturer delivering innovative, valueadded solutions to construction and agricultural markets, is upgrading its facilities and adding to its product range

S

ince featuring in Construction & Civil Engineering towards the end of 2020, Gripple has enjoyed

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a year of substantial demand and significant growth. With sales up by 15 percent compared to the same trading period in 2019, the company’s Managing Director,

Ed Stubbs, is delighted to have achieved such unexpected success in 2021 so far.

“Quite frankly, we were expecting activity - particularly

in the construction sector - to be lower in the first half of 2021 than it has been,” Ed reveals. “Obviously, we recorded much better numbers than the Covid-19-disrupted first

half of 2020, but to be up on our sales from 2019 is very satisfying.

“I’m delighted with our performance, especially in the context of the incredibly

challenging circumstances we’ve experienced around the globe during the pandemic. Some countries in which we operate, like India and Japan for instance, have

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PROFILE: GRIPPLE

At Gripple, I’m always amazed by how our subsidiary businesses and their employees, despite some not yet having visited our HQ in Sheffield, truly understand and believe in our culture and our values.

A big part of sustaining that global culture is communication and the employee-owned aspect of our operation

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been in lockdown for the majority of this year, and we’ve been hit by unprecedented circumstances in our global supply chain caused by the Covid-19 crisis and Brexit, yet we’ve overcome these issues.”

Resilience, as Ed suggests, has been a hallmark of Gripple’s performance over the last 18 months, helping the business to maintain its productivity and drive further growth. By banding together and remaining steadfast in the face of adversity, the organisation was able to focus more closely on the fundamentals, as well as invest in the specific business areas that make Gripple great.

“During times of crisis, you can learn a lot about the core drivers of business resilience and use that information to your advantage,” Ed says. “The pandemic helped us refocus on the fundamentals of what we do and encouraged us to continue investing in our products, warehousing and manufacturing.

No doubt some of our sales performance in the first half of 2021 has been the result of pushing

forwards with development and bringing to market some quite important products, in spite of Covid-19.

“We are keen investors in a diverse geographic market with a sturdy, locally established supply chain. Our 15 percent sales increase has been supported by the fact we managed to complete a very large expansion in the US and the UK, bringing in new capacity for our products and enhancing our ability to guarantee the availability and traceability of supply. The upshot is that, whilst we are being challenged by global supply chain challenges, we are less affected than our competitors because of how locally invested we are in our geographic markets.”

Part of the investment Ed refers to has allowed Gripple to complete a 45,000-square-foot extension at its site in Chicago, turning the location into the company’s largest single manufacturing facility. With five new fully automated machines - made by Gripple Automation in the UK - currently on their way to the site, the expanded

PROFILE: GRIPPLE

Chicago facility is set to be fully commissioned later in 2021.

“There is still some work to do on integrating the new manufacturing space with expanded offices and the like, which we expect to complete by the end of the summer, but the work is almost complete,” Ed states. “We look forward to getting over to Chicago and seeing it and taking part in an opening celebration in early autumn.”

Along with substantially increasing the North American

Atlantic Freight Limited Atlantic Freight Limited has worked alongside Gripple Limited for many years to provide transportation services by air and ocean freight to the US, as well as other worldwide destinations.

Atlantic Freight was established in 2001, offering logistic services by all modes of transport. We specialize in the North American market, where we operate our own weekly consolidation services directly into our US customs bonded warehouse in Chicago by ocean and air freight. We offer competitive rates, transit time, and are committed to providing a high quality service, which is paramount to Gripple and all of our customers worldwide

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production capacity for its wire rope slings used in suspension, bracing and anchoring systems, the investment will create new jobs, improved traceability and increased supply chain security.

“Growth in North America is outstripping our global average, but we still have a long way to go to realise our full potential there,” Ed argues. “However, the Chicago upgrade should go a long way to doing that.

“Alongside increasing capacity, the investment will create more jobs just outside Chicago, enabling more people to become a part of Gripple, which is, of course, an employee-owned business. For our customers, it means a significantly increased degree of supply chain security, as well as more domestically produced goods.

“Finally, the new automated

machinery we are going to introduce will test every single one of our slings to twice the stated working load, which can’t be done when you manufacture by hand. It’s a really important step forwards in terms of quality for US customers and a sign of more to come in North America in the future.”

Once operational, Gripple’s expanded Chicago facility will join the company’s LA-based sales hub, warehouse and manufacturing center in the company’s push for increased traction in the United States. On a global scale, the US investments follow recent ventures in Canada and Japan.

“At Gripple Japan, we are seeing phenomenal growth, but from a very small base, and that takes some time to achieve,” Ed declares. “We have high hopes

for real development there now that lockdowns are over and the Olympics has passed.

“Over in Canada, Gripple is only two or three years old and is doing really well. We are expecting to see significant growth there too.”

These locations, along with the company’s Sheffield headquarters and complementary sales hubs in places like Warsaw and New Delhi, mean that Gripple is wellpositioned to serve customers across the entire globe. Ed believes that, above all else, the success of such an advanced and far-reaching international footprint comes down to culture.

“At Gripple, I’m always amazed by how our subsidiary businesses and their employees, despite some not yet having visited our HQ in Sheffield, truly understand and believe in our culture and our values,” Ed notes. “A big part of sustaining that global culture is communication and the employeeowned aspect of our operation.

