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POND LIGHT:
Horsham’s Girl Guides
can enjoy their
campsite’s pond after
a team of 10
volunteers cleared
away overgrown
vegetation. Seven staff
from the Group’s head
office were joined by
two Operatives from
Ringway’s Bracknell depot and an Arboriculturalist from
Hounslow Highways. As well as tackling five years’ worth of
unmanaged growth, the team coppiced overhanging ash trees
that were blocking sunlight and restricting the biodiversity of the
area. The Guides now also have a stock of cut wood for use in
craft and camping activities.
IVOR & FRIENDS: Group ambassador
IVOR proved a hit at Todwick Infant &
Primary School in Sheffield where
Eurovia Contracting North colleagues
gave a presentation on site dangers
and careers in construction. Part of
Eurovia’s corporate responsibility
programme, the visit followed the
award of a certificate for best practice
under the Considerate Constructors
Scheme. Eurovia achieved an
exceptional score for ‘Respecting the Community’ on its contract
to dual the A57 between Worksop Road and Sheffield. The
scheme is on course for completion in January (see page 19).
Ringway also gained a CCS certificate for the Cowgate
Enhancement Scheme – widening footpaths with new paving
and lighting – in Peterborough’s historic town centre, completed
this summer.
insight community
Gold standard Valuing corporate responsibility
Hive of activity Investment flows into Hounslow
Investigators wantedLearning from incidents
Sustainability Bridging the data gap
3
6
10
21
Winter2013
Insight is published by Eurovia Group Ltd, Albion House,
Springfield Road, Horsham, West Sussex RH12 2RW
Feedback to: Tracey Elms, Group Marketing & PR Manager.
24
Edited & produced by Silke & Co. E: [email protected] Designed by Tom Thompson Design. E: [email protected]
Printed by Alpine Press Ltd on 9lives paper – manufactured by ISO 14001-certifiedmill from 80% post-consumer recycled fibre and totally chlorine-free pulp from well-managed forests and controlled sources.
magazineNews from Eurovia Group
Also in this issue
Isle of WorkNew era for island'sroads and quarry
We are looking
for more role
models to share
their knowledge of
Science,
Technology,
Engineering and
Maths as STEM
ambassadors,
writes SiobhanRiordan, GroupSustainability
Advisor (and STEM
ambassador).
People across the Group are already volunteering, but we’d like
to have at least one STEM ambassador in every division.
STEM Ambassadors open the door to a new world for young
people, helping them see these subjects and careers with a fresh
perspective by engaging their interest and imagination in new
ways. It’s your chance to make a difference in your community and
strengthen your own communication and presenting skills. And the
company and industry can combat skills shortages by encouraging
more students to pick engineering.
Ambassadors are supported by Stemnet (www.stemnet.org.uk),
which provides training and CRB checks for free. The types of
activities include talking at an after-school club, careers days and
site visits.
Please contact me for more information:
Could you inspire young people to makethe most of their talent and pursue acareer in engineering?
Tomorrow's engineersneed ambassadors insight
CCTV: focused on service
Gearing up in Hertfordshire & North Yorkshire
URBAN ARTWORK: A Bracknell subway has been transformedinto a work of art by local students with the help of Ringwayemployees. Four operatives took time out from the BracknellForest term contract to remove graffiti and paint a base coat onthe walls of the subway. Bracknell College art students thensketched drawings by children from the local Wooden Hill Schooland painted over to create a mural. Local councillor MaryTemperton hailed the five-day project as “a fantastic example ofteamwork”.
Eurovia’s commitment to
corporate responsibility was
recognised with the award of
Gold status in the annual
benchmarking of UK
companies.
The 2013 Corporate
Responsibility (CR) Index –
published by the Financial Times
in April – is the leading and
most in-depth voluntary ranking
of responsible business
management.
A Gold grading means
Eurovia demonstrates openness
and transparency through
effective public reporting on key
environmental and social
issues. It also signifies that
corporate responsibilities
are integrated into risk
management, and CR
strategy is clearly set out
with measurable targets.
Business in the Community,
which has operated the CR
Index for over a decade, gave
the Group a Bronze benchmark
in 2009 and Silver status in
2011.
“This shows how we are
continually developing,
innovating and improving our
business,” says Scott Wardrop.
“Ahead of our competitors
and peers in our sector, we
have been able to show the
real, positive impacts we are
having as a business and how
we are working to be more
responsible and to make things
better for our staff, the
communities where we work,
and the environment.”
Siobhan Riordan, Group
Sustainability and CR Advisor,
attributed the “fantastic
achievement” to progress in
embedding CR strategy in the
business during 2012 and the
development of CR champions.
2 3
We must workever harder withour clients
“ “
insight news
insh
ort
ESQUIRE OF THE REALM: The Queen has awarded
Colin Preece, a Streetscene operative for Ringway
Shropshire, a medal for 33 years’ service to the St
John‘s Ambulance Service. Her Majesty approved his
appointment to the Most Venerable Order of the
Hospital of St John of Jerusalem, which dates back
to the Crusades. Colin can now use the title
“esquire” after his name. He has treated several
celebrities, and represented St John’s Ambulance at
the late Queen Mother’s funeral, having escorted
her when she visited Shrewsbury.
NOTTING OUT OF PLACE: A million people may not
have noticed, but Ringway’s Streetlighting Division
played an important part in the success of the
Notting Hill Carnival. Based in Kensington &
Chelsea, the team removed 14 traffic islands,
installed 400 information signs and upgraded
streetlights ahead of the annual two-day festival.
They were also on call 24/7 to support the police
and local authorities. After the event, on the
August bank holiday weekend, the team took just
three days to put everything back to normal.
CR benchmark putsGroup on gold standard
PHOTO: Stuart Forman
I trust you find this edition of Insight interesting and informative.
On the opposite page, we report on our new joint venture on
the Isle of Wight with Aggregate Industries. Launched in August,
Wight Building Materials Ltd not only provides asphalt
production and Foambase recycling, but also ready-mix concrete,
precast concrete, sand and gravel. I’d like to welcome all the new
employees to our greater group.
Also in August, I took on leadership of Ringway Infrastructure
Services, allowing Chris Connor, its former Managing Director, to
step down as he prepares for semi-retirement at the end of the
year. Many of us have been concerned for Chris and hope these
changes will aid his health. I will work very closely with our
Ringway teams to help them deliver their business plans, and
assimilate our new contracts into the Group.
I know the changeable nature and seasonality of our clients’
budgets pose challenges for many of us. It means we must work
ever harder with our clients to improve and agree more effective
detailed forward programmes. This will generate many benefits –
in the transparency of what we deliver, budget certainty and use
of resources – for our clients, our people and the communities
affected by our operations.
An even greater challenge is looming. The Government has
signalled significant cuts to highway authorities’ revenue and
capital budget allocations for 2014-15 onwards. We must
anticipate the impact on our Group. With mounting bills for
social care, local authority chief officers have forecast that
highway budgets will be halved. This is despite the current
backlog and public pressure to improve our roads.
We believe a more strategic approach to managing highway
assets will provide better value for money than current reliance
on reactive maintenance. Our PFI projects show this. We must
seek new ways to help our clients manage our country’s
infrastructure for the long term.
Scott WardropEurovia Group Managing Director & Ringway Managing Director
Dear Colleagues, The team that delivered
Loughborough’s Eastern
Gateway project is on track to
open the Leicestershire town’s
new inner relief road next
spring.
Eurovia Contracting North’s
£9 million scheme also involves
reconstructing a junction and
installing signals, which has
been completed this October.
When traffic transfers to the
new road in April 2014, the
team will be able to tackle the
town centre improvements,
which are due to be completed
by 2015.
Leicestershire County Council
cited the “fantastic job on the
Eastern Gateway”– the first
contract awarded under the
Midlands Highway Alliance’s
Medium Schemes framework –
in its decision to select Eurovia
again.
Eurovia Divisional Director
Kevin Graham says the project
will “further enhance the local
economy and make the town
centre a safer place for
shoppers and commuters”.
Works include improvements to
three junctions, better provision
for cyclists, three Toucan
crossings, tree planting and
landscaping.
Both the MHA and Eastern
Highways Alliance frameworks
are now serviced by Eurovia
Contracting following the
reorganisation that saw the
former Ringway North East
business join the division. “This
means it’s easier to share
knowledge and resources,
making Eurovia Contracting a
stronger and more efficient
business,” says Kevin.
insight comment
t
Joint venture meetsisland's material needs
Gateway heroes are back in town
Local production of building materials on the Isle of Wight has
become more sustainable with the launch of a new joint venture.
Wight Building Materials was formed by Eurovia and Aggregate
Industries to supply asphalt, concrete and aggregate materials –
both to businesses on the island and to the 25-year highways PFI
project, which is being delivered by Island Roads (see page 7).
