Highlights from Bauma 2019

Richard Trenchard
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Highlights from Bauma 2019

Thousands of brands from across the globe descended on Munich, Germany, for the world’s biggest construction trade fair in April. This year Bauma, now 65-years-old, attracted a some 620,000 attendees, representing the industry in no less than 200 countries, giving stand-out exhibitors a chance to impress delegates from almost every nation on the planet. 

As per usual, the scaffold and access industry had its own dedicated area, which offered an insight into the present and— perhaps most importantly— the future of this sector. There were some impressive systems, products and materials on display, from brands such as Switzerland’s AMMANN Group, which celebrated its 150th anniversary during the expo, to China’s Sany Group and LiuGong, making any attempt to succinctly summarise the best of the best rather difficult. 

But we’re always up for a challenge, and when you have something as unique and groundbreaking as Nordic Platform’s range of scaffolding accessories the job of choosing what to write about becomes a little easier. The Danish company specialises in making products from recycled fishing nets salvaged from the world’s seas. Given oceanic pollution is one of the gravest causes for concern in the battle to save the planet, with nets responsible for killing countless fish and marine life, the idea couldn’t be more welcome. 

“We use discarded fishing nets as the main sources— depending on the final product we add stabilisation, UV-protection and so forth to meet the demands of the final products. These materials become part of our Airsteps Ocean products, which include fall protection, spacefillers, support plates, safety clips, toeboard clips and safety caps,” Nordic Platform’s Per Mose Jakobsen says, going on to explain that – to his knowledge – the firm’s approach is unique within the industry. 

“Plastic is brilliant for recycling as it saves approximately 2 kg co/kg plastic that is recycled compared to virgin materials. In the case of discarded fishing nets it is even more beneficial as there are huge volumes of plastic removed for the oceans,” he continues. “Also all products in plastic we are taking to the market we ensure are able to be re-used, re-furbished and recycled themselves, so they are part of a circular economy.” 

Equally revolutionary is the new LayPLAN system from German giant Layher. This software is impressively powerful, allowing companies to visualise solutions to complex projects in greater detail than ever before. Two core versions are available, LayPLAN Classic and LayPLAN CAD. The former modules for Allround Scaffolding and SpeedyScaff, automating the planning of standardised scaffolding structures. It provides real-time material lists, automatically renders 2D drawings and can export to LayPLAN CAD, which plugs-in to Autodesk AutoCAD and is made for incredibly complex work. 

  • LayPlan CAD
  • LayPlan CAD

From realising the bigger picture to far smaller details, we were also really impressed with the Controlock – a product that could make a huge difference despite being something that many people, particularly those outside the industry, probably wouldn’t even notice. Put simply, this is a new magnetic scaffold tie system, the first of its kind on the market. Using this could save money on buying additional locking equipment, alongside assembly time. 

“The reason that magnetic anchoring of scaffolds was not possible before is that it wasn’t safe enough. A traditional magnet was a kind of black box in terms of strength. It was not possible to determine the strength of a magnet on a certain spot,” says Edwin van der Heide of McNetiq, the company behind this potential game-changer.

Controlock
Magnetic scaffold anchoring system at Bauma 2019

“A magnet is designed for a certain force but the specifics of the location influence the way a magnet can be burd— the force we can put on the magnet. The thickness of the steel plate, paint or rust all influence the strength of the magnet,” he continues. 

“Our patented Controlock technology solved this problem: a Controlock magnet can be measured on every spot. Testing and defining the sliding and pulling force is vital to anchor in a safe way. Because it is possible to measure the strength of the magnet in a secure way our system is certified by Dekra and Lloyds Registered.” 

BRAND SAFWAY’s QuikDeck was also pulling in huge crowds, and not without good reason. The Suspended Access System is designed for rapid assembly, providing a versatile and safe solution to accessing hard-to-reach areas of off-shore structures – from bridges to oil rigs. This means a potential cost-saving on projects including painting and maintenance, installation and even new construction, increasing efficiency and therefore lowering completion timeframes. 

