1. 1. Steve Farrell Front Cover Picture CALLING KLN COMMUNICA John Henry Pilot Edition | 2015 The Trench Revolution How new expertise means next- gen fibre networks could reach your house twice as quickly Talking Civils Taking Safies Not Selfies How smartphones are changing health and safety Recruitment Taking a look at the skills demands in Civil Engineering Danger On The Road Stepping out onto Britains highways to discover the dangers to civil engineers EXPERT COMMENTARY: How investment in fibre networks is changing Africas future Exploring ANGA COM with our Chief Technical Director, Steve Farrell
2. 2. EDITORS NOTES I TS exciting to be able to welcome you the inaugural edition of our new COMMUNICA magazine - the official publication of the John Henry Group. For us, 2015 has already been a very busy year, as weve started work on some major and exciting new projects across various parts of the United Kingdom with both new and existing clients. Weve welcomed dozens of new colleagues into our company and nearly doubled the size of our corporate fleet - its fair to say, that for the John Henry Group, these are very exciting times of progression and growth. On this very subject, recruitment and growth are two important points of consideration for successful business building and with this in mind, COMMUNICA invited Richard Gelder, Director from global recruitment company Hays PLC, to contribute his thoughts on where civil engineering recruitment is heading in the UK and what companies must now do to attract the best talent into their organisations. In this first edition of COMMUNICA, we travel to the city of Cologne with our newly appointed Chief Technical Director, Steve Farrell, to take a look at ANGA COM, Europes largest internet and satelite communications exhibition, as well as exploring how new narrow trenching construction techniques are changing fibre infrastructure build in the UK and, how smartphone technology is helping to change safety and productivity in civil and communications engineering. We also hear from Stefan Stanislawski of international internet access consultancy Ventura Next, who shares first hand knowledge of how fibre is changing Africas future in COMMUNICAs Final Thoughts section. Id particularly like to take this opportunity to thank all of this editions contributors and supporters for their input and in future editions I would also like to invite you, as colleagues and clients, to contribute your ideas views, news and product updates in each edition. I hope you enjoy the first edition of COMMUNICA and we look forward to bringing you the next edition in six months time. ROB ANDREWS Editor, COMMUNICA | 3 John Henry Group, (Head Office) The Sidings, Longstanton, Cambridge Cambridgeshire, CB23 3DS Telephone and email information T 01954 288011 E marketing@ johnhenrygroup.co.uk W johnhenrygroup.co.uk Creative Editor Rob Andrews Photographic and Digital Content Jonny Shields John Henry Group logo and strapline 30 years of Engineering Excellence are commercial property of John Henry Group. Geo-sight and associated marker branding is property of Cardinalis Developments Ltd. All reports were assumed accurate at the time of publication and are delivered without prejudice and in positive interest.Group John Henry WELCOME TO COMMUNICA: THE INAUGURAL EDITION Talk to John Henry Group on our official social media pages OR Tweet us: @JHG COMMUNICA Want to suggest an article for COMMUNICA? Email the marketing team at: marketing@johnhenrygroup.co.uk HIGHWAY INDUSTRIAL POWER RAIL TELECOMS With over 30 years experience in the telecommunications industry Emtelle is a leading global manufacturer of blown bre and ducted network solutions. It has a proven track record, and a reputation for exemplary customer service. Emtelle has not only evolved as a direct result of telecommunications. Its innovative and forward thinking approach to solving problems for customers has ensured it is a leading edge proponent of modern telecommunications and a global market leader in multiple sectors. In addition to being a world leader in blown bre and ducted network solutions, its product portfolio incorporates multiple solutions for various market sectors. Emtelle operate in sectors including Power Duct Systems, Underground Drainage, ITS for Highways & Rail in UK & Ireland, Water Supply in Scandinavia, Drip Feed Irrigation systems in India. Emtelle is a truly global company. It has over 800 employees worldwide. It operates manufacturing facilities in Scotland, India and Denmark. It is this Global-Local approach to operations that enables Emtelle to service its ever-expanding customer base in 67 countries. ENGAGE.LISTEN.INNOVATE.DELIVER. Emtelle | Haughhead | Hawick TD9 8LF | Scotland tel: +44 (0)1450 364000 | fax: +44 (0)1450 364001 | www.emtelle.com | info@emtelle.com COMMUNICA | Pilot Edition COVER PHOTO John Henry Groups Chief Technical Director, Steve Farrell, by Jon Shields, for COMMUNICA Steve Farrell Front Cover Picture CALLING KLN COMMUNICA John Henry Pilot Edition | 2015 The Trench Revolution How new expertise means next- gen fibre networks could reach your house twice as quickly Talking Civils Taking Safies Not Selfies How smartphones are changing health and safety Recruitment Taking a look at the skills demands in Civil Engineering Danger On The Road Stepping out onto Britains highways to discover the dangers to civil engineers EXPERT COMMENTARY: How investment in fibre networks is changing Africas future Exploring ANGA COM with our Chief Technical Director, Steve Farrell
3. 3. INSIDE? Whats EDITION SNAP SHOT ANGA COMs isles are a futuristic and souk-ish maze of bustle, technological progression and fibre- related frivolity - COMMUNICA reports on Europes largest internet and fibre exhibition Page 32 8 | THE TRENCH REVOLUTION Narrow trenching, John Henry Groups revolutionary fibre network construction method is speeding up the way fibre reaches Britains homes. 14 | TAKING TO THE EXPERT COMMUNICA talks to Richard Gelder, director at global recruiter, Hays, about recruitment trends in Civil Engineering. 16 | DANGER ON THE ROAD Exploring the risks to traffic management personnel working on Britains highways. 28 | TAKING SAFIES How the Geo-sight smartphone and cloud application is changing health and safety in construction. 32 | ANGA MANAGEMENT Catching up with John Henry Groups chief technical director, Steve Farrell at ANGA COM, Europes largest internet exhibition. 42 | FINAL COMMENT Ventura Next CFO, Stefan Stanislawski, shares his thoughts on Fibre network growth in Africa. COMMUNICA | Pilot Edition COMMUNICA | Pilot Edition Compiled by the John Henry Group marketing and technology teams. Narrow trenching photography provided by Virgin Media and used with permission of Virgin Medias communications team. | 54 |
