full layout final copy

Transcription

Issue no. 2 December 2011
magazine
4
16 News
New UK legislation, Bringing change to
Canning Town, Eschman longest serving
employee, Safety Milestone in UAE
19
4 News
11 Gallic challenge
Aviva stadium award, SISK Group launch
PeoplePort, Sustainability Week 2011,
Supplier excellence award at Diageo
Niall Diamond has been bitten by the
cycling bug, and in 2011 he decided to
attempt Paris-Brest-Paris, 1230kms with a
limit of 90 hours, including stops.
7 ESCHMANN customer
experience centre
On Friday 30 September 2011, the SISK
Group Board meeting was held not in
Dublin but on the South Coast in England
at Eschmann’s HQ in Lancing.
8 Mater hospital extension
The construction of the extension to the
existing adult hospital facility commenced
in September 2009 and is programmed for
completion early 2012.
9 Project Zero one year on
It’s now a year since all John Sisk and Son
companies launched ‘Project Zero’
10 Business
in the community
John Sisk & Son is using its
Business in the
Community
membership
to further
develop its
corporate
responsibility programme.
2
SISK Group Magazine December 2011
12 London refurbishment
John Sisk & Son UK’s Scotland team have
been Korine’s Oxford Street project made
great advances during 2011
13 Manchester powers on
John Sisk and Son’s Energy and Industrial
Process division recently won a second
civils package on Europe’s largest energy
from waste plant.
18 Sabic John Sisk & Son are
currently involved in with El-Seif
Engineering on 4 projects in KSA.
20 At the heart of Benelux
With the acquisition of its biggest export
customer in 2003, Stone Developments
assured itself of a strategic presence at the heart
of the traditional market for blue limestone.
14 SISK in the clouds
One of the current buzz words is “Cloud
Computing”. What does it mean?
15 Olympic countdown
It is less than a year to the
London 2012 Olympic
and Paralympic
Games and
John Sisk &
Son is
working
hard to
deliver a
number of key projects
12
YK
24
21 New theatre complex
development
A major reconfiguration of health services
in the Cork and Kerry with the transfer
of orthopaedic services.
22 Mark Reid, Cardiac
Services
Profile, Mark Reid, Senior Director with
Cardiac Services.
23 Going underground
Dragados Sisk Joint Venture’s work is well
underway for tunnelling on London’s
Crossrail project.
24 Stone breaker
Profile, Phil Meaney, Stone Developments Ltd.
25 Origo news
CEO opening address
2011 was a very demanding year both personally and
professionally for us all. The economic environment has
continued to be very challenging across most of the sectors
and geographies we compete in. We had to take a number of
very difficult decisions to position the Group for future
success. Each of our businesses has refined and strengthened
the core processes to be more efficient, deliver an even higher
level of service for our customers and to improve safety and
quality.
This challenge will continue into 2012 but we continue to
manage the consequences and adapt to the changes required.
We are rich in employee talent and passion which plays a
crucial role in the Group’s on-going ability to win more than
our fair share of work and retain the loyalty of our Customers
both old and new. We continue to win market share and
become the preferred partner for our clients by consistently
delivering innovative and superior products and services that
exceed their expectations.
SISK Group is a dynamic group of diversified companies
that continues to thrive in these difficult economic
conditions. As we navigate these short-term issues, we are not
losing sight of our long-term vision. Our fundamental
strengths and strategic goals remain the same as we continue
to invest for the long-term.
Thank you to all those who have participated in the 2nd
edition of our Group Employee Magazine which gives a great
insight into the activities of all our employees and companies.
As we approach the end of 2011 I would like to thank you all
for your support over the last 12 months ,wish you and your
families a very happy Christmas, a very happy, safe and
prosperous New Year.
Many thanks to all who contributed to this edition of the Company Newsletter.
If you would like to contribute to the next edition of the SISK Group employee
magazine, email us at s.newsletter2@sisk.ie
Twelve Companies, One Group
3
News
Primark opens
in Hannover
The Primark retail store, or Penneys as it is
known in Ireland, opened 1 week earlier than
initially programmed in Hannover Germany
on October 27th. As has now become the
norm, huge crowds gathered in advance of
the official opening.
This store is the largest Primark store to
date in Germany and one of the largest in
the group overall with a retail floor area
over four floors of 94,000ft2. In addition to
this there are staff facilities, stock rooms,
plant and circulation areas bringing the
total gross area to 215,000ft2 over six and a
half floors.
The project was fitted out from a grey box
and delivered within a very demanding 20
week programme with a value of ca €20m. It
included structural alterations to the existing
building to form new escalator and lift shafts
as well as a new Atrium. This is the second
project that Sisk have carried out for Primark
in Germany continuing the relationship built
up with them in Ireland and more recently in
the UK with the commencement of the first
project for them in Newcastle.
The Sisk management team worked with a
mix of Irish, English and German contractors
to deliver the project in a very harmonious
working environment. This builds on the
experience gained on the previous project in
Gelsenkirchen. With the roll out of further
stores planned in Germany there will
hopefully be opportunities for future work
with this client.
On yer bike
The Aviva Stadium in
Dublin, built by John
Sisk & Son, has won
the British
Sean Stagg and
Construction Industry
John Williams,
Award (BCIA) for best
both of Sisk,
International Project
recieving the
2011. The awards
award
recognise excellence in
UK and international building and
engineering projects.
The stadium was built on the site of the
world’s oldest international rugby ground. It
has 51,700 seats in a continuous curvilinear
shaped stand enclosing all four sides of the
ground.
“A new, replacement stadium in a restricted
city centre site was always going to present
major challenges,” the BCIA judges
commented. “Those challenges have been
met and conquered in dramatic fashion and
in every respect.”
4
Commenting on
the award, SISK
Group Chief
Executive Liam
Nagle said:
“Since its
completion, the
Aviva Stadium has
become a landmark
for its design and has played host to national
and international sporting events. I
congratulate all of the construction team who
made this a safe project to work on for all
involved and who have built an outstanding
venue.”
The judging panel was made up of
industry experts and selected the stadium
from six other entries in the category. The
judges said they were also ”very impressed by
the build quality and successful team building
involving all parties from client to subcontractor”.
Eschmann staff have been busy cycling
over the summer months in order to raise
money for charity. The self styled
‘Eschmann Massive’ – Matts Watts, Jez
Greene, Simon Armstrong, Martin
Oakley, Matt Sparkes and James Hare –
all took part in the annual London to
Brighton bike ride raising funds for The
British Heart Foundation along the way.
Meanwhile across the Irish Sea, Colin
Moore and friends completed the Malin
Head to Mizen Head cycle ride – over
447 miles in 7 days of hard cycling, this
time for the benefit of the STEPS
charity.
And finally, and not to be outdone,
Michael Clayton undertook the daunting
task of cycling from London to Paris in
aid of Lynn’s Bowel Cancer Campaign.
The photograph below shows Colin
and friends at the end of their ride at
Mizen Head.
News
Engineers Ireland
CPD Award for Sisk
PeoplePort is the new system introduced by the SISK Group HR team which is currently
being rolled out across all companies within the group. IT are completing any
background tasks required such as ensuring that the software needed to run the system is
available on your computer. Once this is completed, HR will be in contact with all
employees in relation to training on the system.
At its most basic, PeoplePort allows employees to review their own data which is held on
the HR Database. Its added functionality is a real benefit as it allows employees to apply
for any type of leave online and to view details of any absence they have taken. The
system also allows employees to view their own training records and to apply for training
online. The system further provides managers with additional information, such as team
calendars, team training records and contact details which should make managing teams
easier.
This new system is all part of the continuous improvement initiative in SISK Group to
ensure that we can deliver operational excellence and focus our resources on activities that
deliver long term sustainable results.
2011 Sustainability Week
Tony Sheridan, Health, Safety and Environmental
Manager pictured receiving the Sustainability,
Building and Design Award
John Sisk & Son Ireland held their 2011
Sustainability Week during the first week in
October. Since the 2010 Sustainability
Week the Sustainability Workgroups have
been doing much good work.
Sustainability Week 2011 was launched on
September 30th with a company
Sustainability Seminar held in Dublin. At
this seminar the Abbeyfeale Community
College project was awarded a prize for
superior efforts in community engagement
during construction. Sustainability week
itself concentrated minds in Sisk sites and
offices to focus on practical sustainability
initiatives. Some of these initiatives
included:
• Clean office day where staff joined forces
to remove obsolete office items. All
materials were segregated and categorised
for reuse or recycling as appropriate.
