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'Machinery Movers UK', the new monthly specialist magazine dedicated to the construction & quarry plant and equipment sector, is giving one lucky reader the chance to win a superb Case CX16B mini excavator.

Everyone taking out a new 12 issue subscription for 'Machinery Movers UK' (currently on offer at a special limited period introductory rate of £30), or 'Machinery Movers Ireland', until December 2008 will be entered into a free draw to win a Case mini excavator (Closing Date: 1st December 2008. Draw to take place December 2008. Terms & Conditions apply).

The 1645kg capacity Case CX16B is a compact, go-anywhere machine, suitable for many different applications from landscaping to general building work, as well as specialist interior demolition tasks perhaps inaccessible for larger machines.

Following its UK launch at the end of 2007 the 'Machinery Movers UK' edition has been extremely well received by both readers and advertisers alike – with enthusiastic response from major equipment manufacturers, plant hirers, construction & civil engineering contractors, quarries, dealers and others, as well as leading industry trade bodies.

The magazine also recently announced the appointment of ex 'Construction News' editor, Aaron Morby, to take over the editorial reins of the UK publication, whilst also contributing to its Ireland counterpart.

In addition, a UK advertising sales office through Birmingham-based Open Box Publishing has now been established.

Publisher Brian Coogan said, “With these and other continuing planned initiatives, we firmly expect the new UK publication to become as successful as 'Machinery Movers Ireland', which has already established itself as Ireland’s No1 dedicated construction & quarry equipment title”.

Readers and advertisers of both publications will have the opportunity to meet some of the 'Machinery Movers' team in person at the forthcoming SED 2008 event (The National Event For Construction, Rockingham Motor Speedway, Corby, Northants. 13th – 15th May 2008).

And, in addition, 'Machinery Movers Ireland' is planning a special Equipment Demonstration Day in September 2008 at a location near Dublin, where visitors will be able to see first-hand a range of construction plant & machinery in action from some of the leading manufacturers.

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Following a detailed market analysis in the summer of 2007 Apreco have launched a new range of Pressure Relief Vents specifically aimed at the Gas Fire Suppression Market.

The FSV range of vents have been designed and package to meet with the demands of Apreco’s customers, providing them with a quality product that will be delivered on time.

The FSV Range has been extensively tested, and utilises quality materials and manufacturing techniques for levels of consistently, assured high quality. All FSV units are assembled in-house by our trained technicians to ensure quality control.

Attention to detail is the hallmark of an Apreco product, the FSV range continues with this philosophy; being designed to allow controlled thermal expansion in the event of a fire.

The FSV Pressure Relief Vent has been successfully tested at the acclaimed Building Research Establishment (BRE), meeting the performance criteria for a 2 hour fire resistance test to EN1363-1.

Standard sizes are available for both internal and external wall installation. The units can be purchased as standalone units or in kit form.

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The latest revision of the BRE’s Green Rating guide which assesses the environmental impact of building materials is due any time now and the whole of the window industry is poised with baited breath.

Emotions are running high as the timber, PVC, aluminium, steel and even composite lobbies await the outcome and the impact it will have on their businesses.

There is no doubt that the guide does carry considerable weight with both window specifiers and end users of windows in environmental terms, but I would like to make the plea that it should be viewed only in the context of all the other relevant information which is presented.

Every successful business operates by making an educated choice from all the information and facts made available. From my perspective as a product design and development engineer, I gather information and facts all the time and when I am satisfied with the analysis, I make a choice. As an engineer, that’s what motivates me and I would encourage the rest of the industry to operate in the same way.

Of course, any choice can only be the right one if the facts provided are the right ones and the analysis is accurate and balanced.

The PVC sector, like its competitors, has provided what it sees as accurate facts to the BRE and to the market as a whole and is hoping for a fair rating as a result. REHAU is very confident that its products will come out favourably in the guide and certainly as one of Europe’s leading producers of renewable energy systems such as ground-air heat exchangers, ground source heating and rainwater management systems and a partner in the EU’s Green Building Programme, we definitely want to work with the environmental lobby and not against them.

It is probably fair to say that all of us believes in our own facts and sees the strength in our own argument and the weaknesses of others and probably also questions the priorities and severities of impact within the product assessments.

However, in the past year, both independently and as a member of the British Plastics Federation (BPF), REHAU has worked very hard to present the facts as it sees them as accurately, objectively and professionally as possible.

In the working groups and meetings at the BPF we have responded to many criticisms, myths and scare stories about PVC – particularly from the timber lobby. We have provided educational seminars to the industry, as well as accurate, informative bulletins and articles in the trade magazines and tried to present the facts in a disciplined and unemotional way so as to make educated choice possible.

Certainly, we are now starting to see the benefits of that. We have been able to open doors to PVC recently which used to be closed because of fear or misconception about the material. We have also begun to have discussions with specifiers and certain local authorities which previously would have been impossible because they had either been misinformed about PVC or had made wrong assumptions about its impact.

