One of the UK’s leading engineering and construction companies – ENGIE Fabricom – has secured an additional contract as part of a major framework agreement with owners and operators of strategic gas assets across Europe.

The new contract will see ENGIE Fabricom manage and coordinate the full implementation and commissioning of two upgraded pairs of Uninterruptable Power Supply (UPS) systems, which play an integral role in maintaining critical emergency power should there be a failure with the input power source or mains power.

The win comes on the back of ENGIE Fabricom delivering the following for its client over the last two years:

• A resilience study on the UPS’s assessing all critical loads on the site;
• Provision of detailed documentation outlining the full capability and resilience of the systems, including a series of recommendations to reduce the risk of equipment failure;
• Delivery of a FEED study and detailed design of the upgrade, including specifications for the new equipment;
• Additional support in suitable vendor selection of the new equipment.

In the next phase of the project, ENGIE Fabricom will manage and commission the upgrade of the UPS systems during a shutdown period in 2021.

As part of this, the company’s responsibilities include:

• Shutdown planning and site coordination of the project;
• Engagement with the site incumbent installation contractors and systems integrators;
• Taking on the role of ‘Technical Authority’ on behalf of our client in relation to the main equipment supplier.

This project is another great example demonstrating the company’s complete end to end capabilities.

It has worked closely as a partner alongside its client to take the project from the initial conceptual stage to define the problem and develop a robust solution, which ENGIE Fabricom will now see through to managing the implementation and commissioning stages.

About ENGIE Fabricom

ENGIE is a global energy player and an expert operator in the three businesses of electricity, natural gas and energy services.

ENGIE develops its business (power, natural gas, energy services) around a model based on responsible growth to take on the major challenges of energy transition to a low carbon economy: access to sustainable energy, climate change mitigation and adaptation, security of supply and the rational use of resources.

The Group provides homes, cities and businesses with highly efficient and innovative solutions, largely based on its expertise in four key sectors:

• Renewable Energy
• Energy Efficiency
• Liquefied Natural Gas
• Digital Technology

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Aviation has been hit hard by the public health emergency and this Government has been far too slow to act, and with its dithering and last-minute decisions, has meant that thousands of jobs have already been lost says GMB London.

GMB London, the union for airport workers, has reached an agreement with ABM, who provide Aircraft cabin cleaning and security services to Airlines such as Virgin, Delta, American Airlines and other major airlines, to close the redundancy process and preserve 70 jobs at Heathrow.

Saving Jobs at Heathrow

GMB London has been in redundancy consultations with ABM throughout October and has worked proactively together to try and mitigate proposed redundancies.

Perry Phillips, GMB Regional Organiser for Aviation at Heathrow, said:

“With agreements being reached on a national transition agreement and the utilisation of the Governments support schemes, ABM informed the GMB that it no longer intends to make redundancies within its Cabin Cleaning Services contracts and is terminating the redundancy process.

“This is really excellent news for our members who work on the Aircraft cleaning contracts for ABM.

They no longer have the threat of losing their jobs hanging over their heads and not have to worry of how they were going to provide and support their families.

GMB Members

“GMB members have expressed their gratitude and thanks to their Union and ABM for working together to protect their jobs. 

70 jobs at Heathrow have been saved with the hard work through negotiations from both ABM and GMB maintaining good industrial relations and through a collaborative approach.

“Whilst the GMB welcome the extension of the furlough scheme and previously the JSS, we are clear that it doesn’t go far enough for an aviation sector that has been on its knees since March.

“To protect an industry, that has been one of the hardest hit and will be one of the slowest to recover, sector-specific support for Aviation and its workers who live in communities around the Airports, are urgently required. 

Sluggish Government

This Government has been far too slow to act, and with its dithering and last-minute decisions, has meant that thousands of jobs have already been lost.”

Mark Gregory ABM HR Director, Business Partnering UK & IRE, said:

“I am delighted at this difficult time of the Covid-19 pandemic that ABM has been able to protect the business and save so many jobs.

The joint partnership approach that ABM and GMB have developed and adopted has been instrumental in this process and we continue to work closely with the GMB and other Unions in ABM”

Further Reading

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As the coronavirus pandemic continues to disrupt the UK, tradespeople are among those who have been advised they are still able to work under the national restrictions that came into effect on 5 November, including working in and around people’s homes.

The news is certainly positive for the construction industry and homeowners in England, as it means people can take advantage of the new Green Homes Grant Voucher Scheme, which will see the Government fund up to two-thirds of the cost of energy-efficient home improvements.

The scheme is a key part of the UK’s green economic recovery following the pandemic.

However, only TrustMark Registered Businesses can do work under the Government’s new scheme, meaning tradespeople and businesses who are not registered could be missing out on work.

Simon Ayers, Chief Executive of TrustMark, explains, “There are certain steps that must be completed in order to become a Green Homes Grant installer.

Firstly, the businesses must hold a PAS 2030 certification and/or MCS certification for low carbon installations, which can be achieved through UKAS accredited certification bodies.

“They must also register with TrustMark which in turn, will allow them to register with the Government’s scheme administrator as a Green Homes Grant installer.

“There are thousands of UK customers looking for someone to carry out work under the scheme right now, so it’s most certainly worth businesses getting involved.”  

The levels of work that will be created over the next decade to improve the homes we live in means a sustainable and growth-driven market for businesses to operate within, an investment with rewards.

