Contract Journal articles from May 2005

Contract Journal archives from May 2005

back bites.(Construction Industry)
May 5, 2005... Starting them young We're constantly hearing how construction needs to attract more young people and women into the industry. Well, here's a story that will give us all hope. A family moved into a house next to a vacant building plot. Builders...

Can PFI save the peace process?(Private Finance Initiative)
May 5, 2005... Northern Ireland's peace process has stumbled along in fits and starts since the 1998 Good Friday agreement - but it could be about to get a massive shot in the arm. A [pounds sterling]16bn infrastructure investment programme has just been...

Offsite firm forced to go continental.(RB Farquhar )
May 5, 2005... RB Farquhar moves offsite production to cheaper facility in Czech Republic to fulfil contract with Travelodge. Construction client Travelodge has ordered its offsite manufacturer to move work to the Czech Republic to cut costs. RB Farquhar...

HBG does its homework.(Richard Fielder )(HBG Construction)(Interview)
May 5, 2005... Following the expulsion of Jarvis from the PFI schools system, the star pupil accolade has passed to HBG Construction. Carol Millett talks to HBG Projects director Richard Fielder about his firm's glowing results to date and its prospects for...

Work at Height rules set to change work methods.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2005... CPA seminar hears that new regulations will necessitate extra training for employees. The impact of the Work at Height Regulations could cause fundamental changes in the plant industry, the Construction Plant-hire Association's (CPA)...

Aggregates overcapacity poses Hanson jobs threat.
May 5, 2005... Firm says the government's 10-year roads investment plan has 'fizzled out', causing a slump in the market. Quarries could be closed or mothballed as the aggregates sector is suffering overcapacity, Hanson has warned. A company spokesman...

Crews feel effect of hours directive.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2005... Crane rigging and piling crews travelling in the cabs of trucks are subject to the new Road Transport Directive, Sally Thornton of the Freight Transport Association told the seminar. If the crews are in the cab using a tachograph and...

CPA slams removal of excepted status.(Certified public accountants)(Brief Article)
May 5, 2005... The CPA is stepping up its campaign against the proposed removal of excepted vehicles status and urging those in the industry to write to their MP. Removing excepted status from mobile cranes, mobile elevating work platforms (MEWPs), road...

Vibration ruling set to focus on users.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2005... The new Vibration Regulations that come into force on 6 July will place the emphasis on compliance with the user, and not the manufacturer, Brian Coles, vibration policy adviser with the Health & Safety Executive, told delegates. Whole body...

They said it couldn't be done...
May 5, 2005... ... but a PFI model is being used to fund a capacity enhancement project on the national rail network. Will Mann meets the project manager in charge of the Chiltern Line upgrade. The eight-year history of the privatised railway has not been...

Ingersoll-Rand reports strong Q1 performance.(Ingersoll-Rand Company Ltd.)(Brief Article)
May 5, 2005... The best growth comes from Bobcat and Club Car division, with a 30% increase in turnover. Global construction equipment manufacturer Ingersoll-Rand (IR) has reported a 16% increase in turnover for the first quarter of 2005. The biggest...

Deceuninck blames Oldham closure on tough UK market.(Deceuninck Plastics Industries N.V)(Brief Article)
May 5, 2005... Window maker Deceuninck will close one of its two UK factories, after claiming the UK market is a "cause for concern". CJ reported last week tough competition between uPVC window makers is driving companies out of UK production. Last week,...

Clinical precision.(Health Care Facilities)
May 5, 2005... Specialist healthcare firm Ryhurst is undertaking the UK's largest mental health PFI project to date. As Helen McCormick finds out, constructing 14 facilities across six sites, each with highly specific materials and design requirements, has...

How to.(building effective teams)(Brief Article)
May 5, 2005... ... build effective teams By Scott Beagrie Pressure on companies to perform in competitive markets has placed a premium on teamwork. Problem solving, innovation and knowledge-sharing are vital to success and that requires people to interact...

