Contract Journal articles from September 2006

Contract Journal archives from September 2006

Bobcat 335 is a fast worker.(product introduction of 335 mini excavator )(Brief article)
September 6, 2006... Bobcat has launched the 335 mini excavator - a 4.2t model. Powered by a 30kW Kubota engine the 335 has a maximum dig depth of 3.56m and a 5.43m outreach with a boom offset of 90? to the left and 50? to the right. Dual travel speeds...

Minton stays on at HAE after resigning md role.(Hire Association Europe)(Kevin Minton has stepped down from his position)(Brief article)
September 6, 2006... Kevin Minton has stepped down from his position of managing director of the Hire Association Europe (HAE), but will remain with the organisation to concentrate on technical matters, compliance and developing training services. Minton, who...

Liebherr adds power to bulldozer.(Liebherr has added the 744 Litronic to its Series 4 bulldozer range)(Brief article)
September 6, 2006... Liebherr has added the 744 Litronic to its Series 4 bulldozer range. The 28.2t operating weight machine replaces the 742 and is fitted with Liebherr's new Stage IIIa compliant engine, which develops 184kw - 7% more than its predecessor. ...

Hewden profits drop after depot closures.(financial report)(Financial report)
September 6, 2006... Hewden has suffered a 50% drop in its second-quarter earnings, according to results posted by its Canadian-based parent com- pany Finning. The report puts this down to competitive pressures, process re-engineering and restructuring costs,...

HSS replaces chief executive.(new appointments)(Brief article)
September 6, 2006... HSS chief executive Paul Nolan has been replaced. A statement from HSS said new chief executive Chris Davies took control on 29 August but did not elaborate. Nolan became managing director after HSS was bought from the Davis Service Group...

Bumper dumper sales at Neuson.(sales and earnings of Neuson)(Brief article)
September 6, 2006... Sales of Neuson dumpers in the UK have increased by 74% over the first half of the year, with Europe up by 36%. John Rawnsley, managing director of the dumper production facility in Tredegar, South Wales, put the increase down to a...

CJ Frameworks conference is gathering pace.(Contract Journal's Frameworks 2006 conference)(Brief article)
September 6, 2006... Places are going fast on Contract Journal's Frameworks 2006 conference at Aston Villa FC on 28 September. The conference programme is geared at showing small and regional contractors how they can win a slice of the millions of pounds of...

Miller's team wins ?235m BSF scheme.(Building Schools for the Future scheme)(Miller consortium)(Brief article)
September 6, 2006... A Miller consortium has emerged as preferred bidder for Leicester City Council's ?235m Building Schools for the Future scheme. The Miller team will upgrade all of the city's secondary schools by 2012. Work is due to start in 2007 on...

Taking it to the max.
September 6, 2006... On 23 August JCB's Dieselmax became the fastest diesel-powered vehicle on earth, setting the world land-speed record with an average speed of just over 350mph (563km/h) on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, USA. In fact, JCB smashed Virgil...

Euro 4 engines for Renault vans.
September 6, 2006... Renault has updated its Trafic and Master vans with new Euro 4 engines, ranging in power from 67kW to 112kW. The French manufacturer will supply the Trafic with two versions of its new 2.0dCi (M9R) engine, which it developed with Nissan....

Output inches forward.(private sector Construction output )(Statistical table)
September 6, 2006... Output value (?m at current prices) Q2 06 Q1 06 Difference Q2 06 / Q1 06 Q2 05 Difference Q2 06/Q2 05 12 months to Q2 06 12 months to Q2 05 Difference 12 months to Q2 06/ 12 months to Q2 05 HousingPublic...

Rok and Wates win framework deal to revamp Bristol homes.
September 6, 2006... bw-bristols Two firms are due to start work later this month on a housing revamp deal for Bristol City Council, potentially worth almost ?100m. From an original field of eight contestants, the council has opted gone for Rok and Wates...