BRAND SAFWAY’s QuikDeck
BRAND SAFWAY’s QuikDeck at Bauma 2019


Taking all this into consideration, it’s not hard to understand why Munich 2019 is being heralded as the most-successful Bauma in the event’s illustrious history. The fascinating products on display – which we’ve only really scratched the surface on – and exceptional networking and sales opportunities surpassed previous editions, re-affirming the expo’s place in the list of must-attend dates in the industry calendar. Not that we really needed reminding. 

This article was first published in ScaffMag Issue 6

Quality and innovation drives our sector

Scaffmag Newsdesk
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Quality and innovation drives our sector

There are many great brands in the scaffolding industry, but when they lose focus on delivering what customers want and need, they’ll wither away and become confined to history. Dale, Managing Director of SCP Forgeco sees innovation as an integral part of brand performance.

In our sector, whether you are a contractor, manufacturer or distributor, what differentiates brands is safety, quality and trust. And to build on this success and remain at the top of your game, you need to innovate so that customers benefit from new products and services that improve performance and are more cost-effective. Lack of innovation will expose any business to greater competitive pressures. 

Within our business, product innovation comes at a high price and can be hard to justify in a marketplace where orders are lost to cheaper, often inferior, untested products – for the matter of a few pennies. 

Sourcing from new suppliers, either in the UK or outside, comes with a warning. It may be a cost-effective option, but it may not offer the same levels of quality that in-house manufacturing gives. Verification of quality control, audits and certification all help to confirm and maintain rigid quality standards.

The fittings used by our sector are often safety critical. So having the confidence to know that what is being delivered does what it says is important. When something goes wrong because a product did not perform or it was wrongly installed, designers, contractors and manufacturers are at risk of facing the consequences. The Grenfell Tower disaster has seen quality and performance of other building products being questioned. 

Without question, cost has to be the right cost; however, quality is absolutely fundamental. Forgeco was formed to satisfy a growing demand for quality equipment. Two decades later, we still manufacture fittings at the same plant, to the same rigorous standards, and we are now the UK’s oldest independent fitting manufacturer. 

By working with our clients to innovate, specialist contractors can improve performance and profitability. This approach has led to the development of new products, such as the KLAWZ, Tamer and ScottiClip range of fittings along with the Safelinx board retaining system. 

Access and scaffolding products demand the highest integrity. Having trust in component quality gives contractors the confidence to select and use the components that they know are fully tested and manufactured to a safe standard.

With millions of individual components in use across the sector, it is critical that steps have been taken to ensure that tube, fittings or system are fit for purpose.

Innovative brands spend many thousands of pounds on auditing and testing to demonstrate that what they are manufacturing and erecting meet the standards required. A substandard component, or a poorly fitted one, can lead to catastrophic results.

This article was first published in ScaffMag Issue 6

British Is Still Best With Brent

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British Is Still Best With Brent

With Brent Scaffold Boards Ltd you know exactly what you’re going to get. Not a sales slogan but a basic fact of life. Personal service, quality timber and a no-nonsense honest approach to life in the industry. Maybe this is why they’ve got clients going back to 1992 when the company began life back in Selby. And in every sense, this is a real family affair. One to celebrate as both Ollie, 36, and Jon Appleby, 34, move into new roles as Directors.

A Fresh Approach

Ollie told me their parents, Dave and Linda are still as much involved as they were in the early years, but recognise the benefits of bringing in a team of Directors for the future. He said: “I left school at 16 to work in our factory so I could learn from the bottom up. I must have been 20 or 21 when I began running the office on the sales side mainly. The learning process continued working with Dad. Mum knows the accounts department inside out and also works closely with Dave to secure timber contracts.”