4. 4. EXPECT EXCELLENCE 30 years of ENGINEERING EXCELLENCE johnhenrygroup.co.uk For three decades John Henry Group has provided the total knowledge, expertise and turnkey project delivery solutions needed to successfully grow infrastructure footprints across thousands of civil engineering, power and telecommunications growth projects. Today were trusted to deliver innovative and market leading consultancy solutions across the United Kingdom and beyond. Our clients experience Engineering Excellence. Discover solutions online by scanning the QR code.
5. 5. A s human beings it appears we are becoming more and more impatient. A recent survey by the software giant, Microsoft, releaved unequivocally, that as of May 2015, the average human attention span is now the same as the average household goldfish - Back in 2000, our attention span slightly more than 12 seconds. Today its less than nine seconds, which means that in the last 15 years, our attention span is dwindling as our desire to obtain information faster and easier increases as we look to receive content at the touch of a button to fit in around our increasingly busy schedules. Enter global corporations like Apple and Android, which have marketed mobile tablets and phones to help humans satiate this global and gargantuan desire for content and information, all of which must arrive nearly instantaneously. The rise of the smartphone, tablet and other associated gadgetary and their capablities - iTunes, app stores et al - has also led to an unprecidented and undwindling demand for a faster internet infrastructure to support them. As we continue to buy more of these products, consumers also want faster, better broadband connections to support these gadgets effectively at home - especially if youve missed the latest episode of Game of Thrones, or at least, youre hoping to see it before someone from the office reveals who actually dies in the fifth season! Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have been racing to provide better internet to current and future customers, investing huge amounts of cash into building and upgrading the spine of the UKs fibre networks to capture this market. And its with the provision of fibre networks becoming more and more competitive, more cost-effective and faster construction methods are being sought after by large and small telco providers alike, as they seek to sign up the masses of potential customers to their latest offerings - One solution that has received Its not just broadband thats getting faster, network construction methods could now also halve the time it takes for new broadband networks to reach your home THE TRENCH REVOLUTION COMMUNICA | Pilot Edition | 98 |
6. 6. acclaim in the media and industry press, is narrow trenching - a technique which has been developed exclusively by John Henry Groups communications and fibre network engineers. Where as the words micro trenching may strike fear into the hearts of some cautious councils or local authorities after a series of unsuccessful and controversial attempts, narrow trenching is a compliant construction method, which has been carefully designed to comply with the various elements and rules of monitored highways specifications. Firstly, lets be clear, narrow trenching is not at all like micro trenching. Engineers from John Henry Biscomm and John Henry Comms actually started trialling narrow trenching techniques last summer in a spare corner of the office car park. But it was investment from Virgin Media, which allowed the method to be refined for the highways, where it was trialled in Papworth, a quiet corner of Cambridgeshire, usually more renowned for its world-class hospital specialising in heart operations. The Papworth narrow trenching trials have subsequently led to staggering results, capturing the attention of the national and trade press at the same time. SPECIAL PROJECTS The technique, which currently has a patent pending, was the outcome of trials by the special projects team at John Henry Group, where after several months of testing, it was technically refined for the roadway, before being declared ready for use in Papworth and a Virgin Media project. As its name suggests, narrow trenching relies on reducing the size of a fibre trench by roughly a quarter of its usual width, to 10 cm, simply meaning less digging and effort is required, leading to faster construction speeds at lower construction costs. Whats really incredible about narrow trenching is the fact it can actually be used remotely without support from complex machinery, which can be prone to breaking down, says John Wilson, John Henry Groups special projects manager, who has been overseeing the trials of the new trenching technique in Papworth. The whole idea of the narrow trenching technique is to cut down on the cost of trench work per home, whilst using a method thats more environmentally friendly, compliant and is less disruptive to future customers and members of the public. This is the fastest construction method by which you can get genuine fibre to the home. From its conception all the way through to actually deploying on site, the technique has been revised numerous times to achieve some staggering results as we have had to overcome some difficulties, says John. We actually started off with small trials in an area of the company car park using different methods until we were able to perfect the method for the highways. We had a problem digging a trench at the narrow width required without damaging the existing footway - success was achieved by the use of an opticutter - a rotating top cutter and devised a delivery method for foam concrete into the trench which eliminates spillage onto the exiting footway. All in all, the roll out of the narrow trenching technique has been a huge success and we now actually starting to use it to commercial gain on other projects across the UK, where we are working with partners to deliver other fibre networks. Part of the secret of the method lies in construction technique, which actually relies on people, rather than complex machinery, to carry out the trenching work. 100 33 In Papworth 100 homes received broadband which was delivered 33 percent quicker offering a speedy 152Mbps connection 152 COMMUNICA | Pilot Edition | 1110 | The narrow trench is roughly a quarter of the size of a conventional fibre trench, speeding up network construction times
