Articles by Date : August 06 2007 - August 12 2007

John F Hunt Demolition back in profit
John F Hunt Demolition is out of the red. After logging a £1.1m loss last year, the company has just unveiled a pre-tax profit of £1.9m. more
(10 August 2007 11:00)

Newspaper round-up: 9 August
The Guardian and Daily Mail report on a £2.5bn Highways Agency plan to widen part of the M1 to ten lanes. The 50-mile stretch runs between.... more
(09 August 2007 12:24)

Death plunge on Sir Robert McAlpine site
A 44-year-old construction worker has fallen to his death on a Sir Robert McAlpine site in London. more
(09 August 2007 10:55)

Amco Corporation unveils 50% drop in interim profit to £2.3m
Amco Corporation has unveiled an interim pre-tax profit of £2.3m on turnover of £56m in its latest financial results covering the six months to 30.... more
(09 August 2007 10:00)

Construction deaths: Hain announces summit date
Peter Hain, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, has announced the date of the safety forum on construction fatalities as 17 September. The.... more
(08 August 2007 16:55)

Skanska awarded £150m Walbrook Tower deal
Skanska has been awarded a £150m contract to design and construct the Walbrook office and retail development in the City of London. more
(08 August 2007 14:29)

English Architectural Glazing's Dennis Butcher: 60 seconds on safety
CJ talks to Dennis Butcher, health and safety manager, English Architectural Glazing more
(08 August 2007 00:00)

Laing O'Rourke posts 26% jump in turnover
Laing O’Rourke’s turnover jumped by more than a quarter to £3bn last year, according to its latest financial results. more
(08 August 2007 00:00)

Row as Tube boss bans hire of Metronet workers
Unions angry at leaked email telling LUL managers not to offer jobs to any Metronet workers to avoid exodus. more
(08 August 2007 00:00)

Rant: Home Builders Federation's Stewart Baseley
The Housing Green Paper did something important. It recognised the vital link between the need for more new homes and land supply. It's a simple.... more
(08 August 2007 00:00)

AWG hopes Morrison sale will earn £300m
The 'For Sale' sign is about to be hung over Morrison plc. Its owner, water utility group AWG, is reported to be expecting bids of around £300m. .... more
(08 August 2007 00:00)

£85m Wiltshire NHS LIFT project flatlines
£85m Wiltshire NHS LIFT project flatlines The £85m Wiltshire and Swindon NHS LIFT project has been abandoned due to cost pressures and a lack of.... more
(08 August 2007 00:00)

East of England to get £80m framework deal
An £80m regional framework contract is to be launched in the East of England CJ can reveal. The four-year deal will deliver all building work above.... more
(08 August 2007 00:00)

Cemex restructure brings criticism from civils firms
Late deliveries and quality issues emerge as Cemex introduces new ordering system. more
(08 August 2007 00:00)

Space Decks has been bought out of administration
Space Decks has been bought out of administration by Artguide, a new investment vehicle. The move leaves the glass-cladding specialist's unsecured.... more
(08 August 2007 00:00)

Late payment: A fast buck (Comment)
Carillion has blotted its copy book this week for being slow to pay its suppliers, according to new research from the ICM. Editor Emmay Penny.... more
(08 August 2007 00:00)

Late payment? Big boys force extended credit on smaller firms
Major contractors impose credit terms to avoid being branded as 'late payers'. News of report by the Institute of Credit Management. more
(08 August 2007 00:00)

A McAlpine to demerge; two firms due by 2008
Slate and PFI concessions up for sale, with the remainder to be reshaped into two firms. more
(08 August 2007 00:00)

Letters: 8 August 2007
The Lighthouse Club would like to thank... On behalf of The Lighthouse Club, East Midlands Branch, can I thank everybody who attended this year's.... more
(08 August 2007 00:00)

BS Construction death followed HSE visit to nearby site
The main contractor on a Manchester site where a Polish builder was killed last week was served with a trio of improvement notices on a neighbouring.... more
(08 August 2007 00:00)

Crane drivers pledge to stamp out victimisation
Crane drivers pledge to stamp out victimisation CRANE drivers will demand an end to victimisation and intimidation at a major industry safety.... more
(08 August 2007 00:00)

Skills shortages ease, but still not enough plasterers
Plasterers are still the hardest trade to find, despite a general easing in skills shortages, according to Construction Confederation (CC) figures. .... more
(08 August 2007 00:00)

SA1 Swansea Waterfront site report
When is it wise to build a retaining wall with lots of holes in it? When it's a wall made from manholes. Paul Kirkwood reports from a Morrison.... more
(08 August 2007 00:00)

Carillion dropped from £15m Welsh office deal
Carillion has been dumped from a £15m office job in Aberystwyth, Wales, despite being lined up to build an identical block next door... more
(08 August 2007 00:00)

East of England market report
Kathy Watson reports on the state of the market in the East of England. more
(08 August 2007 00:00)

