volume 8 issue 3 Modular buildings ...practicalfm.co.uk/pdf_issues/PFM_8_3.pdf · a member of the Marketing Team, ... Tessera enters random-lay, batchless carpet tile selector with

www.practicalfm.co.uk volume 8 issue 3

flooring p19 relocation p31health & safety p24

Modular buildings:the fast way toquality working

environments

TGM Ltd is best recognized asspecialists in the cleaning and

maintenance of commercial roofand ground drainage systems on anational basis. In addition to thesecore activities we offer the servicesof roof and cladding cleaning, cutedge corrosion/metal edge protec-tion works and gutter lining sys-tems.These activities utilize TGM’sexpertise and experience in work-ing at heights and give you theassurance that all Health andSafety matters will be dealt with ina professional and safe manner.

Cladding & Roof Cleaning: Sidecladding - as company imagebecomes more and more importantin clients perceptions an externalview has to be taken by all selfrespecting businesses. If PVC typecoatings are never cleaned theybecome so ingrained with dirt andacid rain they become impossibleto clean, therefore making regularmaintenance so important in theup-keep of these types of build-ings. TGM can provide a tailormade service which incorporatesour working at height capabilitieswith our dedication for high levelsof customer service, SAFELY.Roof cladding - roof areas are oftenoverlooked as few people have thecapability of viewing these areas.Deterioration of the PVC coating,however still takes place. Pigeon orseagull excreta are a particularproblem and eat into the coatings.Eventually they breakdown andexpensive remedial worksare needed, which

mayc a u s edisruption totrade and evendamage to stock, andultimately profits.

Gutter Lining: The problems withleaking gutters can be extensiveand varied, and here at TGM wecan offer a multitude of solutions tosuit all budgets and specifications.Ranging from joint sealant andbitumen treatments, which can beconducted at the same time as agutter clean to minimize disrup-tion, to Unifold gutter re-lining sys-tems which can be guaranteed for20 years. With TGM’s help leakinggutters will be a thing of the past. Cut Edge Corrosion/Metal EdgeProtection: Problems of de-lami-nation and deterioration of thecoatings on metal profiled sheetspresent an ever-present risk to theintegrity of the roof structure andultimately its performance. TGMare a registered contractor for theSEAMSIL flexible silicone remedialsystem, which is recognized as themost effective metal edge protec-tion treatment in any situationwhere exposed metal is subjectedto aggressive moisture condi-tions. For peace of mind TGMtakes pleasure in offer-ing a full 10-yearguarantee.

Total GutterMaintenance

Reaching newheights of service

For further details of any of TGM’score service offerings please call

our free-phone hotline on 0800 028 3479 and ask for

a member of the MarketingTeam, or alternatively visit usat www.totalgutters.co.uk to

arrange a survey of your site.

RR: 83006

regulars4 comment5 news26 diary dates41 business news35 security focus 47 new product directory

features19 Interiors

Tessera enters random-lay, batchless carpet tile selector with ‘Mix’Bonar Floors opens new Business CentreBeyon at Bramdean

31 Cover Stroy: Modular buildings: the fast way to quality work-ing environments

24 Information, communication technologyBIFM 2005 - a successful conference for i2 Mobile SolutionsHands on technology for London Borough of Lambeth

27 Health & safetyMorgan Stanley initiates defibrillator programmeHolistic therapy balances work related stress and wellbeingNew Sonomax system wins prestigious industry awardBusy safety show as SAHS goes for FM market

31 Relocation & ExpansionDudley hospitals healthy, during movesRemovals and storage solutions from PHS TeacrateAustin Reed relocates with ROC

reader replyFull reader reply contactinformation is available on the PracticalFacilities Management web-site www.practicalfm.co.uk. If you don’t have access tothe internet please enter thereader enquiry number intothe boxes below and fax back on 01934 511 804

title: initials: surname:

company:

address:

post code:

tel: fax:

email:

Editor: Anne [email protected]

Editorial Contributors:Toby JenkinsonChris [email protected]

Features Manager: Julie [email protected]

Advertising Sales: Paul [email protected] Alexander

Publisher: Martin [email protected]

Practical Facilities Management LtdMead House, The BramblesSt Georges, Weston Super MareNorth Somerset BS22 7SX

tel: 01934 511 566 fax: 01934 511 804website: www.practicalfm.co.uk

The information contained in this magazine has been obtained fromsources which the Proprietors believe to have been correctly reproduced but they cannot accept legal liability for any error in ithowsoever caused. Practical Facilities Management Magazine is distributed at the discretion of the Publishers, Practical FacilitiesManagement Limited. All advertisements and editorial articles included within the magazine are subject to the Publishers termsand conditions which are available upon request. The viewsexpressed are not necessarily those of the publisher. No part of thispublication may be reproduced without the written consent of thePublisher.Copyright Practical Facilities Management Limited 2005©

cont

ents

page 29 H.V.A.C.

page 32 furniture

page 36 health & safety

"It is becoming increasingly

important that service

providers can prove to their

clients the qualifications and

professionalism of their people.

SKILLcard lets us do this"

Ken Nall

Johnson

Controls Ltd

"Our clients appreciate

the fact that we can prove

the quality of our people

at every level. SKILLcard

enables this process

and makes it credible"

Peter Excell

Inspace

Environment Ltd

"Being able to prove the

competence of our people

gives us an edge over

those of our competitors

who have failed to embrace

the SKILLcard concept"

Alan Marchbank

Haden Building

Management LtdILL

SkILLcard

ENGINEERING SERVICES

For further information, visit

the SKILLcard website at

www.skillcard.org.uk

or contact the SKILLcard Helpline on

01768 860406

can do it for YOU too

Registration with Engineering Services SKILLcard will get tougher for those without

formal qualifications after 30 September 2005. So register your workforce now

We can prove the quality of OUR people

RR: 82022

Leader

column

It’s that time again, another issue and another eventful two months to report on.I’m just starting to worry that one day so much will happen in the facilities man-agement arena that we won’t have enough space to report it all!

It was exciting to learn recently that Ian Fielder, chief executive of the BritishInstitute of Facilities Management, is to chair the Asset Skills Council, withNorman Rose, director general of the Business Services Association, as his deputy.

This experienced partnership seems like an excellent choice and will allow AssetSkills to continue with its efforts to bridge the skills gap in the facilities manage-ment, property, housing and cleaning industries. Congratulations.

Elsewhere it was interesting to see that PPP contracts are not always plain sailing.WS Atkins, the biggest engineering consultancy firm in Britain, revealed it hadtaken a £3m penalty for failing to deliver on time as part of the Metronet LondonUnderground consortium.

Atkins posted pre-tax profits of £60.1m for the year ending March 31, a slight dropfrom £62m the previous year and turnover was up fractionally at £1.19bn from£1.14bn the previous year.

Commenting on the Tube fine, Chief executive Keith Clarke said: “We know weare late and we are being penalised for it, which shows the PPP is working -where we perform we are rewarded, where we fail we are punished.”

Plain sailing or not PFI/PPP deals are still highly contested. Sheffield City Councilrecently unveiled the shortlist for a £158m PFI programme that will see all thecity’s secondary schools redeveloped.

The shortlisted consortia are Kier, Inspired Spaces with Carillion as the construc-tion partner, and Paradigm with Taylor Woodrow as the construction partner.

Fife Council also revealed it has selected the Emblem consortium as preferred bid-der for its £63m community schools PPP.

Fife had originally named Jarvis as preferred bidder last year, but backed out ofthe deal over concern about the company’s financial problems.

The Emblem consortium comprises Miller Construction and Scottish contractor FESfor facilities management, with funders Bank of Scotland and PFI Infrastructure.

There have also been plenty ‘issues’ to report on. The RICS voicing concerns thatcompanies registered outside the UK could escape prosecution under the draftcorporate manslaughter bill.

It says British workers employed by foreign-registered companies would not beprotected by the legislation as it stands, and that an English or Welsh companyoperating abroad would also be exempt.

Separate legislation in Northern Ireland and Scotland could also cause confusionand disparity across the UK.

News also broke on a story many facilities managers will be watching with inter-est.

Gillian Beckingham, a council architect who faces a re-trial for failing to prevent afatal outbreak of Legionnaires Disease, is to appeal against her health and safetyconviction.

Her legal team are arguing the judge should not have heard the health and safetycharge after he had rejected her appeal to drop the manslaughter charges.

Seven people died and 172 people were seriously ill after the Legionnaires outbreak at the Forum 28 arts centre in Barrow, in 2002.

from the editor...

4 www.practicalfm.co.uk

Holds a wholebathroom suite and more

They can be collected fromawkward spaces

Keep a stock in your van

HIPPOBAGS™ are ideal for:● Ground and Building

Maintenance● Office and Shop Refits● House Clearance● Bathroom and Kitchen

Replacements

Whatever the job,HIPPOBAG™ is the perfectwaste removal solution…

A MEGABAG is 1.5 cubic yards andholds up to 1.5 tonnes of waste - that’slarge enough to hold a bath, doors,radiators and rubble. For those smallerjobs why not use a 1 cubic yard, 1 tonneMIDIBAG? Ideal for garden waste, soilremoval and general DIY rubbish.

Find out more about the benefitsHIPPOBAG™ could bring to yourbusiness by telephoning0845 850 0 850 or [email protected],www.hippowaste.co.uk/fm

“We were surprised by just how much

could be fitted into the MEGABAG! In fact,

the total job all fitted into one bag… it was

much neater for the client and we didn’t

have to load

any waste

onto the lorry”

RR: 83008

RR: 83111

Two Trox factories worked closelytogether to supply a range of airconditioning components to theworld’s most expensive hotel. The deluxe, five-star EmiratesPalace in Abu Dhabi, rumoured tohave cost around £2 billion tobuild, includes a range of Trox fireand volume control dampers andvariable air volume units, togetherwith continuous slot and louvre-faced diffusers, side wall grilles,and jet nozzles.In a contract worth around£600,000, Trox also supplied spe-cial slot diffusers and acousticsplitters for the hotel, which con-tains the Middle East’s largest con-ference centre, the ConferencePalace.The products, which were installed

in the main bed-rooms, dining rooms,dressing rooms, lob-bies, and corridors,were manufacturedat Trox’s factories inThetford, Norfolk andSenawang, Serembanin Malaysia.C o - o r d i n a t i o nbetween the two fac-tories was a criticalaspect of the job,according to Ian

Leake, resident manager of TroxMiddle East. He said the biggestchallenge was to meet the strictdelivery programme: “The paint-work was critical in both qualityand finish for the 10 differentcolours required by the architect,Wimberly, Allison, Dong & Goo.This required careful planning andco-ordination of supply from thetwo factory sources.”Trox delivered all its products ontime and to the exacting require-ments of contractor, VoltasInternational.Air conditioning in each room atthe Emirates Palace, is controlledby the guest using a high-tech com-puterised system featuring touchcontrol plasma screen units.

Reader Reply No.: 82011

TROX supplies world’smost expensive hotel

York International has extendedthe scope of its service operationto form York Energy Solutions, aspecialist team that will provideenergy and cost saving opportuni-ties for York’s clients throughoutthe UK and Ireland by effectivelyassisting them to reduce theirenergy use in buildings and pro-cesses. Where required, York willtake over the responsibility forreducing energy consumption onbehalf of its clients, allowingthem to concentrate on core busi-ness.Recognising that not all organisa-tions have sufficient need to

employ a dedicated energy man-agement team and that some com-panies may simply require an occa-sional extra resource, York EnergySolutions can fill the gap or workwith the client’s established team.With experience in utilities, cou-pled with engineering and processmanagement expertise and a flexi-ble approach to energy conserva-tion, York’s specialists can providea service based on a sound under-standing of customer needs.“The cost of energy is high and con-tinues to rise. Our clients haveindicated that energy reviews,either on an ad hoc basis or regu-larly included within their mainte-nance contract, would be a valu-able extension to the York service,”said George Hogg, sales and mar-keting manager, York UK Service.“We also believe that, as the impli-cations of the new Part L2 of theBuilding Regulations are recognisedby building owners and operators,demand for this type of service willgrow rapidly. We will liaise closelywith each client to formulate astrategy to ensure all opportunitiesfor saving energy, relevant to itsspecific business operation, arepracticable, costed, implementedand proven.” RR No.: 83012

York provides solution to energy

management

The DisabilityDiscrimination Actplaces responsibilityon owners of publicbuildings to ensurethat people with dis-abilities are afford-ed easy access.With over 370,000registered blind andpartially sighted peo-ple in the UK, UrmetDomus have takenpositive steps toensure that no oneusing their door entrysystems are disadvan-taged.Urmet Domus’ latestV-Steel range of doorentry panels uses aunique ‘Monolithic’manufacturing process,punched with Braillenumbering and letter-ing to ensure ease ofuse for blind people.For the visuallyimpaired, Urmet Domushave also introducedtraffic light indication

for communicationusing vandal resis-tant LED’s and yel-low rimmed stain-less steel push but-tons. Yellow hasbeen proven to bea much easiercolour to see bypeople whosevision is impaired.“We wanted toassist our cus-tomers in comply-ing with theD i s a b i l i t yD i sc r im inat ionAct and I ampleased that wehave been able toprovide a com-plete solutionwithout affectingthe attractivedesign of ourdoor entry pan-els,” said MarkHagger, UK SalesDirector for

Urmet Domus.Reader Reply No.: 83025

V Range complieswith DDA

requirements

Climatehire, the CoolmationGroup company set up last year tospecialise in the hire of air-condi-tioning equipment, has extendedits operation to provide cus-tomers with a nationwide net-work of branches. The companynow has branches in Manchester,Leicester, Bristol and Bedford anda head office in Ringwood inHampshire. This ensuresClimatehire can meet temporarycooling requirements in commer-cial, industrial, computer andserver room, event and exhibitionmanagement applications acrossthe UK. Headed by ex Rapid ClimateControl branch manager KenMitchell, Climatehire’s recentexpansion sees Tony Clargo, also exRapid, takes charge of the Bristoloffice. Chris Dudziak who was pre-viously employed by Heatbusters,and more recently Rentalxpress,has also joined the Climatehireteam, based out of Bedford.With a wealth of experience of thetemporary air conditioning marketbetween them and supported byCoolmation Group resources,Climatehire has made a promisingstart. The Climatehire fleetincludes monobloc and split system

mobile air conditioners and spotcoolers, a commercial and industri-al range of evaporative coolers andthe companies bespoke CrestairSystem, a range of water chillersand chilled water fan coils whichare brought together with highpressure flexible hose to providecontrolled room air conditioning, incapacities from 8kW to many hun-dreds of kW’s. These are ideal forcooling large open plan offices orserver and computer rooms.


Air-conditioners forhire now nationwide

from Climatehire

news...


Facilities managers will invest time in keepingup to date with market trends and servicedevelopments, according to the 7th PHSQuarterly Facilities Management Survey. Theinternet (ranked by 88% of respondents asuseful or essential) and ‘word of mouth’(ranked by 84%) are the most popular, regularinformation sources for the time-starved FM,while exhibitions and conferences remainpart of the staple diet with two thirds (65%)still taking time out to attend. Interestingly, the Survey - which conducted tele-phone interviews with 100 public sector and 100private sector facilities professionals inFebruary 2005 - showed that trade associationshave yet to carve out a role for themselves, withan astonishing 73% of respondents reporting thatthey didn’t belong to any sort of trade associa-tion, and just 11% reporting membership of theBIFM. Looking at the respective roles of exhibitionsand the internet as information providers, exhi-bitions are valued for product demonstration ‘inthe flesh’, a good marketplace overview andnetworking opportunities, while the internetprovides a convenient desk-top research facility,used regularly by FMs for product, legal andhealth and safety information in particular.About 50 different sector or subject specificexhibitions were rated as useful - ranging frominterior design to agriculture - reflecting thesheer breadth of responsibilities covered byFMs. Most valuable, however, are FM sector spe-cific exhibitions (rated as useful by 29% of FMsattending exhibitions and conferences) andmechanical and engineering based events (12%).The most popular FM exhibitions appear to beFM Expo (17% of reported visits) and TheFacilities Show at the NEC (16%). When asked directly about the importance ofspecific aspects of exhibition attendance, prod-uct and service information gathering came top,with 89% of responses falling in the ‘very impor-tant’ or ‘important’ brackets. This was fol-lowed by networking (77% of responses) andthen seminars and forums (60%). Amongst the 35% of FMs who did not visit exhi-bitions or conferences, the main reasons werelack of time (27% of responses) and disinterest(38% of responses).Internet users amongst FMs tend to log on fre-quently, with 52% doing so more than a few

times a week. Top of the list are suppliers web-sites (25% of responses), followed by govern-ment websites (21%) and business and industrysites (16%). FM magazine and FM associationwebsites brought up the rear, with 6% and 7% ofresponses respectively.Correspondingly, when asked what they usedthese websites for, most responses (30%) werefor product and service information, followed bylegislative guidance and advice (25%) and healthand safety information (15%). Just 6% use theweb for careers guidance.Peter Cohen, Chief Executive of the PHS Groupplc, comments: “The PHS Quarterly FM Surveywas launched for the benefit of our customers,

to reveal interesting and relevant facts forFacilities Managers about their industry andabout the practices and opinions of their peers.“The Survey is of wider interest, however, asFMs are an unseen barometer of business confi-dence, being managers of company re-organisa-tion, departmental investments and other grass-roots indicators of business health. To tap intothis, the PHS Quarterly FM Survey includes asection we call the FM Industry Tracker, whichrepeats key questions quarterly in order toreveal trend information of value and rele-vance, both within and beyond the facilitiesmanagement profession.”

Reader Repy No.: 83017/189

Switch to a Smart Meter and save up to 25% on business electricity

Would you pay a guesstimated bill for some buildingworks? Or allow a seasonal contractor to charge youthe same monthly amount all year round? So whyaccept estimated electricity bills from your energysupplier?

Manage your cash flowLike most UK businesses, you probably have amechanical meter to measure electricityconsumption, monitored by occasional visits from theMeter Man. The trouble is, you won't always get billedfairly for changes and patterns in the electricity youuse. Causing pressure on cashflow, it's the numberone Utility complaint, amongst UK businesses.*

Switch to BizzEnergy's unique Smart Choice service,and the power will be firmly back in your hands. We'llinstall a revolutionary new Smart Meter at each of yoursites to collect and transmit real electricityconsumption data via satellite-enabled software. Youthen get timely, 100% accurate bills based on regularreading timings of your choice.

Save up to 25%As well as being kinder to your cash-flow, you'llprobably spot new ways of cutting back on energywastage. In fact, we find that customers taking fulladvantage of Smart Choice intelligence can reducetheir Utility costs by as much as 25%**.

“Colourful, fresh,

responsive, innovative”Energy Information Centre

To get smart with Smart Choice call the BizzEnergySales team on 08703 000848, or visit our website atwww.bizzenergy.com/smartchoice

* Source: Energy Watch super complaint May 2005 ** Source: Carbon Trust Special Report, June 2004

Internet and referrals top PHS’s ‘useful’ poll

news...

www.practicalfm.co.uk 7

RR

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Dane Housing of Congleton,Cheshire, has removed scaldingbath water danger throughout itscommunal homes by fittingHoneywell TM200VP failsafe ther-mostatic mixing valves. Thevalves are approved to the latestTMV3 standard and ensure a safehot water temperature by mixingthe hot and water supplies to apre-set temperature. They alsoshut off the hot water automati-cally if the cold supply fails forany reason. “Our property maintenance spe-cialists found the Honeywell valveseasy to install, with minimal alter-

ation to existing pipework,” saidAndy Mason, Gas/PlumbingTechnician with Dane Housing. Insome buildings we also installedHoneywell pressure reducing valvesto balance the pressures of themains and header tank supplies.”“We aim for excellence as land-

lords and have a particular respon-sibility to those in sheltered hous-ing and with special needs. Ournext step is to augment the protec-tion provided on baths by installingHoneywell thermostatic mixingvalves on wash basins.” In addition to their TMV3 approval,Honeywell’s TM200VP meets NHSSpecification D08 for thermostaticmixing valves and is WRASApproved for use with attendedhigh pressure baths, as well as highand low pressure hand basins,bidets and showers. A lockablesafety cap displays the tempera-ture set point and prevents unau-thorised adjustment.Dane Housing has a partnershipagreement with Honeywell, whichprovides all water and heating con-trols for its 4,000 properties. Thebenefits include extended war-ranties and opportunities to influ-ence Honeywell product design.


Dane Housing protectsits residents from

scalding water

Waitrose has chosen MiNipower UPS fromUninterruptible Power Supplies Limited toprovide flexible, easy-maintenance supportfor its EPOS systems. MiNipower is specifiedfor all store new-builds and refurbishments,and will gradually replace existing UPS instal-lations in an ongoing swap-out programme,ultimately providing power protection in the167 stores of the Waitrose group.“When we embarked on upgrading our EPOS sys-tems in 2002, we were unsure of the futurepower requirement, and a solution with flexibil-ity for simple expansion was essential”, com-ments Waitrose’s electrical services manager,Andy Lowe. “In addition, MiNipower has attrac-tive features for maintenance and repair whichensures that these functions can be carried outwith no break in the power supply to the loadand minimum impact on costs.”MliNipower is a compact, sophisticated modularUPS in which the required output is built upusing 1kVA boards, mounted in rack or towercabinets. The units specified by Waitrose havefour board slots, and are currently populatedwith two boards.MlNipower features the unique PowerWAVE par-alleling architecture, which means that theboards can be connected for capacity or, as atWaitrose, to provide n+1 redundancy. If outputneeds to be upgraded, Waitrose can expandwithin the same footprint to 3kVA with redun-dancy, simply by adding extra boards. Autonomy

is similarly flexible. A further innovative featureis MiNipower’s maintenance bypass switch,which plugs into the back of the unit and allowsthe UPS to be isolated for maintenance purposeor removed for repair, both without a break inthe supply to the load.‘Clearly, any break in power to our EPOS systemsis unacceptable”, Andy Lowe continues. “Notonly does MiNipower give us excellent inherentreliability, but continues to support the loadeven if one board goes down. With this facility,we will never experience an emergency require-ment for UPS maintenance, so that we can callout an engineer during normal working hourswithout incurring ‘out-of-hours’ costs, and withconfidence that there will be no interruption to

our ability to trade during maintenance opera-tions.”With UPS installations from Harrogate toDorchester and Abergavenny to Ramsgate,Waitrose could view maintenance as a logisticalnightmare. However, with an association goingback over a decade, Waitrose has discoveredthat it can safely leave the problem in its sup-plier’s hands. “During the initial swap-out con-tract in 40 stores, we found we could depend onUninterruptible Power Supplies to just go in andtake care of it. Now, with a contract which cov-ers preventive maintenance and battery care,we’re confident that we can rely on the compa-ny to proactively manage our UPS resource.”MiNipower systems are available allowingexpansion in 1kVA increments up to 5kVA, andare part of a PowerWAVE range which covers allUPS requirements up to 3MVA. PowerWAVE tech-nology not only allows cost-efficient outputexpansion and redundancy within a small foot-print, but also reduces running costs throughhigh operating efficiency and near-unity powerfactor.Reading-based Uninterruptible Power Supplies isthe UK’s foremost independent supplier ofpower support solutions, backing its productswith comprehensive technical, installation,commissioning and maintenance services, andwith an extensive track record in high-streetfinancial and retail channels.


Waitrose standardises onMiNipower for EPOS support

When patients within psychiatricand long-stay hospital unitssmoke, how do you protect otherpatients and staff from the dan-gers of passive smoking - Byinstalling Tornex.Tornex have been working alongside both private & NHS Trusts todevelop a range of products suit-able for use with psychiatric andlong-stay hospital units and havenow completed their fifth installa-tion, two for Leeds Mental HealthTeaching NHS Trust.Smoking prevalence is significantly

higher among people with mentalhealth problems than the generalpopulation. Rates are thought to beas high as 80% among schizophren-ics and 70% for those with psychi-atric disorders residing in long-stayunits. As all employers, the NHS has alegal and contractual responsibilityfor the health of their employees.Staff at work should be guaran-teed, as far as possible, a smoke-free working environment. It is,however, acknowledged that theparticular circumstances in psychi-atric and long-stay units meansome smoke exposure is likely, forexample, a member of staff mayneed to be close to a patient at alltimes for their safety. This is whereTornex’s technology can help.Tornex technology has been estab-lished in the UK for the past 5 yearsand has installations from airportsto offices and from hospitals topubs. Due to its advanced 3-stagefiltration system, it virtually elimi-nates ETS (Environmental TobaccoSmoke). The latest range of‘Mental Health’ specification sys-tems, both floor and ceiling mount-ed, have been carefully designed tobe as ligature free and user friend-ly as possible. RR No.: 83027

Passive smoking virtually eliminated in long stay units

news...


Vacant properties, whethercommercial or residential,are a constant concern forlocal authorities and mea-sures to protect themagainst theft, vandalism andunlawful occupation are usu-ally very involved and costly. Now, a new system introducedby PMR Products affords a sim-ple and effective way of mon-itoring these propertiesremotely. The Vigilant Rapidoremote alarm system providesa complete package for moni-toring property and peopleover digital or analogue radioschemes and telephone net-works. The Rapido can run off batteryfor up to 30 days without an electricitysupply or phone connection to operate and istherefore ideal for vacant properties. It can bebattery or mains powered and as the systemruns over private radio schemes it reduces run-ning costs. The Rapido alarm unit is complete-

ly self-contained housed in an IP54 plasticsealed case containing mains power

supply, battery, radio, modem andmicro processor controller. The unitis lightweight and can be deployedwithout any wiring using wirelessalarms sensors with a 200 metre range.The Rapido remote alarm unit linkswith a control room where speciallydesigned Vigilant management softwareoperating on a Windows PC network,provides comprehensive features. Forinstance, the alarm screen showsreceipt of alerts and a completeevent log and archive of alarmactivity. It also monitors its ownstatus including tamper units,

vibration detector, battery powerlevel and mains power availability.

