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When office interiors specialist, Vision Business Interiors, wanted new flooring for the showroom in Derby, there was only one company in the specification process. The company recommends the Gerflor range of flooring products to its customers, so it was an excellent opportunity to show Vision’s faith in the quality of the product by laying it in the main entrance hall, through the middle of the showroom to the back and into the toilets.

“We chose a number of Gerflor products to show the versatility and choice of the range,” explains owner Gordy Smith. “This included Creation Wood, Metallica, Creation Mineral and Tarasafe Ultra. The main criteria was that it had to be hardwearing and withstand the constant foot traffic from our customers.” The result is two-fold – Vision has a resilient flooring which satisfies requirements in terms of aesthetics and durability as well as a physical portfolio of Gerflor products in-situ.

Creation is a synthetic, decorative, flexible, antistatic, abrasion group T floorcovering, available in strip form, with bevelled edges which enhances the floor whilst still providing the required toughness. Tarasafe Style/Ultra slip resistant floorcovering was installed in the toilet area. Metallica is a compact calendered floorcovering reinforced with a glass fibre grid. All products offer strength and wear resistance, coupled with extremely high visual appeal to enhance the appearance of Vision’s showroom.

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Hepworth Building Products has launched a new campaign to help the ever increasing number of plumbers working to tight deadlines in awkward spaces around the house.

The growing repair, maintenance and improvement (RMI) market means that plumbers are frequently finding themselves completing demanding jobs in difficult locations around the house. Hepworth’s campaign features its Hep20 flexible push fit plumbing system, which offers essential support to plumbers required to work behind sinks, under floorboards, in lofts and other small, confined spaces.

The campaign, which focuses on the benefits of using Hep2O, offering advice and guidance on how best to deal with tight spaces, stars Hepworth’s ‘Flexible Plumber’ character, who also appears on a new website, www.flexibleplumber.co.uk .

Hepworth’s Market Development Manager, Adrian Bristow said: “We hope that through seeing the awkward installations that the ‘Flexible Plumber’ gets himself into, installers will realise that we understand the problems they face every day. Although the site is tongue in cheek, there is a serious message behind it.”

Adds Adrian: “We’re providing information on the range of Hep2O products developed specifically with the installer in mind. Hep2O flexible plumbing is ideal for use in the RMI market and makes long and difficult tasks less awkward. We know that when more installers try the products out for themselves, they will realise the benefits that they can deliver.”

For further information about Hepworth Building Products and its product range please visit www.hepworth.co.uk.

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Fibre cement Weatherboard from Marley Eternit creates “outstanding feature areas” in a purpose-built community by Persimmon Homes South Coast.

The weather and fire-resistant Weatherboard in three low-maintenance colours – blue/grey, grey and ivory – has been used to clad the elevations of some of the 1,000+ homes at Cherque Farm in Lee on the Solent in Hampshire.

Dave Pellen of AAP Architecture said they specified it to “reflect New England styles” and because it “works well with the brick types and slates specified” to “create outstanding feature areas”.

AAP’s brief from Persimmon was to provide 1,050 dwellings including 25% affordable housing provision with outline planning consent and they were actively involved from initial master planning through to detailed planning consent and construction drawings for each phase of the development.

The 100-acre site was formerly a quarry and special consideration was given by AAP to local shopping areas, open space including sports pitches, laps, leaps, neaps and an extensive footpath/cycleway, and a non-car transportation network.

Marley Eternit’s Weatherboard features particularly prominently on house types Hawthorn and Topiary in phase 5F or The Coppice – a mix of 30 two- and three-storey and three to five-bedroomed timber-framed balconied townhouses and detached homes in traditional and New England styles.

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Hepworth Building Products has launched its new Clay Premier Stockist Scheme for distributors who commit to stocking a comprehensive clay drainage range.

The points accumulation scheme will award Premier Points to loyal stockists and give merchants the opportunity to become clay specialists, if they meet the minimum stock holding and clay turnover figures.

Stockists are grouped into one of two categories: Premier Stockist and Premier Plus Stockist. To achieve Premier Plus status, stockists will need to keep as a minimum the SuperSleve HouseDrain 100mm and SuperSleve150mm stock profiles, which would enable them to supply large national contractors and civil engineers. For recognition as a Premier stockist they must keep, as a minimum, the SuperSleve HouseDrain 100mm or SuperSleve 150mm stock profiles. This is sufficient to effectively supply local ground contractors and housebulders.

Qualifying merchants benefit by earning points for clay purchases into their branch – which can be redeemed against free issue product. These merchants will also receive exclusive access to direct site business and will be supported by marketing collateral and point of sale.

End users stand to benefit from the scheme too. The stock profile devised by Hepworth for Premier and Premier Plus stockists is of adequate range and depth to ensure most plots or sites can be serviced properly.

Karen Stables, Marketing Manager from Hepworth comments: “We have identified that availability is of key importance to clay customers, and if the stockist does not keep an adequate range and depth of stock, the customer may well go elsewhere and not return. Our ultimate aim is to have a network of reliable clay stockists for our end users and to create profit opportunities for those stockists who work with us to achieve this.”