7. 7. faster network construction rate at a cheaper price in comparison to other communications engineering companies and we see this being important in the tender process for new business going forward. We are extremely pleased with the trials we have conducted in Papworth and we never quite expected the return appetite and interest from both the national press and the industry media, members of the public, who have actually praised and embraced this progressive method and other service providers, which are seeking less costly, or more speedy and innovative solutions to bring broadband to their customers. We are currently exploring at least two other projects in the UK where we might be able to use the technique to reduce the cost of network construction for our clients seeking to provide broadband into areas which, at the moment, have typically poor coverage. All of which is good news for members of the public, especially those who might already be waiting for fibre to reach their homes, so that they can benefit and experience quicker download and upload times. These are exciting times for members of the public too, Jim Henry explains. Whilst narrow trenching is not a total solution to delivering fibre to the UK faster, we do expect narrow trenching to speed up construction over previously slower methods. It can be used remotely without the need for complex machinery COMMUNICA | Pilot Edition COMMUNICA | Pilot Edition | 1312 | Specially designed and patented trench boards will cover the narrow trench until re- instatement can occur by civils teams PAPWORTH PRAISE At current speeds, engineers from John Henry Communications and John Henry Biscomm are estimating that narrow trenching methods could mean that fibre networks could be built twice the speed of a usual trench construction on certain hard surfaces, such as pavements and roadways, which means significant commercial savings could be achieved in network construction. This means that potentially, internet service providers which are currently exploring cost effective methods of bringing fibre to the home in new or existing areas, may now have a solution in narrow trenching which could offer a more affordable alternative during the construction phase. Whilst the commercials are pretty self explanatory, the method has also attracted significant media coverage for its environmental considerations, which also include improved safety aspects from specially designed trench boards, which can quickly be placed over the trench, reducing trip hazards to members of the public. Cambridgeshire County Council (CCC) welcomes the development of the new trenching techniques such as these being trialled by Virgin Media and John Henry Group, which can help to minimise disruption to highways and the environment while improving the network, CCC officer Nicola Denham has been quoted as saying in the media, both locally and nationally. Conservative Party MP Savid Javid has also lent support to narrow trenching, praising Virgin Media for embracing progressive network construction techniques as the business continues its 13billion expansion to its network. Virgin Media is to be commended for their continued exploration and development of new technologies which are helping transform the UKs digital landscape, Mr Javid has said. He said that Virgin Medias use of the technique is playing a significant role in driving the UKs economic growth, which is one of the reasons the method should become attractive to other ISPs. BRIGHT FUTURE For the John Henry Group, narrow trenching has lent a significant string to the bow in terms of a USP which is now being deployed to deliver a progressive solution in network construction. Narrow trenching has also caught the eyes of Telcos aross the United Kingdom, all of whom are seeking quicker network construction methods at lower rates, explains Jim Henry, John Henry Group director. This method has certainly attracted a lot of interest from both the major and minor telecom provders in the UK,as well as the national media. The significant commercial gains to itelecom providers are quite obvious, they can provide areas with services quicker and could reap the rewards by building networks faster. Using the technique, John Henry Groups construction costs can also be more competitive, meaning that in some cases we are able to offer a Teams in Papworth have noticed faster results when installing fibre cable
8. 8. TALKING TO THE Richard Gelder, a Director of Civil Engineering recruitment from at global recruitment company Hays PLC talks to COMMUNICA about the current UK careers marketplace for civils professionals EXPERT COMMUNICA | Pilot Edition 14 | COMMUNICA MAGAZINE (CM) What is the current market like for the recruitment of civil engineering professionals in the UK? RICHARD GELDER (RG) For many employers, a major obstacle to achieving growth in the year ahead will be their ability to recruit and retain skilled individuals. In the past 18 months we have seen a dramatic pick-up in recruitment of civil and structural engineers. Confidence over future work pipelines is fuelling the desire to recruit permanent staff, but as the supply of engineers is limited, employers must move quickly to find the right people. We have already seen an increase in demand for engineers with one to four years experience across all sectors and deal daily with engineering businesses seeking to increase staffing levels as workloads improve. Quality candidates are scarce, vacancies can be tricky to fill and high-calibre professionals can move easily into new roles, creating