Articles by Date : August 30 2004 - September 05 2004

Ritchie named as Brumwell's successor at UCATT
Alan Ritchie has been confirmed as the next general secretary of UCATT following a comfortable poll victory over Michael Dooley in a run-off of the.... more
(03 September 2004 13:39)

Connaught expands with two Welsh gas services purchases
Connaught, the support services group, has expanded its position in Wales through two acquisitions, costing a total of £1.6m. Both provide gas,.... more
(03 September 2004 12:15)

Michelmersh enjoys float
Floating on AIM - the junior section of the Stock Exchange - in May has been a roaring success for Michelmersh Brick. more
(03 September 2004 12:15)

Mitie buys out subsidiaries
Mitie has announced it will spend £3.5m to buy out most of the minority shareholdings in five of its subsidiaries. more
(03 September 2004 12:14)

Persimmon margin up even further to 22.7%
Housebuilder Persimmon has raised its game yet further, according to the latest figures. more
(03 September 2004 12:14)

Two new Bobcat tracked loaders
Bobcat has expanded its range of compact tracked loaders with the launch of the new T180 and an enhanced version of the T190 machine. more
(03 September 2004 12:13)

Caterpillar launches final B-series range telehandler
Caterpillar has completed its eight model B-series telehandler range with the launch of the TH580B. more
(03 September 2004 12:12)

HAUC recommends further tests on single-drum rollers
Further tests on single-drum rollers have been recommended by the working party of the Highway Authorities and Utilities Committee (HAUC) to gauge.... more
(03 September 2004 12:12)

Atlas Copco release new Brazor grinder
Atlas Copco has introduced a new Brazor electric grinder offering more power (2.9kW) and less weight (2.9kg) than its predecessor - allowing.... more
(03 September 2004 12:11)

FTA launches guide for driving at work
The Freight Transport Association (FTA) has launched a new compliance guide highlighting the risks of driving at work. more
(03 September 2004 12:11)

Bilfinger nets £95m Kent schools job
A group headed up by German firm Bilfinger Berger has chalked up success on a £95m PFI schools deal in Kent. more
(03 September 2004 12:10)

Five local firms bidding for M1 Herts upgrade
Five contractors with local connections are to bid for a massive improvement deal on the M1 in Hertfordshire. more
(03 September 2004 12:09)

Three in the running for £60m Worcester PFI deal
Worcester County Council has ticked off the names of three groups to pitch for its £60m-plus PFI schools deal. more
(03 September 2004 12:09)

Lovell and Mears bag £108m housing deal
Lovell and Mears have been named preferred contractors for £108m-worth of housing upgrade work in Peterborough. more
(03 September 2004 12:08)

John Laing profit up 143%
John Laing enjoyed a 143% boost in pre-tax profit to £13.1m as its PFI work delivered healthy returns in the six months to 30 June. Turnover.... more
(03 September 2004 12:07)

Skanska break-in: thieves caught on CCTV
Police have released CCTV footage of two men after thieves broke into a Skanska site in Cambridgeshire and made off with around £25,000-worth of.... more
(03 September 2004 12:07)

Second secondment for Evans
Dr Rodger Evans, head of strategy at the Department of Trade & Industry's (DTI) Construction Sector Unit, is being seconded to Constructing.... more
(03 September 2004 12:06)

Sustainable construction centre gets the go ahead
The first sustainable construction centre in the South West is set to go ahead now that funding has been found for the project in Somerset. more
(03 September 2004 12:05)

Johnston Group settles for Tarmac's £53m bid
Tarmac's £53m offer for the John-ston Group, trumping Ennstone's existing £48m bid by 10%, has quickly achieved the status of "a done deal", with the.... more
(03 September 2004 12:05)

The recovery of management costs
Resolving disputes on construction contracts is costly and time consuming. In certain cases, the time that management devotes to the dispute may also.... more
(03 September 2004 12:04)

Contractors urged to form early supplier partnerships
Contractors could be working with materials suppliers when bidding for public sector contracts if the government takes heed of advice from the.... more
(03 September 2004 12:01)

Emcor ties up £11m CTRL contract
Emcor Rail has coupled up to an £11m mechanical and electrical deal on the second phase of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL) project. more
(03 September 2004 11:59)

Housing spend increased output 12% in Q2
Construction output increased 12% in the second quarter to £25.2bn compared with £22.6bn in the same period a year ago. more
(03 September 2004 10:20)

Amec goes into the red
Amec has gone into the red. Latest interim results from the global construction player show a huge turnover of £2.2bn but the end result was a.... more
(03 September 2004 09:49)

Construction growth accelerates
New orders played a major part in the acceleration of growth in the construction sector in August as new orders picked up, a survey has revealed.... more
(03 September 2004 09:48)

