NEWS & APPOINTMENTS
Polypipe Building Services secures biggest prefabrication project to date
Polypipe Building Services has secured it’s largest ever order to date for its fabricated drainage systems after being selected as the supplier for flagship project – Victoria Riverside in Red Bank. With the first phase complete work on a second phase has now begun, and when completed will provide a selection of one, two and three-bedroom dwellings with a total of 611 apartments and 23 townhouses and duplexes at the surrounding lower level. The development is due to be completed in January 2025.
Mechanical and electrical building services contractor Briggs & Forrester Living selected Polypipe Building Services as their drainage solution supplier because of their expertise in designing, fabricating, and delivering tailor-made fabricated systems to meet their requirements. This project has specified the use of the company’s fabricated Terrain FUZE HDPE soil and vent pipes and rainwater pipes which have begun arriving to site already in a series of floor-by-floor deliveries. Robert Dunn, key account director at Kent-based Polypipe Building Services, said: “We
are delighted Briggs & Forrester Living approached us about this project as we have worked alongside them on many projects over the years. “We’ve already made our first delivery and as it is a city centre location and a constrained site working out a feasible delivery schedule with Briggs & Forrester has been crucial. Because of the repetitive nature of the floor shapes, prefabrication was a perfect solution for this project so installation can take place floor by floor and they are easy to hoist up all together. “By providing everything fully fabricated, measured, cut, assembled and pressure tested at our state-of-the-art facility, it also gives their installation team complete reassurance of the quality and performance of the drainage system while making it a faster, simpler, and safer process on-site.
“The sustainability aspect is another benefit of prefabrication as there’s no wastage and Polypipe Building Services take any offcuts from site when we deliver materials so we can recycle them into product again, together with recycling and reusing old pallets and any plastic packaging.”
Philip Ashton, construction manager in the Northern region at Briggs & Forrester Living, said: “A lot of other drainage manufacturers no longer offer the option of prefabrication, but at Polypipe Building Services the process of design and sign-off with their Advantage Team is good and they’re always available if we need to work something through with them.
Heat pump production begins at Stiebel Eltron’s German manufacturing site
Stiebel Eltron’s supply chain is set to be further strengthened throughout 2024 as heat pump production began at the company’s Höxter facility in Germany. The supplier of renewable heating technology, which has global headquarters based in Germany and 26 existing sales operations around the world, took over the former DMA mechanical engineering factory in the industrial area of the town at the end of 2022.
Following work to renovate the building, Stiebel Eltron opened the first heat pump production line this month, with a second and third set to follow. “With production beginning, the supply of heat pumps in the UK will only be strengthened moving into the new year.” Stiebel Eltron UK managing director Mark McManus said. Stiebel Eltron took over the factory a year ago as there was not enough production space available in its Holzminden site due to the high demand for heat pumps. Currently serviced by 50 employees, Stiebel Eltron is planning to grow the Höxter operations to 300 workers in the near future. The production line starts with construction of the refrigerant circuit on the floor plate including pipework, followed by the tightness tests in the vacuum chamber. Following this is the wiring and insulation of the refrigerant circuit and refrigerant charging
before the finalised heat pump is packaged and stored. As a result of the new production line, the company’s UK branch will be better placed to continue to provide the latest heat pump products across Britain. Stiebel Eltron UK has been a driving force behind the adoption of heat pumps across the
UK, providing the latest and most innovative technologies as well as delivering vital training to installers who will be able to fit them in buildings. Following a £350,000 investment in a new training centre at its Bromborough headquarters and the development of a comprehensive training course, more than 600 have signed up to Stiebel Eltron UK’s training programme. Additionally, to ensure trainees are supported following the programme, the firm provides them with a package post-training which ensures that high-quality, technical support is available to them at all times.
4 BUILDING SERVICES & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER FEBRUARY 2024 Appointments
New managing director at Saniflo
Following the retirement of long-standing managing director, Tim Pestell, Saniflo has announced the appointment of David Cook to the position. David joined Saniflo as sales director and MD designate in May 2023 and has spent the last few months shadowing Tim, meeting customers and gradually taking the helm. He has joined at an exciting time in the company’s development as the commercial product range grows following the acquisition of Zehnder Pumps. It also comes as the Kinedo range of products continues to expand with the launch of Kinewall; a new range of decorative bathroom wall panels.
Prior to joining the company, David was sales director at Baxi Heating. He was there for 26 years having joined as an Area Contracts Manager in the Southeast of England and worked his way up the ladder as divisional sales manager, key account manager, brand manager - main boilers and more. With common trade and consumer customers he very much understands the sector and has been able to hit the ground running. “I am delighted to join the Saniflo team and make official my new role as Managing
Director. Following in the successful footsteps of Tim, my aim is to increase Saniflo’s share of the commercial pump market, whilst also focussing on the Kinedo showering range. We have a great team here at Saniflo who are enthused to achieve the companies’ ambitions.”
BCIA announces new VP
Jen Vickers of Crown House Technologies has been elected as the next Vice-President of the Building Controls Industry Association (BCIA). Jen joined the BCIA Management Committee in January 2023 and will take up her position as Vice- President in March. She has worked for Crown House Technologies, which is part of Laing O’Rourke, since 2015. More recently Jen has started to project manage the BEMS package on a number of projects. In April 2022, on behalf of the BCIA, she took responsibility for launching the BCIA Young Engineers Network (YEN) and delivered a programme of three YEN events before supporting the YEN to establish a more formal working group structure.
On her appointment Jen said: “I am delighted to be taking up the position of BCIA Vice-President. I am an advocate for skills development and will specifically focus on ensuring that the building controls industry builds a position as a ‘career of choice’ sector, particularly as we will soon see the first cohorts of apprentices on the BEMS Controls Engineer Trailblazer apprenticeship approach completion of their studies. I’m also keen to ensure that the BCIA becomes recognised as a trusted and expert voice within the political and policy-making space.”
BESA appoints first head of business development
The Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) has appointed Simon Lunt as its first head of business development as part of a wider strategic review.
Lunt brings extensive and varied experience to this new role having started his career in the chemical industry in Scandinavia with Forchem Oy before moving into the health & safety sector covering the UK construction, manufacturing, and facilities management sectors at Arco. He spent three years running his own sales training consultancy during which time he supported firms in the facilities management and air filtration industries.
He has also worked in the specialised hostile environment gas detection business as sales and marketing director for Analox, which supplied projects for the International Space Station, NATO submarines and the deep-sea diving industry. During this time, he gained valuable trade association experience as an active member of the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA). That gave him a useful insight into the workings of industry committees and technical groups which he expects will prove valuable in his new position at BESA. “My role is to help the membership team add as much value to as many companies in the building engineering sector as possible,” he said. “BESA offers a remarkable breadth of benefits, and we want our members to take advantage of everything they can, including getting involved in our working groups and committees which can affect real change across the sector.
Read the latest at:
www.bsee.co.uk
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