• Guided visits to construction sites by the
local community and local schools were
facilitated.
• Local meetings with residents to see how
construction was impacting the
community.
• Provisions were made to facilitate blood
donation to the Irish Blood Transfusion
Service
• A clothing collection was made among the
Sisk staff for a local St. Vincent DePaul
charity
As we become more accustomed to
Sustainability it is easier for us to identify
sustainable solutions to daily tasks, so that
every week is a Sustainability Week!
In May of this year, John Sisk & Son Ireland
once again had to make a submission to
Engineers Ireland for the CPD Accredited
Employer Scheme. Many of Ireland’s leading
engineering employers, from all sectors, of all
sizes, have achieved the CPD Accredited
Employer standard. These organisations are
independently audited by Engineers Ireland to
confirm that they have good practices in
training & development systems and
processes for their engineering staff, resulting
in clear business benefits.
The submission itself was a detailed
application, whereby we had to submit
evidence of training and development of our
engineers. Having had on going ZERO
seminars, and with SkillPort in place we were
well positioned. The audit included a meeting
with 6 engineers where they were questioned
in depth on their training and development as
well as their plans for further development.
Among the benefits to an Engineer working for
a CPD Accredited Employer is that all training
attended is recognised for CPD hours towards
becoming a Chartered Engineer. This includes any
in-house seminars or workshops, and any training
completed on Skillport also counts.
When clients see that John Sisk & Son Ltd
is an Engineers Ireland CPD Accredited
Employer, they know the standard of training
and development that our engineers receive is
high. Many of our clients, particularly those
in the pharmaceutical sector are themselves
CPD Accredited so it is a standard they
recognise immediately and can relate to.
Sisk Contribute to Abbott
Zero Initiatives
Abbott Longford recently received an award
from Abbott Corporate in recognition of
their achievement of Zero-Waste-ToLandfill and Zero-lost-time-due-toaccidents-or-incidents during their Building
For Success (BFS) construction project.
Sisk supported these initiatives throughout
the BFS project and successfully applied
them throughout construction. Abbott
Longford invited Sisk to the lunch on
November 3rd to celebrate the award.
Abbott Longford Site Director Stefan
Molitor spoke of their delight in receiving
the award and of the successful
collaboration between Abbott and Sisk
throughout the project.
(L-R) Veronica Reilly, Margaret Costello, Dave
O’Connor, Sean Finan, and Mary Rooney.
5
News
John Sisk & Son’s Rail division is now
recognised as one of the top three rail
property maintenance companies in the UK.
John Sisk & Son’s Rail division has seen its
turnover more than double in the last two
years and has grown from a small operation
in the south west of the UK to one working
across England and Wales on a large variety
of railway associated projects and frameworks.
“We are now recognised as one of the top
three rail property maintenance companies in
the country,” says Sisk Rail director Carl
Hendry.
“This success is solely attributable to the
commitment and flexibility of staff,” he
adds.“Our commitment to training and
developing our employees was recognised in
2011 when two of our apprentices were
shortlisted for apprentice of the year. The
company was also nominated for large
contractor of the year, recognising the
achievements of the apprentices.”
Carl is sure 2012 will bring with it a new set
of challenges for the business. “But with the
team’s commitment to the Zero initiative and
a continuation of the efforts to date we will
continue to show that we are a contractor of
choice for clients,” he says.
Enniskillen is a major new hospital
development in Northern Ireland that is due
for handover to the Health Trust in summer
2012. Williaam Cox is acting as one of the
major sub-contractors to FCCElliott to provide
the windows and curtain wall packages of
work. To give some sense of the scale of this
project, we are installing 331 timber windows,
1,059 aluminium windows, 90 timber-framed
multi-storey curtain walls and specialist glazed
doors. The inclement weather has certainly
also been a major challenge late last year and
into the beginning of this year. Nevertheless,
the project team (ably assisted by additional
resources from John Sisk and Son) has been
pulling out all the stops to bring this significant
project to a successful and speedy close. We
look forward to having the works practically
complete by Christmas with commissioning
activities of window systems, smoke actuators
and automatic doors proceeding in line with
the main contractor’s programme.
Barretstown
Camp
Ultan Herr (Diageo) Brendan Daly (JSS), Conor Browne (Diageo),
Brian Wilson (JSS), Paul Hackett (JSS), Dave O’Leary (Diageo)
Sisk have won the European Beer Regional
Award for “Supplier Excellence” at Guinness
St. James’ Gate site in Dublin. This is a
wonderful achievement reflecting the work
the Sisk team have performed in
meticulously planning and monitoring our
now maturing Zero programme. Their
attention to detail in relation to logistics, site
cleanliness, quality and communications
6 SISK Group Magazine December 2011
with all project parties is exemplary and has
led to the successful handover of a laboratory
and office block within the Diageo campus
with challenging client interfaces on all sides.
Coincidintically the Sisk Zero programme
is perfectly aligning to Diageo’s own Zero
Harm Zero Defect project with like minds,
attitudes and skills creating an environment
for excellent knowledge sharing.
Sisk have continued their partnership with
Barretstown this year and in addition to
installing a boardwalk access to the Beal Linn
boat which was used by campers this summer,
Sisk have provided bespoke wooden fishing
shelters in order to maximise the fishing
experience on the lakes of the estate.
Barretstown is a specially designed camp that
provides Therapeutic Recreation programmes
for children with serious illnesses. Barretstown
rebuilds the lives of children affected by
childhood cancer and their families. The
children, from 7 to 17, come from Ireland and
across Europe to take part in activities such as
canoeing, high ropes, drama and arts and
crafts.
These fishing shelters were manufactured in
our Training Centre and will provide access to
the lakes on a year round basis for the campers.
The meeting at the Eschmann premises gave
Board members the opportunity to see and
experience for themselves the ongoing progress
and improvements made at the Lancing site
and in particular the facility known as the
‘Eschmann Customer Experience Centre’.
Demonstrating the benefits of a new
operating table or steriliser out of their context
has never been the easiest of tasks. For this
reason, the idea of a facility which would
provide customers with the opportunity to use
and see products in a simulated operating
theatre and sterilisation room environment was
born. To turn such a vision into reality, Site
Services at Eschmann were presented with a
timescale to achieve this in just six short weeks.
Rising to the challenge, and at the same time
ensuring minimum inconvenience to staff on
the site, the team completed the project on
time and to a very high finish. The design
incorporates the latest in dimmable LED
lighting systems, a suspended ceiling with over
600 plastic coated square tiles and split 600 air
conditioning units to give an overall smooth
and clean look to fully highlight the products
on display.
The centre comprises of a product museum,
which showcases the progression of Eschmann
products through the ages, a lecture theatre,
and two demonstration zones. The first is a
decontamination room fitted with Decon360
cabinetry housing the full range of Eschmann
L to R: Richard Sisk, JP Sisk, Phil Kennedy (MD
Eschmann), Declan Doyle, Owen Sisk, Liam Nagle, instrument cleaning and decontamination
George Sisk, Ger Penny, David Martin, Bernard
equipment. The second is an operating theatre
Power and Bevan Lloyd (Head of Risk Managment) environment with space to showcase and
On Friday September
30th 2011, the SISK
Group Board meeting was
held not in Dublin but on
the South Coast in
England at ESCHMANN’s
HQ in Lancing.
demonstrate Eschmann operating theatre
equipment such as the T series tables,
electrosurgery, surgical suction and a wide
range of accessories. Philip Kennedy, Managing
Director of Eschmann, commented that ‘The
Experience Centre will provide customers with
an environment in which they can experience
Eschmann products in a clean, relaxed setting,
away from their usual hectic workplaces.
In turn, this will allow them the clarity of
thought to use and take in the finer points of
what Eschmann products can do to make their
jobs easier’. In addition, the centre will also act
as a facility for training in the use of
equipment and other clinical practices.
The SISK Board clearly seemed to have
enjoyed their experience at the centre and are
pictured above in the operating theatre zone.
Recognising the task undertaken by the Site
Services team at Eschmann in delivering such a
high quality centre on time, Clive Stoner, Site
Services Supervisor, is pictured below being
presented with a gift from Group Chairman,
George Sisk.
7
Mater
hospital
extension
The construction of the extension to
the existing adult hospital facility
commenced in September 2009 and
is programmed for completion early
2012.
The fit out of the operating theatres and
endoscopy suites has been awarded to Sisk and
is scheduled for completion in Q3 2012.
The current Sisk contract is the 3rd phase of
the redevelopment of the Mater campus.