Chepstow employs new Volvo fleet.(Chepstow Plant International)(Brief Article)
May 5, 2005... A fleet of 16 Volvo A25D articulated haulers and one EC360BLC excavator have been delivered to Chepstow Plant International for use in the South West. The 36t-capacity excavator and three of the ADTs are currently working as a team at a large...

Rising star.(Stephen Eccles, assistant project co-ordinator on the Crossways Estate Regeneration)(Brief Article)(Interview)
May 5, 2005... Stephen Eccles, assistant project co-ordinator on the Crossways Estate Regeneration, Bucknell Austin What are your day-to-day responsibilities? I'm working on the Crossways Estate Regeneration Project in east London working on behalf of...

Finning wins Imerys tender.(Imerys Minerals)(Brief Article)
May 5, 2005... Finning has won a tender to supply Imerys Minerals with eight new machines, including a Cat 775 dump truck and a Cat 990II wheel loader to be used at a clay extraction site in St Austell, Cornwall. Finning said it reviewed the company's...

Mobilane aims Green Screen at UK firms.(Green Screen)(Brief Article)
May 5, 2005... A UK firm is targeting green fingered contractors with an 'instant living fence'. Mobilane is targeting the UK construction industry with an ivy-covered security panel, which it currently sells on the Continent. Commercial manager Sean Farrell...

Land & Water tackles water contamination.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2005... Land & Water Plant said it has overcome the problem of high water contamination in the hydraulic system of a mini excavator by fitting a Cardev filtration system. Water contamination on the firm's Hitachi EX40 mini excavators had previously...

Sustainable timber grows in popularity.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2005... The world market for certified timber is growing as products' manufacturers branch out into new areas for the material, certifiers have claimed. Last week, the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) said its products account for [pounds...

Mann aims for [pounds sterling]40m turnover.(Construction industry)(Brief Article)
May 5, 2005... Mann Construction, the civils and groundwork contractor, anticipates a jump in turnover to [pounds sterling]40m in the current year, well up on the previous figure of [pounds sterling]25m. Marketing director Gary Dann said: "We have set out to...

Masternaut tracking unit for drivers.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2005... Masternaut has launched a portable web-based tracking device designed to be taken from one vehicle to another. The system allows the vehicle to be tracked and can automatically log the driver's working time to help comply with the Road...

Shift in steel production.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2005... Steel output in the European Union will decline in 2005, while Chinese producers will ramp up production, consultancy MEPS has claimed. EU mills will reduce output by 1.5m tonnes to 192m tonnes as customers and stockholders keep large...

CEA in talks with DTI after MG Rover collapses.(Construction Equipment Association)(Department of Trade & Industry)(Brief Article)
May 5, 2005... The Construction Equipment Association (CEA) is in contact with the Department of Trade & Industry (DTI) because of the potential fallout to the construction plant industry from the demise of MG Rover. CEA chief executive Rob Oliver said the...

Confusion over noise measurement directive.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2005... Machine marking will not provide accurate guide to noise levels; HSE to publish guide. Employers may have to use noise meters if they are to fully comply with the EU Directive on occupational noise, which comes into force in February...

Green issues on back burner as election campaign hots up.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2005... Following Greenpeace's rooftop stunt last week, in which campaigners installed a [pounds sterling]10,000 photovoltaic panel (PV) to deputy prime minister John Prescott's home, the Building Research Establishment (BRE) said the election is...

Rok expands operation with [pounds sterling]11m D&G purchase.(Durose & Gourlay)(Brief Article)
May 5, 2005... Rok has paid [pounds sterling]11m for Durose & Gourlay (D&G), which provides planned maintenance services to local authorities and housing associations in the North West. D&G has more than 150 staff and the move strengthens Rok's existing...

Industry gets ready to vote.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2005... In the run-up to today's general election, some of the industry's major players have nailed their personal political colours to the mast. Leading the support for Labour are Atkins chief executive Keith Clarke and Stef Stefanou, chairman of the...

