now! - Infoworks

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now! - Infoworks

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HEALTHY ATTITUDE
How we’re striving to keep
our workers in good health
MANUFACTURING
THE FUTURE
HOW WE’RE SHAKING UP THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY
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RETAIL THERAPY
intu Watford cements our
place in the retail sector
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INNOVATIVE APPROACH
Chris Millard’s plans for
engineering excellence
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WWW.INFOWORKS.LAINGOROURKE.COM
2016 ISSUE 1
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Welcome
Contents
With the referendum on the UK’s
future in the European Union
imminent, the decision could
have major implications for our
industry. The consensus across
the construction sector seems to
be that remaining in the EU would
be favourable as it allows freer
movement of capital, labour and
products – all critical to the UK’s future development pipeline.
Laing O’Rourke has reviewed its own current orderbook and
opportunity pipeline on the basis of both an ‘in’ and ‘out’ scenario,
and we are confident that the scale, diversity and quality of our
portfolio will ensure we will continue to meet our business goals,
whichever outcome prevails. I’m further encouraged by the focus
of the Group following the announcement of our refreshed strategy,
and aligned business structure, which takes our original 2009 ‘Offsite
Build’ thinking to the next level of realisation.
We are increasingly engaging early with clients on their major
projects and strategic frameworks. As a consequence, the market
is responding well to our value proposition, where our excellence in
engineering, digital engineering, DfMA and offsite manufacturing,
and direct delivery model is driving greater productivity into the
construction process. Our project teams are able to demonstrate the
real value we can bring to a client’s business by better understanding
their own commercial drivers and presenting them with a solution
that delivers the certainty of outcome they are seeking at an
acceptable price to both them and us.
This more collaborative model for project delivery is a value-based
approach with risk sharing features that help align and harmonise
the motivations of different stakeholders to create shared goals
– a refreshing change from the traditional, adversarial industry
approach where individual agendas are pursued at any cost. This
is one of the fundamental tenets of our Engineering Enterprise
ambition – and one which I believe will create the ‘win-win’ business
model our industry so desperately needs to sustain itself and
prosper in the future.
I hope you enjoy reading the new-look Infoworks.
04 NEWS
All our latest construction and
engineering news
10 DELIVERING CERTAINTY
Paul Westbury explains the thinking
behind our new value proposition
14 EXCELLENCE IN ENGINEERING
Chris Millard, the new head of the
Engineering Excellence Group, tells us
about his plans for innovation
17 RETAIL THERAPY
How Laing O’Rourke became a key
player in shopping centre construction
20 BIG PICTURE
A bird’s eye view of the giant Bison
facility at Swadlincote, one of the world’s
most advanced precast flooring factories
22 HIGH SPEED DELIVERY
14
A key milestone in the project to remove
the last bottleneck on Britain’s busiest
railway was reached 18 months early
17
25 DOCTORS’ ORDERS
£270M
The new Dumfries and Galloway
Hospital is set to become the UK’s
fastest ever hospital build
HOSPITAL BEING BUILT
FOR DUMFRIES AND
GALLOWAY
SEE P25
28 THE CONSTRUCTION
INDUSTRY NEEDS DIVERSITY
Technical director Sarah Williamson
discusses gender parity in the sector
29 HEALTH CONSCIOUS
22
How our new occupational health
strategy is keeping our workforce well
32 FACTORY OF THE FUTURE
Learning lessons from the automotive
and aerospace sectors
32
35 DAY IN THE LIFE
Explore Transport’s Scott Pearson
describes a typical day
36 EMBEDDING SAFETY
Ray O’Rourke
Chairman and Chief Executive
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Keep up-to-date with the latest Laing O’Rourke news:
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A fibre optic monitoring system will give
a real-time view of the strain on two
bridges holding up a new flyover
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2 / Infoworks 2016 Issue 1
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For more information
www.laingorourke.com | [email protected]
Infoworks is produced by the Laing O’Rourke Corporate Communications
team and Wardour. Infoworks is printed on Essential Offset paper.
Certified as an FSC mixed sources product.
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NEWS
A new look for
Infoworks, online
and in print
Welcome to the new look Infoworks
magazine. We’ve listened to our
readers about how they like to
learn more about Laing O’Rourke,
our innovative projects and the
people who make it all happen.
Supported by research into trends
TAKING A LOOK AROUND THE BUSINESS
PROJECT WINS
for print and online, our printed
magazine is now a smaller, more
portable format which will be
issued three times a year.
Infoworks online
(www.infoworks.
laingorourke.com),
has been refreshed
too for desktop,
tablet and mobile
taking advantage of functionality
that wasn’t available when it
first launched. We have brought
Infoworks in line with our new
visual identity – bolder, brighter
and more confident, setting us apart
as an innovator and thought leader.
We would love to hear what
you think about the
new magazine and
online offering,
so drop us a line
at infoworks@
laingorourke.com.
Laing O’Rourke wins a contract to extend
the intu Watford shopping centre
100 Mount Street
IMPERIAL COLLEGE’S NEW WHITE CITY CAMPUS
L
aing O’Rourke has been
awarded a contract by Imperial
College London’s development
management partners Voreda
to construct a residential tower on
behalf of the college.
The 215,000 sq ft tower is the next
milestone in the development of
Imperial’s White City Campus, the
college’s major new campus, co-locating
world-class researchers, businesses
THE ISSUE IN NUMBERS…
and higher education partners to create
value from ideas on a global scale.
Once completed, the tower will provide
192 new homes, including 59 that are
earmarked for Imperial key workers at
below market rents.
The £76.2m contract award is the third
project on the White City Campus to be
awarded to Laing O’Rourke. We are now
only a few months away from completing
the construction of the 270,000 sq ft
Molecular Science Research Hub and
250,000 sq ft Translation and Innovation
Hub, which are also on behalf of Voreda
and Imperial College London.
The two interconnected hubs form one
of the first major parts of the innovation
ecosystem for the college’s new White
City Campus, which will bring together
researchers, entrepreneurs, established
companies and global corporations on
a scale unprecedented in London.
FOR IMPERIAL HAS BEGUN ON A 34-STOREY
HOMES WILL BE BUILT
£76.2M CONTRACT
COLLEGE LONDON PROJECT.
34WORK
OFFICE BUILDING IN SYDNEY.
3,200NEW
AT A CANARY WHARF SITE.
The UK’s leading owner, manager and
developer of prime regional shopping
centres, intu, has appointed Laing
O’Rourke as the main contractor
to build its multi-million pound
extension of intu Watford.
The extension is set to create a
single 1.4 million sq ft retail and leisure
destination, placing Watford among the
top 20 national retail destinations.
Intu regional director Rebecca Ryman
said: “Our £178m extension of intu
Watford will transform the centre into
a contemporary shopping experience
providing a fantastic place to shop,
eat and play. It will massively strengthen
intu Watford as a destination which
retailers want to invest in and our
visitors enjoy,” said Rebecca
DEXUS Property Group has
announced its agreement with
Laing O’Rourke to develop
100 Mount Street, North Sydney.
Laing O’Rourke will now design
and construct a world-class, highrise commercial tower on North
Sydney’s premiere site.
DEXUS CEO Darren Steinberg
confirmed the deal to demolish two
existing buildings (90 and 100 Mount
Street) and deliver a DA-approved
41,163 sq m commercial tower.
Laing O’Rourke’s managing
director Cathal O’Rourke
welcomed the announcement.
“We are extremely pleased
to have reached this important
milestone and look forward to
delivering a new standard for
office accommodation in North
Sydney,” Cathal says.
“We have also signed on to be an
anchor tenant in the new building,
moving our Sydney headquarters
there once the project is complete
at the end of 2018.” Work on site for
the 34-level premium office tower is
already underway.
Ryman, regional director of intu.
Liam Cummins, head of UK
construction at Laing O’Rourke said:
“We are delighted to be continuing
to develop our partnership with intu,
and look forward to delivering this
transformational retail project
for Watford.”
IT WILL MASSIVELY
STRENGTHEN INTU
WATFORD
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ALLIANCE MILESTONE
VALUE OF OUR OXFORD
OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH MEDICALS
FLOORING MADE
18STAFFORD
ACHIEVED 18 MONTHS EARLY.
£250MTHESHOPPING
CENTRE PROJECT. 5,000 CARRIED OUT AT OUR SITES.
2,750M2OFIN OURPRECAST
FACTORY IN 24 HOURS.
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BUSINESS ROUNDUP
PROJECT MILESTONES
LAING O’ROURKE JOINS THE 5% CLUB
New Cancer Centre will make a
significant difference to cancer care
L
aing O’Rourke has signed up to The
5% Club as part of our commitment
to attracting young talent.
Organisations that join The 5% Club are asked
to commit to five per cent of their workforce being
apprentices, sponsored students and graduates
within five years. Members are also asked to
publicly report their progress in their annual report.
Martin Staehr, head of human capital, Europe
Hub, said: “It is well known that there is a skills
shortage in the construction industry and our early
talent programmes are an important part of our long-term resourcing
plans. We recruited more school and college leavers than ever in September
2015 and we are committed to developing new apprenticeships – such as
our steelfixing and assembly technician apprenticeships.
