Articles by Date : March 13 1995 - March 19 1995

Brighter horizons for plant hire, says survey
Plant hire prospects are finally starting to improve, according to a new survey into the market. But despite the improvements, 54% of companies.... more
(16 March 1995 00:00)

SUCCESSFUL Made IN THE UK COMPETITIVE
Ian Brown met the man behind the SMC acronym - Tim Dean - who is busy putting something back into this country more
(16 March 1995 00:00)

Plant market calls for end to equipment tax
Plant hirers and industry bodies are pressing the Government to scrap or at least delay a new tax on road construction equipment. Plant.... more
(16 March 1995 00:00)

Tight turning for Teleporter
Zenith Plant Hire's latest recruit - a Sanderson Teleporter 725C - is proving a versatile asset for Bryant Construction of Solihull. On hire.... more
(16 March 1995 00:00)

THE LUCK OF THE IRISH FOR MATBRO
Fiona Kingston visited Matbro's new factory in Dungannon, Northern Ireland, where the new TS270 telescopic handler is being built on its.... more
(16 March 1995 00:00)

SMOOTHING THE COMMUTER RUN
Working to a tight eight week schedule while avoiding 90,000 vehicles a day on the M4 is no place for the faint hearted. These were some of the.... more
(16 March 1995 00:00)

Lost for words
The latest battle of Ucatt does not cease to amaze even those most familiar with the machinations of 'the premier construction union.' It had.... more
(16 March 1995 00:00)

SOME FACTORS AFFECTING LABOUR PRODUCTIVITY
nSkill of labour force and selection of labour force nWorking hours and shift patterns nDelays or disruptions due to material or equipment.... more
(16 March 1995 00:00)

One in three go to tribunal
One in three firms involved in a TUPE-type transfer of undertaking become involved in a dispute resulting in their being taken to an industrial.... more
(16 March 1995 00:00)

move on employer registration
In a new move towards employer registration or accreditation, Environment Minister Robert Jones has appointed CapitaManagement Consultancy to.... more
(16 March 1995 00:00)

MONEY AND MOTIVATION
'There is no evidence to suggest that the more a man is paid, the harder he will work. On the contrary, productivity may indirectly be impaired.'.... more
(16 March 1995 00:00)

AVERAGE WEEKLY HOURS
SectorTotalOvertime Civil engineering52.312.7 Engineering construction48.610.3 Building [NJCBI]45.15.4 Building.... more
(16 March 1995 00:00)

WORKING TIME: WHY MORE MEANS LESS
In round terms, there is a 5% loss in productivity for every five hour increase in the length of the working week. The more prolonged the period of.... more
(16 March 1995 00:00)

cutting COST BY 30%
Sir Michael Latham has made a call for 30% cost-cutting the centrepiece of his industry review. Some wonder where there is fat left to be cut..... more
(16 March 1995 00:00)

LABOUR-ONLY VS DIRECT EMPLOY: CALL IT A DRAW
The so-called self-employed now account for 75% of the total labour force. The immediate attraction for the contractor is that the.... more
(16 March 1995 00:00)

SCRAPPING TEA BREAKS SAVES 8%
Towards the end of last year, construction workers on Shell UK's giant Stanlow oil refinery complex at Ellesmere Port voted to scrap formal tea.... more
(16 March 1995 00:00)

MAKING UP FOR LOST TIME
Inadequate utilisation of available working hours has been identified as a central cause of the UK construction industry's allegedly 'chronic'.... more
(16 March 1995 00:00)

WHO'S WHO
Main Contractor: James Longley Piling Contractor: Keller Colcrete Masonry Contractor: Cathedral Works Groundworks: .... more
(16 March 1995 00:00)

KEY DATA
JapanUK Gross construction output (œbillion)50645 Gross construction output as % of GDP189 Number of dwellings built.... more
(16 March 1995 00:00)

CHURCH-GOER WHO LIKES THE UNKNOWN
'It's the unknown - that's what I like about it,' said Gary Harper, James Longley's award winning site manager on the construction of the.... more
(16 March 1995 00:00)

Declining power station build
A Department of Trade and Industry review setting out various energy scenarios for reducing carbon dioxide emissions has speculated that.... more
(16 March 1995 00:00)

Rise in January orders
UK construction orders were higher in January than at the end of last year according to new Government figures out this week - although figures for.... more
(16 March 1995 00:00)

Legal aid for tunnellers to sue Nuttall
Seventy former Tyne Tunnel workers who claim that they are suffering from a crippling bone disease after working in compressed air are set to.... more
(16 March 1995 00:00)

TUC orders AEEU to pay œ100k to Ucatt
A TUC disputes committee has ruled that the AEEU union should not receive official recognition in the building and civil engineering industries by.... more
(16 March 1995 00:00)

