LEaDing lights ZETA and Eurosigns join forces

InterviewChris Connor, Term Services MD

Fast CloseStreamlining financial reporting

Health & safetyIn praise of the Foreman

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insightSpring

2011

magazineNews from Eurovia Group

Also in this issue

Fit for purpose – reshaping the Group

Picture perfect at the Palace

A Lincolnshire schoolboy is lead designer for a road safety training

facility to be built by Ringway and his fellow pupils on the school

grounds. Eight-year-old Thomas Maund won the road safety design

competition organised by Staniland Primary School and Ringway

Construction. Thomas’s layout will be built during April with the help

of pupils who will install timber edgings and level sub-base and soil.

When complete, the permanent learning centre will be used to teach

pupils how to cycle on the highway and cycleways, and observe

signs and signals, which can be moved to create different network

situations. Thomas will be invited to open the completed facility, says

Bob Sutton, Ringway’s Contracts Manager. “This is an ideal way to

teach children

about road signs

and markings, and

the safest way to

behave on our

roads.”

Replacing the failing surface of the Dartford Tunnel’s westbound

link posed a dilemma as a suitable waterproofing system was also

required. Conventional spray-applied systems would take too long

to install. But one product, Flexiplast, met the Highways Agency’s

tight time constraints. Tankers sprayed a 2mm-thick layer of

Eurovia’s elastic crack inhibitor which also has excellent

waterproofing properties across the full width, and then a

protective layer of Gripfibre, each in one pass. The asphalt surface

course could be added an hour later, allowing resurfacing to be

completed in a reduced number of overnight planned works.

2

Our key businessindicators areshowing steadyimprovements.

“

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insh

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insight comment School for design

A Flexi-fast solution

DesignerThomas withBob Sutton,ContractsManager andIan Sweeney,LincolnshireCounty Council.

2011 is proving tough for many in the UK, but it isheartening that our operating businesses have seen avery busy start to the year.

It is true that many of our market sectors are stillsuffering from recession and public sector cuts, and ourbusiness is a bit smaller as a result. Our key businessindicators, however, are showing steady improvements.

The Group is now debt-free. We continue to be cash-positive (demonstrating our good management and theinherent strength of the business). And our operatingbusinesses are budgeting for strong performance for thewhole year.

I am very impressed by the hard work that is goinginto our intense bidding activity (see page 10). VINCIRingway is in the last three bidders for two long-termPFI projects. Ringway Jacobs has reached the last threefor two integrated contracts. At the same time Ringwayis vying for term service commissions with four countycouncils.

This dedicated effort will pay dividends in the nexttwo years. It has begun to bear fruit with the excellentnews that we have secured a new seven-yearcommission for maintaining the A417/419, theHighways Agency DBFO route.

I realise that the last three years have been tough andwe still have challenges to face. Our Group’s teamworkand values are taking us through these difficult times ona path to sustain the success of our business in thecoming years.

Scott Wardrop Group Managing Director

On the right path

Partners light the way to low-carbon signing

AMBASSADORS OF SKILL: Operative Byron Smith and Site Agent Adam Campbell

have become STEM Ambassadors, using their skills to inspire young pupils to

learn about Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths. The Ringway duo are

pictured on the site of the Loughborough Eastern Gateway project (see page

10), where they have hosted visits from a local school. Ringway Infrastructure

Services North and the Midlands Highway Alliance – the client organisation

for the region’s local authorities – are working closely with the National Skills

Academy to upskill the entire site team, says Adam. “Everybody has been

enrolled on the NVQ II qualification in highway maintenance, and two of the

team – Foreman David Leafe and General Foreman Michael Wallhead – have been

enrolled on the NVQ Level III.” Two apprentices and graduate Engineer Joshua Heaney

are also working on the project.

Eurosigns and ZETA – the UK’s leaders in signs

manufacture and LED and solar technology – are

collaborating on a new generation of illuminated signs.