“We have also made changes to our apprenticeship programme to make
it more responsive to the changing needs of our projects. The industry has
an important role to play in addressing its own skills shortages, which is
why we are committed to supporting The 5% Club.”
Tackling mental health discrimination
Engineering Enterprise managing
director Paul Sheffield has signed the
Time to Change pledge, demonstrating
our commitment to ending mental
health discrimination, during an event
at the Francis Crick Institute.
Time to Change is England’s biggest
anti-stigma programme led by Mind and
Rethink Mental Illness and funded by the
Department of Health, Comic Relief and
the Big Lottery Fund.
Laing O’Rourke has prepared an action
plan to tackle stigma and discrimination
around mental health. Silvana Martin,
HSE strategy and best practice manager,
said: “We want all our employees to
be aware of the support services that
are available to them should they need
to speak to someone about a mental
health issue.”
MP Gareth Johnson visits Dartford office
The local MP for Dartford, Gareth
Johnson, recently paid a visit to
our head office.
Some of the senior management
team were on hand to talk him
through a portfolio of our major
projects, highlighting their full suite
of capabilities. They also shared an
insight into the modern and digital
methods of construction that are
transforming the industry and the
way in which major infrastructure
and construction projects are being
delivered throughout the UK.
Gareth’s visit coincided with
National Apprenticeship Week, so he
also took the opportunity to talk to
apprentices, graduates, engineers
and those who are on our early
talent programmes.
Here East apprentices
meet Boris Johnson
Three apprentices met Boris
Johnson, former Mayor of London,
when he visited Queen Elizabeth
Olympic Park to kick off National
Apprenticeship Week.
The apprentices, who work on
our Here East project to transform
the former media and broadcasting
centres at the site, met with Boris
in advance of the Queen Elizabeth
Park Apprenticeship Awards 2015/16.
The awards celebrate the hard work
of apprentices and their employers
involved in the park’s development.
Boris said: “It’s fantastic to see
the role that apprentices have
played in securing the future of this
glorious park. We all remember the
enthusiasm and buzz surrounding
the 2012 Games and that is the same
enthusiasm you get from talking to
apprentices here today.”
Apprentices play a key role in
helping to secure the ‘Olympic
legacy’ promised when the UK
was awarded the 2012 Olympic
Games through their involvement
in the regeneration scheme. The
progressive strategy that Laing
O’Rourke has developed on site has
seen us support 37 apprentices and
cadets throughout the 18-month
Here East project. The project team
has worked with subcontractors
and local stakeholders, including
Hackney Community College and
training agency K-10, to engage
local young people and provide
them with a chance to be
involved in the transformation
of their community.
David Goldstone, chief executive
of the London Legacy Development
Corporation, said: “The apprentices
are one of the key cornerstones of
our workforce.”
T
he 14-storey Cancer
Centre building
was handed over to
Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS
Foundation Trust in April.
Handover took place three
years after the demolition
of two buildings on the site
cleared the way for the work.
Sally Laban is the
programme manager for
Essentia – Guy’s and
St Thomas’ estates, facilities,
capital development and
IT directorate.
IN BRIEF
/ Third
Manchester
leisure centre
opens its doors.
The third community
leisure centre that
we have delivered
for Manchester City
Council has thrown
its doors open to
the public.
Local residents
joined Councillor Rosa
Battle, the council’s
executive member for
culture and leisure,
and Gerald Kaufman,
MP for Gorton, for the
official opening of
Levenshulme Library
and Leisure Centre.
The new £9.3m
facility is the third
of three new leisure
spaces that we have
constructed in the
city over the past 18
months. It provides
a new library, two
swimming pools, a
sauna, steam room,
dance and exercise
studio and a new
60-station gym.
We handed over East
Manchester Leisure
Centre in Beswick
in autumn 2014 and
completed Hough End
Leisure Centre in spring
2015. All the facilities
have modern, Sport
England-standard
swimming pools,
dance studios and
fitness suites. These
were delivered by
collaborative teams
from across our
divisions, including
She said: “This is a
significant milestone for this
project, which will transform
cancer care and the patient
experience. There’s a real
sense of realising the Trust’s
vision as our landmark Cancer
Centre fits into the London
landscape. Laing O’Rourke’s
success in delivering the
project on time and without
causing disruption to either
the local community or
patient appointments
at Guy’s is a fantastic
achievement.”
Construction business
unit leader Liam Cummins
added: “Our project team has
worked exceptionally hard to
deliver a centre that will make
a significant difference to
the future of cancer care and
research in London.”
First train at Stafford Alliance
At around 6am on 29
March, after intensive
round-the-clock work over
the Easter weekend, our
Staffordshire Alliance
team saw the first train
use the new flyover at
Norton Bridge.
Passengers are benefiting
from a better railway through
the Stafford area and can look
forward to improved services
in future after a new section
of the railway was opened at
Norton Bridge.
The Stafford Area
Improvements Programme
is being delivered by the
Staffordshire Alliance
– a partnership of Laing
O’Rourke, Atkins, Network
Rail and VolkerRail, working
as part of a new collaborative
contract that will help to
transform the delivery of
rail infrastructure projects
in the UK. The new railway
removes one of the last major
bottlenecks on the West
Coast mainline.
Work has taken place over
the past four years and has
been delivered on budget and
18 months early.
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Construction, Expanded,
Vetter and Crown House
Technologies.
Operations manager
Dirk Pittaway said: “Our
teams worked together
to find solutions and
deliver outstanding
buildings and I’m really
proud of the work
they’ve done.”
/ Work starts
on prestigious
Canary Wharf
scheme.
Expanded has started
work on the Wood Wharf
scheme at Canary
Wharf, reinforcing
our decades-long
relationship with
developer Canary
Wharf Contractors.
We are working
on the first phase of
piling for three towers
that will form the
heart of the scheme,
which provides a
new, residential-led
waterside community.
It will feature more
than 3,200 new homes,
almost 2m sq ft of
commercial office
space, plus 335,000
sq ft of shops,
restaurants and
community space.
It involves large
diameter piles up to
25m deep in temporary
and permanent casings
on land and water.
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PEOPLE
AWARDS
THREE PROJECTS ARE PRAISED BY RIBA
T
hree of our projects have received
prestigious awards from the Royal
Institute of British Architecture’s
annual awards for the North West region.
Design partners BDP won the special
award of ‘Building of the Year’ for Alder
Hey in the Park children’s hospital, and the
project also picked up the sustainability
award for the evening.
Commenting on the state-of-the-art
hospital, the judges said: “A hugely complex
brief and a short delivery timescale were handled superbly well by the
design team with an obviously tenacious and astute client
team driving forward at every step.”
Ryder Architecture also scooped an award for conservation on the
Manchester Central Library, while Simpson Haugh & Partners were
recognised for the adjacent Library Walk Link Building.
Tom Higgins, business leader for construction north, said: “We’re
delighted RIBA North West has recognised three of our projects.”
Our sites win 24 Considerate Constructors awards
The largest ever
Considerate
Constructors
Scheme National
Site Awards have
recently taken place across the
country, rewarding the construction
sites demonstrating the most
consideration for the public, the
workforce and the environment.
This year Laing O’Rourke won a total
of 24 Considerate Constructors Awards:
seven gold awards, six silver awards,
10 bronze awards and Chester Zoo
Islands was named runner-up for the
Most Considerate Site.
This award is given when the site wins
gold but is also shortlisted for the title of
Most Considerate Site. Coming runnerup is a massive achievement. Supported
by first-class site presentation, inside and
out, the site demonstrated a commitment
to considerate construction of which
Laing O’Rourke can be very proud.
Apprentices shine at Crossrail awards
A record number of Laing O’Rourke
candidates were nominated at
Crossrail’s annual Apprentice Awards
this year, with two of them securing
recognition for their work.
It’s the third year running that our
apprentices and their supporters have
been recognised in these awards. Katie
Kelleher and Ashley Swaby scooped
top awards, and Ben Lewis was
highly commended.
Katie, a lifting technician apprentice
for Select Plant Hire, clinched the
Intermediate Infrastructure Apprentice
of the Year award, while Ben, a
steel fixing apprentice, was highly
commended in the same category. Senior
procurement manager Ashley was named
Apprenticeship Advocate of the Year.
Operations director Steve Jones
said: “Congratulations to all of our
apprentices who were nominated for
these awards, you are all a shining
example for our company.”
PUTTING OUR STAFF IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Leaving a legacy at
Here East
Our commitment to apprentices, and
our Olympic legacy and community
engagement strategy, saw us scoop
three Apprentice Awards.
Now in their third year, the
awards recognise the hard work
of apprentices and employers
delivering the legacy of the
London 2012 Games. More than 150
apprentices have played key roles in
the new chapter of the Olympic Park,
including transforming the former
Olympic Stadium into a world-class,
multi-use venue at east London’s
new digital quarter, Here East.