The system is designed to work with awide range of peripherals including PIRs,door and windows sensors, links to exist-

ing alarm systems, window smash and smokedetector alarms, personal attack key fobs, andwireless alarms.

Reader Reply No.:82023

Rapid deployment alarm idealfor vacant property protection

Elcomponent has launched its ‘MeterRing MM’system which has been developed to be asflexible as possible whilst remaining highlyuser friendly. The system comprises a com-plete package incorporating all the hardwarerequirements for every utility and a state-of-the-art software capability. The companyoffers its own range of network-ready elec-tricity meters as well as pulse interfaces fordata collection from third party meters of allkinds including those for gas, electricity,water etc. Additional hardware items includedata collection modules for dial-up access,and a number of radio networking products.Entirely new are Elcomponent’s unique ethernet(TCP/IP) meters which plug directly into any10BaseT ethernet system with no additionalinterfacing and a range of compact low-costradio modules for pulse data collection. Theethernet meters reduce installation costs byeliminating the need for custom network solu-tions and the radio modules achieve a similarresult by connecting the network to pulse out-put meters without any cabling being required.As they are battery-powered, this can be a

major advantage for remote or awk-wardly sited meters.Sophisticated software developmentto provide a total capability hasbeen heavily influenced by informa-tive customer feedback. The pack-age is capable of handling allaspects of meter reading, data col-lection, storage and presentation aswell as offering the user comprehen-sive reporting facilities. Additionaladvanced functions include dataimport from external sources, dataexport to external locations/pro-grams, ‘on-board’ calculation chan-nels and the all important dynamicalarms capability.Elcomponent’s latest addition to theMeterRing MM software is a TenantBilling option which automaticallycreates and sends utility invoices to

tenants or cost centres within a business ororganisation. Much attention has been paidthroughout the software development processto maintaining an intuitive user-friendly inter-face which makes full use of the Windows plat-form and desktop functionality.Networking of the system encompasses simpleRS485 MODBUS ‘twisted pair’, plusethernet/intranet systems, low power radio anddial-up technology with a ‘mix and match’ for-mat to ensure that installation costs are kept toa minimum. Advances in radio technology inparticular have solved traditionally difficultdata acquisition problems such as the archety-pal “water-meter-down-a-manhole-in-the-mid-dle-of-a-field” scenario! Elcomponent can pro-vide a complete range of packages to its cus-tomers from ‘supply only’ to ‘turnkey’ and allthe options in between. The company is familiarwith most environments ranging from factoriesto offices and from steelworks to army bases,ensuring that it can deliver its highly reliableproduct on time and on budget to full customersatisfaction.


Elcomponent launch flexible‘MeterRing MM’ system

Portable air cleanermakes it easy toremove pollution

Honeywell’s new portable F92C air cleaner makes it easyto remove airborne pollutants from rooms with an occa-sional problem, leaving a healthier and more pleasantenvironment. It is simply wheeled in when needed toremove pollutants such as cigarette smoke, volatileorganic compounds, dust, allergens and viruses.By providing clean air even in smoking areas, it can allowsmokers and non-smokers to meet without discomfortand alienation. Just like Honeywell’s wall and ceiling-mounted air clean-ers, the stylish portable Honeywell F92C uses electro-static technology to clean the air. Larger particles aretrapped by a mesh filter, then the tiny particles remain-ing receive an electrostatic charge and are attractedonto aluminium plates, like iron filings onto a magnet. Available in white or black, the portable Honeywell F92Cis cost-efficient to run.


news...


Stylish wall modulesadded to the

CentraLine brandThe COMMAND family of stylish and practical wall mod-ules has been added to CentraLine, the new brand forenergy-efficient automation of HVAC (heating, ventila-tion and air conditioning) systems in small and mediumsized buildings. The modules are available exclusivelythrough CentraLine partner companies, listed atwww.centraline.com.COMMAND modules provide precise measurement andeasy adjustment of room conditions such as tempera-ture, humidity, CO2 levels and air quality. Beneath theirattractive modern exterior with intuitive yet versatilecontrols, Command units employ proven Honeywell sen-sors and controls technology, already used in hundreds ofthousands of wall modules across Europe.COMMAND modules are supplied in 12 basic versions.Depending on the model, they have a clear user-friend-ly digital display and clearly arranged buttons forinputting, limiting or overriding settings.


Getting to grips withFM - Handy new guide

from DalkiaIt’s everything you need to know about FacilitiesManagement, in the palm of your hand!Dalkia’s ‘Little Book of FM’ is the succinct and speedyroute to getting the right information about everyaspect of the subject, from Air-conditioning, Buildingfabric maintenance and Catering to Security systems,Waste management and Water treatment with every-thing in between, neatly accessible in alphabeticalorder.Pop one into your pocket or palm-top pouch and you’llbe fully equipped to source solutions to your most press-ing energy management, technical services and FMdemands. Reader Reply No.: 83044

Leading support services compa-ny, OCS Transport Services, hasdelivered a UK first by introduc-ing an innovative, stair-climbingwheelchair at British airports toimprove travel for wheelchairusers. The latest addition to theOCS service completes a uniquepackage offered to the air indus-try and clients.The new power-chair, designedwith partner AATGB Ltd, was origi-nally developed for the regionalaircraft-market, to protect stafffrom musculoskeletal strains asso-ciated with heavy and awkward

lifting. It has now been adapted totravel up and down stairs, improv-ing the comfort, dignity and safetyof passengers, transferring themfrom inside the terminal to theirdesignated seat on the aircraft. Itsspecial safety brakes stop automat-ically on each step, offering cus-tomers a safe and comfortableexperience.Chris Cracknell, chief executive ofOCS, said: “Each year OCS looksafter more than 600,000 passengerswith reduced mobility at UK air-ports and for this reason we havean excellent understanding of theservices we provide and of theneeds of our customers. OCS hascontinued its focus on services inthis area, identifying this latestinnovation as the last piece of thejigsaw.“OCS can now offer a completepackage for our airline customersin the UK, from the moment theyenter the airport, to embarking theaircraft and on arrival back in theUK after their trip. I stronglybelieve in offering passengers withreduced mobility a choice of ser-vice and equipment, which nowincludes the specialist wheelchair.”


OCS completes the solution for passengerswith reduced mobility

Aker Kvaerner ASA is a leading global providerof engineering and construction services. Thebusiness works across several industries,including oil and gas, refining and chemicals,pharmaceuticals and biotechnology, miningand metals, and power generation, with man-ufacturing facilities and offices throughoutthe world.Aker’s construction and construction processesarm, Aker Kvaerner Process, operates from twooffices in Fareham and Port Solent. When itwanted to bring its 300 employees togetherunder one roof, the landlord of its existing sitein Port Solent persuaded Aker to choose the PortSolent office - with the promise of extensiverefurbishment and redevelopment of the site.The 3-storey, 36,000 sq ft office at the One PortWay business park underwent a £2 million refur-bishment which has upgraded the premises tothe very high standards expected by a multina-tional corporation.As part of the refurbishment project, leadingwindow film specialist CPFilms was called in byAker Kvaerner Process to advise on solar heatgain and particularly solar glare through theglazed elevations. Aker wanted to eliminate theneed to install blinds.Working closely with the client, the landlordand architect, CPFilms conducted a trial of arange of its LLumar solar control performancewindow films so they could be evaluated interms of aesthethics and performance. It wasalso important to the landlord to blend theexterior aesthetics with adjacent office blocks.LLumar film type N 1035 SR CDF was selected

for its performance and looks:Using the services of Solarshield - CPFilmsAccredited Installer - the installation work wascarried out as part of the main refurbishmentcontract. All the works were completed to thehigh standard expected by the client and withinthe time frame of the contract. Air conditioningplant was also installed as part of the refurbish-ment, and the application of LLumar solar con-trol film is expected to significantly reduce itsrunning costs.Solar heat gain and glare from hot summer sun-shine can cause staff and customers to over-heat, turning your windows into radiators,explains Ray Copping, Marketing Manager atCPFilms. Turning up the air conditioning isexpensive, installing internal blinds doesn’twork - the heat is already inside - and fans dolittle more than move the heat around.However, LLumar solar control window films fil-ter out the worst of the suns heat and glarewhilst letting in the light. RR No.: 83046

Aker Kvaerner turns toLLumar solar control film

Research by Datamonitor hasshown that 8 out of 10 peoplewant to see well known brands invending machines.Nestlé Vending, a division of out ofhome experts Nestlé FoodServices,has found that signposting withKitKat branding, for example, hasalready been proven to increasevending machine sales revenue byup to 18%.** and now, the additionof a new branded Nescafé.go bolton, means that machine through-put can be driven still further.Nestlé is the nation’s favorite cof-fee brand and the new bolt onmachine (with Nestlé and Kit Katbranding on either side of the com-plete unit) will allow operators toincrease their revenues and max-imise profits per site.By adding Nescafé branded hotdrinks to their range, vendingmachine operators will be able toprovide consumers with a one-stopshop for all their needs. Simple touse, it has a small additional foot-print for those with limited space,requires no plumbing and is quickand easy to fill and maintain.Cups are displayed in an originalbranded Multisnack.go machine,which the customer selects in the

usual way. Once the foil isremoved, they then place the cupin the Nestlé.go bolt on machineand fill with hot water from theboiler.Safety has been taken into consid-eration with a special sensor ensur-ing that no hot water can be dis-pensed until a Nestlé.go cup isplaced in the well and the servingflap is closed.


New Nescafe coffeebolt on set to drivemachine throughput

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Rinnai UK has launched the 1510, its highestoutput fanned flue gas convection heater yet.This new addition is the first upright oscillat-ing heater in the company’s popular range.Rinnai manufactures and sells over 12 milliongas appliances worldwide each year.Designed to meet the challenges associatedwith heating large rooms head on, the 1510boasts a 13.6Kw output. It is ideal for heatinglarge open spaces with highceilings or heavy thermalmasses such as publicbuildings, churches, hotelreceptions and lounges, aswell as light industrialapplications such as work-shops and warehouse units.Its quiet operation alsomakes it a key product forbuilding managers andspecifiers of theatres andlibraries.The unit’s two-speed con-vection fan combined withits oscillating motion pro-vides a powerful source ofwarm air that is evenly dis-tributed. Warm air is emit-ted from the front of theheater, creating a comfort-able and sustainable inter-nal environment, which isheated quickly and safely.The unit is fully pro-grammable and the oscilla-

tion angle can be easily adjusted by the user tosuit the individual needs of the application.Managing director, Geoff Hobbs, said: “I amdelighted to be launching the 1510 to the UKconvection market. Its advanced capabilitiesfurther demonstrate Rinnai’s commitment topioneering the best technology around for awide variety of applications.”At 1780 (h) x 600 (w) x 300mm (d), the 1510 is

tall, slim and narrow,fitting easily into a vari-ety of applications andcan run on either natu-ral or LP gas. Flexibleflueing means the unitis easy to install, withflue extensions avail-able to connect the unitat a maximum length ofseven metres, less onemetre per bend, with amaximum of three 90°bends. The flue holesize required is just95mm.The 1510 has a stainlesssteel heat exchangerwhich, along with allother heaters in therange, is covered byRinnai’s recentlylaunched 15-year ‘noquestions asked’ war-ranty. Reader Reply No.: 83058

Be upstanding for Rinnai’s 1510

Wood product specialist, Osmo UK is celebrat-ing gaining status as an Ethical Company, theresult of a successful application to theEthical Company Accreditation Scheme.The Aylesbury-based companyscored highly in an analysis of itsapproach to Corporate SocialResponsibility, demonstratingOsmo’s commitment to cus-tomers, staff, trade col-leagues and shareholders.Osmo joins a growing list ofover fifty UK businesses whichcurrently hold the title.Applicants are subject to astringent evaluation under thecategories of Environment,Animals and People, gaining pointsunder 15 criteria, covering topics such as

environmental reporting, animal testing, andemployees’ rights. Ethical CompanyAccreditation is awarded to organizations whichobtain an outstanding overall score in an evalu-ation of their Corporate Social Responsibilityrecord, and which are successfully screenedagainst other companies within their marketsectors.Steve Grimwood, Managing Director of OsmoUK, commented, “We are absolutely delightedto add this acclaimed title to our achievements,particularly as it highlights our approach to ourcustomers, colleagues, and the environment, ofwhich we are immensely proud.” The Ethical Company Organisation’s researchand screening process also applies to the appli-cant’s ultimate holding company and any sub-sidiaries. The procedure is repeated annuallyto ensure that the record of companies holdingthe Ethical Company Accreditation awardremains up to date. Successful applicants have

license to use the Ethical Company Logoon letterheads, websites, and other

promotional material.Osmo’s commitment to provid-ing products which are safeand environmentally friendlyhas contributed to previousawards and quality stan-dards such as the successfulcertification according toDIN EN ISO 9001 (quality

management) and DIN EN ISO14001 (environmental manage-

ment) by the TÜV (TechnicalControl Board) Rhineland.


Osmo gains ethical accreditation

What the eyecan’t see

Tremco has developed a comprehensive service for allroofing applications. By providing a qualified conditionreport via infra-red technology, a camera provides an in-depth analysis of the whole roof, revealing any hiddenproblems. The thermal images and thermograms revealthe location and extent of any entrapped moisture andshow the heat energy released.The start-to-finish roofing programme allows the specifi-er to penetrate the invisible condition of a roof, fromthe vapour control layer to the cap sheet, bringingimages directly to the desktop. Through this analysis,Tremco can provide roofing solutions to any problemsusing the highest standard of product and system speci-fications.Additionally, by detecting the temperature difference,the infra-red camera can assist in providing an informed,planned maintenance schedule to ensure long lastingdurability and performance.Tremco now has an extensive range of solutions for allroofing needs, offering total peace of mind.


news...


Be a Winner

Grundfos Pumps have just launched a new release oftheir WinCAPS CD, considered to be one of the bestindustry selection tools available.The CD provides installers, consultants and contractorswith a simple windows based tool, that offers significantamounts of information on the ever increasing Grundfosrange of pump products and covers all aspects of heat-ing; chilled/air conditioning; water boosting/publichealth; drainage; waste water; dosing and energy man-agement.This comprehensive selection tool allows you to choosefrom the product catalogue, size the most suitable pumpfor your application, choose a replacement for aninstalled circulator pump and select accessories. Information available includes product pictures; pumpcurves; dimensional drawings; product data; installationand operating instructions. Grundfos, as a forerunner indeveloping and promoting variable speed technology,also offers sizing results showing energy consumption,pay back periods, life cycle costs etc.


South East gets newwind tunnel

A new in-house designed wind tunnel test facility toserve business users in the Southeast has just been builtat Horsham, West Sussex by UK company, HITEKCalibration Services. The move is in response to a grow-ing demand for accurate calibration of anemometers,which are increasingly being used in sectors such as airconditioning for buildings as well as more establishedmarkets like the automotive and aerospace industries.HITEK prides itself on being an independent, familyowned and run business and says the new facility will bea valuable addition to its range of testing services. “Wewere receiving regular enquiries from people looking foranemometer calibration services and we soon realised itwas a service that isn’t widely available,” explainsHITEK’s Managing Partner, Martin Kuhn. “The facilitiesthat did exist couldn’t keep pace with demand, so wecommissioned the design and construction of a brandnew, purpose-built test rig.” Reader Reply No.: 83060

Environmental Biotech UK’s introduction of itsunique AC Pan and Drain is a cost effectiveenvironmentally friendly way to totally eradi-cate the build up of harmful bacteria andalgae associated with air conditioning andrefrigeration units. AC Pan and Drain is proven to be 100% success-ful in killing off unwanted growth found in airconditioning and refrigeration condensate pans.Unlike traditional chlorine and bromine basedproducts that last only 2-3 weeks, it has a con-tinual performance lasting up to six months.Costing from £4.50 per unit, it significantlyreduces the need for high frequency preventa-tive maintenance and removes expensive callouts and the possibility of flooding. This is a

huge cost sav-ing for con-tractors andtheir clientssuch as

supermarkets, which rely heavily upon main-taining their air conditioning and refrigerationfacilities in optimum functionality. One of thebiggest costs is that of labour for reactive callouts relating to drain blockages associated with

Zugliea, the thick gelatinous algae, whichthrives in drain lines attached to condenserunits.AC Pan and Drain is a unique compound, whichtakes the form of a waxy gelatinous pad that iswrapped with a nylon polysleeve. It is ready to

u s e ,requiringno priorprepara-tion andis avail-able in av a r i e t yof sizest oa c c o m -m o d a t e

the range

of air conditioning, refrigeration and other con-densing units currently in the market. The pad is simply placed into the path of themoisture flow, prior to entry into the drain. Asthe water comes into contact with the pad, it issterilised. The sterilised water carries with ittrace elements through the drain system killingoff any sign of bacterial development. The padsimultaneously releases a mild surfactant tohelp clean away and release dying organisms. Unlike chlorine based products that lead to therapid corrosion of fins, fans and other metalwork within the cooling system, the AC Pan andDrain has no oxidising activity and contains rustand corrosion inhibitors. This both extends thelife and improves performance of the coolingunits, significantly reducing costs and improvingbottom line profitability.Commenting on the effectiveness of the prod-uct, Steve Ward of refrigeration and air condi-tioning specialist, Ryan-Jayberg, said:“Having trialled the AC Pan and Drain initially ata supermarket, we found that the productexceeded initial expectations. Not only did itprevent the build-up of bacteria and theZugliea, it lasted for just over 6 months, fittingperfectly into our maintenance regime.”Previous to the installation of the AC Pan andDrain, Ryan-Jayberg were receiving call-outsevery two weeks from the site due to blockages,resulting in significant costs. With the installa-tion of the AC Pan and Drain, no call-outs wereincurred during the six month trial.


Don’t let bacteria make your profits go down the pan

To help UK business tackle soaring ener-gy costs, leading full FM provider GSHhas launched its new Energy Bureaudesigned to maximise conservation andimprove sustainability. The facility is anin-house centre of excellence devotedto improving clients’ energy perfor-mance to counter wholesale priceincreases in gas and electricity of 60%and 50% respectively in the past year.The Bureau represents an expansion ofGSH’s energyplus contract energy manage-ment service that guarantees a 5% savingin consumption cost. This service has dou-bled in turnover since its official launch inearly 2004. The focus is on saving money by sav-ing energy through the introduction of ‘bestpractice’ energy management as part of GSH’scomprehensive FM package.A number of state of the art service initiativesare available via the Bureau including: electron-ic bill processing, half-hourly data collectionand a ‘dashboard’ demonstrating utility perfor-mance at site. Real-time data retrieval on alarge scale from small electric users is also car-ried out.In addition, the company has also developed a‘Smart Box’ that can be fitted at site to monitorall utility readings and any other items ofmechanical or electrical equipment. This isparticularly useful for critical equipment or atremote locations.The opening of the Bureau coincides with a raftof new legislation designed to support efficientsustainable building management. The intro-

duction of the Operating and Financial Review(OFR) from the financial year beginning 1stApril, 2005 requires greater transparency in thereporting of environmental matters.Furthermore, in January 2006, the EuropeanEnergy Performance of Buildings Directive(EPBD), and new Part L Building Regulations aredue to come into force. The effect will be totighten the requirements for record-keepingand introduce energy certification of buildings.Chris McLain, GSH Group Energy ManagingDirector, commented: “Energy is now a boardlevel issue with the rapid rise in prices resultingin the need for building audits providing con-crete analysis of where energy can be saved.With our new Energy Bureau, we have enhancedthe facilities and expertise to help our clientsimprove energy performance, save money andease the pressure on business overheads.”


GSH powers ahead with new energy bureau

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“Having trialled the AC Pan and Draininitially at a supermarket, we found

that the product exceeded initialexpectations. Not only did it prevent

the build-up of bacteria and theZugliea, it lasted for just over 6

months, fitting perfectly into our maintenance regime.”

Clean air is important to Faraday Ex-Servicemens’ Club in Slough, where half themembers are cigarette smokers. The club’sdecision to install seven Honeywell high-techair cleaners has delighted members, says clubChairman, Bill Rafferty. He explains: “Wehave the health and comfort of our 1500members at heart and our clean air policy isattractive to new members. People cansmoke but no-one suffers its smell, discomfortor reported health hazards. Clean air isimportant to smokers, as well as non-smokerslike me.”The self-contained air cleaners were suppliedand are serviced by Birmingham-based I.H.S.(Air Quality) Ltd. The Honeywell units removevolatile organic compounds, dust, smoke, aller-gens and other pollutants, leaving a cleaner,healthier environment for members and staff.

“The Honeywell air cleaners make an enormousdifference. We never see the smoke haze thatused to hang over the dance floor and gamesroom, and your clothes don’t smell of smokeafterwards,” stressed Mr Rafferty. Even so,smoking is not allowed behind the bar or bymembers at the bar.Mr Rafferty expects private social clubs such asthe Faraday - the largest by far in the Slougharea - to become more popular in future years,as they will be exempt from the government’sproposed smoking restrictions in pubs andrestaurants. “But you can’t just sit back. Weinvest in members’ interests through entertain-ment, an excellent menu and the club facilities,most recently by revamping the kitchen andproviding the new Honeywell air cleaners.I.H.S. (Air Quality) Ltd has been sellingHoneywell air cleaners for over 22 years topremises including pubs, clubs, hotels andrestaurants. The cleaners are much more effec-tive than conventional air filters and recircula-tors because they remove particles electrostat-ically. First, larger particles are trapped by amesh filter, then remaining particles receive anelectrostatic charge and are attracted onto alu-minium plates like iron filings onto a magnet.The cleaned air is recirculated, providing ahealthier and more comfortable atmosphere inwhich to socialise, eat and drink.


Social club allows smokingyet ensures clean air

In the fourth edition of thejust published BCOSpecification, The BritishCouncil of Offices has identi-fied the improvement inbusiness performance possi-ble through the installationof an under-floor HVAC sys-tem in commercial buildings.The Guide looks at the variouschoices available to propertydevelopers and their construc-tion team in mechanical air-cooling systems. The under-floor approach, typified by theHiross Flexible Space Systemfrom Advanced ErgonomicTechnologies (AET), is the onlysystem singled out in theGuide for its cost-savingadvantage. “A CABE study identified a 90% decrease inchurn cost in a building with under-floor HVAC,power, telephone and data systems over a build-ing with ceiling-based HVAC and a cellularfloor”, states the BCO Guide. “Recognition of the flexibility afforded byunder-floor HVAC systems, like AET’s HirossFlexible Space System, and the significant rolethey play in operational cost savings continuesto build” comments Glan Blake Thomas,Managing Director at AET. “This influential BCOGuide highlights just why this type of system isperfectly suited to today’s fast-changing com-mercial environment, in contrast to other a/ctechnologies”. He adds, “Where one month, the office may be

open-plan, but then subse-quently is sub-divided, parti-tioned and re-configured tosuit different business orchanging tenant requirements,flexibility is the key buzz-word.In this scenario, moving theceiling-based air-conditioningto adapt to the new workingenvironment is an incrediblydisruptive and costly process.An under-floor air-conditioningapproach offers a practical,low cost, fast and easy solutionto the problem of office churn,amongst added-value benefitsfor the end user and all those inthe construction team”. The Hiross Flexible SpaceSystem utilises the plenumunder a raised access floor as a

duct in itself, with each floor of the buildingdivided into a number of zones depending onthe potential use and occupancy density of thearea. Each zone is supplied with chilled orwarmed air by a conditioned air module (CAM).The under-floor void is divided into supply andreturn air plena using easily relocatable, air-tight baffles. Supply air is drawn up into theoccupied space by fan assisted terminal units(FTU450), which are recessed into the floor,plug into an underfloor power source and areconnected by data cabling for intelligent con-trol. These fan tile units feature individual con-trols to provide variable speed and temperatureadjusted for maximum user comfort.


New BCO best practice guidepinpoints the benefits ofunder-floor HVAC systems

New all-weather surface solution

A new environmentally-friendly surface treatment is qui-etly revolutionising one aspect of the facilities manage-ment industry.A specialist blend of sand and natural fibres, the provenSuretrac system solves problems with its all-weather sur-faces for many applications including car parks, playareas, walkways and footpaths, sports grounds andaccess roads.The application can be seeded or finished with Sureturf,a unique mix of Suretrac and soil-less turf, to create agrass finish that is suitable for vehicles up to 30 tonneswithout tyre rutting, even in wet conditions.It is also comfortable to walk on and provides an easysurface for pushchairs, wheelchairs and cycles.Inert and sustainable, Suretrac provides low repair andmaintenance costs and is an ideal solution for all-weath-er surfaces in an eco-friendly way, providing a naturalgreen finish that is not a blot on the landscape.


news...


DORMA sponsor majornew CAE / RIBA‘Automatic Door

Systems’ handbookAn invaluable new publication in the Specifiers’Handbooks series has recently been published by TheCentre for Accessible Environments (OAE), in conjunc-tion with RIBA Enterprises. Entitled, ‘Automatic DoorSystems’, it is a comprehensive 34 page guide coveringall aspects of automatic door systems for Automatic usein non-domestic buildings and includes Door Systemsautomatic sliding; folding; swing; balanced and low-energy swing doors. The publication has been sponsored by DORMA UK Ltdand features a foreword by their DDA Product SpecialistSimon Chapman.It offers practical guidance on how to understand thedifferent types of automatic door systems available, thefactors contributing to their design and specification -and related legislation, building regulations and stan-dards.

Design guidanceis fully support-ed by casestudy exam-ples whichdemonstratethe differenttypes of sys-tems in aw h o l erange ofs i t u a -tions.