REHAU and the PVC lobby as a whole know that the material can and will help towards reducing the carbon footprint of buildings, not just because of its recycleability or whole life costings but also because of its thermal performance, repairability, weather resistance and low maintenance requirements. Whether this is going to be reflected or not in the new ratings we will now just have to wait and see.

One thing remains clear – everyone has a choice about which building materials to use and how to gather the information to make their choice. The BPF and REHAU websites (at www.bpf.co.uk and www.rehau.co.uk) contain all the relevant facts and we are very keen to share them.

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Fan coil units manufactured by Ability Projects Ltd, Wimborne, Dorset, are installed in the spectacular Stratford Eye complex, completed earlier this year and now dominating the skyline in the London Borough of Newham.

The innovative new development, constructed by Wates for the London & Quadrant Group Housing Trust, comprises a visually stunning 19 storey tower fitted with luxury modern apartments plus a lower level linear complex of commercial and mixed tenure residential accommodation.

Ability Projects has supplied a total of 98 ‘Trojan’ 2 pipe fan coil units fitted with electric heaters and delivering cooling capacities of 1 – 4kW and heating capacities of 1 – 2.5kW at NR38 noise level for installation by Rotary Southern Ltd, Ruislip, Middlesex.

The Trojan fan coil unit is based on simplified design concepts and has been developed by Ability Projects to provide the building services market with a cost effective, rapid delivery solution for competitive cost projects without compromising quality or performance. Considerable design flexibility is built into the unit, which is available with squared or mitred discharge plenums, inlet plenum options and practically any combination of spigots or blanks to suit site conditions. Trojan fan coil units for the Stratford Eye project are also fitted with ‘free issue’ Trend bms controls.

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Global polymer group REHAU will be exhibiting its range of renewable energy products at EcoBuild and highlighting its experience and expertise in this burgeoning sector.

The stand will feature REHAU’s AWADUKT Thermo ground-air heat exchanger, ground-source heating and cooling systems, RAURAIN and RAUSIKKO rainwater management systems and Biogas systems.

The products have all already been proven in use across Europe where the market for renewable energy systems has been established for many years allowing REHAU to quote real rather than predicted performance figures.

The AWADUKT Thermo ground-air heat exchanger is currently being installed in both domestic and commercial projects in the UK. It provides a constant source of fresh, filtered air which is drawn through a network of underground pipes to pre-warm it in winter or pre-cool it in summer.

The system can achieve a Coefficient of Performance (COP) of 50 compared with a typical COP of 3-4 for a ground-source heat pump making it a very efficient source of renewable energy.

Alongside AWADUKT Thermo, REHAU is displaying its RAUGEO ground-source range which extracts energy from the ground via pipework used in conjunction with a heat-pump. It can be combined with the company’s low-flow temperature underfloor heating system to provide optimum efficiency.

The RAURAIN and RAUSIKKO rainwater management systems are REHAU’s response to the twin challenge facing the UK of conserving and reusing scarce water supplies whilst also managing storm water surges. Both products will be on display along with details of recent successful installations.

REHAU is proud of the polymer expertise which drives its ability to deliver such diverse solutions. At EcoBuild it will be focusing on the favourable whole life costings of its products thanks in part to the long term performance of the polymer materials used.

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ST ANDREWS SCORES A HOLE IN ONE – SIMULTANEOUS HEATING AND COOLING WITH HEAT RECOVERY FROM A SINGLE GROUND SOURCE

St Andrews, the home of golf – where the game evolved and where the spirit and traditions of golf have been safeguarded for over six centuries – is set to benefit from a clubhouse with an eco-friendly heating and cooling system from Mitsubishi Electric.

The St Andrews Links Trust is undergoing a sustainable heating and cooling project, with the assistance of Specialist Mechanical Services (SMS) who specified and designed the new heat pump system.

“One of the main benefits in having the system is that there will be a considerable heat rejection from the kitchen area which will be recovered through the system to provide heating in other areas of the building, either directly through the VRF system or indirectly through the ground loops. Running costs for the heating system should, therefore be very low,” said Graeme Fox, SMS Managing Director.

“We have built a strong relationship with St Andrews and understand the demands that its courses and clubhouses require, having worked together for nine years,” said Mr Fox. “The location is known for its natural beauty and everybody involved is dedicated to preserving this environment.”

The clubhouse is part of a new development – a brand new seventh ‘Castle Course’ being built on the outskirts of the town, of approximately 1,000 sq m. The facilities will include changing rooms, a restaurant, a shop and a caddie office. It is a circular construction overlooking Kinkell Ness and is built over the site of the original Kinkell Castle, which gives the course its name. Both the course and clubhouse are due to open in June 2008.

