Articles by Date : November 10 2003 - November 16 2003

Bell Equipment opens German plant
South African heavy equipment manufacturer, Bell Equipment, has officially opened its first overseas production plant. Located in Eisenach, Germany,.... more
(14 November 2003 15:34)

Jarvis under fire over school delay
Jarvis has been criticised yet again following its failure to complete a school refurbishment scheme on time. more
(14 November 2003 10:06)

Canary Wharf jury returns open verdict
The jury at St Pancras Coroners Court returned an open verdict yesterday on the three deaths caused three years ago by the Canary Wharf crane.... more
(14 November 2003 09:22)

Raven Mount bid for Swan Hill to be discussed next week
Within a day of launching its hostile take-over bid for Swan Hill, the south east housebuilder, Raven Mount’s surprise move has become unconditional.... more
(13 November 2003 16:36)

Canary Wharf crane collapse: cause unclear
The cause of the Canary Wharf crane collapse in 2000 is unclear, the inquest into the fatal accident heard today (Thursday). more
(13 November 2003 16:24)

Skills shortage pushes up construction costs in the south
A growing engineering skills shortage and a logjam of major infrastructure projects are hiking up construction costs in London and the south east,.... more
(13 November 2003 12:33)

Jurisdiction of adjudicators
In March 2002, in the case of RJT Consulting Engineers -v- DM Engineering, the Court of Appeal dealt with the important point of whether oral.... more
(13 November 2003 12:25)

Survey slams 'huge' cost of tendering
The average spend on bidding costs by construction consultants and contractors is "huge", a survey by Reading University has revealed. more
(13 November 2003 12:24)

Crusher is CIB Lello's biggest buy
Cornwall-based CIB Lello Plant Hire has made its largest single capital investment so far by purchasing a new Nordberg LT95 track mounted mobile.... more
(13 November 2003 12:23)

Strickland stock on the increase again
Strickland Direct, the bucket, attachment and ground engage-ment/wearpart supplier, is to further increase the size of its stockholding. more
(13 November 2003 12:22)

THS Express does it all in one call
A-Plant Tool Hire has launched THS Express, a new one-call equipment sourcing service for small plant and tool hire. more
(13 November 2003 12:20)

Terex reports third-quarter profit increase
Terex Corporation has reported a net profit of £8.5m for the third quarter of 2003, up from £5.7m for the same period in 2002, while net sales have.... more
(13 November 2003 12:19)

Lording it
Wilfrid Lord had good reason to be worried this time two years ago. Like many other small contractors that rely heavily on local authority work, the.... more
(13 November 2003 12:18)

CNH losses lower than last year
Case New Holland (CNH) has reported a third quarter net loss of £21.2m, a better performance than the same period last year when net loss stood at.... more
(13 November 2003 12:17)

Heavy tyre recycling unit trials completed
In response to the ever-increasing cost of tyre disposal, Rubber Recovery, a division of the Montpellier construction group, has completed trials of.... more
(13 November 2003 12:16)

Rebuilding Jarvis' reputation
If you're a director of Jarvis, the past 18 months have been fairly forgettable. more
(13 November 2003 12:16)

QM future depends on North West test
Future funding for Quality Mark (QM) could hinge on the success of its biggest ever launch in the North West. more
(13 November 2003 12:15)

Robots to take dangerous jobs
Transferable technology from the nuclear industry could help remove construction workers from dangerous environments on site, if a demonstration.... more
(13 November 2003 12:14)

Iveco engines for Komatsu
Iveco has signed an agreement to supply engines to Komatsu Utility Europe (KUE) to equip its new WH series of telehandlers. more
(13 November 2003 12:13)

Ramesys 'fantastic year' in construction division
The construction division of Ramesys, the IT software group, has generated an operating profit of £2.3m, equal to the previous year. more
(13 November 2003 12:13)

Can Network Rail cope with maintenance?
The Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) has expressed its concern over Network Rail's (NR) decision to take maintenance contracts.... more
(13 November 2003 12:12)

Hackney picks housing trust for £70m regen
Work on site is due to start within two years on a big-value housing regeneration scheme in north London, now that Hackney council finally has a.... more
(13 November 2003 12:12)

Historic buildings at risk
A lack of skilled workmen threatens the future of the UK's historic buildings, the National Heritage Training Group (NHTG) has warned. more
(13 November 2003 12:11)

Mowlem to build £23m leisure and dance venues
Mowlem Building Midlands has netted a brace of contracts in the West Midlands, totalling £23m-plus. more
(13 November 2003 12:10)

Site disputes procedures 'under threat'
Draft government regulations introducing statutory measures to resolve employment disputes at local level are likely to be seriously.... more
(13 November 2003 12:10)