They joined forces to create a stronger and more sustainable
building materials business for its employees and for the island,
says Scott Wardrop, Managing Director of Eurovia Group.
“This allows the shareholders to invest in new high-performance
asphalt production and asphalt recycling for the future.”
The purchase of a modern new asphalt plant at the centrally
located Blackwater Quarry in St Georges is early evidence of that
investment.
Eurovia Roadstone had plans to develop its own low-emission
asphalt plant for the PFI contract, but this should no longer be
required, subject to Isle of Wight Council approval of asphalt
aggregate recycling and further improvements at Blackwater.
The council had already approved an upgrade to asphalt
production prior to the launch of Wight Building Materials.
“Our staff on the island are pleased to have the opportunity to
be part of this upgrade and improve the roads across the Isle of
Wight,” Aggregates Industries Director Philippe Frenay confirms.
4 5
insight news
Simon Willis joined
the Group in June after a
successful career that has spanned blue chips and construction
materials.
He started out in electrical engineering, gaining a masters degree in
1988 before working briefly in the aerospace industry. From there he
moved to ICI and then on to Anglo American, a world leader in mining and
natural resources.
As operations director for Tarmac, Simon designed and led a change
management programme to redefine the company’s operating system
across a network of 600 sites.
Following Tarmac, Simon became managing director of Midland Quarry
Products, a joint venture company between Tarmac and Hanson, where he
successfully grew the business and its profitability through the recession.
Hanson wanted him to stay when it assumed full control, but Simon opted
to take on what he sees as a bigger role, leading Eurovia’s Contracting &
Production businesses.
It’s a job that encompasses Surfacing, Roadstone, Special Treatments,
Euromark and Eurosigns.
“The challenges in each area of the business are different, but there’s a
common thread – and that’s the customer,” he says. ”We must deliver
excellent products and services to both internal and external customers.”
Appropriately, given his track record, one of Simon’s first tasks was
seeing through the launch of Eurovia’s joint
venture on the Isle of Wight with Aggregate
Industries. “This is an exciting venture for all
involved, and it was a pleasure to meet and
welcome the staff to the new company. Together
we will help drive forward investment and
improvements for the island,” he says.
Twenty years in highways andtransportation, Phil Hortonbrings to Ringway particularexpertise in leading integratedhighway services. Most recentlyhe was Performance Director forthe £6 billion privately financedcontract to operate and widenthe M25.
Since his arrival in spring, Philhas been “very impressed withthe passion, commitment and
high standards of service across the business, together with thestrong desire to keep improving”.
His brief to lead Network Services encompasses the PFI contractsin Hounslow and the Isle of Wight, plus the Highways TechnologyDivision (HTD) and Ringway’s developing environmental servicescapability.
He emphasises the diversity and strength in depth of Ringway’sfront-line services. “Our teams are responsible for design,technology, inspections, construction, maintenance, operations andasset investment, and many traditional client functions. We alsohave integrated street cleansing, street scene and lighting portfolios,which are significant operations in their own right.”
The PFIs in particular give Ringway a great opportunity to grow itsasset management capability that will support the wider business.
On performance, Ringway has achieved a step change; the nextobjective is to ensure consistency across all services, he says.
“I’m passionate about teamwork and I’d urge all our teams tobuild on their success in mobilising so many new contracts as wemove forward into 2014.”
Phil is not expecting the tough market conditions to ease soon.“We must make sure that we remain lean so we’re well placed toaddress the challenges, and opportunities, that arise.”
Sector experts join top teams
Simon WillisMANAGING DIRECTOR, EUROVIA CONTRACTING & PRODUCTION• PROFESSION: Chartered engineer• FORMER JOB: Managing Director, Midland Quarry Products• PASSIONS: “Giving the customer what he wants, when he
wants it.”• LEISURE: Mountain biking, climbing, skiing
Phil HortonRINGWAY DIRECTOR, NETWORK SERVICES
• PROFESSION: Chartered civil engineer• FORMER JOB: M25 DBFO Director, Atkins
• PASSIONS: Teamwork, driving performance• LEISURE: Mountain biking
Ringway and Eurovia’s top teams have been strengthened with theappointment of proven business leaders – Phil Horton and Simon Willis.
ribbon – representing sea, sand and land – to mark the official opening of
the refurbished offices and depot.
Named St Christopher House following a competition for primary
schools, the building reflects the council’s ‘Eco Island’ vision. Completely
renovated, it has many low-energy features including solar panels, carbon-
efficient heating and LED lighting, and water harvesting.
Prominent at its front are electric charging points for the company’s fleet
of electric vans. St Christopher House also boasts a permanent visitor
centre, to complement the mobile information roadshows that inform
residents and businesses of the major improvements coming their way.
The council has split the Island into six districts, each with its own District
Steward and responder team. Councillors soon acknowledged the impact
of the new arrangements. “The teams are equipped with tablets, linked to
the 24/7 control centre, which enables them to deliver a prompt, high-
quality maintenance service and their visible presence is a valuable link to
local communities,” says Paul.
The PFI investment has
also provided an
opportunity to develop
and implement lasting
solutions for 18 sites of
long-term geotechnical
highway failure – with
multi-million pound
schemes to stabilise
Undercliff Drive and
Bouldnor Road
commencing on 4
November 2013.
Island Roads is operating company to VINCI Concessions and Meridiam
Infrastructure through one of the government’s three Private Finance
Initiative (PFI) pathfinders. It will funnel £487 million of investment into a
network with some of the worst roads in the country.
“At the heart of this 25-year contract is a seven-year core investment
period which will see a comprehensive upgrade of the Island’s roads,
footways, cycleways, structures and bridges, streetlights, car parks, signage
and CCTV,” says Paul Herbert, Island Roads Service Director.
The normal five-year PFI core investment period has been extended to
minimise disruption, particularly during the tourism season, which is so
important to the local economy, he explains. Yet much was achieved in the
first six months (see box).
The new era is also marked by a landmark HQ and new organisation on
the ground. Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin cut the tri-coloured
New era dawns for island's roadsApril saw the dawn of a new era as Isle of Wight Council and RingwayIsland Roads launched a partnership to overhaul the island’s highways
infrastructure for the next quarter century.
New HQ: Transport Secretary
Patrick McLoughlin cuts the tape
In the first six months Island Roads:• surfaced over 60,000km2 of road• installed 2,400 new LED streetlights• kept 21,195km of road swept• repaired 5,000 highway defects• responded to 13,000 enquiries• undertook 13,484 safety inspections
insight PFI
76
insight PFI
Hounslow Highways – the £800 million Private Finance Initiative (PFI)partnership between the London Borough of Hounslow, VINCIConcessions and Ringway Hounslow Highways Ltd – took overresponsibility for improvementsand maintenance of the entirestreet scene ‘from fence tofence’ on January 1st 2013.
Supported by VINCIConcessions, RingwayHounslow Highways is theoperating company that willbring the worst roads andfootways up to standardwithin five years and themodernisation of all street lighting in the first 30 months of the 25-yearcontract.
Hounslow was soon a hive of activity as work got underway on roadsurfacing schemes, installation of more efficient LED lighting, and a newstreet cleansing regime - which saw well-equipped crews raise thestandard of cleanliness on the borough’s streets.
At the same time a new office base and expanded depot were underconstruction at Bridge Road in the centre of the borough. It wascompleted at the end of May, providing a new home and depot formore than 150 council operatives and staff who transferred to RingwayHounslow Highways, alongside existing Ringway people.
Jubilee House is an energy-efficient building with extensive welfarefacilities, including showers, a canteen and training room. “Having thewhole team, including the Operations Hub, under one roof hasreinforced our ‘One Team’ approach to service delivery,” says RobGillespie, Service Director for Ringway Hounslow Highways.
“We have a mammoth task ahead but this is a very excitingopportunity to make major and lasting improvements to the streets andinfrastructure of Hounslow, and we’re already making great headway,”he adds.
Road resurfacing is being spearheaded by a sophisticated Sprayjetpaver (see page 13), which was first deployed on January 8th inIsleworth. By the middle of the year, over 112,000m2 of roads were
resurfaced andover 71,000m2 offootwaysreconstructed –more than fourtimes the totalamount offootway workcarried out inthe borough in thethree previous years. More than 76% of footways will be treated in thefirst five years and 85% of carriageways; the remainder benefit fromroutine maintenance and treatment later in the PFI contract.
The same period saw more than 2,000 street lights replaced withbrighter, more environmentally friendly LED lanterns. In all, 16,000 willbe installed and managed by a central computer system to optimiseservice and energy efficiency.
Technology is also streamlining the road repairs service. Thecombination of Operations Hub, road gangs equipped with hand- heldPDA devices, and a fleet tracking system has improved emergencyresponse. It also keeps the CONFIRM asset management systemupdated. This covers 259 miles of roads and 458 miles of footpaths,associated structures and street furniture.