Previous contracts included the demolition of
a local land mark (the nurses’ home) and the
bulk dig excavation for the current phase of
the works.
The new highly serviced facility which
comprises 120 single bedrooms with en-suite
bathrooms is 9 storeys over ground with 2
basement levels containing 442 car park
spaces.
It also comprises
• New vehicular ramp access from Eccles Street
• Gross floor area of approx 68000m2
• The major medical departments to be
included in the new facility are:
Accident and Emergency (level 0)
Catering (level 0)
Out Patients department(level 1&2)
Cardio Vascular (level 2)
Radiology (level 2)
Intensive Care Unit (level 3)
Gastro Intestinal unit (level 6).
Over 40,000 m3 of concrete were used
during the course of the construction works,
along with:
• 5000 tonnes of reinforcement
• 27000m2 of linoleum floor coverings which
is more than 2 Football pitches or 3 Soccer
pitches.
• 2.5 million metres of electrical cabling.
The milestone of working over 1,000,000
reportable accident free hours was achieved
early August 2011 and was acknowledged in
September where presentations were made to
the 700 strong site workforce. The cooperation of our sub-contractor’s staff, Sisk
staff and the efforts of our Safety Officer
Finbar Brady must be acknowledged in this
regard.
The Mater project has won the
8
environmental excellence award for
“Sustainable Construction and Demolition
Project of the Year” as awarded by CIWM
(Chartered Institution of Waste Management)
The project was shortlisted on the basis of
the work that has been carried out to minimise
waste on site from the design stage, through
frame erection and facade completion to where
we currently are in the fit out phase.
To date, 93% of waste has been diverted
from landfill, which is the equivalent of over
two hundred large roll-on skips being recycled
or sent for energy recovery. This is a result of
the great efforts by Donal Dowd, Richard
Murray and Louise O’ Neill in co-ordinating
environmental and waste management
activities
Even with the workload every site team
member has in delivering the project, their
extra-curricular activities form the basis for
many a heated discussion in the canteen.
These discussions range from the agreement
of rules associated with various sporting
sweeps, good value tips from the various inhouse “sporting pundits”, whether or not the
surveyors did actually beat the engineers in 5-a
side to the weekend hurling performance of the
inter county hurlers on site: Stephen Hiney
(Dublin),Joe Brady (Offaly),Mick Divilly
(Kildare) and Billy White (Kildare).
YES, Kildare do have a hurling team!
Despite a few of the boys suffering some
fairly serious hurling related injuries which
obviously resulted in their enforced absence
from the rigours of training and more time
being on their hands it must be noted that no
real appreciable uplift in their work output was
observed!
However, the efforts put in by the lads and
indeed any other Sisk staff member involved in
sport at this level in juggling between the busy
day job and extensive match preparations must
be applauded and best wishes go with them for
the year ahead.
Mater Misericordiae Hospital extension
SISK healthcare
and the Mater
hospital
Anne Kennelly has been working in
conjunction with the Mater Hospital for
the past 6 months in relation to the
procurement of medical devices &
equipment for the new Mater Adult
Hospital build. Anne has been the lead
person in the project ensuring that there is
one point of contact between the Mater and
SISK Healthcare as well as liaising with
John Sisk & Son where needed to ensure we
meet the needs and demands of our
customers.
The key factor to this project has been
teamwork within Tekno Surgical across all
departments. We began with an assessment
of the full requirements for the Mater new
build in February 2011. This involved in
depth interview sessions with key decision
makers in all disciplines of surgery in the
account and MCHD to ensure we got
maximum exposure for all our products.
The biggest focus was product placement
for 10 new operating theatres. We ran trials
on all our products successfully. Our
biggest challenge was a four week trial of
Eschmann operating tables for different
disciplines of surgery. This is a new area
for us.
We received excellent feedback from staff
on the support and commitment from
Eschmann throughout the trial. Our
diversity of products opened doors in areas
like Gastro Intestinal units and radiology
departments. We are also involved in the
potential fit out of ENT out patient clinics.
I believe this project with all its
diversities has enhanced our relationships
with key decision makers in the Mater and
strengthened our ties within the group.
Project Zero,
one year on
It’s now a year since John Sisk and Son companies
launched ‘Project Zero’.
For the last twelve months, both Sisk Ireland and
UK have worked closely to share their knowledge,
staff skills and systems with a firm focus on
delivering Project Zero in a consistent manner.
It has generated a fresh and invigorated
approach to work. Staff have embraced the
challenges and the opportunities in this change
management process that we, our clients and
our supply chain now know as “Zero”. All sites
have been achieving a consistent approach to
the physical appearance and hence the
sustaining of hazard free and ultra tidy work
sites. A workplace where positive safety
behaviour is recognised and poor behaviour not
tolerated.
Project Execution Plans have facilitated the
early identification of key project risks and this
is focusing us, and hence our subcontractors, to
set out clear expectations and resourced plans to
reach specific milestones. Adapting the Sisk
Quality Cycle is helping Contracts Managers
and Package Owners to simplify their approach
to the planning for and achievement of high
quality building finishes. The focus on and
managing of behaviour, NCRs and snags is
encouraging and is seen as positive indicators.
Communicating this zero approach and the
zero targets to workers and subcontractors is
now simplified. Our zero inductions, product
samples, precise inspection and test plans and
our staff’s enthusiasm with their “can do”
attitude are now driving Zero forward. The
feedback from workers and subcontractors has
been positive: they work safer, maintaining a
tidy environment enhances their production
which ultimately produces a better quality
finish. We all see the added value.
More rigour is being applied to the
competency of subcontractors within the
procurement and pre-appointment process.
Package Owners and subcontractors are now
sharing their knowledge, collaborating on
their experiences and putting in place the best
practical ways to achieve incident and snag
free work.
Results and feedback to date from sites has
shown that safety behaviour and quality of work
has improved. The Sisk Ireland / UK combined
accident rate is currently at 0.20 and with snags
per £million turnover on a significant downward
trend we are well on the road to success. A
proposed safety behaviour training module and
further refinements to the snag capture tool will
help drive these KPIs down further.
All this good news is grounded by a reality
that we need to be open to further critique of
our methodologies and target even better best
practice. We are currently refining and aligning
our management systems and tools to serve our
shared Zero goals and we encourage all staff
and the supply chain to stay actively engaged in
building our Sisk Zero culture.
SISK Group Magazine Decmber 2011
9
Business
in the
community
John Sisk & Son is using its
Business in the Community
membership to further develop its
corporate responsibility programme.
Business in the
Community
(BITC) is a
business-led
charity with 850 member companies,
from large multinationals to small local
businesses and public sector
organisations. It advises, supports and
challenges members to create a
sustainable future for people and the
planet and to improve business
performance.
Sisk Ireland joined in 2010 and Sisk
UK in 2011. Environmental and
Sustainability Manager Jonathan
Marshall explains membership will help
the company develop its corporate
responsibility (CR) programme and
benchmark it against others in the
construction industry.
“An initial independent review of our
business enabled us to identify issues
and challenges we face; to identify gaps
in our activities; and to develop an
action plan for achieving business and
sustainability goals,” he says.
The action plan focuses on improving
our responsibility in the workplace,
marketplace, community and
environment along the following
principles:
• Demonstrating clear leadership,
governance and values
• Developing services with improved
social and environmental impacts
influencing customer behaviour
• Developing employees and the future
workforce
• Investing in local communities
focused on those in greatest need
• Managing social, environment and
economic impacts in the supply chain
• Managing resources sustainably and
preparing for a low carbon economy
• Working with others to create change
that benefits business and society
“In line with our sustainability vision
we have set a company target to achieve
bronze status in the CR Index by 2013
which is published in the Financial
Times Responsible Business
supplement,” Jonathan-Lee says.
Business inthe
Community
Paraic Keogh on stage
at the Grand Canal Theatre
The Kanchi Network, of which John Sisk Ireland is proud to be a founding member, is a
business membership network committed to creating inclusive business through the business
case for Disability.
In conjunction with the Kanchi Network, John Sisk Ireland hosted an “Accessibility, build
for everybody” networking event in the Grand Canal Theatre on September 8th.
The purpose of the event was to demonstrate to businesses that incorporating access and the
concept of ‘Design for All’ into your build from the outset is a smart business decision.
