INDUSTRY NEWS
IN BRIEF …
INDUSTRY NEWS
TREKKERS ALL SET FOR KILIMANJARO CLIMB
A team of trekkers from the electrical industry will be joining Tessa Ogle , managing director of the Electrical Industries Charity , early in February on a climb to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro , in a bid to raise money for the Hendrie family .
Christopher Hendrie , aged 32 , was a well respected electrician , a loving husband and a father of two who lost his fight to the rare form of Cholangiocarcinoma cancer on 31st October 2014 , leaving his wife and children without a husband and a father .
Rose Phillips ( pictured ), of RDM Electrical and Mechanical Services , has accepted the challenge , which aims to raise £ 100,000 by February 2017 to support research into a rare form of cancer and help the Hendrie family to rebuild their lives .
Rose commented , ‘ I ’ m very excited to be taking part in this massive challenge . When the opportunity was put forward to me , there was no way I was going to turn it down . It ’ s for an incredibly important cause and I ’ m determined to complete the challenge and raise as much money as possible to provide financial assistance for the Hendrie family .’
Completing the intrepid group are ; Johanne Stimson of Heat Mat ; Andrew Dykes of SES Engineering Services ; Mike Smith , of SES Engineering Services and senior vice president of the ECA ; Denise Hillier of Spring Electrical ; Mark David Ward of Power 1 Group ; Dave Gilbert of SCV Electrical ; Alex Mulvenny supporting Power 1 Group and Joseph Hogg of Edmundson Electrical .
BCA LAUNCHES CPR GUIDE
The British Cables Association ( BCA ) has issued a Construction Products Regulation ( CPR ) guide for specifiers to help understand better their responsibilities when specifying cables within construction works .
From 1st July 2017 , it will be compulsory for cables , with a Reaction to Fire performance and that are intended for permanent installation in buildings and constructions works , to be accompanied by a Declaration of Performance ( DoP ) and have CE marking .
While it is the responsibility of the manufacturer to provide the DoP and to apply CE marking , the guide gives advice and guidance to all specifiers , architects , designers and local authorities when specifying cable .
Unlike many other EU countries , the UK has no legislation that determines the level of performance required for the cable with respect to Reaction to Fire and is unlikely to in the future . The guide explains the nature of the choice available and the performance that can be expected in relation to existing parameters and requirements .
The BCA also recommends within the guide that specifiers :
• Always specify cables that have the CE marking according to CPR , accompanied by a Declaration of Performance ( DoP )
• Specify cables of class Eca or higher
• Use cables described as low fire hazard or equivalent ( LSHF , LSOH , OHLS , LSNH etc .) particularly where fire safety requirements are high or very high
• Ensure that low fire hazard cables above class Eca include the additional classifications for smoke , acidity and , for particular applications , flame droplets
• Avoid cables classified as Fca as they are likely to burn uncontrollably in a fire
• Where there is doubt , consult the manufacturer
The guide can be downloaded from the British Cables Association ’ s website at http :// bcauk . org / cprguide-for-specifiers-2017 /
LATE PAYMENT STILL A MAJOR ISSUE IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY
The latest research figures show that the construction industry continues to suffer from the scourge of late payment . Figures from the Department for Business , Energy and Industrial Strategy show that UK businesses as a whole are owed around £ 26.8bn . Construction companies are hit the hardest by late payments , forced to wait 82 days for invoices to be paid and according to the recent Euler Hermes Quarterly Overdue Payments Report , late payments in the construction industry rose by a staggering 27 per cent during 2015 .
The blight of late payment within the construction industry shows little sign of abating , but hope is on the horizon for contractors . A new online , easy to use platform , www . thetenderspace . com , helps businesses quickly and easily check the credit risk rating and payment trends of potential partners and notifies subscribers if there is any change to a credit rating . This means you can be sure your decisions on who to work with are much more informed and your business is protected .
