News Archives | Page 14 of 18

Demand for construction robots will more than double by 2023

May 23, 2018/0 Comments/in News /by joannevickers

The use of robots in the construction industry is forecast to grow considerably over the next five years, according to new research.

Valued at $76.6mn in 2018, the construction robot market will more than double in size to $166mn by 2023, growing at around 17% a year.

The report, by MarketsandMarkets, says that the growth will be mainly driven by factors such as demand for enhanced productivity, quality, and safety due to growing urbanisation worldwide.

The semi-autonomous segment is the largest currently, accounting for 67% of the overall construction robot industry. Common tasks for these revolve around infrastructure monitoring and predictive and corrective maintenance.

Labour shortages are predicted to lead to the rise of exoskeletal robots over the next five years, with this particular market segment expected to grow the most between now and 2023.

Regionally, the report highlights Europe as a major territory for construction robots.

This is attributed to the large facilities of various companies for the development and production of construction and demolition robots, increasing number of government regulations, and growing need for the residential and non-residential construction projects.

In terms of companies, a healthy mix of large and small players are competing for business, including Husqvarna (Sweden), Ekso Bionics (US), Komatsu (Japan), Fujita (Japan), Construction Robotics (US) and Fastbrick Robotics (Australia).

Builders Merchants sales growth continues upward trend

May 16, 2018/0 Comments/in Home Page news feed, News /by joannevickers

While no one would deny that the building and construction sector faced a challenging first quarter, figures just released in the BMF’s Builders Merchants Building Index (BMBI) show continued growth, albeit at a slower rate. Sales value growth in Q 1 2018 was up +0.4% in absolute terms and up +2.0% per trading day on the same period last year.

Growth would have been stronger had it not been for the “Beast from the East” hammering the external product categories and Good Friday falling into March removing a trading day from Q1 2018. March, with two fewer trading days than 2017, was down -8.6% year on year, but January and February’s sales compensated, at +8.4% and +4.0% respectively delivering growth for the quarter.

Quarterly growth was driven by Timber, up +2.3%, alongside multiple internal product categories, notably Plumbing and Heating (+8.0%), Kitchens and Bathrooms (+3.6%), Ironmongery (+2.1%), and Decorating (+1.2%), all suggesting that work stayed inside due to the poor weather.

External categories fared less well including Landscaping (-4.9%) – where garden walling and paving were particularly badly affected – and the major category of Heavy Building Materials down -0.8% with Cement and Blocks feeling the freeze.

The BMBI uses GfK’s point of sale tracking data drawn from over 80% of builders merchants’ sales throughout the country, making it the most reliable source of data for the sector.

Commenting on the results, John Newcomb CEO of the Builders Merchants Federation said: “Sitting in the spring sunshine we have all but forgotten the artic blasts that swept the country in the first three months of the year, but they certainly impacted construction performance. Under these conditions it must be seen as a positive that merchant sales growth is continuing. While we may not see the market grow at the same levels as 2017, we remain confident that the trend will continue throughout 2018.”

Richard Frankcom, Client Insight Director at GfK compared the quarter’s figures to a diamond in the rough, saying: “Merchant sales have outperformed the revised construction figures from the ONS, which fell -2.7% on the previous quarter. They also appear to be bucking the UK consumer’s negative outlook as seen in GfK’s Consumer Confidence Index, which was still in the doldrums. However, before we polish these diamonds, we need to see the delayed external work shift into April and then continued growth year on year in May and June. Value growth is great, but price inflation is a factor we cannot ignore and only this continued growth will really give us clarity.”

Source: BMF.org.uk

Reusable bottles used in a pilot scheme to reduce plastics on site

May 9, 2018/0 Comments/in Home Page news feed, News /by joannevickers

A pilot scheme is underway at the mixed-use Abbey Area redevelopment in Camden to use reusable water bottles instead of plastic cups, where Wates is building 141 homes as well as additional retail and commercial spaces.

Reusable bottles have been distributed to the entire workforce who can use fresh water stations to fill them up.

Previously, the Abbey Area redevelopment used an estimated 120,000 cups per year, which cost just over £1,300. The company estimates the move could save around £4,350 per site over ten years, while reducing landfill by 5,000kg over the same period.

Over a 10-year period, Wates estimates that swapping to reusable bottles could save approximately £4,350 per site, as well as reducing landfill by around 5,000kg and helping to reduce litter and marine pollution.