There were 200 people in attendance at the event and on stage at the Grand Canal Theatre,
Paraic Keogh, Regional Director for Sisk, spoke about the importance of Universal Design and
Access for All. For more information on the Kanchi Network please visit www.kanchi.org
Bull Island is a great amenity for
Dublin City and is arguably the
premier coastal location in the
country’s capital. With various
designations and awards attached, the
coastal area is rich with wildlife, flora
and fauna and is one of the main
locations in the country for kitesurfing. On July 1st, 11 employees
from across the group joined the Bull
Island Action Group and An Taisce to
spend the day removing rubbish from
the beach. It was also an educational
experience as the group were provided
with a talk on the island itself.
This volunteering project
involved the installation of a
permanent garden shelter,
along with the provision of
garden furniture and new
plants and shrubs for their
home in Belfast. De Paul Trust
provide long-term residential
accommodation for homeless
people with acute needs. The
garden has been instrumental
in improving the environment
for the residents in Stella Maris.
10
Since Jim Tuohy and
Gerry Maguire organised
the Sisk 150 Cork to
Dublin Cycle Niall
Diamond has been bitten
by the cycling bug, and in
2011 he decided to
attempt Paris-Brest-Paris,
1230kms with a limit of
90 hours, including stops.
We headed off at 9.25pm on Sunday 22nd
August. There were 14 checkpoints on the
route, where we had to get our cards
stamped, and they also had sleep facilities,
showers, and food.
We rode for 27 hours, just stopping for
card stamps and food, including through a
thunderstorm with constant lightning, before
stopping at the sleep stop at St. Nicholas du
Pulem (450kms). We ate, took off our wet
gear, and tried to get some sleep.
Unfortunately the storm made it impossible.
After 3 hours we got up, had breakfast at 4am
and headed off to the next checkpoint,
arriving at 7.30am. We checked in, ate, and
left again on the leg to Brest. 20kms later I
realised that I had left my bag behind, with
my Brevet card. I couldn’t continue without
it, so I had to “time-trial” the extra 40kms to
the checkpoint and back again. I finally
reached Brest with a couple of hours to spare
and after being stamped in the control and
some food I headed off on the way home.
I got back to Loudeac at midnight on
Tuesday, where I met up with the other Irish
guys I had been with before my diversion.
After a quick “midnight feast” I headed off
for a couple of hours sleep. We were up at
4.30am to resume the journey. After
breakfast we rode on to Villaines la Juhel
where the locals had closed off the main
street, with a huge crowd of spectators. After
the usual water/check/food we headed on to
Mortagne au Perche where we arrived on
Wednesday at 10pm and finally got 4 hours
of warm dry sleep - Luxury !
Our alarms went at 3.30am and we headed
off on the last stretch through Dreux and
back to the start. We finally finished at
12.37pm on Thursday in 87hrs 10mins, 3
hours inside the 90 hour limit.
PBP was a great experience, with 5200
other riders from all over the world taking
part. The support from the locals was
fantastic with constant encouragement and
shouts of “bonne route” and “bon courage”.
All along the route people had come out to
their gates and set up tables with free water,
coffee etc, and we must
have “high fived”
thousands of kids
along the route.
Will I be
going back
for the next
one in
2015 ?
Probably !
11
Korine’s Oxford Street
project made great
advances during 2011
12
2011 began with Korine’s Oxford Street
tenants shutting up shop and Korine taking
possession of the property. When Korine had
taken possession, it was handed over to Sisk
UK to carry out the refurbishment works.
Sisk had a hard job of peeling back layers of
fit-out which had been installed over the years
to get back to the bare concrete. Needless to
say there were a few surprises but nothing
which the team couldn’t handle. The works
continued right the way through spring and
summer and were completed in mid-October.
The job of structurally remodelling an
existing building, which has a hotel sitting on
its roof, is not an easy engineering feat to
achieve. But under the supervision of Seamus
Howard and Nathan Farrar, Sisk and the team
took it in their stride.
The refurbishment work is now complete
and provides flexibility in sub-dividing the
retail space. Korine has been showing the
premises to a number of retailers and
expectations are that lettings will be
completed by spring 2012.
The refurbishment work has also allowed
the Marriott Hotel, part of which sits above,
to consider adding an extra floor and 12 new
rooms to their premises. At the time of
writing, negotiations between Korine and the
Hotel are almost complete to allow their
works to be completed in readiness for the
London Olympics.
John Sisk and Son’s Energy
and Industrial Process
division recently won a
second civils package on
Europe’s largest energy
from waste plant at
Runcorn.
Phase 1 of Runcorn’s new thermal power
station forms part of the Greater Manchester
Waste PFI contract and was commissioned by
the Thermal Power Station Company
(TPSCo) led by Ineos Chlor, Viridor and
Laing, to provide heat and power for Ineos
Chlor’s salt works next door.
When complete it will be the largest energy
from waste plant in Europe, producing
87MWe of electricity as well as steam for the
salt works.
Waste will be brought mainly to site by
train and stored in a huge concrete bunker
before being taken to be burnt. The hot air
created will heat water in a boiler, producing
superheated steam to drive a turbine that
generates electricity. Waste air will be cleaned,
the steam condensed and water reused in the
process. Ash from burning will be used for
making aggregate and cement.
The Energy and Industrial Process (E&IP)
team started on site in May 2010, working
with Engineer Procure and Construct
Contractor Keppel Seghers to deliver the
civils package for Phase 1.
The package includes enabling, piling and
site infrastructure works and well as
structural, architectural, sprinkler and
mechanical and electrical works for all the
buildings and structures on the scheme.
These include the tipping hall, waste bunker,
boiler house, flue gas cleaning, turbine hall,
substations and transformer area, as well as
rail infrastructure works.
Tom Wall, E&IP construction director,
explains the key to the overall success of the
project is completion of the reinforced waste
bunker in phase 1.
“The bunker is over 80m long, 20m wide
and 27m deep. There are numerous discharge
openings and chutes in one of the walls and
four levels of rooms next to another with a
15m high fire separation wall between the
boiler area and the waste storage area above.”
And the hard work has paid off, with award
of the Phase 2 civils package in the summer,
this second phase has been commissioned by
a group consisting of Viridor, Laing and
Keppel Seghers and will supply electricity to
the national grid. Work will be carried out
alongside Phase 1, which is due to finish at
the end of 2012.
13
One of the current buzz
words is “Cloud Computing”.
What does it mean?
In simple terms it could be described as a
delivery platform for IT services where you
can “Pay As You Go” instead of having
significant infrastructure and operational
costs in -house.
Now what is a “Data Centre”? A Data
centre is a building that houses thousands of
servers (ie hard drives not too unlike what
you have on your own home PC). For these
facilities key requirements are continuous
power availability, secure data connectivity
and cooling capacity for the heat generated
from all these servers.
John Sisk and Son have been managing
the construction of Data Centres since the
late 1990’s. The earlier Data Centres were
known as Web Farms. Sisk constructed
Europe’s first webhosting supercentre for
Worldport in a record breaking time scale.
During that earlier period we also
constructed for clients such as Network 360
and Eircom.
Sisk has tremendous experience in
managing and delivering Data Centre
projects for well know global players such as
14
3D image of the New
Microsoft Data Centre
which will be constructed
in 2012”
Dell, IBM, Microsoft and Telecity To date
Sisk has managed the construction of over
€300 million worth of Data Centres
The Sisk Data Centre teams have worked
closely with clients and design teams from
concept stage, through construction,
commissioning and successful IST of all
Data Centres completed to date. We have an
unrivalled offering of a fully integrated
construction and services team who
understand client’s requirements and
expectations and have delivered some of the
world’s most reliable Data Centres.
Our Start Up and Commissioning team
have a proven track record in the testing of
various Tiered facilities including the
demonstration of Free Cooling capabilities
and PUE efficiencies.
Sisk completed the construction of one of
the largest European Data Centres for
Microsoft in 2010 and have recently won the
contract to construct a new $ 100 million
dollar 13MW Data Centre in Dublin “
Global investment in Data Centres is
expected to reach over $80 billion by 2020
and Ireland has established itself as a major
European technology hub so let’s hope our
power and connectivity availability and
reliability continues to grow with the “Cloud
Computing “industry.
It is less than a year to the
London 2012 Olympic and
Paralympic Games and John
Sisk & Son is working hard
to deliver a number of key
projects.
Shooting Venue at the Royal Artillery Barracks
This autumn, after two years of hard work,
John Sisk & Son began handing over Plots
N09 and N10 of the Athletes Village to the
Olympic Delivery Authority. The 400
apartments will provide beds for 2,300
athletes who will compete in the 2012
Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Construction has used innovative
engineering to maximise on-site productivity
and off-site manufacture. Both blocks contain
green roofs and have prefabricated balconies.
