chief executive’s diary construction … india and china, ... project management degree. ......

December 2013 Issue 32

Chief Executive’s Diary

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Neal Lynch receives his award from Martin Johnson (Design and Supply Chain Ltd) and Sian Williams (BBC Television).

CONSTRUCTION

MANAGER OF THE YEAR

The expansion of CRH into emerging markets continues with the announcement of the official opening on 17 October 2013 of regional headquarters in Singapore, to oversee the expansion of existing interests in India and China, and to pursue further development opportunities in the wider Asia region.

Commenting on the opening, Ken McKnight, President of CRH Asia said:“The opening of our regional headquarters in Singapore today marks a further step in the evolution of CRH and an important catalyst for growth in Asia in the medium term. CRH entered the

The latest entrant to the Farrans Hall of Fame is Neal Lynch who this year not only picked up a prestigious gold medal in the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) Construction Manager of the Year Awards but also received first class honours from Queens University of Belfast in his MSc in Construction and Project Management degree.

Neal’s career with Farrans began in 1998 when he joined the Company as a site engineer following completion of an HND in Civil Engineering at the University of Ulster. He then was assigned to Robert McAlister’s construction team taking up his first post on the Essex Records Office project working under Terry London. On returning to the Province he worked as a section manager delivering the Odyssey Millennium Project, under the wing of a young, up and coming John Wilson.

Since then, Neal’s list of credits includes lead manager roles at the Belfast Model School for Girls and Addenbrooke’s Perinatal Hospital projects.

Neal told Northlink a little of what it means to have won a gold medal in the Construction Manager of the Year competition; “To have won the gold medal is a great honour as it means I have successfully navigated through all of the rigorous assessment stages in the Award process including the interview by the judging panel who compare my performance against those of my peers, which is a true test. It is also worthy recognition for all of the Farrans people who have played a role in my development over the last 15 years or so. The people development process at Farrans has always been given top priority by the directors and I am a product of this. I would just like to thank Farrans for the opportunities and encouragement given to me over the years as employees like me build careers with the Contractor of Choice”.

Northlink congratulates Neal on his magnificent achievements this year

China market in 2007, the India market in 2008, and the Malaysia market in 2012, and together with our business partners we employ approximately 15,000 people in Asia today. We are now the number one cement player in north-eastern China, the number one cement producer in the state of Andhra Pradesh in southern India, and our operations in Malaysia complement our global construction accessories business. We look forward to developing further in Asia markets as the economies and construction and building materials markets evolve”.

Mr Goh Chee Kiong, Executive Director, Building and Infrastructure Solutions at the Singapore Economic Development Board, added:“We are pleased that CRH has located its Asian headquarters in Singapore which will strengthen the buildings solutions ecosystem in Singapore. The rapid growth in

urbanisation and the middle class in Asia present strong demand for building and infrastructure solutions. We welcome CRH’s move to leverage Singapore as its control tower to orchestrate growth in this region”.

In the CRH Interim Management Statement dated 12 November 2013 the key points included a third quarter like for like sales growth of 2%, acquisition spend in 2013 to date of €660m across the World and continued focus on working capital management and capital expenditure.

In August 2013, CRH announced that its 50:50 Joint Venture in India, My Home Industries, has reached an agreement to acquire 100% of the shares of Sree Jayajothi Cements Limited, a 3.2 million tonnes per annum cement company based in South India.

More about CRH next time.

Hello again and welcome to the newcomers to the business.

This has been another very challenging

year for most of us across the various business units. On the positive side Cubis have had another record year and have added a fourth manufacturing plant to their portfolio with the acquisition of new plant in Peterlee, Co Durham. Michael Wightman has been very pleased with the performance of the new team and sees great potential for the facility.

The Cubis business continues to go from strength to strength and it was refreshing to note that for much of the year their biggest challenge was in keeping up with the volume of orders. We are beginning to see new competitors come into the utility chamber market and we have to continuously improve on our customer relationships and product innovation to stay ahead of the game. Thankfully to date Michael and his team have done this with great success.

In Northstone Materials, Northstone Products (rebranded name of Cemex NI) and Island Aggregates (our Isle of Man business) things have been much more challenging. The volumes in the market place have dropped considerably. Unfortunately many of the major schemes planned for this year have either failed to start or have been considerably delayed. I can think of

£800m worth of schemes that fall into this category, including the A5, Desertcreat, Omagh Hospital, Casement Park and £100m Schools Programme along with several other schemes. This shortfall in the total annual construction spend of £2.2bn for the Province is a massive one, and one that has had inevitable consequences for an already depressed market.

The acquisition of Northstone Products which I reported on in our last issue has seen challenges as a result of this depressed market and we have seen some rationalisation within the business. Whilst this is never desirable we attempt to do it with compassion, and ultimately it will lead to a stronger business going forward. In Island Aggregates we are delighted that Stephen Smyth has taken over as General Manager and is settling into island life.

In the Farrans business we have also had a challenging year. We saw a considerable drop in turnover as we were not prepared to partake in the suicidal pricing levels that others seem so readily prepared to do. SIAC in the ROI have been the latest victim of this race to the bottom. In addition we have seen some restructuring of the Farrans team along with the appointment of three new directors. I congratulate Darrell McGuckian, Raymond Millar and Jay Wasson on their appointments.

Whilst this year has been very challenging for Farrans, 2014 is looking much more positive. We have already secured a very significant order book with the likes of Irish Water Meters and Hillingdon

Schools programme. In addition our tendering teams are extremely busy and there are a few excellent opportunities where we have specific advantages. I firmly believe that after a few years of varying workload we are on an upward trajectory and we all need to give John Wilson and his old and new team our full support in developing this opportunity to its maximum potential.

So whilst it has been a challenging year the good news is that things are looking on the up. Cubis and Farrans have exciting opportunities, and on the Northstone Materials and Northstone Products front the good news is that many of those schemes that I listed as being delayed this year will be on the ground next year. In addition our tile sales have seen a strong performance in Great Britian this year, which gives us greater hope for next year.

