Articles by Date : September 04 2006 - September 10 2006

Death of company director Andy Ross sends Thornycroft (1862) into administration
Thornycroft (1862), the parent company of Newage Transmissions, Cadman (Contractors) and Saville Tractors, has gone into administration following the.... more
(08 September 2006 18:03)

Marshalls' results buoyed by public and commercial sectors
Marshalls' performance in the six months to 30 June was buoyed by 7% like-for-like growth to the public sector and commercial markets, while demand.... more
(08 September 2006 09:00)

Network Rail awards contracts worth £17m to Harsco Track Technologies
Network Rail has awarded £17m worth of operation and maintenance contracts to Harsco Track Technologies. more
(07 September 2006 16:05)

Destructive digger-driver pleads guilty
A 53-year-old Essex man has pleaded guilty to demolishing a house and damaging cars with a 13t Daewoo excavator, after calmly hiring it from a local.... more
(07 September 2006 14:20)

New construction orders jump 9%
New construction orders increased 9% in value to £12.9bn in the three months to July compared with the same period a year ago, according to the.... more
(07 September 2006 11:00)

Transport Scotland advertises £200m M80 Stepps to Haggs PFI road project
Civils contractors are being invited to tender for Transport Scotland's £175 to £200m Stepps to Haggs PFI road contract. more
(07 September 2006 00:00)

Carillion's orderbook doubles to over £14bn
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.... more
(06 September 2006 09:00)

Special report on rail: The regeneration railway (Ebbw valley, Wales)
Wales's first new passenger railway since the Beeching cuts of the '60s is currently under construction. As Jon Masters finds out it will play a key.... more
(06 September 2006 00:00)

Minton stays on at HAE after resigning managing director role
Kevin Minton has stepped down from his position of managing director of the Hire Association Europe (HAE), but will remain with the organisation to.... more
(06 September 2006 00:00)

Bumper dumper sales at Neuson
Sales of Neuson dumpers in the UK have increased by 74% over the first half of the year, with Europe up by 36%. more
(06 September 2006 00:00)

Lafarge designs new tear- and weather-resistant bag
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.... more
(06 September 2006 00:00)

Manchester picks eight to share £80m contract
Manchester City Council has lined up eight contractors to share in an £80m partnering framework deal. more
(06 September 2006 00:00)

Three battle for Chorley, Lancashire deal
Three firms are in the hunt for a £20m distribution centre deal in Chorley, Lancashire. more
(06 September 2006 00:00)

HIPPOWASTE and Wates launch 'zero waste' drive
National waste company HIPPOWASTE has teamed up with Wates to deliver what is thought to be the first 'zero waste to landfill' project in the UK. more
(06 September 2006 00:00)

Bovis Lend Lease fined £5,000 for injury to worker
Following a prosecution by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) Bovis Lend Lease was fined £5,000 and costs of £7,632 after a 38-year-old employee of.... more
(06 September 2006 00:00)

False report triggers £5m loss, claims firm
Essex flooring contractor Loughton warns that credit report by D&B falsely implied financial difficulties. more
(06 September 2006 00:00)

Wilson Bowden profit and revenue down in first half of 2006
Wilson Bowen's revenue and pre-tax profit were both down slightly in the first half of 2006 thanks to a sluggish housing market and continued.... more
(06 September 2006 00:00)

Special report on rail: Unblocking 'The Drain'
Metronet's decision to completely close the Waterloo & City line enabled Balfour Beatty Rail to refurbish the track in just 19 weeks. Helen McCormick.... more
(06 September 2006 00:00)

Manchester project uses a heat and power combo
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.... more
(06 September 2006 00:00)

HSS replaces chief executive
Paul Nolan's sudden departure and replacement fuels industry speculation about venture capitalist pullout. HSS chief executive Paul Nolan has been.... more
(06 September 2006 00:00)

Special report on rail: Robots keep Birse on track
Steel girders welded using robotic technology are playing a key role in the construction of a bridge on the last remaining two-track section of the.... more
(06 September 2006 00:00)

HBOS-led 'Mother Bidco' scoops McCarthy & Stone
After tabling its £1.1bn take-over offer for McCarthy & Stone, the specialist retirement homebuilder, the consortium known as 'Mother Bidco' has.... more
(06 September 2006 00:00)

Liebherr adds power to bulldozer
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.... more
(06 September 2006 00:00)

Editor's comment: Eastern promise?
The "threat" of invasion by hordes of east European immigrants continues to cause agitation in the right-wing press and much frothing at the mouth by.... more
(06 September 2006 00:00)