many opportunities for both permanent and contract professionals. CM :Which areas are seeing the greatest demand? RG: All areas are buoyant, but housing and infrastructure projects continue to have the highest demand. Recruitment for those with drainage expertise has escalated, and the Governments aspiration to have all centrally procured projects hit Level 2 Building and Information Modelling (BIM) by 2016 has seen Revit software experience becoming ever more prized. We have noticed that house builders are opening new offices to cope with the increasing workload and bringing design teams in house. Confidence over future work pipelines is fuelling the desire to recruit permanent rather than contract staff, however the shortage of suitable candidates means employers are often turning to temporary or interim professionals as they simply cant afford to hang around until the right permanent staff member comes along. CM: What impact is this having on pay and benefits? RG: The prospect of an ever-draining talent pool, for the time being at least, is having a knock-on effect in terms of salaries. Employers are being more competitive from graduate level upwards in terms of the money theyre offering. Improvements in other benefits have so far been less pronounced, though in some regions firms are beginning to question whether their packages are attractive enough. Employers will have to think beyond pay if they are to compete in this competitive market, offering clear opportunities for career development to both attract and retain the people they need. CM: What should be done to address skill shortages in engineering? RG: One of the causes of these skill shortages is too few people entering the profession, particularly at graduate level, so it is vital that we invest in and motivate the next generation of engineers. Engineering UK predicts that engineering companies will need 182,000 people per year with engineering skills in the decade to 2022 but there is a current annual shortfall of 55,000 skilled workers. To inspire and encourage more young people to pursue studies and careers in engineering, businesses need to partner with education authorities to create education systems that ensure we have sufficient graduates with the skills that closely align with what businesses need. This means education authorities working directly with local businesses to deliver a curriculum that provides students with the skills demanded by employers in their area. This includes encouraging more young people, particularly girls, to pursue GCSE and A level physics, and creating more apprenticeship schemes to provide alternative routes into the professions. These long-term solutions must be addressed in tandem with an approach to immigration that gives businesses access to the talent they need. The market for engineers is international, and while this creates exciting career opportunities for individuals it also means employers must be able to compete at an international level to attract highly skilled workers, and need policies to enable them to do so.
9. 9. DANGER ON THE ROADSpeed and wreckless driving are just some of the day to day risks that traffic management teams face when theyre working on the road. COMMUNICA finds out more about one of the UKs most dangerous jobs COMMUNICA | Pilot EditionCOMMUNICA | Pilot Edition | 1716 |
10. 10. East Anglias A14: One of the regions most dangerous and busiest roads COMMUNICA | Pilot EditionCOMMUNICA | Pilot Edition | 1918 |
11. 11. Avantis crews like to be seen when theyre working on the road and theyre using a variety of safety technology to avoid conflict with unwary motorists S TANDING on the back of an Impact Protection Vehicle on a cool but promisingly clear May evening, the A14 is unsually peaceful, considering its one of the most important and busiest roads in the east of England. Although Its just before 8pm, the sun is already setting and darkness is making driving conditions more challenging. But as the light cracks across gaps in the clouds and last elements of daylight disappear, conditions on the road for civil engineers and traffic management professionals are becoming increasingly more dangerous by the minute. The statistics in relation to injury and death of traffic management of civil engineers on the roadside speak for themselves, more than 20 civil engineers have been killed in the past 5 years on Britains roads - hundreds more having also been injured, meaning its actually Britains third most dangerous job - it only becomes the fourth if the country is at war. On this particular evening, Avanti, the specialist traffic management division of the John Henry Group, was preparing to close the lane on the A14 - a vital vein in the flow of traffic across East Anglia - so that John Henry Biscomm, our fibre network design and cabling specialists, could carry out important cabling works at the side of the carriageway. On patrol and overseeing site safety is Avantis traffic safety officer, Tony Carr, who will be on site throughout the night with his team ensuring safety and standards are maintained so that work can be carried out without risk or delay. Make no mistake, danger is everywhere, night time is actually the most dangerous time for anybody working in traffic management, explains Tony, who has nearly a decade of experience of working in these conditions. Although this is actually the third most dangerous profession in the country, with danger everywhere, its even more risky at night because, as you would expect, the light is fading and we are relying on motorists seeing signage and cones. Make no mistake, danger is everywhere COMMUNICA | Pilot Edition | 9 COMMUNICA | Pilot EditionCOMMUNICA | Pilot Edition | 2120 | The Impact Protection Vehicle drops its safety cushion to protect teams standing on the back when setting out the closures