“We originally planned to fit a ground source heat pump feeding under-floor heating only. We visited Mitsubishi Electric’s Hatfield office to see the City Multi ground source units working, and decided that simultaneous heating and cooling, with heat recovery all supplied by ground source was the best option,” Mr Fox added.

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With a number of safety alerts already having been issued by the HSE in connection with quick hitches, and increasing concern in the construction industry, as well as with manufacturers and other organisations, it now appears certain that legislation will be tightened and new directives applied which could result in the banning of certain types of quick hitch.

The HSE's investigations have centred upon the failure, by the operator, to follow set operating procedures; more specifically the requirement to manually insert a safety pin when using semi-automatic hitches. Tragically, there have been four fatalities in the past year alone due to excavator buckets or other attachments becoming accidentally detached from quick hitch devices.

Ireland based Hill Engineering Ltd are confident that they can offer a potential solution to this problem. The advanced, market-leading design of their fully automatic 'Safety First' Auto-Loc quick hitch enables the operator to visually confirm from the excavator cab that the bucket or other attachment is securely locked in position – a vitally important and potentially life saving safety feature.

The Auto-Loc has been purpose-designed to put operator safety first and foremost, and is unique to Hill Engineering. In addition, it not only fully complies with existing safety standards but also meets imminent new European legislation – which, surprisingly, most other hitch manufacturers fall short of.

In particular the Auto-Loc conforms to the British Standard for Earthmoving Machinery Part 5, Paragraph 4.1.9 of BS EN 474.5:1996, which was a key factor in the design brief for the development of the 'Safety First' range.

This states that …”it shall be possible to verify the locked position of the attachment bracket and the attachment from the operator's position, or from the location where the locking control is operated.”

As the Hill Auto-Loc hitch is fully automatic in its operation, there is no requirement for the operator to leave the cab, to remove or insert safety pins, when changing from one attachment to another. This eliminates the risk of the safety pin being inserted incorrectly or not being inserted at all.

The Auto-Loc's innovative design goes beyond the BS Standard, in that it ensures that attachments can only be released when the boom is in a safe working position. Additional safety features include a check valve fitted to the ram and a certified lifting eye fitted as standard.

Delivering exceptional flexibility, the Auto-Loc offers the option to fit a non removable safety pin to provide an extra safety feature.

For the safety conscious operator all these built-in safety features help guarantee complete peace of mind.

Ian Hill, Managing Director of Hill Engineering said “With the Auto-Loc providing what I consider to be the safest and best engineered quick hitch on the market today, there’s no need for lives to be put at risk.”

Having been enthusiastically received by the industry, more than 6,000 'Safety First' hitches are already now in regular use, with continuing excellent feedback from users.

Hill Engineering also produces a range of excavator buckets fabricated from heavy duty steel and featuring a box beam for increased strength, enabling them to provide a complete hitches and buckets package for their customers. All Hill products are ISO 9001 and CE compliant.

Originally established in 1994, Hill Engineering moved to new £4.5 million, 85,000 sq.ft, purpose-designed, state-of-the-art premises in 2006, whilst retaining its original nearby premises in Newry, Co.Down, as a dedicated research & development facility.

In this highly competitive market, where outsourcing to lower cost labour zones has become the norm, Hill have looked for alternatives so that they can more closely monitor and control the overall quality, performance and safety standards of their products and are currently investing £2 million in the robotic automation of their entire bucket production line.

And, as a forward thinking company, Hill Engineering also continues to invest heavily in research & development in order to provide top quality, highly reliable, world-class attachments.

The company's products are now sold extensively in the UK and Ireland, as well as across Europe and the USA.

Customer focused and with a flexible approach Hill can tailor their equipment to meet individual customer requirements.

This flexibility, the drive to succeed and the mutual respect of customers has seen Hill Engineering positioned at the forefront of the attachments industry.

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In line with its ambitious green agenda, environmental control systems manufacturer, Mitsubishi Electric has announced that it has phased out all R407c, fixed-speed models on its Mr Slim range and replaced them with new R410A, inverter-driven models which deliver much better energy performance especially at partial loads.

Four new outdoor models have been introduced to the line-up, in 19 and 22kW sizes. All four are three-phase, 415 volt models and come in the new compact twin-fan, side-blow design. Replacing the larger single-fan vertical blow models, the footprint has been reduced by more than 50% and the weight by 33%, allowing the new models to be wall mounted. Both sizes are available in Power Inverter or Standard Inverter models.

“All the new Power Inverter models deliver a 10% improvement in energy performance over 2007 models to help customers reduce the amount of energy their buildings consume,” explained Peter Cole, Product Manager.

Pipe runs for the Power Inverter range have also increased to up to 120m. The new lower-cost, Standard Inverter units replace the 2007 fixed-speed models and have a pipe run of up to 70m.