As I finish off I would like to express my appreciation for all the hard work and effort put in by all of our teams. In particular I would thank those who have been working away from home as I know that this can be very difficult for you and your families. In challenging times you have all had to work much harder and I personally thank you for that. On a personal note, I would also like to extend my best wishes to David Smyth who has been off recently with a serious illness.

I wish all of you a happy and peaceful Christmas and New Year.

December 2013

2 NorthLink • December 2013

Platinum records are usually awarded to top selling music artists but this Christmas Farrans has its own platinum accolade with record breaking performance in the annual Business in the Community ARENA Network Environmental Benchmarking Survey over the last five years.Alex Anderson and his team at Dunmurry have just recorded their fifth successive platinum award in the Survey which means a score in the top quintile of almost 300 Northern Ireland companies which enter the Survey. Quite an achievement when one considers that the Survey measures the extent to which organisations are effectively managing their environmental issues.Alex was clearly delighted when he told Northlink something of the Award; “What pleases me most about our Award is that we have continually improved our score each year in the Survey and it is becoming increasingly competitive to achieve platinum status as most other competitors are also improving their performance. The Survey measures actual performance against quantifiable criteria which means we are achieving real gains against best practice indicators. I know that our performance also makes a difference to our scores in tender submissions”.The 2013 ARENA Network Award was presented to Ursula Daly who is currently on placement in the Safety, Health, Environment and Quality Team at Dunmurry.Northlink congratulates Alex and the team on their record breaking performance.

Farrans wins

2 Saltire Awards

CUBIS Drainage Catch Pits being installed trackside in London.

Efficient track drainage is an important aspect of any rail network and drainage catch pits serve a crucial role in this process. Catch pits, traditionally built up in concrete ring sections, provide for quick inspection to the drainage duct to remove blockages and silt build up.

The difficulty with this method is the weight of concrete sections and the impact that this has on installation times. Railway construction is a time critical process and no more so than on the London Underground, where track closures amount to just a few hours. It is with this in mind that

London Underground Approve

CUBIS Catch Pit

productLondon Underground Limited (LUL) has approved the use of the STAKKAbox™ Ultima Drainage Catch Pit in all areas, including tunnels. The benefits to London Underground are clear; fast, simple and safe using a product that meets all of the performance criteria.

The system, manufactured by CUBIS Industries, is composed of 150mm deep twinwall glass reinforced plastic (GRP) sections that are stacked to the required depth, usually 900mm. Sections are ribbed vertically and horizontally to provide a chamber that is strong enough to meet the requirements of being installed in a rail

Construction operatives display the ease of handling and installation facilitated by the lightweight design of the CUBIS Catch Pits.

ARENA Network Chair, David Gavaghan, Ursula Daly and Northern Ireland Environment Minister, Mark A Durkan.

PLATINUMRECORD FOR FARRANS

environment and yet each part weighs 25kg or less, the maximum amount that can be manually handled by one person. A similar system has been approved by Network Rail since 2009 and over 1000 have been installed.

Approximately 45% of the London Underground network is in tunnels and installation of underground products in this area must meet guidelines regarding fire retardancy and low smoke emissions. CUBIS has developed two types of products, one suitable for open sections and the other suitable for tunnels, using a different plastic material mix.

CUBIS has built expertise in the rail industry over a 5 to 6 year period through its involvement with Network Rail, SNCF and major tram projects such as Manchester Metrolink and Nottingham Tram.

As well as Drainage Catch Pits, CUBIS manufacture access chamber systems for telecommunications (Fixed Telecom Networks), composite cable trough products and MULTIduct™ multiple duct banks, used for under track crossings and buried cable routes.

Paul Lighton, CUBIS Business Development Manager for Rail Networks said: “It is an exciting time in the rail industry with plenty of money being invested in the network and future projects such as High Speed 2 to work towards. CUBIS has the products and the expertise to be successful for years to come.”

Northlink congratulates CUBIS on adding another innovative product to their ever expanding portfolio.

3December 2013 • NorthLink

The Farrans Team in Scotland have again covered themselves in glory at this year’s Saltire Society Awards event which celebrates innovation and excellence in the civil engineering industry in Scotland.

The Society seeks to encourage everything that might improve the quality of life in Scotland and promote excellence.

Two recent Farrans civil engineering projects were entered into the Awards Scheme and Northlink is delighted to report that both received awards.

The M80 Stepps to Haggs Motorway Project won the overall Saltire Award for 2013, a magnificent achievement. The high standard of civil engineering in evident on the Project as reflected in the Adjudicators Report which states;

FARRANS STRIKE GOLD AT ROSPA AWARDSFarrans have just been awarded a Gold Medal at the recent ROSPA Occupational Health and Safety Awards event which was held recently at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole Hotel. However, what makes the Farrans Gold Medal exceptional is that it recognises Gold standard performances over 5 consecutive years.

The ROSPA Awards Scheme is perhaps the most demanding of all health and safety awards as it requires superior performance against ten key performance indicators ranging from leadership of senior managers in health and safety to competence and involvement of employees, monitoring of performance and actual achievements in health and safety.

In presenting Farrans with a Gold Medal, Tom Mullarkey, the ROSPA Chief Executive said;“ROSPA firmly believes that organisations that demonstrate commitment to continuous improvement in accident and ill health prevention deserve recognition. Farrans Construction has shown that it is committed to striving for such continuous improvement and we are delighted to honour it through the presentation of an award”.

Ricky Guy, a Health and Safety Advisor with Farrans in Scotland collected the ROSPA Gold Medal on behalf of Team Farrans.

Praise indeed for the Contractor of Choice

The East End Team (l-r) Heather Reid, James Wood (IH Brown), IAN Waugh (Farrans Construction), Paul Featherstone (Grontmij), Gerry O Donnell (GCC), Barry Clarke (President ICE).

Farrans wins

2 Saltire Awards

The M80 Team (l-r) Ian Scott (Grontmij), Dr Heather Reid, David Parr (Farrans Construction), Alvar Kenwell (Farrans Construction), Maureen Watt (MSP), David Brown, Michelle Rennie (Transport Scotland).

“The M80 Stepps to Haggs Project is a high profile public example of civil engineering and the role it plays in society. In providing a solution to chronic traffic congestion, road safety and environmental benefits it demonstrates the advantages to be gained through the successful delivery of large capital infrastructure developments”.

