Keeping our employees, partners and the public safe, whilst delivering the highest quality service is our number one priority.

Safety and quality are two key areas of focus for JPCS in 2013 and beyond and so, as directors, one of the ways in which we’re taking a proactive approach to improve in these areas is by leading from the front and embarking on a regular site inspection programme.

To kick start the programme, myself, Martin Jones and Jenny Neville (pictured above (centre) with highways operatives at a site safety inspection in April 2013) have personally carried out a number of visits this month, across our highways, rail and energy sites, which have been really positive and insightful - and the feedback has been great. Further visits to different sites will take place quarterly, in addition to existing inspections by supervisors, contract managers, the site safety auditor and clients.

Our business culture strongly encourages a ‘visible felt leadership’ approach which instils best practice across the company – and we believe everyone has a part to play to achieve it. We feel that taking an active role in promoting safety and quality through site inspections on the front line is a great way to get this message across. Equally, it’s a great opportunity to engage with our site staff face to face, understand issues and achieve tangible improvements that make a real difference.

And it works. Our ‘visible felt leadership’ approach has already led to improvements in safety performance, business performance, increased non-conformance, near hit, and accident reporting, positive feedback internally and externally from stakeholders, and external recognition through awards which we’re really proud of.

We really want to make JPCS a safe place to work and to be a safe partner to our clients. We also want our work to be of the highest quality and to get things right – the first time.  And we’ll be out on site – just to make sure.

What initiatives do you have in place to improve safety and quality? Let us know on Twitter - we look forward to hearing from you.

As featured in the first issue of Smart Highways in April 2013 (part of Thinking Highways)

ONE of the most important lessons the internet age has taught us is that engaging with your customers is the key to more secure and productive business relationships.

Shops and businesses communicate with their customers through social media, SMS messages, email and face-to-face conversations, but how can clients and the supply chain in the established world of infrastructure and highway maintenance work in collaboration?

To fully engage with your clients you need the ability to stand in their shoes and see tasks and objectives though their eyes.

When we developed the traffic management / vehicle restraint systems (TM/VRS) unit at JPCS we set ourselves the challenge to approach each project from the client’s point of view, engaging in dialogue first and then developing our proposals and recommendations. This dialogue has prompted several innovative developments and been great for our business.

Collaboration creates new approaches

Creativity doesn’t always spring to mind when you think of highway maintenance, yet our TM/VRS unit has become one of the most innovative parts of our business. Talking through the problems clients face  has helped us to create new approaches to the way we work.

Through conversations with clients we heard about frustrations with the number of subcontractors needed to undertake specialist elements of TM/VRS. One client had one firm surveying, another installing the signs, another controlling the traffic management services, someone else providing the barriers and then another business project managing it all. This was making simple projects more time consuming and costly. Through this kind of feedback, we worked on enhancing our service offering, to provide a fully integrated service and removing the headaches involved in managing multiple contractors. It required more investment and training on our part but it means we can provide a ‘turnkey solution’.

We are now a “one stop shop” of specialist services, one point of contact for all works, ranging from grass cutting and response repairs to vehicle restraint systems and all traffic management services, delivering a seamless and cost-effective service. This approach has been welcomed by our clients.Because we can provide both the maintenance works and traffic management directly, we have complete control over the work, enabling more efficient planning, sequencing of works and overall delivery of the programme, not to mention reduced disruption and improved safety for the public and our workforce. Reduced time on site, labour and resources also delivers efficiencies and cost savings for the client.

Collaboration creates innovation

For more than 20 years we’ve been maintaining the UK’s highways and byways and this depth of experience was the catalyst for our latest innovation. Following the integration of the TM/VRS unit, we began to think about how we could continue to improve our offering. One suggestion was “why not combine features of the traffic management project with active parts of the repair and maintenance job?”

Our TM/VRS team took up this new challenge, by converging the specifications of a barrier rig with those of  traffic management services and vehicle restraint system vehicles; as a result, we have developed the first bespoke, single vehicle which performs these tasks in one single operation.

Taking a collaborative approach for this project, the TM/VRS team spent time consulting with all stakeholders, local authorities, on the ground operatives and the vehicle manufacturer, creating a unique design which is completely fit for purpose.