ReaderReply

No.:83077

Salisbury now has its first ‘CityCentre Ranger’, courtesy ofDalkia, who provide market-lead-ing Total Facilities Services to awide range of commercial andpublic sector customers - includ-ing the retail sector.The new City Centre Ranger will becarrying out regular patrols, identi-fying and quickly fixing any minorproblems and reporting majorproblems requiring extra attention.Litter management, graffitiremoval and routine maintenanceand painting of street furniture areall part of the job, whilst reportingof heavily littered streets, blockeddrains, paving defects and the like

will speed up and simplify thewhole process of ensuring a highquality civic environment foreveryone in Salisbury.“This is a real innovation in our ser-vice offering, and follows-on fromour responsibilities at The OldGeorge Mall, where we are deliver-ing Total Facilities Support throughour contract with managing agentsDonaldsons,” says Dalkia NationalContract Manager George Mason.“We see the City Ranger idea as ahighly effective way of gettingthings done without too much ‘redtape’, and hope that success inSalisbury will see similar schemesin and around the many shoppingmalls and retailing centresthroughout the UK currently in ourcare.”The City Centre Ranger scheme isbeing funded by Dalkia togetherwith The Old George Mall, CityCentre Management and SalisburyDistrict Council, and will involvethe Ranger liaising with SalisburyEnvironmental Services, the localarea Highways Authority and thePolice as required to deal withissues as they arise.


Improving the civic environment - innovative

Dalkia scheme for SalisburyDesigned for users whose busi-ness profitability depends on itscritical loads remaining opera-tional day and night, Socomec’srange of Static Transfer Switches(LTM) is a vital component inensuring this level of reliability.The range has recently beenextended to include theIntegrated LTM; designed to beinstalled in switchboards andpower distribution units, it’s idealfor switching between UPS sys-tems in data centres, financial,medical and industrial applica-tions.A standard installation normallyutilises a UPS system to support thecritical load, but there are dangersin relying on a single supply to pro-tect the most valuable asset -information. Risk is still presentdespite the use of a UPS (single unitor parallel system) the critical loadis not totally protected against fail-ures in the UPS or distribution net-work such as breaker tripping,incorrect operation and short cir-cuits.To eliminate the risk and ensurethe critical load is dual supply fed aSocomec Static Transfer Switch isthe ideal solution. Designed tomeet the most rigorous powerrequirements, the company’s rangeof static transfer switches performan automatic, seamless load trans-

fer, without disturbing the connect-ed loads, from the priority sourceto the secondary source. The userdefines the priority source. TheLTM logic permanently monitorsthe tolerance of each source andperforms a load transfer to theemergency source in the event of aserious fault in the main source.Available in ratings of up to4800amps and in 3 and 4 Pole for-mat, the Integrated LTM willincrease reliability to 99.9999999%when used in conjunction with UPSincoming sources.


Seamless power transfer from Socomec

A Baxi Technologies’ DACHSmini-CHP (combined heatand power) unit has beeninstalled at Solaris, a region-al centre of excellence inenvironmental sustainability,based in Blackpool,Lancashire. By incorporatingenergy efficient and renew-able technologies such asCHP, photovoltaics, wind tur-bines and rain water harvest-ing into the design of thebuilding, the centre aims tocommunicate to the localcommunity the importanceof taking individual and col-lective responsibility for theenvironment.Solaris, developed byBlackpool Borough Council,Lancaster University,Blackpool & Fylde College andorganisations such as Lancashire Tourism andBlackpool Challenge Partnership, was officiallyopened in November 2004, marking the comple-tion of a £1.85 million refurbishment of theHarrowside Solarium, a derelict 1938 art decobuilding located on Blackpool’s seafront. Solarisis Blackpool’s most sustainable and energy effi-cient building, and demonstrates BlackpoolCouncil’s commitment to environmental sustain-ability and the regeneration of Blackpool.CHP is an extremely efficient way of generatingelectricity and producing heat simultaneously at

the point of use from a sin-gle fuel. This fuel could benatural gas, LPG, oil orsome form of bio-fuel. Indoing so CHP offers an eco-nomical and environmen-tally friendly alternativefor meeting thermal andelectrical demands in manyapplications.In large conventional cen-tralised electricity plantsthe heat produced in thegeneration process wouldnormally be directed intocooling towers, dischargedto the atmosphere andwasted, leading to lowoverall plant efficiencies.The DACHS unit is one ofthe more recent CHP prod-ucts commercially avail-able in the UK following

huge success in Europe by manufacturer, BaxiGroup company SenerTec GmbH, which togetherwith its partner network has now installed over10,000 units - making the DACHS one of themost successful CHP products in Europe.Providing I 2.5kWth of heat output and 5.5kWeof electricity, the natural gas fuelled DACHS unitcan save up to around five tonnes of carbondioxide per annum when operating for approxi-mately 6,000 hours per year. This is equivalentto around a 20 per cent reduction in carbondioxide emissions when compared with the cur-

rent mix of centralised power generation in theUK and gas fired heat only boiler plant. By util-ising the available heat output, the DACHS candeliver overall fuel efficiencies of up to 92 percent, reducing primary energy needs by around30 per cent.The UK Government’s Energy White Paperemphasised that public sector organizationssuch as local authorities - have a fundamentalrole to play in reducing carbon dioxide emissions- the principal greenhouse gas associated withclimate change.A large proportion of both old and new buildingsin the UK are considered environmentally ineffi-cient, using excessive amounts of energy andwater. In order to achieve the UK’s carbon diox-ide emission reduction targets associated withthe Kyoto Protocol, the use of energy withinpublic sector and commercial properties mustbe addressed.The principal aim of Solaris is to educate thelocal community about energy efficiency andsustainable development, and help demonstratethe commercial advantages of renewable andalternative technologies to local businesses interms of both energy efficiency and the associ-ated cost savings. The building also includes anexhibition area for showcasing environmentalprojects and tourism information, office space,an educational resource room, training facilitiesand a café.The sustainable design of the Solaris buildingensured it had a minimum carbon dioxide emis-sion footprint, whilst attaining best practiceperformance. Reader Reply No.: 83084

DACHS mini-CHP unit installed at regional centreof excellence for environmental sustainability

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Water chiller service and maintenance spe-cialist, Coolmation Service Ltd, a CoolmationGroup Company, has joined a leading edgescheme, designed to help industry improve itssafety record. The company has recently beenawarded accreditation from SAFEcontractor, aprogramme which recognises high standardsof health and safety practice amongst UK con-tractors.Martin Poyner, service director of Coolmation,explains “SAFEcontractor accreditation is animportant endorsement for our business. It willhelp us win new contracts and ensure that our

commitment to the highest standards of safetywill be viewed positively by insurers when thecompany liability policy is due for renewal.”SAFEcontractor is operated by internationalsafety, health and environmental risk manage-ment specialists, the National Britannia Group.The system is applicable to most sectorsalthough it is particularly relevant to food man-ufacture, property, facilities management,retail and leisure sectors, all of which are bigusers of contract services.James Ostler, managing director of InformationService at National Britannia said, “Major organ-

isations can no longer run therisk of employing contractorswho do not have provensound health and safety poli-cies. More companies need tounderstand the importanceof adopting good risk man-agement in the way thatCoolmation Service hasdone.”Under the SAFEcontractorsystem businesses undergo avetting process that exam-ines health and safety proce-dures and their track recordfor safe practice. Those com-panies meeting the high stan-dard are included on adatabase which is accessibleto registered users viawww.safecontractor.com


Top safety accreditation forCoolmation service

A recent report from the National HeritageTraining Group (NHTG) backed byConstructionSkills and English Heritage hashighlighted that the Britain’s listed and his-toric buildings are under serious threat from ashortage of skilled craft workers.The research found that over 86,000 people cur-rently work within the built heritage sector, pre-serving over 4 million historic homes and550,000 historic commercial buildings, but withan ever increasing workload nearly a quarter ofcontractors having outstanding vacancies. Withthe industry needing to recruit an additional6,500 people in the next 12 months just to meetthe immediate demand.In the next 15 to 20 years, the research warned,skills such as dry stone walling, earth wallingand thatching could disappear altogether. Theshortage in many parts of the country is so seri-

ous that there can be a wait of threemonths for the right craftspersonwhich puts many heritage building atrisk.In response to the reports findingsthe NHTG aims to encourage morepeople into the heritage sector bycampaigning to raise the profile ofvocational training in the sector. TheNHTG in consultation with employ-ers, clients and education providershas developed a Skills Action Plan.This plan aims to secure funding for aheritage conservation qualification atNVQ Level 3 and adult apprentice-ships and potentially develop currentand new qualifications to ensure tra-

ditional building craft practical knowledge andskills can be gained from GCSE to Master Craftlevel.Michael Brown CIOB deputy chief executivecommented, “This is the first major piece ofresearch into the sector and has identified somevery serious issues. It should come as no surprisethat the heritage sector is facing a skills short-age, the construction industry generally is suf-fering the same fate, with an ageing workforceand inadequate recruitment. “But what this piece of research does show isthe scale of the problem and the very realthreat of these traditional building skills beinglost. The CIOB recognises the need to promotethis part of our industry and will be workingalongside other professional bodies and industryto ensure that we have the right skills to protectour past.” Reader Reply No.: 83106

We can’t look after our past - ifwe don’t look out for the future

Versatile productionfrom Armstrong

When Nicola Killeen Textiles needed a high quality wash-er-extractor with tight process control and great versa-tility, they researched the market thoroughly and select-ed an FS16/STM from Armstrong Commercial LaundrySystems.Nicola Killeen is a highly specialised business providing arange of bespoke textile printing and dyeing services toa glittering list of clients in theatre, film, TV, advertis-ing, fashion and display. One of the services is screenprinting which can involve a whole range of techniquesand materials such as pigments, various types of dye,texture effects, foils and heat transfer. Dyeing is animportant service and Nicola Killeen frequently experi-ments with textiles and techniques to achieve a design-er’s special requirements or to suggest new ideasThe work is extremely varied. It might be a pre-wash of30 metre lengths of fabric to remove the dressing or topre-shrink it before printing. The range of dyeing tech-niques used demands a high degree of process control -it matters that the work is held in the solution for exact-ly the right amount of time and at exactly the right tem-perature and the processes have different parametersdepending on the pigment and the fabric.


news...


Electric vehicle movesHospital clinical waste A bespoke electric vehicle for transporting clinical wastehas recently been delivered to the Hotel Servicesdepartment at the Princess of Wales Hospital inBridgend.The Cushman 340 tug, which is produced by RansomesJacobsen Ltd, the Ipswich-based manufacturer of elec-tric vehicles has been supplied to the Bro MorgannwgNHS Trust by Birds Vehicle Solutions of Cowbridge in theVale of Glamorgan.Hotel Services’ Nigel Radcliffe commented, “Initially wewere going to fit a cab to our existing ageing vehicle, butafter discussions with Birds it became apparent that abetter solution would be a new, modern machine withintegral cab. For obvious health and safety reasons ourstaff are required to move clinical and other waste at alltimes, irrespective of the weather, so a cab ensures thatthey can operate effectively.“We selected Bird’s Vehicle Solutions as our preferredsupplier because they were able to provide professionaladvice, a vehicle that fully meets our needs and they canprovide that all important after sales support, quicklyand efficiently.” Reader Reply No.: 83100

news...


During ongoing constructionworks associated with the BBC’snew regional broadcast centre inBirmingham last summer,Andrews Sykes provided three500kW chillers to meet the cool-ing needs of the building duringfit-out.Relocating 750 BBC staff, equip-ment and assets from a 1960s cel-lular building at Pebble Mill to amodern, predominately open planoffice environment at the Mailbox,a multi-purpose complex in theheart of Birmingham, is a hugetask. Accommodation of complexacoustic and engineering specifica-tions within an existing multi-ten-anted building was always going to

be a demanding challengethat would stretch program-ming, management anddelivery techniques to thelimit. With project implementationat the BBC taking place dur-ing spring/summer 2004,chiller units were vital ingre-dients to aid the ongoing con-struction and technologyinstallation. The building contractorswere already using otherequipment from AndrewsSykes so an enquiry was made

to also supply a solution for tempo-rary chiller units. After a briefassessment of requirements byAndrews Sykes, three 500kW chillerunits were duly installed outside,at the rear of the building and con-nected to the main chilled watersupply using wire armoured pipe. From fast chillers to high capacityfluid chillers, Andrews Sykes canprovide a solution whatever theenvironment or activities involved.Typical applications include coldstores, low temperature productionfacilities, large volume air condi-tioning, document archives, foodstorage, beer cellars, marqueesand temporary structures.


Chillers from AndrewsSykes help BBC stay cool

TGM Ltd. is best recognised as specialists inthe cleaning of gutters and drains to all typesof commercial properties across the UK. Byutilising our experience and expertise forworking at height, our complimentary ser-vices include:

* Cleaning of Roof and Side Cladding * Provision of Gutter Surface Treatments/GutterLinings * Treatment of Cut Edge Corrosion* Treatment of Leaking Roofs and Skylights

Cladding & Roof Cleaning:If PVC type coatings are never cleaned theybecome so ingrained with dirt and acid rain theybecome impossible to clean, therefore makingregular maintenance so important in the up-keep of these types of buildings.

Gutter Surface Treatments and Gutter Linings:Available options range from a variety of surfacetreatments, which rely on the existing guttersbeing reasonably sound, to an engineered gutterlining system that can be fitted without remov-ing any roof sheets. All the systems come withguarantees that range from 3 to 20 years.

Cut Edge Corrosion/Metal Edge Protection:Problems of de-lamination and deterioration ofthe coatings on metal profiled sheets present anever-present risk to the integrity of the roofstructure and ultimately its performance. TGMare a registered contractor for the SEAMSIL flex-ible silicone remedial system, which is recog-nized as the most effective metal edge protec-tion treatment in any situation where exposedmetal is subjected to aggressive moisture condi-tions. A full 10-year guarantee is offered.

Want to know more? Please call our free-phone hotline on 0800 028 3479

and ask for a member of the Marketing Team, or alternatively

visit us at www.totalgutters.co.ukReader Reply No.: 83090

TGM- Reaching new heights of service

Thomas Glover & Company, aleading supplier to the indepen-dent fire trade, has significantlyupgraded its FirePower range ofwater and foam cartridge-operat-ed extinguishers with enhance-ments to their valveassemblies, ‘used’indicators and theintroduction ofinterchangeablespares with itssister Optimaxrange.In terms of thenew valveassembly, theextinguishers nowfeature hot brassstamping for addedstrength, are nickelplated for addedprotection againstcorrosion, and haveremovable leversallowing replacementsto be fitted in harshenvironments. Theyalso have trapezoidal threads(Series 2000).The ‘used’ indicator now locks

down when extinguisher has beenused, and an alert is instantlyapparent that the product needs

re-charging. The indicatoris easy to reset, withouthaving to turn the extin-

guisher upside down, andcan be easily replaced.The third developmentis the introduction of a

range of spares that areinterchangeable acrossboth the FirePower andOptimax ranges. Theseinclude hose assemblies,valve spindles and siphontubes.“The purpose of theseenhancements is to pro-vide an even better, morerobust product for thecustomer as well as signif-icantly improving the lotof the service engineer bymaking them easier andmore practical to main-tain and reducing theamounts of spares that he

has to carry,” adds SuzanneGrasso, Marketing Manager.


Hat-trick of upgradesfor Thomas Glover’s

Firepower range

One. It’s a wet

drilling system

for hard masonry

and concrete.

Two. It’s a

dry drilling

system with

efficient dust

extraction for

soft masonry.

It’s the Multiswivel from Duradiamond – and

it’s one of a kind, the only two-in-one diamond

drill that is proven to operate effectively for both

wet and dry.

It’s a one-off for a one-man team. And it

offers twice the value with half the hassle.

If you want to get one-up by getting two

for the price of one, you know what to do.

Just call us…

Multiswivel Limited, Kingfisher House, Auld Mart Road,MILNATHORT, by Kinross KY13 2DA

Tel: 01577 863028 Fax: 01577 866704e: [email protected] www.duradiamond.com

Wet or Dry,IT’S THE

TWO-IN-ONE.

news...


RR

:8

30

81

Diamond drilling is fast and effi-cient but to get the most out of ityou need to select the right toolfor the job. That means drydrilling indoors or for soft mason-ry materials and quicker wetdrilling outdoors and on hardmasonry materials and concrete.Because dry drilling creates dust,some of it toxic, to protect yourworkforce and stay on the rightside of the HSE, you must use dustextraction equipment.Historically, wet and dry drillingrequires different equipment - dif-ferent core bits plus vacuum andwater pump and, because of theexpense involved, not manybuilders, let alone plumbers andelectricians, carry both wet anddry systems. This often causes losttime and additional expense whenmaterials requiring a differentdrilling system are encountered -often, in fact, resulting in the call

out of a specialist drilling contrac-tor - That’s until now.The unique Multiswivel(tm) fromdiamond tool specialist,Duradiamond, overcomes all theobstacles. It’s one man operated,uses the same core bits for bothwet and dry drilling and incorpo-rates a wet and dry vacuum within-built water feed pump and tankfor either super-efficient dustextraction or water supply for wetdrilling. In short, inside or out andwhatever the material you can todrill-it-yourself.The secret of the dual capabilitylays in the clever swivel unit designwhich allows dust or water to passseparately around the drive shaft,and which has the added benefit ofreducing component wear andincreasing unit life.System inventor, John Clark, says,“Dust is at the top of the HSE’saction programme and fromJanuary there’s been a tighteningup of the COSHH regulations effec-tively reducing by 60% the permis-sible levels of silica dust. An effi-cient dust extraction system is,therefore, now essential, whileMultiswivel’s ability to wet drillwith the same equipment has obvi-ous cost and logistical advantagesfor everyone.”Costing around the same as a drydrilling system alone, Multiswivelcan be used with core bits from22mm to 202mm diameter and, inhand held operation, can handledrill lengths of 450mm (wet) and350mm (dry) - easily coping withmost interior and exterior walls.


Wet or dry - it’s all the same

to MultiswivelJohn Clark of Duradiamond

explains why his innovative newMultiswivel(tm) is a diamond

drilling time and cost saver ...

Courses run by John Deere’s Nottinghamshiretraining centre are a lot more effective sincethe workshops were fitted-out with acousticproducts, DecoSound and SoftSound byHodgson & Hodgson Group. The four trainingworkshops were highly reverberant, makingaudibility very difficult for both lecturers andattendees. Not surprisingly the company wasanxious to resolve the problem.John Deere is one of the world’s best knownagricultural vehicle manufacturers and retainsleadership in an increasingly competitive world-wide market. ln the UK, it has maintained apresence in Nottinghamshire since the 1960’s,holding a Royal Warrant for over 30 years.Hodgson & Hodgson Group’s consultant engi-neers recommended that a reduction in thereverberation time (RT) in the workshop of morethan two seconds could be achieved by fittingspecially constructed acoustic panels to three ofthe four walls. The proposal was proved by fit-ting out one of the workshops with I 70m2 ofHodgson & Hodgson’s own branded DecoSound

acoustic panelling.DecoSound is manufactured from a semi-rigidmineral wool, faced on one side with non-wovenmineral-fibre tissue. Specifically designed foruse in commercial and industrial buildings toreduce reverberant noise, the panelling alsoimproves the thermal insulation of the structureit is used to treat. The panels were fitted to thewalls of John Deere’s workshop (each 3.6metres high), using a conventional suspendedceiling T-grid system incorporating perimeterchannels.Hodgson & Hodgson’s installation in the firstworkshop was very successful, with tests con-firming that the calculated reduction in rever-beration times had been achieved. John Deereconsequently decided to have the other threeworkshops treated with DecoSound, and furtherasked if a treatment could be recommended forthe cafeteria area. This space was also highlyreverberant, having a measured RT of around3.0 seconds. A reduction of more than two sec-onds was considered necessary and Hodgson &Hodgson proposed that its SoftSound wall panelsshould be used in conjunction with, in thisinstance, the use of DecoSound as a ceilingpanel.SoftSound is manufactured from acousticallyabsorptive mineral fibre covered with a highquality open-weave fabric. The panels aredesigned to absorb high levels of reflected noisewithin a room thereby creating a comfortableenvironment for rest time. SoftSound panelswere applied to one long wall and the panel fab-ric was matched to the existing cafeteria colourscheme to preserve the aesthetics of the room.


news...


To encourage the use of WRASApproved products, the WRASWater Fittings and MaterialsDirectory is now available on theinternet, free of charge, havingpreviously been onlyfor sale as a book orCD. Access to the on-line Directory is viathe WRAS website:www.wras.co.uk, byclicking on the buttonmarked “WaterFittings and MaterialsDirectory”.The Directory lists awide range of productswhich have been test-ed and shown to comply with thelegal requirements of the WaterSupply (Water Fittings) Regulations1999 (England and Wales), theScottish Byelaws and the NorthernIreland Regulations. The approvedproducts include metallic and non-metallic pipes, valves and storagecisterns, pumps, backflow preven-tion devices, water heaters andWCs. Also approved are appliancessuch as washing machines, dish-washers, drinks machines andwater-using catering and industrial

process equipment. Non-metallicmaterials for use in contact withdrinking water in the constructionof plumbing systems and water fit-tings are also listed.

The Directoryhas links to thewebsites ofmanufacturersof ApprovedProducts andto related lists(DWI Approvedmaterials andWRc ApprovedProducts andServices).The Directory

is an essential reference for anyonein the UK who designs, specifies orinstalls plumbing systems. TheRegulations require water fittingsto be of an appropriate quality andstandard to avoid waste, misuse,undue consumption and contamina-tion of water supplies. WRASApproval is a ready means ofdemonstrating compliance withthis legal requirement.


On-line help in selectingsuitable plumbing

fittings and appliances

The Directory is an essential

reference for anyone in the

UK who designs,specifies or installsplumbing systems

John Deere gets the Decosoundand Softsound treatment

System Sensor Europelaunch conventional

zone interfaceNew from System Sensor Europe is the M210E-CZ con-ventional zone interface module, used in intelligent firesystems to enable a zone of up to 32 conventional two-wire detectors to be managed by the control panel via asingle module address on a loop. Fully compatible withexisting intelligent control panels the module can bemounted in a stand-alone enclosure or on a standard35mm DIN rail. Optional short-circuit isolation can beenabled if required to preserve loop continuity in theevent of the device failing and a tri-colour LED giveslocal status indication.When existing conventional systems are being replacedand upgraded with a new addressable system, undertak-ing the work in stages is often convenient. By linking anexisting conventional zone via the M210E-CZ, the newsystem can be installed without loss of protection. Themodule can also allow the use of lower cost convention-al detectors in physically well defined locations such asseparate machin-ery rooms andboiler houses,where knowingthe individualdetector addressis not necessarilyimportant. The power for thec o n v e n t i o n a ldetectors can besupplied from theloop, from a dedi-cated feed fromthe control panelor from an exter-nal power supply.

RR No.: 83127

interiors - flooring


Employers go to many lengths toensure that their staff are work-ing in the most safe and comfort-able environment, such as intro-ducing plants and specialist light-ing to the workspace. Howevermany people spend their wholeworking day on their feet inintensive jobs in manufacturingor the service industry.Cannon Textile Care has introducedits new ‘Ultrasan(tm)’ anti-fatiguemat to improve working conditions

for employees in environmentssuch as kitchens, factories, foodprocessing, pharmaceutical andmedicinal environments.The anti-fatigue mat helps employ-ees by providing a surface to walkand stand on which has uniquecushion ergonomics that reducefatigue and noise. The mat is avail-able on a rental basis with a fort-nightly exchange service for laun-dering, which increases its effec-tiveness.Oliver Weisflog, Cannon’s managingdirector says “Over the past yearwe have been listening to our cus-tomer’s and have identified thisspecialist range as a key require-ment. By working closely with oursuppliers I am confident that weare providing a solution to our cus-tomer’s needs.“We are always looking to improveworking standards and this is a newway to ensure that people who areon their feet all day are beingaided through a mat that reducesfatigue. This in turn improvesworking environments and ulti-mately productivity.”


Cannon Textile carehelps concerned

employers

Tessera has launched Mix, its first ‘random-lay’, batchless carpet tile range: an excitingdevelopment made possible by a £1millioninvestment in a state-of the-art CMC ‘Infinity’tufting machine. Mix has a soft-edged, geometrically inspired

design which cleverly disguises tile edges toachieve a deceptive broadloom appearance.Dark areas merge with light at random, result-ing in a textured, multi-layered look which com-plements large and less spacious interiors alike. No two tiles are identical. There is no right or

wrong way to positioneach tile. This means aquick and easy fit withvery little waste for thecontractor, and a totallyindividual carpet tileinstallation for theclient.Mix is available intwelve contemporarycolourways, each fea-turing two tonal shadesof hardwearing, light-fast Antron(r) yarn fromInvista which hasE n v i r o n m e n t a l l yPreferable Product(EPP) status. Effectively‘batchless’, differentproduction consign-

ments can be used together without the usualrisk of visible variation. This simplifies ordering,and further eliminates waste as there is no needfor the client to carry spares. If replacementtiles are ever required they can simply be pur-chased in single box quantities at the time theyare needed.Sarah Ludlam, Senior Designer at Tessera says:“We believe that Mix brings something new tothe random-lay carpet tile sector. It has a sub-tlety that doesn’t overwhelm interior spaces,even smaller premises.”She adds: “Mix is just one of many differentdesign routes we can take using our advancedInfinity tufting technology. This is a really excit-ing time for our design team. We have hardlyscratched the surface of what can be achievedwith our new manufacturing capabilities.”


Tessera enters random-lay, batchless carpet tileselector with ‘Mix’

Classrooms, washrooms and toi-lets at the new-build Jenyns FirstSchool in Braughing Village, nearWare, Hertfordshire, feature aninnovative acoustic flooring sys-tem from commercial flooringspecialists Polyflor Ltd, speciallydesigned to meet more stringentsound insulation regulations forschool buildings.Specified by property services com-pany Mace Ltd, of Hertford, thePolyflor system features PolytredAcoustifoam - a 2mm closed cellfoam backing sheet incorporatingglass-polyester reinforcement -which can be installed under anyPolyflor heavy duty or safety sheetvinyl floorcov-ering toachieve a mini-mum soundinsulation of18dB.At the JenynsFirst School,D u n s t a b l e -based flooringcontractor Hi-Tec Floors hasemployed thiscombinat ionex ten s i ve l y,using brightcolours from

Polyflor’s low maintenancePolysafe Astral and Polysafe Designheavy duty sheet vinyl safetyfloors.In addition to the acoustic perfor-mance achieved by the combina-tion system, both products incorpo-rate quartz crystals, aluminiumoxide and silicone carbide particlesfor enhanced safety underfoot.Both also feature Supratec, thesecond generation of Polyflor’sunique patented soil-releasingpolymer system, now includingpolyurethane for reduced dirt pick-up, even easier maintenance andcleaning cost savings of up to 60%.