“Recruitment is important too,” Ed continues. “We endeavor to hire people with the right values and people who want to work in a EO business environment. We have a very engaged workforce; all of our people are owners of the business.

Everyone is bought in and has a

Brightside Construction Approaching our 40th year in business, Brightside Construction are proud to have enjoyed a strong working relationship with Gripple over the last 15 years. We perform building works and maintenance at all of Gripple’s sites in south Yorkshire, and we look forward to furthering our relationship in the years to come.

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PROFILE: GRIPPLE

vested interested in the quality of products being manufactured, the customer service we provide and business performance. An engaged workforce plays an active part in the future success of the company and that’s a compelling message for our customers. As a result, whenever we set up a subsidiary, we usually do it with an existing employee. That is the case in Japan, which is run by someone who worked at Gripple in Sheffield for 20 years, and it’s a practice that works really well for us. It means

you have somebody trustworthy in there who understands your culture and can build the subsidiary with that in mind.”

Well-established and self-assured, Gripple has raced ahead of its competitors in 2021 and launched industry-defining new products, such as the third generation of its classic Fast Trak suspension system.

An iconic product range that has innovated the suspension system landscape for four years, Fast Trak has been revamped for 2021 with a series of new features to

make installation even quicker and simpler.

“We are in the process of carrying out a number of product updates and improvements, many of which are centered around moving to a different manufacturing process where we are roll forming the brackets and the tracks rather than pressing and bending them,” Ed reveals.

“From a product functionality point of view, that has allowed us to make substantial steps forwards in terms of the product’s rigidity when installed, the ease and speed of installment and also the product’s versatility when it comes to different applications and compatibilities. It might be a thirdgeneration product, but for us, it feels like a huge advancement in design and functionality.”

Elsewhere, Gripple has made its first foray into the solar market.

Whether for a new project or an existing solar farm in need of maintenance, the company can provide solutions to issues on site using its modern bracing and anchoring products, saving both time and money for clients.

“We are launching a lot of new products that aim to improve value engineering installation of ground mounted solar panels. It’s proving very fruitful as the scale of solar PV and installation rapidly increases,” Ed explains.

Bolstered by these ambitious plans, Gripple expects to continue growing by around 10-to-15 percent per annum, which, in another five years, could bring the company’s turnover to £150 million. At the same time, the organization hopes to remain aggressive on the sustainability side of its operations.

“We are looking to announce Net Zero status on Scope One and Scope Two globally by this time next year and on Scope One, Two and Three by autumn 2023,” Ed reports. “We are confident we can make considerable progress from an already strong position because of how vertically integrated we are.

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The first step is to move to a state of being oxygen positive - rather than carbon neutral - by this time next year, but we are in a strong position.

“On another front, there is going to be vast digitalisation that needs to be carried out in the business.

We have come a long way in that area over the last five years, and in the next five we will continue to take actions that will affect how we run the business and the types of products, services and support we can bring to customers.”

Relentless in its quest for growth, and dedicated to its customers - both new and old - Gripple will continue to invest in product development, working with clients to solve issues through the use of innovative products. As Gripple embarks on the next stage of its journey, Ed knows that success can

only be achieved with the help of the company’s skilled and spirited workforce.

“Every single person who works here shares in the business and drives superior productivity and service,” Ed proclaims. “I think our effectiveness, and the way we solve customer problems, really makes a difference in this market.

“As a global business and a proud UK manufacturer, we are highly invested in people, resources and capabilities in all the markets we serve locally. On a cultural level, that is significant, but more importantly,

it’s something our customers deserve and need us to deliver.

“All in all, it’s a very exciting time for the company. As we enter markets like solar, and launch new products like Fast Trak, we feel we are really pushing the business forward again, not just waiting around for pandemics and supply chain issues to end.”

Gripple www.gripple.com services: Value-added solutions for the construction and agricultural markets

The Active Spring Company Ltd The Active Spring Company Ltd was started in 1980, and over this time the company has built a reputation for quality, reliability, excellent customer service and value for money. We are consistently investing in the most sophisticated spring coiling machinery available to our industry and with a highly skilled workforce. We now have one of the most extensive wire range capabilities in Europe being capable of forming wire from 0.152mm right up to 70mm; manufacturing Wire Forms, Pressings, Torsion, Double Torsion, Compression, Tension and Conical Springs.

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PROFILE: BLUE PHOENIX GROUP

On the rise

As the world’s largest ash processing business, Blue Phoenix Group continues to build a sustainable future around the globe as it targets new markets and develops new technologies

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aking inspiration from its mythi§ation does not see landfill sites as

the final destination for residue ash. Instead, Blue Phoenix is capable of recycling ash from Energy from Waste facilities by extracting ferrous and non-ferrous

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metals and producing a clean mineral for reuse in civil construction works such as roads and pavements.

We spoke with Blue Phoenix Group International Business Development Manager Rogier van de Weijer, who said: “At Blue Phoenix, we are building a sustainable future, and that is our

drive on a global scale. We want to help countries, communities, cities, and companies to divert materials from landfills. Today, waste-to-energy (WtE) is a huge contributor to the circular economy by recycling the energy potential from the so-called non-recyclable products. The energy

recovery produces a non-hazardous mix of unburnable waste known as incinerator bottom ash (IBA). As Blue Phoenix Group, we ensure that the IBA does not go to landfill but that we recover the metal and mineral fractions to reuse these resources back in the economy.”

