October 2012 Issue 28

Stuart receives his GEM Award from Heidi Mottram, Chief Executive of Northumbrian Water Limited.

Stuart Hockley has won the Individual Contribution of the Year Category in the recent inaugural Northumbrian Water Limited Going the Extra Mile (GEM) Awards Scheme for their various projects throughout the United Kingdom.

Stuart won his award for outstanding performance in the role of Design Co-ordinator and Site Agent on the river, rail and highway crossings within the Farrans Abberton Pipeline Project in Essex.

Stuart, who is a graduate civil engineer, has been with Farrans for some 9 years. On the Abberton Project he effectively co-ordinated and managed seven crossings under roads, railways and rivers. This included a 145 metre tunnel under the 6 lane A12 carriageway and the 100 mph London to Colchester railway line which was the most significant risk on the Project as it required approval by Network Rail and the complexity of maintaining minimal settlement on the live railway line.

In his Design Co-ordinator role, Stuart managed all aspects of the pipeline design, planning condition discharge documentation, technical queries and material procurement for client approval.

The Abberton Contract Manager, Conleth Greene, provided Northlink with a summary of Stuart’s attributes and capabilities.“Stuart, first and foremost, is a great team player as he took every opportunity to share his knowledge of trenchless technology with the junior staff on site. He certainly also went the extra mile by demonstrating a clear commitment to health, safety, quality and the environment with his attention to detail, pro active planning and forward thinking which is very much in keeping with his ability to succeed and deliver technically demanding projects. He is a worthy recipient of his GEM Award.”

Praise indeed for Stuart.

With the boxing gold medal winning success of Nicola Adams and Katie Taylor at this years Olympics it is no surprise that lots of ladies are now taking up the sport which was once seen as a male only preserve.The news this autumn is that Northstone Materials’ own Carol CanningSmyth has decided to lace up the gloves, put in a gum shield and take part in a boxing exhibition on 23 September 2012. The proceeds raised at the event will be donated to the Northern Ireland Children to Lapland Trust. The aim of the Trust is to fulfil the dreams of terminally ill and deserving children by taking them to see Santa Clause at his home in Lapland. It gives the children and their families a day they will never forget.In addition to her pre fight training, which is onerous, Carol has also organised a number of other sponsored events and intends to raise £1,000 for her very deserving charity.All at Northlink wish Carol the very best for her big fight and as they say in boxing circles, ‘keep the guard up’.

In the last month I have visited our operations at Croaghan (twice), Oakbank, Dunmurry, Liverpool and Cambridge. The purpose of the visits was to meet staff to discuss safety in each of the respective divisions and also to launch the annual Northstone safety initiative, “Back to Basics”. I have also visited one of the sites where we had a lost time accident and spent a day there going through the safety procedures with the site management team. This has all been prompted by the very disappointing first eight months of this year, where we have recorded 21 lost time accidents and 382 days lost, almost half the total for the whole of the CRH Europe Materials division.

At these meetings I have been making the point that we have some of the most advanced safety policies and procedures in the industry, we devote thousands of man-hours to site inductions, safety audits, toolbox talks, training, VFL visits, recording safety observations, carrying out risk assessments and vetting subcontractors. Although these procedures can always be improved, they are very good, thorough and regularly win awards. We have also taken great strides towards changing the culture of safety within the company over the last few years, evidenced by the great improvement in our safety statistics up to the end of last year. It does appear, however,

Northlink Q3 2012that the safety culture at many of our various locations still has to improve and, based on some evidence from a survey that was carried out in one of our divisions in the last two months, is practically non-existent amongst as many as 15% of our workers (including supervisors, operatives and subcontractors).

I have made the point as unequivocally as I can that we do not want any individual or subcontractor working at any one of our locations who will not commit to the Northstone/Farrans/Cubis site safety rules. Anyone who, having been given the appropriate inductions and training, still undertakes their duties in a manner which we believe puts either him or one of his colleagues at risk, shall be dismissed from site; we owe this both to the man himself, in order to protect him from potentially hurting himself, and to his work colleagues, who may be put at risk by this individual’s actions. To each of you, I would ask you, during the course of your work, to think about this and to see where you can address any shortcomings in safety culture; it may just save a serious accident or worse. There is nothing more important than safety!

