PERI 3D laser scanning perfect for world famous church
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.
Update on HSE investigation after Reading demolition incident
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.”Another impressive year of trading for the Altrad Group
According to recently published Full-Year Results for the fiscal period ending 31st August 2019, it’s been another momentous year for the ever-expanding Altrad Group.
Altrad the global leader in industrial maintenance services across multiple sectors has continued its impressive growth, showcasing a strong net profit of £202m, an increase of £1million from the previous 12 months. ScaffMag managed to catch up with Altrad Group CEO Louis Huetz to get his thoughts on what has been a very pleasing phase for the group. Given unsettled financial conditions we wondered how in the case of the Altrad, operational and financial performance surpassed expectations?
It’s so hard not to compare Altrad with Liverpool Football Club who seem to be taking all before them. So do they have a secret formula for ongoing success?
It was a comment well received by Louis: “As Liverpool are European champions, we will take that as a compliment! Liverpool FC has a strong culture and history, and the team has great balance and leadership, so there are a lot of parallels with Altrad.
“I’m not sure there is necessarily a secret to our success, it’s more a pure strategic focus on building our business upon the foundations of Excellence and strong founding values. We are very good at what we do, and we try to ensure we maintain exceptionally high standards in all areas of our business.”
The group has maintained its services order book for the year of £2.3billion, largely involving blue-chip clients, also keeping net debt at £510m. Cash stands at a cool £911m, and wherever you look, the future looks incredibly bright for this group innovator.
We are of course well into a new reporting year at this stage, so what’s the message coming from the Altrad boardroom?
Louis explained: “We are happy to deliver another set of excellent full-year results reflecting the successful growth strategy that the group has adopted in recent years and our continued focus on building a diverse and stable business underpinned by excellence.
“We operate in fluid markets and it’s important to keep evolving the business organically and inorganically to ensure we maintain a competitive advantage. We are constantly reviewing ways in which we can enhance our business to deliver growth and value for our stakeholders, and be the best Altrad that we can be.”
One of the core elements of Altrad’s strategy is the “One Altrad” vision which aligns all of the businesses under the Altrad Group, consolidating and involving all subsidiaries to share the same approach focusing on innovation, synergy, sharing and dissemination of best practice.
Last year Altrad successfully completed the integration of its three major industrial services groups, being Cape, Hertel and Prezioso Linjebygg, under the newly formed brand Altrad Services.
Following a successful period of strategic integration, Altrad Services now benefits from a collaborative knowledge-share and expanding network of customers providing further growth opportunities. Construction contract awards hold steady in 2019
Data from Barbour ABI shows the value of all construction contracts awarded in 2019 was just 0.2% higher than in 2018.
The value of all construction contracts awarded in 2019 was £59.9 billion. This represents an increase of 0.2% on 2018 which in turn was 15.7% lower than 2017. Whilst contract awards values have levelled off in 2019, the value of £59.9 billion is approximately 20.3% lower than the peak of £75.1 billion achieved in 2015. The number of contract awards continued the downward trend exhibited in recent years with awards falling to 9,580. This is a decrease of 7.3% on 2018 and is also 23.0% lower than 2014 when the number of contract awards peaked at 12,447. The latest edition of the Economic & Construction Market Review from industry analysts Barbour ABI, highlights levels of construction contract values awarded across Great Britain. The residential sector maintains its position as the leading sector in 2019, accounting for 38.4% of all construction contract awards, which is 0.3% higher than 2018. The leading residential contract awarded during the year was the Nine Elms Parkside Plots B & D at Wandsworth in London, valued at £276.4 million. The second largest sector in 2019 was infrastructure which had a 17.3% share of all contracts awarded. However, this is 2.0% lower than 2018. The largest overall infrastructure project awarded during 2019 was the £1.5 billion Sellafield SRP Process Facility. The sector accounting for the third largest share of contracts awarded in 2019 was commercial & retail with share of 12.7%, which is 0.5% lower than for 2018. The largest office award was the £400 million Paddington Square – Paddington Cube in London. Commenting on the figures, Tom Hall, Chief Economist at Barbour ABI and AMA Research said, “As we saw throughout 2019, development figures flatlined and a yearly round up shows similar levels to 2018. With the date for the UK to leave the EU less than two weeks away, and the future of HS2 hanging in the balance, uncertainty continues to engulf the construction industry.” Download the full report hereAltrad bags £350m contract from EDF
Altrad Services has been awarded a £350m contract to supply maintenance services for eight EDF nuclear sites across the UK.
Altrad has been chosen as the maintenance partner for a £350m contract by EDF to carry out a range of works on the existing fleet of eight nuclear power stations in the UK for the next nine years.
The company has said around 500 people employed will support the contract.The services will include scaffolding access, insulation, coatings, tanks and building facades and comes under Altrad Services’ maintenance business.
Paudie Somers, CEO Altrad Services UK, Ireland and Nordics said: “This material contract is testament to the relationship Altrad and EDF have fostered over 30 years spent working together.
“As the largest provider of industrial services in the UK, I’m pleased we will continue to help EDF power the UK with an ever-increasingly innovative suite of services designed to take our industry into the digital age. This contract also ensures long-term revenue for the UK Services business.”
New Zealand scaffold fall leads to $230K fine
A construction company and scaffolding firm will have to pay a combined $230,000 as part of a settlement agreement with New Zealand’s Health & Safety Board WorkSafe.