With the European Union leading the push to operate a fully circular, green economy by 2050, drawing energy from waste is set to become increasingly important over the next 30 years. As a result, Blue Phoenix’s expertise in the area of bottom ash processing is likely to prove indispensable for the firm and the wider world it serves.

“Put simply, during the WtE process, material goes into the incinerator and while burnable waste creates energy, unburnable waste creates bottom ash,” Rogier states. “This residue often contains many forms of glass, minerals, sand, copper, lead, zinc, aluminium, and even precious metals, which we can help find its way back to the proper industries. The reason behind our existence is really to ensure that this waste is treated properly. When cities want to reduce their dependency on landfilling, WtE is a proper solution, we help them solve the problem of ash residue.”

To support its activities and facilitate further growth, Blue Phoenix acquired CC Gruppe GmbH in February 2021, one of Germany’s leading specialists in the disposal, reprocessing, and recycling of waste incineration slags. CC Gruppe was a good fit with Blue Phoenix as it gives

it access to Blue Phoenix’s global IBA processing experiences and provides Blue Phoenix with potential for fly ash disposal.

“As an ash solution provider, the fly ash capabilities that CC Gruppe brings to our group is very important.

The solution brought today, including stabilization through the use of complementary products and storage in salt mines, is traditional, but proved very useful,” Rogier reports. “Our research is further looking into ways to recover fly ash, as well as other products that could be recycled and brought back into the economy.”

Another key area of focus for Blue Phoenix at present is the cementitious market. Following significant investment in this process, the company is now set to embark on a demonstration-scale plant, with the potential outcome being the creation of a cement-replacement product.

Not only will this further reduce waste, but it has the potential to reduce significantly the greenhouse gas emissions within the concrete industry, by replacing the most carbon-intensive product.

“We have performed a number of very promising assessments in this area during recent years,” Rogier remarks. “We are committed to these types of developments and

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PROFILE: BLUE PHOENIX GROUP

have committed finance to prove the concept before moving into full production. Replacing primary cement with a replacement product has great opportunities. We will initially market within the nonreinforced market which will offer our clients the potential for cost reduction as well as the advantage of a low carbon solution. It’s another great example of how we are contributing to ‘building a sustainable future’ and be a real solution provider for the WtE market.”

An organisation with global ambitions, Blue Phoenix hopes to add future business in Australia and the Middle East alongside its ongoing operations in the UK, Germany, Netherlands and the USA. As more and more countries see WtE as the only mature solution for diverting non-recyclables in municipal waste from landfills, Blue Phoenix will, no doubt, further expand its presence around the world.

Elsewhere in 2020, Blue Phoenix inked its first Australian contract.

As a result, the company is now in the process of constructing the

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first bottom ash recycling plant in Australia.

“The plant will be based just south of Perth,” Rogier reveals. “It’s the first of its kind in Australia, so we are bringing in our UK team to really help local government in setting the regulations and boundaries for how you should manage, handle and approve the use of our processed material as a secondary aggregate product. I say ‘product’ because we are going to market it as a highly usable, low carbon, manufactured aggregate alternative to a mined product. It’s lighter so it transports more easily, it compacts very well and has a rugged form, so we expect it to be very competitive!”

With all relevant technologies now in-house, Blue Phoenix hopes to focus on expansion in the next five years. Either through autonomous growth or acquisition, the company will predominantly be working on increasing its presence in regions with developed economies, home markets like the UK, Netherlands, France, Germany, Europe, and North America, and new markets such as Australia,

South East Asia and Middle East.

“At the end of the day, we are a commercial company, so economics has always driven business, however, more and more, we find ourselves driven by our purpose of building a sustainable future,” Rogier asserts.

“We want to build a sustainable future and we want to be involved where there is unprocessed waste, and thus an opportunity with WtE. For every 100 per cent of raw waste input, there is always 20-to-25 per cent of useful leftovers in the ash residue that we can recycle.

“By 2050, we want to be fully circular and therefore the next 30 years are critical. We must recognize that waste contains what we have come to call ‘non-recyclable’ material that can actually be recycled. While WtE companies do their work, Blue Phoenix can make sure that the ash residue is perfectly sorted and funneled back as useful material in a circular economy.”

Rogier believes that this notion, and the company’s broader efforts to ‘build a sustainable future’, could become Blue Phoenix’s greatest

legacy. IBA aggregates are a low carbon alternative for primary product and a ton of aluminum, for instance, costs around ten tonnes of CO2, while a ton of recycled aluminum costs less than one ton of CO2. Cement has a comparably high emissions tariff, so Blue Phoenix’s efforts to create a product that could fully replace cement using only recycled material have revolutionary potential.

“As I have stressed, over the next 30 years, we have to acknowledge that WtE activity will grow and, therefore, we must endeavor to divert bottom ash going to landfill.

Instead, that ash needs to go to companies like Blue Phoenix for further recycling,” Rogier says in summary. “Of course, we now need to work together across the world to make this happen, and collaborate with local government and clients

to prevent landfilling and encourage aggregate reuse. Unfortunately, local legislation does affect the way we conduct business. For example, in the US at the moment, we are only dedicated to metal sorting, because there is no incentive to divert from landfilling, so we can’t beat the low costs of landfill that does not reflect the environmental impact. However, if that changes, we will be ready to contribute with our services.”

