KAEFER has announced the acquisition of Wood’s industrial services business from John Wood Group PLC in the UK and Ireland.
The global industrial services firm has stated the business is becoming a wholly-owned subsidiary of KAEFER Group. It’s understood that the two companies will merge into one company that will operate as KAEFER all over the UK and Ireland.
Reports suggest Wood’s industrial services business was sold for an initial payment of $104 million. A potential further $14 million will be paid pending on the business achieving agreed financial goals.
KAEFER has said the merger will provide its clients with additional capacities, know-how and project management capabilities.
Wood’s industrial services business employs approximately 2,000 highly skilled people at 16 locations all over the UK and Ireland. The company provides high-end services for industrial operations, such as the application of protective coatings, access solutions, thermal insulation, passive fire protection and specialist services.
“Our clients will continue to receive the same high-quality service they have come to expect plus the extra value offered by both companies working together,” says Steen E. Hansen, Co-CEO at KAEFER.
Steen E. Hansen, Co-CEO at KAEFER.“Wood’s industrial services business and KAEFER work in different, yet related industries, which is why they complement one another so well. These combined capabilities will support our clients’ success and increase our competitive strength. We are certain that this is an excellent step towards reaching the goals established in our strategic programme.” adds Hansen.
A scaffolding company boss has been jailed after a scaffolder fell 30ft to his death while dismantling a temporary roof in Kensington.
Southwark crown court heard how the boss of G&L Scaffolding and Roofing, Kevin Leathers, 41 had ignored previous safety warnings which lead to the death of scaffolder Jon Currie, 36.
An experienced scaffolder
The experienced scaffolder lost his footing while dismantling a temporary roof of corrugated sheets. Mr Currie was not wearing a safety harness and suffered “catastrophic brain damage” in the fall in July 2017.
Mr Leathers pleaded guilty to failing to ensure the health, safety and welfare of his employees and was jailed on Monday for eight months, according to the Evening Standard.
He had been warned previously by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in April 2017. His employees including Mr Currie had been spotted working dangerously in Kensington without safety harnesses.
The court heard Mr Leathers had been sent a letter reminding him of strict health and safety requirements.
Prosecutor Simon Denison QC said: “This was a clear warning that practices were unsafe. It is obvious that being up on a temporary roof and without safety equipment is highly dangerous.”
Its was also found that no risk assessment had been carried out and Mr Currie was not qualified for the job he was doing on the day he died.
Mr Denison added: “Mr Leathers failed to exercise his duty of care and as a result, Jon Currie died while working for him. Mr Leathers intentionally breached, or flagrantly ignored, the law.”Scaffolder Jon Currie with partner Maxine Carter. Credit: Evening Standard
After sentencing, Mr Currie’s partner Maxine Carter said: “Jon was one in a million. He was a loving man who doted on his family and worked really hard to ensure we were all provided for. “Jon’s loss has been a huge blow to our family and he provided our only income. His death has caused us to have to move out of our home and move into several temporary accommodations.“We miss him terribly and are pleased there has finally been some justice.”
Mr Currie was working on an extension to a double-storey basement when he died.
Judge Joanna Korner QC said: “After the letter in April, Leathers could not have been warned in clearer terms about the dangers of the activities undertaken. “He failed to take appropriate steps. If death results from such failures you must expect to receive an immediate prison sentence.”
Munich based Kewazo has raised a further €2.5 million in funding for its scaffolding robot and added ‘high-calibre’ industry experts to its management team.
The Kewazo scaffolding robot has now raised a total of €3.6 million in funding, the firm now aims to obtain certification of the product and to release the first batch of the series systems “Liftbot” to the market. The former managing director of Layher Germany Dr. Helmut Kreller and Uwe Braun former managing director of Losberger have both joined Kewazo’s management team. The duo brings many years of experience from the construction and scaffolding industries.
In 2018 we reported that engineers at Kewazo had created a scaffolding robot which is set to make the erection of scaffolding more efficient by delivering scaffolding materials to scaffolders where and when they need them.
The Kewazo Scaffolding Robot – how does it work?