The Farrans East End Regeneration Route Phase 2 Project in Glasgow received a Saltire Commendation Award. It was described by the adjudicators as;

“A project which demonstrates the value to the wider community of investment in infrastructure through environmental improvement and as a catalyst for further economic development”.

Northlink congratulates the M80 and East End site teams on their award winning civil engineering performance.

Our civil engineering team inScotland are ever resourceful and always up for a challenge and Lorcán Gill is no exception.

Lorcán joined Farrans in 2007 and is now based at Oakbank

Lorcan’s

Epic Challenge working on the M8 Advance Works where the client is Scottish Water.

In September of this year Lorcán set himself a challenge which, by his own admission, is by far the most difficult thing he has ever done as it was not just physically but mentally exhausting.

Lorcán’s epic challenge was to cycle some 300 miles, along with four friends, from Montrose on the east coast of Scotland to the Isle of Skye on the west coast and this included going up and over every mountain they encountered on the way. The terrain was a mixture of roads, road paths, earth tracks and particularly in the mountains, no recognisable trail at all.

Lorcán recently told Northlink something of his challenge and his motivation to undertake it;

“Our itinerary was to cover around 50 miles a day over a seven day period and involved cycling through places such as Ballater, Tomintoul and Glen Feshie before

finishing off on the Isle of Skye. The madness of this challenge was to raise money for Marie Curie Cancer Care in memory of my mother who passed away last year and also for the Multiple Sclerosis Society. We started with a target of raising £1,000 but actually finished with a fantastic total of £3.300.

I would like to say a big thank you to everyone for their kind donations”.

Lorcán’s challenge was not uneventful as one of the team fell off his bicycle in the Cairngorms and broke his sternum which resulted in him being airlifted to hospital in a Royal Navy Sea King helicopter.

The commitment of Farrans people to supporting good causes knows no bounds and Lorcán’s epic challenge is another fine example of supporting others who are less fortunate than ourselves.

Lorcan’s Team Take a Breather in the Highlands (l-r) Ronan McMacken,

Shane McCourt, Patrick McMeekin, Lorcán Gill, Sean Óg Gill.

Ricky Picks Up Gold for Farrans (l-r) Tom Mullarkey (ROSPA Chief Executive), Ricky Guy and Eric Wiles (ROSPA Chairman of Trustees).


Helping Others

at Christmas

Colm Solves

a Problem at

Harestanes

At the peak of the earthworks activity at Harestanes Wind Farm, the Farrans site team encountered an unprecedented and seemingly uncontrollable silt problem that threatened to seriously impact on the project.

The extensive network of access roads, turbine bases and hardstandings were constructed with 650,000 tonnes of rock sourced from numerous borrowpits (quarries) within the site. Unfortunately some of the borrowpits yielded a poor quality mudstone material, which when mixed with surface water ran-off to the nearest watercourse. Such was the extent of the silt generated from the mudstone, that the usual sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) installed on other sizeable wind farm sites in Scotland to deal with silt run-off simply did not work at Harestanes. It wasn’t long before the local Fisheries Board and SEPA, Scotland’s environmental regulatory body, focused their attention on the site, as they sought to work out a solution to the problem with Farrans.

At this critical phase of the project Colm Murphy, Farrans’ Environmental Manager at Harestanes, assisted by the Section Engineers set about implementing a SuDS improvement plan covering the 60km of access roads that transverse the 60km2 site. With the aid of a dedicated environmental plant and labour squad, Colm developed a series of innovative measures to control silt run-off to the many watercourses on site. These were rolled out site wide and implemented by each of the four earthworks subcontractors. The continuous improvement of the SuDS was welcomed by SEPA, as Farrans were able to demonstrate their efforts on the ground during subsequent site visits.

As a result of the lessons learned in silt control at Harestanes, Colm has produced a number of illustrated environmental good practice guides that document a range of challenging surface water problems and solutions. These will no doubt be of great benefit to staff working on future similar works.

Northlink congratulates Colm on his ingenuity in further enhancing the Farrans reputation of developing effective solutions to technically demanding problems on sites. We understand that our client at Harestanes, Scottish Renewables, are also implementing Colm’s good practice guides.

Stephen Smyth of Northstone Materials was appointed General Manager of Island Aggregates and Island Cement on 2 September 2013 and has relocated permanently to the Isle of Man. Readers may remember that Island Aggregates and Island Cement were acquired from CEMEX earlier this year and under the stewardship of Mike Shaw are market leaders in sand, gravel, cement and ready mixed concrete in the Isle of Man.

Stephen joined our Company as a sales representative in 1988 progressing to the role of Regional Sales Manager in 2005. He has a first class honours degree in civil engineering from Queens University, Belfast and brings a wealth of experience to his new role in terms of both technical expertise and commercial acumen. Stephen’s first role after graduation was to look after a number of concrete plants in the London area for the RMC Group.

On commencement at Island Aggregates and Island Cement Stephen has focused on meeting his team and developing the core values of the business going forward which are a commitment to superior health and safety standards, professionalism and customer focus.

Stephen recently told Northlink of how his first few months on the Isle of Man have gone;“After the initial upheaval of the move from Northern Ireland I am now settling in well into the business and getting to know the team, the customers and our suppliers. The Isle of Man is a small but very beautiful place with a unique character and I like life here. Who knows, I might even start getting the pronunciations of some of the place names right!”

Stephen has succeeded Mike Shaw, who will stay with the Company on a consultancy role to assist Stephen in developing into his new role.

All at Northlink wish Stephen every success in his new appointment.

PROMOTION for STEPHEN

Stephen’s Team pose for the camera (l-r) Mark Cheung, Chris Wade, Alan Midghall (part obscured), Alan Davidson, Rob Beck, Rob Quayle, Matt Black, John Hitchen, Stephen Smyth, Stephanie McDonald and Simon Clarke

The CUBIS Roscommon site has supported a local charity who perform great work in Nepal, one of the world’s poorest countries.

The site donated items to the charity shop of Foundation Nepal in Galway.