Award winners
Excellence in Mentoring and
Supporting Apprenticeships – Dave
Taylor, electrical site manager
This award recognises the role that
mentors and supervisors play in
enhancing learning opportunities
for their apprentices and providing
support and guidance.
Best Work Placement/Intern Femi Erinoso, banksman
This is awarded to an individual
who has made an exceptional
contribution to their workplace while
undertaking a paid work placement
or internship on the Queen Elizabeth
Olympic Park or for Park projects.
Employer of the Year – Laing
O’Rourke
This commends employers who
have demonstrated commitment
to apprenticeships, provided
professional development and
enabled their apprentices to be
integrated into the wider workforce.
Juliana Postarini, community
and regeneration officer, said:
“The awards motivate the whole
company to continue championing
apprenticeships across the
business and to constantly
seek improvements to our
apprenticeship programme.”
Running in a lighthouse
P
roject leader George Mosey
managed to raise over £1,500
in sponsorship money for
construction charity The Lighthouse
Club by running the London marathon
in a 9ft foam lighthouse.
George, who works at the Custom
House Crossrail site, wore the 16kg
lighthouse outfit – affectionately known
as Eddie – hoping to raise awareness
and much needed funds for the charity’s
‘We can be heroes – Just for One Day’
campaign. This helps construction
New appointment
John Wilkinson
has joined the
business as
the new UK
Infrastructure
managing director.
He will lead Laing O’Rourke’s
established UK Infrastructure team
in the ongoing development and
leadership of projects across
key infrastructure sectors.
John joins Laing O’Rourke with
more than 25 years’ experience
spanning all aspects of civil
engineering, building and support
services. Most recently he held
the position of executive managing
director of the UK Services Division
at Kier Group plc where he managed
a team of 12,000 across Highways,
Utilities, Facilities Management,
Housing Maintenance and
Environmental Services.
workers and
their families
who are in need
of assistance
because of
injury, illness or
bereavement.
This year was
George’s ninth
marathon to raise
money for the construction industry
charity. He ran it in an impressive five
hours and 12 minutes.
RECOGNITION FOR COLLABORATIVE SUPERVISOR
C
arpenter supervisor David
Holtham has been singled out
by Crossrail at their annual
Values award ceremony in recognition
of his collaborative approach.
The ceremony saw Crossrail’s
board and senior executives celebrate
the achievements of all the finalists.
The awards acknowledge excellence
in five categories: Safety, Integrity,
Collaboration, Respect and Inspiration.
David (also known at Dai), who works
at Tottenham Court Road, was selected from 20 other nominees to win the
Highly Commended award in the collaboration category.
Dai is mainly responsible for the safe erection of our temporary works,
including wall formwork and falsework decks. His collaborative approach
and willingness to share his knowledge with the engineering team,
construction management and his fellow carpenters consistently ensures
that the temporary works are constructed safely and in line with the design.
Project director Simon Russell said: “During the construction of the
western ticket hall deep box lining walls, Dai’s collaborative approach
really came to the fore.
“With a complex design and construction sequence, his input into the
development of the design and construction methodology ensured the
success of these walls. Once the design was complete and methodology
decided, Dai was instrumental in briefing and leading not only his own
carpenters but other carpenter supervisors and their operatives.
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Expanded recruiting
Expanded is seeking to increase
its workforce by 10% by September
after winning a number of major
contracts. The business is recruiting
for a wide variety of roles, ranging
from carpenters and steelfixers to
security guards.
Contract wins in London, in
particular, mean that Expanded is
aiming for 1,000 operatives in the
south alone. The recruits will work
on prestigious projects such as Wood
Wharf and South Bank Place in London.
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Offsite manufacture:
The Explore Manufacturing
facility near Worksop makes
concrete components for
our projects
H
Group technical director Paul Westbury explains
why our new ‘value proposition’ means that clients
can be confident of first-class results when we
take on a construction project
aving recently passed the halfway point
in its 10-year strategy, Laing O’Rourke
has been working to redefine its unique
business offering. The result is a
refreshed business plan and ‘value proposition’
based around four complementary capabilities
that together describe the way we go to work.
These are: excellence in engineering; digital
engineering; Design for Manufacture and
Assembly (DfMA) and offsite manufacturing;
and direct delivery.
This progressive operating model seeks to address,
through innovation and collaboration, some of the
more entrenched issues facing the industry – and, in
doing so, meet clients’ needs for greater certainty.
“Clients need to be confident the end-result will
meet their expectations – and will be delivered to
the agreed time, cost, quality and functionality,”
says group technical director Paul Westbury.
“Construction companies need to be able to meet
these demands while being efficient with resources
– human and material.
“We all know what the challenges are: a shortage
of skills, poor productivity, a lack of predictability
and so on. These aren’t going away anytime soon. So
clearly we’ve got to innovate our way around them.
We can’t keep doing the same thing over and over
while expecting a different outcome.
“This is why collaboration – through early
engagement – is so vital. It’s only really
when clients, designers and constructors work
together right from the outset, as part of an integrated
delivery team, that opportunities for innovation
can be fully exploited.”
Defining our value
proposition
Select Plant Hire
provides our equipment
The first step is to change the way clients and
constructors interact with one another – to rethink
current procurement models. This means moving
away from short-term, transactional relationships
towards long-term partnerships founded on a mutual
understanding of common goals.
Paul adds: “Under the traditional approach,
constructors tender late in the process, towards the
end of the design phase, and are generally selected on
price. There’s very little scope for improvement at
this point, as most of the design decisions have
already been made.
“This means that buildability is often factored
in at the point of construction – rather than
being intrinsic to the original design. There’s also
limited incentive to innovate – once cost has been
agreed – as any revisions are likely to be at the
contractor’s expense.”
What this means, he argues, is that contractors
aren’t able to exploit their engineering expertise at
development stage, where it could help iron out issues
that later arise in the delivery phase.
Towards an engineering enterprise model
“The key to unlocking the benefits of our value
proposition is early engagement,” says Paul. “It’s
here that the line between traditional contractor and
engineering enterprise is drawn.”
When we apply an engineering enterprise model,
engagement commences from the very outset. There
are extensive opportunities to influence throughout
design and delivery, and embed new methodologies
and approaches that generate real improvements.
“For Laing O’Rourke, early engagement allows us
to deploy our value proposition to its full extent.
Our expertise spans the spectrum of development
activities – from devising the investment model,
scoping the project, design, manufacture, delivery,
operation and decommissioning,” continues Paul.
“This offering can be tailored as desired. Whatever
specific solution a client requires, our focus throughout
is on nurturing long-term partnerships that generate
benefits for all parties, delivering a quality built
environment – at an acceptable cost for clients and
with acceptable returns for constructors.”
We believe that by adopting an ‘engineering
enterprise’ model, where we engage with clients
from the earliest stages, as part of an integrated
delivery team, we can offer a true value-based
alternative to a traditional contracting approach.
This philosophy underpins our value proposition
and allows us to bring to bear it’s four central pillars:
excellence in engineering; digital engineering (DfMA)
and offsite manufacturing, and direct delivery.
Early engagement:
Working closely with
designers and clients from
an early stage creates
opportunities to innovate
Excellence in engineering
There is a depth of engineering capability across the
business. This means we can work with our design
partners to find the right solution, de-risking delivery
and driving certainty for clients. This expertise
is available to clients and partners in the form of
research services, innovation, advice and direction.
Reduced onsite activity minimises the disruption
usually associated with traditional construction
methods. It is particularly advantageous on projects
in congested city centre locations, where space
is at a premium.
Reduced demand for onsite labour helps tackle
the industry’s resourcing issues. By investing in
new processes and technologies, the type of jobs
we can offer – and the conditions in which they are
undertaken – will make construction more attractive
and help us tackle the skills shortage. In other words,
the new construction workplace will be populated by
technicians rather than trades.
Digital engineering
Our digital engineering platform allows us to
build twice: once virtually and once in reality. This
creates efficiencies across the whole process – from
design, manufacture and assembly to operational
performance and asset management.
Working in a coordinated model environment
improves design integration and reduces risk at the
interfaces between disciplines. There is a quicker
understanding of the impact of change, which
promotes informed decision-making. In turn, this
assists timely planning and stakeholder approvals,
helping to streamline the whole process.
This technology is transforming materials
handling, product tracking and logistics. Once on site,
digital work-packs link our models to construction
activity, providing accurate, real-time data to and
from the work front – vastly improving productivity.
THIS OFFERING
CAN BE TAILORED
AS DESIRED
These techniques also offer numerous benefits
post-handover. The data in the digital model supports
efficient asset management, allowing clients to focus
on whole lifecycle value and performance in use.
This moves the industry away from paper-based
O&M manuals to a real-time, interactive building
management approach.
Clients are able to adapt buildings to changing
needs more easily in a data-rich environment. An
upfront investment in digital engineering, therefore,
allows them to get maximum value from the asset
over its lifetime.
Direct delivery
By drawing on our in-house delivery businesses
and directly employed workforce, we have greater
control over quality and productivity. It enables us
to be more responsive, rectify issues quicker and
ensures better integration across key disciplines.
