You know things are bad when the construction business gets its own stress toy!
Here at Demolition News Towers, we receive all manner of goodies (most of which we then give away as competition prizes). In recent months, we’ve had machine models, enough USB thumb drives to store the sum of man’s knowledge, more umbrellas than an average day at Wimbledon and considerably more baseball caps than we have heads.
However, every once in a while, we receive a package that takes us all by surprise; and that was the case this morning when our postman pitched up carrying a box from Make Mine A Builders, a construction trade specific brand of tea (our overseas readers can probably stop reading now – we realise that tea is a very British thing!)
In amongst a box containing tea, a thermal flask, a mug, a t-shirt and the ubiquitous USB was a rubber stress toy that just about sums up the current state of the market.
Professional Demolition International has covered the launch of www.demolition-jobs.co.uk.
In the past, we have made no secret of our support for the www.demolition-jobs.co.uk initiative to safeguard UK demolition jobs and to help employees advertise their availability to work. So we’re delighted to see that Professional Demolition International magazine (PDI) has chosen to cover the scheme in its latest issue:
Earth Exchange website facilitating exchange of building materials shows increase in demand.
An award-winning website created to facilitate the exchange of surplus construction or reusable demolition materials has reported a marked increase in levels of materials exchanged.
Earth Exchange® (www.earthexchange.com) uses a time based map system on which users can enter their current and future construction projects and say what materials they have surplus or require.
The website easily identifies where other construction sites are or will be, who is operating there, what and when surplus materials are available and which sites have a deficit in materials. This allows the user the opportunity to match his site with local sites which have surplus/deficit of materials.
The latest headline figures suggest that materials reuse as a result of the Earth Exchange® website is on a steady and increasingly upward trend:
• Materials exchanged (virgin materials saved): 92,000 m3 (ca. 156,000 tonnes)
• Materials diverted from landfill: 48,000 m3 (ca 81,000 tonnes)
• Road haulage distance saved: 460,000 km (285,840 miles)
• CO2 emissions saved as a result of reduced road haulage: 433.5 tonnes
• Total approximate cost savings to users of Earth Exchange®: £4,215,000
“These headline figures are extremely encouraging and we are pleased that Earth Exchange® is making a tangible difference to the construction materials reuse issue and is streamlining the sustainable procurement process,” says operations director Alex Albion. “We, of course, also have to remember that users of the website are not required to leave feedback, so in all likelihood the amount of materials that have actually been exchanged and cost savings realised with the help of Earth Exchange® are considerably more than that presented.”
Alex Albon
“The construction industry is having a hard time at the moment, but the figures show that users of Earth Exchange® have a definite competitive advantage over those construction and demolition companies which are not using our system. Using Earth Exchange® has the potential to make a real difference to the bottom line of any construction project, as well as improve the key environmental performance indicators for a project,” Albion concludes. “As we hopefully start to see a recovery in the construction sector we would expect to see many more housing and commercial developers, their contractors as well as more civil engineering and demolition firms join Earth Exchange® and add to the number of sites on our mapped database.”
On 25 September, the IDE will gather at One Great George Street for a truly international event.
The Institute of Demolition Engineers is gearing up for its next seminar at One Grea George Street in London. And vice president John Woodward has put together a tremendous and truly international programme that will include presentations from:
Ruud Schreijer of Ruusch, creator of the world’s largest ever high reach machine.
Rainer Cremer is from Germany who will look at chimney demolition by robotic machines.
Dick Green is making a welcome return to talk about demolition by explosives in India.
Stuart Marchand of Wentworth House Partnership discussing demolition from a structural engineer’s viewpoint.
Peter Jones offers an alternative viewpoint on the disposal of composite panels
Demolition News is planning to be there on the day but we strongly suggest that you book your tickets now by visiting www.ide.org.uk
Oil rig decommissioning is big business; and when we say big, we mean BIG!
We have just received a photo of a new demolition specification excavator that has been delivered to a contractor in Norway solely for the purpose of dismantling and decommissioning oil rigs. Nothing too unusual there.
The machine is also based upon a Caterpillar 5130 excavator which, once again, is hardly unique.
But take a closer look. Fully rigged, this machine weighs in at 340 tonnes, and has a reach of “just” 34 metres, allowing it to wield a truly massive 25 tonne shear attachment.
Our thanks to Genesis for providing this photo – We hope to see more when this giant machine goes to work.
Preparatory demolition work is now underway on the London Astoria theatre.
Cast your minds back to the beginning of the year (15 January, to be precise) and you might recall that we reported on the “Demolition Ball“, a one-night-only concert before the closure and ultimate demolition of the London Astoria, long one of the UK capital’s premier music venues.
Well, with work on London’s Crossrail scheme now in full swing, we have just seen photos of the initial preparatory demolition works.
It is still our hope that we will get onto the site once works starts in earnest to bring you more news.
The closing date for our skid steer model competition is just a few weeks away.
Having just announced the winner of our CNH/New Holland competition, this is just a quick reminder that our second model competition – this one in conjunction with C&D Consultancy – will be closing soon.
To enter the draw for this machine, all you need to do is submit your answer to this very simple question:
On 1 August 2009, C&D Consultancy will host an asbestos and demolition safety awareness course. But in which English city will the course take place?
Please send your answers via email to manthony@markanthonypublicity.co.uk, adding Skid Steer Contest in the subject line. The closing date is 31 July, so act now!
Arne Marx of Genesis is the proud winner of the New Holland E215B model.
A few weeks back, we launched a competition to win a scale model of a New Holland E215B hydraulic excavator. Participants were asked to name the world-famous Italian manufacturer that is the majority shareholder in CNH.
To be honest, we were unprepared for the response, our biggest ever for a model competition. In fact, having just checked, we received entries from no less than 19 different countries.
However, the winner drawn at random and who correctly answered Fiat is Arne Marx, area sales manager for attachments giant Genesis. Arne’s prize will be winging its way to Memmingen in Germany shortly, together with our hearty congratulations!
KHL’s much-anticipated Demolition Awards will close for entries on 31 July 2009.
The closing date for entries for the inaugural annual Demolition Awards is drawing near. In order for your entries to be accepted and considered by the judging panel, they need to be received at the KHL offices by 31 July 2009.
The closing date for entries for the inaugural annual Demolition Awards is drawing near. In order for your entries to be accepted and considered by the judging panel, they need to be received at the KHL offices by 31 July 2009.