Foundation Nepal was founded by Nicky Deasy in 2006 to help the most vulnerable and impoverished Nepali villages to work their way out of poverty. Chronic food shortages are common, with 65% of children under five suffering from malnutrition, and in some communities, only 70% of children live to see their fifth birthday.

The charity, headquartered in Galway, supports local

communities with food production, micro-finance and micro-business, as well as healthcare and education. Foundation Nepal, whose slogan is ‘a hand up, not a hand out’ assists communities to lay the groundwork for a truly self-sufficient future, which involves empowering local people and working holistically.

Roscommon Team Helping Others at Christmas (l-r) – Breda Hughes, Nicky Deasy (Foundation Nepal), David Carr, Sean Diffley


PROMOTION for STEPHEN

Felim Blaney has some 24 years in construction management and has been involved in schemes in many countries including Australia, USA, Channel Isles, England and

locally in Northern Ireland. He joined Farrans in 1999 and since then has undertaken a number of roles including site management, tender submissions and design management.

Felim is a member of the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) and serves on the Queens University Professional Liaison Committee for Planning and Architecture. His new role will take him to London where Farrans are currently building a number of new primary schools for Hillingdon Council.

Felim is married with three children and lists angling among his many outside interests.

Jerome Curranjoined Farrans in 2003 on graduating from the University of Ulster working initially in estimating under Mark Lowry and alongside Kevin Kennedy and

Ronald Sullivan. In 2004 he was part of the site team asked to deliver the Luton Airport Pegasus Project working closely with both Warren Wright and Neal Lynch.

In 2007 Jerome was asked to look after the Engineering Building as part of the civils contract at the Irish Cement Factory in Drogheda. He then became the project manager on two schools on the Western Isles in conjunction with the Farrans joint venture partners. Jerome is now Contracts Manager for three school building projects within the Hillingdon Framework and for this role has relocated to Bedfordshire with his wife as he will be based at the new Farrans Office in Litlington, Cambridgeshire reporting to the Regional Manager, Alan Prime.

Away from work Jerome still laces up the rugby boots and now turns out for Biggleswade RFC although he would admit that it is difficult to start some matches having not recovered from the previous match.

Felim Blaney, Jerome Curran, Glenn Gilmore and Cathal Montague have recently been appointed as contract managers at Farrans to

further strengthen the site operational teams.

Glenn Gilmore joined Farrans as a site engineer in 2001 progressing to the role of site agent in 2005. In recent years he has been involved in major healthcare projects including

Altnagelvin and Craigavon Hospitals. Glenn’s Contract Manager role has recently involved the overseeing of two schemes at Craigavon Hospital as well as supporting the team at Kelvedon Park in Essex as the project there nears completion.

He is currently looking forward to the challenges of 2014 as he indicated to Northlink; “Next year I will be working closely with the other contract managers and site teams to maintain our reputation for the delivery of high quality projects as safely and effectively as possible”.

Glenn is an architectural engineering graduate of Queens University, is married with two children and lives in Stoneyford, Lisburn.

Cathal Montague joined Farrans in 2006 as a construction manager working on various projects including Victoria Square in Belfast, Wallace Hall Academy in

Dumfries and Bangor Grammar School. In his new role he will initially be focused on the delivery of the Walton Hospital Project in Liverpool and will also be spending some of his time in Dunmurry.

Cathal has recently attended a CRH Management Development course to further enhance his managerial skills. He is an honours graduate in Construction Engineering and Management and is married to Roisin. The couple have three children. Away from work, Cathal enjoys Gaelic games and socialising with friends.

Northlink wishes our four young contract managers every success in their new roles.

New ContractManagers

at Farrans

Those of us who follow the fortunes of the Ulster Rugby team and watch their home games will have noticed the steady transformation of the old Ravenhill rugby ground into a modern sporting venue providing spectators with much improved viewing of the action on the pitch.

STAND UP FOR THE NORTHSTONE MEN

Northstone Materials have played a key role in the development of this iconic sports stadium by supplying the concrete for the three new stands and the terracing as well as the blacktop for the car parking areas on phase 2 of the contract. In the first phase of the Project, Northstone Materials also supplied the concrete for the corporate entertaining areas and the terracing on the Mount Merrion side of the ground.

Our production team at Northstone can certainly stand up for the Ulster men as they play their part in the success of the redeveloped home of Ulster Rugby.

Ravenhill Makes the “Right Choice” - new concrete terracing and seating in one of the new stands.

Titanic Launch for New Causeway Tile

Keith Wood (Northstone Materials Sales Director) delivers the keynote presentation on the new Causeway Rooftile.

The Northstone Technical Sales Team launched their new Causeway Slate Effect Roof Tile to a large gathering of architects from across the Province at an event at Belfast’s Titanic Signature Building on 24 September 2013. Our team used the event to discuss the features and benefits of the new Causeway Tile as well as showcase other products from the Northstone portfolio including Northern Liquid Floor Screed and the Northlite Lightweight Thermal Block.

The new Causeway Tile offers specifiers a product which incorporates the aesthetic qualities of a slate effect while keeping costs to a minimum. Brian Watt, Northstone Technical Director, who led the design team on the development commented;

“We identified that there was a need in the market for an easy to use tile which incorporated slate aesthetics to complement traditional building designs while at the same time deliver customer savings in the construction phase of projects. Already a good number of developers and contractors have used the Causeway Tile on a wide range of projects from one off houses to sports facilities and churches. In all cases, the feedback has been very positive.”

The event at the Titanic Signature Building included a presentation by Ken Anderson and Stephen Kelly from the Northstone sales team on good roof tile fixing practices and opportunities to design dry fix solutions to the verge and ridge features to increase roof performance in the ever changing Northern Ireland weather conditions. The presentation also allowed the opportunity to demonstrate how Northstone is striving to improve energy efficiency and recycling in its production processes.” All involved in the development and launch of the new Causeway Tile deserve great credit.


