Articles by Date : November 24 2003 - November 30 2003

Willmott Dixon wins education contracts worth £15m
Willmott Dixon has won £15m of work in the education sector with contracts to extend a school in Kent and build a new sixth form in the London.... more
(28 November 2003 15:28)

HSE attacked by former boss
A former boss at the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has said the body is "grossly inefficient" and "dysfunctional", it has emerged today.... more
(28 November 2003 12:25)

Building of new Wembley five weeks ahead of schedule
The new £757m Wembley Stadium is on schedule to open early in spring 2006, the BBC has revealed today (Friday). more
(28 November 2003 11:56)

Solideal buys Mai spa
Solideal, a leading producer of construction equipment tyres, wheels and tracks, has acquired Mai spa of Italy, a manufacturer of rubber tracks for.... more
(28 November 2003 11:05)

Three new construction NVQs launched
The Joint Award Body (JAB) Partnership, a partnership between an awarding body and leading professional organisation, has today (Thursday) launched.... more
(27 November 2003 16:00)

Kirklees picks Jarvis again
Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council has ignored its own complaints about Jarvis' performance on an earlier PFI contract and awarded the beleaguered.... more
(27 November 2003 15:37)

Bardon opens £2.5m asphalt plant
Following a £2.5m investment, Bardon Aggregates has officially opened its new Asphalt Plant in Grangemouth today (Thursday). more
(27 November 2003 12:46)

Interserve cuts out all piling activities
Interserve Plc has announced today (Thursday) that, following the completion of a review of operations, it is proposing to discontinue its activities.... more
(27 November 2003 11:15)

Innovate subbies set for £5m bills battle
Five sub-contractors in Ballast's consortium Innovate have joined together to try and claim back more than £5m in unpaid bills for work on its £45m.... more
(27 November 2003 11:05)

Hyder improves turnover but profit drops
Hyder Consulting's interim results produced a 9% increase in turnover to £60.2m, but a lower pre-tax profit of £559,000. more
(27 November 2003 10:22)

Connaught sales and profit boosted 50%
Connaught boosted turnover and pre-tax profit by 50% in the year to 31 August. Turnover was £159.4m, while profit improved from £3.3m to £5.1m. more
(26 November 2003 13:27)

UKTFA claims timber is most environmentally aceptable material
Timber is the most environmentally acceptable material in modern construction, the UK Timber Frame Association (UKTFA) has claimed. more
(26 November 2003 13:26)

Carillion wins £38m barracks refurb
Business and construction services company Carillion has won one of the largest projects currently being procured by the British Army - a £38m design.... more
(26 November 2003 12:36)

Four buys help Speedy Hire push profits to £9m
A strong performance and four succesful buys has helped Speedy Hire bolster profits to £9m, its half-yearly results to 27 September 2003 have.... more
(26 November 2003 12:12)

Retirement rumours exaggerated
Paris Moayedi has issued a Mark Twain-esque denial of stories that appeared in the Independent and Guardian: rumours of his retirement have been.... more
(26 November 2003 11:22)

New Fiesta van petrol or diesel
Ford has launched an all-new Fiesta van. The restyled van has a gross payload of 494kg, 1.013m3 of loadspace and a 1,320mm loadbed that comes with.... more
(26 November 2003 11:21)

Rak to become standard airtest
Eve Shorco has launched Rak, a remote air-testing system, in response to BS EN752 and its replication in Buildings Regulations. more
(26 November 2003 11:19)

Grasping the nettle
It is a hackneyed truth to say the issues of training and recruitment are closely linked. more
(26 November 2003 11:18)

Tracker's new website has dual function
Security specialist Tracker has launched a new website - www.tracker.co.uk - that allows users to get online quotes and order both its Retrieve and.... more
(26 November 2003 11:11)

Largest variable moment vibrator gets to work
Piling equipment specialist Watson and Hillhouse has purchased what it believes is the largest variable moment vibrator in the UK. more
(26 November 2003 11:10)

Lex publication for van drivers
Lex Vehicle Leasing has published the Rough Guide to Vans, that highlights van drivers as being most at risk of accidents because of their high.... more
(26 November 2003 11:09)

Komatsu makes excavator thinner and faster
Komatsu has reduced the overall width of its PC 09-1 by 100mm, allowing the micro excavator to pass through an internal doorway 700mm wide. It has.... more
(26 November 2003 11:07)

EAT allows contractor to appeal against 'worker' rule
An Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has allowed an appeal by a contractor against a ruling that a supposedly self-employed carpenter was a worker.... more
(26 November 2003 11:06)

Countryside Properties profits rise 5%
Countryside Properties posted a 5% hike in full year profits today (Wednesday) but saw sales dip 8%, as it predicted improved results in the current.... more
(26 November 2003 10:24)

Partnering ethos comes under fire
Partnering is an act of “seduction with an iron fist” with no construction client or contractor truly adopting the correct methods. more
(26 November 2003 07:28)