Improving street cleanliness is another high priority. “We’ve investedin a state-of-the-art cleansing fleet and improved the service,” saysRebecca Mastrogiannis, Environmental Services & Sustainability Manager.Every road is cleaned at least once every two weeks. Teams comprise astreet cleaner who removes litter from footways, a compact sweepertackling litter and detritus in channels, and a large Johnson sweepercleansing the main streets. “We are developing a new routing system sowe can advise residents of the day their road will be cleaned, anddeveloping community programmes toencourage locals to look after theirnew roads and footways,” she adds.
They can look forward to streets thatwill be brighter and better maintainedas well as cleaner.
“I’m enjoying being a part ofsomething new and innovative.
As a resident I’m lookingforward to seeing structured
improvements in the network,which will be very welcome.”
Tehmina Khan, Community Enforcement
Officer
“I was concerned about thepersonal changes (with) the PFI andmy new role. But it’s been fun and Irelish a new challenge. Hopefully the
PFI will result in a proactive rather thanreactive response to the problems in
the borough.Mandy Clifford,
Finance Assistant – Payroll
Residents in Hounslow arewitnessing the early stagesof the massive investmentthat will transform thewest London borough’sroad network.
Investmentflows in
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The team responsible for the Group’sinformation and communication technology(ICT) is expanding to enhance support forinternal users and clients.
ICT re-boot meansbetter user support
Green light forsafer night work
“The world of information technology haschanged,” says Ian Slesser, who wasappointed Group ICT Director in August tolead the restructuring. “Our reliance on ITand the demands from clients haveincreased. So our ICT team is beingrestructured to better support those needs.”
Recruitment is under way, and by the endof the first quarter of 2014, a significantlystrengthened structure will be in place.
It is designed to provide three mainbenefits:
• specialist skills in-house that build resilience,• a new support model both for internal users and clients,• management of delivery to ensure timely, first-class service.
Until the summer, Ian had project-managed ICT delivery for Ringway’sPFI contracts in Hounslow and the Isle of Wight.
He has worked in the IT field for 22 years, spending the first 10 yearswithin UK police forces before managing IT projects and programmes inboth local government and the private sector. In Lincolnshire CountyCouncil, Ian implemented the highway asset management systemCONFIRM and SAP – both core systems of the Group.
Ian still lives in the county, but spends his working week with the teamin Horsham, apart from visits to divisions.
“My aim is to ensure all our business units have a trusted ICT team thatprovides the technology answers they and clients need,” he stresses.
insight news
Illuminated ‘wands’ are now beingused to guide reversing vehicles onnight-time surfacing works followingsuccessful trials by Eurovia Surfacing.
The new standard banksman’s wand is the result ofcollaboration with the manufacturer and consultation acrossthe division.
The Group’s HSE Steering Committee called for a trial tosee if the wands would be more effective than torches fordirecting drivers of vehicles and plant to manoeuvre safelyafter dark.
Wands with three settings - green, red or flashing red -were first tested in Worcestershire earlier this year. “Driversreported that the wands were clearly visible and the signalseasy to follow,” says Brett Coupland, Eurovia SurfacingOperations Manager.
Several versions were then tested in Essex. A baton typewas chosen in place of the traditional banksman reversingtorches whose round lights can be confused with red brakelights. The trial teams favoured a smaller, compact versionthat fits comfortably into a banksman’s pocket while not inuse.
Another issue was that if dropped when showing green, awand could continue to indicate to a haulier that it was safeto reverse.
“We approached the manufacturer Knightkit and theyagreed that changing the default setting to red would be agood innovation,” says Paul Kidd, Business Manager.“We’re confident that we now have the best solution forthe safe reversing of vehicles during night working.”
EXTREME DRIVING: Gritter drivers areused to extremes. But Mike Edwards, awinter maintenance driver in NorthYorkshire, goes from a maximumspeed of 30mph on gritting duties to160mph-plus when racing flat out onhis racebike.
“Spike” has won four BritishMotorcycling Championships, but thisseason he fractured a vertebra in aheavy crash at Snetterton in Norfolk.Back on the bike, he scored 3rd and4th at Brand’s Hatch a month later,and in September he mounted thepodium again with a win and a 2nd in the Dutch rounds of the marathonDucati 848 Challenge.
Mike enjoys the “immense differences in the challenges” of hiscontrasting driving roles. Ringway is one of his sponsors foraccommodation and travel during the year-long competition. “Mike is avery valued member of the Ringway winter team and it is great that weare able to support him,” says Regional Director John Nicholson.
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6-7 _Layout 1 08/11/2013 09:09 Page 1
Silver lining for Tracy
Various events, and the subsequent removal of
extensive road marking for crowd management,
had scarred the road surface, which needed
rectifying. Instructed by Ringway Jacobs, on behalf
of Transport for London and The Royal Parks,
Eurovia’s Surfacing division carried out the work,
when weather allowed, on a Saturday in March.
Instead of the proposed long weekend, starting
on Friday, Operations Manager Matt Burridge and
his team devised a shorter, carefully choreographed
programme with RJ, the client and TfL to work
around various ceremonies, such as the Changing
of the Guard, and the thousands of tourists.
“Milling started at 7am on Saturday, stopping
for an hour to allow the Changing of the Guard at
11am,” says Matt. “By 1pm we were laying the
surface course, which continued into the night. All
our work was done by 10pm, and the site teams
did an excellent job, delivering over 5,000m2 of red
hot-rolled asphalt and pre-coated chips.”
But for former Purchase Ledger
Assistant Tracy Williams, and her
partner, it was the catalyst for new
jobs in their ideal UK location. Within
six weeks of the announcement,
Tracy was working as Accounts
Assistant on the Isle of Wight, and
her husband, Steven Wallen, has
joined her on the PFI contract. An
umemployed carpenter/joiner back in
his native Devizes, Steven is now an
Island Roads Structures Operative.
Each had happy childhood
memories of summer holidays on the
island, says Tracy, who grew up in
Croydon, London. Having worked for
Island Roads Service Director Paul
Herbert in Wiltshire also facilitated
the move.
“I used to come here as a child
most years. It hasn’t really changed
an awful lot in 20 years,” she says. “I
still love it.
“I would have transferred to
Wiltshire’s new contractor. But having
worked for Ringway for nine years,
and with this opportunity, I wanted
to stay with the company.”
Tracy is enjoying her new job as is
husband Steve, who started in mid-
April.
Colleagues in Devizes gave her a
great send-off, she adds. “It was sad
leaving but I can still keep in touch.”
8 9
insight news
Queen Vicoverseesroyal way'srestoration
While the debate over London’s Olympic legacy may runon, the impact of the Games on Pall Mall and aroundthe Queen Victoria Memorial was clear earlier this year.
The end of a term contract, especially onesuccessfully retained for more than a dozenyears as in Wiltshire, is inevitably disappointingand unsettling for all concerned.
Innovators from across theGroup have scooped threehonours in the regionalfinals of the VINCI 2013Innovation Awards. The VINCI United
Kingdom and Irelandawards were presented at aceremony in London onOctober 24. The three winners are:
• a hand-held pavior lifterdesigned by Andy Pryer ofEurovia Contracting, incollaboration with a supplychain partner, for one-hand
lifting and placingof blocks(Equipment & Toolscategory);• the AOM AssetOptioneeringModel, developedby EuroviaManagement’sKarim Hamza andMichael Wright of
JLUK, for optimisingnetwork treatmentdecisions (Management);and • BEAR Scotland’s gulleywaste dewatering andrecycling system devised byGed Mitchell and EddieRoss (Equipment & Tools).The winners are now in
contention for VINCI’sgrand jury prize for the bestinnovation worldwide,which will be announced inParis on November 21.
Ringway Jacobs is responsiblefor extending Barclays CycleSuperHighway route 2 from Bowto Stratford town centre. Its novel features include six bus
stop bypasses, which allow cycliststo avoid buses; a two-stage rightturn at a dangerous junction; anda cycle early start that enablescyclists to enter the Bowroundabout ahead of other traffic. Ringway Jacobs has undertaken
the detailed design and carried outthe high-profile works under itsLondon Highways AllianceContract (LoHAC) with Transport
for London (TfL).LoHAC is divided into four
contracts across the capital.Ringway Jacobs’ contract coversthe North East and takes in TfLroutes across seven boroughs. The eight-year contract began in
April. It is an integrated design-and-build contract encompassingpavements, footways, signs,lighting, street furniture andstructures; winter service andcleansing; plus inspections. More than 100 staff and
operatives deliver the work from adepot in Bow Common anddesign office in Southwark.Under LoHAC, boroughs can for
the first time avail of commonspecifications to achieveconsistency in the quality of workson their roads, along withefficiencies and savings.The London Borough of
Haringey commissioned RingwayJacobs to deliver highwaymaintenance services andimprovement schemes underLoHAC’s ‘call-off’ arrangements.