Balfour tops CJ PFI league table.
May 5, 2005... PFI/PPP schemes have provided the contractor with more than [pounds sterling]3.5bn-worth of work. Balfour Beatty has topped CJ's annual PFI league table, now into its third year (see pages 28-29). The contractor has secured more than...

Equion/Interserve sign Tyneside deal.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2005... Equion and Interserve have finally signed up for the [pounds sterling]430m Royal Victoria Infirmary and Freeman Hospital deal with the Newcastle-upon-Tyne NHS Trust. The firms surfaced as preferred bidders in 2003. Laing O'Rourke Northern will...

Lansdowne Road stadium scheme pushes forward.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2005... The [pounds sterling]192m redevelopment of Dublin's Lansdowne Road stadium for the Irish rugby team has moved closer to realisation with the appointments of a project management and design teams. Project Management, one of Ireland's biggest...

Costain leads race for Walton Bridge project.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2005... Costain is emerging as the favourite to bridge the gap under a [pounds sterling]25m deal in Surrey. Sources say that the contractor is edging ahead of Laing O'Rourke, its only remaining rival for the Walton Bridge scheme at Walton-on-Thames. It...

Skanska: 3.4% margin by playing to its strengths.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2005... Tighter focus on complex jobs and a move away from time-wasting proposals keeps turnover steady. Skanska's solid performance in the first three months of 2005 has resulted in an operating margin of 3.4%. Chief executive David Fison said:...

Essex firms form alliance to win local regeneration deals.(Basildon Renaissance and Constructing Excellence )(Brief Article)
May 5, 2005... Ten Essex-based construction firms have formed a loose alliance to bid for major regeneration deals in their region. Basildon Renaissance and Constructing Excellence (BRACE) is, in effect, an integrated supply chain. Its members are: architects...

Prefabs pay off as Space4 sales rocket.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2005... Space4, the Westbury subsidiary that provides offsite prefabricated elements from Castle Bromwich, is enjoying a surge in sales. Director Colin Cole said: "The elements we manufacture are timber frame with phenolic foam injected into them....

Phase row rumbles on.(Phase Brickwork)(Brief Article)
May 5, 2005... The row over self-employment contracts issued by the specialist contractor Phase Brickwork on a [pounds sterling]23m housing scheme in Canning Town, east London, rumbles on after a deadline for talks passed without a resolution. UCATT London...

Liebherr moves into [pounds sterling]15m Biggleswade headquarters.(Liebherr-Great Britain)(Brief Article)
May 5, 2005... Liebherr-Great Britain has opened its [pounds sterling]15m headquarters building in Biggleswade, Bedfordshire. The 3.7ha site, built by Kier Eastern, has 5,000m2 of office space and the 90m x 66m workshops are 18m high to accommodate cranes and...

Carillion goes in for the kill on [pounds sterling]800m MoD deal.
May 5, 2005... Firm in negotiation to secure the Services Families' Accommodation prime contract. Carillion looks to have moved to the front line for a massive Ministry of Defence (MoD) prime contract, worth nearly [pounds sterling]800m. Sources say...

Electrical contractors suffer fewer reportable accidents.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2005... Figures for reportable accidents from the electrical contracting industry's Joint Industry Board have revealed yet another fall in RIDDOR-reportable accidents. Since the Electrical Contractors' Association (ECA) launched its Zero Accident...

Birse ties up trio of north London TubeLines deals.(Birse Metro)(Brief Article)
May 5, 2005... Birse Metro has coupled up to three TubeLines rail deals in north London. The firm will modernise both Swiss Cottage and Neasden stations on the Jubilee line (worth [pounds sterling]5.6m), plus Chalk Farm and Kentish Town stations on the...

Miller scores at Worcester FC.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2005... Miller Homes has emerged as the preferred developer for Worcester City FC's George's Lane ground. The plan is to redevelop the site as apartments and houses. The exact number of homes will not be known until council planners give the scheme the...