12. 12. Tony and his teams operate in this type of environment, both through the day and into night, to ensure the safety of civil engineers working on the roadside and motorists using the carriageways. At the end of the day we are here to help and not hinder, he says. We do appreciate that sometimes traffic management, or road closures can be viewed as a hinderance or it really slow things up for drivers as they might be in a hurry but its there for a reason, its actually there to save peoples lives from the worst possible scenarios. We always try to offer significant warnings of road closures to alert motorists to lane closures so that they are aware that we are working on a live carriageway and they can either slow down to drive safely through the works, or plot another route around the lane closure. If youre unfamiliar with how traffic management professionals operate, you may also be unfamiliar with some of the safety gear thats in place to protect them. We are incredibly concerned with all the safety aspects and its a primary focus for us, for good reason, Tony explains. Safety is always the most important aspect of this job and to work safely and effectively, we use some fantastic bits of technology and adhere to the latest industry standards. One of which is Geo-sight, which allows Avanti to pictorially capture our work sites to evidence safe working practices on the road. The Geo-sight app is issued to the smartphones of all Avanti professionals and means we can also get a second opinion from a remote health and safety expert when the picture is sent via the cloud to our headquarters for another review, Tony explains. We are currently the only traffic management Tony Carr checks his site safety plans before setting out to carry a recorded site audit Safety is always the most important aspect company to use this technology and its really been a massive help to us as a preventative tool. Avanti also uses impact protection cushions on the back of its vehicles, which are lowered when teams are laying cones out onto the road. Essentially, the impact cushions act as a potential buffer between a vehicle travelling at high speed and the Avanti crews, who have slowed down to a crawling speed when they are laying cones on the roadway. I also have a dashboard camera on my car which records site activity, this camera can also be attached to our crews safety helmets, Tony says. This is a great piece of equipment as it allows me to video sites for audit. As you can probably imagine, motorists get very angry when there are delays on the road, especially when they might be in a hurry and we are also open to abuse from members of the public, which can be captured on camera. Our cameras help us mitigate in case our workforce endure any verbal or physical assault - which is also not unheard of in traffic management. For Tony, who is responsible for on-site safety of the public and his teams during the set-up process, there is also a meticulous and regimented site audit process which must be completed to ensure injury is avoided, which involves carrying out patrol-like movements inside and outside the cordoned off sections of the roadway to ensure signage and cones are placed in the right order. For audit and evidential purposes, the Geo- sight, smartphone app has become a particularly useful tool because it allows our teams to take pictures which are sent remotely via the cloud, where headquarters and a third party can also instantaneously review the images submitted, with any flaws in the worksite highlighted immediately if they are not initially spotted by crews on site. We conduct a full audit of the site using Geo-sight and filmed recordings to ensure that our teams and the workforce inside our road closure are protected to the best possible standards, Says Tony. This involves checking everything from the type of COMMUNICA | Pilot EditionCOMMUNICA | Pilot Edition | 2322 |
13. 13. Speeding drivers make the job of traffic management professionals more dangerous COMMUNICA | Pilot EditionCOMMUNICA | Pilot Edition | 2524 | Sometimes motorists just dont pay attention
14. 14. cone, to the way in which we deploy cones on the motorway or to check that we are weighing down our signs correctly with sandbags. Its all captured and recorded, which has proved to be very useful in mitigation against unwarranted fixed penalty notices issued by authorities. In my opinion, every traffic management company should be using this sort of technology to protect its crews when theyre working in these sorts of environments. Being alert is an essential part of this job because some motorists just dont pay attention, even when they see us dropping cones off of our Impact Protection Vehicles, which are lit up like Christmas trees! The Impact Protection Vehicle (IPV) is the traffic management teams staple vehicle. Its a slow-moving flat bed lorry that carries the teams cones - up to 400 at a time - whilst traffic management personnel equip the cones with special solar responsive lights that light up when its dark. The IPV has a cone well in which a member of the team stands and leans out of the lorry to place the cone onto the open carriageway. The zone inside the coned off area then becomes the property of the traffic management team, who control the section inside the buffer zone so that civils crews can work safely, protected from the open carriageway by the cones. Unfortunately, despite the fact that we do our very best to give motorists warnings well in advance of any lane closures or areas which were operating in, you would be surprised how many drivers just dont pay attention to the lights and signs that are about 800 yards ahead of our crews - this is when it becomes particularly dangerous, says Tony. If youre unattuned to this sort of working environment, or youve not had any experience of working in high-speed conditions, it can catch you by surprise just how close cars come to your vehicle. Its not so bad at this time of the year but for the crews in winter its quite bad - when the lorries use their window wash you tend to get caught, or worse, the slush from the snow can make things dangerous, especially with slippery conditions. We generally try to work as efficiently as we can but its not made easier with the dangers that we encounter on the roads, especially with speeding drivers. I would ask that all motorists should perhaps take a few moments and think before they pass traffic management crews. The focus is always on safety, dash cams record motorway happenings whilst measures are ensured to place cones and signage correctly Staying alert is essential Traffic can travel at very high speeds in close proximity to teams workspaces COMMUNICA | Pilot EditionCOMMUNICA | Pilot Edition | 2726 |