Sound thinking for new school

Bonar Floors, the internationalflooring company that owns theTessera Carpet Tiles, Flotex,Nuway, Coral and Chocflex brandshas opened a new LondonBusiness Centre in Suite 105 ofthe trendy Tea Building, a hotbedof creative talent in the heart ofShoreditch.200m2 of the unique building with

its beautifully restoredarchitectural features isnow dedicated to floorcov-erings and flooring design.Suite 105 acts as aworkspace for Bonar Floorsand Tessera sales teams anddesigners, a hospitalityvenue for their clients, anda showcase for customersto view Bonar’s diverserange of flooring productsin an accessible and wel-coming location.The floorspace is naturallyused as a display area.Tessera’s most innovativedesign-led carpet tileranges are on display,including ‘Mix’, the compa-ny’s brand new random-lay,batchless range. These areshown alongside a combina-tion of coordinating Coralentrance matting, Chocflex

low maintenance acoustic vinyl andthe new Flotex contract flooringranges.Anyone wishing to view products ondisplay, discuss their projects withsales managers, or talk face to facewith designers about bespoke man-ufacturing in appropriate surround-ings, is welcome to visit.


Bonar Floors opens newLondon Business Centre

Stunningly bold and colourful flo-ral and geometric inlaid floormotifs are brought to vivid lifethroughout the new children’sunit at the Gloucestershire RoyalHospital.Featuring a range of eye-catchingshades from the Polyflor MystiquePUR range of low maintenanceheavy duty sheet vinyls, thedesigns are the work of Falmouthbased artist and arts lecturer SueKinley. They are a key part of theGloucestershire Hospitals NHSFoundation Trust’s “Leading the

Way” arts strategy - a three-yearprogramme of art commissions andarts projects aimed at enhancingthe hospital environment.The finished designs were createdvia the Polyflor Expressions DesignService, which uses computerisedwater jet cutting techniques toreproduce design concepts in pre-cise shapes and style, and theflooring was installed by Teesside-based K&C Flooring.Non-directionally patternedPolyflor Mystique PUR is availablein 24 modem colourways and fea-tures a high quality polyurethanereinforcement which, combinedwith a superior closed surface fin-ish, facilitates a low cost, polish-free maintenance regime for thelifetime of the floorcovering, pro-viding savings of up to 48% com-pared with untreated vinyl floor-coverings.Polyflor Mystique PUR meets thegeneral performance requirementsof EN 649 and, fully tested to firesafety standard EN 13501-1, is cer-tified as Class Bfl-S1, achieving thecriteria EN ISO 9239-1 ≥ 8kw/in2and the mandatory requirement ofEN ISO 11925-2 pass. The flooringalso features homogeneous mono-layer construction for even wearand 100% useful life.


Stunning designs meethospital arts strategy

Tandus Europe has provided over3000 square metres of carpet forthe UK’s first one-stop justicecentre, which was opened by thePrincess Royal in March. The £13million Warwickshire JusticeCentre at Nuneaton brings togeth-er under one roof the police, theCrown Prosecution Service, fourmagistrates’ courts, a familycourt, the probation service, theyouth offending team, and victimand witness support. It’s anticipated that the idea willbe copied across the UK. By co-locating the complete justice sys-tem in one place, the various agen-cies are able to work together andexchange information more effi-ciently. As a result, case progres-sion is likely to be increased, withbetter support for victims of crime,

and more effective handling ofoffenders.The Centre is one of a number ofmajor installations for C&A CityPoint, which was launched lastyear. This UK-manufactured tilerange is designed to provide a dis-tinctive, high performance floor-covering at a competitive price. It’savailable in an attractive palette oftwelve standard colours, each ofwhich is named after a point in oneof the world’s leading cities: theWarwickshire Justice Centre uses acombination of Notre Dame andSoho. The colourways have pointil-list effects that both complementand contrast, enhancing the prod-uct’s aesthetic appeal and designflexibility. Solution-dyed nylon is used as theface fibre - for maximum colour

fastness and fade resis-tance - tufted in 1/10 inchgauge textured loop pileconstruction. With HeavyContact Class 4 and contin-uous-use castor-chair rat-ing, the product is wellsuited to high traffic instal-lations, and has a15-yearperformance warranty. Thecarpet can be fully recy-cled at the end of its usefullife. Reader Reply No.: 83107

Tandus Europe carpet forflagship justice centre

Inspired by nature for infiniteadaptability, Interface’s Entropycollection of tufted patternedloop pile tiles has now beenrefreshed with exciting newcolourways.Entropy now consists of 17 existingand eight new colours ranging fromBaltic, Deep Blue and Wheat toMesquite, Lava and Amethyst. Theinnovative design of Entropy isdetailed to create spectacularfloors and can respond to fast-changing environments. It is nowInterface’s fastest growing productdue to its complete flexibility.

Entropy’s pioneering concept isbased on biomimicry. Just as withfallen leaves caught by the wind,the tiles maintain a randomness ofpattern however they are laid. Thisnatural patterning has the impor-tant benefit of allowing tiles to bereplaced without the usual problemof colour compatibility. It alsoallows for easy installation as thereis no concern about matching pat-terns at tile edges and no need tocheck the back of the tile for direc-tional arrows. The result is fasterinstallation, far less waste andgreatly reduced cost. RR No.: 83092

Infinite adaptabilitywith the refreshed

Entropy

interiors - flooring


Beyon’s Beam desk and storage units havebeen supplied to Bramdean Asset ManagementLLP, Nicola Horlick’s new venture. The 5,000sq ft offices, situated opposite Harrods, weredesigned by the architects de Metz ForbesKnight for Bramdean, using Beyon’s highly suc-cessful Beam desk and storage range to sup-port the staff. Bramdean, launched in January2005, is an asset management company com-mitted to providing a new and excitingapproach towards their clients, which isreflected by the environment they work in.Julian de Metz, Senior Partner of de Metz ForbesKnight Architects comment on why Bramdeanselected Beyon: “The brief given to the archi-tects by Nicola Horlick was to provide a spacethat would break the mould of typical corporatefit-outs. She also required the complete projectto be designed and implemented within 16weeks. De Metz Forbes Knight specified Beyon togive the office a sharpness with a delicatetouch. Beyon’s Beam desk was selected for itsflexibility, sense of generosity and simple butsharp lines, which was part of the original brieffrom Bramdean.They required a bench system with completeflexibility to support the anticipated increase inemployees over the coming year. Beyon accom-modated Bramdean’s precise timeframe, provid-ing a refreshing range of furniture to suit theoverall colourful and open approach to theoffice space.The refreshing approach was implemented byselecting pale cream rubber for the office floorand resin bound beige marble chipped flooring

for the reception area, along with a 5m longbrown leather reception desk and a semitranslucent screen with a fine fabric laminatedwithin. Delicate voiles lead into the meetingrooms with domestic style angle poise lampshung from the ceiling. Different types of lightingwith emphasis on ‘accenting’ areas to avoidflatness, as well as, a fish tank and the selectiveuse of soft colours used set the atmosphere inthe office space, including Pistachio Green andFinancial Times Pink. A mixture of client meet-ing rooms and work areas are located oppositethe front elevation of Harrods, providing anindulgent and equitable workspace. All staff atBramdean are treated to the same quality ofworkspace whatever their position in the com-pany.Beyon Beams were supplied in a variety oflengths ranging from 1.8 to 5.4m, fitted withacrylic screens, including a convenient tool railfor monitor arms and filing trays. Vivacious pis-tachio green storage units are used to divideareas, while a wall of Beyon bulk storage in off-white, used as filing cupboards, are placed atthe rear of the office. Individual pedestals are

also available for all staff to store their person-al belongings.The Bramdean project was completed on timeand under budget. Bramdean’s team of invest-ment professionals feel enthused by the officespace around them, using colour, light and flex-ible office furniture, provided by Beyon to upliftand inspire. Reader Reply No.: 83010

interiors


Simmtronic has expanded itsSPECS3 range of fully-addressablelighting controls with the intro-duction of systems for corporatedevelopment projects where DALIelectronic ballasts are specified.The Company has launched twonew compact LCMs for use withinchilled beams and structured sus-pended ceiling luminaires andfurther developed its well-proven9-output LCM to accommodateDALI technology in office environ-ments.The compact new single and 3 out-

put LCMs are idealfor use in tightbulkheads andceiling voids. Theycan control up to18 DALI ballast,accommodate upto I0 input devices(switches, pres-ence detectorsetc.) and incorpo-rate emergencyrelay.The single outputmodule has beendesigned with a

40mm profile -making it slimenough for installation withinchilled beams. With the 3-outputmodule the eighteen DALI ballastscan be connected to one outputleaving two spare ports for futureuse and with conventionallyswitched luminaires.Simmtronic has completed morethan 500 commercial projects, sup-plying future-proof, fully address-able lighting control systems formany of the UK’s largest and mostprestigious corporate develop-ments. Reader Reply No.: 83024

Simmtronics new LCMs accommodate

DALI technology

Beyon atBramdean

Twyford Bushboard knowthat when it comes to re-fitting education premisesthe process needs to be afast, simple and cost effec-tive. Twyford Bushboard’sTuff Stuff range offers theperfect choice as it isdesigned specifically foreducation applications. Tuff Stuff, as the name sug-gests is both strong anddurable and includes cubi-cles, vanity units and duct-ing panels. It is available in 2performance options; Dricorand Ultracor. Ultracor Panelsare totally impervious towater and exceptionally resistantto impact and surface damagemaking them ideal for the mostdemanding of environments. Panelsare fixed with ‘lintel style’ alumini-um head rails, continuous hingesand wall fixings to ensure thatthese robust cubicles live up totheir name. In addition, doors andpartitions are available in 3 heightsproviding appropriate levels ofsupervision for all age groups andwith 4 different pilaster styles, 30panel colour options and 5 hard-ware colour options the design pos-sibilities are endless. Contractors have recommended

Twyford Bushboard Tuff Stuff rangefor many school washroom refur-bishments including a recent instal-lation at Fairford Primary School inGloucestershire. Andrew Cressey,Chief Estimator/Buyer for YorkeConstruction Ltd, worked on theFairford Primary washrooms com-ments, “We chose TwyfordBushboard because they offer anextensive range of cubicles and area recognised brand with a reputa-tion for quality. The client had aclear idea of what they wanted andwas attracted to Tuff Stuff becauseof the bright colours.”


Twyfords Bushboard is made of tuff stuff

Employers go to many lengths toensure that their staff are work-ing in the most safe and comfort-able surroundings, however safe-ty messages can sometimes belost in an environment which isincreasingly aware of the prob-lems that can occur when thesemeasures are not adhered to.Cannon Textile Care can helpemployers by providing bespokelogo and message mats to portrayany messages, including safetyreminders, or company strap lines,

to employees, visitors or col-leagues. The image mats can becustom-made to customer’srequirements, including eye-catch-ing decorations and are also highlyeffective absorbing dirt and mois-ture.To ensure that everyone under-stands safety messages the matsact as a permanent reminder to

emphasise quality and mandatoryrules and regulations.In today’s image conscious businessworld the mats are a feature whichcan portray a first impression tovisiting customers and clients.Oliver Weisflog, Cannon’s managingdirector said: “Message and logomats give clients a clean-cutimage, while conveying essentialmessages to employees and col-leagues. I have great confidence inthis service from Cannon TextileCare, especially as the mats incor-

porate all the fea-tures required in adust mat, absorb-ing dirt and mois-ture.“In the healthand safety con-scious industry,the mats areanother wayto follow

regulations and legislation, ensur-ing the safety of employees andvisitors and in some cases prevent-ing slips and falls.”Message mats are just one of theservices provided through CannonTextile Care, the company also pro-vides roller towels, work wear, cor-porate wear and laundering ser-vices. Reader Reply No.: 83130

Message under your feet

Project: has completed a major refurbish-ment at the London headquarters ofAlexander Forbes, one of the world’s foremostindependent providers of financial and riskservices.Due to the short contract timescale and the cen-tral London location, installation of more than700 workstations was completed outside normalworking hours, within three weeks.This was achieved using the Project: Rapide sys-tem that was modified to meet AlexanderForbes’ particular needs.The Project: installation is spread over sevenfloors of the Alexander Forbes building and wascompleted to a brief that called for the creationof a stimulating, modern office environment;one that maximised the effective use of floorspace, while meeting the company’s sophisticat-ed technology and international communica-tions requirements. With a worldwide workforceof over 6,000 employees, Alexander Forbes isthe eighth largest global insurance broker. Thesolution had to be able to meet the company’schanging needs over the coming years; what thecompany describes as “future proof”.The Project: team worked closely withAlexander Forbes’ project management consul-tant, ISG Occupancy. This ensured that the fur-niture installation schedule was fully integratedwith the extensive building work being under-taken at the same time, and that AlexanderForbes’ cost constraints were adhered to.The Rapide system was chosen from a number ofleading competitors’ offerings because it wasjudged to best meet Alexander Forbes’ design

brief and budget. It featuresmaple worksurfaces and elegant silver-finish I”frames, with a worksurface depth reduced tomeet the floor grid requirements. This alsoallowed for the incorporation of continuous,steel cable trays along the rear of the linearworksurfaces, in place of the standard Rapidecable baskets. Project: also supplied mobilesteel pedestal units for every workstation forstaff’s personal storage and a total of 650 tam-bour-fronted storage cupboards.Managers’ cellular offices were furnished withrectangular Rapide desks similar to those used

throughout the open plan areas. However, theyincorporate a mesh modesty panel and adesk.high linked return that also incorporates asteel cable tray. A number of the workstationsincorporate height-settable legs. Workstationsin the open plan areas incorporate aluminium-trimmed, fabric covered, pinable screens thatare fixed to the underside of the worksurface,rather than be desktop mounted. This decisionwas adopted to achieve an uncluttered appear-ance and to aid the neat positioning of cablesalong the rear of the worksurfaces.The use of shared, mid-run legs between work-stations was a major factor in keeping costswithin Alexander Forbes’ budget, while theextensive use of common components satisfiedthe company’s need for a ~future proofed” solu-tion. Deborah Holland, Alexander Forbes’Purchasing Manager said: ~Alexander Forbesexists to create value for its shareholders so,naturally, we looked for value in the new furni-ture.”She continued: “Our business is all about wealthcreation, wealth protection and wealth manage-ment and we applied these principles to theoffice furniture. We sought the best solution fortoday’s needs; one that will stand the test oftime, and one that will represent the bestachievable total lifetime cost.”Commenting on the completed interior, DeborahHolland concluded: “With the new Rapide furni-ture, our London offices have been given a com-plete makeover. It has improved working condi-tions one-hundred percent and, as a result, staffmorale has rocketed.” Reader Reply No.: 83038

PROJECT: chosen for city centre refurbishment

With investment, imagination,new technology and a lot of style,one of the North of England’smost prestigious hotels has beenrestored to its former glory,thanks to companies such asMuraspec.The Queens hotel, a Grade II listedbuilding, located on City Square,Leeds, was acquired byQuintessential Hotels in 2003. The213 roomed hotel was in muchneed of love and attention to rein-state it as the premier conferenceand banqueting venue in the cityand the award winning RansleyInteriors team at Scott Brownrigg,was commissioned to bring thehotel into the 21st Century, whilst

maintaining its historic past. Following a £10 million makeover,the results are astonishing. Notonly has the Queens hotel beenreturned to its former Art Decoglory, but bedrooms have beenupgraded, and a new restaurantand additional conference spacecreated, bringing the hotel into the21st Century in style.Muraspec, Europe’s leading manu-facturer of contract wall coverings,provided its Thai design from theStudio Suite range for use in thebedroom corridors and stairwells ofthe eight-storey hotel. StudioSuite Thai was chosen as it offeredcompatibility with the overall inte-rior scheme and being fabricbacked, durability in high usageareas. The range is also fully wash-able, fire retardant and fade-resis-tant. Richard Wallington, Muraspec’shead of marketing, comments: “Weare proud that Muraspec producthas been chosen in such a presti-gious refurbishment. The endresult compliments the dramaticimpact that the designers wereworking towards, and by using ourfabric backed wall coverings, haveensured that the public areas willlook great for many years tocome”. Reader Reply No.: 83101

Muraspec at The Queens

interiors


interiors


Bisley’s towering storage achievement

Recognising that personal storage needs change almostfrom desk to desk, Bisley has launched Pedestal Towers,a new range of adaptable, stylish and functional work-station storage units.Designed to seamlessly complement almost any deskingsystem, Towers comes with a variety of internal configu-rations including filing drawers, open storage, adjustableshelves and work surfaces and in both desk top or screenheights allowing it to be used as an extension to the worksurface and integrate with screens to provide privacy. Upto four shelves of filing can accommodate all types ofmedia from ring binders and box files to computer con-sumables and stationery, as well as desk items andunder-shelf filing.Adaptable and secure, the units can also be used formost types of personal equipment from laptops to sports-bags that can be neatly tucked away behind the tambourclosure. Pin-able screens allow users to personalise theirwork area and tool-rails hold desktop accessories such aslet ter - t raysthat can beeasily trans-ferred to thedesktop andthen storedaway afteruse. With ane l e g a n t ,s c u l p t e ddesign, BisleyP e d e s t a lTowers fea-ture a smooth,safe slidingm e c h a n i s mwith a choiceof recessed orapplied han-dles.Reader Reply

No.: 83103

For companies who would like hand-finished,made-to-order reception furniture quickly butdon’t want to compromise on quality, ClarkeRendall’s Evolution Express guarantees theanswer in just ten days. So confident of thisunique service, Clarke Rendall promises togive you your money back if your desk is not

delivered within ten working daysSince its launch three years ago, the ClarkeRendall Evolution range has become the bench-mark for quality, style and choice in customisedreception desks. The Evolution collection coversa huge range of shapes, finishes and sizesincluding the Compact range for smaller spaces

and smaller budgets. Now, Clarke Rendall is ableto offer some of the most popular designs andsizes as Evolution Express. Delivery is ‘guaran-teed’ within ten working days of order (subjectto terms and conditions), without compromisingthe style and quality.The Evolution Express service offers a choice ofeight designs from the Evolution Classic andEvolution Compact ranges, each in three wood-grain laminate finishes - maple, beech and cher-ry. Customers can also choose between white,blue or green etch effect glass upstands, andeven have the option of customising them withtheir own cut-out logo.Managing Director Martin Clarke explains, “Newefficiencies in our 15,000 sq ft production facil-ities, together with a strengthened work forcemean we can manufacture a number of productsboth quickly and cost effectively. The range iscompetitively priced and every desk comes witha metallic silver three-drawer mobile pedestalunit that matches the detailing on the inner sideof the desk”.Clarke Rendall is renowned for its quality andattention to detail. It manufactures a compre-hensive collection of reception desks and board-room furniture, from the cost effective to thetruly luxurious - including completely bespokeone-off commissions and, with the EvolutionAccess range, products that comply with therecommendations of the DisabilityDiscrimination Act. Reader Reply No.: 83069

A reception desk tailored to your needs in just 10 days - or your money back

Simmtronic has supplied the complete light-ing control system installed in Marks &Spencer’s new HQ at 1 & 2 Waterside,

Paddington Basin, having initially successfullyfulfilled the lighting controls contract on thebuilding shell and core. When Marks &

Spencer took the building, electricalcontractor Hills Electrical called onSimmtronic again to provide the light-ing controls for the full Cat B fit-out,tailored to meet the precise require-ment of the new tenant.On this dramatic I 0-storey office devel-opment, the consultants elected to havemainsborne signalling as it simplifiedinstallation into what is a conventional-ly wired building. The SPECS3 systemsupplied by Simmtronic combines ener-gy-efficient, variable daylight linkingand occupancy control, driven by over1300 lighting control modules.Throughout the main open plan areaspresence based control is employed withenergy-saving photocell dimming controlon perimeter lights responding to day-light penetration. Meeting rooms havebeen provided with scene setting func-tions and Simmtronic has employedpresence detection linked to a speciallyproduced display panel, representingthe floor layout, to provide a constantindicator of each meeting room’s occu-pancy/availability. The lighting controlsystem has also been utilized to monitordisabled toilet alarms.Simmtronic has completed more than500 commercial projects, supplyingfuture-proof, fully addressable lightingcontrol systems for many of the UK’slargest and most prestigious corporatedevelopment.


Simmtronic lighting controlsemployed at Marks & Spencer

The FM Company plc has launched patentedtechnology that enables facilities managers tomonitor over the internet, in ‘real time’, keyperformance indicators for the provision ofmaintenance and other services by externalcontractors.The London-based company is currently raising£1.25 million through an offer for subscriptionfor 3.3m shares, some 25 per cent of the equity,at 38p a share, to finance additional workingcapital and sales support staff.The new on-line system links buildings of alltypes with supplier organisations: the progressof work carried out is updated via a touch-screen ‘site terminal’, on which service person-nel log their arrival and departure and any crit-ical operational information. Records of atten-dance, maintenance schedules and other man-agement data is stored on a central database,operated by the FM Company, which can beviewed on a secure web site by client business-es and service contractors.Customers already include Hilton International,who can now manage maintenance activity athotels across Europe and Africa over the inter-net from any location in the world. Darren

Cook, Director of Engineering, Hilton HotelsEurope, says:-“The FM Company’s web-based application andsite terminals have enormous potential and willtransform the way in which we deliver servicewithin our hotels. The software is user friendly,transparent and extremely sophisticated, aclass-leading combination which made the prod-uct stand out.”Turnover at the FM Company was just under£150,000 for the year to September 2004. Thebusiness is expected to move into profitability in2005, with annual sales then increasing to £10million by the end of 2007 from application ser-vice subscriptions for a projected 3,800 build-ings in the UK.The company subscribes to the 535X online newsand information service for small capitalisationpublic companies, which enables investors toview current indicative share prices. Founderand chairman Adrian Godwin says the intentionis to list on AIM within the next 12 months. Thecompany is advised by Capital Index.The new system was invented by Adrian Godwin,who was previously managing director of aninternational firm of consulting engineers. From

his experience in advising on the maintenanceof lift installations, he identified the opportuni-ty to use the internet to provide premises’ man-agers with fast and accurate information onplanned maintenance and site visits in responseto service requests. Reader Reply No.: 83030

Hilton Hotels is firstmajor customer forThe FM Company plc

ict

www.practicalfm.co.uk24

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i2 Mobile Solutions, one of theUK’s leading mobile computingsystems integrators was amongsta select number of exhibitors atthe annual conference of theBritish Institute of FacilitiesManagement, held at Queen’sCollege in Cambridge last month.i2 Mobile Solutions used the confer-ence to showcase Pendulum, itspowerful and innovative develop-ment software package that elimi-nates the need for expensive spe-cialist programming, enabling non-programmers to create sophisticat-ed, tailor-made mobile applica-tions for Pocket PC-based devices.Pendulum applications can be runon anything from consumer PDAs tohighly rugged, industrial portable

terminals.To demonstrate what can beachieved, i2 Mobile Solutions hasused Pendulum to create a suite ofthree basic facilities managementapplications for asset monitoring,PAT testing and condition survey-ing. These applications can be usedeither as they are, or as a basis formore tailored solutions, developedby the end-user or by i2 MobileSolutions’ own technical staff.Ian Quint, Managing Director of i2Mobile Solutions comments, “TheBIEM conference has an excellentreputation and was accordinglyvery well attended. It proved to bean ideal place to introduce our FMsuite powered by Pendulum.”


BIFM 2005 - a successfulconference for i2 Mobile Solutions INSEN today announces the

launch of SimplePAGE - a fast andeffective messaging solutionaimed at onsite and facilitiesmanagement or where personnelare not desk-bound, with the keybenefit of no on-going costs.If communication with yourteam is a daily chal-lenge thenSimplePAGE isan ideal solu-tion. Theability to stayin touch withyour team, nomatter wherethey are on site,is now possibleusing INSEN’SSimplePAGE messag-ing system. If someone on site hasan urgent phone call, or an impor-tant visitor is waiting at receptionor you simply want to pass a dis-crete message during a meeting,SimplePAGE is the low-cost optionfor instant communication.With a one-off cost, and no addi-tional monthly charges,SimplePAGE enables you to stay indirect contact with your staff.Installation is quick and simple andcan be integrated into your existingnetwork or run on a standalone PC. Each employee is issued with a

pager. The transmitter is connectedto the server running theSimplePAGE software while eachuser runs the SimplePAGE client ontheir computer (SimplePAGE comes

with a licence that sup-ports up to 10,000

users.) Coverage ofup to one mile is

available asstandard, witha d d i t i o n a lcoverage alsopossible.When an

e m p l o y e eneeds to be con-

tacted, they are select-ed from the pager list, a mes-

sage is entered in the message fieldand the send button is selectedsending the message immediately.Click on a name, type in the mes-sage, press send...simple!“Urgently reaching personnel on alarge site has always been prob-lematic, and the deployment ofmobile phones is cost prohibitive”said Duncan McInnes, ManagingDirector, INSEN. “However,SimplePAGE now enables buildingand facilities managers to deploy alow-cost solution that will enableinstant messaging without any fur-ther on-going costs”.