The Kewazo scaffolding robot works by moving up, down and along a scaffold by means of a special track attached to horizontal and vertical tubes of the job.
After a successful bauma trade show in April 2019, the company is currently piloting the system on construction sites. Dr. Helmut Kreller said: “I will be happy to support KEWAZO with my technical and industry-specific experience to advance digitization and automation in the industry. Scaffolding assembly services are in a state of change due to an increasing shortage of skilled workers and a permanent need for optimization. I am convinced that such innovative solutions as Liftbot, which significantly reduce costs of scaffolding assembly and at the same time increase safety, will change the industry in the long term.” Uwe Braun added: “I am looking forward to investing all my energy, experience and enthusiasm in such a young and dynamic startup. I see an enormous automation potential for the traditionally labor-intensive scaffolding assembly with the Liftbot. It is an exciting and challenging task for me to accompany the highly motivated KEWAZO team into a promising future.”KEWAZO CEO Artem Kuchukov concluded: “We are very proud to have Dr. Helmut Kreller and Uwe Braun in our management team. With their decades of experience and operational knowledge in scaffolding and construction industries, we are all set for the upcoming challenges. The new investment will help us to reach our certification milestones and to ship the first systems already in this year. We are grateful for the strong support of our investors and their believe in us and in the power of construction automation.”
The International Scaffolding Championship 2020 is again set to take place this April.
System scaffolders from around Europe are poised to once again compete in the now annual Scaffolding Championship organised by the Baltic Scaffolding Association (BSA).
Registration is now open for this year’s event which is set to take place on 24th April in Vilnius, Lithuania. The free registration is open to any teams with six persons who have the skills and knowledge of the Layher Allround System. To register please visit scaffchamp.com.ScaffMagcovered last year’s successful event which saw nine teams participated from five countries, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Russia. Each team had to safely erect and dismantle a designed freestanding scaffold within two hours. The teams were against the clock and the scrutiny of industry expert referees.
Last years Championships, Image credit: ScaffMag
Lithuania based firm HOTREMA took first place in 2019, while Adelante Tellingud from Estonia was placed 2nd with Poland’s ARAD bagging a 3rd place spot.
Speaking after last years Scaffolding Championships, Žaneta Baltreniene Head of Training at the BSA said: “The championships were a big challenge, to have nine teams from five different neighbouring countries and to make everything run smoothly was not easy. We are proud to host such an event for the first time in Baltic states.”
The company that took over the management of issuing new CISRS cards from the CITB has publicly apologised over the fiasco.
NOCN job cards took over CISRS card scheme administration services in December 2019. In a bid to resolve the backlog of card applications it has now put an emergency plan in place.
It’s been reported the company is also having major problems in issuing the Construction Plant Competence Scheme (CPCS) cards after NOCN took over the management of this scheme also.
“We would like to apologise to all customers for the problems that NOCN Job Cards are having in issuing CPCS and CISRS cards,” NOCN said in a statement.“On 1 December 2019 NOCN Group fully took over the issuing of CPCS and CISRS cards from CITB. Much time was put into our systems by both NOCN and our supporting service providers to ensure the transfer would occur as well as possible. “There have been a number of data/administrative/technical issues that have occurred due to the in-flight transfer of such large and complicated card schemes. This has resulted in a backlog in processing applications that were made in November and December 2019.”
NOCN added: “We are very sorry for the impact of this on customers’ ability to work and the frustration that this is causing. We are working very hard, together with our service providers to rectify this problem as quickly as possible. CITB are being especially proactive and providing substantial support.”
ScaffMag understands that due to a different IT system CISRS card applications are having to be processed manually. “We are printing hundreds of cards per day and are actively catching up already,” NOCN said.
Multiplex has become the latest main contractor to specify ‘NASC-only’ scaffolding firms for its UK-based projects.
The news comes after Multiplex a multinational company, which builds large-scale and complex structures across the world signed the NASC Safe Scaffolding Charter.
The move means only NASC member contractors will be eligible to work on its UK-based projects.