The is a visionary business set on a 10-acre site with superb links to both the east coast ports and network motorways. As a major supplier and manufacturer of timber scaffold boards and system battens to the scaffolding and construction industry, they carry a greatly respected and hard earned reputation for excellence right across the sector. They are also PEFC and BM TRADA certified, armed with five fully automatic endbanding machines pushing production up to a staggering 45,000 banded boards per week. Brent have recently invested in a new machine to the tune of £150,000.

Jon, joined Brent Scaffold Boards in June 2014 after a decade working as a plumber and heating engineer. The career change saw the dad of two girls take over the running of the accounts department with mum and business co-founder Linda. Naturally, he’s now excited and positive about putting on a Directors hat. “It’s certainly been a learning curve to get to this point,” he said. “We have really high standards here, and part of the challenge will be retaining those standards going forward. Both of us are committed to keeping the business in front of our competitors regardless of any changes in the market.”

Directors Ollie & Jon Appleby

Four Decades In The Industry

Dad to Ollie and Jon, and founder of the business, Managing Director 64-year-old Dave Appleby has been in the industry for more than 40 years, forging some excellent relationships along the way. He’s also seen a lot of changes and supervised some challenging orders as he explained: “A few years ago we received a request to provide 90,000 fire treated boards to a company in Khazakstan. It was a huge job but also demonstrated we can cater for most requests in any part of the world.”

His son’s may be moving seamlessly into their roles as directors, but Dave has no intention of calling it a day any time soon. “I may slow down a touch but having put so much into building up the business across the years, I’ll continue to contribute as much as possible. To be honest, It’s always been a real labour of love for me, and we’ve constructed an excellent network across the industry. British timber boards are the way forward, and with only two or three manufacturers here in the UK, it’s vital we keep providing a world-class service.”

Impressive Clients

Generally, Brent can boast impressive regular long term clients like Burflex, Altrad. George Roberts and many others. They also undertake a lot of important North Sea work, and no challenge seems to be beyond them. But how has the Brexit saga affected the business? Ollie said: “Last year was actually quite exceptional. This year has begun more slowly probably due to Brexit. There are plenty of jobs out there, but people are holding off a little until things get sorted. Leaving the EU won’t affect us long term at all as there are no tariffs on timber.”

The Best In Timber

With timber in mind, the business buys the very best from The Czech Republic, Austria and Germany. There are two first class grading lines, manned with qualified and fully trained graders. It’s probably why they have such a high reputation for quality.

Ollie added: “We’re generally going for volume to match the significant investment we’ve made, and I’ve managed to bring in several new customers. The truth is we need a British manufacturer, and we’re determined to drive forward the business and keep it going.”

With a compact but incredibly experienced fully qualified workforce, and not forgetting hard working Joyce, it’s not difficult to see why Brent Scaffold Boards are renown just here in the UK but across the world.

As for Ollie and Jon, there’s no doubt the ship is being steered in the right direction. www.brentscaffoldboards.co.uk

This article was first published in ScaffMag Issue 6

Sustainability in Scaffolding or How Not to Pave Paradise

Sarah Wilson BA Hons
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Sustainability in Scaffolding or How Not to Pave Paradise

When, in 1970, Joni Mitchell sang about how “you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone/They paved paradise/And put up a parking lot”, she was way ahead of her time.

The world’s economies ploughed on regardless in a headlong rush for ever greater development.  Here in the UK, we have now reached the stage where the construction industry is directly associated with 10% of the country’s carbon dioxide emissions; and is the generator of 32% of all landfill waste.

Only now, nearly half a century after Joni’s lament, is the realization dawning in the construction world that buildings and the processes used to create them – such as scaffolding – need to be sustainable i.e. we need to be able to meet current demands for housing and office space whilst at the same time supporting the environment in the long term.  

Websites abound that give advice on strategies as how to reduce the level of CO2 that is produced during construction. There is research into exciting technical innovations such as self-healing concrete.  But optimizing the use of less polluting existing materials is an obvious step that can be taken immediately to aid in greenhouse gas removal.