The new vehicle combines the key features of two separate vehicles, thereby reducing labour, fuel and maintenance costs as well as minimising the environmental impact. It will make a significant difference to the way these operations are undertaken around the country in the future.

The custom-built vehicle incorporates a barrier rig for VRS and crash impact protection for traffic management services. It has also be designed with twin barrier hammers for repairing barriers, an in-built compressor, remote control hiab, tower lights, generator powerpoints and a storage area for cones, signs and VRS components.

This has been a complex project which required significant planning but it has certainty been worth it.  The annual fuel cost savings alone are £15,000 and we predict JPCS will be able to generate a total of £30,000 worth of savings every year through the new vehicle.  This, in turn, means we will be able to offer a more efficient, cost effective and environmentally friendly solution to local authorities and contractors.

In our view this innovation, which was born out of collaboration, will become a benchmark for highway repair operations in the future.

Collaboration creates happy end users

I started my highways career as a labourer in a pavement gang and that’s when I recognised the importance of customer feedback, so at JPCS we have the ‘yellow jacket test’. The idea is, if when you finish a job you stand on the road wearing a “yellow jacket”, people will approach you and give you end user feedback money can’t buy.

We take these comments back to our clients, as in turn it helps them create more positive relationships with their own customers, the end users. It’s also important to work in partnership with local authorities and local business during a highways project so end-users can be updated on what is going on and when any traffic management work will be completed.

Collaboration creates better working practices

Taking a collaborative approach provides a platform for both suppliers and clients to deliver the highest standards and continually improve working practices.  We’re all working together to achieve the best possible results.

For example, working with Balfour Beatty and the Highways Agency on maintenance works on the A50 Stoke to Derby, we have  been able to guarantee all response repairs are completed within the five day service level agreement, with an excellent safety record -zero incidents to date.

These improved working practices have not gone unnoticed. Our TM/VRS unit has been recognised through ISO 9001 accreditation, including National Highways Sector Schemes (NHSS) for the supply and erection of vehicle restraint systems (2b) and for traffic management (12a, 12b and 12d). In addition, The Road Surface Treatments Association (RSTA) awarded JPCS its Behavioural Safety Award for the outstanding health and safety levels the company has achieved and the innovative and collaborative culture we have developed.

Collaboration is the future

I firmly believe collaboration is vital to the future of the highways industry. The best working relationships will be the ones where suppliers take time to listen to clients’ needs and frustrations – and vice versa. This approach will help partnerships to innovate and deliver all projects successfully and sustainable – for the long haul.

As featured in the first issue of Smart Highways in April 2013 (part of Thinking Highways)

JPCS has been recognised for innovation in health and safety, thanks to a new reporting system launched earlier this year. The company was awarded Runner-up in the Health and Safety Innovations category at the 2013 RSTA Annual Health & Safety Awards held at the Belfry last night.

Following an audit and review of the previous process, the Cheshire based civil engineering and maintenance services contractor has invested in the development of a new reporting system for non-conformances and near hits, which was recognised as a Health and Safety Innovation in the surfacing industry by the RSTA judging panel.

Director Jenny Neville explained:

“Using a paper-based reporting system whilst working across multiple sites nationwide meant there was a delay in the reporting of non-conformances and near hits. A paper based process also meant employees were less likely to report near hits, especially when working on site. As a result, non-conformances were being reported late and we were not confident that we were necessarily aware of all hazards onsite. Furthermore the reporting system was more focussed on corrective action, as opposed to the timescale it was corrected in, and with less emphasis was on preventative action.”

The innovation involved the nationwide launch of a 24/7/365 line called “Report it!” on the 1^st January 2013. The system is supported by a 24 hour telephone service that captures all the required information, which is immediately reported electronically to the head office for timely reporting and action. A database captures all information measuring close-out times, as well as corrective and preventative action, which is reviewed for trends and analysis. The number reported and close out times are then reported as part of a HSEQ KPI scorecard.

The programme was launched following a fully integrated communication programme including memos, posters, text messages, magazine articles, emails and toolbox talks, and receives ongoing support communications.  For example, to encourage participation, anyone who reports through the line is entered into a monthly draw for a £10.