Unions accept ODA's terms of employment
Unions accept ODA's terms of employment A deal on employment conditions on the London Olympics has been ratified by all three construction unions. .... more
(08 August 2007 00:00)

Carillion faces competition in race for HA's Area 8 MAC
Four challengers look to topple incumbent from £217m roads maintenance scheme. more
(08 August 2007 00:00)

Donaldson & Sons unveils 193% profit leap
Fife-based timber firm James Donaldson & Sons has posted a 193% increase in profit for the group, with turnover up 12.8% from £66.9m to £75.5m. .... more
(08 August 2007 00:00)

Aggregate Industries buys Bucbricks
Aggregate Industries has acquired Bucbricks, a family-owned firm based in Colchester, Essex, which has extended the range of its specialist sand.... more
(08 August 2007 00:00)

Strong housing activity boosts products sales
Strong activity in the commercial and public new housing sectors has been the driving force behind the increase in construction output during the.... more
(08 August 2007 00:00)

Industry collaborates to give concrete a green makeover
Work needed to put concrete's sustainability profile on a par with steel and timber. more
(08 August 2007 00:00)

Direct employment to rise 20% by 2010
Direct employment to rise 20% by 2010 One in five subcontractors is expected to switch to direct employment between 2007-2010, according to.... more
(08 August 2007 00:00)

Symonds Group faces £3m claim
Construction design, management and consultancy firm Symonds Group faces a claim for more than £3m for breach of contract and/or negligence after.... more
(08 August 2007 00:00)

Costain wins £76m S Wales bypass work
Costain has accelerated past four rivals to take the chequered flag for a delayed £76m roads deal in south Wales. This means that Carillion,.... more
(08 August 2007 00:00)

Case law analysis: Fixed price contracts
Variations abound on many construction contracts and both clients and contractors often lose sight of the fact that, just because they almost.... more
(08 August 2007 00:00)

Four chase Stockport college scheme
A £26m sixth-form college deal in the Greater Manchester area has attracted four hopefuls. HGB, Norwest Holst, Laing O'Rourke and ISG Totty have.... more
(08 August 2007 00:00)

Ford improves diesel offering
Ford has announced new and more powerful diesel engines in the double-cab versions of its Thunder and Wildtrak 4x4 Ranger pick-ups. The new.... more
(08 August 2007 00:00)

Five in frame for £60m Crewe college
Five rivals are swotting up for a flagship education deal in Crewe, Cheshire, with an overall value of £60m and construction costs expected to range.... more
(08 August 2007 00:00)

Eric Wright set to bag Blackpool hospital deal
Insiders are putting their money on David to cut Goliath down to size in the battle for a PFI hospital deal in the North West, worth up to £48m. .... more
(08 August 2007 00:00)

Zenith Aerial Platforms aims to be high achiever
New company will offer high-reach access equipment at the large end of the market. more
(08 August 2007 00:00)

Sirius Drilling Services: Job spotlight: geologist and drilling manager
What is the best thing about your job at Sirius? It would have to be the recent challenge of setting up a new business, within a very supportive.... more
(08 August 2007 00:00)

Legal Q&A: Extended paternity leave
What rights do fathers have to paternity leave at present? Fathers who qualify for paternity leave can take either one or two weeks' paid leave.... more
(08 August 2007 00:00)

Barrus rolls out its Cub Cadet all-rounder
Barrus has officially launched its Cub Cadet Utility vehicle on the UK market. The selectable two/four-wheel drive unit has a 15kW, three-cylinder.... more
(08 August 2007 00:00)

Nationwide Skylift buys 37m platform
Nationwide Skylift has taken delivery of the UK's first 37m working height Ruthmann truck-mounted access platform. This is the first of five 37m.... more
(08 August 2007 00:00)

New Holland launches 18.7t and 20t E-series excavators
New Holland has continued the roll-out of its E-series excavators sporting Stage IIIa engines with the introduction of the E175B and E195B machines. .... more
(08 August 2007 00:00)

Legal commentary: The Construction Act
In the first half of a two-part commentary, CJ gets one contractor's opinion of the Construction Act. more
(08 August 2007 00:00)

Hitachi to open new Japan factory
Hitachi is to open a new factory in Japan and is considering restructuring its global manufacturing. The company wants to increase output of.... more
(08 August 2007 00:00)

Schmidt Savalco's road patcher scores hole in one
Wiltshire County Council (WCC) said its Schmidt Savalco road repair patcher, the first in the UK, repairs potholes in a fraction... more
(08 August 2007 00:00)

Roads: Client Focus: Early Contractor Involvement
Early contractor involvement, or ECI, is the latest stage in the evolution of procurement strategies for public sector highway construction. Lowest.... more
(08 August 2007 00:00)

Mouchel Parkman buys Hyder Business Services in £46m deal
Consultancy group Mouchel Parkman has bought HBS, previously known as Hyder Business Services, for £46m. more
(07 August 2007 11:00)