Established in 1989 as a ‘spin-out’ from Oxford

University, ZETA specialises in research and design, rather

than manufacture.

“We are a good fit – our manufacturing strengths

complement their expertise in research and

development,” says Eurosigns Divisional Manager Roger

Habgood. “We and ZETA already have the number 1 and

2 LED signs on the market.”

Eurosigns, which has the UK’s largest and most

sophisticated signs plant in Weston-super-Mare, won

industry awards for its first energy-saving LED-equipped

sign last year.

The use of ZETA technology can maximise the

performance of LEDs and also enable the manufacture of

much bigger signs than was previously possible. Eurosigns

is also looking to harness ZETA’s unique solar power

technology for LED signs in remote locations, or where

fixed power infrastructure is prohibitively expensive.

The first major project for the partnership will be to

replace conventional lamps in Eurosigns’ range of

illuminated signage with ZETA’s highly efficient LED units,

which emit twice the light for a much lower power

consumption.

The partners are also working on a range of solar

lighting projects to provide bespoke solutions for highway

authorities striving to reduce their energy use and carbon

footprint.

A Solis pole providing a full solar power solution and

mounting for all types of street furniture, including LED

lighting, is part of the range of new products now

available as a result of the Eurosigns - ZETA partnership.

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insight newsin

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HIGH SEAT: Gary Bodenham, a Supervisor on

structures, climbed Mount Kilimanjaro for Cancer

Research. Walking with nine friends, including

colleague Sam Radbourne – a Ringway Graduate

based at Horsham head office – he reached the

summit. “There were times I thought I couldn’t carry

on, but with the support from my friends, family and

partner I knew I had to finish,” he says. Gary’s partner

had been diagnosed with breast cancer. He raised

£2,300 for research to combat the disease.

POLICE CAMERA ACTION: A Ringway Kent

crew came to the aid of police on the West

Malling bypass – for the filming of a training

video. Kent Police wanted to show officers and

other road workers how to manage incidents

safely on roads with fast-moving traffic. The

film simulated an HGV breakdown in the

inside lane of the dual carriageway and called

on Ringway to install a full lane closure under

Chapter 8 Part 1 of the Traffic Signs Manual.

The outlook for low-carbon LED-powered signing has just gotbrighter with the launch of a new partnership.

Adam Campbelland Byron

Smithinstallingthe lastsection ofdrainage.

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4

Barrier and TMteams merge

Quality winsthrough again

A new specialist services division hasbeen formed to carry out trafficmanagement and safety fencingoperations for Ringway clients.

National blue-chip companies fromBarclays and GlaxoSmithKline toSiemens and Virgin Media are raisingthe bar in service quality across theUK. And Ringway too can competewith the best, according to the BritishQuality Foundation, which has singledout two parts of the Group for theirachievements.

Based in the East Midlands, the Ringway division amalgamates

three different teams: the local TM (Traffic Management) and

VRS (Vehicle Restraint System) units and the TMU (Traffic

Management Unit) serving Surrey and Kent.

This merger will result in a stronger, more broadly based

specialist business, says Ringway East Midlands Divisional Director

John Upcott. “Our game plan is to build a sustainable business

and branch out into new areas and markets.”

The existing TM and fencing teams are based in Marks Tey,

near Colchester, and work on long-term contracts such as the

A1(M) Alconbury-Peterborough in Cambridgeshire and A130 in

Essex.

They have now been joined by TM specialists from the Surrey

term contract, which ends in April, with more to follow from

Kent in the autumn. The new division is led by Operations

Manager Michelle Mitchell.

Following strategy workshops in January, the division

developed service level agreements with internal customers in

the Group. Its training plan proposes multi-skilling of operatives

for installing safety barriers, traffic management and other

works. “It makes sense that our people can switch between civils

and, say, patching work to maximise opportunities and

productivity,” John explains.