Jenny said: “The new system has been extremely successful, achieving 24/7 paperless reporting, 24/7 real time reporting/auctioning, a 10% increase in the reporting of non-conformance and hear hits, a 90% close out of all non-conformances/near hits within 28 days (which includes preventative action), and value for money through ensuring the annual budget is within 10% variance of the cost of operating the paper-based process.

“This innovation demonstrates that specialist SMEs can continually improve their processes and systems. “Report it!” verifies that innovation is not dependent on big investment and budgets. It also demonstrates that contractors can develop robust systems to complement any contracting or construction business – or any organisation that has a remote reporting requirement. The principles of this innovation can be applied universally.

“Being awarded Runner-up in the Safety Innovations category validates our efforts and commitment to Health and Safety and quality and we’re really proud to receive it.”

The RSTA’s Annual Health & Safety Awards aim to recognise and reward RSTA members’ efforts and achievements in raising awareness for improved health and safety across all aspects of the Roads Surface Treatments Industry.  As well as receiving the Runner-up award, in 2012, JPCS won the Behavioural Safety Category for Visible Felt Leadership.

Since 2011, the innovative Groundscrew® system has been the foundation for more than 55MWp of energy, with over 30MWp installed in the first quarter of 2013 alone. The 55MWp achievement has the capacity to power 92,000 homes, boil 26,500 kettles and run 4.8 million low energy light bulbs.

Cheshire-based JPCS pioneered the installation for ground mounted solar panels in the UK using Groundscrew®, which is a robust and sustainable alternative to traditional concrete foundations. The system removes the need for excavation and concreting. Using over 48,000 Groundscrews, JPCS has provided the foundations for approximately 58 miles of frames and 235 miles of aluminium rails, to mount 185,000 solar PV modules – the equivalent surface area of 1400 tennis courts.

Peter Shone, managing director of JPCS, said:

“We’ve been working in partnership with renewable energy developers and market leading businesses to deliver some exciting projects up and down the country, from Scotland to Cornwall. The early signs are that these ground mounted projects are outperforming expectations.

“Ground mounted solar is a sound renewable energy source. Boosted by the Feed-in-Tariffs and Renewable Obligation Certificates, according to finance experts, there are more investors interested in funding large-scale solar PV projects than ever before.

“Our portfolio of low-carbon energy projects is growing; this year we’ll also be working on biomass and possibly wind energy. We’re excited to play our part in a sustainable future.”

Based in Cheshire, JPCS is a specialist renewable energy construction company delivering installation and principal contractor services nationwide. The firm is also a leading provider of highways and rail civil engineering services in the UK.

Getting experience in your chosen field after completing a university degree or even after a first job is not always easy. Not only has economic recovery been slow to get off the ground, but also the job market is becoming increasingly competitive at every level. On the other hand, the economic climate has meant that many businesses are looking at ways in which they can reduce costs whilst increasing productivity.

How, then, can graduates find the experience they need without competing against people with a number of years under their belt, and how can businesses bring talented individuals on board in way that is commercially viable? Graduate development programmes could be the answer.

Graduate development programmes – whatever your size

Graduate development programmes are a great way to meet in the middle. Although often associated with larger corporate organisations, they can bring great benefits to smaller businesses as well positively contributing to the community and helping individuals to gain employability skills and develop to their full potential.

Benefits for businesses and individuals

Benefits for businesses are numerous:

• Graduates often have great potential and ambition and are great prospects for career development and succession planning, making a contribution to the company in the long term
• Graduates bring fresh ideas into the business, providing advice and suggestions across every team they work with
• Because they usually work within every business unit across their placement, they will have a good idea about which processes can be transferred across divisions to improve productivity and efficiencies
• They are well-prepared for work, bringing a range of theoretical skills and knowledge of new technologies that can be applied within the workplace
• Graduates are often happy at balancing multiple tasks and comfortable with a wide range of demands
• They are often innovative, driven, flexible, enthusiastic learners, adapt well to new environments, and can become productive at a faster pace – at a reasonable cost!
• They provide support to the head of service in the management and operation of the business unit and are also an extra resource to undertake projects that may be on the ‘backburner’
• They contribute to a diverse talent pool
• Graduate development programmes form part of your corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy by helping to build and develop sustainable communities through local employment, training, as well as facilitating career development.