Morgan Vinci reinforces its sinking road
Morgan Vinci is hopeful that it will deliver its £55m Southern Distributor Road PFI in south Wales on time, despite an area of the road sinking.... more
(02 September 2004 17:17)

Mowlem loses appeal against CSW solicitor
Mowlem has lost its appeal against a court decision made last November that stopped it from suing a subcontractor's firm of solicitors. more
(02 September 2004 17:15)

High musculoskeletal risk for road workers
Road workers are 16 times more likely to suffer from musculoskeletal disorders than workers in most other industries. more
(02 September 2004 17:14)

Archibalds signs up as supply partner to Hewlett
Hewlett Civil Engineering has continued to review its supply chain management and has signed a partnered alliance agreement with Durham-based.... more
(02 September 2004 17:13)

TradePro recovers debt
PKD Property Maintenance has successfully engaged TradePro to chase its outstanding payments stemming from a factory project. more
(02 September 2004 17:13)

Onsite materials testing can save subcontractors time and money
Onsite materials testing can help contractors solve problems earlier and avoid costly investigations, testing company Bureau Veritas Laboratories has.... more
(02 September 2004 17:12)

Lafarge Roofing invests in new tile to meet PPG3 regs
Lafarge Roofing has developed a tile to respond to local authority planning criteria. more
(02 September 2004 17:10)

Morgan Vinci reinforces its sinking road
Morgan Vinci is hopeful that it will deliver its £55m Southern Distributor Road PFI in south Wales on time, despite an area of the road sinking.... more
(02 September 2004 17:10)

Station deal is year's biggest
Michelmersh won one of the biggest specialist UK brick contracts awarded so far this year when its Charnwood Forest Brick division got the green.... more
(02 September 2004 17:09)

Council refutes firms' prequal complaints
Gloucestershire County Council has dismissed contractors' complaints that its £20m-a-year, 10-year highways maintenance contract has "one of the.... more
(02 September 2004 17:09)

Balfour trio head for Semple
Semple, the M&E specialist, has poached a trio of top management from Balfour Kilpatrick's northern office. The moves helped Semple complete a major.... more
(02 September 2004 17:08)

Liebherr turnover up 9%
The Liebherr Group increased turnover by 9% in the first six months of the year to £1,3bn, compared to the previous six months. more
(02 September 2004 17:07)

Review demands 25% cut in New Cross Hospital PFI
The £317m New Cross Hospital PFI scheme is facing massive cuts of up to 25% following a review of health provision in the area by the Birmingham and.... more
(02 September 2004 17:07)

CITB floats levy rise for fully trained workforce
Big increases of up to 40% in training levy rates may be needed if the industry is to meet its objective of achieving a fully qualified workforce.... more
(02 September 2004 17:05)

CC apologises for Ramesys investigation
The Construction Confederation (CC) has been forced to make a public apology to Ramesys for the way it launched an investigation into its software..... more
(02 September 2004 17:04)

Carillion case goes to appeal
UCATT has lodged an appeal against a Sheffield Employment Tribunal ruling that an operative supplied by the Carillion-owned Skyblue agency to the.... more
(02 September 2004 17:04)

Safety campaign begins in Glasgow
A nationwide campaign aimed at reducing accidents on construction sites was launched in Glasgow this week. The Working Well Together Roadshows will.... more
(02 September 2004 17:03)

New website to help waste and recycling industries
A new website designed to help the waste management and recycling industries has been launched by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). more
(02 September 2004 16:57)

Council refutes firms’ prequal complaints
Gloucestershire County Council has dismissed contractors’ complaints that its £20m-a-year, 10-year highways maintenance contract has “one of the.... more
(02 September 2004 16:53)

CJ50 - New orders won in July 2004
With spending for the AMP4 programme now confirmed, the deluge of work from the water sector has begun, helping AWG claim top spot in the table for.... more
(02 September 2004 16:51)

Countryside chairman to lead MBO?
Countryside Properties chairman Alan Cherry has made a preliminary approach to buy the group. more
(02 September 2004 16:31)

Review demands 25% cut in New Cross Hospital PFI
The £317m New Cross Hospital PFI scheme is facing massive cuts of up to 25% following a review of health provision in the area by the Birmingham and.... more
(02 September 2004 16:11)

Lack of evidence 'frees' Railtrack chiefs from Hatfield charges
Charges against the Railtrack chiefs involved in the Hatfield train crash four years ago have been dropped at the Royal Courts of Justice today.... more
(02 September 2004 16:11)

CJ50 - New orders won in June 2004
June's orders were almost double those of the previous month, with private commercial work enjoying a welcome upsurge. Infrastructure was also.... more
(02 September 2004 15:38)

CITB floats levy rise for fully trained workforce
Big increases of up to 40% in training levy rates may be needed if the industry is to meet its objective of achieving a fully qualified workforce.... more
(02 September 2004 15:32)