Wates is also hoping the change will encourage workers to cut down their use of single-use plastic bottles as the initiative is rolled-out across all of its sites.

Shimizu Corporation to introduce construction robots

May 2, 2018/0 Comments/in Home Page news feed, News /by joannevickers

Major Japanese contractor Shimizu Corporation is carrying out trials of autonomously controlled construction robots. The trials are run inside the Robot Laboratory at Shimizu’s Institute of Technology in Etchujima Tokyo.

The robots, developed by Shimizu, play various roles, such as conveying materials horizontally, welding steel columns or installing ceiling boards.

They will be deployed to real high-rise building site in Osaka later this year. In the next fiscal year, the robots will work at several large construction sites in Tokyo.

Shimizu said that it was concerned over a large exodus of skilled workers. “A pressing issue for the construction industry is how to find labour while raising productivity. Shimizu believes that the key to raising productivity is better working conditions, higher wages and more off-days,” said the company.

At the beginning of 2016, it began development of the Shimz Smart Site, a production system in which robots and humans will collaborate to move construction projects forward. “After a year and a half investing over 1 billion yen [£6.6bn] on intensive teamwork with universities and partners from other industries, we have completed the basic development and are ready for the next phase,” said the company.

The robots undergoing autonomous control testing at the robot laboratory include: the Robo-Carrier, which conveys materials horizontally; the Robo-Welder, a robot that welds steel columns; and the Robo-Buddy, a multipurpose robot that handles construction work for ceilings and floors.

Each one is a element of the Shimz Smart Site. An operator uses a tablet to send instructions that the robots carry out autonomously. “At the laboratory, we are verifying the robots’ ability to autonomously respond to varying patterns of work instructions, and adjusting the programming governing their operation accordingly,” said Shimizu.

The Robo-Carrier links with a temporary elevator to transport the supplies to the designated spot – entirely unmanned – when the operator selects materials to convey and enters their destination in a tablet. On the way, the robot recognises obstacles and reroutes on its own to avoid them. At the same time, a collision prevention feature will halt the robot if a person comes near. To maintain an awareness of its position, the Robo-Carrier uses lasers to obtain real-time spatial data, which it compares with other spatial data acquired from BIM. At the lab, the robot lifts a pallet on which plaster boards with a combined weight of around 1t are placed, and then carries them inside a temporary elevator. “We are repeatedly checking how the robot sets down each pallet, then lifts them again in the elevator to convey them to a designated location,” said Shimizu.

The Robo-Welder has a robotic arm that uses laser shape measurement to determine the contours of a groove, or channel, on a steel column to be welded. The robot determines how to perform the job, such as the steps for cleanly placing the welding material in the channel. The robotic arm, with freedom of movement along six axes, performs the welding. Usually two Robo-Welders work together on one column. To verify that the Robo-Welder can handle the channels in columns to be used in the construction of a high-rise building in Osaka, Shimizu has been testing the robot’s functions by altering the shape of the welding channels.

The Robo-Buddy has full control over two robotic arms with freedom of movement along six axes. After the sensors recognize the position of the ceiling grid frame material to insert ceiling suspension bolts, one arm lifts up a ceiling board to the correct position, while the other arm screws the board to the base material.

After the construction work on the foundation is completed at a site, an all-weather cover is installed to provide a lightweight shelter for the building against all kinds of weather. A new Exter crane, which is located beneath the cover, then lowers the columns and beams of the steel frame into position sequentially and Robo-Welder welds the columns to complete the framework. Robo-Buddy executes the final stage of finishing the floors and ceilings from the lower floors upward. After Robo-Carrier and other horizontal and vertical conveyor robots transport the materials that have been delivered to the construction site to their temporary staging areas at night, they then transport them to the location where a Robo-Buddy performs the work.

Source: Construction Index / shimz.co.jp

Wonder material Graphene could revolutionise the construction industry

April 25, 2018/0 Comments/in Home Page news feed, News /by joannevickers

Scientists say a greener, stronger and more durable concrete made using “wonder-material” graphene could revolutionise the construction industry.

Graphene is a form of carbon first reliably produced at the University of Manchester by researchers in 2004, work which led to two Nobel prizes. It is made up of a single layer of carbon atoms in a hexagonal lattice. Its structure gives it important physical qualities, including efficient conductance of heat and electricity and unusual strength.