For graduates, the perks are clear:

• A jump start in their career
• The ability to learn about different roles and different parts of the business
• The opportunity to build management responsibility and experience from the early stages
• Getting real-life work experience soon after leaving university
• Gaining vital transferable skills
• “Sampling” a given profession to help them make informed choices about their future career, and
• The opportunity to prove themselves to an employer and potentially getting a permanent job.

Our experience

Our programme involves the recruitment of one management trainee on a two year cycle. During the two year programme, graduates learn the operational requirements of the business, undertaking rotational placements within each business unit. At the end of the term, the trainee will then specialise in a business unit undertaking a management role and hopefully take on a permanent management role in the company. At this point, we are then ready to take on the next graduate, and so on. Our graduates also sit on our business planning team, which provides them with strategic awareness and input, which in turn is another step towards achieving the goals of our succession strategy.

A key piece of advice when recruiting a new graduate, however, is to be as comprehensive as you would be in the recruitment of management staff. We undertake an initial assessment centre, with practical tasks tailored to the role, testing theoretical and practical/hands on skills – as well as common sense! This is followed by a presentation and interview of shortlisted candidates.

As an SME, people can be surprised that we run a graduate development programme, but in my experience, they bring much added value – and value for money – to the business, whilst enabling you to give something back to the community and to the individuals. Give it a try!

For more information about our graduate development programme, please contact our People Support Team or view our current graduate vacancies.

2013 is going to be the year of renewable energy. According to finance experts, there are more investors interested in funding large-scale solar PV projects than ever before.

In the industry’s early years, development of the UK market was skewed more by government policy than market forces. The way forward for solar energy was seen as the proliferation of thousands of small scale roof or garden installations, funded by ‘retail’ sources of finance.

However, the recent changes to feed in tariffs (FiTS) for solar PV systems have altered the future for renewables in the UK. The Government has reduced FiTS and its cost control framework for solar PV means that for those small operators, like homeowners and SME businesses, planning to erect solar panels on roofs and small plots, the limit of viability has been reached in most  parts of the UK.

Biggest challenges in the market

The Government has worked hard to encourage green energy initiatives but sadly the Road Map it’s set out for achieving 30 per cent green energy by 2020 is already out of date. A heavy focus on offshore wind has meant other energy sources are not being given due consideration.

Unfortunately, public opinion is still a major stumbling block for green energy. We want green energy in principle but we don’t want our roofs covered with solar panels, wind turbines outside our windows or the smell of biomass in transit. More education is needed to encourage the public to embrace green energy solutions.

However, research evidence suggests that there is demand for long-term investment in large-scale, mainstream PV solar power schemes, where the return is based on producing sustainable, renewable energy specifically for sale to the grid.  Installers focusing on FiTs alone may be missing out on other project opportunities.

ROCs – the biggest opportunities in the sector

One alternative is Renewable Obligation Certificate (ROC) financing.  Projects over 5MW are ineligible for FiT payments but will receive incentive payments under the Renewable Obligation Certificate.

ROCs are green certificates issued to operators of accredited renewable generating stations for the eligible renewable electricity they generate. The ROCs place the onus on UK electricity suppliers to source an increasing proportion of the electricity they supply from renewable sources, so they are funded by the energy suppliers themselves and not the Government.

So, while the Government’s FiTs have been cut, there is no capacity limit for systems funded under ROCs. According to The British Photovoltaic Association (BPVA),the UK solar industry has reached an important and exciting stage in its development and has the opportunity, for the first time, to be the cornerstone of the government’s onshore renewable policy.

Where suppliers don’t have a sufficient number of ROCs to meet their obligation, they are required to pay an equivalent amount into a ‘buy-out’ fund. The administration cost of the scheme is recovered from the fund and the rest is distributed back to suppliers in proportion to the number of ROCs they produced in respect of their individual obligation.

ROCs produce their best savings on major energy plants producing 5MWp or more. As the cost of producing solar power has reduced significantly over the past few years, suppliers are no longer just looking at solar plants of just 30 acres – they are looking at sites of 300 acres or more.