Belfast Metropolitan College (BMC) students got out of the classroom for the day and visited the Materials Division’s operations at Toomebridge during a dry day in October. The aim of the visit was to provide them with a practical understanding of how raw materials are extracted and processed as part of their Science and Materials module in their respective courses. Three groups of students visited Toomebridge and these included; 1st year Foundation Degree in Sustainable Construction, 1st year Foundation Degree in Architectural Technology and

FUTURE CONSTRUCTION PROFESSIONALS VISIT TOOMEBRIDGE

2nd year HNC Civil Engineering Students. Thomas Close, Civil Engineering Lecturer, who accompanied the students to Toome commented that he introduced the topic and asked in the classroom where sand comes from the answer came back, “probably from the beach.” This inspired Thomas, who comes from the local Toomebridge area, to contact Brian Watt and arrange a site visit.

The first stop of their tour was to Hutchinsons sand site where the students saw the Toomebridge

boat berthing and then pump off a load of Lough Neagh sand. Dessie McGuckin and John Laverty explained the whole process from geology to how we process the sand and its uses in the market place.

At the tile factory they were able to see how sand and cement are processed into roof tiles and ridge tiles. The students were suitably impressed with the technology and level of automation used in the tile factory as well as the speed of the line and the twenty four hour manufacturing process from wet mortar to the finished product. Andrew Hamilton, who is the Architectural Technology Lecturer, was so impressed that he took away a Causeway tile sample

which he hopes to use on his new house to be built next year.

The tour finished at the block yard where the students observed the entire production process from the concrete being batched and placed in the block machine to the blocks being strapped and stored ready for sale.

There is no doubt the lecturers and students gained a better appreciation of the natural resources of the process during their visit and how these are then processed into high quality construction materials.

John Evans, the Health and Safety Co-ordinator at Northstone Materials, clearly does not do things in half measure as evidenced at the recent Northern Ireland Safety Group (NISG) Awards evening held in Belfast on 22 November 2013.

At this gala event, which was also the 60th Anniversary celebration

of the Group, John was presented with two separate awards.

Northstone Materials won the coveted Quarrying and Concrete Product Manufacturing Award for 2013 and this was complemented by an NISG Award for Consistent High Achievement in Health and Safety.

This double success is worthy recognition for the hard work of Health and Safety Manager David Smyth and John Evans who are tireless in their efforts to reduce the risk of accidents across the Division’s operations.

As many of us know David, who joined the Company some 35 years ago, is currently off work due to illness. The best wishes of all at Northstone go to David for a speedy recovery and we hope it is not too long before we see him again making a difference to the health and safety of all at Northstone Materials.

In David’s absence, Stephen Surgenor has joined John Evans in the Division’s health and safety team.

John Evans (centre) receives the Northstone Awards from Wilson Lambe (President of the Northern Ireland Safety Group) and Priscilla Woods (Chairman of the Northern Ireland Safety Group Executive Committee).

Students find out more about raw materials and production methods at Toomebridge.

DoubleAwardfor Northstone Materials

Northstone will be implementing the new CRH Safety Campaign from January to April 2014. The Campaign has a number of specific elements which include the following:-• Machinery Isolation Procedures – known as Lock Out, Tag Out, Confirm (LOTOC)• Machinery Guarding• Transport Safety• HGV Vehicle Checks• Transport and Pedestrian Safety at Roadworks

The Campaign resources comprise of a series of four DVDs and related Focus Books which will allow our supervisory and management teams to fully explain the hazards and risks in each element of the Campaign and provide examples of recent CRH Alerts to illustrate various workplace scenarios.

“Each element of the Campaign is potentially a high risk area of our operations at Northstone and as you will see from the CRH Alerts, the consequences of not complying with safe working procedures can be potentially fatal” commented Eamonn Sweeney, Chief Executive of Northstone.

“I would ask you all to pay particular attention to the Campaign presentations in your workplace and implement the guidance provided. Nothing we do is so important that

we cannot take time to do it safely. I would commend the 2014 CRH Safety Campaign to you as together we strive to reduce the potential for accidents in our business”.

Safey Campaign 2014


When the formal announcement was made in the BBC One Show in July 2010 that Derry/Londonderry was to be the inaugural UK City of Culture in 2013 there was much celebration tempered with some doubts as to whether the city could put in place the infrastructure required to effectively host the calibre of key events required.

Over the short period since the announcement these concerns were addressed in a spectacular way with our people at Northstone Materials playing a prominent role.

The lynchpin of the regeneration was the construction of the £14m Peace Bridge and working with the main contractor, Grahams, we supplied the concrete for the complicated pours required for the

structural support bases.

Northstone were also key materials supplier to the Public Realm project which transformed the former army barracks at Ebrington allowing it to host the 90,000 visitors who came to see the Walled City Tattoo event and the world famous Turner Prize exhibition.We are also currently supplying the

concrete for the new underground car park and enabling platform at Ebrington which will involve several 1000 m3 concrete pours.

The contractor involved in the restoration of the magnificent Guildhall also chose Northstone concrete to deliver the quality finish to the building’s exterior public realm features.

During this year as the City of Culture in Derry/Londonderry, Northstone have been involved in other projects in the Maiden City including supplying several social housing schemes and a new office development at Bishop Street.

It also looks as if Northstone will continue to be the supplier of choice on the projects already announced for 2014 including the construction of a new North West Science Park at the former Fort George army base and other up and coming contracts.

Northlink congratulates the sales and production teams at Northstone Materials who have been involved in the securing of the supply contracts in 2013 in Derry/Londonderry and the manufacture and delivery of the materials.

The regeneration of Ebrington Barracks gets underway using concrete supplied by Northstone Materials.

Northstone Contribute to

City of Culture

Sheila McGuire, CUBIS Industries’ HR manager, has taken on the role of a business advisor with Young Enterprise Northern Ireland working with St John the Baptist Primary School in Portadown.

Working with P2 students (aged 4-5), pupils have been learning about the ‘world of work’ through the use of storybook characters and are finding out about the importance of saving, earning, decision making and team work.

Sheila is bringing the story to life for the students through her own experience teamed with links to the various characters in an interactive environment of ‘learning by doing’. The session is run over a 5 week period with new

CUBIScommitment to Young Enterprise

Children at St John the Baptist School pose with Sheila McGuire (rear right) and their teacher.

characters and work environments introduced each week.