As we head towards the 2012 year end it has to be recognised that the general economic environment is showing no signs of improvement. Tender successes are restricted to England, where we secured an £8.5m Fire Station in Essex, numerous further works

for Scottish Water and a £2.5m scheme at Altnagelvin hospital. Tender prices in the home market are still falling, despite increased costs, which will inevitably lead to further cash flow problems for companies and pressure on our Materials division to retain volumes without dropping prices further. Although the summer period is a quieter period in France, due to holidays, Cubis sales are holding up well, with two notable orders being from SNCF, the French railway company, and for Carillion in Birmingham.

As I have pointed out before, the structure and diversity of our business does help us sustain profitability through these times, but we are not immune and we must be relentless in looking at cost savings in every part of the business, being innovative and driving out any waste or unnecessary costs in our operations and our overheads. Overall we are still targeting to outperform our budget for 2012, the challenge being to sustain and better that performance in 2013.

As you will be aware, I have been appointed as CRH Country Manager for Poland, with effect from November, a huge challenge which I am looking forward to. After 25 years with the Northstone/Farrans group, I want to thank everyone that I have worked with in that time. Very few indeed are the days that I have not enjoyed in my many different roles over the years and that is down entirely to the people in the Company, both past and present. Northstone (NI) Ltd is a great business and will continue to be so well into the future, of that I am sure.Mark Lowry, September 2012

Carol Boxes Clever

Stuart Goes the Extra Mile

2 NorthLink • October 2012

What’s happening @ CUBIS

Michael Goes

Prime Time

New CUBIS appointees pose for the camera ( l-r) Stuart Davies, Aoife Quinn and Steve Shanahan.

Cian’s Kingdom

- from Tahiti to Azerbaijan

CUBIS has shipped its first delivery to a water metering project in Azerbaijan. The initial order is for 10,000 access chambers and covers, with further phases expected in 2013.

It’s all in a day’s work for Cian Cantwell, Director of International Sales, who has spent 16 years opening up markets in far flung destinations for Carson Industries and now CUBIS.

CUBIS currently operates in more than 20 countries throughout the world, with sales to many more. Some of the locations, such as the South Pacific Islands of Tahiti and Nomeua, have not been short of volunteers to help with installation, military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan, less so! Other than France and Germany, which are managed by Remi Beauhaire and Hermann Klein respectively, all other international accounts are managed by Cian.

Of the CUBIS long standing markets, Scandinavia remains very strong across three countries. “We have excellent diversification across the Telecom, FFTx (fibre optic), Road, Rail, Electrical, Airport and General Construction market sectors” said Cian. “We have also supplied some ‘exotic’ locations including rail projects inside the Swedish Arctic Circle for extraction of iron ore and projects on Svalbard Island, Norway, which is famous for its polar bear population and location of the World Seed Bank where an inventory of seeds from all over the world is stored to enable reseeding after extinction”.

Growth for the future remains extremely positive, with Australia showing dramatic growth over the past 12 months. Market potential in Japan, parts of the Middle East and the BRIC nations (Brazil, Russia, India and China) is also being researched.

With such a geographical spread of responsibility, you would be forgiven for thinking that Cian’s role takes on many forms. In reality, the entry to a new market follows a similar pattern each time. “The first step is identifying countries or markets where opportunities currently exist or may exist in the future” says Cian. “Next, the potential end users are identified and then it can be determined whether there is a competitive advantage for our products against what they are currently using. From there, it is about identifying the decision

makers, developing a market entry and product approval strategy and perhaps working with a local company for on the ground representation and distribution. Much of what I do is about educating the market as to the advantage of using CUBIS products as they are a new concept to most”.

There are also potential pitfalls when working across continents, with cultural differences and time zones to consider. “The language barrier can be huge and the use of language must be very clear and straightforward,” explains Cian. “Interpretation is often not what either party means! However, where there used to be many cultural issues to consider, especially in the Middle East, the business environment is now becoming more homogenous.” Cian’s job is often a seven-day a week commitment due to the time differences and different working weeks; Thursday and Friday are the weekend in the Middle East, which only leaves Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday to discuss during office hours. The end result is that Cian’s phone is often busy during Saturday and Sunday with customers seeking quick response times.