This opportunity is also due to two other factors: significant cost reductions in the price of both solar modules and, importantly, improved installation techniques.  In light of these developments solar has the potential, using lower subsidies, to see to a significant increase in installed capacity over the coming years and to be a major part of the government’s 2020 renewable electricity target.

The 22GW target set and confirmed by the Government has the potential to transform the UK market in one of the most interesting energy markets in Europe over the next few years.

Cheaper installations

In the past, traditional, relatively expensive, time-consuming and environmentally damaging methods have often been used to install the frameworks to which solar panels are attached.

Innovation in foundation systems has meant this is no longer the case; take the German-engineered Groundscrew® system for example. Groundscrew® is a robust and sustainable alternative to traditional concrete foundations for ground mounted solar panels. The system removes the need for excavation and concreting. Where you would usually cast small concrete pads, Groundscrew® can be used instead.

Groundscrew® foundations are light in weight and easy to transport to the site. They have proved highly effective: sufficiently flexible to survive high wind loads and work in extremes of temperature or adverse chemical, biological and geological conditions, with the advantages of rapid installation and minimal maintenance.

JPCS pioneered the installation for ground-mounted solar panels using Groundscrew® and is now the UK’s largest specialist ground mounted solar PV installer.

JPCS has completed numerous green projects throughout the UK. These include the installation of comparatively small photovoltaic solar array projects, right through to some of the UK’s largest commercial solar PV ‘farms’. Since entering the solar market, the firm has completed more than 20MWp of solar PV installations using this innovative Groundscrew® foundation, with a further 30MWp currently under construction, including the UK’s largest solar farm, at 10MWp, in Hampshire.

The big green future

Despite the challenges which lie ahead, the future for ground mounted solar mounted PV is bright. Great return on investments is there for those who have the green vision to develop large scale solar PV projects.

As featured in the HVP magazine in January 2013

Held in Abu Dhabi in January, the summit brought together Krinner partners worldwide, including Czech Republic, France, UK, North America, Canada, MEA, Asia and Japan.

Michael Krinner (founder), Hans-Jürgen Sauter (CEO) and Peter Hamer (head of Krinner Groundscrew) attended to represent Krinner’s headquarters in Germany.

Peter Shone, Managing Director of JPCS attended the event representing the UK. Peter said:

“Getting together with Krinner partners worldwide was a great experience. I am proud to be part of a team who embrace simplcity and innovation.”

The summit included exhibitions, workshops and presentations on sales development and forecast, investment, and markets. JPCS’ shared some of its secrets for success in using Groundscrew in the UK over last 7 years, including employment of experienced contractors, using the correct equipment, and involvement at earliest stage of the project.

JPCS is the exclusive installer of the Krinner Groundscrew in the UK. JPCS is a nationwide contractor, delivering safe and sustainable civil engineering and maintenance services to the public and private sectors, across the highways, rail and energy markets.

The Cheshire-based firm has combined its traffic sign surveying and installation team with its traffic management and vehicle restraint systems (TM/VRS) team, which means it can now provide clients with a bespoke, specialist highways service.

The restructure forms part of JPCS’ business growth strategy to become one of the few  specialist highway maintenance companies in the UK to provide clients with a cost-effective and seamless service for all highways maintenance work.

Peter Shone, managing director of JPCS, said:

“Through conversations with clients we became aware of frustrations with the number of subcontractors needed to undertake specialist elements of maintenance and TM/VRS work. One client was working with several highway maintenance companies: one firm surveying, another installing the signs, another controlling the traffic management, someone else providing the barriers and then another business project managing it all.

“This was making simple projects more time consuming and costly so we enhanced our offering to provide a fully integrated service, removing the need for clients to manage multiple contractors. This required more investment and training on our part but it means we can provide a turnkey solution, saving clients time and money.

“We are now a “one stop shop” of specialist services, one point of contact for all works, ranging from cyclical works, sign installation, and response repairs to vehicle restraint systems as well as all traffic management, delivering a seamless and cost-effective service.

“This approach is a key part of our business growth plans as we are now geared to provide a more flexible, responsive and value for money service to our clients.”