This contract began in July andruns for three years.Services to the borough –
including road repairs, streetlighting, fencing and gullycleaning, and design and buildwork – are provided from depotsin Haringey and Bow Common,with support from the Southwarkdesign team.Ringways Jacobs is committed
to investing in new technologiesand equipment that help improveservice. Early summer saw the trialof a wall-washing vehicle in atunnel on the A12 in Wanstead, inRedbridge borough. As an efficient method for
keeping tunnel surfaces clean, thisshould reduce the cost of routinemaintenance and improve theperformance of tunnel lightingand drivers’ experience. “This isjust one example of how we areplanning ahead to make a positiveimpact both in reduced delays andcosts through this contract,” saysTony Cleary, Structures and TunnelsAgent.
Across the county of Essex, more than 750assets make up that Intelligent TransportSystem (ITS). In April, Ringway Jacobs –which had been managing highways andstreetlighting maintenance for a year – tookover responsibility for the ITS infrastructureas well. Both contracts run until 2022.Ringway Jacobs oversees the day-to-day
care of these assets – which range fromjunction signals and CCTV cameras to busgates, car park vehicle counters and theflyover control system at the Army & Navyroundabout in Chelmsford, which canchange the direction of travel over theflyover at set times of the day.“All these sites are monitored using a fault
reporting system that automatically sendsmessages notifying the team of malfunctions
of the equipment,” explains Liz Burr, Headof Network and Safety. “This message isthen investigated and the ITS teamdispatches a maintenance engineer to repairfaults on site.”The repairs are carried out by supply chain
partner Siemens under a 7-day-a-weekcontract. On average, the team deals withmore than 200 faults per month.Ringway Jacobs is
also responsible forITS design andinstallation (D&I) fornew schemes(identified by LocalHighways Panels),and manages thecounty council’s
annual asset refurbishment budget.The D&I team plays an important role too
in supporting their counterparts in networkmanagement and the county council’s TrafficManagement Centre.They do this by investigating network
delays, intervening using existing ITS systemsand designing new ITS solutions to improvejourney times.
The smooth running of a highway network depends on another network –one of signals, crossings, electronic signs, and detection systems that monitor,direct and manage the passage of vehicles and people.
LoHAC's cycle of innovation
Managing the 'intelligent' network in Essex
Innovative safetymeasures forcyclists havebeen installed byRingway Jacobsin east London aspart of a majorimprovementscheme nownearingcompletion.
Keep left: bypass for bikes
1110
The film, called Consequences, highlights
the harrowing experience of Eurovia
employees injured or otherwise involved in
serious incidents at work. But its emotive
interviews also focus on the subsequent
wider impact on families, friends and work
colleagues that can be immeasurable.
Consequences was launched on Eurovia
International Safety Day 2013 at the end of
May. Copies
have since
been made
available to
members of
the Highway
Term
Maintenance
Association,
at a nominal
£100 fee
with
proceeds
going to
charity.
The film
opens with
Scott
Wardrop,
who
shares his concerns
about the incidents. The Group’s Managing
Director makes clear that such safety lapses
are unacceptable and he exhorts everyone
to redouble their efforts to provide a safe
place of work for all. “We have to get to
the root causes – we have to make a
difference,” he says.
Six serious incidents are featured in the
film. “We must thank all those who have
taken part in the making of this thought-
provoking film with the aim of making
Eurovia a safer place to work,” says Dave
Campbell, Group Health Safety and
Environment Director.
A thought-provoking safety DVDmade by the Group is beingshared with the highways industryin an effort to prevent injuries.
Over the whole of last year the Group had 46 incidents and 296
reported near misses in this category.
This year, by the end of September, a total of
68 incidents were attributed to slips, trips or
falls and there were a further 338 near
misses. Over 12 months that would equate
to a 98% increase in this category of
incidents.
“This is very worrying,” says Dave
Campbell, HS&E Director. “We must act
upon this information. Especially as we head
into the winter months.”
The first priority is to assess work areas to
identify trip hazards and wet surfaces, not
neglecting work areas at height. General
housekeeping can also help reverse this
trend, he stresses. “Don’t walk past an untidy area in the office or
out in the depot. A tidy site is a safe site and we all have a part to
play.”
While many of these incidents have been quite minor, they can
be very serious. Out of the 68 incidents, eight have been RIDDOR-
reportable.
“We must get control and reverse this trend. In most cases it is
an easy fix to prevent what could be a very serious incident,” Dave
adds. “Look out and look after each other by making Eurovia a
safe place to work.”
When an incident occurs at any of our worksites, we need to learn from whathas happened, writes Dave Campbell, HSE Director. So it is criticallyimportant that we carry out a thorough incident investigation. The aim is not only to identify the
immediate cause of incidents but also their
underlying causes, so the right
recommendations can be made and put into
action to prevent similar incidents happening
again. This is why we are training
investigation teams across the Group.
Each division has been tasked with putting
forward a squad of budding investigators
who will be trained in the techniques required
for a successful investigation. Following any
incident, the divisional manager will pick the
most appropriate team from his squad of
trained people to carry out the investigation.
The squad needs to be diverse. It should
include operational staff as well as people
within the division who have expertise in
certain key areas. It is good to include office-
based staff and, above all, members of the
workforce with first-hand knowledge of how
our work is carried out.
Our investigators are trained in how to take
a statement and how to interview a witness,
which are two separate activities. They also
learn how to complete the incident
investigation toolkits and review the evidence
they have gathered.
An important part of the training is to
understand how a team works. What
individual strengths does each person bring to
the table in order to make the team function
properly?
Ten courses have been run so far with
positive feedback from the delegates. More
courses are in the pipeline as each division
puts names forward.
The proof of the success of the training will
be in the quality of investigations - and the
impact on our safety performance.
We need trained investigators
‘Ton up’ for Managing Safety course
insight health & safety
Safety training passed a significant milestone in May of this year with
the delivery of the Group’s 100th Managing Safety course.
Designed, developed and delivered in-house, the course was
launched in 2002 to the senior management team. Since then, the
two-day programme has been revised and fine-tuned to suit the realities
of the business. Over its 11 years more than 2,000 managers,
supervisors, client representatives and supply chain partners have
benefitted from this training.
Its central theme is that managing safety is a core responsibility of the
day job for managers at all levels in every division and on every site.
Group Managing Director Scott Wardrop shared his views on safety
with the delegates in Southampton.
The course, which includes a module on managing change, has
helped foster the Group’s safety culture and behavioural change. This in
turn has driven significant improvement in safety performance. The
number of lost-time incidents Group-wide has plummeted by 84%
since the course’s introduction.
Delegates complete a personal action plan setting out the steps they
will take to enhance the way safety is managed in their part of the
business. They also take away a course manual for ongoing reference.
A series of tailor-made DVDs were developed to support the course,
which is accredited by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents.
Slips and falls on the riseSlips, trips and falls at work are onthe increase, so much so that theGroup is facing a near doubling inthe annual toll of these incidents in2013, the HS&E team is warning.
Film for thought
10-11_Layout 1 31/10/2013 18:12 Page 1
1312
insight contracts
A Lean review – carried out jointly by
Shropshire council and Ringway – inspired a
successful pilot, before the Hedge 2 Hedge
service was rolled out countywide.
The review centred on the Community
Road Care Team (CRCT) budget. “There was
a massive number of job orders being
processed so that it was clogging up the
system and people’s time,” says Steve
Hartland, Ringway’s Hub Manager.
By stripping out non-essential steps in the
entire process – from identifying a defect
through to its final repair – it was possible to
remove a lot of bureaucracy. “For what is a
relatively simple defect repair, the end-to-end
administration process involved many steps,
individuals and system applications, many of
these adding little value to the finished
output."
The joint team redesigned the service –
“from Joe Public’s perspective” – to deliver
timely repairs, right first time, without
temporary reinstatements necessitating
subsequent visits. Hedge 2 Hedge gangs
follow a predetermined route, which enables
public engagement as the schedule is visible
and known to all stakeholders. Gangs are
also empowered to take a proactive ‘total
locality’ approach, solving both highways
and streetscene problems encountered in the
area.
Examples include straightening sign plates,
tree and hedge management, cutting ‘grips’
in the grass verge to allow water run-off,
small-scale fly-tipping, or repairing less
serious potholes before they deteriorate
further and necessitate return visits.
As well as creating visible improvements,
the Hedge 2 Hedge approach is more
responsive to ‘customer’ enquiries and it is
proving more cost-effective as productivity
has increased, says Steve.
“The cost per defect is considerably
cheaper, and the number of defects repaired
in a day has also increased substantially.”