All of this de-risks the delivery process and provides
greater certainty to our clients.
The vast majority of any project can now be
delivered in-house through the Group’s divisions –
Expanded, Explore Manufacturing, Select Plant and
Crown House Technologies. This gives security of
supply in a market where there is a shortage of skilled
labour and reduces our reliance on external factors
that are outside our control.
Our directly employed workforce receives the
training and accreditation necessary to keep skill sets
continually at the forefront of industry developments.
Importantly, knowledge is retained within the Group,
which supports continuous improvement.
DfMA and offsite manufacturing
We will use DfMA and offsite manufacturing
wherever it is appropriate and beneficial. We have
developed smart ways of bringing a manufacturing
mindset to a wide variety of challenges, in a manner
that harnesses the benefits of standardisation without
hampering architectural ambition.
We manufacture offsite because it increases
certainty. Our in-house manufacturing facilities offer
surety of cost, quality and supply. Factory conditions
are safer – and the output more predictable.
Pre-assembled components can be tested offsite for
rapid installation on site, meaning more time can be
devoted to the design and commissioning processes.
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C
hris Millard comes to Laing O’Rourke
convinced that the automotive industry
has valuable expertise and insight to
contribute as the Group pioneers the
role of manufacturing in construction. Chris,
a mechanical engineer, arrived from Balfour
Beatty in January as head of our Engineering
Excellence Group (EnEx.G).
His career includes being part of Balfour’s
construction leadership team, responsible for
more than £3bn of transport and power
construction, civil engineering and engineering
services contracts, including the Aquatic Centre
for the London 2012 Olympics.
Before that, he spent seven years at BAA Group, as
head of engineering, responsible for the construction
of Terminal Five (built by Laing O’Rourke and
completed in 2008) and then as technical director
across the company’s seven UK airports.
However, it’s his 20-year career in the car
industry – in automotive product development,
manufacturing and digital car production – that has
left him perfectly placed to join Laing O’Rourke’s
leadership of the transformation of the construction
industry with designed, manufactured products.
Chris started his career after university as an
apprentice at luxury car-maker Jaguar in Coventry,
followed by roles overseeing the Land Rover
Freelander and Rover 75.
EXCELLENCE IN
ENGINEERING
Chris Millard, the new head of our Engineering
Excellence Group, explains how he aims to
strengthen Laing O’Rourke’s position at the
forefront of the industry
Accelerating the opportunities
“At Terminal Five, we applied the principles
of automotive engineering development and
the behaviours that maximise productivity in
manufacturing to a construction project, with
very successful results,” he says.
“For me, it’s an honour to be asked to lead the
EnEx.G team because, from the outside, I used
to admire Laing O’Rourke’s commitment to the
transformation of the construction industry,
through the use of offsite-manufactured solutions
brought together and assembled on site.
“It’s about supporting and accelerating the
opportunities created by Laing O’Rourke’s
investment in the methods, technologies,
processes and people that are driving a different
approach to construction.
“I am convinced the approach is fundamentally
right and truly captures the best of engineered
products, utilising the benefits of construction in
a factory environment with a focused workforce,
high levels of quality control and productivity and
increased automation.
“It’s about bringing that together in a way that
creates value both for clients and the business.
I consider it a privilege to be on the inside now, able
to support the business in accelerating delivery of
the fruits of that investment.”
Four priorities
The key for EnEx.G, Chris stresses, is to generate
a greater focus
on its challenges
and opportunities
and a greater
alignment
between EnEx.G’s
activities and
Laing O’Rourke’s
operating model.
Chris wants
those aims to
find expression
in his four main
priorities for
EnEx.G and its
innovations.
Firstly, he
Tall order:
Many components
wants EnEx.G
for TwoFiftyOne
to complete and
in London are made
document the
at our factories
range of
FOR ME, IT’S AN
HONOUR TO BE ASKED
TO LEAD THE EnEx.G
precast and assembled products manufactured at
the Explore Industrial Park (EIP), near Worksop,
and the mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP)
facility in Oldbury, West Midlands, to ensure they
deliver business value. Current projects where these
benefits are being realised are TwoFiftyOne and
Dumfries and Galloway Hospital.
TwoFiftyOne is a 41-storey residential
development in Southwark, London, where up to
70% of the frame is being manufactured off site,
leading to a reduced requirement of up to
60% in on-site manpower.
At the new Dumfries and Galloway Hospital,
being built in Scotland by a consortium led by
Laing O’Rourke, more than 90% of the frame is
being manufactured off site, leading to higher
quality solutions.
Additionally, the EIP team’s supportive work on
Megaplank, a direct replacement for metal decking,
has reduced its manufacturing ensuring that the
innovative solution is cost competitive.
“That’s our first priority: to get that product
set really well tuned and delivering those sorts of
benefits to all our projects,” says Chris. “Because
that’s really starting to transform our construction
model and performance.”
His second priority is to drive the Laing O’Rourke
operating model into projects and support them to
deliver business benefits.
“It’s important that we engage with our customers
at the earliest stages in development of proposals,”
he says. “Then we can identify the opportunity that
can be realised through off-site manufacturing and
how we can maximise the use of our integrated
supply chain to deliver better value and certainty.”
A new generation
Chris’s third priority is supporting the development
of our advanced manufacturing facility (AMF)
to build a second-generation factory on its
The final priority is
maintaining and developing
relationships with research
and academic institutions,
which Chris says are the
“envy of others in the
industry”, to develop the
science and engineering
of construction.
We have recently
completed the DigitallyEnabling Electrification project in collaboration with
Imperial College London and consultants Atkins, to
capture existing rail and foundation geometry and
automatically generate the design and configuration
of overhead line equipment for efficient installation.
Learnings from there are being applied to the
Staffordshire Alliance rail project, of which we are
a partner, and being developed further for the East
West Rail Link from Oxford to Milton Keynes.
There’s also a project with the Cambridge Centre
for Smart Infrastructure and Construction to
develop digitally-enabled bridges,
further developing our knowledge
Aiming high:
Chris Millard is striving to
and capability in automating design
embed innovation across
with seamless transition into our
the company
manufacturing process.
Altogether, Chris believes addressing
these priorities will not only enhance
the standing of EnEx.G within Laing
O’Rourke but also create a much closer
way of working with the Group’s
operating businesses. “If we do that
well,” he says, “we can completely
transform our industry.”
EIP site for housing and advanced MEP products.
“Our priority in the AMF programme is designing
and developing a proven product for manufacturing,”
he says. “It’s about the design and development of
a housing system, supporting very high levels of
configuration and automated manufacture, which
can give much greater certainty of build, quality,
finish and cost-effectiveness.
“This is very exciting, as it’s moving the game
on, using a lot of top-end, automotive-style robotics
to assemble housing products. We’ll be using lasers
for cutting and forming, and robots for placing wall
tiles. And, with the advanced MEP product, we’re
developing innovative, modular plant-room skids as
well as vertical and horizontal distribution modules,
designed for high levels of factory automation.”
EnEx.G is working with Crown House
Technologies’ design and manufacturing team to
introduce these concepts to the Oldbury factory in a
programme called Oldbury Plus, so that plant rooms
can be designed and manufactured there for existing
projects before the new facility is built.
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I CONSIDER IT A
PRIVILEGE TO BE
ON THE INSIDE
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RETAIL
THERAPY
With the intu Watford shopping centre extension
following on from successful projects in Nottingham,
Leeds, Sheffield and Oxford, Laing O’Rourke has
become a major player in the retail world
W
ith the announcement this time last
year of its appointment as the main
contractor for the Westgate Oxford
shopping centre, Laing O’Rourke
signalled its intent to continue to be a major
player in the retail field.
The redevelopment of the Westgate shopping
centre is a huge £250m, 33-month contract, which
catapulted Laing O’Rourke up the constructors’
‘league table’ into first place in February 2015. Just
as significantly, it left us perfectly positioned to take
on the opportunity of
the multi-million pound
intu Watford extension
project, particularly as we
had previously worked with
intu on the refurbishment
of its intu Victoria Centre
in Nottingham.
Retail sector operations leader Dan Doherty says
he is confident that the established relationship
with intu will make all the difference to this
project. “What made us stand out is that we’ve got
excellent retail credentials. We have some of the
best retail delivery people and know the client well,
having developed a good working relationship
with them on the refurbishment of intu Victoria
Centre in Nottingham.”
Martin Breeden, development director
of intu, says: “Having worked with Laing
400,000 sq ft
it gets incorporated into the new design.
Throughout, the architecture will be in keeping
with the traditional look of the high street, such
as Dutch gable roofs, a low rise look and lots of
brickwork. We’ve also been liaising closely with
the YMCA as it’s a big tower which we’re actually
building right underneath.”
extension at intu Watford
9 screen
IMAX Cineworld cinema
Shopping centres of the future
Top 20
It will be a top 20 retail destination
O’Rourke previously we’ve been able to develop a
good relationship and level of confidence. One of
the main challenges with this project is making
sure that customers know we are still open as
usual to maintain footfall and dwell time while the
redevelopment goes on, and we are working closely
with Laing O’Rourke to make sure that happens.”