JPCS can now provide both the maintenance works and traffic management directly so will have complete control over the work, enabling more efficient planning, sequencing of works and overall delivery of the programme, not to mention reduced disruption and improved safety for the public and our workforce. Reduced time on site, labour and resources also delivers efficiencies and cost savings for the client.

JPCS’ highways team works with local authorities and contractors across the UK providing services such as sign installation, maintenance such as grass cutting and litter picking, repairs to highways following accident damage and construction of safety barriers.

For more information on JPCS’s integrated services, please download our Highways brochure.

JPCS is a nationwide contractor, delivering safe and sustainable civil engineering and maintenance services to the public and private sectors, across the highways, rail and energy markets. The company maintains the highways and byways of the UK and has a growing reputation for the robustness of its service, its use of environmentally friendly products from recycled sources and its product innovation.

Taking a collaborative approach with local authorities creates the most effective partnerships, helping to reduce maintenance costs, whilst delivering a quality service for end users, says Peter Shone, managing director of national civil engineering and highways maintenance contractor JPCS.

The relationship between local authorities and the supply chain is changing. With budgets being so tightly squeezed, a new approach to how contracts are managed is needed to ensure the most cost effective solutions for all parties.

The supply chain needs to engage with local authorities to see tasks and objectives through their eyes, helping them to then develop the most efficient and cost effective solutions. Taking this approach will not only help secure new business, but also build productive business relationships with local authority clients.

Reducing lifecycle costs

Contrary to popular belief, the procurement departments at local authorities are not just looking for the cheapest product, solution or service when putting maintenance work out to tender. Budget cuts have meant they need to take a long term approach and select the contractor or supplier who is going to be able to provide the best efficiencies over the entire lifecycle of the product.

This creates a challenge for the supply chain – how can we provide a reduction in long term costs without compromising quality?  Innovation is the answer.

For instance, our years of experience in the highways maintenance sector made us realise that a more cost effective solution was needed for pothole repairs, which lead to the development of Rejuvopatch.

Rejuvopatch provides a cost effective and sustainable method of carrying out a wide range of repairs to defects within bituminous bound surfaces. The Rejuvopatch material is a hand lay, cold applied microasphalt patch repair material made up of bitumen emulsion, granite aggregate and granite aggregate fibre reinforcement. It is suitable as a permanent patching or surface treatment product.

A great example of how we’ve been able to use this innovative product, in collaboration with a local authority, is the work JPCS has delivered to Cheshire West and Chester Council.

Since 2009, JPCS has been working in partnership with Cheshire West and Chester Council, along with contractor Bam Nuttall, to implement an ambitious highway and infrastructure renewal and maintenance investment programme. After a joint site audit with the council it was agreed the innovative Rejuvopatch would be the best product to address the defective areas of carriageway and undertake pothole repairs. The Rejuvopatch was specifically designed to address the local site requirements, mixed on site and hand applied.

By selecting and using the innovative Rejuvopatch system, JPCS provided a permanent patch repair to defective areas of carriageway.  The finish of the product is both aesthetically pleasing and hardwearing, permanently arresting deterioration and oxidisation. It also created saving for the council as it was installed for 20% of the cost of full reconstruction which in turn created dramatic cuts in the whole life maintenance costs across carriageway assets.

Kevin Carrol, highway manager for Cheshire West and Chester Council, said:  “Our focus is on asset management and value for money.  We undertake permanent repairs where and whenever possible making sure that consideration is given to the treatments to ensure they are appropriate to the road type and the longevity of the treatment.  The Rejuvopatch product has flexibility and has been used over a number of years our urban areas with great success.”

After the project, the Council received a national award for the standard and quality of the work in filling reported pot holes from the UK National Cyclists Organisation, also reaching the top of the league for both the ‘speed of fixing’ and ‘quality of repairs’ category (People’s Vote).

Integration in the supply chain

Partnerships across the entire supply chain are going to have a growing importance in the infrastructure sector.

The benefits of term maintenance contractors and direct labour organisations embracing and integrating the specialist supply chain are plentiful. It ensures an improved understanding of programmes priorities and strategic objectives, which mean all parties are working to the same goal.

This aligned approach will not only help with programme scheduling, reduced lifecycle costs and quality control but also creates a platform for both suppliers and clients to deliver the highest standards and continually improve working practices.

