Articles by Date : October 23 2006 - October 29 2006

Prince's Foundation launches traditional Building Craft Apprenticeships
The Prince's Foundation for the Built Environment has launched a new training initiative to help combat the growing skills shortage in traditional.... more
(27 October 2006 18:16)

Ingersoll Rand blames US housing slowdown for disappointing Q3 performance
Ingersoll Rand has admitted that it was “disappointed” with its performance in the third quarter of 2006, as it felt the slowdown in the US housing.... more
(27 October 2006 17:00)

Highways KPI benchmarks published by NHBVBC
KPI benchmarking figures for highway works and designs have been published for the first time by the National Highways Best Value Benchmarking Club.... more
(27 October 2006 16:15)

Terex announces solid Q3 results
Pre-tax profit at US plant manufacturer Terex jumped by 92% in the third quarter of 2006, following strong performance for its Aerial Work Platfoms;.... more
(27 October 2006 11:24)

MJ Gleeson cuts net debt from £102m to £15m
MJ Gleeson has pulled its soaring debt down thanks to a seven-month burst of activity. Twelve months ago, Gleeson’s debt stood at £102m but the.... more
(27 October 2006 10:00)

Advertisement feature: BuildOnline - Collaboration made easy
BuildOnline’s products are aimed at helping companies, large and small, to channel their corporate knowledge more effectively – improving worker.... more
(26 October 2006 12:50)

Nottingham tram extension plans win initial approval
Plans to extend the Nottingham tram system moved closer to realisation today with the news that the government has agreed to stump up £437 in PFI.... more
(26 October 2006 12:21)

Case law: Blowing hot and blowing cold (principle of election)
Lawrence Davies of Pinsent Masons, reports on a recent enforcement case where the principle of election prevented the referring party from relying on.... more
(26 October 2006 11:02)

Laing O'Rourke - Interserve consortium selected for £180m MoD PFI deal
The Ministry of Defence has called up a consortium featuring Laing O’Rourke and Interserve for a £180m PFI deal in Wiltshire. more
(26 October 2006 00:00)

Four contest Sheffield school deal
Four firms are swotting up for a £17.5m education-sector deal in South Yorkshire for the Diocese of Sheffield. more
(25 October 2006 00:00)

Wolseley signs up for timber initiative
■ Build Center makes commitment to using sustainable plywood. more
(25 October 2006 00:00)

Heating industry accepts new long-term pay deal
Workers in the heating and ventilating industry have voted by nine to one in favour of accepting a new long-term pay deal that will increase basic.... more
(25 October 2006 00:00)

Ashtead buys Lux Traffic Controls
Equipment rental group Ashtead has paid more than £15m for Lux Traffic Controls as it expands its specialist products division. more
(25 October 2006 00:00)

Free parking at SED 2007
To ease problems getting into and out of SED, the show organisers have dropped the car parking charge and will offer a park-and-fly option, as well.... more
(25 October 2006 00:00)

Toyota adds cab extension to 4x4 pick-up
Toyota has added an Extra Cab version to its range of 4x4 pick-ups. The extended two-door cab has space for two occasional passengers or additional.... more
(25 October 2006 00:00)

SMMT slams arrogant insurers
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has blasted the insurance industry for being out of step with the rest of Europe and for not.... more
(25 October 2006 00:00)

JCB aims high with 100,000 telehandlers
JCB has predicted that it will become the global market leader for telehandlers by brand in 2006, as it celebrated building its 100,000th telehandler.... more
(25 October 2006 00:00)

Hydrex buys rental firm Gorrel Trading Company
Plant solutions provider Hydrex has moved into the self-drive market with the acquisition of wheel loader rental firm Gorrel Trading Company. more
(25 October 2006 00:00)

UK labour relations will benefit from US example
■ Report urges UK industry to emulate a successful New York-based industrial relations deal. more
(25 October 2006 00:00)

Gazeley set to develop site on Merseyside
Developer Gazeley is planning to build warehouses and distribution centres on a 16 ha site that itn has just bought on Merseyside. more
(25 October 2006 00:00)

Redcar selects David Webster group for £50m streetlight PFI
■ Preferred bidder announced nearly a year late after project subjected to Second Stage Treasury Review process. more
(25 October 2006 00:00)

HR wins respect of construction sector
Human resources (HR) is shaking off its ‘soft and fluffy’ image within the construction industry to earn the respect of line managers. more
(25 October 2006 00:00)

Portal hit with £10k fine for safety breach
Portal Power of Suffolk has been fined £10,000 with costs of £607 after an employee fell 7m through a roof light during a demolition job. more
(25 October 2006 00:00)

Super-union to launch next May
A new super-union formed by a merger of Amicus and the TGWU is now on course for an official launch at the beginning of next May. more
(25 October 2006 00:00)