Mobilisation and travel accounted for a large
part of the CRCT service’s cost, and back-
office staff time has also been freed up for
more productive tasks. The number of
reactive orders processed annually will fall
from 18,500, instructing some 37,000
defects a year, to just a few hundred.
Road gangs also prefer the new way of
working. “They and residents can see a
bigger improvement, which develops their
own pride of place,” he says.
Ringway, which took over the term
maintenance contract in April last year, has
now extended this approach across the
whole county with 20 - 25 Hedge 2 Hedge
gangs now in place, responding to local
demand.
‘Hedge 2 Hedge’ gangs trim costsRoad gangs in Shropshire are fixing various defects they find in the vicinitiesof repairs under a newly streamlined approach to network maintenance.
IAN STEPHENSON Ganger Grade 4, RingwayNorth Yorkshire
SERVICE: Joined Ringway NorthYorkshire in April last year underTUPE.
THE JOB: “I really enjoy the varietyof work: one week you can beworking on a drainage schemeand the next you are cobbling in
one of the market towns.”
BY THE WAY… Ian is a keenNewcastle United supporter andwatches them play whenever hegets a chance. He keeps fitwalking in the North YorkshireMoors.
“Since joining
the company a year
ago, Ian has really shown his
commitment and pride in his
work. He always drives his gang
to achieve the targets set for them
whilst delivering the high standard
of workmanship the client expects
from Ringway”.
– David Langford
Contract Manager
(Richmond & Thirsk) Ringway
Infrastructure Se
rvices
PHOTO: Steve Pryce
During the recession, work to install or
upgrade CCTV systems slumped as
companies went to the wall or withheld
investment, and local authority budgets were
squeezed.
But last year Eurovia’s CCTV division posted
some very positive results.
“We increased turnover by more than 50%
and maintained our margins,” says Tony
Dougal, Eurovia Business Manager. Recovery
in construction output has helped increase
demand for CCTV products. But he puts the
achievement down to hard work by his
engineers and staff, and the division’s
inherent strengths.
“Our team’s reputation is second to none
in the industry. We are known for our client
care focus, aiming to exceed expectations and
delivering affordable solutions.”
The division employs two lead engineers
and eight CCTV engineers, supported by a
further 12 at a new base near Heathrow.
They are trained in all types of CCTV
protocols and equipment, accredited to
Highways Sector Scheme 8, and security-
cleared by police. And following the
restructuring of Eurovia Infrastructure, a cross-
training programme with the Airports South
team has enhanced the division’s capabilities
in structured cabling and fibre-optic
installations.
Eurovia Infrastructure’s supply chain also
confers an important advantage. “We are
able to offer services provided by small
specialists as well as major manufacturers
such as Honeywell and Siemens. So we can
offer larger discounts than the smaller players
and a more personalised, hands-on approach
than larger rivals.”
The division also boasts a successful track
record of delivering complex projects such as
last year’s relocation of the Royal Greenwich
CCTV control room. This scheme, worth over
£1 million, has been followed by a similar
contract for Southend Borough Council.
London’s boroughs of Bromley, Lewisham,
Merton and Lambeth, and the Metropolitan
Police Service, are also major clients along
with Transport for London’s Tyco contract.
Merton and the Met have recently granted
contract extensions.
The UK has an estimated 4.2 million CCTV
cameras. But the market is not saturated, and
30% growth is forecast between 2012 and
2016. The threats of terrorism, crime and
anti-social behavior are not going away. Many
analogue CCTV systems are ripe for
conversion to digital. “There is also huge
potential to upgrade to IP (internet protocol)
technology and wireless systems,” Tony adds.
“In the last few months we’ve seen an
increase in tenders for CCTV installations.”
Eurovia Infrastructure is also expanding its
capabilities to offer integration of access
management (including perimeter control),
fire and intruder alarm systems. Private sector
targets include petro-chemical companies,
port authorities and water companies.
The Heathrow Airport base provides a
platform for expanding into north-west
London. “We are also developing our
relationships with VINCI Facility Management
and other parts of the Eurovia Group,” he
says. Through VINCI, collaborative working
agreements have been struck with global
security specialist Restrata and engineering
consultants Parsons Brinkerhoff.
The CCTV division already works closely
with sister companies HIS in Hounslow,
Airports South and Ringway Hertfordshire.
“We’ve recently started remote-monitoring of
the Herts depots using our ADPRO Fast Trace
2 software, and we are keen to roll this out
to the rest of the Group,” says Tony.
Investments this year – in access towers
and trucks, an asset management system,
help desk and tablet computers; and
improvements to the Slade Green workshop –
will support the Eurovia business's growth.
CCTV division wired for growth
insight profile
The CCTV market was not spared by the slump. Yet Eurovia Infrastructure’sspecialist division is growing again and the prospects are bright.
The last Insight reported that Eurovia Surfacing had taken innovative
Sprayjet pavers into its fleet for the Isle of Wight and Hounslow PFI
contracts. Here’s a bit of the technical insight behind our choice of the
SprayJet.
THE BASICS: It’s a tracked paver with an integrated bond coat spray
tanker. Normally there are two separate pieces of mobile plant – a spray
tanker and a paver. Combining them dispenses with the need for
additional plant on site, and in a single pass the paver applies both the
bond coat (‘tack coat’ to some – but don’t say it in Neil Huntington’s
hearing!) and the asphaltic surface.
What are the benefits? No waiting for the bond coat to break/cure.
Site delivery vehicles and operatives don’t have to drive or walk over it.
With a 2,000-litre tank, around 2,850m2 can be laid (at 0.7 litres per
metre) before refilling. And delivery is more precise.
HOW DOES IT WORK? The paver has a very smart ‘brain’. As it
progresses down the paving site, the tank is pressurised and only
‘opened’ once the paver has moved sufficiently for the spray nozzles to
be in position. The spray system automatically adjusts to the speed of
the paver and width of the pave (up to 5m). This is essential when
paving widths are changed to maintain a homogeneous coating ready
for the asphalt layer.
The nozzles are so arranged – some at the front and others behind
the tracks – to avoid tracking over the bond-coat layer before the
asphalt layer is applied.
WHY IS IT LIKE A PRINTER? The sprayjet system has proportional
control of the spray volumes through a variable-speed, shut-off system
on each nozzle. Essentially the nozzles operate like the cartridge on your
inkjet printer, pulsing on or off, rather than emitting a continuous spray
like older-generation pavers. Constant pressure within the system is
maintained, considerably less bond coat is atomised into the air, and
delivery is cleaner.
14 15
insight e-kit
This edition’s E-Kit is mainly abouthow we get the most bangs for ourbucks – and a 3D printer for roads(sort of!). Richard Carson, GroupPlant & Fleet Manager, reports.
All about thepayback...
2013 got off to a great start with the strong backing of our parent
Eurovia SA for the Group’s capital expenditure programme. But you
won’t be surprised to hear that we have to be prudent with our
capital spend, especially in these extreme economic times.
The payback mechanism is depreciation – but the key to value
for money is choosing the right kit and making the most of its
operational life by working smarter on profitable jobs.
Here’s the ‘five-point efficiency check’ every request for
investment must pass:
1. Can the need be met with used/second-hand equipment
(internal or external to the Group)?
2. Have we identified and included any health and safety benefits?
3. What adaptations or options could reduce our impact on the
environment?
4. What resources can we save (eg, reduced fuel or water usage)?
5. How can we reduce the capital cost?
Everyone involved in the process has a responsibility to maximise
each point and ensure we have a clear and definitive specification
for suppliers.
We then have a choice: we can either procure in a traditional
way – three quotes and make a decision relatively quickly – or go
to tender. This is more time-consuming for both Eurovia and
suppliers, but does
afford strict deadlines
and exacting price
and penalty clauses.
In general, for
single purchases the
quotation route is
favourable; while
with bulk or
multiple items
tendering is the
preferred route.
Tracking CapExEveryone can now follow the capex
progress of each division. We have set
up a dedicated intranet page. On NEVA,
click on Plant & Fleet on the side menu,
then CAPEX. You have 100% visibility of
every division’s capital requests, when
submitted, why there’s any delay, and if
they’ve been quoted and ordered.
Paver that thinks like a printer
• REDUCED FUEL
CONSUMPTION –
The vehicle replaces
7.5t variants
predominantly.
However, due to the
Iveco’s additional payload
(470kg), in many cases we can do without the small
3.5t support vehicle for carrying additional road
closure signage. Not only have we cut
fuel consumption with the
smaller engine, we can also
avoid or reduce the fuel
use and emissions
associated with a 3-litre
support vehicle!
• REDUCED IMPACT ON
THE ENVIRONMENT – This
does not necessarily mean
lower emissions, although the
vehicle does have a lower
calculated CO2
footprint. In this
case reduced noise pollution is the big environmental plus.
Our 7.5t-tonners produce around 67 decibels, the
Iveco 70C170 emits 61db – a significant reduction given
the logarithmic scale used to measure sound. This is a
major benefit as traffic management vehicles are generally
working in built-up areas where we aim to reduce public
aggravation.