The East Midlands division is bidding to undertake 24/7

surveillance duties at Transport for London’s Victoria Station

under a two-year contract with VINCI Construction and for work

in the North-East and Wiltshire. It is also considering establishing

new depots in Chippenham and Copthorne.

In the BQF’s annual awards for 2010, Ringway Worcestershire

received the award for Process Improvement. This was in recognition

of the significant improvements achieved in the delivery of reactive

highway works by area response teams.

This success is no flash in the pan either, as it follows the 2009 BQF

award to Ringway Worcestershire and the county council for the Lean

Six Sigma Partnership – a rigorous programme to reduce waste in the

highways service and create value for customers.

Meanwhile, Ringway’s term services division in the East Midlands

was one of only four organisations to receive a 5-Star rating for

excellence. This requires a score of over 500 in an external assessment

against the BQF Excellence Model. Achieving this is extremely difficult

and shows the division is performing consistently at the highest level.

Ringway East Midlands was also shortlisted with Peterborough City

Council in the BQF Partnership Award category.

Scott Wardrop, Group Managing Director, praised the hard work

and commitment that earned this recognition from the quality

experts. “This is a fantastic

achievement for the

divisions involved and

for the whole Group.”

TOUR DE GROUP:Eurosigns’ highly reflectiveliveries, displayed on thesepolice cars, were amongthe innovative productspraised by Pierre Anjolras on his third visit to the Group’s operations.The Eurovia SA International Managing Director, who is familiarisinghimself with the British market and Eurovia’s UK businesses, toured theWeston-super-Mare plant.

Pierre is pictured (second left) with Alain Simon, George Daville,Scott Wardrop and Roger Habgood. His two-day visit began with aEurovia Group board meeting at Ringway Worcestershire, and includedpresentations on Euromark and the EVolution joint venture as well asthe county term services contract. “Pierre believes that every businessunit must have clear objectives in its business plan for 2011 – and thatour diversity of clients and services will help the Group realise ourambitions in the coming years,” says Scott, Group Managing Director.

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insight newsEVolution leads chargeto greener carsCharging points for electric cars are being installed across Britain by a Eurovia/VINCIjoint venture amid a surge of investment in the UK’s new green transport grid.

EVolution, the company created by the

Group and Vinci Energies to

manufacture, install, operate and

maintain electric vehicle charging point

(ECP) infrastructure, is capitalising on a

series of strategic contracts.

In London, which is aiming to become

the electric vehicle capital of Europe,

EVolution is undertaking its first

installation projects in the boroughs of

Richmond, Camden and Hounslow

under a framework contract with

Transport for London.

EVolution will install 500 on-street

charge points, another 2,000 off-street

and 25 rapid-charge units as part of the

London Source charging network Mayor

Boris Johnson is launching this spring.

Up to £30 million of work could be

procured from EVolution under the four-

year contract, which is open to other local authorities and

organisations. Contracts have been agreed too with London

Underground for some of their larger station parking sites.

EVolution has forged a close relationship with Nissan Cars in the UK

ahead of the launch of the Leaf – billed as “the world's first mass-

produced zero-emission car”. After several months of talks with the

car giant’s International Electric Vehicle Unit, based in Paris, EVolution

secured the exclusive deal to install charging infrastructure for the

initial wave of 30 Nissan Leaf dealers across the UK. Leaf production

starts in Sunderland in early 2013.

EVolution will also provide bespoke charging bays at Nissan’s UK

headquarters in Rickmansworth in Hertfordshire.

Meanwhile, London’s O2 Arena, where Nissan

has a unique marketing site, is now equipped

with both rapid charging and normal charging

technology installed side by side by the Eurovia-

VINCI Energies joint venture (see below).

The North-East of England followed London in

winning Government match funding to jump-

start the switch to greener transport. EVolution

secured Newcastle Upon Tyne’s framework

agreement for rapid chargers, and has already

installed the first unit at the Metrocentre,

Gateshead.