INSEN launchesSimplePAGE

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London Borough of Lambeth HousingAssociation invests in innovative handheldtechnology to improve cleaning service levelsfor local residents.Providing consistent high levels of cleanlinessfor local residents is vital to meet public expec-tations, constantly improve on these and justifycouncil expenditure. Managing these servicesover the area of a whole London Borough withover 30,000 residents is no easy task.The introduction of Maximiser, the handheldcomputerised quality monitoring system, andStaffTrack, for route monitoring, are making thisprocess easier and more efficient every day. Project Manger for the Housing Reframing Team,Martin Weston said: “Quality monitoring is gen-

erally regarded as the key performance andbenchmarking indicator; so the ability to accu-rately monitor and compare services has takenon extra significance for us with the use ofMaximiser.”Lambeth have purchased fifty three HP 2410handheld units for monitoring officers out in thefield assessing the level of cleaning through aseries of bespoke checklists together with ascoring system. The completed inspections aredownloaded to a PC at five different regionswithin the Borough allowing them to produce avariety of reports and trend analysis charts toimprove the level of service they deliver. Thisinformation is then centrally collated by thecouncil IT department who posts the results for

each region on the web site for residents toexamine.The results from this forward thinking technolo-gy are also used to provide an overview of ser-vice performances at monthly networking meet-ing across the Borough. These meetings providean ideal opportunity for managers to shareinformation and new ideas on areas of concernand how they have overcome certain issues intheir region. Expolink have also seen a welcome benefit ofthe Lambeth venture as the final stage of beinginvited by Hewlett Packard to join theirDeveloper & Solution Partner Programme,Mobility and IPAQ Developers Programmes. These programmes have been designed to helpindependent software vendors (ISVs), develop-ers, and system integrators (SIS), create uniquesolutions across the broad spectrum of HP’splatforms and operating systems. The goal ofthe program is to match high-quality serviceswith their partners’ development cycle, market-ing, and sales needs. Martin adds: “We are using another Expolinkproduct called StaffTrack, to help us managethe repeat frequency of cleaning in some areasand identify the reasons behind to ensure thebest possible levels of services for the residentsat all times. We have been able to highlightwhere an increase in the number of cleaningstaff is required through their working patterns.We can also manage staff time more effectively,and for the first time we can actually prove thatstaff have been to clean different areas which isa huge improvement on what we could previ-ously offer.” One hundred and fifty RFID (radio frequencyIdentification) handheld units have been issuedfor cleaning staff to use together with 2000strategically located tags to track the where-abouts of cleaning staff throughout the day.RFID is replacing traditional bar code tags thatare open to abuse, can be removed from thewall and duplicated. The StaffTrack RFID tagscan be used in many different environmentsread through wallpaper, plaster and are alsowaterproof making them suitable for outdooruse. At the end of each shift the collated routedata is once again downloaded to a PC at eachregion. Detailed activity reports are produced toshow the exact route taken by each cleaner,how long they were in the area and how longthey took to get from one area to the next. Allinformation recorded by the StaffTrack systemfrom the five Boroughs is once again collated bythe IT department and posted on the councilweb site. Martin concludes: “We have been able to opti-mise the use of the same technology, offering usextra product value, to carry out checks on boil-ers and fire doors in accordance with the stan-dard Housing Association Health and Safety obli-gations.” Reader Reply No.: 83104

Hands on technology for London Borough of Lambeth

ict


The Latest In Quality

Monitoring Data Technology -

Expolink Europe are proud to announce the

very latest in data collection technology to

make quality monitoring even easier.

Quality monitoring systems have

traditionally involved the generation of a

large number of forms, which are manually

completed, the results being keyed into a

programme, such as Excel, for analysis.

Other systems have relied upon every unit

being given a bar code or the creation of

data trees – both time consuming activities.

Originally developed in 1996, Maximiser is a

unique, simple to use quality monitoring

system ideally suited for measuring

performance levels in a wide range of

businesses. These include cleaning, catering,

grounds maintenance and health & safety.

You can inspect tasks in any order, make

comments on any subject, at any length and

at any time during use. Or attach a camera to

store still or moving images of maintenance

problems. And when everything’s done simply

transfer the data to your office PC for

consolidation of results. Maximiser removes

the time taken to prepare reports following

monitoring inspections and makes in-depth

analysis easy. The result is a saving in time,

an improvement in efficiency and, therefore,

a saving in costs.

Used in hundreds of locations including NHS

Trusts, Councils as well as the private

sector, Maximiser is supplied ready for use

with your own client data entered, enabling

inspections to be undertaken immediately

after the training session. It plays a major

role in the continuous improvement and best

value initiatives as it can measure

performance against target and be used in

benchmarking.

Quality

monitoring

in hand

For more information on how Maximiser could help your business or a no-obligation

demonstration, contact:

Expolink Europe Ltd

1 Greenways Business Park, Bellinger Close, Chippenham SN15 1BN

Tel: 0870 121 5253 Fax: 0870 121 5254 Email: [email protected]

www.expolink.co.uk

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Dunn & Cowe’s folding guardrailsystem, Fold-Shield, has beenselected by Balfour Beatty as anon-intrusive rooftop safety solu-tion for a new PFI sports hall andchanging block at James BrindleyHigh School in Stoke-on-Trent.Balfour Beatty required a collectiveman safe system to protect its staffworking on the future 23-yearmaintenance contract for thebuilding. Fold-Shield, which wasinstalled by Highwire Ltd, wasspecified for the roof of the fourmetre high changing block as aneconomic means of preventingfalls.Site manager Geoff Dunn

e x p l a i n e d ,“ F o l d - S h i e l dwas the perfectsolution. Itcould beattached to theroof withoutpenetrating thefelt roofingalready in placeand so doesn’teffect thewaterproofingof the roofwhich wouldcause futurem a i n t e n a n c e

problems.” The system is also the only knowfolding guardrail on the marketwhich means it can be folded out ofsight when not in use using a oneway hinge, locking bolt and sleevemechanism. Architects specify thesystem because it does not spoilthe line of the building, or whereplanning regulations won’t allowthe use of a permanently erectedguardrail.Fully galvanised, Fold-Shield com-plies with health and safety stan-dards including guidance containedin HS/G-33 Health & Safety in roofwork 1998.


Folding rooftop safetyfor new sports block

Morgan Stanley offers a complete range offinancial services to clients and customersthroughout the world. At its European head-quarters in London’s Canary Wharf, around6,000 staff occupy over 20 floors across 4buildings known as the London Campus. Tohelp improve the survival rate of its employ-ees should they suffer a sudden cardiac arrestwhilst at work, Morgan Stanley has initiated adefibrillator programme, in which sixteenLaerdal Heartstart First Aid Defibrillators havebeen strategically placed throughout the cam-pus for emergency use before the arrival of anambulance.Over 270,000 people in the UK suffer a heartattack each year - that’s one heart attack everytwo minutes. Thirty percent of sudden cardiacarrest victims die before they even reach hospi-tal. If defibrillated within two to three minutesof collapse, the chances of the victim’s survivalare increased by up to 50%. Without defibrilla-tion, the rate of successful recovery decreasesby an alarming 10% per minute. In the absenceof a defibrillator, CPR alone is not enough.Without early defibrillation, the patient willalmost certainly die.Amanda Jackson, Occupational Health Advisorfor Morgan Stanley at Canary Wharf, explained,“Although we have had a fully equipped medicalcentre and medical staff here on site for overfour years, I was acutely aware of the “actual”response times of the emergency services inLondon and the benefits in training workplaceFirst Aiders to use automatic external defibrilla-tors (AEDs). With the advances in science mak-

ing AEDs even easier to use, and the governmentinitiative re defibrillators in public places, Idecided to investigate installing AEDs in ourworking environment. London AmbulanceService was instrumental in providing informa-tion to carry the idea forward as a justifiablebusiness plan. Through an initiative championedby the Health & Safety Manager, Peter Hillier, atthe end of last year, Morgan Stanley approvedthe installation of Laerdal Heartstart First AidDefibrillators throughout its London campus,together with further first aid and defibrillatortraining for Security Staff and First Aiders.”Although Laerdal’s HeartStart First AidDefibrillator is a technically advanced piece ofequipment, it is small, robust and surprisinglyeasy to use. In fact, independent scientific usertrials show that it is the most simple to operateAED on the market. Automated voice commandsand comprehensive diagrams take the operatorthrough each step of the way. Through pads

attached to the patient’s chest, the machineanalyses the heart’s rhythm and if necessary,will advise the operator to administer a safe,controlled shock. It then continues to assess theheart’s rhythm until an ambulance arrives, andduring this time, will advise further shocks ifnecessary.A risk assessment was carried out at CanaryWharf offices by Morgan Stanley and LondonAmbulance Service, with consideration of theResus Councils guidance. It was advised thatdefibrillators should be located at strategicpoints throughout the buildings to achieve athree to five minute response time to whereveroccupants should collapse. A defibrillator isnow positioned at all main receptions in everybuilding, and at each main Security post(manned 24 hours a day by trained SecurityStaff), and is taken to every emergency/first aidcall. Amanda added, “All Security Staff, as part oftheir job role, must be HSE “approved first aidat work” qualified, but as part of the pro-gramme, we have extended their contracts toinclude competence in the use of defibrillators.London Ambulance Service conducts initial andrefresher courses in the use of defibrillators onsite, in conjunction with our own OccupationalHealth department. Since we launched thedefibrillator initiative, over 60% of voluntaryfirst aiders, in addition to our Security Staff,have chosen to take on additional defibrillatortraining. Training and installation of the AEDscommenced in January 2005.”


Morgan Stanley initiates defibrillator programme

Major changes in the fire safetylegislation are impacting heavilyon Estates Managers. The reformsplace responsibility squarely onthe shoulders of a designated‘Responsible Person’ - and, in theNHS, Estates Managers seem anobvious choice.Defined as the person deemed tobe ‘in control’ of the premises, akey duty is to undertake regularfire risk assessments; No real prob-lem here as most FM’s would con-sider this to be a crucial and exist-ing task.However, the new legislation statesthat an offence is committed if,during a risk assessment, a serioushazard is ignored which could posea risk of death or injury to a build-ing’s occupants. The designated‘Responsible Person’ could be heldliable for this offence. It wouldseem absolutely essential, there-fore, to ensure NHS Estates

Managers have accessible, stan-dardised, up to date buildings ser-vices information.Working with Topscan, an increas-ing number of NHS EstateManagement Teams are achievingthe required standard and accessi-bility of information. JohnShorttle, Estate Director atHillingdon Hospital NHS Trust says“The new multi-layered CAD foot-print supplied by Topscan, is of ahigh quality and provided to anagreed standard. It has been ahuge help in developing our firestrategy - and much more besides.”Alisdair Lamplugh, at Topscan says“With increasing legislation hittingalready stretched EstateManagement teams, our service isbecoming more and more of a pri-ority. We are particularly experi-enced in the NHS environment andoffer a bespoke service to Trustsacross the country.” RR No.: 83113

Are you the responsible person?

27

health & safety

www.practicalfm.co.uk

Hagemeyer Environmental Health & Safety iscelebrating the resounding success of its newSonomax hearing protection system, afterpicking up the much sought after InnovationAward at the recent Safety & Health Expo inBirmingham. Sponsored by the British Safety IndustryFoundation (BSIF), the coveted award was pre-sented to Hagemeyer, who fought off stiff com-petition from 11 other finalists - including majormanufacturers such as Centurion, Posturite andRoSPA. Eight prestigious figureheads were involved inthe judging process. These included GodricJolliffe, editor of Health and Safety Practitioner,John Howard OBE, CEO of RoSPA, MichaelClapham MP, chairman of the MP’s All PartyGroup on Occupational Safety, Allan St JohnHolt, head of safety at the Royal Mail, HughRobertson, senior policy officer, TUC, IvorHarris, CEO of Safety Services Ltd and represen-tatives from BSIF - Sir John Cullen, Presidentand Geoff Hooke, Secretary General, who bothalso presented the award.All submissions for the award were studied bythe judges against specific criteria. To win theaward, the product had to demonstrate that itwas unique in concept, design or performance,that it uses new technology, contributes towardsimprovements in occupational health and safetyand assists in the reduction of occupationalaccidents or injuries. The judges felt that Sonomax fulfilled these

prerequisites with the highest ability. Sonomaxis a truly unique hearing protection system thathas acoustic filters, able to eliminate ‘toxicnoise’ dangers whilst still permitting the user tocarry on normal conversations. Each system iscustom fitted to the wearer and adapted by acomputer software process to the noise levelexposure of the employee.Hearing protection continues to be a major issuein the health and safety industry, with up to81,000 employees reporting hearing problemsdue to work in the UK in 2003/2004. Recentresearch estimates that 170,000* people in theUK suffer deafness, tinnitus or other ear condi-tions as a result of exposure to excessive noisein the workplace. Sonomax is the first hearing product which canbe qualitatively and quantitatively tested for

measurable hearing protection. Allowing safenoise into the ear, the Sonomax system lasts forthree years which will also lead to a reductionin waste, usually produced by disposable plugs. Following the launch at the Expo, Hagemeyerhas received enormous support for this ground-breaking new product, attracting the attentionof a number of large organisations, ranging fromFormula 1 to the music industry - which is work-ing to promote hearing protection for youngpeople attending concerts. Backed by a world-wide network, Hagemeyer is the exclusive sup-plier of Sonomax to the health and safety indus-try in the UK.Brian Powell, general manager of Hagemeyer’sHealth and Safety Division, says, “Sonomax iscompletely exclusive to Hagemeyer in the UKand is an example of our ability to attract sup-pliers of innovative market-leading products.Winning the Innovation Award is testimony tothe outstanding hearing protection benefits thatthis product can bring.“The launch of the new range has been aresounding success and many significant bluechip companies are interested in the benefits itcan bring to their businesses. Hearing protec-tion has traditionally been uncomfortable, inef-fective and in the case of disposable plugs - thesame size and shape for every worker regardlessof the level of noise exposure. Sonomax offersa solution to all of these problems, whilst help-ing businesses save money and reduce waste.”


New Sonomax system wins prestigious industry award

In many modern day workplaces, particu-larly in environments where long workinghours and tight deadlines are part of theculture and/or PC workstations are preva-lent; complaints of work-related stressand upper limb disorder are on theincrease. In the UK alone, 25% of allabsenteeism is stress related and morethan 30% is back pain related. In additionto risk assessments and preventative pro-cedures, in answer to these modern dayworkplace tensions, holistic relaxationand wellbeing therapies are being intro-duced into more workplaces. Channel FiveBroadcasting has introduced a unique“Hela Zone” to address the needs of theirstaff.Hela Zone is a unique, non-intrusive massagesolution that provides effective relief for stressand muscular tension - a common cause of backpain in the workplace. Hela Zone incorporatesan integrated sound system and relaxationmusic to treat the user to an effective wellbe-ing treatment at work. The professional mas-sage chair provides a remarkably effective deeptissue massage, from the lower vertebra to theupper neck, including leg and foot vibration.Kneading, tapping, rolling, pointing and vibrat-ing for approximately 15 minutes, it makes theuser feel relaxed or revitalised, depending onthe programme used. The Hela Zone was introduced to Five’s officesto provide a relaxing space away from the busywork environment for a short time, whereemployees could go to revitalise their creative

sparks or relax by fading away into the back-ground. Sunny Bains, Five’s Health and SafetyOfficer, explains: “Five’s culture is to “workhard, play hard”, the general ethos being thatthe company will give you the best and you willgive the company your best. The Hela massagechair was placed in a prepared, designated roomwith scented oils in the relaxation area. The“Revive at Five” Zone was marketed via ourintranet, with a computer calendar booking sys-tem set up to book a session or check on imme-diate availability. When in use, an “On Air” signoutside the door enables the user to relax in theconfidence that they will not be disturbed atany time during the session.”“Staff wellbeing is very important to the cultureof Five,” Sunny continues. “Employees areoffered a variety of services that encouragehealth, fitness and wellbeing at work. Herbalrefreshments are even offered on the tea trol-

ley! Hela ‘Revive at Five’ Zone is one ofthe perks that employees really like. Oneof the benefits is that it’s available sevendays a week and it is free of charge foremployees. However, Five also offersother services to its employees such as afortnightly visits by a woman who pro-vides hands-on massage and an osteopathvisits twice a month. Staff pay for theseservices, but they are available on site.The ‘Revive at Five Zone’ is one of themost talked abut perks with new startersand so we hold periodic training sessionsfor all new starters. For the long termbenefits it provides, Five finds the cost of

Hela Revive at Five Zone worth every pennyspent.”According to the World Health OrganisationRegional Office for Europe1, stress at work andother psychosocial factors have now joined tra-ditional problems of unemployment and expo-sure to physical, chemical and biological haz-ards as major occupational health concerns.Stress is reported to be the most common causeof long-term sickness absence amongst non-manual workers.1 The British OccupationalHealth Research Foundation now estimates that17 million working days are lost each year dueto work-related stress, more than twice as manyas caused by workplace injury. Even though half a million people in the UKexperience work related stress, a recent surveyof 1,400 HR Professionals has revealed that 56%of employees do not have a specific strategy formanaging it. Reader Reply No.: 83045

Holistic therapy balances workrelated stress and wellbeing

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health & safety


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Lone workers in small companiesand isolated workers in large busi-nesses can now benefit from highlevel emergency protection withthe introduction of the MINI andMICRO SBES LifeSaver systems.Protection for lone workers is oneof the primary areas of concernwithin the latest Health and Safetylegislation, and bosses mustdemonstrate they are taking stepsto protect those workers who maybe isolated from colleagues or workalone.The MINI and MICRO SBES LifeSaversystems automatically alert col-leagues in the event of a workerfalling, collapsing or being ren-dered unconscious, ensuring animmediate response in the vitalfirst few minutes following an inci-dent. The system includes a wire-

less alarm transmitter, worn by theworker in belt clip form and acti-vated either automatically througha tilt sensor or manually via pushbutton. When activated the trans-mitter sends a signal indicating thewearer’s identity and location.The SBES LifeSaver MINI is a fourzone system that accommodates upto four ‘Lone Worker’ wire-freealarm transmitters, with up toeight installed ‘Help Points’ or acombination of these as required.The highly visible SBES Help Pointsare easily activated by anyone introuble and use wire-free transmis-sion with a 300m range for easyinstallation and relocation. The SBES LifeSaver MICRO is a sin-gle zone system that offers a singleworker protection on a fixed site.Both the SBES LifeSaver MINI andMICRO systems have been used suc-cessfully in offices, workshops,stores, gymnasiums, warehouses,farm buildings, airport fuellingbays, laboratories and plant rooms.SBES Ltd has also achieved a worldfirst in developing an Ex-rated ver-sion of the transmitter which canbe used in potentially explosiveenvironments such as workshopswhich contain flammable materialsor solvents.


Big safety benefitsfrom MINI and MICRO

LifeSavers

With health and safety legislationrequiring more and more informa-tion, assessment and training,leading health, safety and envi-ronmental consultancy Sypol ismaking this obligation easier tomanage with the launch ofSafetySmart. Developed in con-sultation with leading commercialorganisations, SafetySmart pro-vides an integrated modular solu-tion to management systems, riskassessments, access to emergen-cy response information, training,evaluation and record keeping.First time users of SafetySmart areautomatically identified by thesoftware and taken through onlinehealth and safety induction train-ing tailored to their job descrip-tion, location and health and safe-ty needs. An interactive health andsafety quiz is then delivered tomeasure how well the informationhas been understood. Poor under-

standing is flagged to line managersso further training can be provided.Once trained, staff are asked tocompile online assessments bycompleting simple questionnaires.If issues are highlighted,SafetySmart first delivers tips forimprovement such as suggestionson how to adjust a workstation,then completed assessments aresubmitted electronically to linemanagers or others so that neces-sary controls can be implemented.SafetySmart also identifies andtracks the management of thesecorrective actions and maintainsthe required records.The Emergency Response Toolbargives 24/7 access to user specificinformation such as emergency exitroutes, nearest first aid kit andfirst aider. This is made possiblebecause of SafetySmart’s knowl-edge of where the user is located.


New System from Sypolnudges staff to review

h & s knowledge

Safety & Health Expo 2005 was a major suc-cess for Safety at Height Services (SAHS), thespecialist hire and maintenance division of fallarrest specialists Capital Safety GroupNorthern Europe. The show provided the idealvenue for SAHS to launch its exciting newFacilities Management package as well as gen-erating further awareness of the company andits capabilities throughout the UK.

Aberdeen-based SAHS has mainly been known inScotland and is now looking to expand through-out the UK and Europe. General Manager,Laurence Reilly reports that all three days of theshow were extremely busy, with representativesof some big names visiting the stand. Theseincluded UCI, British Waterways, the RSPCA,Customs & Excise and the Health & SafetyExecutive.

A Champagne reception launched the FacilitiesManagement package, and Laurence is delightedby the interest it generated from potential cus-tomers and the press.This new package extends SAHS’ full servicecapability of hire, service and repair to theFacilities Management sector. It can be tailoredto satisfy the needs of either the larger con-struction and new build groups who have aFacilities Management arm to project-managematerial availability on site, or the more tradi-tional Facilities Management companies respon-sible for building repair and maintenance.Demonstration of the Sala Suspension TraumaSafety Strap, which allows the fallen worker tostand in their harness while they wait for res-cue, also attracted a lot of attention. Thispotentially life saving innovation importantlyrelieves the pressure on their legs as blood canpool in the veins of the leg, leading to suspen-sion trauma and unconsciousness, serious injuryor even death.Laurence says, “Both the FM package and theSuspension Trauma Safety Strap lead to somegreat discussions. Our presence at the Safety &Health Expo certainly extended awareness ofthe SAHS operation and we have collected someexcellent leads and contacts which we look for-ward to following up.


Busy safety show as SAHS goes for FM market

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health & safety


In recent years modular buildings have playedan increasingly important role in the buildingsector, with Sir John Egan’s RethinkingConstruction and the subsequent AcceleratingChange reports both having a big impact onthe market.Through these reports, Sir John called for areduction in the price of construction projects,as well as for developments to be completed ontime, on budget and with fewer defects.These challenges offer an excellent opportunityfor the modular building industry as, due totheir factory quality controlled production, thistype of construction can reduce building projecttimescales by more than 50 per cent, as well asbeing less disruptive to the surrounding area ofthe site and being safer, quieter and cleaner forthe duration of the project.While these factors offer significant opportuni-ties for the industry, the key issue it faces is per-ception. A common view people have of modu-lar buildings is that they are draughty andunwelcoming. However, the building range pro-vided by Portakabin, the UK’s leading modularbuilding provider, demonstrates that this is nolonger the case, as they integrate the latestdesign techniques and the most advanced mate-rials.All these qualities make modular buildings theideal solution for facilities managers, whoseresponsibilities have increased dramatically inrecent years. As more and more demands areplaced on the time of facilities managers, highquality support and products from suppliersbecomes increasingly important. The range of buildings available from Portakabinhelp to make life much easier for busy facilitiesmanagers looking for high quality building solu-tions.

Ultima Building SystemThe Portakabin Ultima building system meets all permanent building requirements and itsenergy efficiency performance is second-to-none, exceeding the revised Part L of theBuilding Regulations air leakage index by 90 percent.Individual all-steel modules can rapidly con-struct buildings of up to three-storeys, while thedesign and layout of buildings can be tailored toindividual customer requirements.Whether for multi-departmental offices, a med-ical centre or a new school building, the Ultimabuilding system provides a quick, comfortableand flexible solution to a wide range of accom-modation requirements.

Titan building rangeWhen smart, spacious accommodation is neededquickly, Portakabin Titan buildings are the idealsolution. Available in four sizes, from 36m2 to67m2 - the largest building in Europe that can betransported in one piece - Titan buildings pro-vide a comfortable, professional interior thatcan be open-plan or divided into separate roomsand offices. The building range also offers a versatile linkingsystem that can create full building complexes.

Portakabin FireSafe building Following extensive customer research, thePortakabin FireSafe fire-rated building has beenpurpose designed and built by Portakabin tooffer the highest levels of fire containment, aswell as protection against theft and vandalism.Features include:

tested and certified by Warrington FireResearch Centreunique low-level lifting fulfils HSE guidelinesto avoid working at height a range of security features offer outstand-ing protectionexcellent insulation offers high levels ofthermal efficiency

Portakabin classroomsTo enable schools to quickly provide additionalhigh-quality classroom space, Portakabin hasdeveloped a purpose-built classroom building,which can be delivered and ready for occupationwithin weeks. This is an ideal solution forschools that need to get accommodation inplace during school holidays in time for the startof the new school year in September.

The double-classroom building incorporates two64m2 teaching rooms and a large cloakroom. Ithas been designed in consultation with DfESguidelines and incorporates the thinkingdetailed in the White Paper, Achieving Success,which states that any new school refurbishmentprogramme has to promote good design, min-imise the environmental impact and work toachieve the targets of Rethinking Constructionsuch as reduced wastage, improved deliverytime and better value for money.

Lilliput Children’s CentresTo help achieve the Government’s aim ofincreasing the number of children’s centres to3,500 by 2008, Portakabin has developed theLilliput Children’s Centre.Through the introduction of children’s centres inthe 30 per cent most disadvantaged areas inEngland, the aim is to provide children and par-ents with affordable, good quality childcare,family healthcare, legal and career clinics andparenting skills, helping to create stronger,safer communities for children to grow up in.Lilliput Children’s Centres enable local authori-ties to start providing these facilities as quicklyas possible, as the centres take less than halfthe time of a traditional building to construct.Including a wide range of features that makethem an ideal learning environment for bothchildren and the wider community, the chil-dren’s centres can be constructed as stand alonebuildings or used as an extension to an existingbuilding to enable it to provide the facilitiesrequired of a children’s centre.These are just a few examples of the high qual-ity buildings available from Portakabin. Eachproject is tailored to meet the needs of individ-ual customers, to ensure that every buildingprovides the best possible environment for itsoccupants.Plus, with its unique Customer Charter*,Portakabin promises to deliver projects on timeand on budget, answering the demands of Egan’sRethinking Construction. What’s more, if thecompany fails to do this, customers will be com-pensated - a week’s free hire for every day theyare late, or an additional six months productwarranty, depending on whether the buildingsare hired or purchased. By doing this,Portakabin offers its customers complete peaceof mind that a Portakabin modular building isthe best solution for today’s facilities managers’accommodation needs.