HVCA and Amicus reach agreement on three-year operative pay deal
Employer organisation, the Heating and Ventilating Contractors' Association (HVCA) and trade union Amicus have reached agreement on a three-year pay.... more
(25 October 2006 00:00)

Revised regs due to start in April 2007
Health and safety bodies have approved a revised package of regulations and submitted them to the government for implementation next April. more
(25 October 2006 00:00)

Rebar gets improved corrosion protection
New, more cost-effective materials are coming onstream to give added cathodic protection to steel in concrete. more
(25 October 2006 00:00)

Cadman Group trading normally
I refer to your article entitled Cadman into administration on page 3 (Contract Journal, 27 September)... more
(25 October 2006 00:00)

Leach employee beats ROK by three years
Sir, As a constant reader of Contract Journal for many years I have to protest. Age never catches up with anyone in our industry, well at least not.... more
(25 October 2006 00:00)

Accord quadruples annual profit to £2.6m
Accord’s annual pre-tax profit figure has jumped to £2.6m, a four-fold rise on the £800,000 profit that the group made in the previous year. more
(25 October 2006 00:00)

NFDC’s Claude Brown dies
Claude Brown, former president of the National Federation of Demolition Contractors (NFDC), died last week. more
(25 October 2006 00:00)

Waste time bomb looms for councils
Councils must act immediately to ensure future EU waste-management targets are met. more
(25 October 2006 00:00)

Six chosen for £2bn-worth of National Grid electricity work
Winners and losers are emerging in the battle for almost £2bn worth of work in the first phase of National Grid’s plans to upgrade its ageing.... more
(25 October 2006 00:00)

Health scheme set to go nationwide
Good trial results mean Constructing Better Health scheme will be rolled out nationally. more
(25 October 2006 00:00)

News in brief: 25 October 2006
News in brief from the Contract Journal issue dated 25 October 2006 more
(25 October 2006 00:00)

DTI fails to stop errant director
Department said it did not have sufficient resources to prosecute disqualified director. more
(25 October 2006 00:00)

ODA urges manufacturers to form supply chains
Members of the Construction Products Association were told last week that they must start talking to contractors about forming integrated supply.... more
(25 October 2006 00:00)

Scheme negates site inspections
Health and safety inspectors are piloting a new approach to safety under which they will not visit woodworking companies in the South West for a year.... more
(25 October 2006 00:00)

Olympic sites to use CSCS smartcards
CSCS smartcards are set to be introduced on all 2012 Olympic Games projects following a successful pilot by the card’s organisers last year. more
(25 October 2006 00:00)

CSCS compulsory on public sector work
Government makes landmark decision on competency scheme following five years of pressure from industry. more
(25 October 2006 00:00)

£100k penalty for Skanska firm
Cementation Foundations (Skanska) has been fined £100,000 with costs of £32,607 and heavily criticised following the death of one of its banksmen,.... more
(25 October 2006 00:00)

Companies Bill disclosure fears are dismissed
Initial fears that the Companies Bill would force listed contractors to reveal details of dealings with their suppliers and subcontractors have been.... more
(25 October 2006 00:00)

BCSA gives approval to Corus-Tata merger
The British Constructural Steelwork Association (BCSA) views the proposed Tata Steel-Corus merger as good news. “It gives greater security and.... more
(25 October 2006 00:00)

£100m Midlands housing plan attracts 16 builders
A total of 16 national and local players have homed in on a scheme to build new houses in the Midlands under a deal estimated to be worth at least.... more
(25 October 2006 00:00)

Stoke area gets a £3bn revamp
Four developers are working up masterplans for a £3bn deal to breathe new life into run-down areas in the Midlands, under the auspices of housing.... more
(25 October 2006 00:00)

Permastore admits negligence after Cambridge fall incident
A dangerous system of work and poor equipment were to blame for an incident in which a worker fell 5m in Cambridge in October 2004. more
(25 October 2006 00:00)

Winvic scoops pioneering £45m warehouse deal
Northampton-based contractor Winvic has clinched a £45m deal to build a flagship warehouse project in the Midlands. more
(25 October 2006 00:00)

Metso Minerals goes for upgrade
Metso Minerals has extended its tracked screening range, updated its LT96 jaw crusher and introduced an extended warranty to cover key components for.... more
(25 October 2006 00:00)

Editor's comment: A revolution in the public sector
Public sector procurement is changing rapidly and dramatically. Just ask any contractor used to working directly for a local authority that has.... more
(24 October 2006 12:06)

National Grid selects preferred partners for £2.8bn of electricity network upgrade work
Utility company National Grid has chosen its preferred partners for contracts worth up to £2.8bn to upgrade and develop the electricity transmission.... more
(24 October 2006 00:00)