Cian studied Commerce at University College Dublin and then followed this with a postgraduate degree in Sales and Marketing. He then started his career in the plastics industry which enabled him to work in the Middle East for a number of years. He joined Carson Industries in 1996, which became CUBIS in 2007.

He lives in Waterford with his wife and three children. A former intercounty hurler, he now coaches a team, Ballygunner,and supports Munster Rugby.

Roscommon Production and Health and Safety Administrator Michael Donlon, a part time Gaelic footballer, has stepped into the limelight by taking part in a hit RTE prime time reality show.

Michael and his teammates at Cashel GAA club in County Longford have been selected for a place on Celebrity Banisteoir, which is currently being filmed. Banisteoir is the Irish language word for “manager”. The show pits teams from all over Ireland against each other in a tournament – but with their usual coach exchanged for a famous manager. All of the action is based around the real life interaction between the manager, the players and the opposition teams. While Cashel could have been receiving the expert opinions of Calum Best or Big Brother winner Paddy Doherty, they arguably drew the pick of the bunch with model and former Miss Universe contestant Rozanna Purcell. Not giving anything away ahead of the show being broadcasted, Michael is very complimentary about Ms Purcell’s involvement; saying “Rozanna is very personable with a surprisingly excellent knowledge of the game.”

For Cashel their brush with fame has been a catalyst for getting all parts of the community involved in the club. Their forthcoming television appearance has raised the profile of the club within the local area and will help keep it strong for years to come. This is very important to Michael, as he explains: “We were privileged to enjoy the facilities that former club members had left for us and we ourselves feel obliged to give something back to the community be it promotion for tourism or leaving a healthy legacy for the sports minded people of tomorrow.”

Michael has worked for CUBIS for over two years and his day to day duties include production administration for the production manager Charlie Dunne, distributing work orders, ordering stock items and compiling monthly health and safety and also energy reports. Asked whether his colleagues in CUBIS are envious of the publicity he has received, Michael has found nothing but support. “There is a very good knowledge of the show in the Roscommon factory. Everyone appreciates the huge voluntary effort that it takes to run our local clubs and are happy that my club is getting their day in the spotlight on prime time television.”

Celebrity Banisteoir will air during September and October on RTE.

CUBIS has announced three appointments to its management team. The new company wide roles, which were filled internally, will consolidate the CUBIS position as the European market leader for access chamber systems.

Steve Shanahan has been appointed as Purchasing Manager. Having previously worked as project manager for the Javelin IT systems integration, Steve will work within Colman Cooney (Director of Commercial Operations) and his team, ensuring that CUBIS is maximising economies of scale across the organisation.

Also joining the commercial team is Stuart Davies, who has been appointed as Commercial Manager. Stuart’s role will be to

CUBISprovide a bridge between the sales and commercial teams within the business, ensuring that margins are maintained or improved wherever possible.

Aoife Quinn has accepted the position of SHEEQ (Safety, Health, Energy, Environment and Quality) Manager. In this role, Aoife will assume overall responsibility for the management of compliance systems at all CUBIS sites and their successful integration with our Javelin systems. Aoife will report to Derek Williamson, Director of Operations, and will also work closely with Joe Brankin (Business Improvement Manager) to drive forward process improvements and LEAN manufacturing techniques.

Commenting on the appointments Michael Wightman, CUBIS Managing Director, said “I am delighted to welcome the new CUBIS management team. Creating management strength in depth was a key component of our strategic plan of appointees and I am pleased with how this aspect of our planning is taking shape.”

Northlink wishes Aoife, Stuart and Steve every success in their new roles.

New Appointments

at

3October 2012 • NorthLink

What’s happening @ Farrans

Farrans Walkers Complete their Hike for the Kids (l-r): Conor Ward, Stephen McCarthy, Barry McDonagh, Mathew Xavier, Cara Hanna, Stephen McCaffrey, Adene Donaghy, Brighdin Burns, Kate Armstrong, Wendy Armstrong, Sean Bradley, Kelly McNaught. Missing from the photograph are: Simon Aiken, Dominic Lavery and Colin McCaffrey who completed the 20 mile route.