A growth area
The company’s growing involvement and impact
in the retail sector is something which particularly
excites Dan: “We have been trying to carve out a
niche in the sector for a while and intu Watford
is the latest in a number of high-profile projects
we’ve had in retail with intu Victoria Centre in
Nottingham, Oxford Westgate, Meadowhall in
Sheffield, and, hopefully the major development in
Edinburgh St James to come. Recently completed
Leeds Trinity demonstrated our true capability
and I would say that we are now the leading retail
contractor by far, and are acknowledged as such.”
One remarkable aspect of our work in the retail
sector is the fact that these are mainly city centre
developments. A few years ago, many retailers were
only too keen to move out of city centres, viewing it
as too restrictive a location, but the focus recently
has been on putting life back into city centres.
Darren Swain, project leader on intu Watford,
says: “This is right in the heart of Watford. It
couldn’t be more central and I genuinely believe
the investment that intu is making through this
project will refresh and add value to the whole
town to give it a good lift.”
Of course, working in the centre of a busy town,
within a ring road, and with multi-story car parks
surrounding the existing shopping centre, brings
its own problems. “Logistically it’s difficult,”
explains Darren. “We’re creating tunnels to
maintain access throughout the duration of the
project – and meticulous, logistical planning is
essential throughout.
“It is challenging to build where there are so
many site constraints, but this is what we are best
at. Especially when we can combine our technical
skill and delivery expertise in the most collaborative
way,” says Dan.
Onsite building
Darren was involved in the Leeds Trinity
development and says intu Watford shares a number
of similarities with that project, not least the allencompassing glass roof. “The concept scheme has a
glass roof and we’ve developed the design further,”
he says. “It’s a covered space, but an outdoor covered
space so you get the benefits of both being covered
and being sheltered from the wind and rain – it’s an
umbrella, effectively.”
intu’s Martin Breeden says Retail is always
changing. With the addition of new retail brands,
restaurants, and increased leisure which at intu
Watford includes a multiplex cinema, we’re giving
customers that day-to-night experience which will
drive the whole town’s economy during the day and
into the evening. We are working closely with the
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council and with
Laing O’Rourke on
the development
to give customers
the retail
experience they
want tomorrow,
while minimising
disruption to their
experience today.”
“Retail is such
an exciting sector,” says Dan. “It’s really dynamic as
these are fast, pacey jobs that change with trends in
the market. We can build something and the client
might want something to be altered, so it’s not only
challenging but also quite exciting. I describe it as a
rollercoaster in that you’re really up and down with
it, but the overall impression is one of a thrill. There
are major jobs in the retail sector pipeline, with
mature clients and interesting schemes to work on,
just like intu Watford.”
RETAIL IS SUCH
AN EXCITING
SECTOR
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“We aren’t really able to build too much off site on
this particular project because we are dealing with a
narrow, pedestrianised high street and to have lots
of vehicles coming down from the factory would be
difficult,” continues Darren.
“We haven’t got much space for the lorries so they
have to come in one at a time, which puts a different
dimension on the project. Fortunately we are able to
use an existing ramp down into a basement service
yard, which is being retained in the final scheme.
What we’re having to do is drive all the vehicles
down into the basement, then we’ve punched a hole
through the ground floor slab and we effectively
crane everything up from the basement.”
intu is going to
great lengths to
retain the original
look and feel of
the buildings in
Watford. “We
have one retained
building, which is
the Lloyds Bank
building,” says
Darren. “That’s
Grade II listed so
WE’RE CREATING
TUNNELS TO
MAINTAIN ACCESS
BIG PICTURE
BISON, SWADLINCOTE, UK
After using precast concrete solutions to develop the
infamous ‘pillbox tank’ used on the Western Front during
WWI, two officers from the Royal Engineers founded
Bison in 1919. Since then, the company has gone from
strength to strength, specialising in precast reinforced
concrete flooring, Hollowcore flooring and structural
precast components.
B ison’s Swadlincote facility in Derbyshire is one of the
most advanced precast flooring factories in the world
and was the first fully-automated, carousel Hollowcore
facility in Europe.
Cast on to 150m long ‘beds’, product moves through the
various stages of production, from casting to detailing,
curing and cutting. At peak, Swadlincote can produce up
to 2,750m² in just 24 hours.
Swadlincote also houses the Structural Precast Factory,
where bespoke products including stairs and landings,
columns, beams and stadia components can all be tailor
made with cast-in conduits for electrical sockets, wiring
and lighting systems.
A pioneer of the UK precast flooring industry, Bison’s
innovations include the introduction of mechanically
inserted lifting hooks, cast in to the product during
manufacture. This system has a European patent and
makes on-site installation safer and more efficient.
Bison is the only UK manufacturer to hold a licence
to produce Abetong Water Tanks, and is currently
manufacturing 950 units for Laing O’Rourke and
Imtech’s Davyhulme wastewater treatment works
project in Manchester.
Bison’s fully qualified and experienced installation teams
provide on-site expertise to ensure product is assembled
safely and efficiently. The team recently passed 4½ years
without a reportable accident.
closures and with trains
running. Only the actual
bridge decks required
standard Saturday-night line
Stafford area rail improvement plan
closures for installation.
“It also delivered safety
benefits. For example, it
enabled us to easily install
Key milestone reached 18 months early
precast brick bridge parapets,
avoiding ‘wet trades’ having
to work at height over the
existing infrastructure.”
saving on the orginal cost
The project has a dedicated
innovation manager, who
constantly challenges
processes and industry
tonnes of spoil recycled
norms. This has resulted in
130 ideas, of which about a
third have been implemented.
Safety has been a key focus across the project.
The major earthworks generated a million tonnes of
spoil, which has been recycled to construct bunds
and road and rail embankments. With so much
material on the move and up to 150 operatives on
site, GPS-enabled equipment linked to the integrated
digital engineering 3D design has been used to
maximise separation between people and machines.
Equipment fitted with satellite automatic terminal
rendezvous and coupling (SATRAC) technology
made it possible to measure the efficiency of earthmoving equipment, while a combination of UAVs
and laser scanning was used to verify the
progress of the build.
Working with the Cambridge Centre for Smart
Infrastructure and Construction, we also installed
the UK’s first real-time bridge monitoring system,
which uses fibre optic technology.
£250m
18 months
10%
1m
HIGH
SPEED
DELIVERY
Another major milestone has
been reached ahead of schedule
in the project to improve rail
infrastructure at Stafford.
Here’s how we got there
A
n essential milestone in the project
to remove the last major bottleneck
on Britain’s busiest railway line has
been reached 18 months early, thanks
to the use of some innovative technology and
construction processes.
A new grade-separated junction now separates
slow freight and passenger trains from fast trains
at Norton Junction on the West Coast Main Line
(WCML). The 100mph-capable infrastructure is
part of Network Rail’s Stafford Area Improvement
Programme (SAIP), which is providing faster,
more reliable train services and greater capacity
on the rail network.
It is the third key milestone to be completed
ahead of schedule by the Staffordshire Alliance, a
Collaborative
collaborative partnership between Laing O’Rourke,
VolkerRail and Atkins, which is delivering the SAIP.
The Alliance has employed advanced techniques
and technologies ranging from offsite manufacture
to GPS, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and laser
scanning to ensure fast and efficient delivery.
Innovative construction
Our offsite manufacturing process – Design for
Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA) – has been used
to build seven of the 11 bridges on the project using
modular components, saving time and money and
minimising disruption for passengers.
Alliance manager Matt Clark explains: “We
built them over and to the side of the railway, with
virtually all construction taking place without
The Staffordshire Alliance is the first Pure
Alliance Agreement (PAA) on a UK rail
construction project, adopting a one-team
approach from the outset and winning
an award for collaborative working at the
2016 UK Rail Industry Awards.
The project requires skill and
expertise in a range of key disciplines,
including track and permanent way,
overhead line electrification (OLE),
heavy civils, rail civils plus signalling,
power and communications.
Making the most of each partner’s
specialist capabilities, the alliance
incorporates their best processes
and procedures into a single
effective management structure.
People have been appointed to their
EVERYONE IS
WORKING TOWARDS
A COMMON GOAL
roles on a purely ‘best for the project’ basis.
Matt says: “The PAA has played a major role
in making the programme delivery so effective.
Collaborative working has helped us to optimise
working methods, shape the project early on,
and create a fully integrated team focused on
delivering aligned objectives and resolutions to
emerging challenges.
“Everyone is working towards a common goal
and knows what success for the project means –
‘everybody wins otherwise everybody loses’ is
a central principle of the alliance.”
Ian Jones, route delivery director, Network Rail,
says: “Staffordshire Alliance has been a significant
success for Network Rail and this has been driven
in no small part by the collaborative way we have
delivered. We are definitely looking to learn
from this project and apply the lessons to major
projects in the future.”