Sheila is also working with the P6 students in Edenderry Primary School, Portadown, as they embark on a 7 week journey to run their own mini company.

Students learn all about the various aspects of running a business and the job roles included. With the help of Sheila and the class room teacher the students will choose job roles and work together in production, finance, marketing and sales to create a product which they will then sell at their Christmas concert. The students will then conclude their business by evaluating whether they have made a profit or loss. Sheila will assist them on this exciting journey into the business world by acting as a business advisor overseeing the venture while at the end of both sessions students will be awarded certificates of achievement.

Sounds like the students are budding entrepreneurs in the making.


Darrell McGuckian becomes Operations Director with responsibility for Northern Ireland/England Building Contracts and Healthcare.

Darrell joined Farrans in 1997 as a graduate site engineer quickly progressing to the role of contracts manager in the Farrans Healthcare Division where he established a reputation for delivery of innovative projects which exceeded client expectations in relation to health and safety, programme, quality and budget.

Darrell provided Northlink with his thoughts on his new role;

“We are currently operating in a very challenging environment within Northern Ireland and we have several projects to deliver in 2014 in the more buoyant market of the London area and south east of England. My focus is to ensure the success of these projects and thereby establish Farrans as a key player in these English geographical areas from our new office at Litlington. The relationship between our operations and the bid teams has never been more important as we strive to convince clients that we have the competencies and capability to successfully deliver exemplar projects. I am certainly looking forward to the challenges of my new role as we enter 2014”.

Raymond Millar becomes Procurement Director – Building and will be based at Dunmurry. He holds a BSc honours degree in quantity surveying and is

a chartered member of the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB). Raymond joined Farrans in 2007 in a lead commercial role with particular emphasis on the Farrans Martin Patton (FMP) joint venture partnership established to deliver school building projects.In 2008 Raymond was promoted to Commercial and Business Development Manager and his remit included development of the client base as well as strategy implementation in commercial and bid management activities.

Raymond kindly provided Northlink with his vision of the future at Farrans;“Over the last six years we have experienced unprecedented troubled times in the construction sector since the global economic crash in 2007. We are currently going through a period of maintaining stability for the Company with the emphasis on growth in the coming years through securing tenders at sustainable levels. I am passionate about Farrans and my promotion to director has been a career goal for me, so I fully understand my role going forward. I can assure you that I will work hard to deliver the mission and values of the Company and ensure that we build on the reputation we have secured over the last 60 years for delivering business and service excellence”.

Jay Wasson becomes Procurement Director – Civil Engineering with responsibility for overseeing all civil engineering new business

and the procurement of suppliers and sub contractors.

In this regard Jay will work closely with Colin McCaffrey in civils procurement, Paul Magowan in business development and Stephen McCaffrey and his team in pre contract management.

Jay joined Farrans in 2003 working initially on the Valley Distribution and Aquarius 3 projects. He then moved to estimating and became the Farrans Business Development Manager in 2007.

In 2011 he was seconded by CRH to work with their team in India. He returned to Northern Ireland earlier this year.

Jay is married to Farahanaz and the couple have two children and he has told Northlink that they are settling well into local schools back home and getting used to the Northern Ireland weather.

Northlink congratulates the three new Farrans directors on their appointment and wishes them every success in their respective roles.

Three new directors have recently been appointed at Farrans Construction.New Directors

appointed at Farrans

The awards keep piling up for Farrans Construction this year with the latest addition to the trophy cabinet at Dunmurry being the Construction Excellence Award in the Social/Community Construction Category for the Skainos Project in East Belfast.

This deserved success was for one of Northern Ireland’s most unique buildings which houses a wide range of community groups and activities under the auspices of the Belfast City Mission. This includes classrooms for Belfast Metropolitan College, a theatre workshop, crèche and a church as well as social housing

Skainos also won the prestigious Project of the Year title at the RICS Northern Ireland Awards earlier this year.

John Wilson, the Farrans Managing Director collected the Construction Excellence Award on behalf of the Skainos team of whom he was justifiably proud; “ The Farrans team at Farrans produced a a building of striking design and variety while at the same time maintaining its impeccable sustainability credentials. The materials used and design resonate perfectly with the history of the local area. Congratulations to the team in further enhancing the Farrans reputation as the Contractor of Choice.”

December 2013 has marked a major milestone for the Farrans Utilities team in Scotland. They have installed 2,000,000 metres of pipeline for Scottish Water on their current framework contract. To put this in context, it is the equivalent of walking from Edinburgh to Barcelona.

The framework covers both rural and urban environments, and many of the stages have seen the team deal with some very challenging works, all of which have been carried out with minimal disruption to customers.

As well as general water main rehabilitation works throughout Scotland other works have included:• Construction of a 2.1m diameter by 10m deep tunnel for the new Forth replacement crossing• Utility diversions to facilitate the Borders rail project• Refurbishment of existing clean water and sewage treatment worksThe team are now 3 years into the 5 year framework and are working hard to deliver the project and build on their relationship with one of Farrans’ key clients in what is a very demanding and competitive sector of the market.

Two Million Metres and Counting

Winner: Farrans

Construction

Skainos Comes Out on Top - John Wilson, Farrans Managing Director, (centre) receiving the Social

/Community Award from John Armstrong, Managing Director, CEF, (left) and Joe Byrne MLA.

Tunnel segments at the Forth Road Crossing ready for installation for Scottish Water.


CUBIS has a new member of the family after purchasing a new factory in the north east of England.

The acquisition of the polymer compression moulding business of GT Seals and Mouldings Ltd. occurred in August 2013 and represents a major increase in moulding capacity for the business, allowing the company to expand into new products and markets.

The new CUBIS site is based in Peterlee, Co. Durham, approximately 25 minutes from Newcastle International Airport. CUBIS Peterlee will be used for the manufacture of glass reinforced polyester products and possesses five large SMC moulding presses with a moulding capacity of 600 tonnes. These presses have been utilised for the production of composite covers, composite trough products and a sub-contract moulding business on a 24 hour shift pattern. These presses will be further utilised for new products in the coming months. This new moulding capacity complements the existing moulding facilities in Liverpool, Lurgan and Roscommon.