Bilfinger sneaks in to take Ballast PFI
As CJ went to press it appeared that Bilfinger Berger had stolen Ballast plc's services division away from front-runner Mapeley. more
(13 November 2003 12:09)

Benson reveals loss of £700,000
Benson Group has unveiled a pre-tax loss of £700,000. All four of the start-up divisions created since the management buy-in (mbi) five years ago are.... more
(13 November 2003 12:08)

Police quiz BAA manager over airport fraud
A BAA junior manager has been asked back for further questioning by police as part of a fraud investigation into the handling of maintenance.... more
(13 November 2003 12:07)

Safety concern over fire door components
Independent certification body BM TRADA has this week applauded the frankness with which the British Woodworking Federation (BWF) has revealed the.... more
(13 November 2003 12:07)

Lowest cost focus upsets rail firms
Contractor confidence in Network Rail seems to be waning further this week with civils insiders blasting the rail operator for going against the.... more
(13 November 2003 12:06)

Cement sales set to increase
The UK cement market will grow 11% by 2008 with annual sales of £950.8m, according to the latest report from Market & Business Development (MBD). more
(13 November 2003 12:06)

Concrete Show sticks with SED
2004 will be the third year in a row that The Concrete Show will run alongside SED. more
(13 November 2003 12:05)

Shortlist released for M4 widening
Five firms will pick up the tender paperwork next spring for a £43m motorway widening deal in south-east Wales. more
(13 November 2003 12:04)

Interserve maintenance staff promise more strikes
The TGWU has warned that Interserve's refusal to back down in the row over the contractor's decision to slash jobs on its Liverpool City Council.... more
(13 November 2003 12:04)

Skanska and Innisfree set to win Barts PFI
A Skanska/Innisfree consortium is well on the way to becoming the preferred bidder for the biggest single healthcare scheme to emerge so far under.... more
(13 November 2003 12:03)

HA teams make good impression
Contractors have been impressed by the Highways Agency's (HA) validation teams as they assess companies looking to get on to tender lists for major.... more
(13 November 2003 12:02)

Government boosts construction growth
Increased government-funded work drove construction growth during the third quarter of 2003, according to the Construction Industry Trade Survey.... more
(13 November 2003 11:38)

Rok calls it quits on Galliford plan
Rok Property Solutions has stood down its team that has been working on its proposed acquisition of Galliford Try. The move is a response to.... more
(13 November 2003 11:37)

No decision on continuation of Chelsea Barracks until Christmas
A decision on whether the £150m Chelsea Barracks PPP can continue with just one bidder, following the withdrawal of the Amec/Berkeley Homes.... more
(13 November 2003 11:36)

Postal delays hit small businesses
The Royal Mail postal strikes have caused major problems for small firms, including construction companies, with payments for many held up in the.... more
(13 November 2003 11:36)

Giving foreign ownership the Bil-finger
If ever they wondered, staff at Ballast must now know what it's like to be a carcass, picked to pieces by lions, hyenas and vultures. more
(13 November 2003 11:35)

Constructionline fails at SBC
Scottish Borders Council (SBC) has washed its hands of Constructionline because of a lack of interest from local contractors. more
(13 November 2003 11:34)

Sale causes uncertainty for Tower Hamlets PFI
The sale of Ballast's services division to Bilfinger Berger leaves Babcock & Brown consulting its lawyers over how to proceed with its £88.5m Tower.... more
(13 November 2003 11:34)

Second batch of hospitals on offer
Government plans to batch privately financed hospitals into framework contracts of three or more schemes are to receive a shot in the arm with the.... more
(13 November 2003 11:33)

ExcellCare lands two more LIFT schemes as Pears takes one
ExcellCare, a consortium led by John Laing subsidiary Equion, has landed its fifth NHS LIFT scheme - this time as the preferred bidder at Southern.... more
(13 November 2003 11:32)

Divisions can each grow to £25m
Benson feels that when each of its existing divisions reaches maturity they will have an annual turnover of around £25m. The Southampton division.... more
(13 November 2003 11:32)

Network Rail managers get the boot
Hundreds of Network Rail managers were made redundant today (Thursday) as part of cost-cutting plans. more
(13 November 2003 11:20)

Canary Wharf crane collapse survivor recalled
The survivor of the Canary Wharf crane collapse was recalled to the stand yesterday (Wednesday) to give evidence at the inquest into the accident.... more
(13 November 2003 10:49)

Barratt still performing strongly
Barratt's strong sales performance has continued into the current financial year and is in line with its objectives. more
(13 November 2003 07:58)

Alternative site for Holyrood ignored
A proposal to build an alternative parliamentary complex on Calton Hill in Edinburgh for about £40m was made by a development company owned by.... more
(13 November 2003 07:28)