The Government’s Clean Growth Strategy states it will work with industry to increase the amount of “timber used in construction, creating a conveyor belt of locked-in carbon in our homes and buildings”.

And therein lies the clue: when it comes to scaffolding and responsible procurement, your best eco-friend is the humble scaffold board.

Sustainability, rather than exploitation and depletion, is a key factor in the timber industry.  In his book Sustainable Use of Wood in Construction, Jim Coulson points out that in the managed softwood forests of Europe and North America, trees are planted on a ‘three for one’ basis.  Thus, for every one harvested tree, three more are planted.  And indeed, in the Czech Republic – a source of high-quality lumber – the principles of renewable forest management have been applied since the 18th century.

During its life cycle, a European spruce spends its growing life absorbing carbon dioxide.  When it is felled to become a scaffold board, three other trees get planted and the board becomes a store of locked-away carbon.  And at the end of its use on a scaffold, it can recycled into furniture or raised garden beds; or chipped and used to generate biomass power.

To check that your boards are coming from sustainably managed forests is easy: they need to come with Chain of Custody.  Your supplier should be able to give you their certificate and you can check its validity on the PEFC and FSC websites.  But please note – to meet the UK government’s Timber Procurement Policy, purchasers of wood must not specify one or other of these schemes – they must simply stipulate ‘Chain of Custody Certified Timber’ because both PEFC and FSC are deemed to provide equal and valid proof of sustainable sourcing.

Having satisfied yourself that you are buying a carbon-neutral material from a regulated source, the next consideration is the safety of your scaffolders and other site workers.  Have the scaffold boards – that workers will be treading on at height – been made to BS 2482:2009?  And have they been strength-graded, not merely X-rayed?  The boards should be being passed through a Cook-Bolinder or Computermatic stress-grading machine.  These machines, unlike an X-ray machine, will detect any problems with slope of grain or compression wood and reject the boards accordingly.

If you follow the steps outlined above, you will have a safe and sustainable platform from which to work.  And your company will have helped in a small way to save, not pave, paradise. 

This article was first published in ScaffMag Issue 6

UK System Scaffold’s PAS system takes heavy footfall in its stride

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UK System Scaffold’s PAS system takes heavy footfall in its stride

UK System Scaffold Hire has become the “go to” specialists for companies requiring public access staircases (PAS). 

UKSSH’s unsurpassed product knowledge combined with HAKI’s superb Public Access Staircase have provided fully compliant access solutions at sports and leisure venues including football stadia, major flower shows and boat shows as well as at railway stations and historic monuments and provided emergency exits at schools and shopping centres.

Features of the temporary staircases include non-slip treads with GRP covering, Disability Discrimination Act compliant handrails and unique tamper proof locking devices to ensure maximum safety.

One example of the system’s ability to take very heavy footfall in its stride was when UKSSH was asked to provide a temporary staircase for pedestrian access to the world famous White Tower at the Tower of London whilst the installation of new, permanent, steps took place. Unique Scaffolding chose UK System Scaffold Hire to specify and supply the HAKI Public Access Staircase. 

THE BEST SOLUTION

The temporary staircase had to cope with large numbers of visitors queuing on the staircase during busy periods and lead them up to the temporary entrance on the west elevation. It also had to provide a safe, comfortable and steady walkway for tourists visiting the historic building. Due to the historical importance of the building, the stair could not be tied to it and therefore had to be free standing. 

 The permissible load for a tread width of 1.6m and loading from one side is 7.5 kN/m2. The stair was designed to be capable of taking a maximum load of 189 people, more than adequate for the required access of 100 people at any one time. The aluminium treads provided with the stair delivered the perfect slip-resistant steps and landings without any additional GRP covers even throughout the cold, icy winter months. 

UK System Scaffold Hire provided on-site support and on-time delivery in the very heart of the Nation’s capital, helping the Tower to maintain visitor numbers throughout the renovation.