Blue Phoenix Group www.bluephoenix-group.com Services: Ash processing company

Rockley Transport Rockley Transport are delighted to congratulate Blue Phoenix on their continued success and are pleased to be a valued service partner.

Rockley Transport operate 130 heavy goods vehicles servicing their clients in the Industrial, Fuel and Agricultural sectors, equipped with the latest safety and technical features, providing an uncompromised service.

A National depot network enables Rockley Transport to assist customers across most locations within the UK. Its focus on achieving the highly valued FORS Gold standard is of importance to the Construction and Industrial Markets as it allows Rockley Transport to operate in any location and customer site across the UK. For further information contact Admin@fermac.co.uk

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PROFILE: JOHN NICHOLLS (TRADING) LTD.

Luxury utility Clean-cut lines, natural tones, and a classic style, all collide in John Nicholls’s high-end range of kitchens and bathrooms

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ur homes are full of important spaces, rooms we want to be full of light, personality and colour, as well as all the necessary conveniences; John Nicholls’s brand of luxury bathrooms and kitchens provide exactly this. As a leading building and plumbing merchant, the company runs 22 locations throughout Oxford and Warwickshire, as a key component of the John Nicholls Group.

Starting from humble beginnings, the group, which began as a one-man operation in 1965, has grown into a business of over 200 individuals. Throughout its 55 years, John Nicholls has proudly remained an independent, familyowned establishment.

Inspired by an interest in the function and aesthetic of quality brands, John Nicholls aims to provide the best interiors at a competitive price. Through ongoing expansion of stock holdings on these brands, and an unrivalled onsite delivery service, the company continues to develop its core business in line with the design sector’s everchanging demands.

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Throughout its history, John Nicholls has been able to expand, and offer a more turnkey service when it comes to kitchen and bathroom renovation. As of today, the company offers free design and consultation, modelling, site surveying, delivery and installation.

Alongside classical style and contemporary fixtures, John Nicholls has invested in technology that makes interior design truly personalised. Using a state-of-the-art CAD 3D modelling programme, customers are able to personally design their space; creating a kitchen or bathroom that is truly one-ofa-kind.

With all this assistance, customers can feel confident in building their ideal space out of the company’s broad range of designer tiles and cult-favourite worktops. Known for its sublime surfaces, John Nicholls offers everything from laminate tops to composite and quartz. Its solid timber surfaces are known for their durability and, being sustainably sourced, offer an environmentally friendly option that remains truly timeless.

The John Nicholls company

culture is interested in offering green alternatives, as well as striving for unprecedented levels of service. By building excellent relationships with customers and suppliers alike, the company has seen decades of success, as well as generations of experienced and knowledgeable staff. As a business, its broadest aim is to truly make a difference in designing the spaces in which we live our lives.

John Nicholls’s luxury kitchens and bathrooms have the perfect blend of style and utility. The hub of its operations is the Banbury showroom, which has catalogued the best in luxury home fixtures for over 40 years. As the company website states: ‘Striking designs, innovation and creativity are the focus of our business.’

With a refurbishment having been completed recently, John Nicholls is able to put its best foot forward, with the latest kitchens and bathrooms in a range of styles, colours and finishes.

As Clair Deasy, John Nicholls Showroom Manager, says on the company website: “We’ve taken our time to ensure our showroom is at the forefront of kitchen and bathroom design, by including

working displays and real room settings. We want our customers to be able to visualise their new kitchen or bathroom with the help of our excellent design team.

We have partnered with the leading kitchen and bathroom suppliers to ensure our customers get the right experience, and we think the John Nicholls Showroom is now back to being the best showroom in the area.”

Keeping its finger on the pulse, John Nicholls is finely tuned into the trends of the interior design world. One of the more recent aesthetics to find popularity is the industrial style bathroom.

Taking inspiration from the urban loft spaces of New York and London, this new style makes the most of traditionally utilitarian fixtures, and gives them hedonic purpose. Leading the way through this particular trend is John Nicholls supplier Samuel Heath, whose innovative designs make up two styles within John Nicholls’s Landmark range.

Offering warm city tones with a sense of purity and minimalism, both styles come in a range of natural, brassy finishes.

It is clear that John Nicholls understands its market, but equally important, it understands its customers. Testimonials on the company website speak to this, as each customer describes having their individual needs met in a way that made them feel valued and involved.

Understanding the needs and wants of customers is what the people behind John Nicholls do best. As experts in design, installation and customer care, they drive the company through all the successes that it has seen.

Most recently, the John Nicholls team have been able to safeguard the company against prevalent supply-chain issues, thanks to proactive thinking. With many struggling with stock shortages as the result of Britain leaving the European Union, John Nicholls

ran out of materials, John Nicholls was able to reap the rewards of bulking up its stock holdings early in the year.

Having seen strong business relationships, great customer service, and unfalteringly chic designs fortify it through the turbulence of 2020, John Nicholls is now planning to open two more sites by the end of the year.

The company continues to thrive, and whether it’s leaning against a silver quartz worktop, or lying back in an antique-gold tub, John Nicholls’s staff and customers will certainly have the perfect spaces in which to soak up this success. protected itself and its customers by taking preventative action, and putting an extra £1 million worth of stock into its stores this January. Whilst many competitors

John Nicholls (Trading) Ltd. www.johnnicholls.co.uk Services: Kitchen and bathroom resources

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PROFILE: ROCHFORD CONSTRUCTION LTD

Reputation is key Rochford Construction Ltd (RCL) has excelled over the last three-and-a-half decades in creating an industry-leading reputation for itself built upon successful project completion, on-time delivery, and adding a personal touch to all that it embarks upon

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egular readers of Construction & Civil Engineering are likely to be familiar with the name Rochford Construction Ltd (RCL), with this family-run business having previously graced the pages of this publication.