EVolution is also being retained by other car

manufacturers and local authorities. EVolution

will install charging bays at the Jaguar / Land

Rover sites at Gaydon, Warwickshire and Whitley

in Coventry to facilitate the roll-out of their

electric vehicle ranges.

In Scotland, EVolution installed charging bays

for Dumfries and Galloway Council following a referral by an existing

client, and similar contracts are expected to follow.

“It is great for our Group to be in the vanguard of a new greener

transport era in the UK,” says George Daville, Director for EVolution.

“This market has taken off in a big way since the turn of the year and

it’s set for rapid growth.”

“Our order book now stands at over £750,000, and it’s growing

day by day,” says Mike Halliwell, the venture’s Business Development

Manager, who is busy following up leads across the UK. “Now our

biggest challenge is satisfying this surge in demand, which is a nice

position to be in.”

ENCORE AT THE ARENA: Eurovia companies are in line for a repeat performance atthe O2 Arena in London. Last summer Eurovia Specialist Treatments resurfaced two carparks at the internationally famous venue under a contract with the entertainmentcompany AEG Europe and consultant WT Partnerships.

The works comprised a package of minor civils, patching, microsurfacing androadmarking. Since the Millennium Dome’s construction areas of the car parks hadsuffered subsidence. EST proposed an economical solution involving patching toreconstruct the uneven and failed areas and resurfacing of the entire 39,000m2 withgripfibre microsurfacing.

Access to the North Greenwich venue had to be maintained throughout theproject, which was delivered with the help of Eurovia Infrastructure’s Surfacing,Contracting and Euromark divisions. During the construction phase, the client calledfor the installation of electric charging points for cars – a need plugged by EVolution,the Group’s new joint venture with VINCI Energies, working with Nissan.

On site Eurovia Contracting’s Andy Page managed the project, which was handedover on time for a series of big concerts in September. The additional resurfacingworks are scheduled for this spring.

Plugging: Representativesof regional developmentagency One North East,Nissan and the Metrocentre launch the UK’s first rapidEV charger for public use

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6

insight strategy

“We now have a structure that is fit for purpose and the sectors

we serve,” the Group Managing Director explains. “It has

consolidated our standing with existing clients and opened the

door to more new clients for our specialist businesses.”

The new structure, adopted at the start of 2011, is geared to the

two core sectors the Group serves – term services, and contracting

and production, which covers all specialist support services.

These two distinct business streams are now clearly labelled

under the Ringway and Eurovia banners. Each also has its own

managing director chosen for their particular expertise – Chris

Connor (see below) and Alain Simon (right).

For the business as a whole, the adoption of the Eurovia Group

name underlines its financial strength and stability, Scott points out.

“It reinforces our credentials and bolsters clients’ confidence in a

difficult economic climate.”

But the Ringway name remains synonymous with infrastructure

and environmental services, he adds. “Ringway is recognised as

one of the strongest players in the sector by clients and

competitors alike. Term Services will continue to gain great

advantage from the values Ringway represents.”

On the other hand, Eurovia branding will increase the appeal of

the Group’s specialist businesses to external clients. More than half

their trading is already with organisations outside the Group.

The Eurovia brand is a natural fit for Specialist Treatments,

Roadstone, Surfacing, Contracting, and Airport Services, and it

signals their access to world-leading technical expertise.

Such a shift in perception can have a considerable impact on

sales as Euromark’s 2009 re-branding of the roadmarking division

showed. The signs business, which is jointly owned by Eurovia and

Giraud, was also successfully re-launched as Eurosigns last year.

“These changes will help us take the business forward,” Scott

concludes.