15. 15. TAKING Smartphones have become part of our everyday life. COMMUNICA discovers that they are now making a difference in engineering and construction. Words: Rob Andrews Photos: Jon Shields COMMUNICA | Pilot EditionCOMMUNICA | Pilot Edition | 928 | SAFIES W hether youre on a building site, or youre working on the side of the road, the risk of accidents occuring is an ever-present spectre in the construction industry. It doesnt take health and safety expert to realise that there are many potential hazards present when working in a construction related environment. But if you talk to anybody in a position of responsibility on a construction site, they will state that the safety of the workforce is the highest priority. The industrys workers constantly put themselves in potentially hazardous situations on a daily basis; working atop of tall buildings, underground, or maintaining and developing the UKs railways, highways and utility infrastructures. Accidents, both minor and major occur annually and if procedures are not enforced and monitored, injuries can occur. According to the most recent UK Government white paper report, more than 50 people died working in construction and civil engineering in 2013 and staggeringly a further 264 members of the public were also fatally injured, the report said. On top of this, work sites are at risk of fines from Geo-sight technology works with nearly all touch screen smart phones on the market with touch, meaning its becoming an important tool for civil engineers across the UK. COMMUNICA | Pilot Edition
16. 16. statutory bodies, such as highways authorities, who are able to fine companies who do not evidence the industry defined working standards correctly, such as the correct way to display site signs or traffic cones and cordons. On some ocassions its fair to say that fines are not always deserved, due to third party interference of site equipment - and by this, I mean university students who might have indulged in an evening of frivolity on the town, who might borrow an essential sign that warns the public about impending works in their area or a traffic cone thats been laid out to protect part of the works - whatever it is, if this happens, companies are also now open to statutory critique and some very hefty fines. Thankfully theres a new tool which has now been rolled out across major works carried out by the John Henry Group thats changing the way we work. Its called Geo-sight and its a simple to use smart phone application, with a suppporting cloud system, that can be accessed anywhere in the world through an internet browser. Ironically unlike the traditional office workplace, where smartphones are sometimes ironically seen as the anti-christ to productivity, they are now vital in helping construction teams in civil engineering to not only become more productive but to work smarter and safer, by introducing strong management information and KPIs. Whilst youngsters (and sometimes adults) these days are focussing on taking selfies on social media, John Henry Group personnel are now using Geo- sight technology - taking safies which help them highlight potential dangers in their workplace whilst recoring issues or auditing their work. Blackberry, iPhone and Android occupy more than 95 percent of the smartphone marketplace making them perfect platforms for the Geo-sight application, which works with the phones camera to take live pictures of live happenings on site. The pictures are sent to a cloud database which can then be accessed anywhere in he world with an internet connection through the Geo-sight portal. The pictures are completely tamper proof and are stored securely within the Geo-sight database, which also records the location of where the photos have been taken, along with the time and can cross reference the information with Google street view. Martin Cook, John Henry Groups director of health, safety and quality (HSEQ), explained that since the applications development, its been a revelation in health and safety in the business. John Henry Group has been using the Geo-sight application to record all stages of our works in the public highway, from actually proving that we have left the site properly signed and guarded to protect members of the public, or we have carried our our duties correctly to reinstate the highway by evidencing the work with pictures. In 2014 we also avoided a costly fixed penalty notice during the reinstatement process which claimed that we hadnt completed a section of yellow lining. With evidential capture proof from Geo-sight, we were able to mitigate against the fine. On top of this, with local authorities taking measures to clamp down on work sites without adequate signage, Geo-sight has been a god-send. Whilst our crews are trained to sign and guard sites with cones and other road furniture, we cant always guarantee this has not been moved from the site by a third party, so when the council comes to audit the site when we have packed up for the evening, we are left open to a potential fine or penalty notice. Having Geo-sight on board in the company means that we now have the proof to combat any unwanted fines by providing evidential proof from point of picture capture by our frontline crews, which can arriving on site and assessing the situation, such as the condition of the footway conditions, then recording the Road Works Guarding (RWG) set up to final site clearance, he said. In addition we use it to record or spot defects and to highlight any issues on work site, such as hazards that might require further advice or support. We have also adapted the app to record vehicle checks and to submit near miss reports. Utilising the GPS capabilities allows us to identify a location and to assess the site by means of Google maps with the street view function. The technology has also been used as a unique tool to win new business and is also now integrated with the group control systems. Geo-sight has been ingrated with our bespoke workflow management systems to help us monitor productivity on Virgin Media contracts and at various stages of work, we are able to record progress, capture essential measures, and status of works in real time, which can in turn, be accessed by our clients - which is great for proving what we have done for evidence for pavement. For more information and a free trial visit: johnhenrygroup.co.uk/partners/geo-sight/ Geo-sight allows remote monitoring for health and safety professionals, with each image time stamped and Geo- tagged to Google maps which means costly signing and guarding fines can be avoided through evidential capture. Geo-sight works with all major smart phones and can be downloaded from app stores COMMUNICA | Pilot EditionCOMMUNICA | Pilot Edition | 3130 | Geo-sight technology works with nearly all smart phones on the market with touch screen function, meaning its becoming an important tool for engineers across the UK. With evidence captured from Geo-sight, we were able to mitigate against the fine Were using the technology to record all stages of works in the public highway