Reader Reply No.: 83125*Terms and conditions apply. Copies available on request

Modular buildings: the fast wayto quality working environments

expansion & relocation.


As all FM’s know, organising your company’s move to a new office canbe a daunting task. That is why choosing the right logistical partnerswith the experience to help you succeed are essential.When it comes to choosing a crate rental specialist, with the expertiseand ability to help turn your plans a reality, one name should spring tomind - PHS Teacrate.As the UK’s leading crate rental specialist, PHS Teacrate has become thenatural choice for many of the UK’s leading removals companies and itisn’t hard to see why. With the largest range of crates specificallydesigned for the removals and storage market - including Teacrate’sexclusive I.T.1 crate: designed to securely store a 21” monitor duringremoval - Teacrate is able to provide a tailor made solution to your prob-lem. With over 1 million crates currently in circulation, no other compa-ny is better equipped to meet your demands all year round. And toensure complete satisfaction, all of our customers receive clean cratesevery time, meaning you don’t get any hidden surprises!Of course, providing the right answer to the problem is only part of the

solution. That is why PHS Teacrate have invested heavily in their logisti-cal infrastructure - a benefit derived from being part of one of the UK’slargest B2B service providers, the PHS Group plc. With branches situatedthroughout the UK, and one of the largest fleets in the industry, PHSTeacrate offer a flexible same day / next day delivery and collection ser-vice that can work to even the most demanding schedules. With the capa-bility to deliver any number of crates, anywhere in the UK, when youwant them, Teacrate makes sure you have one less thing to worry about! Whether placing a new order or simply updating an existing one, webelieve this should take as little time as possible, so you’re free to get onwith the important things. At PHS Teacrate, each customer is assigned an individual account manag-er, which means there is always someone there when you need us most.Customers can also take advantage of Cratelink - Teacrate’s unique on-line service that is available to customers 24-hours a day, 7 days a week.Cratelink allows customers to order stock anytime of the day, gain accessto their historical records and run a full range of auditing tools at thetouch of a button.For the more demanding projects, customers can also benefit fromDynamic Pooling. Taking advantage of Teacrate’s substantial stock pool,Dynamic Pooling is a continuous stock flow system that minimises costsyet guarantees the crates you want, when you want them.


The Austin Reed Group, one ofthe UK’s best-known fashionretailers, has relocated itsLondon offices with the assis-tance of Roc Relocations.Previously based over four floorsin Sackville Street, the officeshave moved to the top two floorsof Austin Reed’s recently redevel-oped flagship store in RegentStreet.The move, which took place overtwo weekends to avoid disruptionto Austin Reed’s business opera-tions, was not straightforwardoperation and several major chal-

lenges had to be overcome.Roc Relocations had to moveall the office furniture, fil-ing, office equipment, PCsand ancillary equipmentfrom the Sackville Streetoffices using small and oldlifts - around 500 crateswere required. It also had tohandle the busy London traf-fic and numerous one-waysystems as well as dealingwith the various needs of 80members of staff.According to Geoff Snowdonof GSA Projects, who man-aged the project on behalfof Austin Reed: “RocRelocations successfullycompleted the move inextremely short timescales

enabling Austin Reed to seamlesslytransfer all staff to the new officeswithout interruption to the busi-ness. We were also impressed bythe expertise and enthusiasm ofRoc Relocations’ staff throughoutthe project.”Roc Relocations was responsible forunpacking after the move and set-ting up all the desking according toopen plan layouts provided byAustin Reed. It also provided a postmove team to deal with any snag-ging issues and ensure a successfulproject completion.


Austin Reed relocates with ROC

expansion & relcoation

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The lifecycle of businesses meansthat they are constantly on themove in order to adapt to chang-ing market conditions and oppor-tunities, or to reflect the currenteconomic climate. However big orsmall the change, it is critical thatthe move is planned and executedas efficiently as possible.This is where Business Switch canhelp. Business Switch, formerlyknown as IT-RPMS, are specialists inthe relocation of people, premisesand technology, and are experi-enced in managing office reloca-tion projects for a wide range ofblue chip and SME organisations. To help you ensure that you havecatered for every eventualitybefore you embark on a businessmove, Business Switch has pro-duced a professional guide to busi-ness relocation, ‘Ready to Move’.‘Ready to Move’ examines thewider aspects of business reloca-tion to help you plan your move

successfully. It does this by lookingat the wider picture and highlight-ing some of the obvious, but oftenoverlooked, areas, which canaffect the success of your move.The team at Business Switch have avast amount of project manage-ment experience and are experts inpremises and technology, enablingthem to provide a service that willmeet your relocation require-ments.One of their points of difference isthat they can be ready to work onthe very first day of a project,using their two custom-designedplanning tools that capture essen-tial data for the move.Business Switch can tailor theirproducts and services to meet theneeds of the individual client. Theyconsider the wider perspective andfocus on ensuring a strong projectteam, providing effective projecttracking and financial controls.


Are you Ready to Move?

July 2005Commercial Awareness for FMs 5-6 July Harrington Hall, London SW7 www.quadrilect.co.ukManaging Safety for Senior Executives 5 July Harrington Hall, London SW7 www.quadrilect.co.ukProject Management 6-7 July Harrington Hall, London SW7 www.quadrilect.co.ukPerformance Improvement 13 July Harrington Hall, London SW7 www.quadrilect.co.ukDisaster Recovery 14 July Harrington Hall, London SW7 www.quadrilect.co.uk

September 2005Recycling and Waste Management Exhibition 13-15 Sept Birmingham NEC www.rwmexhibition.com

October 2005Total Workplace Management 11-13 Oct Earls Court London www.twmexpo.comContext 11-13 Oct Earls Court London www.contextlive.comD

iary

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Removals and storage solutions from PHS Teacrate


expansion & relocation.


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Relocating to new premises or merely movingfrom one office to another is often the timewhen people decide to have that long awaited“clear out” they have been promising formonths if not years!But what can you throw away? What do youneed to keep? Where can you put it?Why not let the professionals help? PickfordsRecords Management is part of the SIRVA Groupof Companies. As such we have offices in over

45 countries across the globe and, through thePickfords business, a heritage stretching backover 350 years.Pickfords entered the Records Managementindustry in 1994 as a natural progression to ouralready world-famous moving and storage busi-ness. We were able to adopt and improve uponmany of the best practices of our establishedcompetitors - meaning you, our customers, gotthe best possible ser-vice at the best possibleprice.Our team of field-basedexperts will be able toadvise you on the latestretention policies, leg-islative requirements,storage options fromdeep store to live filingand even media andtape or scan on demandoptions. Once yourealise the full potentialof off-site data manage-ment you may not wantto go back to having afiling cabinet in yournew offices at all!Pickfords RecordsManagement has 32dedicated locationsacross the UK, Eire andRepublic of Ireland sowe are bound to have abranch near you! All ofour pricing is fair andtransparent and we canprovide up to the

minute Management Information to help youmanage your records.Through our latest on-line portal you can alsoretrieve and return documents on line and, ifyou wish, you can chose a scan on demand orback scanning option which means you receivean electronic copy of the document direct toyour desktop - no need to even recall that oldpaper file! Reader Reply No.: 83128

Thinking of relocating?

PHS Teacrate has become the preferred craterental supplier of the Fox Moving Group, aftera long and successful relationship with Fox’sStourbridge branch, including effective part-nership over one of the largest contracts inthe removals industry for years. The £180 mil-lion, four year project to consolidate the NHSCorbett, Wordsley and Guest hospitals into the1,200 bed Russells Hall Hospital (Dudley’s new‘super-hospital’) began in March 2003, requir-ing water-tight logistical planning, responsive-ness and flexibility from its contractors.Kevin Dom, branch manager at Fox Moving &Storage in Stourbridge, believes PHS Teacratewas absolutely the right partner for this impor-tant contract:“Because all four hospitals remained fully oper-ational during the moves, this contract has beensensitive and extremely demanding, requiring usto meet tight time schedules. Our excellentpartnership with PHS Teacrate has allowed usnot only to meet, but to exceed our client’s ser-vice expectations.”“Managing a contract of this magnitude hasproved challenging and rewarding, not to men-tion stressful at times, but PHS Teacrate’sresponsiveness and management systems havecertainly helped with the smooth running of allthe moves. I am now looking forward to the

more relaxing ‘summer season’ of the removalsindustry!”Some interesting statistics from the project areas follows:• A medical records department was movedover a two-month period, involving safe transferof over 2 million records. These had to be ‘inposition’ within 2 hours of being packed.• A maternity department was moved, involv-ing 50 van-loads of documentation and equip-ment over a period of 3 days.• 25,000 crates and 4,000 security cages havebeen used on the project so far.With numbers like these, and with demand fluc-tuating on a daily basis, crate supply has to besophisticated and responsive. Nick Burke, PHSTeacrate’s Regional Sales and Service Manager,worked closely with Fox Moving & Storage atStourbridge throughout their long relationship,and was instrumental in the company’s move topreferred-supplier status with the Fox MovingGroup. He comments on how they managedcrate supply on the Dudley hospitals contract:“At PHS Teacrate, we operate a system called‘dynamic pooling’, which is especially helpful onlarge, complex contracts like this one. Withdynamic pooling, we keep large stock levels atour depots, allowing our customers to call offmore crates as and when needed, or push them

back in our direction when not. This gives thecustomer plenty of flexibility, and avoids theinconvenience and unnecessary extra costinvolved in holding unwanted excess on theirown premises ‘just in case.“PHS Teacrate is the UK’s largest crate rentalspecialist with the financial backing of the PHSGroup plc, which is why we have the resourcesto be able to offer customers Fox Moving &Storage and the Dudley hospitals contract.”

Reader Reply No.: 83110/229

Dudley hospitals healthy, during moves

expansion & relcoation


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Two codelocks from access securi-ty specialist Bewator, have beenused in another Hollywood block-buster film - Sahara, starringMatthew McConaughy andPenelope Cruz.Bewator’s K-24 and K-44 codelockswere used in the film. The code-locks are very popular with endusers as they are easy to install andoffer effective, secure access tocommercial and residential build-ings.Bewator’s codelocks are suitablefor both external and internal useand secure doors without the needfor keys, which can be lost, copiedor stolen. The key benefits of theK-42 and K-44 are the ease ofinstallation and maintenance. The

locks also provide multiple, timedaccess levels, which can be con-trolled to allow authorised peopleaccess to secure areas at specifiedtimes.Darren Martin, marketing managerat Bewator Ltd, said, “We areextremely pleased that Bewator’sproducts have been chosen to fea-ture in this hit film. This under-lines Bewator’s reputation as aworld leader in the field of securi-ty solutions and also demonstratesthat our systems really are suitablefor all environments - even theextreme conditions of the Saharadesert!”The K-42 is one of the most popularcodelocks on the market and offerstwo separate codes - ideal for care-

takers or tradesmen, and ten-ants or employees in residen-tial or commercial buildings.The K-42 also has a time man-agement option, which canbe used with both codes.The K-44 codelock offers amore complex system and hasthe ability to store up to 30codes at one time. This code-lock also has the added bene-fits of an anti-tamper switchand code-blocking systemafter three failed diallingattempts. RR No.: 83033

Bewator proves to be a success in the Sahara

Tower 42, the multi-tenantedskyscraper that is the City ofLondon’s tallest building, is the lat-est customer to receive a digitalCCTV conversion from its integrat-ed, corporate security systems

provider Bell Security.The landmark site’sVCR/multiplexer instal-lation has beenreplaced by a digitalrecording suite embrac-ing hard- and softwareelements. This includesfive 600Gb, nine-inputDVR units, with CD/RWwrite capabilities andnew monitors. The sys-tem now possesses 40-plus days of imagearchive storage capacityand permits senior secu-rity personnel to havenetwork access to theimages at authorisedworkstations throughoutthe building.Tower 42’s EstateSecurity Manager, SteveCrossley, (pictured,right, with BellSecurity’s ServiceManager, AndyMcQueen) commented:“The new system hassurpassed my expecta-

tions. Bell tabled a range of optionsfor our consideration and has seam-lessly upgraded us with a flexible,reliable and highly efficient solu-tion.”


Tower 42 adds digitalCCTV recording suite

security focus

35www.practicalfm.co.uk

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OCS, the largest privately owned propertysupport services company, is sponsoring amajor national study into the future of securi-ty in the UK through Professor Martin Gill fromthe University of Leicester.In a University-Industry collaboration, OCS issupporting the three-year research of MartinGill, Professor of Criminology at the Universityof Leicester and Director of Perpetuity andConsultancy International (PRCI), a spin-outcompany from the University. Results from the study should lead to moreeffective security in businesses based on soundknowledge of what works and what does not.The study will assess clients’ views of security,the value attached to security, and securityeffectiveness. Chris Cracknell, chief executive of OCS, said:“We at OCS see this as an excellent opportunityto enable us to assess the clients’ view of secu-rity and the significance of this study highlightsthe link of the industry to the University ofLeicester, the foremost University undertakingresearch into criminology. As a company Ibelieve we can learn a lot from experts such asProfessor Gill, which is why the OCS Group haslinks to many different universities nationwide.“The study will benefit clients such as councils,leisure centres, schools and colleges who canlearn from the outcomes of the research.Professor Gill said: “Even when businesses takesecurity seriously, I have found it is based on apoor understanding of what is effective.Business crime is at a high despite a plethora ofsecurity measures. The fact is that as offenders

get smarter - so should security.”The study, called the Security ResearchInitiative (SRI), is supported by the leading secu-rity associations: ASIS International, the BritishSecurity Industry Association and The SecurityInstitute. The study is comprised of three annu-al studies, the first one of which focuses on theclients’ views of security. Professor Gill added: “This is a unique opportu-nity to betterunderstand thesecurity sector.That top qualitycompanies havegiven their sup-port is indicativeof the need forsuch a study. Ouraim is to generatenew insights andto better under-stand the role ofsecurity in achanging world.We are startingwith a project onclients’ views,and then we aremoving on to con-sider the value ofsecurity, and theeffectiveness ofsecurity mea-sures.”With a turnoverexceeding £500

million and increasing expansion throughout theUK and across its international operations, OCSis one of the market leaders in the provision ofproperty support services. Offering one com-plete solution from a single point of contact, itssix divisions encompass technical, security,catering, transport, cleaning and hygiene.


OCS supports security study

Anyone visiting Vital’s facility inWest London cannot fail to beimpressed with the seriousapproach that the company hastaken to security. Perimeter fenc-ing, external infra-red cameras,internal high resolution cameras, digital videorecorders, intrusion detection and a sophisti-cated access control system are all part of asophisticated integrated security system inplace to protect the assets of their cus-tomers.This high level of security is of paramountimportance to Vital who are a leading providerof disaster recovery services. Post 9/11, the ser-vices offered by Vital have never been in greaterdemand as more and more organisations look toprotect data essential to the survival of theirbusiness. Vital recognise that they have toemploy the highest standards of care to ensurethe safe keeping of clients’ data much of whichis stored for business continuity purposes.Nothing has been left to chance with over £22mso far invested in the ultra high-tech 30,000sq.ft

facility including the provision of multipleredundant electricity feeds, back-up power sup-plies via generators and batteries, smoke detec-tion and fire suppression systems and environ-mental control systems.Vital provide accommodation for over 500 indi-

vidual servers. Whilstthese servers arephysically housed inclose proximity toeach other, they mustall be protected asthough they werehoused in separatebuildings with exclu-sive access rights.“Our reputation rests

on our ability to keep our clients’ data safe andsecure as well as being accessible at all times”,said Bob Wright, Managing Director of Vital. “Wehave therefore put a security system in placethat will detect and deter any unwanted visitorsand at the same time strictly control who cangain access to sensitive areas”.Reading based Galeco Communications werechosen by Vital to provide an integrated securi-ty solution at the heart of which is an AXxessNS(tm) Security Management Software systemfrom MAXxess Systems. Galeco Communcationshave been installing and maintaining Intruder,Access Control and CCTV Systems since 1989 andas a MAXxess Authorised Master Dealer theyhave considerable experience in the design ofcomplex security solutions.The AXxess NS software provides security per-

sonnel with the ability to monitor and control allthe component parts of the security systemfrom a single screen. It also provides a fullrecord of who has gained access to differentparts of the facility as well as an update ifrequired on where staff or visitors are located atany given time.Bob Wright added: “The MAXxess system gives usthe flexibility we need to customise access lev-els within the building. While proximity cardreaders control general building access, a moresophisticated biometric system allowing formany access levels is required to control accessto individual servers. It is also a major benefit tous that the system can be adapted and expand-ed as our business grows with the addition ofnew servers.”Vital have recently expanded the services theyoffer to clients with the opening of their newremote monitoring centre. “It is a logical expan-sion of our business activities. With such asecure building we are able to take over respon-sibility for our clients’ CCTV and security sys-tems and react on their behalf”.Vital have invested in a second AXxess NS systemto manage data and images from what can be anunlimited number of remote sites. The AXxessNS’s CCTV Monitor module provides the capabil-ity to connect, manage and view video imagesfrom different manufacturers equipment on asingle PC screen. The images retrieved fromDVRs, IP Cameras or Video IP Servers can beviewed simultaneously on a dedicated portion ofa screen whilst operators are viewing other dataat the same time. Reader Reply No.: 83037

MAXxess security for vital information

security focus


Our manned guarding comes with 24x7 back-up, site visits to suit yourrequirements and service level agreements you can trust, all underpinned by professional security management.Through our ‘Guard Development Programme’ we improve our guards andyour service. Our commitment to quality extends to our people; we will have them prepared for SIA licensing by November 2005.Join clients like the BBC and British Airways for security with staying power

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Security with staying powerFor the best in manned securityprotection choose ISS

For your FREE Security Evaluation call now on 0870 382 1702 or email [email protected]

FS88642

security focus

37www.practicalfm.co.uk

AUTOPA LTD, Cottage Leap, Rugby,Warwickshire, CV21 3XPTel: 01788 550556 Fax: 01788 550265E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.autopa.co.uk

Access control by

Autopa

Over 45 years of experiencemanufacturing parking solutions &vehicle access control products:-

l Parking posts

l Ornamental bollardsl Recycled plastic furniture

l Automatic barriers

l Manual gates & barriers

l One-way flow plates

l Warehouse/car park barriers

l Cycle storage & security

l Cycle lockers

l Smoking shelters

Gibson Terrace is a new Home forthe Homeless in Ashton-Under-Lyne comprising 25 bedrooms toprovide temporary accommoda-tion. To overcome any securityproblem for the rapid occupancyturnover, the DOM CardSystemhas been installed. Here, individ-ual doors are opened by holdingup a proximity card but security isnever compromised because the

card can be rapidly repro-grammed by PC and reassigned.All the door ironmongery was sup-plied by Laidlaw Solutions includ-ing door closers, lever handlesand key overriding facilities forstaff.The DOM Card System is a userfriendly access control system pri-marily designed for hotels, hostelsand colleges where the occupancychanges and high security is a con-tinuing priority. The programmablekey card offers a practical andsecure alternative to the conven-tional room key. Cards can be pro-grammed as required to include atime-sensitive validity for guests,variable access for staff or for spe-cial purposes, such as emergencies,special functions or one-off main-tenance.Doors are opened by swiping thecard or holding it up to be read,depending on whether the door isfitted with a magnetic or proximitydoor reader. For audit trails, thereader records the last 400 times ofaccess; this information can beread with a hand-held terminal andcan be recorded and printed via aPC. The card readers are designedto be aesthetically pleasing andcan be easily fitted to any door.Many other functions can also beadded.


Controlling access forchanging occupancy

Access security specialist, Bewator, hasannounced the winner of the online competi-tion it ran in celebration of the opening of itsnew high tech demonstration suite.Keith Pitcher of Optimum successfully crackedthe Bewator code and is the lucky recipient of anew Dell PDA. Keith was presented with the PDAat Bewator’s Systems Group office in Essex on28th April.Entrants to the competition had to answer sev-eral questions about Bewator, including howmany countries it operates in - 80 and the num-ber of its latest integrated security solution -

2010. The answer provided them with a code. The new demonstration suite was launched atBewator’s Newport office in March and has beendesigned to enable Bewator to illustrate theadvanced capabilities and unique features of itsintegrated security control solutions toinstallers and end users.Bob Cotterill, managing director for Bewator UKLimited, sees the development of the newdemonstration suite as a reflection of the com-pany’s integration philosophy. “The new demonstration suite enables our cus-tomers and installers to gain an insight into the

features and benefits of our latest integratedAccess Security solutions,” said Bob Cotterill.“It also underlines our commitment to providingcustomers with the information and technologythey need to meet their specific securityrequirements.”The new suite will allow Bewator, specialists inthe fields of Intruder Detection, Digital Video &Access Control, to give practical demonstrationson the following integrated security solutions:· Bewator 2010 - relatively new to the UK,

this is a truly unique system, offering acomplete integrated security solution pro-viding intruder alarm, access control,video management, and fire warning sys-tems from a single source.

· Bewator Eventys Digital VideoManagement System (DVMS) - a digitalvideo recorder / server designed to incor-porate the functionality of traditionalvideo recorders, multiplexers, motiondetectors, and video transmissions.

· Remote Monitoring Centre - The EventysRMC (Remote Monitoring Centre) is a solu-tion for centralised monitoring and con-trol of several remote surveillance sites.Extending the accessibility of the systemover networks - no more limitations oftime and place!

· Bewator SOLARIS - the latest in domecamera technology, which offers unparal-leled levels of accuracy, speed and config-urability. It is fitted with an ExternalTermination Unit (XTU), which enablesusers to set up the dome easily and accu-rately using the LCD panel and a range ofintuitive menus. Reader Reply No.: 83028

Who Cracked the Bewator Code? security focus


The latest version of Cardax FT - Version 4.20- is scheduled for release in June 2005.Version 4.20 introduces selected new func-tionality around anti-passback and generaldoor management enhancements which willbe particularly relevant for high security sites.Developments in this version are indicative ofGallagher Security Management Systems com-mitment to continually enhance the Cardax FTsystem. Free upgrade to Version 4.20 is pro-vided to those participating in the Cardax FTSoftware Maintenance Agreement pro-gramme. With the release of Version 4.20, Cardax FT nowhas one of the strongest anti-pass back featuresavailable in any system. Key enhancements havebeen made to configuration options. System-wide anti-passback is supported and is config-urable by person, access zone or access zonegroup. This means specific access groups may beconfigured to not be bound by the anti-passbackrules. Soft and hard anti-passback are supported

(‘soft’ provides an alarm but allows entry;‘hard’ provides an alarm and disallows entry).A new feature which complements anti-pass-back is ‘anti-tailgating’. This prevents peoplefrom following other cardholders into a roomwithout presenting their own card on entry.While standard anti-passback restricts entry toan access zone if there have been two consecu-tive entry attempts with no exit, anti-tailgatingoffers the opposite by restricting people leavingan access zone if they have not had a validentry. In Version 4.20 where a physical area consists ofmore than one access zone, individual accesszones can be configured into one group calledAccess Zone Groups. An Access Zone Group istreated as one zone for the purposes of zonecounting, anti-passback or anti-tailgating. Zone counting offers the ability to keep a con-tinuous count of the number of cardholders in azone. In Version 4.20 it can be configured withdual authorisation as the mechanism for “No

Alone Zones” where at least two people must bepresent at all times for security or safety rea-sons. The Cardax FT Remote Arming Terminal can beassociated with a reader to operate in a similarway to Cardax FT plus PIN reader. This is partic-ularly applicable to high security access controlwhere high level encrypted PIN communicationsare specifically required. The other key featurethat comes with this is the option of using theuser code that is normally used for RAT logon asa PIN for door entry.“These new features combine to enhance thepowerful security functionality of Cardax FT toprotect customers who have significant assets orwant higher levels of access control functionali-ty” comments Kahl Betham, Manager GSMSProduct Strategy.Cardax FT Command Centre now offers MifareSmart Card encoding from within Photo-ID. Anew barcode format, Telepen, is available.Mifare cards are now able to be encoded fromthe Cardax FT system (Fargo printer, modelDTC-525 currently supported).Cardax FT now provides the ability to configuredifferent special holidays for different geo-graphical regions.Version 4.20 also features improved foreign lan-guage support. Language can now be selectedfrom the Logon screen. This enables the user tochange the language, for example, with anArabic language version it is possible to selectEnglish at logon so that a person not literate inArabic can trouble shoot the system from theEnglish language menus.“The changeable language feature and regionalcalendar support further cement Cardax FT as atruly global system,” comments Betham.


Cardax FT feature set extended

“These new features combine to enhance the powerful security functionality of Cardax FT to protect customers who

have significant assets or want higher levels of access control functionality”

comments Kahl Betham, Manager GSMS Product Strategy.

security focus

39

Sometimes access control readers areinstalled in vulnerable locations where van-dalism is rife and readers are damaged, oftenbeyond repair. This prevents users accessingthe door, often for days at a time whilereplacements arrive, is frustrating and annoy-ing to say the least.To help combat this problem Multilink AccessControl Systems have developed several newvandal resistant readers, two proximity devicesand one magnetic swipe. These elegant deviceshave been developed using proven reader tech-

nologies. Two units feature ceramicpiezo keypads so they are touch sen-sitive with no moving parts or buttons,the result .. there’s nothing to getjammed.Multilink’s MVR1 HID compatible prox-imity reader, combined piezo touchsensitive keypad and vandal resistcase, which is constructed from solidaluminium, making it practically imper-vious to attack. A proximity only ver-sion, the MVR2, is also available anduses the same technology as theMVR1. Where systems require mag-netic card media, the MVR3 has awater resistant reader head and thesame peizo keypad as the MVR1.Of course access control readers allneed control systems and the MultilinkDDS Toplock range of controllers are

second to none in performance, reliability andprice. Controllers can be standalone, networkedor real time online and may be connected over aLAN or WAN. Amadeus 5 software controls theprogramming and functionality of the systems,even providing ID card printing options ifrequired directly for the software, no bolt on pro-grammes, get all the info from one place andproduce stunning ID cards with you own logo.For complete systems Multilink can advise anddesign your access installation, including highquality locking devices and exit buttons etc.