And the team’s work doesn’t end just yet –
in a year’s time it will be back to fit new
kitchens and remove temporary partitions to
ready the apartments for sale and lease.
Meanwhile, John Sisk & Son’s Civils
division has been busy working on a number
of other Olympic projects.
The Shooting Venue at the Royal Artillery
Barracks on Woolwich Common was the final
Olympic venue to begin construction but will
be the first one to see a medal is awarded. The
temporary venue includes three enclosed and
three open-air ranges that will host shooting
and archery events for both games.
At the Olympic Park, the team is busy
building three “Transport Malls”. Buses and
coaches will drop athletes and spectators
there, before they enter the park via
footbridges. Post-games, the Southern
Sponsor Coach Park will be converted into a
school.
The Civils team is also building the Lea
Navigation Bridges, two cycleway/footbridges
spanning the Lea Navigation waterway on the
western boundary of the Olympic Park.
All of the Olympic jobs have a strong focus
on sustainability. On the Athletes Village only
4% of waste has been sent to landfill with
everything else recycled. At the Royal Artillery
Barracks there is a drive to use as many
recycled materials as possible, with steel piles
for the foundation sourced from recycled gas
pipes. To reduce the environmental impact of
the temporary structures, the area will be
carefully restored, with three trees planted for
every two removed
Owen Sisk, director of John Sisk and Son’s
Civils division, says: “At the moment we are in
peak production across the three jobs which have
a combined value of circa £35m, with RAB
handing over effectively on December 23rd and
the others in late spring. The first of the bridges is
scheduled to be lifted in on December 15th and
we have already handed over large areas of the
first transport mall. Thanks to all the team for
working hard to ensure we keep up our good
safety performance and making sure we deliver
good quality on time”
15
News
New UK legislation
The UK Bribery Act came into effect at the beginning of July and represents a significant
expansion to existing legislation designed to prevent corruption. The new law is applicable not
only to UK registered businesses and citizens, but also to anyone trading with a UK based
organisation. The Act contains the following 4 separate offences:
• Offering or giving a financial (or other advantage) in order to influence another to act
improperly (“active bribe”);
• Requesting or receiving a financial (or other advantage) to act improperly (“passive bribe”);
• Bribing a foreign public official to obtain or retain a business advantage; and
• Failure by a company to prevent its employees or agents from engaging in active bribes.
The 4th mentioned bullet is a completely new offence and clearly puts the onus on companies
to ensure that they have adequate procedures in place to prevent active bribery by those
associated with them. The penalties for individuals found guilty range up to a maximum of 10
years imprisonment and / or an unlimited fine. The penalty for the company is an unlimited
fine.
As outlined in our Code of Conduct, SISK Group have an absolute zero-tolerance policy
towards bribery and corruption. We already have a helpline in place that allows our staff to
anonymously report any bona fide suspicions of breaches of the Code of Conduct, including
bribery. Our risk management department is also continuously working with the relevant
business units to design and implement additional due diligence procedures, monitoring
mechanism and training programmes to ensure that we comply with the letter and spirit of the
law. We strongly encourage all our staff to remain vigilant to corruption in any of their business
dealing and report any concerns to their line managers or through the anonymous helpline.
John Sisk & Son completed Manchester’s Holiday
Inn Express in time for the Conservative Party
Conference in October 2011. The 192 bedroom
hotel is the latest addition to a new public square
in the Northern Quarter of Manchester city
centre. The scheme is part of the regeneration of
the former wholesale food market area of
Smithfield. At night the front elevation
of the building is colourfully lit to
reflect the vibrant image of
the area.
Eschman employee retirement
Sean Stagg and John Williams, both of Sisk,
,receiving the award
Steve Broad and
Philip Kennedy MD
Tuesday 31st May 2011 represented an
important landmark in the history of
Eschmann as Steve Broad, Stores Team Leader,
choose to retire on that day having completed
almost 43 years service with the company.
When Steve joined back in July 1968, The
Rolling Stones had just spent two weeks at
Number 1 with Jumping Jack Flash, Z Cars
was pulling in the viewers on BBC 1 and the
film Yellow Submarine had just been released.
16
Eschmann likewise was a very different
company to the one Steve has left behind and
over that time Steve has been witness to much
change and development in both products and
work environment.
As his company leaving gift, Steve elected to
have the company buy him a (large) garden
shed and this is now happily installed in his
home in Lancing. Retirement seems to be
suiting Steve as since leaving he’s taken a
holiday a little bit further away than the south
coast of England and has found the time to
enjoy his garden (and shed). Whilst there are a
number of long serving staff at Eschmann, it’s
unlikely that Steve’s 42+ years unbroken service
is going to be bettered so it seems only right to
wish Steve and his wife Lynda a long, healthy
and happy retirement. The Broad name lives
on, however, as Steve’s son, Matt, is the Sales
Manager for the South Thames Region.......
John Sisk & Son has won a Green Apple
Award for its construction of offices at
Earlsdon Park in Coventry.
Created in 1994, the Green Apple Awards
are some of the most respected environmental
awards in the world. They recognise steps
that are taken by firms towards sustainability,
including design and construction,
restoration and regeneration as well as
product and service innovation.
In June, John Sisk & Son picked up a
bronze award for sustainability initiatives
introduced during construction of the
QCDA (Qualifications and Curriculum
Development Authority) offices at Earlsdon
Park in Coventry. The BREEAM (BRE
Environmental Assessment Method) Excellent
rated building features ground source heat
pumps, reduced carbon dioxide emissions,
rainwater harvesting and natural light and
ventilation methods.
The ground source heat pump provided
nearly half of all the project’s energy
requirements and an efficient onsite waste
management system meant 85% of
construction waste was recycled. Judges were
also impressed that 70% of aggregate used
was derived from demolition materials
crushed on site.
The project case study will now be
published in The Green Book, the world’s
only annual reference work on environmental
best practice. John Sisk & Son may now go
on to represent the UK at the European
Business Awards for the Environment in
Brussels next year – one of the major
international environmental awards schemes.
Commenting on the award, John Sisk &
Son Environmental and Sustainability
Manager Jonathan-Lee Marshall said: “We are
committed to becoming a National Green
Hero, an elite group of environmental
achievers, who use their experience to help
thousands of others – and the environment around the world.”
News
The Rosetta Windows Gallery,
created in a vacant shop on site
and funded by John Sisk &
Son, was opened in July by
Lead Councillor for Canning
Town, Paul Schafer. The Gallery
has created a buzz within the
East London arts community,
being included in Time Out’s
‘First Thursday’ tours of the
area.
Head of the Rosetta Art
Centre Sanaz Amidi said:
“We’ve been working for nearly
twenty years with local people
through our art education
courses to increase participation
in the visual arts. It’s great to
have another space where we
can showcase the work of local
artists to the wider public and
engage the local community.”
Other initiatives taken on by
the Rathbone Market team
include sponsorship of the
Easter Market (along with free hot cross
John Sisk & Son is currently building the
buns), visits to local schools and fundraising
first, £47.8m, phase of the £180m Rathbone
for a number of charities.
Market regeneration scheme in Newham, east
And the team recently held an employment
London. The first phase is a mixed use
open day in conjunction
residential and retail
with Newham Council,
development providing
local colleges and
271 apartments in four
subcontractors for local
blocks including one 21
people to learn more
storeys high.
about potential job
As well as taking on
opportunities on the
the challenges of the
Rathbone Market site
project, the site team
Construction begins at Rathbone
and construction courses
have built up a strong
available in the area.
presence in the local
The project is due to be finished in
community, engaging with residents, school
summer 2012, with the marketing suite
children and artists.
recently being opened and the highest tower
In partnership with the Rosetta Art Centre,
due to ‘top out’ early next year. The overall
the company is providing studio space to
scheme will transform the area, creating a
Young Newham Artists, a free programme for
vibrant and sustainable, mixed-use
16-19 year old artists to develop their
development for this historic market area of
portfolios; learn key marketing and business
London
management skills; and gain qualifications.
With on site operations live since August 2010
the UAE team reached a major milestone in
September 2011 having achieved the first 1
million hours worked accident free, ‘None in a
Million’ was achieved.
The management team have not allowed
this achievement to distract their focus.
Seamus Hennigan, General Manager States:
Achieving the 1 million mark was an
important milestone. We must now maintain
and improve our performance so as to reach
the 5 million mark. We take Safety personally;
it is about ensuring that everyone returns
home safely every day. It is about taking
yourself beyond the point that preparation
brings you to.