Retail therapy for Modus.(Modus Corovest)(Brief Article)
May 5, 2005... Modus Corovest has beaten off four rivals to clinch preferred developer status for a [pounds sterling]200m plan to revamp the retail centre of Newport, south Wales. A source close to the project said: "I don't think Modus has any specific...

May Gurney knocks Colas from Sussex roads top spot.(May Gurney Group Ltd.)(Brief Article)
May 5, 2005... May Gurney has toppled incumbent contractor Colas from its perch to win a roads maintenance deal for East Sussex County Council that could eventually be worth close to [pounds sterling]150m. The news means that Amey and Ringway, which were...

CCS calls for end to subcontract abuses.(Confederation of Construction Specialists)(Brief Article)
May 5, 2005... Confederation claims non-standard forms of contract are detrimental to the industry. The Confederation of Construction Specialists (CCS) has written to all the industry's trade associations to get them to back its campaign to stop "the...

More from CPD Construction.
May 5, 2005... Contract Journal's online continuous professional development service, CPD Construction, has added eight new courses in two option packages to the Surveyors' Channel. Option 1 covers building and construction and offers the following courses:...

Rand sets up Lincs safety collective.
May 5, 2005... A safety group sharing best practice among 30 construction businesses has been formed in Lincolnshire. Set up by Rand Health & Safety, the safety consultancy arm of the Rand Group, the group has the involvement of the Federation of Master...

B&Q and Gutterkleen hit with [pounds sterling]11.5k fine.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2005... B&Q and its roofing maintenance contractor Gutterkleen were fined a total of [pounds sterling]11,500 last week for failing to ensure the safety of their customers and employees. Abergavenny Magistrates Court heard that in April 2003, Health &...

High Court ruling sparks CIS chaos.(Hilton Main Construction )
May 5, 2005... Hilton Main has gross payment certificate renewal quashed - and then wins it back. A zero-tolerance stance by the Inland Revenue on CIS tax compliance has pushed SME contractor Hilton Main Construction to the point where it may be forced...

Vinci pension scheme plans return from PFI.
May 5, 2005... Pension scheme opts out of investment in bonds and buys second half of Cardiff PFI in a bid for higher returns. Vinci plc's pension scheme has used its own money to buy the equity stake in one of Vinci's existing PFI schemes. "We're the...

Bluestone denies blanket charging.(Bluestone PLC)(Brief Article)
May 5, 2005... Bluestone has hit back at claims by a member of the Confederation of Construction Specialists (CCS) that it is enjoying a "nice little earner" from its site cleaning costs. An article in the latest CCS newsletter accuses Bluestone of selecting...

CC fights for directive opt-out.(Construction Confeder-ation )(Brief Article)
May 5, 2005... Construction is losing its grip on the UK's opt-out of the Working Time Directive (WTD), according to the Construction Confeder-ation (CC). At a recent meeting, the European Parliament's employment and social affairs committee voted to scrap...

Wates Group profit hit by executive homes exit.(Wates Building Group Ltd.)(Brief Article)
May 5, 2005... Wates Group's decision to depart from the executive homes market knocked a hole in its latest financial results, which show a pre-tax profit of under [pounds sterling]3m from a turnover of [pounds sterling]630m in 2004. Hugh Davies, who...

Teenager crushed as fork-lift topples over.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2005... The first construction fatalities since the end of March occurred last week. A teenager was crushed to death in Portsmouth on Friday after a fork-lift truck he was driving toppled over on him. The 17-year-old was in the building yard at his...

Spending needed to curb roads' decline.
May 5, 2005... 38% of main roads in London need attention; country roads at worst since 1977. Improving the conditions of principal roads must be a top spending priority, the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) has claimed after a survey warned a...

CPCS adds new lift categories.(Construction Plant Competence Scheme )
May 5, 2005... The Construction Plant Competence Scheme (CPCS) now includes appointed person (lifting operations) and crane supervisor (lifting operations) categories. This is in response to calls from the Construction Plant-hire Asso- ciation and the...