Ahead of schedule
Previous milestones to be completed ahead of
schedule included the aligning and modification
of track and overhead power lines to increase
maximum line speeds from 75mph to 100mph on the
slow lines between Crewe and Norton Bridge from
March 2014. In addition, a sophisticated signalling
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system for the Stafford area came into operation
last August and the new track at Norton Bridge
was opened for revenue-earning services on
29 March this year.
The Stafford Area Improvement Programme,
which began in 2013, has so far involved
constructing 11 new bridges in total, diverting four
rivers, building nearly a mile of new highway and six
miles of 100mph railway line, and installing 100 new
signal posts and gantries.
The entire £250m programme is set to end in
December this year, 12 months ahead of the original
2017 delivery date, saving 10 per cent on the
£276m budget.
Local impacts
Such a huge project inevitably has an environmental
and economic impact on the surrounding area
and community, but careful steps were taken
to minimise this.
“One of the most important aspects of that was
the creation of a railhead off the WCML early in the
project,” says Matt. “So, most imported material
could be delivered by rail, dramatically reducing the
number of truck movements on roads around the
site, reducing the impact on the local community.
When we constructed the cutting for Bridge 3,
we even relocated an area of ancient woodland
to a new local home.”
The Alliance also assisted the local economy
by using the local supply chain where practical.
Matt concludes: “Now we’ll be able to apply
the useful learning and experience we gained
here to other rail projects we’ve either won or
are bidding for.”
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DOCTORS’ ORDERS
Laing O’Rourke’s expertise is helping to ensure that a new hospital serving
Dumfries and Galloway will be built faster than any previous UK hospital
W
hether it’s early engagement with
clients and stakeholders, extensive
use of digital modelling, or offsite
construction and smart logistics,
our know-how is ensuring that Dumfries and
Galloway Hospital is set to be built in record time.
Construction of the hospital in the south of
Scotland began in March last year and is expected to
complete next autumn, with the building opening to
patients in the winter of 2017.
The project is a £270m facility for the Dumfries
and Galloway Health Board and will give the region
an acute 345-bed general hospital, with 232 inpatient
en-suite rooms. It will also include a combined
assessment unit, a Women and Children’s unit, plus
an operating theatre complex, critical care and an
outpatients’ department.
Progress report
The project has not been without its challenges, as
the hospital is in a fairly rural and exposed location
near the Scottish coast, with severe winter weather
providing a stern test for all of the team involved.
As deputy project leader Phil Maher explains: “With
Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA)
techniques fully deployed, you have to keep
WE’RE PROUD TO
HAVE CARRIED OUT
£3BN OF WORK FOR
THE NHS
Healthy progress:
Work under way at the
Dumfries and Galloway
Hospital in Scotland
operational, and that’s difficult to achieve in extreme
conditions as tower cranes cannot operate in winds
above 30mph.
“One of the key lessons from our award-winning
Alder Hey children’s hospital in Liverpool was for us
to make sure we got all of the completed blocks watertight as soon as possible. This got under way in April.
Despite the weather, the speed of construction that
we’re achieving is impressive.”
Already, 400 people are working on site already
with two of the three ward blocks complete and the
third well under way. Construction is also progressing
quickly on the technical services block, the Women
and Children’s Unit and the energy centre, which will
house the hospital’s plant and systems.
THE COMMUNITY
IS BENEFITING
ECONOMICALLY
The DfMA off-site
manufacturing approach and
the extensive use of digital
engineering are allowing a
number of innovations to feature in the construction
of the concrete frame, with external walls made
from precast concrete sandwich panels. We are
also manufacturing pods in the UK for the first time,
containing twin back-to-back bathrooms that will
provide facilities for two bedrooms and reduce the
number of ‘lift-in’ operations during construction.
Another first is the hybrid concrete slab solution,
developed by Laing O’Rourke’s Engineering
Excellence Group. This uses a combination of lattice
and Hollowcore slabs, and will replace the more
conventional lattice-only approach on the project.
It reduces propping and is more cost-effective.
Pre-constructed modules containing pipework and
ducting are also currently being dropped into the
structure, speeding up services installation.
solution to design a modern, flexible hospital
facility using sophisticated assembly techniques.
The building will be fully maintained over several
decades by Serco.
“What’s great about Dumfries and Galloway
Hospital is that the community is benefiting
economically, with over 190 jobs and 40
apprenticeships being created locally.”
The project is funded by a £109m loan from the
European Investment Bank and private finance,
sourced and managed by High Wood Health, an
investment consortium including Laing O’Rourke,
working in partnership with the hospital board and
Scottish Futures Trust.
Procurement was carried out through the Scottish
Government’s Non Profit Distribution (NPD) model,
taking around 18 months.
Stuart says: “It was the fastest PFI-related
procurement process I’ve seen and, while that’s
good, it created a challenge. Typically, once you’re
the preferred bidder you have time to get on
with the groundworks while you finalise the designs.
Not in this case.
“Everyone had to work extra hard to get the design
finalised in a relatively short
window, to give our off-site
manufacturing facilities
enough time to make and
deliver products for the tight
construction schedule.”
Reputation-enhancing
Complex
Health sector leader Stuart McArthur says: “We
have an unrivalled record for healthcare delivery in
the UK, but our reputation is built as much on our
understanding of clinical performance requirements
and design as it is on quality and delivery.
“We’ve led the development of an integrated
Our ability to use digital
engineering and DfMA
helped to secure the scheme,
guaranteeing delivery of the
project on time and on budget.
As deputy project leader
Phil Maher explains: “Digital engineering is crucial
in such a highly modular build, where the fit-out is
complex. There are miles of ducting and services in
the operating theatres, for example. We also have to
be sure that all the pre-manufactured elements align
during installation. That’s all co-ordinated through
digital engineering.
“One of the key lessons learned from the Alder Hey
project is that it’s important to simplify and speed
up the fitting out process if possible. We changed the
sequence of the fit-out and ensured it was designed
more effectively up front.”
The team is also using a new ‘workflow’
management tool to ensure only one trade is working
in one area at a time, avoiding time-wasting work
clashes. Clear plans of future activity are sent out in
advance so managers can get the right resources in
place in a timely way.
“Many teams from Alder Hey are now working
on exactly the same element of this hospital as
they were there, providing valuable continuity
and knowledge.”
Contractor of choice
While Dumfries and Galloway Hospital exemplifies
our growing reputation as a contractor of choice in
the health sector, it’s just one of many collaborative
UK healthcare projects we’re involved in.
In addition to Alder Hey, we’ve recently completed
Lanarkshire Beatson cancer treatment centre and
Gartnaval General Hospital, which are both in the
West of Scotland.
Current NHS commissions include building Guy’s
Cancer Centre in London and the Clatterbridge
Cancer Centre in Liverpool, and refurbishing the
Royal Sussex Hospital in Brighton and Glan Glwyd
General Hospital in Rhyl, Wales.
Summing up, Stuart McArthur says: “We’re proud
to have carried out £3bn of work for the NHS over
the past 20 years, and are now in the final round of
bidding to join the ProCure22 framework.
“If successful, it will open up even more
opportunities for us to win construction and
development work for NHS trusts in the UK for
years to come.”
The construction industry
needs diversity
To coincide with National Women in
Engineering Day, technical director
Sarah Williamson tells us why gender
parity is more than a women’s issue
On 23 June, we mark National Women
in Engineering Day – a day which
celebrates achievement by, and
promotes opportunity for, women.
I have been in engineering all my
working life and I am determined
to make more women and girls
realise just what engineering and
construction have to offer. Sadly, the
number of women in engineering roles
has remained stubbornly low, despite
many campaigns over the years to
show women the diverse range of
engineering disciplines on offer.
Only 6% of registered engineers and
technicians in the UK are women and
an additional £2bn could be contributed
to the UK economy if more were to
participate in STEM employment.
Culture change required
Diversity is vital to the continued
success not only of our business, but
also of the sector and the UK economy
as a whole. We are effectively only
recruiting from half the population, yet
we know that high-performing teams
need diversity. Diverse teams are more
creative, and are more likely to avoid the
trap of ‘group think’ and achieve more
innovative outcomes. In a recent speech,
Nicky Morgan MP, Minister for Women
and Equalities, said: “This is, beyond
doubt, a critical time for gender equality.
Across the globe, women are constantly
achieving new firsts.”
Now is a great time to join the
construction industry; changes in
technology are supporting dramatic
changes in the way we work. Coupled
with a skills shortage, there are
opportunities for younger engineers
that would not have existed previously.
So, why do so few women even consider
a career in the field?
We need to understand the benefits of
a diverse workforce and give our people
the tools and training they need to
address unconscious biases. And we need
to recruit and build teams in a way that
support the attraction and retention of
talented women.
As a business, we strive to challenge
and change construction and we
are making great progress. Digital
engineering and our Design for
Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA)
approach mean that we now spend more
time off site. We can take a project
engagement programmes around safe
working practices is testament to that.