To communicate this message, TrustMark has created a number of assets to make it easier for businesses to become Green Homes Grant installers, outlining the steps in more detail at: www.trustmark.org.uk/ghgvsopp

And, since the COVID-19 outbreak in early 2020, the Government and industry have worked hard to ensure written safety guidelines are in place.

To keep everyone safe, TrustMark, has created Work Safe Safe Work: a three-part guide to help customers know what to do before, while and after they have tradespeople working for them.
“We know that many people have reservations about what is expected of them and what they need to do while the work is taking place to ensure it’s safe.

That’s why we would recommend tradespeople send out the Work Safe Safe Work guide to their customers at least 48 hours prior to the work being done”, says Simon Ayers.

“In providing such clear and simple information, the guide will keep both tradespeople and customers safe, while giving them confidence in this new reality we are finding ourselves in.”

For further information, please visit TrustMark’s dedicated Green Homes Grant page for trades: www.trustmark.org.uk/ghgvsopp.

7 Time World Snooker Champion Stephen Hendry MBE has been named the official Global Brand Ambassador for The Property Cigar Club.

Stephen Hendry will begin his role on behalf of The Property Cigar Club across all media platforms as of today.

Stephen Hendry MBE

“​I am thrilled to partner with The Property Cigar Club. We share a passion around cigars, community and lifestyle and it instantly felt like a great brand fit”.

“I am particularly excited about the long term plans to collaborate on future Property Cigar Clubs to include a Snooker room.

I have always had a vision to create an environment that both combined the traditional values of Snooker with a more modern look and feel.

The opportunity to bring this vision to life is exciting. I look forward to sharing my passion for Cigars, Whisky and Snooker alongside great company with the Property Cigar Club members”

Biography

Stephen Hendry MBE is a Scottish professional snooker player and a commentator for the BBC and ITV.

As a seven-time World Champion, he is the most successful player in the modern era of the World Snooker Championship and holds the record for the most seasons as world number one (nine seasons).

His first world title in 1990, at the age of 21, made him the youngest-ever World Champion, a record that he still holds.

Hendry also won six Masters titles (including five consecutively), and five UK Championship titles.

One of only three players to have won all three Triple Crown events in a single season, Hendry is the only player to have achieved the feat twice, in the 1989–90 and 1995–96 seasons. A prolific break builder, Hendry has recorded

a total of 775 career century breaks and made 11 officially recognised maximum breaks in professional competition.

He was awarded an MBE in 1994 and voted BBC Scotland’s Sports Personality of the Year in 1987 and 1996. In May 2012, after featuring in his 27th consecutive World Championship, he announced his retirement from the game, bringing to an end his record 23 consecutive seasons in the top 16 of the world rankings.

In September 2020, it was announced that Hendry would come out of retirement after having been given an invitational tour card for the next two seasons.

Statement by The Property Cigar Club

We thought long and hard on who we would officially announce as the Global Brand Ambassador for our brand.

After finding out Stephen Hendry was a passionate Cigar Smoker and discovering his vision for the future, we felt Stephen was the right person to lead our brand through our global vision.

Stephen is a remarkable personality and we know he’s only going to continue to rise to new heights with his return to the game of snooker.

We welcome him to The Property Cigar Club family and look forward to exciting times ahead.

Emre Gürler & Hilmi Osman

About The Property Cigar Club:

With the recent rise in communities coming together, The Property Cigar Club has defined the community with its supporting pillars “Cigars & Lifestyle” which is a new and innovative approach to your typical private member’s clubs, where you’re expected to pay for access to the venue, with no added value involved.

Our unique business model gives back to our members through products, services, and benefits while maintaining a niche community with high calibre individuals among our member base.

The Property Cigar Club is the ultimate community for property & construction professionals, where similar minds can meet and friendships formed, as we bring people together with a shared passion for high-quality Cigars and Lifestyle.

To register your interest in becoming a member and booking an interview with our team, please visit our website at ​www.thepropertycigarclub.co.uk

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Leading ironmongery specialist supplier, IronmongeryDirect, has partnered with Checkatrade, the UK’s number one website for finding a tradesperson, offering exclusive benefits for both new and existing Checkatrade members and IronmongeryDirect customers.

The partnership entitles all IronmongeryDirect customers to receive three months free membership with Checkatrade: a platform that can help tradespeople to build their business and reputation, with the added benefit that they will also receive a 10% discount on all orders with IronmongeryDirect. The discount will also be available to existing Checkatrade members.

Partnered with Checkatrade

Marco Verdonkschot, managing director at IronmongeryDirect says, “Checkatrade is the UK’s number one website for finding a tradesperson. We are delighted to partner with them and offer our customers a discounted rate on membership.

This will open up the opportunity for their business to be found in over two million monthly visits from individuals looking for trustworthy tradespeople.

“In addition, new and existing Checkatrade members will be able to save 10% on purchases across our range of over 18,000 high-quality products.

This includes our seven exclusive brands that cover a range of commercial, domestic and specialist projects, all under one roof.”

Alex Cubitt, Chief Growth Officer at Checkatrade said: “We’re pleased to provide our members with this benefit from IronmongeryDirect, which has joined our suite of exclusive partnerships and discounts. We’re sure this will be welcomed by our 48,000 trade members.”

For more information or to sign up, please call 02394 317516 or visit https://join.checkatrade.com/idl.

See more on Ironmongery from Skill Builder.