Laing and B&K vie for top spot on ?50m Nottingham Trent Uni.(Brief article)
September 6, 2006... bw-knotty The race for a ?50m education sector deal in the Eeast Midlands is reaching its climax, with the two remaining contenders running neck and neck. Laing O'Rourke and B&K are the only contractors with any hope of graduating...

Manchester picks eight to share ?80m contract.(Brief article)
September 6, 2006... bw-mankyester Manchester Ccity Ccouncil has lined up eight contractors to share in an ?80m partnering framework deal. FromOut of an original field of 40 contestants, the council has chosengone for a mix of national players and regional firms....

It must be easier to reopen old quarries.
September 6, 2006... bw-quarry The costs and time involved in opening up dormant quarries need to be cut if the construction industry's supply of building stone materials is not to dry up in the years to come, the British Aggregates Association (BAA) has...

Lafarge designs new tear- and weather-resistant bag.(Brief article)
September 6, 2006... bw-seemeant A solution to the age-old problem of damaged cement bags is being rolled out nationwide next month by Lafarge. The polyethylene packaging, claimed to be both tear- and weather-resistant and non-reactive with its cement contents, was...

Additional steel price hikes unlikely in 2006.(prices of steel)(Brief article)
September 6, 2006... bw-steal Steel prices are likely to stab- ilise this year, despite a 37% slump in steelmaker Corus's profits. Corus's prices rose between 7% and 12% during the third quarter of this year, with further increases of bet-ween 5% to 10%...

BMF launches energy-saving push.(Builders' Merchants Federation)(Brief article)
September 6, 2006... bw-wearelocal In the run-up to Energy Saving Week, the Builders' Merchants Federation (BMF) has launched a campaign to encourage homeowners to buy materials from local BMF outlets toand so improve the energy efficiency of their houses. ...

Manchester Working jv starts ?350m housing repair deal.
September 6, 2006... Contract news bw-windbreaker In a ground-breaking partnering deal worth around ?350m, Morrison Facilities Services and Manchester City Council have joined forces to deliver repairs to thousands of council-owned homes and buildings in...

Robertson quits ?120m schools PFI race.
September 6, 2006... Robertson Capital Projects has pulled out of the ?120m Aberdeen City 3Rs PFI schools race, a victim of its own success in the Scottish PFI schools market. The move leaves the field clear for rivals Transform Schools Aberdeen (Balfour...

PFI lenders will face funding competition.
September 6, 2006... Debt-funding competitions for all PFI schemes worth more than ?50m are to become de rigueur under new draft guidance issued by the Treasury. The competitions, which will be held after the preferred bidder has been selected, will be the...

Prison Service contractors face threats.
September 6, 2006... Building workers in the Prison Service are voicing serious concern over threats of violence from inmates to both themselves and their families. About 4,000 building workers are employed by the Prison Service, mainly on repair and...

HBOS-led 'Mother Bidco' scoops McCarthy & Stone.(Brief article)
September 6, 2006... After tabling its ?1.1bn take-over offer for McCarthy & Stone, the specialist retirement homebuilder, the consortium known as 'Mother Bidco' has finally won the day. Its offer of 1,075p a share was made on 1 August. At that time, an...

WSP achieves record interim global results.(Brief article)
September 6, 2006... WSP, the global consultancy group, has unveiled record interim results. Chairman David Turner said that all of the worldwide operations had delivered improved performance. Latest financial figures (six months to 30 June) show WSP's...

Amec awaits compensation from aborted Colchester PFI.(Brief article)
September 6, 2006... Amec looks fairy certain to win back its multi-million pound spend on bidding for the aborted ?167m Colchester General Hospital PFI project. The group's claim went in two weeks ago - and is for much more than the ?7m figure previously...

Manchester project uses a heat and power combo.(Budenberg Haus project )(Brief article)
September 6, 2006... The Budenberg Haus project in Manchester is understood to be the first scheme to use a Combined Heat and Power (CHP) solution in a purely residential development. The CHP system on the two-building complex, which forms part of the Urban...