This article was first published in ScaffMag Issue 6

Acorn gives structure to the biggest events

Richard Trenchard
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Acorn gives structure to the biggest events

By 2017 the UK event equipment hire market had reached an annual value of £600million, according to AMA Research.  For most people this sector means audio and lighting rigs, props, effects, portaloos and security fencing, but larger structures, staging and seating accounts for one of the biggest proportions of industry spend. 

It’s understandable, really. Britain, particularly in the summertime, is awash with large scale events that require significant investment in structural assets to pull off – from Glastonbury to Wireless. And music festivals are just one side of the story. 

Acorn Event Structures has been delivering world-class stages and other structural equipment to clients across the globe since 1996. Last year alone, the firm’s expertise helped make a bespoke stage for Pope Francis, a specialist theatre for Shakespeare’s Rose Theatre, and worked at major festivals such as Creamfields, Boomtown, Summertime Ball and Car Fest, to name but four. 

Demand continues to grow in 2019, as the events calendar becomes ever-more packed with dates. With this in mind we contacted Emma Petty, Acorn’s marketing manager, to gain a better insight into the realities of this often-unsung end of the scaffold and temporary structures game, and learn a little about what the future might hold. 

“From its inception, Acorn received enquiries from event companies to supply temporary scaffolding solutions and consequently, in 2006, took the decision to launch a stand-alone event-oriented company to service this activity,” she explains how the Leeds-based Acorn Scaffolding came to give birth to Acorn Event Structures. 

“Since then the operation has grown from strength to strength and now has sub-divisions dedicated to scaffold, staging and bespoke structures and continually invests in developing and refining products for the event industry.” 

Perhaps one of the most interesting aspects to Acorn’s work is not simply the fact that they create public-access scaffold for a wide variety of sites, but by nature they are also involved in the creative process of event development. 

Organisers may have a vision, but only the experts understand whether that can be achieved, and how. Functional industry meeting design-led thinking; a combination that isn’t as commonplace as many might think.

“Acorn’s unrivalled creative expertise and forward-thinking engineering solutions surpass those of other temporary structures providers in the market,” she adds.

“We are continually chosen ahead of other suppliers because of our ability to translate our clients’ visions into reality and lead into new territories of structural design.”

Petty cites a number of examples to evidence her point. Europe’s first ever pop-up Shakespearean theatre is arguably the most revealing. 

Inspired by the London Rose Playhouse, which was built in 1587 and as such predates the world-famous Globe by more than a decade, Acorn was tasked with developing and delivering a modern interpretation of the 13-sided 16th Century structure. More challenging still, they had a three-week timeframe in which to complete. 

The company responded with a design offering 600 seats on triple-tiered balconies and space for a further 350 people at ground level. No seat was more than 15 metres from the stage, with the overall site replicating the original building while also updating it. 

“We were delighted to be part of such an important local project, which created a cultural legacy for our community and supported local industry.  We worked closely with our client to design and engineer a unique and functional performance area,” says Andy Nutter, Acorn’s managing director. 

Liam McBurney/PA Wire

Pope Francis’ Papal Mass in Ireland is another example that shows the level of innovation involved in Acorn’s builds. Set the task of conceiving a stage that could completely surround the location of the event, Papal Cross, the solution was a 60m Mega Dome structure, which itself included another internal domed roof offering weather protection for His Holiness, complete with 120 linear meters of glass balustrade. The brief also required a plaque commemorating Pope John II’s 1979 visit to the site remained in place and visible. 

As with many of Acorn’s efforts, Layer scaffold systems were used to achieve the best possible results, with the firms having been partners for over 15 years. That relationship shows no sign of changing any time soon either given Acorn’s commitment to continue providing the level of service it currently does. 

“Our events clients are continuously pushing the boundaries in staging, production, lighting, sound and visuals to provide a unique visitor experiences and Acorn is proud to be instrumental in helping our clients meet their objectives with scaffold event structures capable of underpinning increasingly ambitious production specifications,” says Petty. 