Farrans Construction have just completed, as part of the Farrans Martin Patton (FMP) joint venture vehicle, six schools on the Western Isles Schools Project (WISP), with only the demolitions and remainder of the external works to complete on two of the schools.

Over the two year build programme WISP generated £35m for the local economy and at its peak 300 jobs were created and 3500 site inductions were carried out.

Each of the schools has secured BREEAM Excellent accreditation, one of the most comprehensive and widely recognised measures of a building’s environmental performance. Combined, the six schools have provided over 28,000m² of facility floor space to accommodate over 2,000 pupils in pre-school, primary and secondary education.

The Nicolson Institute, Stornoway, Isle of Lewis. With a school roll of 1,100 pupils, this is the largest secondary school in the Western Isles and is located adjacent to the existing site on Springfield Road, Stornoway. While the old school consisted of several buildings spread over a large, disparate campus, the new school is a single new-build facility providing in excess of 13,500m² of floor space. The new campus also includes the retained C-listed Pentland Building and the B-listed Matheson Hall which have been extensively upgraded and refurbished to provide CDT and a centralised ICT HUB to serve all schools in the Western Isles.

West Side Primary School, Barvas, Isle of Lewis. A 1,593m² new build primary school catering for 100 primary and 23 pre-school pupils.

Balivanich Primary School, Isle of Benbecula. A 2,047m² new build primary school catering for 150 primary and 60 pre-school pupils. Sir E Scott School, Tarbert, Isle of Harris. A primary school catering for 174 and 40 pre-school pupils. This project was the combination of a 4,147m² new build and 1,510 m² of refurbishment.

Point Primary School, Bayble, Isle of Lewis. A 2,122m² new build primary school catering for 175 primary pupils and 40 pre-school pupils. Daliburgh Primary School, South Uist. A 2,082m² new build primary school catering for 90 primary and 12 pre-school pupils.

As part of FMP’s commitment to integrating with the communities on the Western Isles, Farrans provided opportunities for the long-term unemployed to work and engaged with ConstructionSkills, the Scottish and Northern Ireland Plumbing Employers Federation (SNIPEF) and Skills Development Scotland, through the “Adopt an Apprentice” scheme. This initiative gives apprentices, who have experienced redundancy in the current economic climate, a second chance to complete their training.

Martin Joyce, Head of Operations at Sgoiltean Ùra LLP, the Client’s representative, said: “We are delighted that FMP have successfully delivered six new schools on time and on budget. FMP’s unique collaborative working methods demonstrate that even in remote locations such as the Western Isles, joint project delivery and a desire to succeed can deliver real achievements. In addition to the local supply chain being utilised by FMP, we are delighted that the Western Isles Schools Project has afforded the opportunity for so many apprenticeship and training positions for the duration of the contract.

Congratulations to Warren Wright for his leadership of the overall project and, in alphabetical order, to Stephen Allen, Jerome Curran, Morris Gilmore, Joanna Macdonald, Mel McMahon, Brian Maguire, Matty Murphy, Gary Neill, Gavin Newburn, Liam O’Hagan, Patrick Poland and Spencer Williams for their part in the successful completion of this inspirational project.”

SIX BESTOFTHE

FROM FARRANS

Walking for the Kids

Margaret Mullan, one of the best known Farrans people in Scotland, has retired after over 21 years of unstinting service to the Company. It is fitting that when Northlink asked Alvar Kenwell, the Farrans Director in Scotland, for an appreciation of Margaret’s career at Oakbank, he very kindly provided the following piece;

“Margaret’s commitment, work ethic and capacity to successfully deliver tasks against more than challenging deadlines were renowned but more importantly perhaps was her willingness to assist staff at all levels in their day to day activities when there was a problem or issue which could not be easily overcome. Margaret’s attention to detail was always exemplary not to mention her knowledge of completed and current contracts. No doubt Margaret would agree that the Farrans of today in Scotland is almost unrecognisable from the one she joined. Back in 1990 when Margatet joined the company the Farrans Scottish Region won a total of 5 contracts which totalled a turnover of some £1.95m for the year. Since