Established in 1986, RCL has excelled in creating a first-class reputation for itself within the groundworks and external works sector, built upon a proven ability to succeed in completing projects within budget, within programme and to specification.

It has also ensured that health and safety remains at the heart of every action it takes, believing

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that taking extra care in the planning of each project positively correlates with minimising risks as much as physically possible.

During the course of its 35-year history, the business has expanded to provide services including reinforced concrete frames, civil engineering, hard landscaping, and plant hire, and has shown time and time again how much it values repeat business and longterm relationships with its clients, many of whom are considered tier one companies in their own right. Today, London and the Home Counties are the locations of around 80 percent of the work that RCL undertakes, however such is the company’s range of

services and scope of its activities that it is more than happy to travel around the country for the right clients.

“Whether it is Basingstoke or Birmingham, London or the south coast of England, we have shown ourselves to be more than expert at delivering the results that our clients demand,” states RCL Director, Gerard Rochford. “We are recognized for being a hardworking, handson and caring company, and one which possesses a great deal of experience in different fields. With our industry-leading management team, excellent project and contracts managers, and incredibly honest, trustworthy

engineers, we have built a level of trust with our clients that sets us apart from other contractors in the industry.”

At the time of our conversation with Gerard – in late September 2021 – RCL had numerous projects underway and at various stages of completion. These included a student accommodation project in the centre of Birmingham, projects in Hampshire, a highprofile project at Sky Studios in Isleworth, and several contracts being delivered on behalf of the Department of Education across London. “In the last few years in particular, we have seen a considerable upturn in demand from the education sector,” Gerard

notes. “We have successfully worked with a number of tier one contractors on numerous new-build schools in that time, resulting in the education sector now representing a large percentage of RCL’s annual turnover.”

RCL’s continued success is all the more impressive as it comes at a time when the UK is in the process of slowly recovering from the damaging effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. As Gerard goes on to detail, while the period since March 2020 has at times been worrying – and often complicated – he could not be prouder of what the company and its people have accomplished. “Right the way through the pandemic, RCL has remained operational, and our people can take great pride in

making that possible,” he declares.

“Of course, we had to change and adopt several different procedures from the get-go, investing a lot of money into things like PPE and ensuring that our people could operate in a safe, socially distanced environment.

Admittedly, we were fortunate in that we already had plenty of work secured at the time that Covid-19 swept across the country, but it has still required an immense amount of effort to get through the last 18 months or so.”

As is also well documented, the UK currently finds itself in the midst of challenges relating to rising material costs and a shortage of labour in a number of important sectors. “In spite of this, we continue to work extremely hard to secure new contracts, and we have a good

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PROFILE: ROCHFORD CONSTRUCTION LTD

pipeline ahead of us, despite the volatile environment that we find ourselves in,” Gerard adds. “What has also been vital to maintaining our levels of activity is the supply chain that we have surrounding us, made up of dedicated businesses in their own right who are committed to coming along for the ride with us as we look towards the years ahead.”

With 2021 heading towards its final few months, it seems as good of a time as any to ask Gerard what his priorities are going forward and what the outlook for 2022 looks like for RCL. “We obviously have a great team here at RCL, and our top priority is to keep everyone as busy as possible by securing new contracts and delivering fantastic results for our clients. As you will know, during the Covid-19 lockdowns of 2020, a

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number of projects were shelved, and with those now mostly back on, we have benefitted from being able to take on a significant amount of work. Nevertheless, the short-to-medium-term outlook for the industry and the wider economy is still very uncertain – due to the various challenges mentioned before – so that is

something that we have to remain wary of.”

This hasn’t stopped RCL from investing in its own future, however, as Gerard points out.

“In order to comply with and work within ultra-low emissions zones (ULEZ) we have spent a considerable amount in upgrading our fleet of excavators to comply with Euro6 engine regulations. We have also invested in a number of electric hybrid vehicles for our people, and we will continue with this trend in the months to come, adding more electric hybrid and low emission vehicles and plant to our portfolio.”

So, what of the strategy that is leading Gerard and RCL in the future? “The strategy – as it were – is really to achieve more of the same, by which I mean winning and delivering those projects that

we have shown ourselves to be more than capable of taking on,” he adds. “Yes, we have grown in recent years – and we continue to do so – but that has never truly been our primary focus as a business. For us, reputation is everything and we want to go on being recognised for our ability to deliver quality work within budget. At the same time, we will go on investing money back into new, greener equipment and other capabilities that we believe will keep our clients with us for the long-term. We know from experience that if we achieve all of that, growth will naturally follow!”

Rochford Construction Ltd www.rochfordltd.co.uk Services: Specialist groundworks, external works and landscaping

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PROFILE: L LYNCH PLANT HIRE & HAULAGE

Sustainable satisfaction

Having kept its workforce safe and its business profitable throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, L Lynch Plant Hire is now ready to accelerate on its sustainability plans for the future

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eaders in business will no doubt be able to sympathise with Chris Gill, Sales Director at L Lynch Plant Hire & Haulage, when he describes 2020 as a year ‘turned on its head’. From March onwards, as the world came to grips with the unprecedented nature of the Covid-19 pandemic, Lynch quickly shifted its attentions from its regular activities and instead dedicated countless hours to protecting its workforce.