Labour commits to ProCure 21's future.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2005... Health minister Lord Warner has given the clearest message yet of Labour's commitment to maintaining ProCure 21, following the abolition of NHS Estates. However, he stopped short of answering the question of whether ProCure 21 will be kept...

A hard act ; to beat.(Construction Industry)
May 5, 2005... Now in its fourth year at SED, the Concrete Show is set to dazzle visitors once again with an impressive array of construction-based innovations. Richard Stirling reports. Over the past three years the Concrete Show at SED has laid firm...

Balfour tops the PFI pile.(private finance initiative)(Balfour Beatty PLC)
May 5, 2005... CJ's PFI league table is now into its third year, and while the past 12 months saw fewer major deals close, there was still plenty of activity in the sector as NHS LIFT work began to roll out. Will Mann looks back on the year. Balfour...

Centre stage.(new equipments in construction industry)
May 5, 2005... The 39th SED exhibition promises to be yet another construction equipment extravaganza, with a host of manufacturers displaying new machines never before seen in the UK. No matter what equipment you are interested in, the SED site...

Disputes over the payment of costs.(Burchell -v- Bullard)
May 5, 2005... In the recent case of Burchell -v- Bullard, the Court of Appeal examined the manner in which costs should be awarded to a successful party in litigation. Burchell was a small builder that had agreed to build two large extensions to the home of...

Editor's comment.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2005... Putting PFI back on track As the country goes to the polls, it's worth reflecting that one issue conspicuous by its absence from the election campaigns has been transport. This despite the miserable performance of the rail network since...

Get out on the highway.
May 5, 2005... Few industries can exist without some mode of transport - be it for materials, personnel or equipment. All of which makes the Truck Zone a must-see part of SED 2005. Geoff Ashcroft takes a look at what visitors could expect to discover in this...

Industry boosted by student applications.(construction industry)
May 5, 2005... UCAS figures show CITB campaign has helped attract 12,000 youngsters to industry. Applications for construction-related degrees have risen signif-icantly year-on-year, according to data published by UCAS. Applications totalled 59,307 by...

Keep it clean.(new technology for recycling)
May 5, 2005... New legislation affecting the disposal of hazardous waste has led to an upsurge of interest in recycling methods. Paul Howard reports on the latest technology due to be on show at SED. Regulations and money - and machines of course - will...

Mowlem mulls Bath Spa action.(Bath & North East Somerset Council)(Mowlem PLC)(Brief Article)
May 5, 2005... Mowlem could start legal proceedings against Bath & North East Somerset Council (BANES) next week following its ejection from the Bath Spa project last month (CJ 13 April). The contractor will be briefed by its legal advisers next Wednesday,...

Roll up, roll up.(improve the security of portable buildings)
May 5, 2005... As always, diversity is the name of the game in the Pavilion at SED. Visitors can never be quite sure what to expect when they arrive in the 'big tent'. This year is no exception. Security systems are well represented in the Pavilion,...

Proportional measure of damages for defective works.
May 11, 2005... In the recent case of Birse Construction -v- Eastern Telegraph Company the court had to consider the appropriate measure of damages in the event of defective works where it was clear that the claimant did not intend to remedy the defects. The...

UCATT bags [pounds sterling]8.7m site injury compensation.(Brief Article)
May 11, 2005... UCATT lawyers last year secured more than [pounds sterling]8m in compensation awards for injuries sustained by union members in site accidents. The total recovered was [pounds sterling]8.7m, representing a 10% increase on the [pounds...

MoD invests in Defence Estates.(Ministry of Defence)(Brief Article)
May 11, 2005... The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is focusing its funds further towards the construction sector after it gave Defence Estates (DE) Top Level Budget status. A DE spokesman said the agency's new status makes it the "third acquisition pillar"...

Lengard's capital gains.
May 11, 2005... Slowly, but surely, Geoffrey Goddard has built refurbishment specialist Lengard up from virtually nothing to a respected, [pounds sterling]28m-turnover business. Now he wants it to become the leading refurbishment contractor in London. Will...

