Contractor league tables back up optimism in the Welsh built environment 

Optimism amongst Welsh based contractors received another boost with the latest data from Glenigan published in Construction News last week. The top 10 contractor league in Wales recovered some lost ground in the 12 months to August with combined deals rising 26.8% from the year to July to stand at £525M. Interserve moved to first place having previously been seventh – sealing nine deals and work valued at £101.9M – Morgan Sindall climbed to fourth in the table.

This represents a mix of projects, but equates to solid activity levels across the Welsh built environment and indicates work right across the supply chain. If we add to thes plans and discussions regarding Wylfa – now in public consultation – as well as the prospect of the new tidal lagoon in Swansea it is an exciting time to be working in our industry.

It is worth noting that the former Atkins chief executive Keith Clarke is the latest high-profile appointment to the firm set to build the world’s first tidal lagoon power plant in spring 2015 when he was named as non-executive chairman of Tidal Lagoon Swansea Bay plc two weeks ago. This comes on the back of the former chief executive of Laing O'Rourke Austrailian Steve Hollingshead joining the £850m project as construction director in June.

The Minister for Natural Resources, Carl Sargeant AM introduced the Planning (Wales) Bill to the National Assembly for Wales. The Bill is key to helping to deliver fairer, enabling and resilient planning services for the people and communities of Wales. 

This is the first of regular emails to keep you up to date with the progress of the Bill as it moves through the National Assembly for Wales’ legislative process.

Planning Bill Move

Heddiw, cyflwynodd y Gweinidog Cyfoeth Naturiol, Carl Sargeant AC y Bil Cynllunio (Cymru) i Gynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru. Mae’r Bil yn allweddol i helpu darparu cyfleusterau cynllunio sy’n decach, sy’n galluogi, a sy’n gadarn ar gyfer pobl a chymunedau Cymru.

Dyma’r cyntaf o e-byst rheolaidd fydd yn rhoi’r diweddaraf ar gynnydd y Bil wrth iddo symud drwy broses ddeddfwriaethol Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru.

Planning Bill Move

DuPont and Procter & Gamble use agricultural waste in laundry detergent

DuPont and Procter & Gamble (P&G) have teamed up on a new initiative to use renewable agricultural biomass in the production of Tide-branded laundry detergent.

In a technological breakthrough which has been ten years in the making, the two companies will substitute starch ethanol made from corn kernels with a cellulosic ethanol made from harvest by-products on a commercial scale, cutting CO2 emissions and repurposing more than 7,000 tonnes of agricultural waste per year.

P&G president of global fabric and home care Gianni Ciserani said: "As one of the world's largest laundry manufacturers, we have a responsibility to lead renewable sourcing in products. We do this by ensuring consumers still get the great Tide laundry performance they want, while further reducing the impact on the environment. In January, we committed to removing phosphates in our laundry products. This partnership on renewables is one more step in our journey." 

DuPont is currently building a large bio-refinery in Nevada, Iowa. When completed, the plant will produce 30m gallons of cellulosic ethanol per year whilst creating zero net CO2 emissions. 

Last year edie reported on P&G's announcement that 45 of its manufacturing sites worldwide had achieved zero waste to landfill, representing a third of its total production infrastructure. 

This is the latest initiative by the laundry industry after the launch of the 'I prefer 30°' campaign in 2013 to encourage people to reduce their energy usage and conserve water by washing their clothes at lower temperatures.

Last October, The Lean Construction Institute UK (LCI-UK) held an excellent Lean Construction Summit in Birmingham with over 200 managers from across the UK construction industry attending.  This year we are returning to the Birmingham Metropolitan College who are once again hosting the LCI-UK Summit.

Following on from last year’s theme of ‘Lean Leadership’, this year the conference theme is – ‘Lean Infrastructure, Meeting the Challenges of Construction 2025’ 

The UK government, in partnership with the UK construction industry, have produced a comprehensive strategy document.  LCI-UK board members are meeting with construction leaders in both government and the industry with the simple question, “how will the goals in this strategy be accomplished”?  This is the topic of the Summit and will be a theme that will run through all of the presentations and workshops.

We have designed this conference to provide a condensed opportunity to listen, discuss, share, challenge and learn about how Lean Construction has become a major development initiative within the UK Construction Industry.  It will be a lively networking event with all 36 workshops balanced between work and practiced based presentations and discussions.

Speakers:

Peter Hansford (Government Chief Construction Adviser)

Graham Dalton (Chief Executive, Highways Agency)

Mike Putnam (President & CEO Skanska UK, Co-Chair Green Construction Board, Construction Leadership Council Member)

Graeme Shaw (Head of Northern Line Extension, TfL)

Professor Dan Jones (Founder/Director, the Lean Enterprise Academy)

This is a great event for your team, your suppliers and your clients to have a common learning experience and an opportunity to challenge your work with new ideas together.

View the event programme here

To book a place register online

For further information visit the website or contact by email or telephone 07721 311504

The Lean Construction Institute UK (LCI-UK) is a charitable membership organisation supporting research into and dissemination of lean construction principles and best practice with a view to improving public sector construction whos aim is to provide those commissioning and delivering public works with the information necessary to make informed purchasing and delivery decisions for the public benefit