Offshore workers' holiday entitlement addressed
Offshore construction workers have won a commitment from the government to clarify the law so that they can claim their full paid holiday entitlement.... more
(06 September 2006 00:00)

Euro 4 engines for Renault vans
Renault has updated its Trafic and Master vans with new Euro 4 engines, ranging in power from 67kW to 112kW. more
(06 September 2006 00:00)

BMF launches energy-saving push
In the run-up to Energy Saving Week, the Builders' Merchants Federation (BMF) has launched a campaign to encourage homeowners to buy materials from.... more
(06 September 2006 00:00)

Additional steel price hikes unlikely in 2006
Steel prices are likely to stabilise this year, despite a 37% slump in steelmaker Corus's profits. more
(06 September 2006 00:00)

Robertson quits £120m schools PFI race
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.... more
(06 September 2006 00:00)

Miller's team wins £235m BSF scheme
A Miller consortium has emerged as preferred bidder for Leicester City Council's £235m Building Schools for the Future scheme. more
(06 September 2006 00:00)

PFI lenders will face funding competition
Debt-funding competitions for all PFI schemes worth more than £50m are to become de rigueur under new draft guidance issued by the Treasury. more
(06 September 2006 00:00)

Consortia formation is not best practice
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.... more
(06 September 2006 00:00)

Laing and B&K vie for top spot on £50m Nottingham Trent University
East Midlands client's equal emphasis on price and quality produces a very close finish for two contractors. more
(06 September 2006 00:00)

Rok and Wates win framework deal to revamp Bristol homes
Two firms are due to start work later this month on a housing revamp deal for Bristol City Council, potentially worth almost £100m. more
(06 September 2006 00:00)

EU regulations are stifling Irish construction
The construction industry in the Irish Republic claims member firms are "being swamped by an avalanche of health and safety regulations from the EU",.... more
(06 September 2006 00:00)

News analysis: JCB Dieselmax - Taking it to the max
At the end of last month JCB raced its way into the record books by breaking the land-speed record twice in one week. Neil Gerrard finds out how it.... more
(06 September 2006 00:00)

Special report on rail: Capacity crunch time
With passenger traffic forecast to increase by 30% in the next decade and freight on a similar rising curve, Network Rail wants to spend £8bn to.... more
(06 September 2006 00:00)

T5 worker jailed for possessing illegal gun
An Amec worker on Heathrow's T5 project has been jailed for three years after being found in possession of a gun. more
(06 September 2006 00:00)

CJ Frameworks conference is gathering pace
Places are going fast on Contract Journal's Frameworks 2006 conference at Aston Villa FC on 28 September. more
(06 September 2006 00:00)

Legal Q&A... Illegal workers
Audrey Elliott, head of the immigration team at Eversheds, answers questions on illegal workers. more
(06 September 2006 00:00)

Galliford set for Coventry art clearance
Galliford Try is in the frame for an £11m deal to redevelop Coventry's Herbert Art Galley and Museum. more
(06 September 2006 00:00)

WSP achieves record interim global results
WSP, the global consultancy group, has unveiled record interim results. Chairman David Turner said that all of the worldwide operations had delivered.... more
(06 September 2006 00:00)

News in brief: 6 September 2006
News in brief from the Contract Journal issue dated 6 September 2006. more
(06 September 2006 00:00)

Back bites and other bits: 6 September 2006
Back bites, number of the week and quote of the week from the Contract Journal issue dated 6 September 2006. more
(06 September 2006 00:00)

UCATT tackles training crisis
Leaders of UCATT are set to put forward proposals for a radical shake-up in the apprentice training structure based on the registration and.... more
(06 September 2006 00:00)

Rok goes on UK tour with health and safety show
Rok has embarked on roadshows across south-east England to help promote key health and safety messages across its major sites. more
(06 September 2006 00:00)

Case law: Dispute boards
Incorporating a dispute board into a construction contract is not a new idea, but its use is becoming more commonplace. Geoff Brewer, Brewer.... more
(06 September 2006 00:00)

It must be easier to reopen old quarries
As stone supplies dwindle, the red tape around dormant quarries must be cut, warns BAA. more
(06 September 2006 00:00)

Turnover doubles at SMC
SMC, the architect and design group, has seen turnover rocket by more than 100% in the first six months of 2006. During the period, SMC has won work.... more
(06 September 2006 00:00)

Migrant labour is halving UK builders' rates
A senior Labour MP is claiming that the influx of migrant labour is reducing the going rate for construction workers by up to 50%. A leaked.... more
(06 September 2006 00:00)