But this is not enough: gender bias
starts much earlier. Case for Science
& Engineering (CaSE) highlighted that
this may be influenced by parental
perceptions of engineering, with 12% of
parents stating that they would like their
son to become an engineer, while only
2% said the same about their daughter.
In contrast, while 16% would prefer their
daughter to become a teacher, only 5%
would like their son to.
Engineering the future
Many of our clients have strong equality,
diversity and inclusion agendas,
which are cascaded to suppliers
and delivery partners. Improving
diversity is a business imperative
and we need to accelerate change.
This drive for change is
reflected by strong executive
support with our managing
director for engineering
enterprise, Paul Sheffield,
championing the Laing O’Rourke
women’s network.
Engineering and construction
matter hugely to society –
it’s everything to do with the built
environment that’s all around us. From
ensuring we have clean water to drink, to
getting people to work and generating the
energy, infrastructure and construction
to sustain modern life.
Our industry offers fantastically
satisfying careers – whether you’re a
man or a woman. Planning a project and
seeing it through to completion gives
me a real thrill and, if I had to sum up
a career in construction, we are, quite
simply, delivering progress.
OUR INDUSTRY OFFERS
FANTASTICALLY
SATISFYING CAREERS
- WHETHER YOU’RE
A MAN OR A WOMAN
and build it virtually. Only then do we
produce components for assembly on site.
Having tackled products and processes,
addressing diversity is the natural next
step. While culture change may seem
intimidating, the implementation of
technology means that construction
is moving rapidly away from the
stereotypes that many people still
associate with the industry.
Cultural change isn’t new for the
construction industry and the success
of behavioural change and worker
HEALTH CONSCIOUS
We’ve begun a new strategy to help our people stay healthy in an industry
where work-related illness has caused concern in the past
F
or decades, safety has enjoyed the
highest of profiles across the industry.
But the health hazards associated
with construction can be every bit
as devastating as any workplace accident.
Every week, 100 people in the UK die from
construction-related ill health.
Over the past 18 months, Laing O’Rourke has
refreshed its occupational health and wellbeing
strategy – and is making great strides with a vastly
enhanced offering.
In 2014, Silvana Martin, innovation, strategy
and programme manager for health and safety,
undertook a comprehensive review of Laing
O’Rourke’s existing occupational health and
wellbeing programme. The six-month exercise
resulted in a range of recommendations that are
now being put into practice.
She explains: “It’s been said that, in this
industry, we shout about safety, while whispering
about health. We have to do more to address that
imbalance. The construction industry is currently
losing 1.2 million working days annually to ill health.
In fact, construction workers are 100 times more
likely to die from diseases caused or exacerbated by
work than from a workplace injury.”
She continues: “There’s much more we could
– and should – be doing to protect the health
HAVS AWAREN
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Talk to your doctor
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THIS IS AN ISSUE WE AS
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WORK/LIFE BALANCE
ALL WORK, NO PLAY
= SICK DAY
Concerned about your Work/Life balance?
Necus, sumquo delendam faceptatas
maionet labo.
Maxim labor aut resciist, si denisti qui
nonsecto.
If you want to talk to someone, drop us
a line in complete confidence.
[email protected]
and wellbeing of our workers. We know that some of
the health risks in our workplaces are bigger killers
than the safety risks. So it’s vital we develop ways to
eliminate, reduce or control these risks.
“Many health and wellbeing issues manifest
themselves over long periods of time. For example
silicosis, other industrial cancers, respiratory
diseases and musculoskeletal disorders. It might
be 10-15 years before diagnosis. In that time, the
individual may have worked for several employers
or even retired.
“So, in many ways, this is an issue we as an
industry need to address together. A good example
is Health in Construction. In January the group
held its inaugural summit, bringing together 150
business leaders, including our own, to pledge their
commitment to addressing occupational illnesses
and the growing incidence of mental health issues
among our workforce.
“We are also members of the Public Health
Responsibility Deal, which means we have
committed to improving health and wellbeing
in our workplaces.”
Healthy outlook:
A selection of our
literature aimed
at keeping our
workforce healthy
The new approach
As a result of the
review in 2014, a
set of priorities was
identified. First, to
understand the key
health risks across our workplaces. Second, to review
and improve our risk management controls and
third, to establish an effective health surveillance
programme and a fit-for-task scheme. Raising
awareness of mental health was also established as
an objective. Likewise, encouraging workplaces to
engage in wellbeing activities more generally.
The new approach began rolling out in January
2015, starting with a reinvigorated focus on essential
medicals for the workforce.
Silvana explains: “Fit-for-task medicals are for
those in safety-critical roles, such as tower crane
operators. If a crane operator has a heart disorder,
climbing 100 metres to reach the cab means putting
a lot of strain on an organ that is already under
pressure. The consequences could be devastating.”
Health surveillance medicals are carried out
for those working in environments where they
are exposed to noise, vibration, dusts and other
hazardous substances.
“We’ve identified cases of hand arm vibration
syndrome, respiratory conditions and noise-induced
hearing loss,” says Silvana. “Many are historical
cases, but if we don’t know about them, we
can’t manage them.
“Where a health issue is identified, we will take
steps to prevent the individual from being exposed
to any further risk. Often this involves simple
adjustments to their duties. What it doesn’t mean
is that person losing their job. If anything, it’s the
opposite. It means making sure they’re fit to remain
in work for as long as they choose.”
More than 5,000 medicals, which are carried
out in the workplace, have been completed so far.
Employee assistance programme
The target is
for all directly
employed workers
and operational staff to
have completed medicals by
August 2016.
“For office-based staff we
offer various types of health
checks, access to our company
doctor and, over the past year,
we’ve been rotating Wellpoint
kiosks across our workplaces. All
staff are offered private medical care.”
Alongside the new health and wellbeing
strategy, the business has also been
promoting its existing employee assistance
programme. Available to all employees, their
partners and dependants, it’s an independent
service that offers free and confidential over-thephone support and, where appropriate, face-to-face
help on anything from personal and relationship
issues, and financial support, to legal assistance.
“Take-up of the programme had dwindled,
but usage over the past 12-18 months has really
increased. Some months, we have had up to 13% of
employees using the service, compared to previous
rates of 3%,” reveals Silvana.
Expert insight
Laing O’Rourke has appointed an expert team of
hygienists to monitor levels of exposure to dust,
vibration and noise on projects and facilities.
Working with the business, the team is also
helping to design ways of eliminating, reducing or
controlling exposure where it presents a risk.
The monitoring data, which the hygienists are
gathering, is being collated in a central database.
Silvana says: “We will be making this information
available to the whole business. By sharing this
knowledge, we can avoid reinventing the wheel
every time a new project starts.”
Silvana believes that better understanding of risk
should lead to more effective methods for designing
it out of the workplace. “Our GRC [Glass Reinforced
Concrete] facility in Harworth, Doncaster is a prime
example of this kind of thinking,” she says.
When designing the new GRC facility, the team
drew on its knowledge of the health risks workers
were exposed to at the old facility. To eliminate
unnecessary manual handling, the facility was
fitted with a gantry system featuring bespoke
lifting attachments to transfer wet-mix to pumps.
A specialised paint booth with integral extraction
equipment was installed to guard against
dangerous airborne particles during the application
of spray-on sealant.
Icons
A more mindful workplace
Laing O’Rourke has partnered with the charity
MIND to raise awareness of mental health issues
in the workplace. In May, Laing O’Rourke became a
signatory to the Time to Change campaign [for more
information, see page 6].
Healthy signs
So far, Silvana is encouraged by the impact of the
new health and wellbeing strategy: “People have
welcomed the changes we’ve introduced – because
they see the benefit for themselves and the business.
“A proactive approach to occupational health and
wellbeing can have a positive effect on individuals,
businesses and society as a whole. For individuals
there are benefits in terms of life expectancy,
longevity of employment and quality of life. For
businesses, having a healthy workforce means
increased productivity and reduced rates of absence,
“For society as a whole, interventions like these
can help promote a healthier population, alleviating
the load on the healthcare system.”
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MANUFACTURING
THE FUTURE
Advanced quality assurance processes, used in automotive,
aerospace and other manufacturing industries, are
improving efficiency and productivity at Laing O’Rourke’s
Explore Industrial Park (EIP) in Worksop
E
IP is now developing improved ways
of working to take full advantage of
technology, including introducing
new feedback loops and improving
the quality of the product produced. The
automated processes are improving safety
and the speed of delivery, thus improving the
cost of production.
Some of these methodologies borrow from best
practice in well-established manufacturing sectors,
such as automotive and aerospace, where there is
huge pressure to innovate, improve quality and
reduce costs to meet customer needs.
Techniques such as advanced product quality
planning (APQP), corrective action and preventive
action (CAPA), and daily team briefings, have been
directly responsible for back-to-back production
records at EIP in January, February, and March 2016,
as well as creating more consistent levels of safety,
quality and reduced waste.
Nathan Dijkstra joined Laing O’Rourke
last September in a new role as EIP-based
manufacturing leader from CRH Structural
in the Netherlands. Bringing experience in
manufacturing precast concrete, curtain walling
and modular construction, in his first few months
Nathan has set about improving the collaboration
between projects and manufacturing.