Surviving; the dawn raid.(cartel investigations)
May 11, 2005... The Office of Fair Trading is homing in on cartel activity in construction. What should contractors do if they become the target of a dawn raid? Ross Pearman finds out. You may think it could never happen to your business. But the news...

EMAC; - the next generation.(Enhanced managing agent contractor)
May 11, 2005... /n A raft of key performance indicators and open-book accounting awaits InterRoute, the winners of the highways agency's first [pounds sterling]300m enhanced managing agent contractor (EMAC) contract. Ross Pearman speaks to the joint...

Daewoo becomes Doosan Infracore.(Brief Article)
May 11, 2005... Daewoo Heavy Industries has changed its name to Doosan Infracore as a result of a deal in which the plant manufacturer has been taken over by its fellow Korean conglomerate Doosan Heavy Industries. The deal was completed on 29 April and 13...

Hire Alliance Europe ends rift with CITB.(Construction Industry Training Board )(Brief Article)
May 11, 2005... HAE drops its opposition to training levy after CITB provides sector specific courses. The Hire Alliance Europe (HAE) has ended its long-standing opposition to the CITB levy with the announcement of a new working partnership. Much of the...

Ontime offers pay-on-use recovery and rescue scheme.(Ontime Rescue & Recovery Ltd.)(Brief Article)
May 11, 2005... Ontime RescuePlus is a new pay-on-use rescue and recovery service, which offers 24-hour nationwide coverage for cars, vans and commercial vehicles. The scheme works through 19 Ontime offices and more than 200 approved agents. Registra-tion is...

Thanet Waste Scania R500 takes on dual role capacity.(Brief Article)
May 11, 2005... Thanet Waste Services has specified its new Scania R500 double-drive tractive unit for a dual role. For the majority of the time the V8-powered (368kW) unit will be used to haul tipping and walking floor trailers to landfill sites. However,...

Contractors share Kirow rail cranes.(Brief Article)
May 11, 2005... Track renewal companies combine to make savings on order for five Kirow 25t cranes. The UK's first 25t-capacity Kirow rail cranes have been ordered by First Swietelsky, a joint venture between First Engineering and Swietelsky of Austria,...

JCB pushes into waste and recycling sector.(Brief Article)
May 11, 2005... A number of JCB machines designed for the waste and recycling sector made their UK debuts at JCB's Waste & Recycling event. Being shown for the first time and reaching new heights was the demolition specification JS330HRD tracked excavator. The...

back bites.
May 11, 2005... Can you guess who's on your side yet? The Aussie king of the wobble board, Rolf Harris, has joined campaigners in their efforts to prevent the construction of a new [pounds sterling]280m bypass in Aberdeen. Refusing to tie his kangaroo down...

Heron drops interest in bid for Crest.(construction)(Brief Article)
May 11, 2005... Heron Corporation, led by property tycoon Gerald Ronson, has dropped its potential bid manoeuvres for Crest Nicholson, leaving the housebuilder free from further hassle from this source for at least another six months. Crest has accepted that...

60-second interview.(Colin Dixon of United House)(Interview)
May 11, 2005... Colin Dixon, managing director, United House What made you choose construction as a career? Initially, I intended to read maths at university, but I took a job labouring on a building site to earn some money beforehand. I enjoyed it and...

How to.(Brief Article)
May 11, 2005... ... use lateral moves to advance your career By Scott Beagrie The workplace isn't what it used to be. Flatter organisational structures mean there are fewer opportunities for promotion and, as a result, many more of us are having to rethink...

Cement firms face waste fuel threat.(Brief Article)
May 11, 2005... Waste fuels could be under threat for cement makers if European Commission proposals on chemicals come into force, warns Cembureau. The European cement association is part of a consortium of materials organisations that is calling for...

Manufacturers caught short by green survey.(Brief Article)
May 11, 2005... Firms are given only three days to respond to potentially beneficial emissions study. Products manufacturers could be caught out on new regulations after the industry had just three days to respond to a government survey on climate change...