Customers must meet or commit to a minimum stock holding and annual clay turnover figure to join.

Further details can be found on the Hepworth website www.hepworth.co.uk

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Grinnell’s grooved pipework system was recently utilised for LTHW Heating and CHW services on the Doncaster Education City Project in South Yorkshire.

Working closely with the supply chain a complete technical, logistics and commercial solution in conjunction was agreed which utilised a combination of Grinnell’s Flexible and Rigid type couplings – not only for their speed of installation in this fast track project but also to provide accommodation of thermal movement without the requirement for additional expansion bellows units.

More than twenty site operators attended a Grinnell hand’s on toolbox training session where safe site pipe grooving and best practice installation techniques were covered.

Piping to 250mm diameter was supplied to site already pre-grooved to minimise site working, installation times and costs. Further support was provided in the form of material take off lists for each work area supported with marked up construction drawings to identify where thermal movement will be accommodated. Logistics and deliveries were also carefully coordinated to ensure that pre-grooved tube and the Grinnell fittings arrived at “just in Time” intervals in harmony with the construction programme and with crane lifting availability on site.

The complex takes the form of two mainly 5 storey buildings, the west and east blocks on the spectacular Waterfront setting, in the heart of Doncaster, the “state of the art” new building is the operational heart of Doncaster Education City and a new location for Doncaster College.

Thousands of grooved joints were made and the speed of the installation made a significant contribution to ensuring that the total installed time and project costs were minimised thus keeping the project on schedule. The installation was successfully pressure tested and commissioned and will be maintenance free.

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MP for Leigh, Andy Burnham was in London to support industry in his constituency by visiting Arsenal FC’s brand new Emirates stadium where World renowned bollard manufacturer ATG Access has provided antiterrorist bollard systems to protect the stadium and its perimeter.

Mr Burnham is also a Minister for State at the Health Department and tipped as a possible future Minister for Sport, has a keen interest in football and plays an active role in supporting industry within his constituency, “ATG Access epitomises everything that is great about British Industry, from humble beginnings the company is now a global player in the physical security sector. ATG are going from strength to strength and they are helping to put our area on the map. I am very proud of the company and will continue to give it whatever support I can as it builds its growing national and international reputation.”

For more details on this story or on the product range of ATG Access please contact their marketing department on 01942 685 522 or e-mail: ian.parry@atgaccess.com , visit their website at www.atgaccess.com for extensive product information or to see footage of the crash tests of the SP1000 bollard.

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The remarkable Sofitel, Heathrow, due to open early next year and the only hotel connected to new airport terminal 5 via bridges, is a £180 million joint venture between Sofitel and Arora Hotels, will boast 5 star status and will be the largest luxury airport hotel and convention centre in Europe.

All 600 of the hotel guest bedrooms, 41 meeting rooms, reception, conference hall, cinema and business centre etc, will be supplied with air conditioning via 637 Athena and 160 Titan 4 pipe fan coil units, manufactured by Ability Projects Ltd, Wimborne, Dorset.

The Athena units are purpose designed for hotel installation and offer capacities of 2.3kW (cooling) and 1.5kW (heating). Located mainly within bulkheads above the room entry doors, they are fitted with stainless steel condensate tray, customised rearward facing coil tails, extended drip trays to shield valves during transportation and installation and supply and return air sensors. They also feature discharge plenums with foam acoustic baffles to limit fresh air inlet noise to NR29, 125mm fresh air spigots on the plenum side and flying power leads to assist installation. All Athena units have been shipped to site.

The 1.2kW to 2.5kW nominal cooling and heating capacity Titan fan coil units, more or less standard and ordered for installation within the meeting rooms and other public areas, are designed to meet NR30 noise requirements, except in the bedroom floor corridors (NR35).

Installation of the Ability fan coil units will be carried out by project mechanical and electrical contractors, Crown House Technologies, Dartford, Kent.

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Following the relocation of its UK head office, with sales, marketing and product support facilities, from London to Cannock, Staffordshire, in early 2006, leading engine manufacturer DEUTZ has now consolidated all its operations at this convenient central location with the additional transfer of their Service Support Centre from Newbury, Berkshire.

The new Cannock headquarters for DEUTZ UK now houses all engine sales, service, parts, workshop, service exchange, help desk, administration, product support and marketing resources under one roof.

However, for customer convenience, the same main Service Support and Sales contact number has been maintained Tel: 08700 102410.

DEUTZ UK Managing Director, Klaus-Ulrich Klinger, said: “The new central location, alongside our established nationwide network of DEUTZ service engineers, has enabled us to further streamline our business operations, in order to provide our customers enhanced sales and service support across the UK mainland.”

As one of the world's largest independent manufacturers of diesel and gas engines, DEUTZ has more than 140 years experience in the provision of high quality engines, with an overall product range extending from 4kW to 4,000kW.