ADOPTING LESSONS FROM
OTHER MANUFACTURING
INDUSTRIES IS VITAL
“Connection with projects
is vital, so that they fully
understand our products and
manufacturing processes,”
he says. “Projects such as
251 Eileen House are a great
example of how the project is
working collaboratively with
manufacturing and logistics.
It’s the first fully DfMA tower
we have delivered with very
little in-situ concrete. As a
result, we have been able to
use the Group’s insight and
expertise to design using a
whole host of precast concrete
products from EIP and Bison,
which were delivered on site
by Explore Transport.”
Excellent products
Jason Smith, operations manager at EIP, who
has spent 30 years in the manufacturing industry,
in sectors including automotive, says: “It is easy
in a dynamic manufacturing environment to
grab at every tool and technique. But over the
past 12 months we have examined what is really
needed, implementing a few tools and techniques
to refine our processes and address cultural
behaviours and mindsets.
“We have put in place a robust ‘analyse, plan, do,
check and act’ mentality, and we have tackled key
elements covering safety, quality, delivery and cost.
Key to this is getting a better handle on the inputs
into the manufacturing process, and the outputs that
feed back into it.”
APQP is a product development methodology
used in the automotive sector by the likes of General
Motors, Ford, Chrysler and their suppliers, to
define and implement steps required to ensure
product designs meet with customer satisfaction.
It aims to guarantee right-first-time fabrication
by ensuring that all process inputs and requirements
needed to achieve a specific standard of product
are in place, and that any potential problems are
anticipated, well in advance of the point where
resources - such as raw materials, labour or machine
time - are committed.
Jason explains: “It’s more efficient to have a
rigorous approach at the beginning of the process
so that we know what success looks like before we
go into production. This includes evidencing the
standard of inputs and requirements, such as raw
materials and detailed design drawings. Fixing
problems as they emerge is both risky and costly
and could affect our ability to deliver a quality
product on time.”
A single mistake on a large precast element, such
as a facade panel or Smartwall, can cost several
thousand pounds to correct, so APQP is vital to help
minimise issues and errors, and reduce or eliminate
the potential reject products.
“The technique was introduced in March, and
already we are seeing a real impact in terms of
productivity, quality and the team’s renewed focus
on getting it right first time, every time,” says
Jason. “This is an unfolding story, the outcome
of launching APQP within the business will be a
paradigm shift in terms of approach.”
Off-site manufacture:
Products made at EIP are
transported for assembly at
our sites
Addressing issues
Design and manufacture processes have been further
refined through the introduction, around a year
ago, of CAPA, an internal improvement system
that enables EIP teams to raise any issues
The big change on the technology front
is the implementation of the Roadrunner
transport management system, a bespoke
piece of software WS Transportation was
already using before Explore Transport
was established and which has now been
tailored to meet our requirements.
Advanced manufacture:
Technology is helping
to produce high-quality
products that are faster and
safer to make
Ideal homes:
Housing developed at EIP,
which is on display at the
Worksop factory
encountered with a product that has caused concern
in another area of the factory.
CAPAs can be submitted by any employee to a
team leader who can then choose to initiate a formal
investigation process. Root causes are identified and
preventative actions are implemented as quickly as
possible to avoid recurrence.
The process aims to embed a culture of “no fault
forward”, by preventing issues at source, rather
than repeatedly facing the same issues and
implementing corrective actions. “People now
recognise it as an important tool for driving
continuous improvement. It has had such an
impact that all key performance indicators related
to product quality have experienced double digit
percentage improvements, almost exclusively as a
result of the CAPA process,” says Jason.
CAPAs form part of the daily operations meetings,
where EIP team leaders meet every morning to
update each other on their performance and discuss
upcoming activity. CAPAs, safety, quality, labour,
costs and output are all discussed in an open and
transparent manner.
Nathan says: “Without
doubt a large degree of
our success is down to the
commitment, application and
pride of each and every team.
Our daily review meetings
are the breeding ground for
all of that. The meetings
are now attracting people
from our Infrastructure and
Construction teams, who
are looking at how they can
implement similar forums on
their projects.”
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The automotive industry’s near wholesale
adoption of automated manufacturing, using
machines such as Unimate robots, and small
‘cobots’ designed to work alongside humans,
has led to dramatic increases in the quantity
and quality of vehicle output.
Automated future
Stephen Harley, managing director, Asset
Businesses explains: “Adopting lessons from other
manufacturing industries is vital to delivering
quality, through process management, managing
tolerances and achieving a factory finish.
“We are leading a consortium which is
progressing plans to create a similarly highly
automated construction factory in the UK, which,
when operational and at full capacity, will employ
more than 600 people and output up to 10,000
homes per year.”
The advanced manufacturing facility is
being supported by a £22.1m grant from the UK
Government’s Department for Business, Innovation
and Skills as part of its Advanced Manufacturing
Supply Chain Initiative, and will initially focus on
housing supply needed to address the current crisis
gripping the country.
It’s the first award to the construction industry
under the initiative. The focus will be on controlling,
monitoring and maintaining state-of-the art robotic
and electronics systems. The factory will be a clean,
comfortable, technology-based environment and will
lead to the creation of an engineering workforce built
on higher-value, longer-term careers.
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A day in the life
Scott Pearson, systems and planning manager for
Explore Transport, makes sure all plant and manufactured
products get to the right place at the right time
Tell us more about your role and what
your team does?
Put simply, I manage a team of people
across several locations, which organises
the transportation of plant like cranes,
piling rigs or excavators and products
that come out of our manufacturing
facilities. By liaising with Select, our
manufacturing bases, our own Explore
Transport drivers and sub-contractors,
we make sure deliveries or collections
happen on time at our project sites.
Explore Transport’s primary purpose
is to safely deliver the service Laing
O’Rourke expects – we have a delivery
time service level target of 95%. We
do this by using the in-house logistics
expertise of the team, alongside
industry-leading IT systems and by
continually investing in our fleet.
Describe a typical day
I like that each day is different but,
currently, a fair bit of time is spent
on systems development. I’m also
very involved with recruitment; we’re
strengthening our planning team ready to
put more trucks on the road, and to develop
our supplier relationships. I still have a
hands-on role though, and I pitch in to help
the planners schedule deliveries and resolve
any issues if needed.
What changes have there been since the
joint venture began?
There’s been investment in equipment
and also in people: my team, for example,
has doubled in size to 12. There’s a fresh
way of thinking about logistics and the
importance it plays in all our projects,
which is exciting. The plan is to remain
primarily focused on Laing O’Rourke,
but also to look to external markets too.
THERE’S A FRESH
WAY OF THINKING
ABOUT LOGISTICS
How are the new systems improving our
logistics capabilities?
Roadrunner includes a vehicle tracking
system, so we can spot delays if they
happen. As an upgrade on this, we’re
developing an arrivals board so project
sites can also have up to date information
about when deliveries will arrive.
A big help is the real-time utilisation
data we get on every vehicle, which
allows planners to see if a vehicle will
hit its daily utilisation target. If it won’t,
the planner can consider if changes can
be made to the day’s schedule to take on
extra deliveries or collections.
These systems will be important in
trying to cut down empty miles because
the system will make back loads (when a
vehicle is returning empty after making a
delivery) more visible.
This ‘empty mileage’ is obviously
inefficient, so if we can back-fill this
by moving product for the external
market, we can introduce additional
revenue to the business. For example,
Laing O’Rourke is currently working at
Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary
Hospital. We can reduce our empty
mileage by looking for customers who
need transportation out of that area back
to somewhere that’s on the way to, or in
the vicinity of, our various depots.
We’ve also rolled out a mobile data
solution for delivering job info to drivers
instead of texting them; and we also have
a system that automatically updates us
with data about driver hours, which helps
us ensure our vehicles and drivers are
safe, legal and efficient.
Are the changes improving the
communication between our teams?
Absolutely. We’re not quite there yet,
but everything we’re doing is driven by
the need to improve communication
and we’re definitely seeing an impact.
Ultimately, we want a fully integrated
system that allows everyone to get realtime information on deliveries.
In focus:
Embedding safety
A state of the art fibre optic
monitoring system has been built
into two new railway bridges in
the Stafford Area Improvement
Programme, to provide a real-time
view of the strain being placed on
the bridges holding up the new
flyover. The sensors, developed in
partnership with the Cambridge
Centre for Smart Infrastructure
and Construction (CSIC), replace
the traditional method of periodic
visual inspections. Incorporating
structural-sensing technology into
bridge components helps establish
a comprehensive performance
baseline for future condition
assessment and structural
model updating.
Patterns
LinkedIn
GO ONLINE
Photography
Colour
Learn about the Stafford Area
Improvement Programme at
Infoworks
Delete
Email
Quote
Currency
Frameworks
Icons
Key facts
100mph
trains can operate
on the railway line
400
fibre optic sensors
monitor strain on bridges
600m
of sensor cables installed
on the structures

now! - Infoworks

Transcription

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