For example, we’re working with Balfour Beatty and the Highways Agency on maintenance works on the A50 Stoke to Derby. We’ve developed an integrated approach with Balfour Beatty and set service level agreements, this has meant we have been able to guarantee all response repairs are completed within the five day service level agreement, with an excellent safety record – zero incidents to date.

Collaboration boosts sustainability

A good working relationship with local authorities can create more than just cost savings and innovation, it provides an opportunity to boost both the supply chains’ and councils’ sustainability.

For example, JPCS have been working with Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council since 2001 and, in partnership with the council, has developed a footway recycling solution to avoid costly reconstruction, saving the client thousands of pounds.

The process involves removing the existing asphalt and recycling it by a mobile excavating machine. This new recycled material is laid as a new binder course and then overlaid with a thin surface course.

Councillor Patrick Harley, cabinet member for transportation at Dudley Council, said: “We were not only impressed with JPCS’s experience and cost effective maintenance solutions but also its green credentials. The business illustrated fantastic examples of CO2 and waste reduction and we will work together to make our borough greener.”

Collaboration clears roads

Collaboration can help secure happy end users. Projects in the infrastructure sector have high pressure on them to be finished not only on budget but also within the shortest time period possible. The public don’t want to have road works taking place for weeks on end and local authorities don’t want to have to deal with complaints from the public when infrastructure projects cause disruption to the road network.

These challenges led to JPCS’ traffic management and vehicle restraint systems (TM/VRS) unit developing a bespoke vehicle which is revolutionising traffic management.

Taking a collaborative approach for this project, the TM/VRS team spent time consulting with all stakeholders, local authorities, on the ground operatives and the vehicle manufacturer, creating a unique design which is completely fit for purpose. By converging the specifications of a barrier rig with those of traffic management and vehicle restraint system vehicles; JPCS has developed the first bespoke, single vehicle which performs these tasks in one single operation.

The new vehicle combines the key features of two separate vehicles, thereby reducing labour, fuel and maintenance costs as well as minimising the environmental impact. It will make a significant difference to the way these operations are undertaken around the country in the future.

The custom-built vehicle incorporates a barrier rig for VRS and crash impact protection for traffic management. It has also been designed with twin barrier hammers for repairing barriers, an in-built compressor, remote control hiab, tower lights, generator powerpoints and a storage area for cones, signs and VRS components.

This has been a complex project which required significant planning but it has certainty been worth it.  The annual fuel cost savings alone are £15,000 and we predict JPCS will be able to generate a total of £30,000 worth of savings every year through the new vehicle.  This, in turn, means we will be able to offer a more efficient, cost effective and environmentally friendly solution to local authorities and contractors. It also speeds up the time TM/VRS work will take, thus helping clear roads and reducing the impact on public road users.

In our view this innovation, which was born out of collaboration, will become a benchmark for highway repair operations in the future.

Collaboration is the future

I firmly believe collaboration is vital to the future of the infrastructure industry. The best working relationships will be the ones where the supply chain take time to listen to local authorities’ needs and frustrations – and vice versa. This approach will help partnerships to innovate and deliver all projects successfully, sustainably and cost effectively – for the long haul.

As featured in the Infrastructure Journal in December 2012

The Cabilla Manor project, commissioned by author and explorer Robin Hanbury-Tenison,  was completed in August 2011 and has already generated around 45,000 kWh worth of energy in the first year.

The ground mounted solar PV scheme was installed using the innovative JPCS Groundscrew, which enabled the installation to be completed despite challenging conditions.

Around 200 guests attended the event in Falmouth to celebrate the awards’ 10th anniversary and the sustainable achievements of businesses in the region.

Organised and part-funded by the Environment Agency and Cornwall Council, the aim of Cornwall Sustainability Awards is to encourage, reward and gain recognition for some of the excellent work businesses in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly are doing to improve their sustainability.

JPCS is the UK’s largest installer of ground mounted solar PV, with over 20MWp worth of energy installed over the last two years. As well as energy, JPCS also delivers services to the highways and rail markets.

For more information about Cabilla Manor, please visit the property’s website. For more information about the awards, please visit the Cornwall Sustainability Awards website.