Suitable for a wide variety of markets and applications, DEUTZ engines are well established in the construction, materials handling, agriculture & groundcare and airport ground handling equipment sectors, for products such as excavators, wheel loaders, off highway mobile plant, crushers, screeners, compressors, generating sets, lift trucks, tractors, ride-on mowers, chippers and shredders.

At the forefront in design and manufacture, with the flexibility and expertise to tailor its engines precisely to meet individual customer needs, the company's products are amongst the world leaders from an environmental standpoint.

Their low noise and exhaust emissions, and the suitability for rape fuel, together with extremely economical fuel consumption, enable users to fully optimise operating costs.

Engine Sales General Manager, Keith Andrews, said: “Our continuing successful growth in the UK is testament to the exceptional quality, reliability and cost-effective performance of our comprehensive engine range, as well as a first-class sales and service resource.”

A point reiterated by Service General Manager, Mike Nugent: “Our extensive engine line-up, together with the impressive array of options and configurations available, means that we are able to offer customers totally focussed power solutions – all supported by our dedicated, factory trained service engineers, with a fleet of mobile workshops, and a network of specialist appointed Parts Distributors.”

For more information about the market-leading DEUTZ engines range contact: DEUTZ UK Ltd, Deutz House, Willow Park, Burdock Close, Cannock, Staffordshire, WS11 7FQ. Tel: 01543 438900. Fax: 01543 438932. Email: admin.uk@deutz.com web: www.deutzuk.com

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Wilo delivering savings for the NHS and other public sector users

There’s a company here in the UK that is helping its customers to significantly cut the cost of energy used by their pumps and pumping systems. In the current climate, by up to 80%.

Wilo (U.K.) is part of the German based Wilo AG Group, one of the world’s top 6 pump manufacturers with annual sales approaching £700m. Throughout its history the Wilo group has been at the forefront of developing energy saving products through increased hydraulic efficiency, electronics and innovative motor design. These advances in product development have lead to the latest ranges of Wilo pumps qualifying for the top band ‘A’ energy rating.

In real terms the latest range of Wilo pumps are up to 80% more efficient than a standard fixed speed pump. With rising energy costs this can represent a huge saving on energy bills. There is not a huge awareness of the amount of energy pumps can use. In the same way that in simple terms the value of heating controls in a home is to turn off or turn down the heat and energy use when its not needed, if you can install pumps that only operate and consume energy when they are needed, you can make a huge saving on your energy bills.

Of course, this saving has to be balanced against the cost of purchasing a new pump.

It’s easy to bandy around impressive looking statistics. But what about in real life. Can these claims be substantiated? Let’s take a closer look at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth.

Early in 2006, Wilo made contact with Norman Spiller based at Derriford Hospital. Responsible for the maintenance of all plant on the site, Norman was concerned that the pumps installed were aging and that that could be part of the reason why the hospital had a £1m+ per annum electricity bill. Wilo was invited to survey the pumps in all of the 12 plant rooms within the hospital. The purpose of the survey was to catalogue all of the pumps on site and suggest an equivalent pump from the Wilo energy efficient range.

Dan Wild from Wilo takes up the story: “Upon inspection, we found the pumps on site ranged from 20 years old down to pumps that had been installed for only a couple of years.

“When the pumps had been catalogued and new equivalents selected, we calculated the energy costs of the old and the new. It was found that significant savings could be made by installing the new Wilo high efficiency pumps. This saving obviously had to be offset against the capital outlay required to purchase the new pumps. As you would expect, the most significant saving could be made on the older pumps and not surprisingly the pumps with larger motor sizes.”

Payback periods for the pumps ranged from 4 months up to several years with savings of up to £6,300 per annum available for an outlay of just £4,340. Over the 12 plant rooms surveyed, Wilo was able to produce savings in excess of £70,000 per annum.

With payback periods of over a few months, Derriford Hospital was able to make the decision to replace the first pumps immediately as they would show a saving in that financial year. Derriford Hospital has also programmed the replacement of all pumps in the hospital as funding becomes available. This plan will result in the hospital having huge energy savings year on year together with new pumps which will render reduced running costs when compared to many of the older pumps which required increasingly more frequent maintenance.

By standardising on a single manufacturer of pumps on the site, the hospital is now in a position where it can standardise any spare parts which it may decide to carry in the event of pump failures. The hospital has also negotiated with a local pump distributor to hold stock of spares and replacement pumps.

Wilo has agreed to train the hospitals training staff in the installation and maintenance of all the pumps installed and this training has taken place both at the hospital and at the Wilo headquarters in Burton on Trent.

As a result of this kind of exercise, Wilo is now working on a number of government sites, particularly within the military sector, to help them drive down their energy costs. A free site survey and energy comparison service is the gateway to any establishment saving significantly on their annual energy costs.

Anyone can contact Wilo UK to arrange a free, no obligation site survey and energy comparison. They’ll show you in simple terms what your current set up is costing and what you can save by switching to Wilo energy saving pumps. It costs you nothing and could save you a lot. Call them now on 01283 523 000 or visit them first at www.wilo.co.uk to get a feel for what they do – and how they do it.

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