Touch sensitive vandal resistant access control

SpecificationsMVR1Protocol: Wiegand, Dimensions: 120 x 90 x 20mm, Power: 12 VDC, Current: 150mAEnvironment: IP68; 100% RH, Read Range: 50mm - 75mm

MVR2Protocol: Wiegand, Dimensions: 115 x 70 x 20mm, Power: 12 VDC, Current: 150mAEnvironment: IP68; 100% RH, Read Range: 50mm - 75mm

MVR3Protocol: Clock & Data Track 2, Card encoding: 75bpi, Dimensions: 140 x 74 x 33mmPower: 12vdc, Current: 150Ma, Environment: IP67Temperature 20 to +60°C (non-condensing)


A rising number of public and private sector organi-sations are recognising the benefits of installingsophisticated access control systems using smart-card technology. The UK’s leading developer of smartcard applications,G2 Integrated Solutions, uses the latest technology toprovide access control solutions that challenge tradi-tional security processes.G2’s access control solutions enable facilities man-agers to reduce the threat of terrorism, criminal dam-age and trespass while protecting employees andmembers of the public. Smartcards are used to restrictor enable the access of individuals or groups throughbuildings and sites at or between predetermined datesand times. Benefits include the ability to:• restrict unauthorised entry and enhance on-site

security• monitor individual movements of employees and

members of the public• provide computer-based central management and

reporting• issue permanent, temporary, visitor and contractor

passes• integrate with third party MIS, on-site parking sys-

tems and G2’s own ID card and cashless paymentsolutions.

Myriad ESi is the true enterprise-wide networkedaccess control solution. Operating over a LAN or WAN,it can provide access control, ID card production, visi-tor management, alarm monitoring and a versatilereporting service. Its PC based software is available asa series of fully integrated modules, which can becombined to create a totally scalable system suitablefor any size of organisation. G2 has major clients across the education, health,public sector, corporate and commercial markets,more than two million cardholders are currently usinga G2 solution on over 1,500 site installations nation-wide. Clients include major blue chip/FTSE 100 com-panies and household names such as HBoS, Unileverand Addenbrookes NHS Trust.Sylvia Campbell, G2’s sales and marketing director,said: “Access control and restricting the movement ofstaff and public has become part of the business agen-da for facilities managers, and the issue is an integraland continual part of their business planning.“Many of our clients are also choosing smartcard appli-cations to future-proof their system, knowing addi-tional modules will allow the use of the same cards forother applications, such as ID, enrolment or cashlesspayment.“Due to the benefits of such systems, we are confidentthat the uptake of these solutions will continue togrow in popularity and the use of smartcard technolo-gy will become more and more commonplace.”


Smartcard technologyis key to access control

Driven by the need to reduce costs, manybusinesses are turning away from mannedsecurity protection towards more electronicsecurity surveillance. This means more CCTV,PIN code locks and other computerised securi-ty mechanisms. However, robbing Peter to

pay Paul will increase the risk to your busi-ness. First there are the increased compliance levels.For example CCTV operators must understandand have signed up to the system Codes ofPractice and Procedures, including mattersrelating to Human Rights, Data Protection, PACEAct 1984, and Criminal Procedures andInvestigations Act 1986. Non-compliance repre-sents a breach of UK law. Second is that CCTV is not a deterrent to secu-rity breaches. These systems may warn you of asecurity breach but how you respond to thatbreach is just as important. How do you get aconviction when most criminals hide their iden-tity? How do you remain secure in the event ofa system crash? A power cut? An office evacua-tion due to fire, flood or even a terrorist threat? Having trained security personnel in placestrengthens your hand especially when crisis sit-uations occur. Your guards are there to deterand diffuse difficult or life threatening situa-tions, to ensure the safety of your people, toraise the alarm when security has beenbreached and to protect the assets of yourorganisation. Any business can realise cost savings by devel-oping multi-disciplinary security officers. Doyou have designated fire and mail people?Modern guards are being trained to also cover

the roles of fire officer; first aid and even inter-nal mail distribution. Also your insurance com-pany will welcome a physical security presenceand may offer considerable discounts. When reviewing your security measures youshould ask yourself the following - Do we have asecurity back-up plan in place? Are our person-nel trained to combat security breach situa-tions? Do we have quality management systemsin place to maintain security continuity? Arethere other things that our guards can do to pro-vide and deliver added benefits to our business?Have we got a service level agreement in place?Are the KPI’s being met? A well-run security operation will be managedby a professional security provider. Quality stan-dards of training and management of all securi-ty personnel are paramount in the delivery of acredible and reliable service. If the safety ofyour organisations’ assets and personnel areyour number one priority, make sure you have asecurity operation that can warn and respond tosecurity/crisis situations. ISS as part of its market research are offeringfree site surveys and support for businesseslooking to develop multi-disciplinary securityguards both in-house and contracted. This is ona first come first served basis to Emma [email protected].


Integrated security operations - getting the balance right

security focus


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Work has begun on the newLymington Hospital in Hampshire,the third successful projectthrough Ryhurst Ltd, in partner-ship with OCS, to develop, buildand operate a hospital under theGovernment’s Private FinanceInitiative (PFI). OCS used its experience in provid-ing services to the healthcare sec-tor to help the consortium, led byRyhurst Ltd and including otherpartners, to develop a successfulbid which demonstrated a thoroughunderstanding of the hospital’soperational needs. In addition tospecifying the high quality services

which OCS would be delivering tothe completed hospital, the com-pany’s expertise was used to helpdevelop the proposed design andspecification for the build.OCS chief executive, ChrisCracknell, said: “The Lymingtoncontract is the third, and largest,hospital contract that we havehelped Ryhurst to secure, and itdemonstrates that our companieshave established a winning formu-la. “The relationship with Ryhurst seesus using our considerable experi-ence in the healthcare sector andour high quality standards to pro-

duce a proposalwhich shows atten-tion to detail andbest practice.”OCS will delivercatering, cleaning,security, car parkmanagement, wastecontrol, pest control,window cleaning andportering to the hos-pital on its comple-tion in November2006.

RR No.: 83043

OCS & Ryhurst celebratehat trick of PFI hospital

contract wins

The management team at workwear and uni-form suppliers Prima Corporate Wear havesold the company they bought five years ago.Along with Barclay Ventures (a leading UK midmarket private equity house who supported theManagement Buy Out in 1999), they have agreeda £4million cash deal with Bristol-basedAlexandra plc, one of the country’s largestgroups supplying corporate clothing.The negotiations for the sale were conducted byindependent corporate finance houseLivingstone Guarantee who carried out a com-petitive sales process that generated worldwideinterest, resulting in three firm offers for thebusiness, one from South Africa.Nigel Morgan who led the negotiations says:“The management had created a business modeland strategy that was attractive to potentialbuyers, particularly following the acquisition ofSharps Freeman in 2001. We received threefirm proposals for the business but deemedAlexandra Plc the most deliverable purchaser

under our timetable.”The acquisition by Alexandra Plc will furtherstrengthen Prima’s position as a leading supplierof corporate wear, with a strong market positionin the transport and security sectors. Prima pro-vides corporate wear to a range of UK compa-nies, including the Go Ahead Group, Morrisons,Rayners, Securitas Cash in Transit, OCS FacilitiesManagement, Amey and GSL.Nick Atkinson, Managing Director, PrimaCorporate Wear, comments: “The completion ofthe MBO and subsequent Sharps Freeman acqui-sition presented many challenges. This exit isan excellent result for all shareholders.”Paul Taberner, Barclays Ventures, says: “ThePrima management team has done an excellentjob in driving out the benefits of the SharpsFreeman acquisition and consolidating its mar-ket leading position in the transport and securi-ty sectors.”Nigel Morgan adds: “It has taken us less than sixmonths to conclude a transaction that has pro-vided Barclay Ventures with the exit theyrequired and a significant return for the man-agement team who were shareholders in thecompany.“Prima is a fine example of a company in theservice industry that has proved an attractiveacquisition proposition for a larger organisation.It is typical of the scenario we expect to berepeating itself in the coming months as thereare many successful owner managed businessesacross the country, similar to Prima, that wouldmake serious acquisition possibilities for compa-nies embarking upon expansion programmes.”


Prima management team sellsbusiness 5 years after MBO

GSH puts safety firstGSH has appointed a leading authority on FM health andsafety as its new National Health & Safety Manager. Theselection of Rob Greenfield, a BIFM Director andChairman of its Health & Safety Special Interest Group,reflects GSH’s recognition of the increasing importanceof risk management within FM and its continuing empha-sis on creating a safe working environment for staff.In his new role, Rob will advise GSH and its customers onforthcoming safety legislation, risk management proce-dures, safety audits and practical measures to improvestaff safety at all levels on a national basis. He has aproven track record working for leading companiesincluding Land Securities Trillium and Drivers Jonas anda strong building management background.Rob Greenfield, GSH’s new Safety Director, commented:“Recent industry surveys show that health and safety isthe top priority for in-house facilities managers acrossthe industry. We believe outsourced FMs have a vital roleto play in advising clients on best practice in health andsafety management. By implementing and enforcing cor-rect working practices, we can put the onus on accidentprevention and protect employees in the workplace.”


Muratec UK has awarded CURATechnical a major contract to sup-port more than 300 new multi-functional products (MFPs) forOrange, one of the world’s mostadvanced and fastest-growingmobile communications compa-nies. CURA Technical will be pro-viding a range of specialised ser-vices including delivery, installa-tion, commissioning, user trainingand onsite maintenance through-out the three-year contract. Itwill also take responsibility fordisposing of Orange’s oldmachines to meet the require-ments of the proposed WEEEDirective.Orange is the first UK customer forMuratec’s new MFX1330 - an MFPthat provides high performanceprinting, copying, faxing and scan-ning functionality in a single,robust package that also offersexceptionally low running costs. Jonathan Whitworth of Muratec UKcommented: “CURA Technical wasselected as our partner of choicebecause it is the only independentsupport company with the exper-tise and infrastructure to handlespecialised contracts of this type

throughout the UK without subcon-tracting. It also has the resourcesto dispose of old equipment tomeet the proposed WEEEDirective.” CURA Technical will be holdingstocks of the new Muratec MFX1330at its Billericay warehouse to becalled off in batches for delivery toOrange retail stores nationwide. Itwill also provide an 8-hour onsitefix for all requests for service callsplaced via CATS, CURA’s 24/7online fault reporting and trackingsystem. Reader Reply No.:83029

business news...

41

Modelling some of the Prima uniforms are (left to right): Nick Atkinson - MD Prima, Mike Williams - Chairman Prima,Phil Booth - FD-Prima, Paul Taberner - Barclays Ventures, RobHuson - Ops Dir.Prima, Nigel Morgan - Livingstone Guarantee

Muratec hands majorsupport contract to

CURA Technical

Practicalfm

Leading cradle access specialist, OCSTechnical, has signed a 5 year contract withclients of Chartered Surveyors Lamb & Edge toprovide maintenance services for one site.OCS has worked with Lamb & Edge for over 5years, providing an annual maintenance serviceof its cradle systems for clients. During this timea good working relationship has developed andnow, thanks to the team’s proven track record,OCS has secured a new contract which increas-es the service to include additional emergencycall out cover.Chris Cracknell, chief executive of OCS said:“We have worked with Lamb & Edge for severalyears. They are aware of the helpful and pro-fessional manner in which we approach themaintenance and testing work carried out attheir sites, and have trust in the work that wedo. “We are thrilled to be providing a comprehen-sive, quality service to this longstanding con-tract for a further five years, and the newagreement reassures Lamb & Edge that if anyunforeseen problems occur on site, the emer-gency call outs will be included in the package.”Incorporated in the contract is a preventativemaintenance programme that will entail sitespecific Risk Assessments. The assessments arecritical to ensure the safety of cleaning andmaintenance staff (such as window cleaners)when working on a building where there is a risk

of slips or falls from a height, or electrocutionfrom outdoor cables. Safety measures concern-ing all building access equipment, such as win-dow cleaning cradles, are also taken into con-sideration.The thorough inspections and assessmentsundertaken by OCS ensure that maintenance iscarried out with a clear knowledge of the build-ing, which includes identifying the best workingmethods for each different situation.In this way, experts at OCS can support clientsby providing safe working conditions whichadhere to regulations and comply with British,European and International standards.Through three divisions - Safety, Access andMechanical & Electrical - OCS Technical surveyspremises and recommends, installs and main-tains systems for properties nationwide. OCSensures that installations comply with legisla-tion and offer long lasting, cost effective solu-tions.


MailSource successwith 4th RoSPA gold

RoSPA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents)have honoured MailSource with a seventh prestigiousaward, their fourth consecutive at Gold level.MailSourcecontinues to demonstrate focus on the welfare of allemployees through its mandatory training schemes andhealth and safety assessments which are conducted byall on-site Managers.The RoSPA scheme does not simply take account of acci-dent rates, but is also based on adjudication of a broadportfolio of evidence about the level of developmentand performance of an entrant’s health and safety man-agement system. Roger Bibbings, the Society’s Occupational SafetyAdviser, reports: “Increasingly, businesses large andsmall are being judged by the way they manage healthand safety. A consistently high standard of health andsafety risk management is seen as a hallmark of businesseffectiveness and professionalism.”


Initial Contract Services is invest-ing in a wide range of Nilfisk-Advance machines to servicebluechip cleaning contracts inLondon’s Docklands, including lownoise vacuum cleaners, compactscrubber/dryers and a ride-onpowered sweeper for outdoorareas. Many of the machines usedby Initial are battery-poweredversions, such as the recentlylaunched battery Backuum - anergonomically designed backpackvacuum cleaner. This versatile machine offers oper-

ators unrestricted access to con-gested areas without having to findthe nearest electric socket, andhas no trailing cables to cause apotential safety hazard.With a sound level of just 46dB,Nilfisk’s GD2000 vacuum cleanerrange allows cleaning to be com-pleted with the minimum of incon-venience to office staff and visi-tors. Initial has selected the top-of-the-range HDS version with HEPA 13filtration to ensure ultra-clean airin machine rooms and IT depart-ments.Ian Whittingham, UK OperationsDirector of Initial ContractServices, says: “As well as beingexceptionally quiet, we chose theHDS2000 because it offers do-it-yourself servicing, so we don’thave to call out an engineer forsimple maintenance procedures.”Initial’s cleaning team is also find-ing the Nilfisk-Advance BR 700 ride-on Scrubber/Dryer ideal for remov-ing daily dirt and debris from mar-ble floors - a popular choice forprestigious office foyers. And fortackling hard to reach areas, suchas escalators, the ultra-compactNilfisk CA 330 pedestrian scrub-ber/dryer is proving an equallyworthwhile investment.


GSH, a leading provider of a com-prehensive range of bespokefacilities management solutions,has floated on the AlternativeInvestment Market (AIM) in amove to support its continuedgrowth strategy within theexpanding outsourced FM market.It is believed the enhanced com-mercial reputation and generalmarket visibility that a listingbrings will have a tangible com-mercial benefit for the Group.Colin Tennent, Chief Executive ofGSH, said: “This is an establishedand successful international busi-ness that is growing strongly. Ourblue chip client base, whichincludes companies such as T-Mobile, Hewlett Packard, HBOS andIKEA is testimony to our provisionof leading edge bespoke FM solu-tions.We believe this flotation willenhance our commercial reputa-tion and ensure we continue toretain and attract talented peoplethat will take us to the next stageof our development as the con-tracted-out FM market continues togrow.”

Revenues have grown consistentlyduring the last three financial yearsreflecting GSH’s record of contractrenewals and contract wins. In2004, the Group generated rev-enues of £101 .8m and profitbefore tax of £3.5m. It is commit-ted to further increasing its shareof the contracted out FM market,which is estimated at over £59 bil-lion in the UK and growing at 3%p.a.The Group has operations in theUK, Eire, Benelux and the UnitedStates and a corporate strategybased on developing its strongclient base.


OCS winsLamb and

Edge clientcontract

business news...

42 Practicalfm

GSH announces listingon the AlternativeInvestment Market

Nilfisk-Advance isInitial’s first choice

Applied Energy Products Ltd, the manufactur-er of heating, bathroom and ventilation solu-tions through its Creda, Xpelair and Redringbrands, has launched the Decent HomesSupport Package, a brand new initiative tohelp people working in the social housing sec-tor to meet the Decent Homes Standard. Designed to lead anyone who works within thesocial housing sector through the maze of regu-lations and legislation that has been introducedas a result of the Standard, the comprehensivesupport package will guide anyone involved withthe Decent Homes Standard.The aim is to provide housing professionals witha useful and convenient resource to enablethem to meet and exceed the Decent HomesStandard. Incorporating a variety of on-line andprinted information with a programme of train-ing and events, the DH Support Package clearlysummarises the key issues, making them easy tounderstand, and provides specialist advice onbest practice solutions with all the information,product solutions and support they need.Decent Homes Standard manager, Chris Tait,said, “The Decent Homes Standard is the first

comprehensive review of housing for 23 yearsand will affect everyone who supplies and pro-vides services to the social housing sector. “Because of our breadth of knowledge andexperience, we are in a unique position to offera solution for everything to do with theStandard, from bespoke product solutions to acommitment to after sales care.” The Decent Homes Support Package has beenlaunched to support a variety of tailored solu-tions from the existing Applied Energy productrange and includes service support, partnering,bespoke literature, CPD-accredited training andspecialist advice, all available in different for-mats and designed to be as accessible as possi-ble. There will also be a dedicated website atwww.DecentHomesStandard.co.uk and a tele-phone helpline on 01733 456829.As well as comprehensive product and installa-tion details, the package will also focus heavilyon Continuous Professional Development. A pro-gramme of roadshows has been developed offer-ing the opportunity to learn more about theDecent Homes Standard, its likely impact andhow Applied Energy can help practitioners tomeet the Standard. Reader Reply No.: 83119

OCS Technical, the multi-func-tional engineering divisions ofproperty support services giantOCS, has acquired BuildingEnvironmental Services (BES) in adeal that will strengthen and con-solidate OCS Technical’s share ofthe mechanical and electricalengineering market place.OCS Technical, proficient in main-tenance, design and installationrecognise that BES, an establishedand highly respected building ser-vices specialist, will enhance OCS’growing reputation for client excel-lence. BES, founded in 1984 with aturnover of £8.5M; focus upondesign, installation and mainte-

nance of services that have com-monality within commercial andcomputer environments. OCS willbenefit from BES’ efficiency,expertise and professionalism.Martin Lewis, managing director ofBES, said: “BES has seen a steadygrowth of business in the buildingservices industry; its core worksactivities have expanded to encom-pass a fully comprehensive range ofbuilding services across a diverseclient base. The marriage betweenBES and OCS is the ideal spring-board for the next phase of thecompany’s development.”Martin Lewis, an experienced pro-fessional, will remain with thecompany and continue to managethe activities of the business. Hewill work closely with OCSTechnical’s management; togetherthey will strategise the company’sfuture development, in particularexpanding BES’ presence in Londonand the South East. The offices inRoyston will provide an ideal basein which to reinforce OCS’stratagem to extend and cementbusiness into the Midlands.


OCS Technical acquiresBuilding Environmental

Services

GSH is at the forefront of sustain-able development in the FM sec-tor becoming the first major play-er in the sector to join forces withForum for the Future as aFoundation Corporate Partner.Forum’s Business Partners areselected according to their com-mitment to continuous improve-ment of their environmental andsocial performance, in line withthe charity’s focus on accelerat-ing the transition to a sustainableway of life.Working closely with the Forum,GSH will embrace the implicationsof sustainability in all areas of cor-porate activity and at all levels.The Forum has an internationalreputation for driving improve-ments in the sustainability perfor-mance of businesses. GSH will gainexpertise in good sustainabilitypractice which will be implement-ed internally and shared with itsextensive client base.David Simons, GSH’s Chief FinancialOfficer, commented: “There is anincreasing awareness at the highest

level that companies must do busi-ness in a way that reflects theirwider corporate responsibilities.We believe sustainable develop-ment is a dynamic process and aredelighted to join leading blue-chipslike Marks & Spencer, HBOS andVodafone Group that share thisapproach.”Martin Hunt, PrincipalSustainability Advisor at Forum forthe Future said “The operation andmaintenance of our built environ-ment has a significant impact uponthe natural environment as well asour quality of life, and the FM sec-tor can contribute greatly to sus-tainable development”.


GSH joins forces with‘Forum for the Future’and puts sustainability

into practice

Axminster’s new look‘Highlights’ magazine

out now

Axminster Power Tool Centre’s FREE Highlights magazineis packed full of great offers and superb savings. Thenew look Highlights takes the best-selling items fromAxminster’s 2005 catalogue which is well recognised asholding the most complete range of tools, machinery,accessories and consumables in the UK and is a ‘musthave’ for all tool and machinery users.This year Highlights has increased its size by over a thirdand the page size has almost doubled, allowing evenmore new products, old favourites and a comprehensiverange of top name brands. Offering great choice, easyordering and a quality next day delivery service, not tomention extremely competitive prices.


business news...

43

Meet theDecent HomesStandard with Applied Energyproducts

Practicalfm

LCC Support Services, the Londonbased contract cleaning and facil-ities management company, haswon a major contract that hastaken the company’s turnover toin excess of £10m.With immediate effect LCC will becleaning 530 Lloyds TSB SouthernRegion buildings in Hertfordshire,Essex, Middlesex, London, Kent,Hampshire, Buckinghamshire andBedfordshire.The premises which include officesand many high street banks will bemaintained on an ‘OutputSpecification’ basis; a flexible sys-tem that will ensure that buildingsare constantly maintained to a highspecification - not based on eachtask being carried out on a specificday.

Bob Vincent, ManagingDirector, said: “The flexi-ble system introduced byLCC is the way ahead forthe cleaning business as itmaintains a constant stan-dard and the right envi-ronment for both our cus-tomers and staff. Cleanersare given a specific timeto maintain standards andwhilst some tasks need tobe carried out each day,others are carried out on

a ‘needs’ basis which allows staffto focus on priorities.”The Lloyds TSB contract involvestransferring 700 staff from theincumbent five cleaning companiesand will involve more daytimecleaning. According to Bob Vincent,this is the way that cleaning willdevelop for many clients. “Ourclients understand the need toensure its customers enjoy highstandards of cleanliness throughoutthe day. As well as addressing thisand the obvious Health and Safetybenefits to the lone worker, ourown staff are enjoying the opportu-nity to achieve a better workllifebalance and we are seeing applica-tions from new areas of the labourmarket”


LCC win Lloyds TSBsupport contract

OCS Catering has successfullysecured a prestigious contractwith two of the best known namesin the British motor manufactur-ing industry, Jaguar and LandRover, delivering catering ser-vices to five sites in the Midlandsand one at Halewood onMerseyside.OCS will provide restaurant, coffeeshop and vending facilities as wellas hospitality catering and retailshops. .The introduction of aunique portfolio of brands hasenabled OCS Catering to increasethe product range at all sites,responding to customer demands,and providing an improved servicethat has been well received.The refurbishment of current facil-ities at the sites is providing staffwith a modern and fresh environ-

ment. The introduction ofnew amenities also meansthat staff at Jaguar andLand Rover will be providedwith an increased range ofcatering and retail options.OCS Catering supplies staffat the six sites with fresh,varied, homemade andmade-to-order bistro anddeli-style foods in an excit-ing environment. Cashlesspayment is being intro-duced to reduce queuetimes and increase speed

of service.Chris Cracknell, chief executive ofOCS comments, “Catering’s aim isto integrate fully into our cus-tomers’ culture so that we becomenot simply their service providerbut part of their team’s success.The value of such outstanding ser-vice to customers will be repaidimmeasurably by improvements inboth productivity and morale.“This contract was an importantone to have secured and is a testa-ment to the quality of food and ser-vice our management and staff pro-vide to Jaguar and Land Rover.”The OCS portfolio of brands and theopportunity to build a relationshipwas a deciding factor in Jaguar andLand Rover’s choice of OCS as theircatering supplier.


OCS Catering drives forward

A pioneering electrical companyis launching an initiative that willsave businesses money, property -and lives.The Rotherham-based Lowe Groupwill mark its 10th Anniversary thisyear by launching the ElectricalInspection, Testing & Training armof the group with a name change toNECTA (National ElectricalCertification & Training Alliance).It comes with a stark warning fromchairman Ted Lowe, who set up thecompany in 1995 and has grown itfrom just one employee to over200: “Electrical fires are consis-tently number two after firescaused by arson, yet businessesdon’t take enough steps to protecttheir staff and property.“When we go into premises to carryout inspections we are amazed bythe potential hazards we spot.Electrical accidents can ruin a busi-

ness and kill people - it’s as brutalas that. Often companies areunaware of the dangers until it’stoo late.“In our experience, more than 70per cent of electrical installationsover five years old breach currentlegislation. Our priority is to helpchange this with the launch ofNECTA. It will take us to a newlevel and give us a national pres-ence, which will also be good forRotherham.”Companies signing up to NECTA willbenefit from having their premisesfully electrically inspected andtested. NECTA’s comprehensive ser-vice will also give companies theopportunity to access technicaladvice, consultancy services, com-prehensive electrical inspectionand testing programmes, a host ofelectrical training Courses, riskassessments and the developmentof Safety Policies.Once certified by NECTA, compa-nies can have peace of mind, notonly because the risk of an acci-dent is greatly reduced but alsobecause the certification is evi-dence of having a responsible safe-ty management policy. This meansthat in the event of a serious inci-dent, firms are less likely to have aproblem with their insurance com-

pany or face the threat of beingsued.Ted Lowe said: “Latest full-yearfigures show that fires due to elec-trical faults accounted for around20% of all large loss insuranceclaims. A number of insurance com-panies are now refusing to under-write new business or renew exist-ing cover. We’re working withinsurance organisations to try tosolve this and the launch of NECTAis something that the industry isinterested in because we will beoperating to the highest safetystandards.”It is intended that the launch ofNECTA will be on the 1st July 2005.It is the latest stage in the LoweGroup’s growth that has seenturnover this year exceed £15m,which has prompted plans toexpand into additional nearbypremises. The customer base con-

tinues to grow,with leadingnames such asRank Hovis,JCB, MFI, Coors,BOC, BritishSugar, WalkersCrisps, Nestlé,Caterpillar andBritish Gas. “Since we setup in the bor-o u g h ,R o t h e r h a mInvestment &Deve l opmentOffice (RiDO),

the council’s regeneration team,has supported us throughout ourjourney, with everything from grantapplications to finding premises.This support gives you the extraconfidence to develop,” said TedLowe.The company also safeguards com-panies and their employees througha range of training programmes.These are aimed at engineers andsupervisors as well as newcomersto the electrical trade, who needbasic safety knowledge and techni-cal awareness. Indeed, one of themore recent initiatives undertakenby the company is the re-trainingof redundant electricians from theMG Rover Longbridge Plant.Ted Lowe explained: “This is a nat-ural progression, since we are cur-rently in the process of opening ourlatest training centre in Coventryto complement our existing centresin Bracknell and Rotherham.”RiDO’s business development man-ager, Paul Woodcock, said: “It’salways rewarding to see a companyyou’ve been involved with doing sowell. Lowe Group is a real credit toRotherham. The fact that it oper-ates nationwide helps us spread theword and demonstrate that theborough is a great business loca-tion.” Reader Reply No.: 83063

Rotherham companylaunches life-saving

initiative

business news...