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As remote working became commonplace for the first time in the company’s history, and Covidsafe practices were installed in the firm’s workshops, Lynch’s renowned people-first culture proved more important than ever.

“We’ve always been a very people-orientated business, but the pandemic heightened that,” Chris states. “The main thing was always going to be everybody’s safety and wellbeing, and making sure, mentally, that everyone was okay to work, whilst continuing to

keep our customers happy.

“In the face of worldwide uncertainty, we were privileged to know that we could rely on our people. Committed to the cause as always, a lot of our management team embarked on training courses in order to support the extra responsibilities they took on, and we even had to bring new team members in, as well as promoting from within.”

Though the restrictions in place during the first half of 2020 meant Lynch was forced

to move much of its customer engagement online, the company continued to deliver its plant hire, haulage and transport services to the construction and civil sectors. By the summer of 2020, customer demand and business activity had returned, more-orless, to pre-Covid-19 levels, and since then, Lynch has experienced perhaps the busiest 12-month period of its history.

“We’re very fortunate in the construction industry,” Chris argues. “There are a lot of major projects kicking off, there’s a lot of infrastructure work going on, and a lot of houses being built. We’re riding the crest of a wave.

“Midway through 2020,” he continues, “a lot of people knew we were going to get busy with HS2 getting off the ground, but it has arguably been even busier than we expected. It all happened very quickly.”

To support the ongoing surge in demand for its services, Lynch recently made a significant investment into its fleet, increasing the number of vehicles and machinery at its disposal by around 25 percent. Similar attention has been paid to operator training, as well as the most effective ways to employ technology.

“One of the ways we’ve adapted since the Covid-19 outbreak is in the way we think about technology,” Chris remarks.

“Programs like Microsoft Teams have been fantastic and kept us in touch with everyone from customers to salespeople and project managers out in the field. We’ve now got everybody’s face at the click of a button. If a customer from Derby wants a meeting, we no longer need to drive two and a half hours from the office to have it, so from

technology. An organization determined to reduce its carbon footprint and bring its advanced sustainability plan to fruition, Lynch operates the biggest fleet of hybrid excavators and plant in the UK and is presently embracing a variety of new electric vehicle options.

“The type of plant we run is very conducive to electric power, and our current portfolio includes, among similar machines, a fleet of electric 1.5 tonne JCBs,” Chris reveals. “Recently, in June 2021, we became the first plant hire company in the UK to take delivery of the Volvo ECR25 - a three-tonne battery-powered excavator.

“We’ve got a great relationship with Volvo and we started speaking to them last year about

electric plant they had coming up. We were fortunate to be the first to receive the new ECR25 and, as we rarely buy just one of something, we felt we’d multiply that machine deal, meaning we’ve got another one coming this side of Christmas and then one more coming in the new year. Again, it’s down to customer demand - if we have a lot of customers wanting these products then we’ll keep hiring them out and driving up the fleet size.”

As the company’s pivot towards cleaner, greener, electric vehicles suggests, Lynch remains devoted to sustainable practices that benefit the organization, its customers, and the wider environment. “Through listening and speaking to our customers, we have come to understand just

an efficiency point of view, the technology is fantastic.”

Of course, away from the boardroom, Lynch has never been a stranger to cutting-edge

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PROFILE: L LYNCH PLANT HIRE & HAULAGE

how important sustainability and green working is to them, so we have got to put every possible option in front of them and see what works,” Chris says.

“Hybrid and electric vehicles are new technologies, but our clients are very keen to see how they can be used to replace diesel.

We are very aware that, without investment in this new equipment, we cannot meet our customers’ or our own sustainability goals, but that is why, as of 2021, we have a big fleet of plant and lorries that is as efficient as it could be.”

Though sustainability will, understandably, retain a place at the centre of the company’s dealings going forward, Lynch

plant and equipment firms over the last 30 years. Safety, for example, remains at the core of everything the company does, and as such, the business is now investing in a fleet of low-impact, pedestrian-safe Scania tippers for use on the HS2 rail project in order to achieve Transport for London’s five-star DVS rating.

“We’ve just taken delivery of our first batch of the new Scania tippers and we’ve ordered more for next year,” Chris confirms.

“We’ve always worked in and around London, so the safety of pedestrians and fellow road users - whether they be in cars or on bikes - has always been in mind.

In fact, we were one of the first

has now become standard. It’s important that we keep pushing forward in this way as an industry - speaking to our customers, innovating, and staying safe.”

Following the positive results it has achieved over the last 12 months, Lynch now hopes to continue on its growth trajectory during the final third of 2021 and onwards into 2022. Already working closely with customers to ensure that the firm stays on top of demand for its services across the next three to five years, Chris and his team are optimistic that Lynch’s stature in the construction industry is only set to increase.

“Personally, I think 2022 is going to be a fantastic year for

will not be neglecting the values that have helped it become one of the UK’s most successful modern

companies to develop and install a window in the passenger side door of industry lorries, which

construction,” Chris proclaims.