• IMPROVED HEALTH &
SAFETY – The cab design
allows the operator and driver
to exit the vehicle via the near
side. This simple action removes the
risk of contact with live traffic. Additionally, it’s a
‘lower slung’ vehicle, so you can comfortably step
inside, minimising the ‘slip, trip and fall’ hazard!
Our new workhorse for trafficmanagement is a perfect exampleof our efficiency principles in action.We have moved traffic management operations from
traditional 7.5t vehicles with 4.5-litre engines to smaller 7t
‘uprated’ vans equipped with 3.0-litre units. Here’s why the
7.0t Iveco Daily 70C170 meets the four criteria of our total
efficiency principle:
• THE BOTTOM LINE –
This was the easiest part
to analyse: the vehicle is
some £8,000 cheaper, and
has a significantly shorter
delivery time than a
traditional 7.5t commercial
vehicle.
... and our Daily efficiency
“We would like to thank everyone who took part in the Employee Survey 2013,”
says Kristine Pollock, Group Human Resources Director. “Your responses, which remain
completely confidential, are being analysed by our specialist consultants. They will
report back key themes and findings to us and we hope to publish the main findings
from the survey before the end of the year.”
The report will outline the overall results, key trends since the last survey in 2009,
and measurements of engagement.
“Having shared the results, we will then need to consider what actions we can take
in 2014 based on the feedback received.”
Last year saw a major investment
at the facility, which supplies much
of the Group’s surfacing
operations as well as many
external customers operating
across East and South-East
England.
Months of planning
culminated in July 2012 with
the installation of a drier to
enable the plant to use the
recycled road materials in the process.
The commissioning phase of the £1.8
million project was timed to coincide with the
Olympic Games, when there was a drop-off
in highway surfacing activity, so as to
minimise any disruption for Roadstone
customers.
Recycling of the road starts with the planer,
which removes the old asphalt and deposits it
into the back of a lorry. At the asphalt depot,
these planings are screened and crushed to
make a consistent Recycled Apshalt Planings
(RAP) feed material for the asphalt plant.
Dagenham’s new drier and associated
equipment enable this RAP to be introduced
into the mixing process. It replaces virgin
aggregates and bitumen, thus reducing the
carbon footprint of the asphalt.
Essentially, the RAP unit – like its
counterpart handling virgin aggregates – is a
large cylindrical, rotating drum designed to
dry and heat material to the required
temperature to make asphalt.
The RAP dryer now dominates the
Dagenham site from its position above the
main plant. Since successful trials and testing
last autumn, the RAP unit has been operating
as an integrated part of the asphalt plant.
RAP can replace up to 50% of the stone
content of base and binder courses, and 10%
of surface layers, but this varies from scheme
to scheme.
Replacing aggregates with reclaimed
materials makes environmental sense by
reducing the industry’s reliance on quarrying
virgin materials.
“Traditional attitudes are changing and it’s
starting to become the norm,” says Ian
Burrows, Operations Manager (pictured, left)
Reducing the carbon footprint of highway
materials has become increasingly important
to Roadstone customers, says Nadine
Robinson, Eurovia Roadstone Sales Manager.
They are under pressure from their clients to
reduce environmental impacts.
“By incorporating RAP into our materials,
both our customers and their clients are
making a very significant contribution to
achieving their carbon reduction targets.”
Crucially, this is being done without
compromising performance, Nadine adds.
“The inclusion of higher proportions of RAP
into our materials has prompted no adverse
comments about quality or performance, and
the transition has been smooth. RAP is here
to stay as a valued resource in highway
surfacing.”
Auto enrolment is the result of a new law
designed to ensure that all eligible
employees automatically become members
of a workplace pension scheme, into which
both employer and employee must
contribute.
Our first company affected will be
Ringway Infrastructure Services, and the
scheme will begin at the start of 2014. All
other Group companies will follow at
different times between 2014 and 2017.
So what will happen? Any employee who
is not already in a company pension that
they contribute to, will be auto-enrolled in a
pension if they are aged between 22 and 65
and earn enough to pax tax. Your
contributions will be taken from your pay,
and the Group will also contribute.
You will be written to before the date you
are due to join the scheme (known as the
staging date). You will have the chance to
opt out, but only after the first deductions
have been taken. Anyone who opts out will
be re-enrolled after three years, at which
time they can opt out again.
This is an opportunity to start to build a
pension pot if you have not already started
to save for retirement.
16 17
insight peopleinsight investment
Thanks for taking part
PHOTO: Spencer Griffiths
You may have seen TVadverts about pensionauto enrolment, butwhat does it mean?
NADINE ROBINSON Sales Manager, Eurovia Roadstone
SERVICE: Joined the company in 2001as a Sales Ledger Clerk.
THE JOB: “In the current economicclimate my role is very challengingbut I absolutely love it. Nothingmatches the thrill of securing workand upsetting our competitors in theprocess!! Customer service is very
important to me; the majority of mytime is spent building relationshipswith our clients and ensuring theyare happy. This is the most satisfyingaspect of my role.”
BY THE WAY… “I am a big fan and aseason ticket holder at ArsenalFootball Club.”
“Nadine thrives
on the day-to-day
challenges of her role. Her
passion for service and quality is
legendary, always encouraging us
all to aspire for better. She is a tea
m-
player who is always willing to lend
a hand, but doesn’t pull her
punches when things are not to
the standard she expects for
our customers.”
– Pat Riley, Direc
tor,
Eurovia Roadst
one
It’s good to give… Do you know that the Group will give you up to two days’
paid leave each year volunteering for a local community
project or registered charity?
And if you have your own idea for a project, let your
Corporate Responsibility Champion or line manager know.
A local committee
will look at every
proposal to see it
fits with the
Group’s aims, such
as: conservation,
environment
regeneration,
supporting schools
and youth centres,
and community
groups.
…and it’s nice to gainAs part of the Group, you are also entitled to share in a variety of
offers and discounts. A
dedicated website lists more
than 8,000. They range from
retail vouchers to cheap
cinema tickets and a
supermarket card for a
cheaper weekly shop.
Browse the selection –
covering travel and
attractions, health and
wellbeing, fashion and
gifts, utilities and motoring,
home and entertainment – at:
www.personalgroupbenefits.com/ringwayeurovia
Everyone needsa pension plan
VolunteeringBuilding bridges withcommunities –priceless!
Holiday discounts
You’re spoilt for choice
with 750 tour operators
to choose from!
Recovered and recycled road materials are playingan increasing part in the production of hot asphaltat the Eurovia Roadstone plant in Dagenham.
The views and opinions of employees across theGroup are now being analysed and the findingswill be reported later this year.
Why RAPis ontherise
Twenty-one employees –
including four apprentices – have
joined the team that began the
new contract in October last year.
It was tendered jointly with that
of neighbouring Shropshire, which
started six months earlier. Their
proximity allows for greater
efficiencies, for example, in
management of the commercial
fleet and annual surface treatment
programmes.
For reactive maintenance,
Ringway and CWaC staff agree the
following day’s work assignments
to each of nine community road
care teams. “We also jointly agree
the target output for the gangs
and this is driving their
productivity,” says Jason Suffolk,
Ringway Operations Manager. “The
system is working extremely well
and the benefits of co-location are
clearly evident.”
As with Shropshire, the contract
covers street lighting, fleet
management and maintenance,
highways, and grounds
maintenance for 185 schools.
The annual resurfacing
programme got off to an
immediate start last year, and badly
needed works to refurbish roads
damaged in previous winters were
completed successfully. In all, £5.5
million worth of work was
delivered by the end of the council
financial year on 31st March 2013.
Ringway is now working on
high-profile civil engineering
projects in Chester city centre and
Northwich town centre.
1918
Ringway has marked its first anniversary maintaining the roads and footwaysfor Cheshire West and Chester Council by recruiting local people to deliverthat ongoing investment.
PHOTOS: Steve Pryce
insight news
in
sh
or
t AAA RATED:
The
Association of
Air
Ambulances
received a
donation from
Eurovia Group
in February.
Paul Goosey
(right),
Divisional Director of Eurovia Specialist Treatments, handed over a
cheque for £1,000 to AAA National Director Clive Dickin. This was the
total raised by staff at the head office 2012 Christmas party in
Horsham, with match funding from the company. The air
ambulances’ representative also carried off another cheque, for the
£250 raised separately by EST employees for the association.
A57 ON TRACK: A major road
improvement scheme in
Rotherham is on track for
completion in January. Eurovia
Contracting (North) is main
contractor for Rotherham
Metropolitan Borough Council’s
£10.5 million scheme. It
involves realignment and
dualling of the 2km Worksop to
Sheffield Road route and
construction of a five-arm
roundabout, recently
completed. The work, which
began in September last year, is
on schedule despite last
winter’s adverse weather.