It is not by luck that the Sisk UAE has
achieved success. The appointment of Paul
Maher as HSQE manager proved to be the
correct choice. The Sisk system was tailored to
local requirements with ISO 9001, OHSAS
18001 & ISO 14001 also attained in 2011. A
major roll out of IOSH safety training was
undertaken and this coupled with the longer
serving Sisk staff ensured the implementation
of a tried and trusted safety system. Pictorial
New Eurojet Hangar
for Birmingham
Airport
John Sisk & Son has been awarded its
first contract by Birmingham Airport, to
deliver a new hangar and ancillary office
for the airport and tenant Eurojet. The
new building is within 500m of the main
runway and will include a new arrivals
and departure lounge, pilots lounge and
VIP reception. A new car park with VIP
entrance and exit will ensure exclusivity
to the guests. The construction is fast
tracked and the building will be
completed and operational in just 26
weeks.
Student
Accommodation
Refurbishment
John Sisk & Son worked nonstop
throughout the summer holidays to
refurbish 430 student bedrooms for the
Mansion Group in Leicester, in time for
the start of the new academic year. Down
to hard work (an impressive 12 hours a
day, 7 days a week) and high levels of
communication with subcontractors, the
team was able to deliver the project in
just 8 weeks - ready for the new batch of
students.
Dale Street, Liverpool
John Sisk & Son has been appointed by
Four Two Four, a Benmore Properties
subsidiary, to design and build a 123
bedroom IBIS hotel, a Tesco store and a
six storey car park in Dale Street,
Liverpool. The project involves
demolition of buildings on this restricted
city centre site, retaining some of the
existing facade on Dale Street, and the
design and build of a seven storey
structure to accommodate the hotel, store
and car park to the rear.
inductions, SSWP risk assessments, toolbox
talks, weekly meetings, stand downs and our
Audit regime played a major part in the
achievement.
Paul Maher noted; the work safety culture is
at a lower level here so we set out and
resourced an ambitious safety management
programme. It would not have been possible
without the full commitment of all Sisk UAE.
In one stand down alone we had up to 350
people involved in a toolbox talk on electrical
safety & mobile access towers, and in a recent
stand down we had nearer to 800 Supervisor
and Operatives attend numerous safety
workshops carried out by the Senior Managers.
The photo was taken from one of the stand
downs that took place in the last couple of
months.
17
Sabic-Research & Development Centre
John Sisk & Son are currently involved with
El-Seif Engineering on 4 Projects. The main
project is SABIC. We have also staff on The
Samba Headquarters, KAFD and The
Conference Centre Structure Package.
A typical day
in SABIC
Micheal Moore,
Project Manger
The week starts on Saturday morning on
site at 7.00am and if you survive the 30
minute drive to work it is a good start.
Driving in Saudi is considered a contact
sport.
On SABIC site it is at the fourth floor of
the structure with the finishes and external
works commenced and has over 1000
personnel on site.
The first job of the day is to walk the site
with the night shift manager and review the
work that was completed in the night shift
and list any issues to be addressed for the
upcoming night. During the summer period
all the concrete pours are at night due to the
high day time temperatures.
Depending on the day we may have
internal management meetings, client
meetings or package meetings which if not
controlled will develop into personal chats
and tea drinking. The minutes of these
meetings have to be circulated and a number
of calls to follow up on the action items
otherwise nothing will get done.
18
The SABIC project is an €80m development in Riyadh KSA.
SABIC is a major plastics technology company and the project
will be a landmark development in the city.
The programme is an aggressive 18 month build and the
average manpower is circa 1,000 men daily.
John Sisk & Son staff on the project occupies senior
management positions in tandem with El Seif personnel who
form the balance of the project team.
The project is a development centre for new technologies
within the SABIC organization and will also be the main
administration building for the company in Riyadh. The project
is due for completion in July 2012.
A large part of the day can be spent
dealing with, in most cases repetitive
paperwork and reports which are circulated
between departments. It is not uncommon
for a document or drawing to require 6
signatures before it is issued and this is
simply to stop people saying that they did
not receive it.
The works stop at approximately 4am,
12pm, 3pm, 6pm and 8pm for prayers and
during this time all shops and offices close,
re-opening 25 minutes later. As a result of
this we take lunch at 12.30pm and is
usually a welcomed break at a local
restaurant where staff from a number of
sites often meet up to discuss the days
events. During the month of August no one
eats or drinks from sun rise to sun set which
in 45deg temperatures makes working on
the site very difficult.
After lunch we usually have a formal site
walk to review progress, address safety issues
and plan the upcoming works. This is done
with the client and the section managers.
The supply of labour and materials are a
constant problem. The labour lives in camps
and the site looks after all aspects of their
existence with their leave consisting of 1
month every 2 years. The average wage for a
labour is €5.00 per day and productivity
even for so called skilled labour is very low.
The supply of material and plant is very
haphazard. In many cases the products are
available but to actually get them requires
both patience and determination.
Sub contractors on site are also very hit
and miss. In all cases they will categorically
promise that they will meet the
requirements and exceed the brief and then
to be told that for example the material is
already on the road and will be on site that
day only to be told the same story every day
for a week.
The last task of the day is to again meet
with the night shift manager at 6.00pm to
hand over the areas and review the sequence
of work for the night shift. The site operates
for 24 hours, 6 days a week and the site
managers are on call throughout this time.
We did lose 2 days in January due to rain
but in the last 10 months there has been no
days lost and no rain.
Outside of work
Micheal Moore,
Project Manger
The Samba Head Quarters is a 1.25BnSars
(€250m) high rise tower in the Financial
District with Foster & Partners as
Architects. It includes a Shell & Core Fit
out on all floors with full Fit-Out on Client
Floors. Currently we have 2 Staff on these
Projects, Tommy Roe as Package Manager
for the Fit-out element of the works and
Colm Milner as Contract Administrator.
We have one member of staff on each of
the above Projects. Diarmuid O’Leary is
on the KAFD Tower Development,
which is another high rise development
of offices and Apartments. Paddy Casey
has recently started on the Conference
Centre Structure Package as
Construction Manager of the Concrete
Package. Concrete pours on the Project
are huge by any standard, The largest
was in excess of 5,000m3 in one day
with regular pours of 2,500m3 plus.
Our staff accommodation is in on two
Compounds; Ishbillia Village is a relatively
new development of around 80 one and two
bed apartments set in attractive well kept
surroundings. The units are spacious with a
distinctive Spanish style and are mainly on
ground level with a few on the second story.
The facilities in the compound include a
swimming pool, tennis/basketball court, gym
and a games room. The newly opened
restaurant serves mainly western food along
with some of the local favourites and has a
convenient delivery service.
Eid Villas is a family orientated
Compound with good facilities and houses
predominantly western Ex-Pats. It has a very
good cross section of nationalities from all
over the world and is very sociable. The Sisk
staff were fortunate to have a couple of
entries in the recently hosted home brew
competition and proving our adaptive nature
were very successful indeed with a First place
in the white wine Category and a second
place in the red wine category.
Other Compound events are regular and
popular with all the residents. The kids are
well catered for also with kid’s pool parties
and other very good facilities to keep them
entertained.
Speaking of kids, three are now resident in
Eid Villas; Alex Fahy (5), Aisling Milner (7)
and Aoife Milner (5). They have settled very
well into Compound life with the swimming
and wave pool playing a small part in that.
Alex is well settled in the International
school and Aisling and Aoife Milner are in
the close-by British School and are enjoying
the experience.
Not forgetting the ladies, both Ellen Fahy
and Clair Milner are enjoying the new
experience in Riyadh. Between the Shopping
Bus, Coffee Mornings, visits to the local
Souq’s and the usual school runs they are
kept well and truly occupied. There was
apprehension with regards to the much
talked about ‘Abaya’ (dress code), but
thankfully it’s not really that big of an issue
and encounters with the local Mutawa
(religous police) are rare and uneventful.
The social scene in Riyadh for Ex-pats
revolves around the Compound and The
Embassies. The latter is very popular and the
Riyadh Irish Society would host functions in
the Irish Embassy between October and
May. Up to recently it was relatively easy to
invite guests from other nationalities so they
could return the favour, but the Society is
now oversubscribed and guest tickets are
extremely hard to come by.
Other Compounds offer facilities which
we avail of from time to time. The most
popular of these is Salwa which is a
compound for British Aerospace
employees. Food and beverage facilities are
available here once you have been signed in
by a resident. Other Compounds of a
similar nature are Ramaizon and Arizona.