Consortia formation is not best practice.
September 6, 2006... The formation of consortia to carry out construction projects offers nothing new as a means of co-operation, carries extra risks and is not a method of delivering best practice. This damning view, formed in a research paper written for the...

T5 worker jailed for possessing illegal gun.
September 6, 2006... An Amec worker on Heathrow's T5 project has been jailed for three years after being found in possession of a gun. The hearing which took place at Isleworth Crown Court last week heard how the copy of a Browning high-powered self-loading...

False report triggers ?5m loss, claims firm.
September 6, 2006... Contractors have been warned to check their current credit rating reports after one company claims that it lost around ?5m in projected revenue over a nine-month period due to a false report by respected firm Dun & Bradstreet (D&B). The...

Full steam ahead.(Morgan Est Rail)
September 6, 2006... No one epitomises the renewed optimism of the rail sector better than Danny Duggan. Yet until six months ago, the managing director of what was then Gleeson MCL had his ambitions somewhat stifled. The turmoil within the MJ Gleeson group caused...

Capacity crunch time.
September 6, 2006... Have you tried boarding a train to Waterloo at Clapham Junction in the morning rush hour recently? Did you have to wait for the second or third train before you could force your way into that tiny space by the doors? And how many people were...

Robots keep Birse on track.
September 6, 2006... Enabling trains on the West Coast Main Line (WCML) to achieve really high speeds is one of the most important aspects of the route's on-going ?8bn modernisation programme. To allow trains to reach speeds of 200km/h, a number of bottlenecks...

3PL makes bid for O-licence.(3PL Solutions)(Brief article)
September 7, 2006... 3PL Solutions, the previously dormant company that bought the assets of Gipping Container Services after it went into administration, will appear at a public inquiry to bid for a new licence. Vosa received an application from 3PL for a...

...but trucks are to be banned from Bath.
September 7, 2006... LGVs COULD be banned from passing through the centre of Bath within three years. Bath and North-East Somerset Council is planning to impose a 7.5-tonne weight limit on all vehicles except those making deliveries to the city centre. A...

NO FUTURE IN THE PAST.(Brief article)
September 7, 2006... What goes up must come down. So the saying goes, and in this case it applies to our confidence in Conservative policy. The Shadow Secretary of State for Transport, Chris Grayling, who spent so long wooing the industry in the early part of the...

Scottish hauliers speak their mind.(Scottish Road Haulage Association )(Brief article)
September 7, 2006... A delegation FROM the Scottish Road Haulage Association met Scotland's Secretary of State for Transport Douglas Alexander last week to highlight the difficulties the industry is facing. The group comprised Phil Flanders and Pat Glancey from...

DHL takes over NHS logistics.(supply contract with National Health Service)(Brief article)
September 7, 2006... DHL has won a [pounds sterling]1.6bn deal to run the NHS supply chain for the next 10 years (CM 3 August). The transport giant will provide logistics services to 600 hospitals across England, handling half a million products including...

1,000 miles, one Euro-4 test.
September 7, 2006... COMMERCIAL MOTOR editor Andy Salter and Andrew Gibson, UK marketing manager at Shell, see off the eight competitors in the UK's biggest group roadtest for a generation. Mercedes-Benz, Iveco, Renault, Scania, Volvo and MAN have set their Euro-4...

Tories say escalator an 'unthinkable' idea.
September 7, 2006... The Tories have denied that they plan to reintroduce the hated fuel duty escalator as part of their anti-congestion and pollution strategy. The Conservative Party has dismissed claims that it will re-introduce its loathed fuel duty...

Cotswold LGV ban to be put on hold until autumn 2007...
September 7, 2006... Gloucestershire County Council has scaled back its plans to ban trucks from many of the county's roads after strong opposition. Guy Sheppard reports. Gloucestershire County Council (GCC) is throttling back on plans for draconian...

Carvell 'excited' to be Business Direct CEO.(Paul Carvell)(Brief article)
September 7, 2006... The former boss of Business Post is back at the heart of the road transport industry following his resignation last December. Chris Tindall reports. Paul Carvell, the former chief executive of Business Post Group, has returned to active...