Local workforce expands todeliver Cheshire investment
ON THE DOUBLE: Surface
dressing records were broken
this summer as Eurovia
Specialist Treatments completed
a high-profile scheme on the
A41 Tring Bypass in
Hertfordshire. More than
86,000m2 of double surface
dressing was laid on this
important route in one
weekend. The county council’s
project manager Steve Palmer
hailed the “fantastic
achievement”, which required
careful planning and
coordination of the EST and
Euromark teams.
t
PHOTO: Scott Pilkington
Stronger and wiser, North Yorks girds up for another blast
Ringway North Yorkshire is heading into its second full winter with astrengthened fleet and the confidence that stems from its performancein challenging conditions last time.
JUSTIN FISCHBACH Euromark Production& Sales Manager
SERVICE: 21 years’ experience in theroadmarking and manufacturingsectors; TUPE’d to Euromark in 2012.
THE JOB: “I am really enjoying theEuromark ethos – the culture of thecompany is very much a big family withwell set values, with no barriers to
communicating at all levels. I amrelishing all the day-to-day variedchallenges of my role.”
BY THE WAY… Justin has become a“born-again cyclist” with the ambitionto complete the C2C Route(Whitehaven to Sunderland) this year.
“Justin is a
dedicated profes
sional
manager. He has pla
yed a
major part in the re
location of
the thermoplastic
manufacturing
plant from Normanton to
Bradford,
which was successfully co
mpleted
to both program
me and budget
during Q4 in 201
2.”
– George Daville
Director
Euromark Limit
ed
Ringway’s first 12 months in the county
were book-ended by blasts of arctic weather
in April 2012 and a year later.
In that latter spell, highways North
Yorkshire – the partnership of client and
contractor – battled temperatures as low as
minus 13 degrees, heavy snow and high
winds to keep North Yorkshire’s main arterial
roads open.
“It’s recognised that our performance last
year was a strength,” says John Nicholson,
who took over as Ringway Regional Director
in the summer. “And we’ve learnt from that
experience; we’re prepared for what some
expect will be another severe winter.”
Another six all-wheel-drive trucks arrived in
the spring, joining more than 90 gritters that
completed over 1,200 runs during that last
freezing fortnight at the end of March 2013,
when they spread 10,000t of salt.
Ringway had invested £6.5 million in
vehicles and equipment, plus Masternaut
tracking systems, at the start of the contract,
which will run for between six and 10 years.
For its part, the county council purchased new
radio sets and base stations, and upgraded
transmitters.
John acknowledges the contribution of
staff and gritter drivers. “The commitment of
the workforce, working long hours and doing
a great job in testing conditions was crucial.”
They also rose to the challenge of
responding to rainstorms and flash floods in
July, which caused several landslips.
Despite these operational challenges,
Ringway has effectively delivered a
significantly expanded capital programme of
improvement schemes, says Divisional
Manager Phil Jepps. “In Year 1, we also
contributed more than 200 volunteering days
and £30,000 of community works.”
But, he adds: “We can’t rest on past
results. Our core performance indicators
dictate if years are lopped off, or clawed back,
under our contract.”
18-19_Layout 1 31/10/2013 18:09 Page 1
Hertfordshire is gearing up for winterfollowing Ringway’s investment of more than£3 million in its maintenance fleet.
The first year of the EasternHighways Alliance ended ona high note for EuroviaContracting with three moreawards – and a street party.
21
Well equipped Herts in right place for winter
Easternpromisebears fruit
20
insight contracts
All environmental data on the Group’s
activities is analysed and audited. The
results inform and influence business
planning and strategy.
So far, the data compiled for the first half
of 2013 shows some encouraging progress
while also underlining the immense
challenges facing businesses like ours as we
strive to reduce our environmental impacts.
A useful indicator of how businesses
contribute to climate change is ‘carbon
intensity’. This relates the carbon dioxide
emissions (measured in tonnes) arising from
a company’s activities to its turnover. In the
six months to the end of June 2013, the
figure for the Group was just under 78.6t
per £1 million of turnover. This indicates a
reduction in carbon intensity compared
with 2012 – when the annual figure was
98t CO2 per £1 million sales.
Which parts of the Group generate the
highest emissions? Not surprisingly, the
energy required to produce asphalt
materials means Eurovia Roadstone has the
highest carbon intensity, at 355t per £m
sales. It is followed by Shropshire, Island
Roads and Eurovia Airport Services.
We also monitor how we use and
manage materials and resources – for
example, by diverting waste away from
landfill. By June our diversion rate reached
99%. This is a great achievement.
On the supply side, recycling levels are
much lower. Last year less than 8% of the
materials we purchased had been recycled
or had recycled content. Again there was
notable progress in the first half of 2013,
when 11.5% of all materials purchased
were of recycled stock.
We hope to be able to report progress in
these and other areas when we have all the
data in for the full year.
If you can’t measure it, then you can’t manage it – so the business
mantra goes. Which is why we are trialling a new tool for reporting
important environmental information.
This web-based tool has been developed and trialled in France by
our parent, Eurovia SA. We are the first to take this Bridge
environmental reporting tool and implement it in the UK.
The Bridge software is used online to capture environmental data
not already recorded in Kheops, which gathers mainly financial
information.
Examples of the kind of information that Bridge collects include:
• Water consumed from standpipes/bowsers
• Recycled aggregate planings (RAP) produced
• Certifications to ISO standards
This information is merged – using an online report – with
Kheops data to give us a more comprehensive picture of our
environmental impacts.
Of course the accuracy of the information is crucial and we will
only achieve success if the information entered into Kheops and
Bridge is accurate. While this trial is underway, we will continue
using existing methods of data gathering as a backup. The first
reports from the new system are now being generated for the last
quarter of 2013.
This linkage between environmental information and operational
and financial data is important. After all, we believe at Eurovia that
being sustainable directly impacts upon our bottom line –
businesses of the future must be responsible in environmental,
social and economic terms, and must measure and manage all
aspects of their performance.
The new fleet consists of a total of 64
vehicles, including 44 Econ gritters and
specialist vehicles to tackle cycleways and
footways. Their arrival came as Ringway
celebrated the first anniversary of the
highways service term contract in
Hertfordshire.
Ringway Hertfordshire controls budgets
for most road repairs and is responsible
for highway inspections and managing
third-party liability claims – as well as
providing and operating intelligent traffic
systems, street lighting maintenance and
managing the state-of-the-art Integrated
Transport Control Centre (ITCC).
The contract is designed to
streamline the entire highway
service delivery process. “We decide
what to do and how to do it, and
take on an asset management role
in maintenance repairs,” Divisional
Manager Matthew Kelley explains.
“If, for example, Ringway
identifies a failed gully pot that is
generating reactive flood responses,
pothole repairs or public
complaints, we can spend (Cat 2
budget) monies to cure the
underlying problem without going back
to the client for permission.”
The hand-held devices and vehicle
tracking systems used by maintenance
crews relay live information on the
progress of works to the operations hub
located within the ITCC inside County
Hall. This set-up will deliver greater
efficiency in the way resources are
deployed, and improve network
management over time.
“We are already building a better
understanding of the impacts of our
works and the sections of the network
where congestion is created by the works
we undertake,” says Matthew.
Last winter’s extreme conditions made
for a challenging bedding-in period. “The
number of freeze/thaw events coupled
with the wettest year on record wreaked
havoc on the network,” he says. Ringway
Hertfordshire has since “delivered
efficient and effective repairs through the
winter recovery programme”.
The service provider and road users will
be hoping this winter is less severe. But
Ringway Hertfordshire is well equipped to
respond.
Worth another £3 million in total, these
schemes helped the division secure 40% of the
workload delivered under the framework so far.
Cambridgeshire County Council, which has
commissioned most work, awarded Eurovia half of
its surface dressing programme. “Subject to our
performance, we hope to take on the full
programme next year,” says Andrew Tomlins,
Contracts Manager.
In Bedford, Eurovia Contracting is overseeing
the construction of a new car park on a
brownfield site as part of the borough council’s
bus station regeneration scheme.
And in Dunstable, reconstruction of the 1.7km-
long Poynters Road has been completed.
Following early contractor involvement (ECI),
Eurovia delivered all works – including in-situ
recycling of the road sub-base and an additional
25% of footway maintenance – on programme.
Good relations were maintained throughout
with residents, who took advantage of a road
closure for a summer street party. Eurovia and its
partners provided a generator, traffic management
and on-site assistance on the day.
insight sustainability
Bridging the data gapEnvironmental reporting is being stepped up in 2013, and the sustainabilitystats are in for 2012. Group Sustainability Advisor Siobhan Riordan reports.