The coming years looks bright for the events industry right now, both in the UK and beyond, and the same can be said for Acorn’s specialist team. With that in mind we’re keen to see what the firm’s future endeavours and accomplishments might involve.

This article was first published in ScaffMag Issue 6

Scaffolding boss receives suspended jail sentence for scaffolders death

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Scaffolding boss receives suspended jail sentence for scaffolders death

A scaffolding boss has received a suspended jail sentence and a roofing contractor has been fined after a scaffolder was killed falling through a fragile roof during construction work at a factory in Staffordshire.

Wolverhampton Crown Court heard how on 19 September 2015, at the Norton Aluminium foundry site in Norton Canes, a scaffolder was fatally injured after falling approximately 11.5 metres through a fragile roof. The scaffolder was working on the corrugated asbestos cement roof to move and fit temporary scaffold guardrails as part of a larger roof refurbishment project at the site.

An investigation led by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the scaffolding boss, trading as ** Scaffolding, failed to ensure the health and safety of his employees in relation to the work taking place on the fragile roof at the site. The investigation also found that Sandwell Roofing Limited, a contractor in overall control of the roof refurbishment project, failed to ensure that people not in its employment were not exposed to risks arising from work on the fragile roof.

The scaffolding firms boss, from Birmingham, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. He was sentenced to six months imprisonment suspended for two years, 180 hours of unpaid community service and ordered to pay costs of £14,000.

Sandwell Roofing Limited of New Wood Farm Stourton, Stourbridge, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. The company was fined £41,125 and ordered to pay costs of £33,000.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Andrew Bowker said:

“Falls through fragile roof materials remain one of the most common causes of work-related fatalities during construction work. These risks are well known, and the required control measures well documented in both HSE and industry guidance. This was a tragic and wholly avoidable accident that led to the death of a young man. This death could easily have been prevented if suitable safe systems of work had been in place.”

An Avontus Cambridgeshire Coup

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An Avontus Cambridgeshire Coup

Avontus Software has expanded into a new, larger UK office location.

As a colourful Cathedral city in Cambridgeshire Ely is a wonderful place in which to both live and work. It’s also the UK home of ‘Avontus’, a world-class provider of industrial scaffolding software.

It’s barely a year since this dynamic company announced expansion into bigger office space in the heart of Berkeley. Now, the move to Ely shows how quickly the company is growing, part of its strategic plan for talent development and overall advancement in the field. With a powerful presence in three continents and a leading reputation across the globe, scaffolding is in safe hands moving forward.

Constructing Something Big

A spokesperson told ScaffMag: “When we founded Avontus two decades ago, we knew we were doing something big. We developed software that can solve some of the big inefficiencies in the typical scaffold work-flow. Laborious hand-drawn designs, manual estimating processes, and un-trackable inventory—conventional scaffold design and management processes cost businesses time and money.

“Since day one, our goal has been to modernize how scaffolding is designed, planned, and managed. With Avontus’ Scaffold Designer, Scaffold Viewer, and Quantify software, we’ve helped our customers win more bids and improve profitability through state-of-the-art scaffold design, visualization, and inventory management tools.

“Ely is a prime location for expanding our international operations. It offers convenient access to the most important cities around Europe, the Middle East, and South Africa. And it enables us to tap into the world-class resources and talent at nearby Cambridge University.”

An inside look at Avontus’s new office in Ely

A Leading Role

It’s a fact today, approximately 80 percent of the refining capacity in the US, the majority of the top 10 industrial scaffolding companies, and hundreds of other global businesses depend on Avontus software to modernize their operations and take control of their profitability.

The UK market has begun a transition from traditional tube-and-clamp scaffolding, and the system scaffolding market has begun to take off. This change has been accelerated by limited labour availability, as well as evolving scaffold technologies, like Scaffold Designer and Quantify solutions created by Avontus.