Three core acquisitions on McAlpine’s hit list
Three further bolt-ons to boost the size of McAlpine’s growth divisions – infrastructure services and business services – are under discussion, with.... more
(26 November 2003 07:27)

Manchester hospital PFI slashed by £33m
The flagship £383m Central Manchester Hospitals PFI scheme has been slashed by £33m after the local strategic health authority (SHA) staged an.... more
(26 November 2003 07:27)

Doubts over costs before Holyrood site was chosen
The inquiry into the Scottish Parliament building project has heard that there were doubts about cost, even before Holyrood was chosen. more
(26 November 2003 07:25)

Corporate killing bill "unlikely" to be mentioned in Queen's speech
A bill on corporate killing is "unlikely" to be announced in today's (Wednesday) Queen's Speech, according to the TGWU. more
(26 November 2003 07:15)

Engcon tries to boost Tiltrotator sales in UK
Engcon, the Swedish company that manufactures the Tiltrotator, is to open a UK office in Coventry. The company sells 1,000 units a year in its.... more
(25 November 2003 17:14)

Transco slams lane rentals as too expensive
Utilities contractor Transco has slammed the government's attempt to introduce lane rentals as costly and ineffective. more
(25 November 2003 17:13)

Revamped SBCC makes debut
The Scottish version of the Joint Contracts Tribunal (JCT) producing standard contract documentation is back in business as a limited company after a.... more
(25 November 2003 17:13)

Intervect makes move on scaffolding market
Three years after merging Alimak, the construction hoist and industrial elevator producer, and HEK, the work platform and access specialist, parent.... more
(25 November 2003 17:11)

Crane and access merger
B&S Private Equity, the owner of Autogru PM, has purchased Oil & Steel and is merging the two companies. more
(25 November 2003 17:10)

New offices for Tulloch
Tulloch plans to open two new offices in Inverness. One will be for the group's housebuilding division Tulloch Homes and the other will bring.... more
(25 November 2003 17:08)

MBO at Irish arm of Bullivant
Roger Bullivant (RBL), the £70m-a-year turnover piling specialist, has agreed to a management buy-out of its Irish operations. more
(25 November 2003 17:07)

Morgan Sindall goes into overdrive
Morgan Sindall raced to the head of October's CJ50 field, after its civils business Morgan Est closed a £53.5m privately financed road scheme in.... more
(25 November 2003 17:06)

Swan Hill hit by slam-dunk bid
Housebuilding group Swan Hill has found itself on the receiving end of a hostile takeover bid. more
(25 November 2003 17:05)

CITB freezes training levy bill
The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) has confirmed that training levy rates for the year 2004 are to be frozen at their current level (CJ.... more
(25 November 2003 17:05)

May works wonders at McNicholas Construction
McNicholas Construction has spelt out the size of its losses in its latest financial figures. The group went in to the red to the tune of £9.1m for.... more
(25 November 2003 17:04)

Sewell favoured as preferred bidder for £17m PFI school
Hull-based Sewell group is well on the way to becoming the preferred bidder for a £17m private finance schools deal in York. more
(25 November 2003 17:03)

Welders: can you handle your sets?
The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) is urging welders to look for safely designed welding products that reduce the risk of strains and sprains. more
(25 November 2003 17:03)

Bardon expands in Bury
Bardon Concrete has opened a concrete plant in Bury to increase coverage in key regional areas. more
(25 November 2003 17:02)

Reproduction slates hit the roof
Marshalls has responded to a national shortage of naturally quarried slate by developing reproduction stone roofing slates. more
(25 November 2003 17:01)

Unions will not tolerate exploitation
Unions in the engineering construction industry are urging their members not to take wildcat action in protest against the import of cheap foreign.... more
(25 November 2003 17:01)

Five line up for £6m Port of Ipswich project
The ship has come in for five firms who are due to pick up the tender paperwork by the end of this year for a £6m deal at the Port of Ipswich. more
(25 November 2003 17:00)

Allenbuild set for main feature at Guildford Odeon
Allenbuild has booked its seat for the £10.6m second phase of redeveloping the former Odeon cinema in Guildford, Surrey. more
(25 November 2003 17:00)

Ethnic recruitment drive success
A recruitment drive aimed at ethnic minorities on a West Yorkshire housing job has resulted in some 23.5% of new recruits coming from such.... more
(25 November 2003 16:59)

Gardiner & Theobold is PM for St Martin-in-the-Fields church
Gardiner & Theobald has been appointed project manager for a major renovation of St Martin-in-the Fields church in London's Trafalgar Square. more
(25 November 2003 16:58)

Clugston wins waste-to-energy deal worth £60m
Humberside contractor Clugston has bagged a £60m deal for a waste-to-energy plant in Shef-field. The firm, which is in joint venture with French.... more
(25 November 2003 16:57)