44 Practicalfm

OCS is receiving full support from theLearning and Skills Council (LSC), and demon-strating its commitment to training, by provid-ing courses offering nationally recognisedqualifications, for its cleaning staff and morerecently has developed a programme specifi-cally aimed at its frontline operational man-agers. The OCS Business Skills Initiative began as apilot project last year, developed by ThomasDanby College in Leeds. It aimed to cater for thespecific needs of the managers within their rolesat OCS, covering key business principles includ-ing communication, finance and IT. The courseenables employees to achieve a qualificationoutside of the OCS Group - as part of the coursethe employees sit the National Literacy Test atLevel 1 or Level 2. For greater flexibility, learn-ing is delivered in two to four hour sessions over12 weeks, and the course finishes with a work-based assignment and presentation.Areas covered by the course include managingtime and workloads, motivation, recruitmentand selection, effective working relationships,customer service and budgets. The course isdesigned to include a broad range of studentsincluding people from different areas of thecompany, different qualification and education-al backgrounds and also people whose first lan-guage is not English. The results to date have been exceptional andOCS is particularly proud of the standardsachieved in the final work-based projects and as

one delegate explains “completing the coursehas given my confidence a great boost and I nowhave the knowledge to deal lots of operationalissues, using my own initiative and the skills Ihave developed, rather than having to refermatters to other managers”.The pilot scheme in Leeds, backed and fundedby the Learning and Skills Council in WestYorkshire, saw 12 OCS Cleaning ServiceManagers successfully complete the course. Asecond course has been held in Leeds, also beingdelivered by Thomas Danby College, with fur-ther courses being piloted inLondon and Bristol. The final pilot programmecompletes shortly in Camberley by which timealmost 40 managers across the pilots will havesuccessfully completed the programme.Feedback from the pilots will be evaluated byrepresentatives from college providers, LSCs

and OCS practical bespoke programme in theirlocal area. A number of other colleges and LSCshave shown a keen interest in the project. The initiative reflects the importance OCSplaces on training. Chief executive, ChrisCracknell, who is also a director of Asset Skills,the Sector Skills Council, said: “We firmlybelieve that training has benefits for both OCSand our staff. Helping people to perform betterin their jobs provides them with greater job sat-isfaction and our customers with better moti-vated staff and an improved service. “Our training is also intended to provide peoplewith the skills needed to achieve career devel-opment within our organisation, which in turnhelps us retain staff and develop a strongerteam.”The support provided by the Learning and SkillsCouncil includes funding for the tuition fees andproduction of course materials, which are freeof charge for colleges who want to get involved.The Learning and Skills Council is providing fullfinancial support for the scheme. LSC WestYorkshire Skills Development Coordinator FionaMcManaman said:“This is exactly the type of scheme which wewould like to see other large organisations run-ning. The LSC exists to create greater access totraining and improve the skill base of the UKlabour market. If employers are willing to helpus achieve this, we are able to provide supportfor them, including, in some cases, financialassistance.” Reader Reply No.: 83022

Learning and Skills Council support OCS Training Drive

ABB has increased its market share of drivesin the UK heating and ventilation (HVAC)industry to 30% and is aiming to reach evenhigher by the end of this year. The positionhas been achieved after only three years’presence in the market.The expansion is in line with the forecasts madewhen ABB entered the HVAC market with itsdrive products in 2002. ABB now estimates thatit is the largest supplier of HVAC drives in theUK. The growth has mainly been achieved at theexpense of other major manufacturers, but alsothrough growth by the market as a whole.The initiative in the UK is part of a worldwidepush by ABB to break into HVAC, which is one ofthe fastest growing application areas for vari-able speed drives. The HVAC business is nowmaking a healthy addition to ABB’s sales ofdrives. Over the past year, the factory output ofdrives up to 110 kW grew by 67%. Most of thiswas due to increased sales in HVAC.“Although we were newcomers on the market in2002, there has been little resistance to change

amongst customers,” says Nick Thome, HVACdrives sales manager for ABB. “ABB’s standarddrive for HVAC is widely acknowledged to be thebest product in the market. The only obstacle tochange is when there are existing frame agree-ments in place.”The growth of ABB ‘s market share has intensi-fied the price pressure in the market, mainly asa result of longer established competitors tryingto protect their market share. As a result, priceshave been reduced by some 20% over the pastyear. There have also been product launches bycompetitors of very basic products, aiming towin business on price alone.“We are not taking part in any price war,” insistsThome. “We merely follow the market. Nor arewe threatened by the simpler products nowbeing launched. Our product has a range of fea-tures that the customers want. If we wanted totackle the low cost end of the market, ABB hasother products in its portfolio with which wecould achieve this.”ABB’s standard drive for HVAC comes pre-pro-grammed with all common HVAC applications.The panel is as easy to handle as a mobile phoneand the set-up can be done in seconds. Thedrive has interfaces for all common bus stan-dards, including the recently introducedBAGnet, and includes many other useful fea-tures such as a fault logger and a real-timeclock.Thome is expecting further growth in the yearsto come: “Energy prices are on the way up. Atthe moment, there are not enough incentives toencourage users to opt for energy efficienttechnology, but the coming energy price hikeswill change this. Reader Reply No.: 83085

ABB captures 30% of HVAC drives market

Society for theEnvironment AwardsMembership to CIOB

The CIOB has been awarded membership, to become aConstituent Body, of the Society for the Environment.The Society for the Environment (SocEnv) is an organisa-tion comprised of professional bodies and learned soci-eties, known collectively as Constituent Bodies. It aimsto lead on the development and regulation of environ-mental practitioners and to be a respected voice in envi-ronmental affairs and sustainable development. Through the expertise of its Constituent Bodies, like theCIOB, and their members, SocEnv looks towards helpingsociety move towards a more sustainable environmentby providing an inclusive platform for debate, respond-ing to consultations and developing new policies whichwill deliver sustainability effectively.After being accepted as a member, the CIOB will nowapply for a license to grant the CharteredEnvironmentalist qualification to members of theInstitute. Those members who are recognised for theirexpertise in sustainable environmental management anddevelopment will qualify for consideration. Michael Brown CIOB deputy chief executive said, “Weare delighted to become a member and this furthers ourcommitment to embrace sustainability and promote bestpractice of the environment.” RR No.:83086

business news...

45Practicalfm

Dozens of housing professionals have takenthe opportunity to brush up on their knowl-edge of the Decent Homes Standard byattending Applied Energy Products’ DecentHomes Standard Roadshow. The Roadshow, a series of CPD-accreditedevents which toured the country throughoutMay, proved to be extremely popular withdozens of people attending each session andqualifying for one CPD certificate. Seminars are also being held at several CPDevents across the country until October, wheredelegates will be able to learn more about theDecent Homes Standard, understand how it willaffect them and qualify for one further certifi-cate.Now, hot on the heels of this success, there is a

new opportunity to get CPD accreditation, atpractitioners’ own convenience and from thecomfort of their own home or office.Anyone logging ontowww.DecentHomesStandard.co.uk will be ableto complete online modules on three differenttopics including An Introduction to the DecentHomes Standard; Fitness for Habitation andDisrepair and Modernity and Thermal Comfort.The successful completion of each section willresult in a CPD certificate, which countstowards professional status. The online modules and seminars are part ofApplied Energy Products’ Decent Homes SupportPackage. Together with bespoke literature andtraining, the package is designed to give spe-cialist advice on best practice solutions and help

everyone working with-in the social housingsector to meet theDecent HomesStandard.Decent Homes Standardmanager, Chris Tait,said, “Meeting theDecent Homes Standarddoesn’t have to be atask that is undertakenalone. Applied EnergyProducts understandswhat needs to be doneto conform to the legis-lation and through itsbrands, Creda, Xpelairand Redring, is in aunique position to offeradvice and expertise.”


Get CPD accreditation without leaving your desk

Some service-providers may be underesti-mating the operational benefits of DDAcompliance for the hard-of-hearing, saysContacta. The company is also encouraging organisa-tions not to overlook the statutory require-ment to ensure that all systems are properlymaintained and checked on a regular basis.The final phase of the DisabilityDiscrimination Act [DDA] came fully intoforce on 1st October 2004. It is now illegalfor any organisation that provides services tothe public to treat disabled people - whethercustomers or staff - less favourably than oth-ers for reasons related to their disability.Hearing impairment is a recognised disabilityunder the DDA. Simon Thomas, Contacta’s ManagingDirector, believes that there are still many ser-vice-providers who have yet to comply fully withthe DDA by providing induction loops for hearingaid wearers. He also says that, as well as risk-ing legal action, these organisations are therebydelaying an outstanding opportunity to enhancetheir customers’ experience of the services con-cerned. “It isn’t just a question of simply putting in

enough auxiliary aids to satisfy the legislation.It’s more to do with achieving a less daunting,more welcoming environment for the hard-of-hearing. It’s a valuable way of giving them greater confi-dence in being able to participate fully and suc-cessfully in whatever transactions or conversa-tions are taking place. It means less risk of mis-understandings - and more chance of positive

rewards in terms of customer loyalty. “ Contacta is the UK’s leading provider ofinduction loops with its Infoloop(tm) sys-tems - and provides a unique start-to-fin-ish support programme for service-providers. This starts from an initial,expert audit of the operational environ-ment in each service type and function,and of DDA compliance needs for hearingaid wearers, whether visiting or workingthere. Contacta’s comprehensive exper-tise then continues through specification,installation and staff training, to aftersales service and scheduled maintenanceroutines. Simon Thomas also stresses the impor-tance of proper maintenance checks onall equipment: “Having the auxiliary aids

in place isn’t quite the whole story as far as DDAcompliance is concerned. The systems mustalso be available and working properly at alltimes. That’s why we encourage our clients totake advantage of Contacta planned mainte-nance programmes, just to be sure that theircustomers are not disappointed and inconve-nienced.”


DDA compliance brings extrabenefits for service-providers,

says Contacta

business news...

46 Practicalfm

Cannon Consumables

on trackCannon Consumables, formerly known as CannonHygiene’s Disposables Division, has updated its vehicletracking system in a move to improve productivity, cus-tomer service and employee satisfaction.To aid drivers and customers Consumables recentlyinstalled its new internet-based vehicle tracking system,designed and manufactured by Quartix. Backed up bythe Orange network, the system provides real-timeinformation accessible online, and a full log of vehicleactivity is delivered by email every morning. Because itis internet-based there is no special software to install,and data is supplied in either HTML or Microsoft Excelformat.Cannon also sees the commercial benefits of usingQuartix’s industry-leading system as a key part in itsfuture pricing strategy, the system will plan out routes,mileage and fuel usage, expecting to help mitigate therising fuel prices and ensuring costs remain competitive.Oliver Weisflog, managing director of Cannon, said:“Quartix’s tracking system already delivers tangiblecommercial benefit for nearly 600 UK businesses and hasworked very well for us, enabling Consumables to iden-tify where there are problems on a particular customersite and to see where a driver may not be able to takesufficient breaks. The system can give instant, onlinesnapshots of where any of the vehicles are at any giventime and provides an accurate breakdown of the milescovered, the average speed, and routes taken.“I believe Cannon’s move to introduce this system in linewith the new ‘Working Time Regulations’ is an importantstep forward in the industry. Cannon employs manydrivers to deliver products and services and we need tobe confident that they are being looked after by thecompany as well as the law.”On 1 April 2005 the new ‘Working Time Regulations’came into place across the UK. Targeted at drivers andmobile workers they help to ensure that workers areallowed the right break times.


new product showcasenew product showcase

Practical Facilities Management

Cooling solutions fromRapid HeatbustersA new rapid response service toprovide portable cooling solutionsfor all commercial applications hasbeen launched by hire specialistsRapid Heatbusters. RapidHeatbusters supply a comprehen-sive range of portable air condition-ers, evaporative coolers, spot cool-ers and fans to suit all applications.

Calling on more than 25 years experience in the industry, the compa-ny provides a telephone Help Desk (0800 804 6161) to give advice tocustomers on the most suitable products to meet their needs. Thecompany also provides free site surveys.Hiring portable air conditioning equipment has a number of advan-tages: you only pay for it where you need it, when you need it and youare assured of getting the latest and most efficient equipment.In addition to their extensive range of portable cooling equipment,Rapid’s award-winning Unico ‘all in one’ air conditioning system, partof the company’s revolutionary Easi-Fit range, is designed to efficient-ly and cost-effectively bridge the gap between portable equipment andfully installed systems.

Further Information www.rapidheatbuters.co.uk RR:83014

Robbens underfloor heating combines flexible use with close control

A Robbens underfloor heatingsystem is helping to BurgessHill Baptist Church to play anew community role.Church buildings are now fre-quently called upon to providefor a whole range of activities,ranging from meetings to daycare centres for the elderlyand the very young.Completely concealed

beneath the floor Robbens heating technology provides a perfect part-ner for such projects - combining safety and comfort with flexibility ofuse and control.The Church at Burgess Hill has been refurbished in a carefully phasedprogramme. New toilet and kitchen facilities were installed as part ofPhase 1 and the second Phase has seen the construction of a newchurch hall with teaching rooms at mezzanine level and a covered linkto the adjoining manse where the minister lives.The new hall is designed for multi-purpose use, including providing ahome for the local “Fish and Bricks” playgroup and a Church youthcentre.All of the new areas are served by a Robbens underfloor heating sys-tem embedded in the screeded concrete floor. During installation,loops of Robbens’ multi-layer pipework were fixed in position on thefloor insulation material with the loop ends connected to discreetlylocated manifolds. The manifolds are connected in turn by flow andreturn services to the new gas-fired condensing boiler.After pressure testing, a sand and cement screed was poured to inte-grate the heating system into the floor structure and provide asmooth, even surface for the carpet tiles.The concealed system is completely safe and tamper-proof. Easyaccess is provided to all areas and all of the wall space is available foruse. Robbens underfloor heating makes a perfect complement formodern condensing boilers. The low return temperatures keep theboiler in high efficiency condensing mode for maximum economy.

Further Information call 01424 851111 RR:83032

Saville launches CommuniqueSaville Audio Visual has launched an exclusivenew concept that blends audio visual andvideoconferencing technology into a prestigious‘total communications’ centre.Saville Communique combines the latest dis-play and control techniques with state-of-the-art TANDBERG videoconferencing. It enablesinstant, multi-site virtual meetings plus presen-tations from computers, DVD, video or externalbroadcast sources, all with full stereo sound.The standard Communique package includes a

custom-built panelled wall and credenza/cabinet, dual plasma dis-plays, speakers and a VC camera, plus a matching veneered table andchairs. The installation means no trailing cables, unsightly brackets orstands. All the source equipment is fitted inside the credenza and oper-ated from a single cordless control.


Cannon Textile Care’s differing stylesCannon Textile Care is launching a rangeof Corporate Clothing, consisting ofmen’s and women’s tailored garments,including a fully washable collection ofladies suits.Cannon has selected a core range of fab-rics for the corporate clothing range andis providing a wide selection of styles,enabling women in particular to mix and

match an outfit which suits them. Four different jacket styles are avail-able individually, which can be teamed with a choice of two skirt stylesor trousers. By using Cannon’s corporate clothing service, customerscan preserve uniformity and a consistent corporate ‘look’, whilst offer-ing a choice of garments, which Cannon believes will improve weareracceptance and satisfaction.

Further Information call 0161 975 5414 RR:83066

Kalamazoo gives text appealto visitor managementBirmingham based Kalamazoo SecurityPrint, today launched the latest version ofits widely deployed, visitor managementsolution, VisitorNet Version 3. The latestversion makes it much easier to notifyhosts of the arrival of visitors with theaddition of email and SMS text alert noti-

fications that can be sent almost instantaneously. Controlling access isparamount to the security of any organisation and this solution allowsfor the quick identification of any visitor, helping to keep staff, premis-es, property and business information safe. The system gives organisations the ability to capture detailed infor-mation of all on-site visitors whilst promoting a professional andorganised image of the company the moment a visitor steps into thebuilding.

Information www.kalamazoosecure.co.uk RR:83083

47

COATING SOLUTIONS FORSTEEL CLADDING

Coatings & Safe Access LtdP.O. Box 11, Wilberfoss

York YO41 5YP

Telephone: 01759 380804Facsimile: 01759 380329email: [email protected]: www.casalyork.co.uk

Steel wall and roof cladding systems develop surface problems over the years,which lead to severe deterioration of building fabrics as well as spoiling theappearance of the premises.

C.A.S.A.L.’s have coating systems designed to solve these problems as well asrestoring the outward appearance of the building.

C.A.S.A.L. Provides:

• Free, on site surveys• Detailed work specifications

• Quotations• Installation

• Guarantees• Insurance

CALL C.A.S.A.L.

Before After

RR

:8

30

76

new product showcasenew product showcase

Practical Facilities Management

Cleaning up with SEBOWith the responsibility of maintaining a largenumber of public establishments, StaffordshireCounty Council has to rely upon the highest qual-ity equipment for cleaning purposes. In order toaccommodate the 665 schools, nurseries,libraries, police and other public facilities, thecouncil has invested in 400 SEBO vacuum clean-ers. “With so many establishments under ourjurisdiction, we aim for quality,” comments ChrisRyan, Product Development Officer atStaffordshire County Council. “Our policy withinlocal government is to reduce product mainte-

nance costs,” continues Chris Ryan. “SEBO has an aftercare strategywith readily available, affordable parts should the occasion arise. Wedo intensive research into our chosen products regarding the benefits,value for money and efficiency under our Best Value policy.”


Hometronic wireless homeautomation system A Honeywell Hometronic wireless homeautomation system is controlling a massive19-zone heating system and the domestichot water in a large private home. “Despitethe system’s complexity and a temperaturesensor in every room, the controls needed nowiring due to radio frequency (RF) sig-nalling,” revealed Neil Thackeray of NRTPlumbing & Heating. Each of the home’s 19

rooms is a separate heating zone with a wireless Honeywell room sen-sor allowing local adjustment within +/- 12oC of the set value. Eachroom sensor transmits the actual temperature and offset value by RFto a Hometronic controller, sited next to the appropriate manifold,which checks the values against the programmed time and tempera-tures transmitted by RF from that floor’s Hometronic Manager.


Tyco unveils new i3 inert gas systemTyco Fire and Security has unveiled Hygood i3, itslatest inert gas fire suppression system for totalflooding applications, that is non-toxic, non-corro-sive and odour-free, is zero ozone depleting and has

zero global warming potential. Designed to protectcomputer suites, telecommunications facilities and

archive stores, it is also expected to be used extensivelyto safeguard petrochemical and power generation facilities, offshore oiland gas production facilities and gas turbines. In fact, i3 is claimed tobe effective for virtually all combustible material and flammable liquidfires. Among its many benefits, i3 is fast acting and has a low life-cyclecost; it is electrically non-conductive and has no breakdown productsor residue, so there is no risk of damage to sensitive equipment, plusi3 has zero impact on the environment. Significantly, where space is ata premium, i3 has a smaller footprint than traditional lower-pressureinert gas technology.


Personal Monitoring For 100 Days With NewDraeger Pac 1000

Designed to meet the needs of short-termprojects, the new Draeger Pac 1000Personal Monitor provides an immediatealarm as soon as harmful concentrationsof carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulphide oroxygen are detected. Offering 100 daysof maintenance-free protection, withoutrequiring battery or sensor to be replaced,it also provides three alarm functions and

is easy to use. Small yet robust and featuring simple push-buttonoperation as well as a language-free, back-lit liquid crystal display, thePac 1000 provides a clear readout of the hazard concentration duringan alarm.Two alarm points can be set to meet the needs of differentapplications and, in addition to a two-tone audible alarm, the user ben-efits from both vibrating and visual alarms. A warning will also be issued in the event of instrument error andbefore the end of the unit’s useable life. For maximum reliability, thedisplay also features a bump test icon that informs the user as andwhen a function test is required.


New freestanding VFD display fromMessagemaker.For many years the Messagemaker Displays have ledthe way in quality, design and engineering when itcomes to providing leading edge intelligent electronicsigns. The introduction of the new generation of VFDs(vacuum fluorescent displays) represent the nextchapter in the company’s determination to offer itscustomers not only the latest technology but alsoproducts derived from it at an affordable price!One such product is the VFD Infomaster Monolith,which, with its slim good looks and eye catching brightblue characters, is set to replace the larger, more

expensive LED Monolith, which for the past five years has been thenumber one choice reception display, of many large blue chip compa-nies including BA, British Energy and the BBC.Paul Bubb, of Messagemaker said, “Whilst sales of our existing LEDmonolith display have grown over the years, we felt that it was a prod-uct geared to large corporate companies and as such we may havebeen missing out on sales. As a company that listens to its customerswe have introduced this VFD technology to help provide a lower costsolution whilst maintaining the high standards that our customersdemand.”

Further Information call 0845 021 2340 RR:83115

New chilled water cassette

A stylish new chilled water cas-sette designated FCA, hasbeen launched by Aermec,

Italy’s leading air condition-ing manufacturer. Demandfor hydronic systems in and

above suspended ceilings isexpected to expand in the light of the F-

GAS Regulations which will require regularinspection of refrigerant pipework in the conditioned space.The Aermec FCA comes in five models with capacities between 1,500and 8,300 watts and obviously fits standard ceiling panel layouts. Unitsare available for 2 or 4 pipe applications. All are extremely quiet inoperation, an Aermec signature benefit, and come with easy to removewashable filter.


CUNO water filters chosen as best for plumbed-incooler systemsSmart Water Coolers, trading as the appropri-ately named Glug Glug Glug Ltd, providesdrinking water solutions to the workplacethrough the application of plumbed-in watercoolers. After talking to various other filterproviders and manufacturers, they chose CUNOwater filtration systems as best meeting theircustomers’ requirements. The company hasrecently changed to the CUNO AP2-401 S sys-tems to filter the water supply, which is thendispensed through a variety of different cool-ers. They are installed to EPDWA guidelines.

Cuno AP2 filters feature a ‘valve in head’ eliminating the need to exter-nally shut off the water supply for cartridge changes and the sanitaryquick-change cartridge for clean, quick and easy change-out.


Two new heat pump productranges launched by PowrmaticPowrmatic has broadened the appeal of its airconditioning range with the introduction of twoimportant new products.Designed to compliment the R410A wall mount-ed and cassette units launched last year, thenew products comprise a range of multi-splitunits and inverter units.All of Powrmatic’s air conditioning range isbased around the latest heat pump technology,enabling both cooling and heating to be provid-

ed in a single unit - a feature which has proved especially popular withits customer base. Now, with the increased range, Powrmatic can pro-vide products for a much broader range of commercial and light indus-trial applications, where multiple air conditioning units are requiredthroughout the building.


48

Security solutions......for a

corporateworld

Contact: Steve Steeds, Bell Security Ltd/Bell Fire LtdTel: 0845 601 2775 Fax: 020 8478 8052 [email protected] www.bellsec.com

a Securitas company

• CCTV• Access control/Smart cards• Intruder/Fire• Systems management

• CCTV• Access control/Smart cards• Intruder/Fire• Systems management

Cool Carpet™ from Interface, the industry’s first climate neutral carpet.

We, at Interface Europe, are concerned about global climate change, and support the growing scientific consensus that increased CO2 levels in theatmosphere are a major contributor to global warming.

In addition to the many sustainable design and manufacturing improvements we’ve made, we can now offer ‘Cool Carpet’, a scheme which makes itpossible for our customers to buy products that are ‘climate neutral’.

Essentially, we calculate the total CO2 emissions created during the lifecycle of our carpet tile products. This includes the extraction and processing ofraw materials, internal manufacturing and transportation, sales and administration, product installation and maintenance, and final disposal or recycling.This figure is then offset through investment in a number of projects which reduce or reverse the impact of those emmisions, such as the re-establishment of rainforest in Uganda.

For further information on Interface Cool Carpet™ and other sustainable issues visit

www.interfacesustainability.comor contact Blake Bower, Sustainability Manager 01274 690690

NOW WECAN ALLBREATHE

Interface Europe, Shelf Mills, Halifax, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom HX3 7PA email [email protected]

Interface Showroom - 1 Northburgh Street, Clerkenwell, London EC1V 0AL tel 0207 490 3960

A LITTLEEASIER

www.interfaceeurope.com

Documents

volume 8 issue 3 Modular buildings ...practicalfm.co.uk/pdf_issues/PFM_8_3.pdf · a member of the Marketing Team, ... Tessera enters random-lay, batchless carpet tile selector with