Eurovia Surfacing

EuroviaContracting

Eurovia SpecialistTreatments

Eurovia AirportServices

Eurovia Roadstone

Eurosigns

Euromark

HIS Ltd

EVolution

Ringway Jacobs

BEAR Scotland

South WestHighways

Term Services –East

East Midlands

North East

Kent

Term Services –West

Wiltshire

Worcestershire

West Unitaries

Solihull

EUROVIA GROUP UK

Health & Safety,Quality &

Environment

Human ResourcesTraining &

DevelopmentFleet & Plant Finance ICT

Commercial & Business

Development

JointVentures

Ringway Infrastructure Services –Term Services

Eurovia Infrastructure Ltd –Contracting & Production

Jean LefebvreUK

New structure fit for purposeRestructuring has put the Group in shape forthe challenges of a tougher economic climateand changing market conditions, says Scott Wardrop.

7

Chris Connor’s career has been split almost

evenly between the public and private

sectors. He spent 15 years in highway

management and maintenance with

Hertfordshire County Council and two

London boroughs. Senior roles followed in

several national companies, including

Mouchel where he established several highly

successful integrated highways businesses and

became Highways Sector Director. Back on

the client side, as Director of Network

Management at Transport for London from

2006 to 2008, he set up the capital’s new term

contracts, revamped its approach to capital

projects and restructured the directorate.

More recently, Chris has advised clients on

procurement and contract performance.

What’s your role? My job is to oversee the day-to-

day running and management of Term Services,

but also to drive strategic development and

growth – developing relationships with key clients,

and working with our business development

people to take the company forward.

What skills do you bring to the job? My experience

has given me a clear understanding of what drives

clients. I’ve developed strong change

management skills to make teams more focused

and efficient. And I communicate and involve

people to make sure our aims are achieved.

What’s it been like so far? Very hectic. I’ve been

involved in bids at different stages, including a

‘competitive dialogue’ process, which was very

interesting. There’s also a day job to do. Ringway

is a fabulous company with a great culture but

there are big challenges facing us and our

industry.

What are they? Our industry wastes money,

duplicates procurement and tendering processes,

while some clients retain big client-side

organisations too. We have made big efficiency

gains on the contracting side, and can do more,

but not on materials and labour. The big savings

are to be made by changing ways of working and

removing

interfaces between client and contractor and

reducing man-marking.

And Term Services? We need to focus on clients’

explicit needs – not what’s in their strategy

documents but what they tell us face to face. And

pitch the real benefits we can achieve against

those needs, not least saving money while

protecting quality. I’m here to win things, but also

to make us more efficient and increase the return

to our shareholders. Our business plan for 2011-

2016 will include a development process so we

can organise ourselves better to deliver that plan.

There will be changes but not overnight.

For example? One of Ringway’s enormous

strengths is that we empower local divisions and

give divisional managers a lot of responsibility. We

need to develop accountability, as we cascade the

business plan objectives through the business, and

monitor performance against targets. And we

must make sure our people are trained and

developed to meet clients’ changing needs. That

may mean moving people so they are in the right

place at the right time and promoting people

early.

Isn’t the market outlook bleak? There are huge

opportunities out there. We’ve got a peak in client

procurement for the next two years, and bidders

are being more selective. Authorities that have

kept their direct labour organisations are looking

afresh at outsourcing. And there are other ways to

grow our business.

Such as? We need to look at the wider demand

for term services in the transport and environment

marketplaces, and for more integrated services,

including streetlighting, telematics, waste

management and street cleansing. Apart from PFI,

to which Eurovia is committed, there is also scope

to say to clients: “You have an asset you need to

improve, but it will take many years. We can do it

sooner – in a public-private partnership – and fund

it ourselves.” We have a strong offering and

substantial resources behind us.

“We must focus on clients’ needs”

Over 25 years working for Eurovia and

VINCI worldwide, Alain carved out a

career that ranged from quarrying

through asphalt production to

contracting. Based in Toulouse in south-

west France, Alain ran seven quarries in

the Midi Pyrenees, supervised annual

production of a million tones of asphalt,

and managed nine contracting divisions.