17. 17. ANGA MANAGEMENTIn a special report from Cologne, Germany, COMMUNICA catches up with John Henry Groups Chief Technical Director, Steve Farrell, at ANGA COM, Europes leading business exhibition for broadband and content. COMMUNICA | Pilot EditionCOMMUNICA | Pilot Edition | 3332 |
18. 18. Held at Colognes Koelnmesse, ANGA COM is Europes largest exhibition and business platform for internet companies COMMUNICA | Pilot EditionCOMMUNICA | Pilot Edition | 3534 |
19. 19. T hroughout German history, Cologne has been celebrated as an important trading point, a commercial gateway into the mainland through its important strategic position on the Rhine, also one of Europes most important waterways. Established in Roman times, the picturesque cathedral citys name comes from the roman word Colonia, because of its strategic value to the empire. Its therefore actually quite fitting that the city should now host one of the worlds largest broadband and communications exhibitions, where the industrys major players meet to showcase their latest products, share ideas, network and generally talk all things fibre and internet related. The exhibition, named ANGA COM after the - Association of German Cable Operators - attracted more than 17,000 visitors from 35 countries in 2014, with more than 450 exhibitors to the citys Koelnmesse exhibition centre, an Earls Court-esque arena, located a couple of miles from the famous Rhine river and the citys centre. ANGA COMs isles are a futuristic and Souk-ish maze of bustle, technological progression and fibre- related frivolity. Amongst the international conglomerate present at the event, the UK has slightly over five percent of the representation, out-matched by more a more local presence from Netherlands and Germany at 55 percent, across more than 74 countries in 2015. Six weeks before the event, the ANGA COM was already on a growth path, with the rented space for exhibition exceeding the 2014 event. ANGA COM 2015 was a huge success for us, says Thomas Braun, ANGA COM president. This applies in particular to the new first class at- tendee numbers and the high-level of internationality. This year, I really appreciated the especially high-quality and large number of industry coopera- tions. - Feature continues on Page 38 COMMUNICA | Pilot EditionCOMMUNICA | Pilot Edition ANGA COM attracts thousands of guests from multiple countries each year with major companies exhibiting technology BIO: STEVE Prior to joining the John Henry Group, Steve worked for equipment supplier Technetix, where, as Director of Product Management and then Technical Director, he was responsible for defining and designing their Access Network product portfolio and for providing technical consultancy services across the company and externally to outside telecoms organisations. Before this Steve worked for Virgin Mediafor 14 years, performing many senior technical roles across the business, finishing up as the national Head of Access Network Delivery and Support, responsible for all civils contractors, civils contracts, business support services, network upgrades and project implementations. Steve has joined the John Henry Group to assist with the development of our existing innovations and to define and drive our national managed service offerings. FARRELL You could probably walk for miles around the event stands, theres lots to see and do if youre into fibre Steve brings a huge knowledge base to the group from a career in the upper eschelons of senior management- Steve Henry, Director John Henry Group | 3736 |
20. 20. Two halls of the Koelnmesse are set aside for the exhibition, with other areas for conferences and networking COMMUNICA | Pilot EditionCOMMUNICA | Pilot Edition | 3938 |
21. 21. SHOPPING LISTS For John Henry Groups technical experts, ANGA COM offers a fantastic opportunity to examine the latest products from across the European, American and Oriental marketplaces, laid out like a Soukh-ish maze of bustling technological stalls and stands. Steve Farrell, John Henry Groups technical director, who is taking his gadget shopping list with him on a mission to find the latest tools to refine and deliver the turnkey client solutions for John Henry Groups clients, believes the exhibition will be of particular importance not only to JHG staff members but for our clients. As a technical director, its great to be able to visit events such as this to represent the interests of John Henry Groups Biscomm (fibre solutions), Comms (Communications CIvil Engineering) and Educomm (Educational network provision) divisions, as we hope to examine whats going on in other countries and explore bringing reciprocity in terms of internet fibre and construction solutions back to the UK, says Farrell, who has been attending the event for most of its ten year existence and was a guest speaker at ANGA COM in 2014. This place never ceases to amaze me, year after year, the stands appear much more impactful, its not uncommon for marketing budgets to be escalated so that exhibits can be showcased at this event. What is amazing is how quickly some of the rep- resentative companies gain traction in this market- place, if you go back a few years, China had a fairly slim representation with a few pull up blinds but today, some of the major players are Chinese busi- nesses with some fantastic products, spread across