Urgent action needed to help firms during coronavirus crisis A group of respected construction industry bodies, who between them represent the majority of contractor business in Scotland, has suggested a number of simple actions which the Scottish Government could introduce immediately to help with cashflow and protect jobs against the ‘crippling’ background of coronavirus. SELECT, the Scottish and Northern Ireland Plumbers’ Federation ( SNIPEF) , the Civil Engineering Contractors Association ( CECA Scotland) and the Scottish Building Federation ( SBF) are among the ten organisations who have sent a joint letter to Fiona Hyslop, secretary for… 24/03/2020Tags: News
Coronavirus job retention scheme could lead to ‘worker resentment’, says ECA The detail of the government’s new coronavirus job retention scheme, announced on Friday, has been questioned by engineering services trade body, ECA. While ECA supports the principle and objectives of the scheme, there is concern over the detail. Notably, ECA believes that the divide created between workers kept on, and those being ‘furloughed’, could lead to ill-feeling and resentment in the workplace. Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced that ‘furloughed’ workers would be effectively paid 80 per cent of their wages by the state to be kept on the payroll, but not undertake any work. 24/03/2020Tags: News
SP Energy Networks to deliver real-time digital model of its network SP Energy Networks has partnered with CGI to assist in delivery of its Smart Data Integration Fabric ( SDIF) project – a key enabler not only for its transition to Distribution System Operator, but crucially to help it support its communities and customers on the journey to net zero. The project will provide a trusted, multi-purpose and reusable digital master model of the network, combining existing geospatial, connectivity, asset and telemetry data to create a platform on which SP Energy Networks can build its digital future, including the move towards data openness set out by the… 23/03/2020Tags: News
COVID-19: A message from Ofgem CEO Jonathan Brearley COVID-19 gives the energy industry a serious challenge to tackle on behalf of the homes and businesses that depend on the sector for gas and electricity. As an industry, we are rooted in delivering for our customers and well-rehearsed on critical events. However, these are usually short-term, such as bad weather, from which we can take the following months to rebuild and recover. But we have not faced a pandemic of this scale so I want to make our position clear. COVID-19 is a national issue. The government is leading the response. On 19 March, the government announced new emergency… 20/03/2020Tags: News
Over nine in ten engineering services firms fear impact of coronavirus Over nine in ten engineering services businesses ( 93 per cent) say they are ‘concerned or very concerned’ about the impact of coronavirus on their business over the next six months, according to initial responses to a major new ECA/BESA/SELECT engineering services survey. Over sixty per cent of respondents are ‘very concerned’ about coronavirus, while perhaps remarkably, one per cent of respondents suggested they were ‘unconcerned’. Half of the engineering services respondents ( 51 per cent) said that they have already encountered ‘delays and disruptions to current… 20/03/2020Tags: News
The effect of Covid-19 on contractual obligations Conexus Law, the specialist advisory firm that provides legal and commercial advice to clients who work in sectors where the built environment, technology, engineering and people converge, is launching a range of fact sheets on the legal implications of the Covid-19. The first one provides legal analysis alongside some valuable, practical steps that may be taken by parties who find the impact of Covid-19 affects their ability to meet contractual obligations owed to others ( upstream) , or who find that their trading partners can no longer meet the obligations owed to them ( downstream)… 20/03/2020Tags: News
Gov agrees measures with energy industry to support vulnerable people through COVID-19 New emergency measures with the energy industry have been agreed by the government to protect the domestic energy supply of those most in need during the disruption caused by COVID-19. From today, customers with pre-payment meters who may not be able to add credit can speak to their supplier about options to keep them supplied. This will benefit over four million customers. This could include nominating a third party for credit top ups, having a discretionary fund added to their credit, or being sent a pre-loaded top up card so that their supply is not interrupted. More broadly, any… 19/03/2020Tags: News
Global challenge for the fast development of ventilators to treat COVID-19 Ennomotive, the hub for engineering innovations, has launched a non-profit online competition for the ideation of low-cost, easy-to build solutions. The goal is to speed up the availability of ventilators in hospitals everywhere to help patients with coronavirus. The number of people affected by the pandemic doubles every three days in many countries and the demand for ventilators is sky high. Ennomotive has joined other international initiatives for the development of easy-to-build ventilators and makes its global community of 20, 000 engineers available to face the challenge. 19/03/2020Tags: News
Socket RCD Compliance to new safety standard Amendments to the safety standards BS7288-2016 went live at the end of November and GreenBrook are the only manufacturer to ensure their RCD products adhere to the latest regulations. To explain in simple terms; the new standard requires Type A RCDs and Type AC RCDs. Type A RCDs can detect pulsating DC currents and surge faults that Type AC RCDs may not detect. Pulsating DC currents are created from faults sometimes found in modern electronic equipment such as EV car chargers, solar panels, multi-media equipment, USB sockets, i-phone chargers, SONOS, Alexa etc. This new standard… 18/03/2020Tags: News
First portable 22kW charging station approved Juice Technology AG, manufacturer of portable charging stations for electric cars, announces that Juice Booster 2 is TÜV SÜD-certified. This company is said to be the first manufacturer to have a 22kW portable charging station successfully tested by TÜV SÜD to prove compliance with the latest IEC 62752 requirements. Alongside user-friendliness and ease of operation, quality and safety are top priorities for Juice Technology AG when it develops and manufactures its full range of charging stations and solutions. This is precisely why the Swiss company was so keen to make this fact clear to… 18/03/2020Tags: News
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