“The aim was to make Eurovia a

leader in its markets. And my job

provided opportunities to achieve some

major schemes like constructing runways

for the big jumbo Airbus A380 and

developing sustainable technologies such

as Recyclovia and Tempera for local

applications,” he says.

Alain was also directly involved in

training courses in a regional civil

engineering college and recruiting high-

calibre graduates

“I hope my experience and knowledge

will contribute to the development of

Eurovia in the

UK,” he adds.

ImportingFrenchknow-howThe Group restructuringbrings a variety ofcontracting andproduction activitiestogether in one division.As Contracting &Production ManagingDirector, Alain Simonbrings experience ofthese areas that can bemeasured by thetruckload.

CHRIS CONNORTerm Services Managing Director

8

Countdown to Fast Close

insight management

This April has been a testing time for staff at Head Office in

Horsham and some of our colleagues around the country.

Since autumn 2010, we have been working to streamline the way

we report our Group’s financial performance as part of project ‘Fast

Close’.

This is a VINCI project involving Eurovia and all of its subsidiaries.

The aim of Fast Close is very simple – to close the financial books

sooner after the year-end so VINCI can publish its financial results

earlier to the stock market.

Why is this important? VINCI is a major player in the business

world, and its results matter to a lot of people in this global market.

International companies in the construction and engineering sector

tend to report a month or so sooner than VINCI currently does.

Communicating your financial performance promptly is seen as a

mark of corporate efficiency and management capability, so bringing

it forward will enhance VINCI’s image in the eyes of business

partners, shareholders, financial institutions and analysts.

Faster reporting also means that senior managers know more

quickly where the business stands and can take the necessary

decisions without delay. For example, VINCI and Eurovia can

approach lenders earlier in the year and obtain a better deal when

raising the refinancing funds that are the lifeblood of every business.

So there are advantages both at the level of our parent company

and for us in the UK.

Since the autumn, the UK delegation has been planning how we

can accelerate our reporting within the guidelines set by Eurovia.

The biggest time saving will come from anticipating the month-end

on the penultimate Friday of each month. We can gain 7-10 days in

our reporting timetable by adopting this date as the ‘hard close’.

Another five days will be won by streamlining the process itself, and

VINCI is also speeding up its processes to achieve the target.

This is about speed, not haste. We will not compromise the

accuracy of our reporting by using estimates, nor are we changing

the processes in the divisions. But we are accelerating the reporting

timetable and our new approach went live this April.

From April 2011 every division has three working days, instead of

five, to complete its month-end accounts. As on site, when working

to a tight timetable, careful planning makes this possible.

Divisional teams had to decide well in advance who would do

what on those three critical days and

make sure the March quarter-end

was clean and complete – to

help ease the April closing

process. Recording revenue

on a weekly basis also helped

and we need to improve how

we capture costs as well as

respect the inter-company

payment rules. This is all best

practice, which will become

the norm.

It is not just on site that we need to streamline the way we work. François Amossé,Group Director - Finance & ICT, describes the race to close our accounts faster.

François: ‘We cando thistogether’

The two pilot Barclays Super Cycle Highways were

completed by Eurovia Specialist Treatments in July last year.

Within months the number of cyclists using the routes had

doubled at peak times compared with a year before.

EST supplied and applied over 70,000m2 of specialised

blue surfacing on the two radial routes – from Merton to

the City, and Barking to Tower Gateway.

Working for Transport for London and its partner Ringway

Jacobs, the Eurovia Group company tested a range of

specialist products in the laboratory and on site pads at

Eurovia Roadstone’s Dagenham asphalt plant during 2009.

Early in 2010, Ringway Jacobs endorsed its recommendation

for the best products for each location – the high-friction

approaches to crossings, carriageway edges, and shared

pedestrian/cyclist sections off the carriageway.

In May, EST began applying the blue-coloured products – hard-wearing resins and water-based

acrylic resin paints – on Routes C3 and C7, the first of 12 planned to help quadruple cycling rates

by 2026. Five dedicated EST crews carried out the work, which had to be done at night and within

a very tight timeframe, to meet the July 19th launch date.