Cleanaway drivers to hold a strike ballot in Kings Lynn.(Brief article)
September 7, 2006... A domestic waste collection contract in Norfolk could be hit by strike action as drivers face a tide of attacks by the public. Chris Tindall reports. Drivers working on a domestic refuse contract in Norfolk are to be balloted on industrial...

FTA approves hard-shoulder running 'in the short term'.(Freight Transport Association)
September 7, 2006... Plans for hard-shoulder running have received a thumbs-up from the FTA, but German experiences with the scheme are mixed. Dylan Gray reports. The Freight Transport Association (FTA) has come out in favour of Highways Agency (HA) proposals...

No rise in CV premiums.
September 7, 2006... A haulage insurance firm has played down suggestions that premiums will rise following Norwich Union's decision to increase charges for car insurance. Norwich Union, one of the country's largest insurers, has warned that car insurance will...

Stralis passes Kerry trial.(Kerry Logistics uses Iveco Stralis tractor for trail)
September 7, 2006... The UK arm of global transport giant Kerry Logistics has just taken delivery of two new Iveco Stralis tractor units following a six-week trial. The latest purchase by the Manchester-based operator follows the earlier acquisition of a...

Euro-4 Shell giveaway.
September 7, 2006... As we go to press the CM/Shell Euro-4 test is well under way. And we are giving readers the opportunity to participate by estimating the amount of fuel used by the most efficient truck in each weight category, 40 and 44 tonnes. Simply combine...

Macfarlane beats Euro-4 deadline with new TGAs.(Brief article)
September 7, 2006... Leeds operator Macfarlane Transport (Holdings) has unveiled its first big investment in new trucks since it started trading earlier this year. The firm, which acquired the assets of collapsed haulier Macfarlane Transport in January, has...

Profits over 5% at MRS following MBO.(MRS Distribution )(management buyout )(Brief article)
September 7, 2006... Scotland-based general haulier MRS Distribution boosted its pre-tax profits above 5% of turnover for the year to 31 March. Its turnover increased from [pounds sterling]28.4m to [pounds sterling]29m last year, according to its latest financial...

Cutler stays Young with return to transport.
September 7, 2006... Barely a year after leaving the industry, haulage boss John Cutler is back in charge of a transport firm following the purchase of a Southampton haulage operation. Cutler was previously MD and co-owner of Hammond Logistics, which he sold...

Hauliers to test e-payment for Forth road toll.
September 7, 2006... Truck drivers crossing the Forth road bridge will be at the forefront of testing new electronic payment technology which is due to be introduced over the coming months. The bridge authorities will open electronic payment booths later in...

Hicks wins [pounds sterling]18m GE Equipment deal.(Hicks Logistics )(Brief article)
September 7, 2006... A South Wales haulage firm has won a six-year contract with a division of one of the world's largest companies. Hicks Logistics of Caldicot, Monmouthshire will be hauling for GE Equipment Services' UK depots at least until March 2012. ...

KB Event snaps up panto contract - oh yes it does!(KB Event)(Qdos Entertainment )(Brief article)
September 7, 2006... Nottinghamshire transport specialist KB Event has won a contract with Qdos Entertainment which is the world's largest producer of pantomimes. The 11-truck haulier will handle the worldwide contract for at least the next two years. The...

The truth about youth.
September 7, 2006... CM's Perspectives column brings you alternative views from experts allied to the road transport industry. This week Emma Price explains why a taking on a bright young thing may be the solution to your recruitment problems. Yes, we all know...

Nissan revamps lightweights.
September 7, 2006... In the run-up to the IAA show in Hanover, Nissan has unveiled a new look for its line-up of light trucks and vans. Dylan Gray reports. Nissan HAS developed a revamped van and light truck range, including a new shape for its popular Cabstar...

Westminster unable to stem anger over parking penalties.
September 7, 2006... OPERATORs delivering into London are accusing Westminster City Council of exploiting parking restrictions to raise money even though the number of tickets it issued fell last year. Figures released by the Association of London Government...

