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www.glasgowchamberofcommerce.com GLASGOW TALKS
INNOVATION IN CONSTRUCTION T
ransformational change in Scotland’s construction industry was the theme for the first Glasgow Talks of 2019. The
series, supported by Clydesdale Bank and the University of Glasgow’s Adam Smith Business School, heard that the perception of the industry had to change to encourage fresh talent into what is a dynamic and exciting place to work. Steve Petrie, Head of Business
Improvement with Balfour Beatty, the major construction company involved in numerous projects across Scotland, including the new Queen Street station project for Network Rail, explained the importance of DfMA, Design for Manufacture and Assembly. Balfour Beatty has around £4bn of projects in the UK and is adopting this to improve its performance and deliver better outcomes. With a background in the gas industry, Mr Petrie said that safety was vital but that Balfour Beatty wanted to reduce activity onsite by 25% by 2025, while halving the programme time and the costs of projects. This was about creating design-led industrial construction involving groups of people working collaboratively in the process. He said the “spirit of the people is key” and he used the example of working with staff and teachers at a brain-storming
Stuart Patrick, Chief Executive, Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, with Stephen Good, Construction Scotland Innovation Centre (CSIC), and Steve Petrie, Head of Business Improvement, Balfour Beatty
hackathon before the building of Kelvinside Academy as essential for the creation of this new “innovation” school. He spoke about how being involved in change was a matter for everyone working inside the industry. It was not purely for the managers at the top. At its heart was great design which ensures a culture of zero waste. Here he defined waste as defects or snagging in build, over-production, idle time by employees on building sites, starting work before you are ready, excessive movement of plant, people and inventory. It was about maximising the use of off-site manufacturing through the creation of field and flying factories. “This means building twice; first
in digital and then in the physical environment,” he said. Earlier, Stephen Good, who runs
the Construction Scotland Innovation Centre (CSIC) in Hamilton, spoke about the connection with Scotland’s eight Innovation Centres, including the Data Lab and CENSIS, supported by the Scottish Funding Council. Its aim is to champion innovation to deliver transformational change in Scottish construction. He said the industry requires skills that don’t exist at the moment. He encouraged construction firms to use CSIC to test out their building innovations before taking them live onto the building site. CSIC has supported over 200 projects to date, with 150 completed.
GLASGOW TALKS … BRANDS WITH A SCOTTISH DNA
At the Glasgow Talks in November, a captivated audience heard about the creation of a new kind of soft drink, designed specifically to meet the public’s changing expectation on healthy products. The session, Brands with
a Scottish DNA, heard from Martin Steele, Innovation Lead at AG Barr plc, maker of iconic drink IRN-BRU,
while Mark Hogarth, Creative Director at Harris Tweed Hebrides, spoke about how the special Scottish-made fabric has been able to use its distinct heritage to increase its sales. Both spoke about how
innovation, branding and provenance were imperative, but passion was what Glasgow companies must adopt to succeed.
Richard Muir, Deputy Chief Executive, Glasgow Chamber of Commerce with Mark Hogarth, Creative Director, Harris Tweed Hebrides and Martin Steele, Innovation Lead, AG Barr plc
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