The first change in process has involved

switching the basis of registrations to the

international standards for managing quality,

environmental performance and safety (ISO

9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001). By the

end of March these will be Eurovia-wide rather

than division-based.

Group-level registration will help promote

consistency across the Group, highlight

innovations and areas for improvement, and

target internal auditing where it is most needed,

says Phil Morton, Group IMS Manager.

“Audit sampling will be more focused and

time-efficient, and the divisions will have

certificates that cover all activities for all

locations,” he adds.

Independent certification body BSI – chosen

as the Group’s new assessment partner

following a rigorous selection exercise – led the

programme of reassessment and transferring

registrations.

Saving assessment time is just one of the

benefits of the second big change – to integrate

compliance audits with assessments against the

EFQM excellence model.

The first combined assessment took place in

February in the East Midlands division. It showed

how one visit can give a comprehensive picture

of a location’s strengths, areas for improvement,

and any non-conformances.

“The resultant report reflects performance

over the whole of the management system and

EFQM model, which makes planning for

improvements more straightforward,” Phil

explains.

The Group’s signs division in Weston-super-

Mare is next in line for the new combined EFQM

and audit check.

insight news

9

Blue means ʻgoʼ for bikes

Audits get smarter

London’s mayor is well on the way to achieving his cyclinggoal, judging by the popularity of the capital’s first bluesuperhighways.

Internal auditing across the Group is set to become morefocussed and efficient as a result of two major changes.

However, cash is still reported by

the end of the calendar month. So

we need to minimise cash

movements between the hard close

date and the calendar month-end.

We also work with our external

auditors to post quarterly adjustments

to the profit and loss account to fill

this same hard close to calendar

month-end gap.

April was the first test. Hard close

was on April 22 and the Easter bank

holidays left us just three days to

close our books. The year-end in

December will be very tight too. But

don’t panic. We have been fully

involved in the project at Eurovia level

and made our contribution to the

entire Group. We have tested

Kheops, our operations and

management system, and there were

further Fast Close workshops in the

divisions at the end of March. There is

no need to change our processes, just

follow them efficiently and anticipate

all that we can.

We now have four full years’

experience with Kheops and our

2010 year-end process has been the

most efficient one we’ve done: the

full audit fieldwork was completed by

the end of February. So there is no

doubt we can do this together and

you can help the Group deliver on

time for Eurovia and VINCI. Just be

proactive: the Finance team will be

here to support.

Ringway Infrastructure Services North East is constructing the half-mile road, which is a key part

of the Eastern Gateway regeneration project for the area around the Leicestershire town’s rail

station.

The £4 million single-carriageway route, to be called Station Boulevard, is being built across

waste ground between two roads. It will allow residential streets to be closed to rat-running

traffic, while creating space for pedestrians and cyclists.

RIS will also work with Charnwood Borough Council and Network Rail to revamp the station

forecourt, creating a new transport interchange with improved lighting and landscaping.

The £20 million project also involves construction of affordable housing, and will pave the way

for a hotel, retail and commercial development.

Charnwood hopes to complete the Eastern Gateway in time for the 2012 Olympics.

The tendering process is well advanced for two long-term PFI (private

finance initiative) highways contracts. These cover all highway-related

services for the London Borough of Hounslow and the Isle of Wight.

After successfully pre-qualifying, the Group’s bids progressed through

the ‘outline solution’ stage and are now at the critical ‘detailed solution’

stage, when two of the remaining three bidders are chosen for the final

phase of tendering.

Eurovia Group is seeking to build on established relationships with the

two authorities. These have been built up over the years by the divisions

– in Hounslow by Surfacing and on the Isle of Wight through Eurosigns,

Special Treatments and – since winter 2009 – Ringway’s winter

maintenance service.