A research team at the University of Exeter, which includes Cast Consultancy’s Dimitar Dimov, has developed a technique which uses nanoengineering technology to incorporate graphene into traditional concrete production.

The researchers say the new composite material is more than twice as strong and four times more water resistant than existing concretes, and has been tested using British and European industry standards.

The graphene-reinforced concentre material also reduces the carbon footprint of conventional concrete production methods, according to the University of Exeter scientists. They add that the technique could pave the way for other nanomaterials to be incorporated into concrete.

Dimitar Dimov, lead author, who works at the University of Exeter engineering department and with construction consultancy Cast, said: “This research is important as it can be applied to large-scale manufacturing and construction. The industry has to be modernised by incorporating not only offsite manufacturing, but innovative new materials as well.

“Finding greener ways to build is a crucial step forward in reducing carbon emissions around the world and so help protect our environment as much as possible. It is the first step, but a crucial step in the right direction to make a more sustainable construction industry for the future.”

Professor Monica Craciun, co-author of the paper and also from Exeter’s engineering department, said: “This new composite material is an absolute game-changer in terms of reinforcing traditional concrete to meets these needs. Not only is it stronger and more durable, but it is also more resistant to water, making it uniquely suitable for construction in areas which require maintenance work and are difficult to be accessed.

“Yet perhaps more importantly, by including graphene we can reduce the amount of materials required to make concrete by around 50% – leading to a significant reduction of 446kg per tonne of the carbon emissions.”

The paper, Ultrahigh Performance nanoengineered Graphene-Concrete Composites for Multifunctional Applications, is published in the journal Advanced Functional Materials.

The research was supported by the UK’s Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.

Cement-making accounts for 6% of global carbon emissions, and manufacturers must make sharp reductions if the Paris climate goals are to be met, according to the Carbon Disclosure Project, in a recent study.

Source: Construction Manager / The Guardian

UK Construction week unveils its Role Models campaign

April 18, 2018/0 Comments/in Home Page news feed, News /by joannevickers

UK Construction Week is launching a new initiative for 2018 to help the industry compete for talent and improve recruitment. It will do this by taking role models in the industry and elevating their profile and their story in a nationwide publicity campaign through trade and consumer media.

Nathan Garnett, Event Director for UKCW explains: “There are some amazing people working in the sector and their stories can be inspirational to others. So we are planning for UK Construction Week to act as a platform to do just that, inspire a new generation of construction professionals to join this rewarding and exciting industry.”

Role models will also be asked to take part in an outreach programme, going to colleges and schools in the coming months to talk to students and teachers at key stages of their education to explain what inspired them to choose construction as a career and bust any myths around the image of construction.

UK Construction Week is looking for professionals to apply or to be nominated. This is an opportunity for people to raise their own profile if they feel they deserve it, or for colleagues to nominate professionals they feel deserve recognition. This is a great chance for a company to raise its profile by showcasing its talent, as well as for unsung heroes to gain valuable encouragement, as well as help recruit a whole new generation of construction professionals.

This is aimed at all walks of the sector, whether you are a newly qualified apprentice, or someone who has transferred into the sector from the military or automotive industries. You could be working in facilities management, architecture, energy management, civil engineering, site management, bricklaying, digital construction, electro technical installation, roofing… the list goes on! UKCW want a diverse and representative selection to show the world the myriad of opportunities and talent the sector holds.

Successful UKCW Role Models will be asked to speak at UK Construction Week on the main stage or individual show stages, to take part in the UKCW student initiative, and they will be asked to write for the Construction Matters blog. They will also be invited to selected events in the coming months, as well as being VIPs at the main event in October.

Whilst all those selected in the group will gain significant profile from the campaign, there will be awards presented at the event itself to those who have been selected by the UKCW Advisory Committee to have been deemed the UKCW Role Models of the year. These will be presented at UK Construction Week on Tuesday 9th October in front of the journalists and industry VIPs.

Deadline for Nominations is Friday 27th April.

To enter or nominate, visit https://www.ukconstructionweek.com/news/show-news/2189-role-models and submit a 300 word max biog and short summary (under 300 words) on why you or your nomination should be selected.

Trade companies to support Macmillan men with cancer campaign

April 11, 2018/0 Comments/in Home Page news feed, News /by joannevickers

Macmillan Cancer Support is uniting with nine companies across the sector for their ‘Just Say the Word’ male cancer campaign.