RH Group: profits rise - prospects good.(RH Group)(Brief article)
September 7, 2006... European freight forwarder and haulage specialist RH Group has recorded a [pounds sterling]3.2m pre-tax profit for the year ending December 2005. Directors for the firm say prospects for the group are "good" as turnover was boosted to...

Telford rail-freight terminal will save 25,000 truck moves every year.(Brief article)
September 7, 2006... A [pounds sterling]6m rail-freight terminal in Telford is expected to remove thousands of truck movements from the motorway network once it opens next summer. Development of the facility by Telford and Wrekin Council follows several years...

T&G calls for national pay and terms deal with Tesco.
September 7, 2006... Union leaders are to press Tesco for a single deal covering pay and conditions for more than 4,000 transport workers amid fears that the company is targeting these factors in a cost-cutting drive. The switch away from local bargaining is...

Whitehead into the red.(PF Whitehead)(Brief article)
September 7, 2006... Haulage AND distribution operator PF Whitehead plunged more than [pounds sterling]100,000 into the red in the year to July 2005 following a sharp increase in payments to its directors. They received [pounds sterling]340,795 in...

Wincanton in warehouse eviction row.
September 7, 2006... Wincanton IS LOCKED in a court dispute with Irish department store Arnotts after it tried to evict the retailer from its Tolka Quay, Dublin warehouse. The logistics heavyweight asked Arnotts to leave in May, but Arnotts has won an interim...

Union anger over Birds Eye sale.
September 7, 2006... Yearsley Group, which took over the distribution of Birds Eye frozen foods when Celsius First went into administration in March, has played down any potential fallout from the sale of the food manufacturer to a firm of venture capitalists. ...

Frameworks take off for BAA.
September 13, 2006... Complex Projects ? 10-year framework ? Collaboration to drive value ? BAA will own and manage the risk ? Commercial model - variety, best for project ? Incentivisation to beat targets ? Emphasis on Design for Manufacture (DfMa) ? BAA, 1st and...

Doosan DX420 makes debut.
September 13, 2006... Europe's first Doosan Daewoo DX420 demolition excavator has made its debut at Bradford-based Thomas Crompton. The 47.5t machine is fitted with a 26.4m three-piece boom capable of 14m of outreach when the main 8.8m boom is vertical. A...

Metso revamps sales and service.
September 13, 2006... In a major change to its distribution operations in England and Wales, Metso Minerals has appointed Central Crushers and Screens to sell and provide field support for mobile machines for the construction and recycling markets. Metso's UK...

Ashtead's profit soars.
September 13, 2006... The Ashtead Group has completed its acquisition of US hire company NationsRent and seen underlying pre-tax profit almost doubled to ?24.3m for the first three months. A-Plant's operating profit jumped by a quarter to ?4.5m from ?3.6m,...

Lavendon Group makes comeback.(Brief article)
September 13, 2006... The Lavendon Group made a ?1.3m pre-tax profit in the half year compared with a loss of ?1.5m in the same period last year. The acquisition of Panther, Kestrel and AMP Access saw UK revenue grow 27% to ?37.2m, while existing business saw a...

Orders turnaround begins?
September 13, 2006... New construction orders were worth ?12.9bn in value in the three months to July, an improvement of 9% compared with the same period a year ago. The latest data from the Department of Trade & Industry reveals more positive news. That value...

Six chase ?17m Beds bypass.
September 13, 2006... Six firms are circling a ?17.4m bypass deal for Bedfordshire County Council. In the hunt for the A507 Ridgmont Bypass and Woburn Link are Carillion, Skanska, Nuttall, Birse, Norwest Holst and East Anglian contractor Jackson. The...

Ones to watch in September.(Tolent)(Interserve )
September 13, 2006... city watch Source: Thomson DataStream Monthly share price movements % - performance tracker for August Dividend surge excites Tolent's share price Tolent's shareholders were fired up by the group's interim results, reported on the Stock...