SUSTAINABILITY DATA SHOWS SCALE OF CHALLENGE
Party time: on Poynters Road
Under the current MHA framework, which
expires in April next year, Eurovia has delivered a
series of prestigious projects starting with the
Loughborough Eastern Gateway.
Supported by Shared Services, the company
has prequalified in a very close second position
for both lots of the new framework. These cover
schemes up to £5 million and £25 million, with a
potential combined value of £261 million.
Highways, public realm and civil engineering
schemes will be delivered through the contract
in a fully open book environment.
“Our prequalification position is testament to
the work done by the division over the last four
years,” says Divisional Director Kevin Graham,
who is the Bid Manager. “It is incredibly
important to us and the Group that we secure a
place on both lots of the new framework and
continue the success story which is the MHA.’’
The bid is currently due to be submitted on
the 25th of November, with an award due in
February 2014.
Thurrock Borough Council awarded
Ringway a four-year contract for the
installation, maintenance and repair of safety
barriers and traffic management systems.
Worth around £200,000 a year, the division’s
third successive term runs until summer 2017.
In September, Ringway’s stewardship of the
A130 was extended until 2029. It manages
and operates the route between the A12 and
A127/A1245 interchanges – the first local
authority road built under the Private Finance
Initiative – on behalf of John Laing’s
CountyRoute.
The new award is worth around £8 million,
with a £12 million long-term resurfacing
programme due to start in 2014.
“Our division is in recovery following the
recent decisions made in Peterborough and
Rutland, so we are maximising all
opportunities that are presented to us,” says
John Upcott, Divisional Director. “These
awards show confidence in our expert teams
and a sustainable future.”
As well as specialist works for Group
companies, the division has winter and other
maintenance work programmed for Fenland
District Council over the next 12 months and
public rights of way work for Rutland County
Council.
The county council
has opted for a
target-cost term
service arrangement,
which will start on
April 1st 2014 and
run until October
2020, with the
potential to extend
by a further six
years.
Worcestershire
County Council
(WCC) is looking
to achieve cost savings through the
contract’s wider scope and innovations in service delivery.
“We set out to maximise our competitive advantage as incumbent,” says Nick
Goddard, Regional Director (West). “Our successful delivery since 2005, including
significant evolution of the contract, informed our offer to WCC. We want to build on
the award-winning partnership we have developed and to take innovation and
efficiency to new levels, minimising costs in these times of austerity.”
The Bid Team worked closely with Divisional Manager Dave Rowley, his operations
team in Worcestershire, and Shared Services in developing strategies for the tender. A
decision is expected around Christmas.
The contract is a first-time
externalisation of the council’s
highway maintenance services,
including highway inspections. Its
chosen partner will also advise on
a £50 million upgrade of the
local network funded by
prudential borrowing.
This will be invested during the
seven-year initial tenure of the
contract as part of a 25-year
asset management plan.
In planning and preparing the
bid, the Ringway team beneffited
from the excellent relationships
already developed by Eurovia
Contracting/Surfacing and the
council through the Midlands
Highway Alliance, and from
JLUK’s expertise developed
through the Group’s PFI
contracts.
The award decision is due early
in December for a target start
date of 27th April 2014.
22 23
insight bids updateRound 2 forMHA framework
Bracknell tenders threecontracts up to 2028 Worcestershire bundles
services to target cost
First time forMilton Keynes
PHOTO: Ian Savage
MICK BUCKLER Bid Manager “Having
joined the Bid
Management Team
in June
2012, Mick has d
emonstrated
excellent commit
ment and passion
for
securing the futu
re of the Group.
Mick
brings an added d
imension to the t
eam,
with maintenanc
e management e
xperience
on both local and
strategic roads, w
hich
contributes great
ly to the operatio
nal
strategies of our
bids.”
– Dan Anderson
Group Bid Mana
ger
SERVICE: Joined Eurovia last year.
THE JOB: “Every bid is different,every client wants something new,every bid team has different skillsand experience – variety is the spiceof life and this job has it all, differentpeople, different personalities, withnew challenges every day and new
things to think about.”
BY THE WAY… Mick and his 18-year-old son Matt are target shootingenthusiasts. “I won the Eleycompetition two years ago at Bisley(National Shooting Centre) and theyupgraded me to B group – haven’tmade the cut since!”
Eurovia Contracting isbidding to extend its highlysuccessful involvement inthe pioneering MidlandsHighways Alliance’sframework for ‘mediumschemes’.
Bids have beeninvited to provide arange of services inBracknell Forest fromOctober 2014.
Ringway’s East MidlandsDivision has won anothercontract in Essexfollowing the extensionin September of itsmaintenance contract forthe A130 in the county.
Milton KeynesCouncil isevaluatingRingway’s bid –submitted inSeptember – tomaintain andimprove highwaysand street lightingunder a newcontract starting inApril 2014.
Tenders have been submitted for a new contractcombining the maintenance services Ringwaycurrently provides for highways and councilvehicles in Worcestershire under two separatecontracts.The new arrangements will cover
highway maintenance and
streetlighting, street cleansing and
grounds maintenance. Contract
duration will be seven years with
potential extensions for up to a further
seven years.
The council has separated the works
into three discrete lots and will decide
whether to bundle these together to
drive efficiency or let separate
contracts.
Ringway currently delivers highways, street cleansing and related services under the council’s
streetcare term contract. It secured the maximum extension of the contract, which began in
2004.
Detailed submissions are being finalised, with contracts due to be awarded after Christmas.
A130 not only way in Essex
POND LIGHT:
Horsham’s Girl Guides
can enjoy their
campsite’s pond after
a team of 10
volunteers cleared
away overgrown
vegetation. Seven staff
from the Group’s head
office were joined by
two Operatives from
Ringway’s Bracknell depot and an Arboriculturalist from
Hounslow Highways. As well as tackling five years’ worth of
unmanaged growth, the team coppiced overhanging ash trees
that were blocking sunlight and restricting the biodiversity of the
area. The Guides now also have a stock of cut wood for use in
craft and camping activities.
IVOR & FRIENDS: Group ambassador
IVOR proved a hit at Todwick Infant &
Primary School in Sheffield where
Eurovia Contracting North colleagues
gave a presentation on site dangers
and careers in construction. Part of
Eurovia’s corporate responsibility
programme, the visit followed the
award of a certificate for best practice
under the Considerate Constructors
Scheme. Eurovia achieved an
exceptional score for ‘Respecting the Community’ on its contract
to dual the A57 between Worksop Road and Sheffield. The
scheme is on course for completion in January (see page 19).
Ringway also gained a CCS certificate for the Cowgate
Enhancement Scheme – widening footpaths with new paving
and lighting – in Peterborough’s historic town centre, completed
this summer.
insight community
Gold standard Valuing corporate responsibility
Hive of activity Investment flows into Hounslow
Investigators wantedLearning from incidents
Sustainability Bridging the data gap
3
6
10
21
Winter2013
Insight is published by Eurovia Group Ltd, Albion House,
Springfield Road, Horsham, West Sussex RH12 2RW
Feedback to: Tracey Elms, Group Marketing & PR Manager.
24
Edited & produced by Silke & Co. E: [email protected] Designed by Tom Thompson Design. E: [email protected]
Printed by Alpine Press Ltd on 9lives paper – manufactured by ISO 14001-certifiedmill from 80% post-consumer recycled fibre and totally chlorine-free pulp from well-managed forests and controlled sources.
magazineNews from Eurovia Group
Also in this issue
Isle of WorkNew era for island'sroads and quarry
We are looking
for more role
models to share
their knowledge of
Science,
Technology,
Engineering and
Maths as STEM
ambassadors,
writes SiobhanRiordan, GroupSustainability
Advisor (and STEM
ambassador).
People across the Group are already volunteering, but we’d like
to have at least one STEM ambassador in every division.
STEM Ambassadors open the door to a new world for young
people, helping them see these subjects and careers with a fresh
perspective by engaging their interest and imagination in new
ways. It’s your chance to make a difference in your community and
strengthen your own communication and presenting skills. And the
company and industry can combat skills shortages by encouraging
more students to pick engineering.
Ambassadors are supported by Stemnet (www.stemnet.org.uk),
which provides training and CRB checks for free. The types of
activities include talking at an after-school club, careers days and
site visits.
Please contact me for more information:
Could you inspire young people to makethe most of their talent and pursue acareer in engineering?
Tomorrow's engineersneed ambassadors insight
CCTV: focused on service
Gearing up in Hertfordshire & North Yorkshire
URBAN ARTWORK: A Bracknell subway has been transformedinto a work of art by local students with the help of Ringwayemployees. Four operatives took time out from the BracknellForest term contract to remove graffiti and paint a base coat onthe walls of the subway. Bracknell College art students thensketched drawings by children from the local Wooden Hill Schooland painted over to create a mural. Local councillor MaryTemperton hailed the five-day project as “a fantastic example ofteamwork”.