‘ The ability to check the credit rating of potential project partners , main contractors and supply companies is really important ,’ said TenderSpace CEO David Stapleton . ‘ Unless you do a credit check , you just don ’ t know whether they ’ re capable of paying you .’
TenderSpace , which matches contractors and installers with property developers , construction and public sector building project managers , also includes a number of tools designed to grow and protect a business , including a Work Finder and Profile Builder , an intuitive interpretation of PAS 91 , which saves time on paperwork for contractors and allows contractors to showcase themselves to potential customers .
TOP JUDGES ANNOUNCED FOR 2017 ECA ANNUAL AWARDS
A range of leading figures in the electrotechnical and engineering services industry will be assessing the entries to this year ’ s ECA Annual Awards , after being confirmed as official judges . The details of the judging panel are as follows :
Paul Reeve , director of business and external affairs , ECA ( Head Judge ) Philip Buckle , director general , Electrical Safety First Tessa Ogle , managing director , Electrical Industries Charity Carolyn Turner , director of policy and external relations , JTL Daniel Kemp , features editor , Construction News Wendy Griffiths , executive director , CEDIA Mark Smith , marketing director , Certsure Adjudicator : Helen Atkinson , director of member services , ECA
Adjudicator Helen Atkinson ( pictured ), the ECA ’ s director of member services , commented , ‘ I am delighted to confirm this year ’ s panel of high calibre , independent judges who will review the 2017 Annual Award entries , and would encourage ECA members to enter and let us know about their achievements over the last year . Many previous award winners have said that winning an ECA Award has raised their organisation ’ s profile within the industry and helped them to win new contracts .’ The ECA Annual Awards 2017 , supported by headline sponsors Ledvance and Electrium , are open to entries from members of the Electrical Contractors ’ Association ( ECA ) until Tuesday 18th April 2017 .
Award winners will be announced during the ECA ’ s 2017 Gala Dinner , which is being held at the Hilton Bankside in London on Friday 9th June . The gala dinner is one of the top industry events on the calendar , with superb entertainment , including being hosted by a leading comedian ( soon to be announced ).
For more details of how to enter the awards , plus all the award categories visit : www . ecaawards . co . uk or email awards @ eca . co . uk
IN BRIEF …
AEI Cables has announced it will be serving notice of redundancy on a number of employees and that it is proposing to enter a Company Voluntary Arrangement ( CVA ). Following an extended period of collective redundancy consultation which started in September 2016 , the Birtley based company has regrettably reached the decision that it is unable to continue manufacturing and that it will continue as a sales-only business .
Styles & Wood has acquired The GDM Group as it continues to diversify and expand . The acquisition enhances Styles & Wood ’ s expertise in engineering and professional services and will provide opportunities to broaden its work with new and existing clients . The Group has acquired the entire issued share capital of Kent based GDM for an initial consideration of £ 4m in cash and shares , with up to £ 3.1m payable as deferred consideration .
Ideal Industries has announced the acquisition of CMD UK , which integrates power and technology with furniture for a broad range of large scale office and commercial markets . CMD now provides fast growing UK , European and Middle Eastern commercial and office markets with easy , single source customisation and manufacturing capability .
TenderSpace has become affiliated with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors ( RICS ) and to be awarded the prestigious Tech Affiliate status . TenderSpace provides a comprehensive set of free cloud based tools that allow people involved in , or considering , a construction project of any scale , to plan , design , procure and build .
A new feedback system , designed to help homeowners make more informed choices when looking to employ a reputable tradesperson has been developed by TrustMark . The system will not only provide unique information about the experience of the firm and past reviews , but it will also enable TrustMark registered firms to secure more business by building up a portfolio of positive feedback from their customers . The enhanced system , which builds on the existing thorough validation process , has been further strengthened by collaborating with Referenceline . com , the independent review service approved by Trading Standards . By working together , TrustMark can now offer impartial independent customer reviews to help put other consumers in touch with quality and reliable firms in an open and transparent way .
8 | February 2017