Government turmoil could hurt industry.
September 13, 2006... Construction policy and spending plans could be badly hit by the current leadership turmoil within the Labour party, industry sources are warning. Political correspondents believe that the current leadership crisis could leave the...

Insolvency call to DTI.(Department of Trade and Industry)(Brief article)
September 13, 2006... Recent high-profile insolvencies have strengthened the determination of key industry players to get the DTI to adopt insolvency protection as a key part of the Construction Act. "The recent Botes insolvency is another in a long line," said...

Keep ahead of procurement policy change.
September 13, 2006... For anyone doing work in the public sector - for local or central government - keeping abreast with changes in procurement policy is vital. The Gershon Efficiency Review recommended that government could be more efficient at procuring...

Migrant workforce still being exploited.
September 13, 2006... While this week's TUC conference in Brighton has been debating the rights of migrant workers, more evidence has surfaced of their exploitation in the construction sector. A little-publicised regional report records migrant construction...

NAECI replacement draft in the pipeline.(National Agreement for the Engineering Construction Industry )(Brief article)
September 13, 2006... The engineering construction sector is on track to complete the drafting of a new national agreement on pay and conditions by the end of this year. The projected Industry Framework Agreement is set to replace the 25-year-old National...

Contractors urged to invest in staff training.
September 13, 2006... Contractors are being warned that they may soon have to start paying out more for training their workers through an increase in levy. "Employers should stop complaining so much about the skills levels of their staff and spend more on...

Firm raises Barr with twice as much profit.(barr)(Brief article)
September 13, 2006... Scottish construction group Barr has doubled its pre-tax profit to ?2.6m (?1.2m), representing a major forward step in its future prospects. In August 2002, three senior managers, including chief executive Tony Rush, were parachuted in to...

Carillion makes ?12m after Mowlem buyoutAcquisition adds goodwill of ?500m.
September 13, 2006... Carillion's orderbook stands at over ?14bn, more than double the ?7bn figure at the start of the year, as a result of the Mowlem acquisition in February as well as a string of new orders. In addition, Carillion has a substantial pipeline of...

Galliford eyes growth beyond ?1bn barrier.
September 13, 2006... Galliford Try's transformation into a ?1bn-turnover-a-year player has left it hungry for more - and the priority is to snap up more housebuilding capability. Latest annual results (12 months to 30 June) show a record pre-tax profit of ?34m...

Pearce looks forward to a secure future.(Pearce)(Brief article)
September 13, 2006... Pearce, the Bristol-based contractor, has "taken major strides in securing its future", said chairman Richard Youngerman as the group announced a pre-tax profit of ?530,000 for the year to 30 April 2006. In the previous financial period...

CJ sustainability conference shows you how to win work.
September 13, 2006... Sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR) are becoming increasingly important bid criteria for clients. Indeed, in many cases, evidence of a contractor having policies covering community relations, environmentally-friendly...

When might a letter of intent be appropriate?
September 13, 2006... One of the most commonly recurring themes of the articles written in this column over the past 10 years has been the remarkable ability of contractors and their clients to find themselves in a position where one party alleges that major...

F O'Malley and GMI fined for worker dumper injury.(F O'Malley)(GMI Construction Group)(Brief article)
September 13, 2006... Fines of ?6,000 and ?3,334 were levied on F O'Malley and GMI Construction Group by Barnsley Magistrates' Court after a worker was injured when a dumper truck overturned on an embankment. The accident in May 2004 resulted in F O'Malley...

Small is beautiful.(Dovehouse Interiors)
September 13, 2006... "The problem with the fit-out sector," says Ross Coker, "is that once you get to a certain turnover level, you need to keep the tenders coming through the door to keep the ball rolling. The temptation is to go for bigger and bigger contracts,...

Balfour passes 1,000-contract mark for 2006.(Balfour Beatty Construction)(Company rankings)
September 20, 2006... Balfour Beatty rose eight places in August to take the top spot in the CJ50 table, with an impressive 77-contract haul worth nearly ?381m. Every contractor in the top six secured forward orders of more than ?100m, with the commercial sector...