News
Flooring Companies Help To Drive Green Agenda
Among the flooring exhibitors at Ecobuild this year are: Interface (Stand S232) will demonstrate how careful consideration of the entire supply chain can have a positive impact on the environment as well as communities, by showcasing its latest innovations in sustainability. Ramon Arratia, sustainability director at Interface, comments: ‘This year we have made significant strides towards our Mission Zero pledge, which is our vision to become totally sustainable, and ultimately restorative, by 2020. ‘Our latest innovations have made a...
read moreClimate Week Launch Planned For Ecobuild
THE former mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, will be one of the speakers at the conference at Ecobuild (March 4-6) at London ExCel. Mr Livingstone, who served two terms as mayor of London, will participate in The Ecobuild Debate: do we have a blueprint for the resilient city of the future? The session takes place on March 6 and will discuss the responses to The Rockefeller Foundation’s 100 Resilient Cities Challenge as well as other plans for future resilience including The Mayoral Vision for London 2020 and PlaNYC 2030. Alongside Ken...
read moreFeRFA Elects Its Top Team For 2014
FeRFA (the Resin Flooring Association) has elected a new chairman, vice chairman and council. The new FeRFA chairman Chris Orme has over 15 years’ experience of the flooring industry. He has worked for several major manufacturers in various sales and marketing roles and is currently product manager for industrial flooring at Mapei UK. Tracey Glew, new FeRFA vice chairman, helped to found The Preparation Group in 1991. The company started as surface preparation contractors, removing, preparing, polishing and cleaning surfaces across a wide...
read moreCarpet & Flooring Opens New Branch
CARPET & FLOORING has a new branch in Cardiff, creating local jobs while expanding the company’s distribution network. Carpet & Floorings offers next day delivery from stock. The Cardiff branch further boosts the customer service in South Wales, currently offered by the Bristol branch. The Cardiff trade counter supplies CFS branded products including carpet tiles and broadloom carpets as well as tools, screeds, adhesive, accessories and other commercial flooring. Branch manager Tony Stanfield says ‘Our new depot expands the network of...
read moreInterest Is Growing
THE improving economy, new dates (September 21-23) and success of the 2013 exhibition have led to a surge in interest in The Flooring Show. Several major exhibitors from the past are in discussions with the organisers about returning to the show, and confirmed stand bookings are well ahead of this time last year. New or lapsed exhibitors who have signed up for 2014, include Adam Carpets, F&X Carpets, Festool and Viligno. Other leading industry stalwarts are currently finalising their plans for the year and announcements are expected soon....
read moreIDS Gains EMS Standard
IDS has been awarded ISO 14001, the standard for environmental management systems (EMS). The company achieved the accreditation after 12 months of preparation and auditing of its 12 branches across the UK. IDS was audited and awarded the certificate by BM Trada, a multi-sector certification body accredited by UKAS (UK Accreditation Service). ISO 14001 accreditation verifies that a business takes its environmental responsibilities seriously and has environmental management under control with processes to reduce and monitor energy consumption...
read morePPC Drivers Achieve Top EU Standard
THE PREPARATION GROUP has achieved Driver CPC (Certificate of Professional Competence) qualifications ahead of the EU Directive. Three members of PPC’s contracting team achieved Driver CPC qualifications in November last year. Seven more are set to qualify this spring, ahead of the EU directive deadline of September 10, 2014. Tracey Glew, PPC group md, says: ‘Health & Safety is of paramount importance to our business. We have a fleet of contracting trucks that carry our range of surface preparation, removal and finishing equipment all...
read moreContract Prices Predicted To Rocket
PRICES of construction contracts could rocket in 2014 as volumes of work and costs grow, says a new report. There is also a warning of business failures for some contractors who had priced work before costs rose and would therefore be unable to recoup the subsequent rises in labour and materials prices. This is forecast by Deloitte Real Estate’s UK real estate predictions 2014 report. It expects construction tender prices to increase by at least 3.5% in the next 12 months, and possibly higher if confidence carries on rising and work...
read moreOutrage Over Move To Slash Green Guidance
A NEW move by the government to scrap or amend thousands of environmental regulations for businesses has been strongly condemned by the UK Green Building Council (UK-GBC). The prime minister David Cameron says he wants to cut 80,000 pages of environmental guidance by March 2015, a move he claims would save business millions of pounds a year. Paul King, chief executive of the UK-GBC, reacted angrily, telling Construction News: ‘The prime minister’s boast of slashing 80,000 pages of environmental guidance is utterly reprehensible. ‘It...
read moreContract Helps To Drive Recovery
GROWTH of 4.9% (compared to 2013) is forecast for the total GB construction output volume (at constant 2010 prices) this year, according to the construction research specialists Leading Edge. Further growth of 4.1% is forecast in 2015, Mel Budd, md at Leading Edge, says, ‘We’ve been forecasting a return to growth in 2014 for a while although the size of the turnaround is larger than we originally expected. The key sectors driving growth in 2014 will be housing, private commercial and infrastructure’. Although housing and commercial are...
read more