“The sector has dealt incredibly well with the pandemic, part shortages and Brexit, and as a business, Lynch has got huge plans for further growth in terms of our profit, turnover, fleet size, people and technology. We’re going to be pushing a lot of different envelopes, but we will still be making sure that our growth is organic; we’re not going to try and double or triple our sales overnight.

“Looking at the state of the business today, in September 2021, we’ve set up our own Internal Machine Control division and we’ve got some absolute superstars on the payroll, with incredible industry knowledge. On top of all that, we offer a tailored product backed by a world-class support mechanism, and that continues to be well-received by customers across the UK. It’s a journey for sure, but we have a lot of reason to be excited for the future.

“Finally,” Chris concludes, “and perhaps most importantly when we talk about the future, we have a robust apprenticeship and training scheme for people who want to get into construction.

Known as ‘Careers in Plant’, this initiative targets anybody of any

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age and any background - from bus drivers and forklift operators to vegetable pickers and hairdressers - and gives them the chance to earn while they learn.

It’s been a huge success and I’m very proud of the way in which we continue to bring really great

people into this fantastic industry.

Training and developing the Lynch team of tomorrow is probably the most critical thing we do. You can buy all the shiny machinery in the world, but if you haven’t got someone great driving it, then you might as well not have it at all.”

L Lynch Plant Hire & Haulage www.l-lynch.com Services: Plant Hire, Haulage and Transport Services

Bell Equipment UK Ltd Lynch purchased their first Bell ADT’s in 2015. The original order was for 10 x B30E’s, which subsequently proved to be very successful, and popular, within its mixed fleet of articulated dump trucks, to the extent, that later that year Lynch purchased a further 4 x Bell B40D trucks.

Since these initial Bell ADT purchases, Lynch has taken additional Bell trucks ranging from the popular B20E, B25E, B30E, and latterly, the larger B45E truck, to the extent, that the Lynch Bell fleet now amounts to some 50 ADT’s, with a further planned expansion of this fleet in 2022.

The Bell ADT range has continued to evolve through market leading innovations such as the unique telematics system “Fleetmatic” together with “on board weighing” (OBW) and an on board inclinometer which provides a “Tip safe” function where the body will simply not tip if the machine is leaning over a pre-set angle. These unique features, coupled with keyless start and an operator identity system, ensure that no unauthorised people operate the machine. These are just a few of the standard features fitted to the Bell trucks. Today, the latest MK3 trucks are all fitted with the very latest EU stage V (5) Mercedes engines and a new “active” front suspension, together with a host of other upgrades in order to keep the trucks at the forefront of legislation, running costs and operator comfort.

The forthcoming HS2 project is currently at the forefront of everyone’s minds, and with this demanding project coming on stream very shortly Bell has worked with Lynch to provide an API feed, via our Fleetmatic telematics system, which will feed directly into Lynch’s own telematics portal, which in turn, will allow it greater visibility of not only its entire Bell ADT fleet but of its – seemingly ever expanding – varied fleet of machines, rather than having to log into each manufacturers individual telematics systems to obtain information.

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PROFILE: TOTAL VEHICLE SOLUTIONS GROUP

The total package A leading provider of manufacturing solutions for the commercial and industrial vehicle industry, Total Vehicle Solutions Group benefits from the combined capabilities of multiple specialist brands working under the TVS umbrella

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rainchild of UK-focused private equity firm Elaghmore Partners LLP, Total Vehicle Solutions Group (TVS) is living proof of the power of partnership. Finding strength in collaboration, the company’s success is derived from the synergistic relationships of the well-established brands that fall under the TVS umbrella.

Since it was launched, TVS has been determined to enable the growth and commercial

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development of high-end, specialist manufacturing firms that deliver solutions for the commercial and industrial vehicle industry. Having grown significantly over the years, today, in 2021, the TVS group of companies includes SB Components, Priden Engineering, McPhee Mixers and more.

The first of these companies, SB Components, is widely recognised as the UK’s leading supplier of bespoke components for commercial vehicles.

Operating from three sites with

a combined capacity of 68,000 square feet, the company harnesses the abilities of more than 200 employees, as well as an advanced collection of automated machinery, to ensure it achieves the highest standards of product quality and customer service.

With divisions servicing a wide range of customers, including a Commercial Bodies Division, Truck and Bus Division, and Specialist Vehicles Division, SB Components’ core goal is to improve the profitability and

safety of the road transport industry by increasing fuel capacity, utilising chassis space, improving fuel efficiency, optimising load capacity, providing storage space and improving driver safety. Working closely with major truck manufacturers, SB Components continues to fulfil the needs of all its customers – from owneroperators to large haulage businesses and major fleet operators.

Boasting an annual turnover of £15 million, SB Components counts organizations such as John Lewis, Asda, BT, and Network Rail as some of its core clients. Among its most recent work, in August 2021, the company created a custombuilt vehicle for long-standing

customer Tony M Rees Bulk Haulage. The result of hundreds of man hours, the highlyadvanced truck includes an offside combination tank with tipping hydraulics, aluminium

side skirts and rear infill, a custom-made A-frame, and wing inserts manufactured using SB Components’ in-house laser cutting machine.

Another company that sits

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PROFILE: TOTAL VEHICLE SOLUTIONS GROUP

alongside SB Components as part of TVS is Priden Engineering. One of the top engineering companies in the country, the 33-year-old business has the knowledge and skillset to deliver solutions to any request from any industry, including the Pneumatic Vehicles, Commercial Bodies, Truck and Bus, Food Industrial Engineering and Financial Services sectors.