To coincide with the launch of these new outdoor models, Mitsubishi Electric has also introduced four new large capacity ducted R410A indoor units which connect to either the Power Inverter or Standard Inverter.

The new compact design models are more energy efficient and quieter than the R407c models they replace and enable Mitsubishi Electric to offer customers R410A large capacity ducted systems from 19 to 44kW in both inverter options.

The new outdoor models can also be connected to the current range of Mr Slim indoor units, in twin, triple or quad systems for flexible solutions for larger applications and spaces. Some of these combinations will also meet requirements and qualify for Enhanced Capital Allowance.

“These latest additions to the Mr Slim range now herald the end of R407c products for Mitsubishi Electric with both the 2008 M Series and Mr Slim ranges being all R410A products for the first time,” added Cole.

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When Roger Pearce set up his one-man plant hire business in April 2004, customers were offered a single piece of equipment; a Kubota mini excavator.

Three years on, Exsel Plant & Tool Hire has taken delivery of its 15th Kubota, a 2.8 tonne KX61-3, the latest model in its growing mini fleet – without the necessity for any warranty claims during this period.

Starting with £5,000 in his pocket, Roger Pearce has built up the Bishops Waltham, Southampton, company into a highly successful hire operation. In addition to Kubota minis it offers dumpers as well as a wide range of tools.

The go-ahead plant hirer has ploughed all the profits back into the business, spending over £300,000 on plant and tools without the need of external finance.

At 2.8 tonne the KX61-3 becomes the largest machine in his all-Kubota mini fleet, which up to now consisted of a mix of 800kg K008-3 and 1.5 tonne KX36-3 models.

The KX61-3 has a 4270 mm long arm fitted as standard to provide a maximum digging force of 14.7 kN (1500 kgf). The digging force of the bucket is 21.5 kN (2190 kgf).

Like all the models in Kubota's popular KX Series it has advanced hydraulic systems to improve its response and reduce energy wastage and can outperform larger and more costly competitive machines. It features an ergonomically designed control lever layout for smoother operation with reduced driver fatigue.

It was supplied, like all the other minis, by Kubota dealer Grant Plant (Maidenhead) Ltd., equipped with 12″, 18″ and 24″ diameter standard buckets plus a 48″ diameter grading bucket.

Roger Pearce outlined the reasons for sticking with Kubota and not mixing and matching his mini fleet, despite checking out other makes. “They are reliable machines – I have had no warranty claims at all in three years – they are ruggedly built to withstand an often tough working environment; are easy to operate; and have modern styling with good clean lines, which customers like.”

He said that the unique Kubota 'ANTI-THEFT' security system, the first and still the only one of its kind fitted as standard equipment by a mini excavator manufacturer, was an added bonus. “It has saved me from having machines stolen while they were out on hire a couple of times.”

The KX61-3 was delivered by Grant Plant to a site in Maidenhead where BSP Project Developments Ltd, which is building 12 luxury apartments, immediately put it to work.

Said Grant Plant's Andy Grant: “Roger Pearce is a hard worker who has built up a profitable business after starting out on his own. We are pleased that together with Kubota we have helped contribute to his well-earned success.”

Kubota is the world leader in mini excavators and provides the largest range of minis available from a single manufacturer. Customers can select from 18 base models, spanning the weight categories from 850kg to 8-tonnes, and including the widest choice of the increasingly popular zero tail swing machines.

With a legendary reputation for quality, performance, reliability and excellent resale values, together with unbeatable support from a nationwide network of specialist dealers, their market leading productivity and versatility make them the ideal tool for many different applications and end-users, from civil engineering to landscaping, and plant hire companies to owner operators.

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Pre-fabricated valve assemblies from Marflow Hydronics have helped to speed up installation and commissioning of fan coil systems at two office blocks in the Royal Court development in Winchester. Marflow Governator assemblies, which have been developed for use with fan coils, were selected by M&E contractor Dodd Group after technical appraisals by the company’s in-house designers.

Royal Court is a new development on a brown field site near Winchester, comprising three 3-storey office blocks. Heating and cooling in two of the buildings is provided by four-pipe fan coil systems, linked to Marflow’s pre-fabricated assemblies. Each Governator assembly comprises a complete terminal valve arrangement for fan coils, including an automatic balancing valve, flushing bypass, isolation valves and Y pattern strainer.

“This was the first time I’ve worked with pre-fabricated assemblies and I’ve been very impressed. I would definitely use this approach again,” commented Alan Horton of Dodd Group.

In combining all of the necessary valves in a single compact assembly, the pre-fabricated approach greatly simplified the on-site installation and also helped to reduce commissioning.

“Marflow also provided comprehensive cross-referencing of the assemblies to specific fan coils which made it very easy for the fitters and virtually eliminated the opportunities for errors, so the commissioning went very smoothly,” Alan Horton concluded.

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