Companies taking part include Benchmarx Kitchens and Joinery, CEF, ISG plc, Mace, Selco Builders Warehouse, telent Technology Services, Topps Tiles, Travis Perkins and Wolseley, who have joined forces with the charity to raise awareness of the impact of cancer on men and encourage those who need it to access support.

New Macmillan and Toluna research reveals that 26 per cent of tradesmen wouldn’t feel comfortable having a serious conversation regarding their health with their work colleagues.

Dave Watkins, 59, is an Associate Director at Mace and was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2016. “When I was diagnosed, I initially found it really difficult to talk to others about my cancer and the emotional toll it was taking. Mentally, I found it difficult to come to terms with cancer and was in a dark place. But my experience really improved when I published my story on Mace’s staff intranet. My company and colleagues were incredibly supportive and helped my drive to stay positive.”

In its third year running, ‘Just Say the Word’ has had a great response previously and had inspired colleagues and customers to seek medical support.

Carine Jessamine, marketing director at Selco Builders Warehouse, said: “We are long-standing supporters of Macmillan Cancer Support and, through the amazing efforts of our staff, customers and suppliers, have raised over £500,000 for the charity within the last five years. We are all as motivated as ever to keep up the fundraising and we are also delighted to support the ‘Just Say the Word’ campaign to help spread key messages to people operating in the trade.”

Of the tradesmen that participated in the survey, 36 per cent of those with cancer also experienced depression, 40 per cent anxiety and 12 per cent shame, after they were diagnosed.

‘Just Say the Word’ runs from 23rd April to 6th May, and will have a visible presence in branches and sites of the nine participating partners. Posters and leaflets will be publicised, encouraging those with health concerns to get support. Fundraising for Macmillan will take place over the two weeks within the sector, raising money to help the charity provide support to people living with cancer across the UK.

For more information please visit the Macmillan website https://www.macmillan.org.uk

Source: Electrical Times

Charity darts night in aid of Southampton Foster Carers Association

March 28, 2018/0 Comments/in Charity Events, Home Page news feed, News /by joannevickers

On Friday evening we hosted a charity darts night in aid of the Southampton Foster Carers Association.

The association offers activities and social events for fostering families and the children in their care. It gives additional help to foster carers with monthly support groups in two regions of the city. The SFCA also provides newly approved foster carers with ‘buddies’ – putting them in contact with experienced carers who can offer advice and support when needed.

They organise annual events including fun days, barbecues, discos, day trips, a Halloween party and a Christmas grotto.

If you would like to help them to fund raise or would like to donate then please contact Southampton City Council’s fostering service on freephone 0800 5 19 18 18 or visit fostering@southampton.gov.uk

A good time was had by all!

Enter the 2018 Construction Enquirer Awards

March 14, 2018/0 Comments/in News /by joannevickers

The Construction Enquirer Awards 2018 are now open for entries.

Anyone can put forward a great company to work for or do business with.

Running in conjunction with UK Construction week, the Construction Enquirer Awards are dedicated to recognising and rewarding the industry’s best companies to work for and the best firms to do business with.

The event in Birmingham will be attended by directors and senior staff from leading construction firms. The top ten winners will be revealed in the first week of August with the awards themselves being held on the 9th October. The awards night will be hosted by Architect and Broadcaster George Clarke, and the deadline for entries is the 8th June.

Early bird individual ticket prices are £250 or £2500 for a table of 10.

The awards categories are as follows:

•Best Client to Work With (Public and Private)

•Best Main Contractor to Work For (Over £250m)

•Best Main Contractor to Work For (£50m – £250m)

•Best Main Contractor to Work For (Under £50m)

•Best Specialist Contractor to Work For (Over 25m)

•Best Specialist Contractor to Work For (Under £25m)

•Best Main Contractor to Work With (Over £250m)

•Best Main Contractor to Work With (Under £250m)

•Best Specialist Contractor to Work With

•Best Construction Supplier to Work With

•Best Consultant to Work For

•Best Construction Project to Work On (Civils)

•Best Construction Project to Work On (Building)

The awards will run in conjunction with UK Construction week, held in Birmingham from the 9th – 11th October.