Benefitting from four factories and a workforce in excess of 100 people, Priden Engineering engineers, project managers and designers regularly carry out custom projects from consultancy, through to design and build. With the company constantly pushing to improve

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its processes, products and services, in early September 2021, Priden completed a DAF 8x4 rigid vehicle for regular customer Protein Feeds. Complete with an aluminium smooth sider body, the vehicle was fully manufactured within Priden’s in-house body shop.

McPhee Mixers is a prominent UK designer and manufacturer of truck-mounted mixer units, and also operates under the illustrious TVS umbrella. Based in Glasgow, Scotland, the company has established itself as one of the main suppliers of mixers to the domestic construction and quarrying sector.

Known for deploying the best

SPEIRA Redefining the limits of aluminium Speira is a leading global manufacturer and recycler of advanced rolled aluminium products. We put our customers at the core of everything we do, while always aiming to push the boundaries of reliability, quality, sustainability, and innovation even further. We are proud to serve some of the best-known global companies in the automotive and transport, packaging, printing, engineering, building and construction industries – many for decades.

Our success along the way demonstrates our skills in aluminium rolling and recycling, as documented by our customers’ appreciation for the consistency and reliability of our quality products. We supply on a worldwide scale and service on location.

Our employees embody our strong entrepreneurial mindset and agile ways of working in an international environment, also in developing new, better solutions together with our customers and partners. All we do, is based on accountability, teamwork, a winning mentality, and trust.

PROFILE: TOTAL VEHICLE SOLUTIONS GROUP

We have a clear growth strategy for the Group, and we are working ever closer with our fantastic customer base as we look to support their strategies in a commercial and technologically evolving marketplace

principles of manufacturing, the latest innovations and the highest-grade components from around the world, McPhee Mixers was on-site at the beginning of September 2021 at Smiths Concrete in Banbury, when the client took delivery of two brand-new McPhee Mini-Mixers.

A mirror image of the larger six metre to eight metre machines, the Mini-Mixers were the first of a new batch, and their delivery further increased Smiths’ historic

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fleet that has serviced the M40 corridor for more than seven decades.

In July 2021, TVS added the latest business to its portfolio – Wilcox Commercial Vehicles (Wilcox). TVS’ first acquisition since 2019, Wilcox is one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of aluminium bodies for rigid and tipping trailers, and an exclusive domestic agent for CIFA Mixers.

Operating out of a 43,056-square-foot factory in

Market Deeping, Peterborough, and employing 100 full-time staff, Wilcox is led by Vito Ronzano and Chris Bartlett, who have owned and developed the business since 2000. Speaking in June 2021, at the time of the purchase, Vito, the company’s Managing Director, celebrated the news.

“This is a significant milestone for Wilcox,” he declared. “We are excited to be joining TVS Group, who can take our growth to the next level. We look forward to offering our clients even more services and products, and pooling expertise and resources with other TVS Group companies.

Chris Bartlett and I would like to thank the whole team at Wilcox for their continued hard work and dedication, especially over the last year, which has seen

us deliver for customers to the highest standard, despite the challenges of the pandemic.”

For TVS, bringing Wilcox on board will improve the company’s market position in the UK and Europe. The potential for both organizations to reap significant, long-term rewards from the deal makes it an exciting prospect for everyone involved.

“The Wilcox purchase brings another leading UK specialist manufacturing firm into TVS Group,” Craig Harris, Executive Chairman at TVS, said at the time. “It gives me great pleasure to welcome the highly skilled team directed by Vito and Chris, who have led the business from strength to strength in recent years.

“We have had the pleasure of working with Wilcox on a number

of occasions and know how highly regarded the business is in the industry. The company will expand our customer offering as we continue to build the TVS Group as the leading player in providing manufacturing solutions to the commercial and industrial vehicle industry in the UK and Europe.”

Michael Rice, Investment Director at Elaghmore, echoed Craig’s sentiments. “Wilcox is the perfect fit for TVS Group, delivering the key attributes we look for of high levels of technical

expertise and best-in-class customer service. We have a clear growth strategy for the Group, and we are working ever closer with our fantastic customer base as we look to support their strategies in a commercial and technologically evolving marketplace.”

From Priden to Wilcox, while all of these businesses operate independently under their own management, each benefits from being part of TVS, which allows the entities to cross-sell products to a combined customer list,

THE SERVICE METALS GROUP All the indications are that confidence is truly returning to the UK economy and for its part we are proud to be a part of the Total Vehicle Solutions Group success story. We have worked with them for many years and their flexible approach to adapt to the ever changing needs of the road transport industry has allowed the business to flourish. Well done to everybody involved.

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PROFILE: TOTAL VEHICLE SOLUTIONS GROUP

make use of common facilities across the UK to broaden their reach, as well as share best practices and technical expertise.

Perhaps most importantly, TVS companies are united by similar attributes, including high-levels of technical expertise and bestin-class customer service in their respective industries.

Under the ownership of Elaghmore Partners, TVS currently has annualised revenues in excess of £50 million. Thanks to significant financial backing

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and management support from its parent firm - and the hard work of the constituent businesses that make up the organization - TVS continues to grow, while setting new standards across the industry for quality, reliability and innovation.

Total Vehicle Solutions Group www.totalvehiclesolutionsgroup.com Products: Manufacturing solutions for the commercial and industrial vehicle industry