WET News

REALITY CHECK British Water says at least 40,000 staff are laid off as a result of the troughs in the five-yearly AMP cycles EU Skills statistics reveal that 139,500 people work in the water industry in England, 28,500 of which are employed by the regulated water companies and utilities The industry is facing an aging workforce, which will worsen over the next 15 years Skills link to innovation Historic investment in skills in the industry remains low News+ Skills shortage impacts bids for construction work • Specialist contractors survey cites low number of skilled applicants for being unable to tender for business. Tender prices and supplier costs are also on the rise. Nearly two-thirds of specialist contractors expect an increased workload in the second quarter of this year Let Denso Transform Your Pipebridge! From this... Flaking original coating/rust with pitted surface. To this... Protected by the Denso Steelcoat 100/400 System. ...Act now before it's too late! 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LEADERS IN CORROSION PREVENTION & SEALING TECHNOLOGY Winn & Coales (Denso) Ltd Tel: 0208 670 7511 ● Web: www.denso.net Please email UK Sales Manager, Keith Corfield for more information or for an obligation free survey of your pipebridge: kcorfield@denso.net Wet News Quarter Page Advert_Layout 1 02/02/2015 13:59 Page 1 N early a third of specialist contractors have been unable to bid for work because of the skills shortage. The revelation comes as the latest National Specialist Contractors Council (NSCC) State of Trade Survey reports that the number of specialist contractors struggling to recruit skilled labour is at its highest for 14 years, and as they have experienced significant increases in both enquiries and orders in the first quarter of 2015. The survey highlights that 47% of specialist contractors have experienced more difficulty in recruiting skilled labour this year compared to just 2% who have found it less difficult. The balance of recruitment difficulty, which is the difference between those reporting more and less difficulty, has reached its highest level since 2001. The low number of applicants 4 weT News JUNE 2015 appears not to have undermined the confidence of specialist contractors, with 65% anticipating an increase in workload in the next quarter and a record 78% anticipating an increase over the coming year. NSCC chief executive Suzannah Nichol said: "The growing construction market is great news for specialist contractors but we need to tackle head-on the skills crisis that is facing the industry. "If we do not invest in recruiting and training people with the right skills, the industry will not be able to meet demand and this will impact on the wider UK economy." The National Specialist Contractors Council, which brings together the common aims of 32 specialist trade organisations within the construction sector, contributes its findings to the Environment secretary Liz Truss kept her constituency and her cabinet job. Otters are relocated so work can start on Scottish Water's £1.2M improvement scheme the sewer network in Glasgow's Cathcart area. Water minister Dan Rogerson lost his constituency seat and his ministerial job. South East Water made the headlines after a mains burst left thousands of residents in Hailsham and the surrounding areas without water for nearly two days. with the required skills has been blamed for the situation. As a result of this skills shortage, 28% of respondents said they were unable to bid for work, which is higher than at any time since the recession. With 65% of specialist contractors reporting an increase in enquiries, up 27% on the previous quarter, and 54% reporting an increase in orders, the industry is facing a skills crisis which will continue to impact on prices, said NSCC. A record 54% of respondents experienced an increase in tender prices last quarter, which has doubled since this time last year. Suppliers' prices are also rising in line with demand with 82% of specialist contractors seeing higher prices from their suppliers for the second quarter in a row. Any uncertainty in the run-up to the recent General Election CONTRACT WINS • AECOM has secured a position on Wessex Water's new design capital delivery partner framework for AMP6. Providing design services to support delivery of Wessex Water's, the contract cover's AMP6 has the potential to be extend- ed by a further five years to cover all or part of AMP7. •A flagship flood risk management scheme has been awarded to Galliford Try and Black & Veatch joint venture GBV. The Derby's Our City Our River scheme involves creating three kilometres of flood defences to rejuvenate areas of Derby city centre currently underutilised because of insufficient flood protection. •Crowder Consulting has won a water efficiency contract with Northumbrian Water. The contract aims to help Northumbrian's customers save water and money by offering a free water audit service including the installa- tion of water saving devices for homes and small businesses. 28% of respondents were unable to bid for work, higher than at any time since the recession 47% of specialist contractors have experienced more difficulty in recruiting skilled labour 54% of respondents experienced an increase in tender prices last quarter, double the figure this time last year 78% of respondents anticipate an increase in workload over the coming year 3D printing offers cost savings for construction • Additive manufacturing (3D printing) could reduce the overall weight on a project as opposed to using traditional production methods. The smaller item (right) is designed using the very latest optimisation and manufacturing methods T he weight and cost of future construction materials could be reduced significantly through the use of 3D printing, according to Arup. The company said the savings are a result of the enhanced design and production process created by 3D printing. To make the point, Arup engineers have published an image that illustrates the future potential of 3D printing for the construction and manufacturing sectors. Three structural elements shown are all designed to carry the same structural loads and forces. However, the smaller item is designed using the very latest optimisation and manufacturing methods applied by Arup. Salomé Galjaard, team leader at Arup, said: "This is not only an exciting development for the construction sector, but many other industries as well. In the case of this particular piece, the height is approximately half that of one designed for traditional production methods, while the direct weight reduction per node is 75%. "On a construction project that means we could be looking at an overall weight reduction of the total structure of more than 40%. But the really exciting part is that this technique can potentially be applied to any industry that uses complex, high quality, metal products." The 3D printing, or additive manufacturing, approach means that manufacturers can create highly complex, individually designed pieces and print them directly in metal. This in itself has tremendous implications for reducing costs and cutting waste. But the latest advances in the design techniques explored by Galjaard's team mean that far smaller, lighter elements can deliver the same function and strength as those created by traditional methods, said Arup. State of Trade Survey published by the Construction Products Association (CPA), enabling the experiences of the specialist sector to be compared with the wider industry. the construction products sector has an annual turnover of more than £40bn, and accounts for a third of total construction output.

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