To nominate or apply for a company please go to:

https://www.ukconstructionweek.com/construction-enquirer-awards/submit-your-entry

Prime Minister tackles housing shortage

March 8, 2018/0 Comments/in News /by joannevickers

The Prime Minister has launched a set of planning reforms aimed at tackling the housing shortage and delivering homes for everyone.

The reforms mark a major overhaul to the National Planning Policy, focusing on maximising the use of land, strengthening protections for the Green Belt, and placing a greater emphasis on converting planning permissions into homes.

Theresa May has warned developers who are too slow to build houses that their past record could count against them when they bid for new planning permissions. She wants to rewrite the rules on planning to help developers and local authorities to build more properties to allow more people to own their home.

The government is determined to tackle the housing shortage and has already implemented a number of measures to secure new housing developments.

With government support, 2017 saw the biggest increase in housing supply in England – over 217,000 new homes – for almost a decade. However the government aim is to deliver 300,000 homes a year by the mid-2020s. In order to achieve this, more planning permissions need to be fast tracked to allow both first time buyers access to the housing market, and our increase the supply of appropriate housing to the older.

It is to this end that Prime Minister is conducting the first major overhaul to the National Planning Policy Framework in six years. The reforms provide a comprehensive approach for planners, developers and councils to build more homes, more quickly, in the places people want to live. Councils and developers will now be required to work with community groups to ensure those affected by new developments will have a say on how they look and feel. It will focus on the following areas:

Greater responsibility: Local authorities will have a new housing delivery test focused on driving up the numbers of homes actually delivered in their area, rather than numbers planned for. Developers will also be held to account for delivering the commitments, including affordable housing and the infrastructure needed to support communities.

Maximising the use of land: Local authorities will be allowed to make the most of existing brownfield land for housing, while using redundant retail or industrial land will be encouraged, with more flexibilities given to extend upwards.

Maintaining strong protections for the environment: Ensuring developments bring environmental benefits environment where possible, as well as increasing the protection given to ancient woodland.

Ensuring the right homes are built: Delivering more affordable homes that meet the housing needs of everyone such as; first time buyers, build to rent homes, guaranteed affordable homes for key workers, and adapted homes for older people.

Higher quality and design: Introducing new quality standards for well designed new.

More transparent planning process: Local authorities will be encouraged to work together and continue to close the gap between planning permissions granted and homes built.

Housing Secretary, Sajid Javid, said: “An entire generation is being locked out of a broken housing market as prices and rents race ahead of supply. Reforming the planning system is the crucial next step to building the homes the country needs.

“This government is determined to fix the broken housing market and restore the dream of home ownership for a new generation. There is no silver bullet to this problem but we’re re-writing the rules on planning so we can take action on all fronts.

“In moving to a more integrated society, the focus for everyone, whether a developer or a neighbourhood group, must be to come together to build the homes our communities deserve.”

John Acres, MRTPI, President, The Royal Town Planning Institute, said: “We are delighted to be co-launching the consultation on the new National Planning Policy Framework today and we encourage the planning profession and others who care about planning and what it can do, to feed back to government.

“The RTPI will be holding a series of round table sessions for our members around the country to discuss its contents.

“Planners are critical to and passionate about building vibrant and connected neighbourhoods, towns, cities and wider areas; at the heart of which we need to ensure we build enough good quality homes that fit the needs of all.

“A clear, concise and consistent policy context can help to deliver this. We applaud the government’s focus on homes and planning and in revising the framework.”

However, the Prime Minister is clear that the answer to the housing crisis does not lie in tearing up the Green Belt. The Government will be maintaining existing strong protections so that authorities can only amend Green Belt boundaries if they can prove that they have fully explored every other reasonable option for building the homes their communities need. There will also be stronger protections for ancient woodlands and historic coastlines.

Only 10 per cent of England has been built on and only 13 per cent is covered by Green Belt – the purpose of which is to prevent urban sprawl. The PM will be clear that developers and local authorities must only allocate Green Belt sites for development for exceptional reasons. Should development have to go ahead it must first make use of brownfield sites, and where land is removed, they must create new spaces.

These planning reforms are part of a wider package of housing reforms designed to tackle the housing shortage; including a £5Bn Housing Infrastructure Fund which has already seen £866M allocated to 133 council led projects to fund key local infrastructure including new roads, cycle paths, flood defences and land remediation work, all essential ahead of building the homes.

Source: UK Construction Media / Gov.uk