1990 Margaret has been involved with some 237 contracts which collectively have contributed turnover of some £449M to the Farrans success story in Scotland. Margaret was also a stalwart employee in the recessionary times of the early 1990’s when it was extremely difficult to win work but as time went on she witnessed and played a key role in the development of a Farrans ethos which added much to the success of the Scottish Division in subsequent years. She spent many long hours toiling over contract documents to ensure our tender submissions could not be faulted.I know I convey the sentiments of all employees at Farrans in Scotland and beyond in stating how much we have all admired Margaret’s dedication to her colleagues and to our Company.”

All at Farrans and across the wider Northstone family wish Margaret and her husband, Owen, a long, happy and healthy retirement and we understand that the couple have plans already in place to pursue new dreams and to spend more time with their grandchildren.

Margaret Retires

The new Sir E. Scott School at Tarbert, Isle of Harris.

Margaret, (centre) poses with the rest of her colleagues at Oakbank offices.

On Saturday 15 September 2012 it was a 5am start for 15 Farrans employees who participated in the Mourne Hike Against Cruelty for Kids in County Down in support of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC). The NSPCC helps vulnerable children and young people across Northern Ireland and just £120 could answer 30 calls to the Society’s Childline Service, which is a confidential helpline and online service dedicated to children and young people.

Our photograph shows the 12 Farrans people who completed the 14 mile route through the Mournes with Simon Aiken, Dominic Lavery

and Colin McCaffrey choosing to complete the 20 mile route which had an earlier starting time.

By all accounts, the Hike was a fun day out for those involved and it concluded with a well deserved meal and refreshments in nearby Newcastle.

A magnificent sum of £1,500 was raised by our Farrans people with a special mention to Adene Donaghy for being the second female to finish in the overall event.

Northlink congratulates all involved in supporting such a worthwhile cause.

4 NorthLink • October 2012

What’s happening @ MATERIALS

Fully Committed to Health and Safety at Mattest ( l-r) Angus Kennedy, Paul McMenamin, Ronnie Hawkins, Liam McMenamin, Deborah Adair,Jason Dalton, Neil Cooke, Ian Gault and Gordon Ellis.

Northstone’s commitment to health and safety has never been greater and with the recent launch of the ‘Back to Basics’ campaign the continued drive towards an accident free workplace is in full swing. However, for Mattest an accident free work place is nothing new. Come this October Mattest will have had zero lost time accidents for the last 4 years and only 1 day lost in the last 7 years. This record extends not only to the four permanent Mattest

Energy efficiency across our Company continues to be a priority and no where is this more important than in the quarries, pits and other fixed locations operated by Materials Division due to the constant use of mobile and fixed plant.

It is long been recognised that the operators of mobile plant can do much to reduce fuel consumption in their machines by energy efficient operation and manoeuvring. With this in mind, Volvo Construction Equipment, were recently asked to deliver their EcoOperator training package to the loading shovel operators at North Down, Coleraine and Ballymena quarries.

EcoOperator provides machine operators with the practical and theoretical knowledge they need to become safer, more efficient and extra environmentally conscious while operating their equipment. The programme teaches correct machine operation and manoeuvring as well as how operators can plan their work in the smartest, most efficient way. By following these techniques

Northstone Materials has become one of the relatively few companies in the quarrying and building materials sectors in the United Kingdom to be accredited to the new prestigious International Standard 50001:2011 Energy Management System. The accreditation recognises the Northstone capability in each of its operating divisions to establish energy efficiency targets and objectives, make better use of energy data for decision making and to continually improve energy management.

The 50001 accreditation means that the management focus on energy management at Northstone is further enhanced and provides a framework for effective monitoring and achievement of energy efficiencies on an ongoing basis.

Northstone Materials have also been awarded the Carbon Saver Gold Standard for reducing carbon emissions in the period from 2008 to 2011 which complements the ISO 50001 accreditation.