The Peterlee site is staffed by 13 people and is managed by Production Manager, Serge Schaffhauser (pictured left), who brings with him 26 years of

polymer compression moulding experience and 11 years of Production Management experience. Serge began working with polymers in his native France when he started moulding for a company that manufactured electric motor parts. He joined the GT Group in 1999.

Priorities since the acquisition have been the training of our employees in the CRH Safety Fundamentals and bringing the site in-line with CRH Policy and Standards.

CUBIS Peterlee will give the company ample opportunity for growth in the near future and a warm welcome is extended to Serge and his team.

CUBIS has appointed a number of individuals into company-wide management positions.

Colin Bridges, Lenora Moore and Paul Touhey will fill the positions within the organisation.

Colin Bridges has taken on the role of Business Improvement Manager. Colin reports to Derek Williamson (Director of Operations) and will lead a team, currently consisting of Denis Curry (Lurgan) and Nick Lennon (Liverpool), responsible for delivering change and improvements to business processes, driving efficiencies and cost savings. Colin has over 35 years industrial experience, gained in different types of manufacturing - all in production management and industrial engineering. Colin joins the company from Wrightbus Ltd, a large bus manufacturer, based in Ballymena. In a 13 year period, his roles there included

NewAppointments

at CUBIS

Process Engineering Manager and he was most recently General Manager of one of their production sites.

Lenora Moore has been appointed as Customer Services Manager and will report to Andrew Wright (Director of Business Development). Lenora also joins the company from TPS Burdens Ireland and will be responsible for the management of a new integrated Internal Sales and Customer Service team within CUBIS.

Paul Touhey has joined the company as Procurement Manager and will work within the Commercial team under the direction of Colman Cooney (Director of Commercial

Operations). Paul joins CUBIS from TPS Burdens Ireland and brings with him vast management experience in purchasing with a particular specialism in overseas sourcing. Paul will work alongside Steve Shanahan with a common goal to drive down the cost of our supply chain and build relationships with suppliers.

Welcoming the new arrivals, CUBIS Managing Director Michael Wightman said: “the new additions to our management team will give us greater strength in depth and help the continued growth of the business. All three have hit the ground running and started well in their new posts and we look forward to their developing contribution.”

Paul TouheyLenora MooreColin Bridges

New addition to the CUBIS family

The factory layout at Peterlee

Alistair Kilmartin, a shift supervisor from the CUBIS’ Roscommon site, had reason to celebrate in October when he was crowned as the winner of the company-wide Working at Heights Quiz.

There was more than an element of luck to his win as Alistair’s name was picked out of a hat to win the prize of a deluxe hamper, with four other Roscommon employees in the running with the same score of 93.6%. This score wasn’t even the best on record as the best performance was by Charlie Dunne (Roscommon Production Manager) who scored 95.7%, but declined the prize as he has a management role.

Prizes were also given out to the 1st and 2nd best performers on each site. Roscommon: 1st – Alistair Kilmartin (93.6%), 2nd – Michael O’Donnell and Sean Brennan (93.6%)

Liverpool: 1st – James Finnegan (91.5%), 2nd – Bryon Yearsley and Charlie Gibson (89.4%)

Lurgan: 1st – Chris Shanks (89.4%), 2nd – John O’Neill (89.4%)

The quiz was launched at the end of the Working at Heights CRH campaign in the first half of 2013. The quiz’s main focus was on CUBIS specific criteria such as ladder safety, mobile elevated working platforms and harnesses and then test the learning of our people in this key area of health and safety.The average score across the company was 78% and the top performing site was Roscommon with an average of 86.6%.

Special mention goes to Aoife Quinn, the CUBIS SHEEQ Manager, who designed the quiz and all three of our people who administered it at the CUBIS locations. These were Aisling Donnelly (Lurgan), Georgia Johnston (Liverpool) and Teresa Scally (Roscommon).

CUBIS employees achieve great heights

Top: Lurgan Winners (l-r): John O’Neill, Chris Shanks, Damian Murphy (Lurgan Production Manager)

Middle: Liverpool Winner (l-r) : Steve Taylor (Liverpool Production Manager) with James Finnigan

Left: Roscommon Winner (l-r) : Charlie Dunne (Roscommon Production Manager), Alistair Kilmartin


FURTHER TRAINING IN CRH CODE OF BUSINESS CONDUCTOur parent company, CRH plc, is totally committed to doing business in a responsible way in keeping with its leading position in the building materials sector across the World.

CRH are also committed to the core values of integrity, honesty and respect for the law with clear guidelines on how we should comply with these values as contained within the CRH Code of Business Conduct.

A training DVD was issued to all staff at the end of November 2013 by way of a memorandum from our Chief Executive, Eamonn Sweeney. All who have received it must view the hour long presentation and complete and return the confirmation of training received form to Miss Karen Reilly by the due date. There are no exceptions.

CRH plc have also produced a publication entitled “Leading with Integrity – A Handbook for Managers and Directors” which has been issued to relevant staff. The Handbook underpins the Code of Business Conduct and provides Managers and Directors at Northstone with guidance on how they are expected to behave in respect of ethical leadership, communication style, holding their team accountable and responding to inappropriate behaviour by their team members.

Employees with queries in respect of the CRH Code of Business Conduct or Handbook for Managers and Directors should refer them in the first instance to their line manager.

In Northlink 30, we congratulated three CUBIS employees in Lurgan on 25 years of service with the company.

Eugene and Derek Join the 25 Club - (l-r) Eugene Woods and Derek Williamson receive their long service watches from CUBIS Managing Director, Michael Wightman (centre).

Georgina McRoberts, the CUBIS’ payroll administrator, has retired after 25 years with the company.

Georgina, who is based in the Lurgan site, joined Salmor Industries in March 1988, carrying out administration and typing work. She began her career with the organisation at the factory in Ballycross, Banbridge and then subsequently moved to offices in Dromore, Brookfield Mill and eventually Lurgan.

Georgina was presented with a bouquet of flowers and a specially-made calculator cake at a lunch at the factory on the 22nd of August this year.