IN BRIEF
A50 delays for Kier/C&N Contractor Kier/Christiani & Nielsen has been granted a 10 week extension on a œ30 million phase of the.... more
(16 March 1995 00:00)

Donelon breaks through Bradford
Contractor J F Donelon has completed the final tunnel drive of the œ4.2 million Bradford Basin phase 5 contract. The 760m drive of.... more
(16 March 1995 00:00)

Govt receives Rail Link bids
The four consortia seeking to win the right to design, build and operate the Channel Tunnel Rail Link this week submitted what are described as the.... more
(16 March 1995 00:00)

registering interest
Sir Michael Latham (or Saint Michael as he was billed at last week's BCSA Dinner) has set construction the Holy Grail of achieving 30% cost.... more
(16 March 1995 00:00)

'Super CIEC' plans stumble at start
Ambitious plans to transform the existing Construction Industry Employers Council (CIEC) into an all-embracing British Construction Alliance have.... more
(16 March 1995 00:00)

Moves
Try Group Plc has announced the appointment of David Lester to the board of Try Construction. Lester joined Try Construction in January 1995 as.... more
(16 March 1995 00:00)

Sett-up for life
Heartwarming news from Wimpey Homes, the animal friendly contractor with the cute cat logo. Apparently, according to the house builder, badgers.... more
(16 March 1995 00:00)

HOT LINE
The pick of œ11m in new orders for Britannia Construction include a new Tesco store at Thornbury, near Bristol, a 5,520m2 production facility.... more
(16 March 1995 00:00)

Scots split from national register
Scottish building contractors have split with the rest of the UK and are developing their own operative craft register in defiance of a national.... more
(16 March 1995 00:00)

Civils slam Agency at 'heated' meeting
Sweeping changes to the way roads are let are being proposed by the Highways Agency following a radical review of its roads contracts. In a.... more
(16 March 1995 00:00)

DoE stops SmithKline's plans for HQ
SmithKline Beecham's œ50 million plus plan to demolish its Grade II listed 1937 art deco headquarters building on London's Great West Road has.... more
(16 March 1995 00:00)

Do 'donations' to the Tory Party count as frivolous?
Sir: I refer to your article regarding allegations by the Department of Trade and Industry that Tony Budge squandered millions (16 February 1995)..... more
(16 March 1995 00:00)

No buyers for Costain mines ends whole sale
The shortlist of potential buyers looking to acquire Costain as a whole have walked away following the firm's inability to sell off all its coal.... more
(16 March 1995 00:00)

Amec opens Berlin office to push east
Amec has opened an office in Berlin as part of its push to become a strong player in the German construction sector. Staff numbers will rise to 30.... more
(16 March 1995 00:00)

Levy row man wins job back
A Ucatt shop steward involved in a row over the deduction of training board levy from his pay packet has won his job back plus more than.... more
(16 March 1995 00:00)

Morrison & BT submit plans for B'ham site
Morrison Developments and BT are to submit plans to redevelop BT's redundant 45,540m2 Fordrough Lane depot site in Bordesley Green, near.... more
(16 March 1995 00:00)

Survey claims tender price rises have eased
The surge of tender price rises has eased in the last three months, according to a new study by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. .... more
(16 March 1995 00:00)

BB's Scots division wins œ30m of work
Balfour Beatty's Scottish Building Division has picked up new awards totalling œ30 million. The major contract is a œ10.3 million job to.... more
(16 March 1995 00:00)

Three left in race for A299 scheme
Three contractors are left in the running for the œ50 million section of the A299 in Kent - the Kier/Hochtief jv, Costain and Tarmac. Mowlem,.... more
(16 March 1995 00:00)

BACMI appoints van der Byl to post of director general
Simon van der Byl is the new director general designate of the British Aggregate Construction Materials Industries (BACMI). He takes over full.... more
(16 March 1995 00:00)

First forum for industry women
The first-ever forum for marketing women in the construction industry was held last week in London, instigated by Christine O'Rourke, marketing.... more
(16 March 1995 00:00)

Labour vows to end private prison build
The Labour Party will honour existing private prison contracts - but will axe them 'early' if elected as part of its plans to end further.... more
(16 March 1995 00:00)

Higgs & Hill hits back at press image
Higgs & Hill has hit back strongly at claims by Presswatch over the quality of its national press coverage in the last quarter of 1994 (CJ 9.... more
(16 March 1995 00:00)

œ1,000 award for top demolition operative
A new œ1,000 cash award is being launched for the demolition industry's 'operative of the year.' The award is sponsored by Brown and Mason.... more
(16 March 1995 00:00)

House sales drop by 7%
Both sales and new starts of houses dropped dramatically in January this year, according to figures from the Government and the industry. .... more
(16 March 1995 00:00)

Government to privatise UK road maintenance
The Highways Agency is to call on contractors to take over the management and maintenance of the UK's motorways and trunk roads in what is widely.... more
(16 March 1995 00:00)