a vast floor space. Ive been to this event before and literally walked miles through the maze of stands, booths and private meeting rooms. Walking through the temporary maze of more than 450 special exhibitors at ANGA COM, there are some amazing products on offer, which could change the way the fibre and internet community operates. One such product is from PCT international, which has released an intelligent app tool kit which recog- nises QR codes on installation kits to help the engi- neer make sure the right parts are not only present during the construction phase but are installed in the right order. Another is a fibre coring tool from Belgian company See Telecom which should help speed up what can sometimes be the fiddly process of connecting or joining fibre cables together. Both of these products are on Farrells radar because hes a man who wants to ensure that John Henry Group offers turnkey expertise as well as fibre build solutions. And including the potpourri of products on display, there is also an opportunity to listen to indus- try experts talk and lecture about future changes to the industry on the Tuesday and Wednesday In Speakers Corner, products and discussions take place at designated times for all things broadband and internet ANGA COM is a hive of activity, day four is the busiest with people also attending talks at the events congress lounge Year on year, exhibits become much more impactful with talks covering everything from WiFi to WLAN solutions and splicers, new chamber designs and other progressive materials, to satellite broadband are all on show to visitors. Amongst the bustle of the exhibition, there are also special corners where lectures take place, given by forerunners in the industry in ANGA COMs congress area, hosted from Tuesday to Thursday. This year, amongst the 39 presentations given, topics included Technical Implcations and Opportunities,TV Cloud Services and Innovative Solutions for Fibre Networks. Throughout the three days over which the event is held, it becomes progressively busier, with crowds reaching their peak on the Thursday. Three days of ANGA COM with a buzzing exhibition hall and outstanding attended congress panels proved that we can look forward to further boom years, says Dr. Peter Chariss, managing director of ANGA COM. Especially, new TV products like multiscreen, TV Everywhere and coud TV lead to new potentials for both industry sectors, media as well as broadband. ANGA COM 2016 will take place from 7 to 9 June 2016, again in Cologne. For more information on the event, visit: www.angacom.de COMMUNICA | Pilot EditionCOMMUNICA | Pilot Edition | 4140 |
22. 22. I t may surprise some readers to learn that not only is there already FTTH in Africa but it is growing at an astonishing rate that could actually overtake the UK. This growth is often driven both by appalling or non- existent copper networks and is coupled with fast economic growth in many developing countries. Earlier this year in South Africa, Ventura Next enabled the first ever Gigabit broadband in Africa for our customer Vumatel. Vumatel has shaken up the market by deploying fibre to single homes in the suburbs of Johannesburg and Capetown. From an initial pilot area of 2,100 homes, the company is now constructing furiously to a dozen more suburbs and is enjoying an excellent take-up rate on its product. At the current rate of progress, we expect to see South Africa overtake the UK sometime next year. This ought to be a source of embarrassment to UK policymakers, but they seem oblivious to just how far behind we are falling in terms of having a modern, cheaper to operate yet fantastically capable broadband infrastructure. South African start-ups can enjoy broadband of a quality and speed simply unimaginable in the neighbourhood of our own so-called silicon roundabout - the techy area near Shoreditch in London. Several other African countries already have, or are about to build some FTTH including Egypt, Kenya, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Mauritius, the latter of which is already quite highly fibred. The big two potential markets, apart from South Africa, are of course Nigeria and Egypt - both offering a population of more than 250million people. Nigeria is the rising power in Africa with 170m population and a middle class of around 30million people who would love the entertainment, education FINAL THOUGHTS Ventura Next CFO, Stefan Stanislawski, discusses FTTH growth in Africa and convenience of a fibre broadband connection. Policy has recently changed to lay the basis for future investment but the hopelessly corrupt and inept state phone company has been effectively closed down, selling off its assets. The government has licenced two regional open access broadband backbone operators to take fibre around the cities and these open networks will enable FTTH to be built by others. By mandating open access and selecting tower / datacentre companies with no structural conflicts of interest the government is following an enlightened policy and smart strategy. In the medium term fibre construction could boom. In Egypt the outlook is much less clear, with policies much more in line with the UK and protective of the incumbent Telecom Egypt, which as a result invests little in the access network. Nonetheless, earlier this year Telecom Egypt announced CAPEX of $449.3 million with reports suggesting that a major part would be going towards fibre including access fibre. If you have ever been to Cairo you will have seen mile after mile of high density apartment blocks. In those buildings a thousand guerrilla networks exist to share broadband locally and if politics allow, these might one day grow into the source of an aggressive FTTH race to build in much the same way happened in South Korea. There is also a grand plan to build an entirely new capital city in the desert to relieve pressure on Cairo. It seems reasonable to assume this will be all fibre from day one. For more information on Ventura Next, visit: www.venturanext.net At the current rate of progress, South Africa will overtake the UK in the next year or so COMMUNICA Cape Town, South Africa, part of the growing sub- Saharan footprint COMMUNICA | Pilot EditionCOMMUNICA | Pilot Edition | 4342 |