Georgina was a very popular and well liked employee who was respected for her hard work and friendly nature with everyone

Georgina (centre) receives a celebratory cake from Michael Wightman and Patricia Burns.

Georgina

RETIRES from CUBIS

she worked with. It is hoped that she will not be a stranger to her colleagues at CUBIS in her retirement!

Aleksandra Ochojska is now the payroll administrator for CUBIS and she is also based at the Lurgan site.

In this issue, we welcome Derek Williamson and Eugene Woods into the 25 club. Derek and Eugene both joined Salmor Industries in Banbridge in 1988 and join Vincy McDonald and Winston Greer as the company’s longest serving employees. Georgina McRoberts, as featured elsewhere in this issue of Northlink, has recently retired following her 25 year commemoration party. Derek, who is CUBIS Director of

Operations, and Eugene, who is a factory operative, were presented with engraved gold watches at a buffet lunch on the 4th of October. Michael Wightman, Managing Director, said: “Derek and Eugene

have been valued colleagues for many years and hopefully for many to come. I would like to personally thank them for their contribution on behalf of everyone at CUBIS.”

CUBIS Staff join Eugene and Derek in celebrating their long service and commitment to the Company.

Long service

awards at CUBIS

Georgina McRoberts (front centre) receives a bouquet of flowers and the best wishes of staff at Lurgan on her retirement


The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have recently issued the fourth edition of their Guidance Note GS6 in respect of avoiding danger from overhead power lines. This document provides advice and guidance to contractors and others who are planning to work near overhead electricity lines where there is a risk of contact with the wires.

The Guidance also includes a section on creating a safe passageway under electricity lines using barriers. The system selected by the HSE to illustrate safe working is one that is well known to all contracting and civil engineering teams at Northstone and which we call Guardian Goalposts as produced by CUBIS Industries.

Guardian Goalposts are now used by contractors throughout the United Kingdom and beyond as they are quickly and easily assembled to a height of 6 metres by one operative. The posts are manufactured in non conductive Glass Reinforcement Polyester Resin and are linked together by bunting or a solid telescopic bar. Each post is secured in a weighted base fabricated in galvanised steel.

Michael Wightman, the CUBIS Managing Director, told Northlink something of his Guardian Goalposts system;“One in every three overhead cable strikes results in a fatality. The Guardian Goalposts offer a lightweight, easily assembled and practical solution to eliminate such fatalities. It gave me great pleasure to see a CUBIS product featured in the new HSE Guidance which tells me that the Guardian system is now recognised in the construction industry as one of the main preventative measures to avoid electrocutions on site. Our product is now used by most of the major contractors in the United Kingdom including Balfour Beatty, Tarmac and Carillion”.

CUBIS Goalposts

feature in New HSE

GUIDANCE

A Northstone Materials tipper truck safely negotiates a route under overhead electricity cables

with assistance from Guardian Goalposts.

Robert John McAlister, the well known and popular Contracts Director at Farrans Construction, retired earlier this year after some thirty three years of loyal and committed service to the Company.

Robert’s career in construction began in 1975 on graduating from Queens University, Belfast with a BSc degree in Civil Engineering. On graduation he took up a site engineer position with John Laing which included design office experience and led to him achieving chartered engineer status.

Robert joined Farrans in 1979 as a Site Engineer in June 1979 and those responsible for his recruitment noted that on his application form Robert indicated that he was seeking a position with Farrans as he wanted “more experience with a view to advancement of his career into management” and so it was to be.

Robert’s first contract was the construction of the new Royal Ulster Constabulary Police Station at Antrim Road in Belfast and there followed many other major building contracts. In 1983, Robert was promoted to Site Agent looking after a project at RAF Chivenor in Devon. He then relocated to the Shetlands to undertake a project at RAF Saxa

Robert McAlister (left) receives a retirement gift from Managing Director, John Wilson

Walter and his wife, Jean, celebrate a special birthday

Walter Scott, one of the former owners of Scott (Toomebridge) Ltd, which is now an integral part of Northstone Materials celebrated his 90th birthday earlier this year.

Walter, who comes originally from Ballyronan, along with his brothers and other family members put in place the foundations of the successful sand and roof tile business that we know today.

Walter is also nothing short of a

Walter Hits 90 Down Underwar hero having joined the Royal Air Force in 1941 on his eighteenth birthday and went on to fly up to 57 missions with Bomber Command over Germany in the Second World War. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) at the age of 20 for his exploits during the war when the life expectancy of airmen was as little as six weeks.

All at Northstone wish Walter belated congratulations on his 90th birthday and we understand

he celebrated with an open day at his home with approximately 50 people attending throughout the day.

Walter emigrated to Australia in 1967 with his wife Jean and their six children. He now lives in Townsville, north of Brisbane, where he established the Scott Brickworks. At the last count his extended Scott family numbers 57 in what has become almost like a little part of mid Ulster in the state of Queensland.

Vord on the island of Unst for a period of three years.

Readers may be interested to note that there is a note from Derek Matthews, the former Farrans Deputy Managing Director, on Robert’s file dated November 1983 which states;“R.J. McAlister has completed this contract on time and in a most satisfactory manner and a bonus should be paid to him for his efforts in the Shetlands”.

Robert’s file also shows that he left Farrans in May 1990 to enter the butchery trade but obviously the steaks were not up to scratch and he returned to Farrans in January 1991. On his return, Robert was appointed Contracts Manager and in 2001 was promoted to Regional Manager Building – Northern Ireland. In January 2002 Robert became a Director of Farrans Construction.

Robert’s strengths were many. Whether it was debating a complex design problem or promoting the capabilities of Farrans in negotiations with prospective clients, Robert invariably achieved success. Robert was clear thinking, methodical in his approach to problems and totally committed and loyal to each and every member of his team. He took particular delight in assisting the development of younger members of staff as evidenced by the number of Robert’s former direct reports who have now progressed to senior positions in the Farrans management team.

Northlink wishes Robert a long, happy and healthy retirement. We understand that he plans to see more of the world with his wife and spend lots of time with his children and his grandson, Robbie.

Robert will be missed at Farrans but his legacy of technical excellence remains undiminished at the Contractor of Choice.

Robert Retires


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