Multiplex follows Amey, Hinkley Point C developers Nuclear New Build Generation, DE Construct and Knight Harwood in signing the NASC Charter.Andrew Ridley-Barker, Multiplex’s Operations Director for Europe, said: “At Multiplex we recognise the value of the NASC membership as a quality mark bringing a consistent and assurance-led approach to improving safety in one of the industry’s highest risk aspects of work at height. “Our work in creating iconic high-rise buildings demands exacting standards to protect the workforce and the public from falls and falling objects and we see the use of NASC-only contractors as being in the best interests of everyone affected by our undertakings.” According to the trade body, the Charter is open to any organisation that has specified ‘NASC-only’ in their scaffolding-related tender documents and/or has had an established commercial relationship with a full NASC member for at least a year.Robin James, NASC Managing Director, said: “We are pleased that Multiplex has signed the NASC Safe Scaffolding Charter and happy to recognise their efforts with an NASC Safe Scaffolding Charter Signatory logo and certificate. “Our Wall of Honour on our dedicated Charter webpage is beginning to take shape but we know there are hundreds of companies across the UK that are eligible to feature and would encourage them to come forward to get the recognition their exemplary scaffolding procurement decision deserves.”
The Construction News Specialist Awards has announced it’s 2020 finalists.
Now in its the sixteenth year, the Construction News Specialists Awards are the only national awards recognising the outstanding achievements of specialist contractors.
Focusing on our sector the Access & Scaffolding and Apprentice of the Year categories have been shortlisted and well represented by scaffolding firms across the country.
The Construction News (CN) say finalists in the Access & Scaffolding Specialist category showed different ways of managing logistical challenges, prioritising workforce wellbeing and diversifying workloads.
Access & Scaffolding Specialist of the Year Finalists:
CastleBuild Scaffolding
The Spalding based firm has recently undertaken a number of complex projects, which included the erecting of a temporary roof and maintenance access for the restoration of a 16th-century inn in Lincolnshire.
LTC Scaffolding
LTC Scaffolding overcame a number of logistical challenges when working on a high profile project at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in central London.
PHD Modular Access
PHD is continuing to strive to challenge the common misconceptions of scaffolders. They have focused on improving training and mental health within its business. The firm has introduced in-house mental health first aider and is rolling out mental health workshops to employees.
QFS Scaffolding
QFS has in the past year broadened its workload by completing projects in a variety of different sectors including, prisons, asbestos-contaminated environments and high-rise buildings.
Rose System Scaffolding
Despite being a relatively new business it has more than tripled its turnover from £700k to £2.2m. They have sought to invest in training, out of 37 employees, six are apprentices. The firm is planning to increase that number further.
Apprentice of the Year Finalist:
Stephanie Betts, Image Credit: CN
The scaffolding sector has also been represented in the Apprentice of the Year category. Stephanie Betts from Trad Scaffolding has become a finalist in this category. She was the first woman to join Trad’s Management Scheme in March 2018. Stephanie created a template for lead scaffolders and daily checks, which has been rolled out to operatives across the company.
The judges will reconvene for the final stage of the judging process, where they will interview finalists face to face before weighing up their achievements and deciding on a winner.
The awards take place on the 25th March 2020 at the Grosvenor House Hotel, London.
Workloads for small building companies fell in the final quarter of 2019 but builders are more optimistic for 2020 according to a recent survey from the Federation of Master Builders (FMB).
FMB’s State of Trade Survey for the final quarter of 2019 found that in the three months to December 2019, builders workloads fell into negative territory with around 21% of firms reporting lower workloads which were 5% higher than the previous quarter.
The survey also found that expectations for the future rose with 37% of builders predicting higher workloads over the coming three months. However, material and wage costs are likely to rise over the coming six months.
