expert opinion: - OPERC - Off-highway Plant and Equipment ...

AwARDS
another industry award
win for a-Plant innovation
A-Plant is celebrating after
receiving a further award
for the Auto Tool Hire Unit
at the inaugural Institute
of Water (IOW) National
Innovation Awards, hosted
at the President’s Dinner
Dance, Brangwyn Hall,
Swansea. Competing
against leading industry
names, including Morgan
Sindall and Yorkshire
Water, the Auto Tool Hire
Unit emerged victorious
above the other eight
shortlisted contenders.
The Institute of Water has
been running the Annual
Innovation Awards in Wales,
at which the Auto Tool Hire
Unit won ‘Product of the
Year’ in 2010, for the last 5
years. Although extremely
successful these were
available only to companies
working with Dwr Cymru
Welsh Water. The first
National Innovation Awards
were open to organisations
across the UK and were
inspired and presented by
Martin Cave, Professor
and Director of the Centre
for Management under
Regulation
at Warwick
Business
School.
Speaking
about the
awards
Professor
Cave said:
“Innovation
is always
important,
but given the
challenges of
climate change
and rising
energy costs, it
has never been
as important
for the water
40
June 2011
sector as it will be over
the next decade….I have
been very impressed by the
innovations I have seen in
the sector from firms large
and small.”
The Auto Tool Hire Unit won
the Iow National Innovation
Award due to its potential to
radically change the way in
which plant and equipment
is ordered and managed on
site and for offering both the
customer and supplier an
opportunity to dramatically
reduce their costs, as well as
their carbon footprint.
A-Plant’s Business
Development Director,
Neil Beglin, commented:
“The Auto Tool Hire Unit
is a true representation of
A-Plant’s commitment to
both providing and designing
the most innovative and
technologically advanced
products to our customers.
We are extremely proud
that the Auto Tool Hire Unit
has been embraced into
the industry and that our
customers and suppliers alike
are supporting the product.”
Bachy soletanche takes
home gold at ge awards
Specialist geotechnical
contractors, Bachy
Soletanche, alongside
MWH and United
Utilities, has been
awarded the accolade
of ‘Geotechnical/
geoenvironmental
UK project up to £1m’
at this year’s Ground
Engineering Awards for
the slope stabilisation of
the Thirlmere aqueduct
at Nab Scar in Cumbria.
The £1.2m contract,
which saw the Bachy
Soletanche team conduct
a two phase permeation
grouting, mini-piling
and tension pile project
alongside a fast track
four week outage, posed
obstacles including
getting machinery up a
440m fell and creating
a platform off a 40
degree cliff face.
Bachy used its
permeation grouting
technique to stabilise
areas of rock which had
been disturbed over
the years and went on
to successfully install
34, 220mm diameter
mini piles, drilled up to
a depth of 16m into the
hard rock hillside where
the aqueduct crossed
Nab Scar. Tension piles
were also constructed in
conjunction with the mini
piles. This combination
of techniques was the
best viable solution to
successfully carry out the
remedial work due to the
restricted access of the
aqueduct and getting the
equipment up the fell.
Bachy Soletanche’s
Business Development
Manager, Paul
Hodgson, said:
“It’s a great honour to win
at the Ground Engineering
awards and have our
work on a particularly
tricky project recognised.
These occasions are great
for bringing the industry
together and I’d like to
congratulate all other
winners and wish everyone
a successful 2011.”