System Scaffolding

Given the ever-increasing pressure on the UK construction market, companies are turning to system scaffolding to reduce the demand for skilled labour and improve efficiency in scaffolding operations.

Avontus tells us: “As system scaffold is often four times the cost of tube-and-fitting, it’s imperative for businesses to manage their inventory effectively. This is what Quantify does best – giving businesses complete control over their valuable inventory, while automating back-office functions like estimating, invoicing, and re-rental.

“Likewise, the move to system scaffold is increasing the adoption of Scaffold Designer and Scaffold Viewer. These products take the guesswork out of scaffold design and estimating, enabling system scaffold companies to reduce drawing and estimating time by up to 90percent, while making bid presentations, planning reviews, and client-handovers a breeze.

“The EMEA system scaffold market is poised to reach new heights. And so is Avontus, with our new office and expanded operations in Ely.”

Avontus Headquarters at 2150 Shattuck in Berkeley, CA.

World Class Tools For The Industry

The talented Avontus team has expanded from four to 19 employees – their office at Shattuck, an iconic building in the heart of Berkeley, California, offers access to the latest tech trends around Silicon Valley. It means they are also able to draw talent from nearby UC Berkeley, one of the most prestigious institutions in the US, to help these clever bods re-imagine the future of the scaffolding industry. Their expansion in the UK represents the industry evolution as a whole.

www.avontus.com

Kier top the contractors league table for May with highest value of projects awarded

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Kier top the contractors league table for May with highest value of projects awarded

Kier is at the top of the contractors’ league table for May 2019, thanks to 12 contracts awarded with a total value of £397 million. Construction of the new HM Prison Wellingborough contributed £253 million, while the Paisley Town Hall regeneration also contributed £22million to the total amount. In joint second place were Hill Partnerships and Ardmore Construction with the total value both at £154 million and considerably fewer contracts awarded each at four and three projects respectively.

The latest edition of the Top 50 League Tables has been published by industry analysts Barbour ABI, which highlights the number of contracts awarded and the total value. This month shows that the combined value of contracts awarded to the top 50 was £2.6 billion and a total of 141 projects.

Other notable contractor activity for May came from Galliford Try Construction, who were particularly active, being awarded eight projects at a total cost of £116million boosting them up 12 places from last month, finishing in sixth place for May 2019.

Kier is the only contractor to again feature in the top three this month – they sat in second place in April, behind ISG, who have now dropped 25 places to finish in twenty-sixth position for May.

Kier’s activity this month has further cemented its top position for a rolling 12-month period with 155 awards totaling £2.27 billion. Wates Construction are experiencing a busy 12-month period with 48 awards at a value just over £1.6 billion and Mace Limited with 22 awards at a value of £1.2 billion excluding their joint venture with Dragados on the Euston Super Station.

Tom Hall, Chief Economist at Barbour ABI said, “The top 50 contractors league table provides interesting analysis on construction activity throughout the UK. Even though this month we see Kier dominate the league tables, activity can change dramatically month on month by the top contractors, generally resulting in a change in the top three positions each month. In May we saw a total value of £2.6 billion contracts awards, a decrease of 22% on April 2019.”

Download the full report here: https://ubm.io/2MFRcko

SCA Group awarded fuel storage build project

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SCA Group awarded fuel storage build project

The Dorset based multi-disciplined contractor SCA Group has been successful in securing the new build Fuel Storage at the Ministry of Defence’s project in Gosport.

Working for the Murphy Group SCA has been contracted to provide all the access Scaffold requirements for the duration of the build. Murphy is set to remove and replace the depot’s riveted plate steel fuel tanks, which are more than 100 years old and are approaching their end of service life.

SCA will support Murphy for the duration of new tank development which is being constructed to support the new Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers in Portsmouth Naval Base.

The SCA Group are also the main contractor to BAE in providing all access scaffold for the ongoing maintenance of the Fleet.  SCA Group is highly experienced in working in sensitive environments and industrial locations.

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