FMB says Northern Ireland was the only home nation to see an increase in workloads and enquiries. And employment activity moved back into positive territory for the first time since Q1 2019 with just under one in five (19%) builders reporting an increase in staffing levels
Commenting on the results of the survey, Chief Executive of the FMB, Brian Berry, said: “The end of 2019 was a very turbulent period in the UK, both politically and economically, with Brexit gridlock and a General Election. When you consider this, along with the bad weather we saw in October, it is not surprising that the order books of small and medium-sized construction firms took a hit. We know that many consumers were holding off making important spending decisions until the outcome of the General Election was known and this took its toll on workloads”
Berry continued: “Builders are more optimistic for the future, however, with over a third of SMEs predicting higher workloads over the coming three months. We are yet to see if there has been a so-called ‘Boris bounce’ yet, following the election result, but there are some positive signs. For example, employment levels amongst SMEs have returned to positive ground for the first time since the start of 2019. This of course, brings with it concerns around skills shortages, and SMEs continue to struggle to hire key trades such as bricklayers and carpenters”
Berry concluded: “With the Budget due in early March, this provides a perfect opportunity to restore some confidence back into the construction industry. Builders will be instrumental in delivering key government objectives such as 300,000 new homes by the mid-2020s and reaching Net Zero carbon emissions by 2050.”
Ulm Minster in Germany has benefited from 3D laser scanning as part of ongoing restoration work involving both Formwork Scaffolding Engineering and PERI Ltd in Rugby.
Their German subsidiary PERI Systems utilised the technique to measure the interior and transfer of the 3D building model into PERI CAD as the basis for the scaffold planning. PERI CAD is a state of the art professional tool used by experienced CAD professionals for a wide range of tasks in formwork and scaffolding planning. This includes simple ground plans with standard systems through to solutions for complex civil engineering structures.The Minster, of course, has the highest church spire in the world proudly standing 161.53 metres high. It also carries a 29 metre long, 15 metres wide and 26-metre high choir.Many refer to this impressive structure as Ulm Cathedral because of its huge size, but it has never been the seat of a bishop. It’s a Lutheran church located in Ulm, State of Baden-Württemberg.It’s no stranger to breaking records. For example, Its capacity to accommodate 20,000 people greatly exceeded the size of the population at the time the church was founded. It’s the 5th tallest structure built before the 20th century. The towers and decorative elements are of stone masonry, most of the walls, however, including the façades of the nave and choir, actually consist of visible brick. For this reason, Ulm Minster is sometimes referred to as a brick church.The interior was measured without any as-built plans using 3D laser scanning and this was transferred into a 3D building model – providing the basis for the scaffold planning with PERI CAD. (Graphic: PERI GmbH)Communications Executive Jinal Kinsara told us: “PERI systems are currently assisting with the extensive renovation work on the vaulted ceiling and the choir stalls as part of the restoration of the main tower and the north-east, 86 metre high choir tower. It may not be a UK project, but it’s a great example of the benefits this sort of technology can offer a project. What makes it relevant is that this solution could also be used on our UK projects.”You can see quite clearly how the scaffolding fits the church perfectly enabling essential works to be carried out both safely and efficiently. Drone technology has also been used so the church can be viewed from all angles.There are an incredible 768 steps to the top of the minster’s spire. The third gallery, or final stairwell to the top, spirals so much there’s little room for one person. But for anyone reaching the summit, they can expect a panoramic view of Ulm, Neu-Ulm in Bavaria and, in clear weather, a vista of the Alps.The concept of 3D laser scanning has enabled a wonderful piece of historical architecture to gain a new lease of life. It seems certain this valuable scaffolding tool will be used more here in the UK.
A section of scaffolding collapsed on a demolition site in Reading injuring three people in August 2019.
The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) is still investigating the incident that happened on August 1 last year but has revealed that part of the old shopping centre being demolished failed. This, in turn, caused the section of scaffolding on the outside of the building to collapse.
Many within the online scaffolding community came to the same conclusions shortly after the incident back in 2019 that injured three people. At the time of the incident Unite the UK’s construction union called for an urgent investigation into the collapse.
According to the HSE, it was unlikely there would be any further answers revealing more on what happened at the site, for some time.
They said: “HSE continues to investigate this incident with a view to determining the causes. As there were a large number of parties involved in the planning and the carrying out of the project, it is likely to be some months before conclusions can be drawn.“We cannot comment further at this time.”