The signing-in rule applies to all
Compounds.
In summing up, Saudi Arabia is very
different when compared to what we are
accustomed to. The differences are on all
facets of life from work to religion to living
conditions. All these obstacles are easily
overcome with the correct attitude and a
liberal dosage of ‘Patience’. All in all it is an
interesting place to live and a very interesting
if not frustrating place to do business.
Large concrete pour at the
Conference Centre basement
19
Serge Michiels, Mike Ledieu, Phlip Franssen, Dirk Van
Dam, Nico Verdict, Andrew Mariman, Patrick
Rousseau, Tony Verheyden, Inge Courtois, Christel
Vangeel, Rik Govaerts.
With the acquisition of its biggest export customer in 2003, Stone Developments assured
itself of a strategic presence at the heart of the traditional market for blue limestone.
Especially now, with the downturn of the
home market in Ireland this presence has
proven to be vital in the survival and future
growth of the company where over 80% of
its stone production is now exported to
mainly Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg
(Benelux).
In the late 80’s a small stone mason called
Guido Courtois came to Carlow looking for a
quality alternative for traditional supplies of
blue limestone material from the Belgian
quarries.
He met another man named Phil Meany
who was at the time managing a small quarry
in Carlow, mainly for limestone monuments
on the domestic market.
Guido’s English perhaps wasn’t perfect when
he suggested to Phil that he knew a couple of
customers that would be able to take a full
container load of stone. It sounded
reasonable to Phil as he also had one
or two customers that took a full load
a year. It turned out that Guido
referred to ‘containers per week’.
20
Between the two of them, they decided to
go for it and it resulted in a rapid and
continuing growth of both companies. The
operation in Carlow exploded from 12 to 80
people with investments in new extraction
machinery as well as a processing plant. In
2001 Phil Meany became the new MD of
Stone Developments. On the the other side
the Courtois business was quickly gaining
momentum on the
continent and
ventured out first
into a
production
plant in
1992 and finally secured a majority share in
its own limestone quarry in Holdensrath near
Kilkenny.
Although each business flourished in the
new market, it was clear that both could gain
from a more integrated approach. In 2003 it
was through the strength and support of
SISK-group that Stone Developments could
successfully acquire the Courtois business,
bringing both a distribution presence as well
as a second limestone quarry into the group.
The Belgian business near Antwerp was
renamed as ERINSTONE, being also the
brand name for its indigenous Irish blue
limestone.
Erinstone as a supplier of blue
limestone in slabs, standard
tiles and urban renewal
products (kerbs, paving,
cladding). It accounts
for the export of
approximately 12,000
tonnes of Irish
limestone per year.
As part of a major
reconfiguration of health
services in the Cork and
Kerry region orthopaedic
services are transferring from
St. Mary’s Orthopaedic
hospital to the South
Infirmary Victoria
University Hospital.
The transfer announced on May the 13th
2010 will copper fasten the South Infirmary
as an elective hospital and will lead in time to
a 100 per cent increase on theatre capacity
from that currently used by orthopaedics in St
Mary’s.
Construction works commenced in the
South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital
new Theatre Complex Development in
February 2011.
It consists of 3 Orthopaedic Theatres all
with Laminar Air Flow 3.2 meter canopies, a
ten bed recovery area and associated ancillary
rooms.
Tekno Surgical Ltd. got involved in the
project on the 16/5/2011 the program
completion date was 9/11 leaving 16 weeks to
get approval and sign off of the configuration
and design of the Theatres.
We also had to get approval and sign off of
the group 1 medical equipment design and
configuration.
The main challenge on this project was
getting sign off of the Surgeon’s Control Panel
design and functionality. The SCP installed
was the Touch Screen type and is the main
control centre in the theatre where everything
from theatre operating lights to temperature is
controlled.
We also had to modify the steel structure in
the theatres to allow the pendants function
with the 3.2 meter canopy.
We future proofed the theatres by including
the Touch Screen Control Panel and installed
the Stryker Switch Point Infinity Control
System fiber optic cable kit to enable future
installation of the Switch Point Infinity.
The brief on this project was to deliver state
of the art highly functional theatre’s that we
could use as a reference site for future projects
specifically the Bon Secours development in
Cork.
We had numerous meetings and discussions
with the end users, designers and suppliers to
meet this brief.
The relationship between Healthcare and
Construction has become stronger and the
lessons learned on this project have convinced
both parties that for the future success of
these projects it is vital that a resource from
construction should be appointed to
Healthcare and that construction personnel
on future healthcare construction projects
should have previous experience on such
projects.
We are confident and proud to say despite
all the challenges for construction and
healthcare on this project that the entire team
have delivered a state of the art highly
functional theatre complex that patients and
staff in the South Infirmary will benefit from
long into the future.
21
Married to Michaelle with
two children Emma &
Jack, living in County
Down, Mark Reid, Senior
Director with Cardiac
Services, first started his
career in healthcare back
in 1988
22
Back in 1988, he
joined his father in
setting up their own
medical distribution
company, Medex
Medical. This is
where Mark worked
his way up to
Managing Director,
taking full and
overall responsibility
for the running of
the company, which
included the sale of
Medex to Cardiac
Services in 2002. As
part of that
acquisition Mark became a member of the
Cardiac Services Board of Directors, heading
up the Belfast office as Country Manager,
along with his Strategic Role as Pre Hospital
Sales Director. Mark also leads a very
successful Managed Equipment Service, a 15
year contract for the Group in Belfast.
During this time Mark has developed
significant experience in purchasing & tender
processes, people management and liaising
with manufacturers to offer best in class
solutions for our customers. Cardiac Services
joined the SISK Healthcare
Group in 2006, Mark
continued to work within
his varied roles under this
structure, playing a key role
in developing partnerships
between the SISK
Healthcare companies.
In August this year Mark
took on the role of Senior
Director with Cardiac
Services, this new position
coupled with existing
responsibilities is a
challenge, however it has
given Mark the opportunity
to get involved in all aspects
of the Company and help develop the
strategic direction for the company into the
future. In this new role Mark will work
closely with Michael Connole and other
members of the SGMT to help deliver our
combined strategic vision towards long-term
sustainable results. Mark said; “ I welcome this
new and demanding role within SISK
Healthcare and I will never stop learning, I look
forward to helping shape a successful future and
continuing to work with a dedicated team
within Cardiac Services”
Dragados Sisk Joint Venture’s work is well underway for
tunnelling on London’s Crossrail project.
Even though tunnelling on Crossrail’s eastern
running tunnels does not start until the third
quarter of 2012, the Dragados Sisk Joint
Venture, which started on site in January, has
lots to do.
Massive access shafts and launch chambers
for the tunnel boring machines (TBMs) must
be dug, a tunnel lining segment factory built
in Chatham Docks in Kent and a vast array
of other support infrastructure involving river
and rail transport put in place to allow
segments to be delivered and nearly
900,000m3 of spoil to be removed during
tunnelling.
The £15bn Crossrail project will provide a
new east-west route across London, helping
to ease congestion on the capital’s
underground system and provide a link
between Heathrow Airport to the west and
the international rail terminal at Stratford to
the east. It is due to open in 2017.
Contract C305 was awarded to Dragados
Sisk JV in December 2011 and is the largest
of the Crossrail tunnelling packages. It
involves constructing three pairs of tunnels
under east London, running from Farringdon
Station in the city centre out to Stepney
Green, where the route divides, and on to two
tunnel portals at Pudding Mill Lane and
Victoria Dock. In all, the JV will build nearly
12km of tunnels.
Four enormous Earth Pressure Balance
TBMs are now being built by Herrenknecht
in Germany, with the first due to set off
towards Farringdon from the Limmo
Peninsula launch shaft in London’s
Docklands towards the end of 2012.
Each 7.1m diameter TBM is 11m long and
will be supported by a 135m long train that
carries the concrete tunnel lining segments
and takes away the excavated spoil.
Tunnelling is due to finish in 2015.
And the team hopes its involvement will
not stop there, as Dragados Sisk JV has also
been shortlisted to tender for some of the
new Crossrail stations – at Tottenham Court
Road, Liverpool Street and Whitechapel. The
contracts for these will be awarded in 2012.