The Northstone Materials Technical Director, Brian Watt, said;“ISO 50001 is deemed a management standard but at Northstone Materials we have involved every employee in our objective of reducing our energy usage and it is through their

’Back To Basics’

Comes to Mattest

laboratories in Belfast, Coleraine, Dublin and Cork but also to the various site laboratories that have serviced large road contracts over this time. These include DBF02 (Newry By-Pass and Ballygawley to Dungannon Motorway), the Dundalk to Newry link road, the M3 motorway (Clonee to Kells), Tralee by-pass and the Castleisland By-Pass to name but a few.

This excellent record is in no small way due to the ongoing

commitment to health and safety by both the management and technical staff at each location.Barry Gilroy is the area manager for Dublin and part of his duties is to look after the health and safety needs of his staff. Barry commented “In the Dublin laboratory, technician and management discussions and interaction on health and safety are strongly encouraged, with feedback provided and the relevant actions addressed promptly. Personnel are expected to take a personal responsibility for their own safety and the safety of their colleagues with management providing the resources and guidance which allows them to do so”.

Therese McSweeney has responsibility for carrying out internal health and safety audits in Cork and is also the first aider. “Therese’s hard work and

dedication to this area of her work has provided the backdrop to our accident free record” commented Rory Egan, the Mattest Area Manager in Cork.

Mattest’s Belfast laboratory moved to their Dunmurry premises in the spring of 2006 and has remained lost time accident free since then.

The Area Manager for the Belfast laboratory is Neil Cooke and as you would expect he is delighted with the Mattest health and safety record; “Health and safety has always been the top priority in Mattest. The ‘Back to Basics’ campaign has given us the opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to health and safety with all our employees. One thing we stress to our workforce is that if they feel a task is unsafe, do not carry out that task, simply stop and talk to a manager. No employee is expected to take risks at work”. Neil took time during the ‘Back to Basics’ presentation to also thank all the technicians for their hard work and vigilance in maintaining the Mattest exemplary record in health and safety.

Training at Northstone

operators can help save money on fuel, increase overall production, minimise maintenance expenses and reduce emissions.

David Glasgow, who was the quarry manager at Ballymena at the time of the training, told Northlink something of the initiative;

“The training delivered by Volvo was based on their Caretrack mobile plant monitoring programme which provides information on how each machine is driven and is performing. During the training, the operators were provided with information on their driving behaviour and the techniques of how their job could be made easier and at the same time improve the efficiency of their machine. The training also included a practical demonstration of how best to set up their machine and organise their work each day. All in all, our drivers found the Volvo training thought provoking and beneficial. It also helps our quarries achieve the objective of becoming the lowest cost producer which is vital in today’s economic climate.”

QuarriesEcoOperator

commitment to this objective and understanding of the need to reduce our energy consumption that has led to the 50001 accreditation and achieving the Carbon Saver Gold Award”“The Carbon Saver Gold Standard means that we have consistently implemented good management processes to reduce our carbon emissions over a three year period leading to an ongoing improvement in energy efficiency at our locations. The Standard also indicates that we operate robust energy policies, training, and procedures together with accurate measurement and monitoring of all energy use” added Brian“Making even small adjustments to the way any process is undertaken or equipment is used can significantly improve the working environment and at the same time, save money. It is essential to promote the benefits of energy saving to the entire workforce in order to get the best results both for the Company and the global impact of greenhouse gas emissions.”

Both Farrans Construction and CUBIS Industries have also achieved the ISO 50001 Standard and the Carbon Saver Gold Standard earlier this year.

Congratulation to all three Northstone divisions on their energy management achievements.

Trainers and trainees on completion of training: (l-r) Bob Simms, Anthony Cairns (Volvo), Donal McIlwaine and Robin Christie (Northstone Materials) at Ballymena Quarry

Another Energy Management Meeting Gets Underway at Coleraine Quarry (l-r) Trevor McKay, David Glasgow, Raymond Stirling, Philip Weir, Brian Watt, Martin Melly, John O’Connor, Paul Hughes, Colin Mitchell, Davy Donaldson and Dessie McGuckian.

Energy Management

Success at Northstone