The substantial fine comes after an on-site incident in 2018 which resulted in injuries to a painting contractor who fell 3.5 meters from scaffolding. Main contractor Stevenson and Williams and Bramwell Scaffolding are set to pay a combined $230,000 with $40,000 going to the victim. An investigation found that during work on a 15 three-storey residential apartments, lead contractor Stevenson and Williams contracted Bramwell Scaffolding to supply and erect scaffolding and roof edge protection.The painting contractor was applying primer to various balcony decks and during the work leaned on a handrail which gave way, resulting in the fall and various injuries.
The contractor wasn’t able to work for four weeks as a result of the injuries.
Subsequent investigation determined that the certified scaffolder on-site had left the site for personal reasons and that scaffolding erection had been left to a labourer.
No qualified inspection had been done following that work.
Stevenson and Williams managing director Rob Cunningham told the Otago Daily Times the company had been ”devastated” by the incident and the injury.
He said he had immediately visited the site to determine what had gone wrong and had also seen the worker.
‘‘He is back at work now and we are just happy that it didn’t turn out any worse.
”We are absolutely committed to taking all the steps necessary, putting the necessary systems and process in place to make sure it doesn’t happen again,”
Cunningham said the company had long prided itself on its attention to safety and systems.
”This is a low point for us and we fully intend to learn from the unfortunate circumstance around it.”
Cunningham said while there had obviously been a problem with the scaffolding in this instance, Bramwell remained as a preferred contractor and was definitely one of the ”best in the business”.
Alimak President and CEO to step down
The President and CEO of the Alimak Group has announced he will step down this year.
Tormod Gunleiksrud informed the Alimak Group’s Board of Directors that he wished to leave his position as President and CEO during 2020. The Swedish company which manufactures and provides vertical access solutions including scaffold hoists has said it has begun the campaign to find his successor. Gunleiksrud has been President and CEO of Alimak Group since 2012.Labour Peer introduces legislation to deal with late payments
Lobbying lord is launching a private members bill today in the House of Lords in a bid to toughen-up late-paying businesses.
Today (Tuesday 21 January 2020) Labour peer Lord Mendelsohn is introducing a Private Members Bill to the House of Lords, in an effort to tackle late payments and to strengthen the powers of the Small Business Commissioner.
Almost a quarter of insolvencies (23%) are caused by late payment issues. Even for those companies that manage to absorb late payment, the loss of income can stop small businesses from investing and growing, it can also damage productivity and generally has a very negative impact – including on many business owner’s mental health.
Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) has fought a long campaign to tackle this problem by making three major changes. These are:
- that the Prompt Payment Code should be made compulsory for companies with more than 250 staff
- that payment terms should be halved from a maximum of 60 days to a maximum of 30 days
- that a clear, simple financial penalty regime for persistent late payers should be introduced and enforced by the Small Business Commissioner
YouGov polling published by AAT last year showed that almost three quarters (73%) of MPs backed the three AAT recommendations.
Building on the AAT proposals, today Labour Peer Lord Mendelsohn introduces a Private Members Bill to the House of Lords. This Bill promises to introduce a statutory 30-day limit for payment of all invoices, backed up by giving the Small Business Commissioner powers to impose large fines on the worst, persistent offenders.
Lord Mendelsohn’s Bill will also ban the most predatory payment practices like prompt payment discounts, where purchasers demand discounts for prompt payment of invoices; charges for onboarding and staying on supplier lists.
Lord Mendelsohn said: “Late payment is crippling small businesses while the UK economy is crying out for investment. By failing to tackle late payment we are starving our small businesses of the capacity to act. The recent huge escalation in outstanding payments shows that decades of promoting ‘culture change’ has only made things worse. This Bill will tackle the issue once and for all with a package of measures that is operable, impactful and measurable.”
Lighthouse charity sees huge increase in demand for help
The Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity has provided £1.13M of charitable services in 2019 and seen a 56% increase in demand for its 24/7 helpline, it has revealed.
The charity saw a rise in the number of construction families needing its wellbeing and financial support in 2019 rising to 2616, with a total of £703,641 of charitable giving to support them. Mental health continues to feature heavily within the charity and as a founder member of the industry’s ‘Building Mental Health’ programme, the charity has been at the forefront of driving momentum to ensure a better mental health culture within the industry. To support this, £411,962 has been spent on the charity’s Education and Training programme with a project managed on behalf of the CITB training 300 Mental Health First Aid Instructors, who in turn have trained over 3,000 Mental Health First Aiders to provide ‘boots on the ground’ support for our construction workforce. Just over £21,000 has been invested in innovation, specifically on the Construction Industry Helpline App which provides vital information, advice and guidance on a variety of wellbeing issues. In response to industry demand, the app is also being developed to meet the needs of companies with major sites and joint venture projects who want to provide additional site-specific real-time information such as details on health and safety briefings and site inductions.
Bill Hill, CEO of the Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity said, “We are working tirelessly to ensure that our construction workers and their families have access to the help they need, Our helpline cards have now been distributed to almost 600,000 of our workforce and our app has been downloaded over 20,000 times.
“We will continue to deliver pro-active interventions to ensure that situations do not reach a life critical stage and our mission is to ensure that no worker feels alone in a crisis. To support our helpline, we have recently introduced professional caseworkers who ensure that applicants receive all the possible support available to them, both from us and other organisations. This means that the charity is spending less per case whilst delivering a more holistic and higher quality service.”
The charity has also recently extended its mental health training to offer an increased variety of construction focussed mental health training, including our ‘lunch and learn’ mental health sessions.
To access the helpline’s team of experts, call the Construction Industry Helpline on 0345 605 1956 or visit www.constructionindustryhelpline.com
All of the information regarding the charity’s helpline services, mental health training, Company Supporters programme and Physical challenges can be found on their website at www.lighthouseclub.org 