23
“I was brought up in the
shadow of the old Derrick
Crane in what was then
referred to locally as
Walshe’s Quarry. My
mother would always
suggest that if a fair effort
was not put into the books,
“breaking stones in the
quarry” was what lay
ahead”, Phil Meany
24
Phil Meaney
So with that backdrop, how was I to feel
when I first went into the quarry for 4 weeks
when the secretary in the office was on sick
leave. From day one, I enjoyed the work and
the people and although I was off to AG
College in Pallaskenry in Co. Limerick in
early October, I was quite happy to postpone
this venture for 12 months when requested to
do so and as they say the rest is history.
I worked in the office in Carlow for 2 years
and then spent the next 12 months engaged
in further training in Top Quarries in
Ballinasloe and Ballybrew Quarries in
Enniskerry. I was Company Rep. from
January 1975 and remained there until July
1st 1978. Good times – out and about,
reasonable salary and a good car.
My first venture into management was in
1978 with my appointment as manager in
what was, and still is, the love of my life in
the stone industry – Carlow. From day one I
could see the need for export and by the end
of that year got the support of the Sisk family
for the first major investment since Sisk had
bought the quarry from James Walshe in
1963. Exports from Carlow to Mainland
Europe commenced in the early 1980’s. With
the support of the Group and fantastic
colleagues we grew the business in Carlow. I
became a Director of the company in March
1990 and MD in June 2001, retiring on July
15th 2011 after completing 40 years service.
While the sun did not shine every day, I
had some fantastic times in SDL and with the
aid of hindsight, the acquisition of the
Courtois Group in 2003 was strategically the
key move. Our sales for the first 8 months of
2011 were 87% export which clearly shows
“No Courtois” … “No Stone Group”.
Do I regret spending 40 years with the one
company …… not at all. Instead of changing
company, I changed within the company and
I am very happy to be able to say that Stone
Developments and the Sisk Group are a great
organisation to spend ones working life with.
In conclusion, I would like to thank all the
fine people I worked with and worked for and
wish Stone Developments and the Sisk Group
every success going forward.
Energy efficient
Bosch domestic
appliances
Technologies that not
only improve our daily
life, but also our future.
This year, the 80th anniversary of the
National Ploughing Championships was the
biggest yet with over 190,000 visitors over
the 3 days!
Origo also had its biggest product display
area this year with over 120 square meters of
floor space displaying STIHL and VIKING
products on the latest ‘Shop Concept’ from
STIHL. Over 60 STIHL and VIKING
products were on display from traditional
Petrol Chainsaw to new battery powered
Chainsaws and walk behind mowers to
tractor mowers. In the centre a STIHL
counter was created where 2,000 STIHL
baseball caps where distributed along with
nearly 4,000 catalogues and countless pens
and key rings.
Outside was the STIHL demonstration
Ciaran Cunneen of Origo
From Origo: Dwayne McAssey, Breffni Dunne,
Julie-Anne Hanley, Matthew van Kampen and
Ken Tannam with customers, centre
area where Bill Blythe performed 4
demonstrations each day on Chainsaw Safety
on the Farm, Chainsaw Sharpening, Cutting
Techniques and a Carving. Throughout the
day Bill carved some amazing pieces,
including a tractor, a harp a flower and a
chair using only the STIHL Chainsaw. Once
the chainsaw was started the crowds came
and watched with interested how Bill could
create remarkable sculptures using only a
chainsaw! The outside demonstration area
showed off the product to the thousands of
people who stopped by our stand to find out
more about the number one selling chainsaw
world wide – STIHL.
We are already planning for next year where
we hope to have an even bigger presence!
Origo adds to its portfolio of health
and well being brands
In 2010 we were delighted to add Beurer to our range of
brands opening up new distribution channels for the company.
This year we are pleased to announce that we have added another to our Health and Wellbeing
collection of brands -RIO and Bodi-Tek.
Rio is becoming one of the most popular home beauty brands allowing salon treatments,
technology and techniques to be used at home. Rio innovative products provide solutions for
home Hair Removal, waxing and threading, Nails Care including nail art, extensions and a
home Shellac 14 day nail polish, Dental Whitening products and Body Care incorporating
toning and Circulation Plus boosting blood flow in the body.
Bodi-Tek products offer solutions to revitalise the air using Air Ioniser clearing the air of
smoke, pollen dust and even bacteria. Also in the range is the Back Magic specifically designed
to relieve back pain due to tight muscles, the loss of lumber curve and poor spinal alignment
along with lamps providing a full spectrum of Natural light. All these products will be in stock
from November 1st.
On average we each
consume 160
litres of water
daily. With
impending
water charges
likely to be based
on consumption per
household, consumers are
now more concerned about their
appliances running costs.
New ActiveWater technology
available on selected dishwashers
throughout the BOSCH range is a
revolutionary dishwashing system that
gets the most out of each and every
drop of water. This incredible increase
in efficiency is achieved through
maximising water efficiency in the
rinse cycles, faster heating-up, targeted
water circulation and improved pump
performance, so ActiveWater
dishwashers use less water and less
energy with increased performance. In
fact Bosch ActiveWater dishwashers
use only 6.5 litres of water making it
the most environmentally friendly
dishwasher on the market. Our new
ActiveWater dishwashers not only save
water but they lead the way on energy
consumption too with an A++ rating.
ActiveWater technology can also be
found in the Exxcel 7 washing
machine, only the exact amount of
water is used every time your load
your washing machine, whether you
put in one t-shirt or a full 7kg load.
This is achieved through an Intelligent
Water Management system where flow
sensors in the Exxcel 7 ActiveWater™
washing machine are so accurate that
each load is assessed individually. Only
the exact amount of water is used for
any load, and is continuously adapted
during the cycle so water is not
wasted.
Energy Efficiency applies to
BOSCH product across the range just
look out for the Green Technology
Inside logo to be assured you are
purchasing the most energy efficient
products!
25
Crossword
1
2
3
Wordsearch
4
5
6
7
C K
J N P M N U G D P Y K
H O M O E P A C
8
9
I
F
I
C S
U U Y R R V E T P A L B T
K O P T S R N E K R V D O
10
C W L H
11
I
A A Z
L C E N H
H O S S A G R A S
12
13
14
I
A D K
I
A U Q N Z R H C E L
I
L R A G C E
I
L O
B N W A B
U N P A U N T B R K O A G
15
16
17
18
S A D A L C
J G R
19
I
F R D T X T
K S E C
I
I
L
T A
F A
D E A D
N M C V Q Y H W
22
ACROSS
1 Breakfast food holder (3‑3)
5 Sound of an object hitting water (6)
8 Unsafe (8)
9 Boxing match (4)
10 Show anxiety (4)
11 Dopey, vacant (8)
12 Plane without an engine (6)
13 Rich businessman or politician (3,3)
15 Walked boastfully (8)
18 Hit with your foot (4)
19 Tip, suggestion (4)
20 Ocean between Africa
and America (8)
21 Riches, affluence (6)
22 Amount of medicine (6)
DOWN
2 Industrial action in all industries (7,6)
3 Invented, made (7)
4 Pipe‑unblocking tool (7)
5 See‑through(material) (5)
6 Written slander (5)
7 Deep thought about what you
should do (4‑9)
13 Played the violin (7)
14 Gate money (7)
16 Up to the time that (5)
17 Rubbish, unwanted objects (5)
26
T N A L
T A S M A N E L
20
21
I
ARAL
ATLANTIC
BALTIC
BLACK
CARIBBEAN
CHUKCHI
DEAD
GALILEE
INDIAN
JAPAN
KARA
LAPTEV
MEDITERRANEAN
NORTH
OKHOTSK
PACIFIC
PERSIAN GULF
RED
SARGASSO
SULU
TASMAN
YELLOW
What Am I?
1. I am always hungry and must be fed, the finger I lick quickly
turns to red;
2. Glittering points that downward thrust, sparkling spears that
never rust;
3. If man carried my burden his back would break. I am not rich,
but leave silver in my wake;
4. To unravel me you need a key – not one made by hand, but one
only I would understand;
5. Weight in belly, trees on my back, nails in my ribs, feet I do lack;
6. I am a 2 digit number is twice the sum of its individual digits?
7. I am the largest cube number in the Fibonacci sequence?
8. I am the only number located between a square and a cube?
9. I am a landlocked country that has the largest navy?
10. I am famous for having occured October 10th 1582 in Spain
and Portugal?
Competition
Completed entries to be sent to Elaine Butler at e.butler@siskgroup.ie
Winners of each puzzle will receive a gift voucher.
Lyn James was the winner of the iPad,
she works as a senior Site Secretary/Document
Controller at Athletes Village.
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Transcription

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