At the same time as the PFI bids, the Group’s commercial team has

been working on a range of tenders, including several county council

term contracts.

Ringway is in the final three for Hertfordshire, where the client is

following a ‘competitive dialogue’ process with bidders to arrive at the

most innovative and economic solution for the county. The successful

provider will be announced a year from now.

Ringway has also pre-qualified in North Yorkshire, Shropshire and

West Cheshire, but missed out in West Sussex, having reached the last

two. The joint venture Ringway Jacobs is also in the last three for two

other major bids, Essex and Cheshire East. Members of the Ringway bid

team are heavily involved in these important opportunities, both of

which involve competitive

dialogue.

Ringway Infrastructure

Services - Wiltshire has

secured a seven-year

contract for maintenance

services on the A417/419

Highways Agency DBFO

trunk road which runs from

the M4 in North Wiltshire,

over the Cotswolds, to the

M5 in Gloucestershire,

worth circa £1.5 million

per annum.

The surge in tendering

for new business follows

a strong vote of approval from

five existing clients who have extended their term contracts with

Ringway Infrastructure Services.

Wiltshire and Worcestershire County Councils, and Bracknell Forest

unitary authority awarded Ringway the maximum follow-on period

allowed under their term services contracts. These will now run,

respectively, to 2013, 2014 and 2015.

Meanwhile, in Peterborough and Rutland, RIS has secured two-year

extensions to 2013.

And having won the framework contract for the Midlands Highways

Alliance, Ringway is at work in Loughborough on its first scheme (see

below).

“The contract extensions are worth £14.5 million to our Term Services

operation, and consolidate our platform as we plan for growth,” says

David Binding, Group Commercial Director.

“We are pursuing a focused strategic approach to tendering. There is

a massive amount of work going into all of these bids. There will be

setbacks but we are confident that with continued teamwork we will

deliver more success for the Group in 2011 and coming years.”

Bidding intenseas PFIs advance

Gateway link lifts Loughborough

insight tendersHOW PFI WORKSThe Group’s partner and sister company,VINCI Concessions, would fund themajor investment required under the PFIcontracts. There are three main phases:• In the core investment phase, whichlasts 5-7 years, many highway assetsmust be replaced or improved to anoutcome specification.

• The major maintenance phase coversthe 18-20 year life-cycle during whichall highway assets need to be kept atthe required performance level.• The concessionaire has a duty overthe full 25-year term of the contract tooperate and maintain the network –involving asset management, networkstewardship and all maintenanceoperations.

10

A new link road in Loughborough is on course to enhance quality of life for local peopleand the visitor experience to this hub for Olympic athletes.

Bidding activity is at an all-time high as theGroup targets major business opportunitiesfor term services and privately financedwork from the Isle of Wight to NorthYorkshire.

11

The edge beams of Showell Lane Bridge, which spans the busy

A45 dual carriageway between Coventry and Birmingham, had to

be replaced as a result of a vehicle collision. But the four pre-

stressed concrete beams were so badly damaged it was too risky

to lift them out, says Ringway Schemes Manager David Langford.

“Instead we chose to demolish them in-situ, 7m above the dual

carriageway. We used remote-controlled Brokk 90 demolition

machines so that our operatives could be stood clear of the

structure and away from the beams while they were being de-

stressed,” he explains.

A temporary crash deck was constructed to support the bridge

during demolition, and traffic was diverted using a mile-long

contra-flow system.

Despite the difficult weather conditions, the new reinforced

concrete beams, each weighing 38t, were hoisted into place in

December by a crane, which blocked an entire carriageway of the

A45.

The £570,000 contract for Solihull Metropolitan Borough

Council was completed on schedule at the end of March.

Earlier this year the Eurovia Group’s Technical Department

became a part of JLUK, which is responsible for the technology

transfer and marketing of products and processes developed by

Eurovia in France.

All technical, product and processes development, and pavement

engineering consultancy activities will now be overseen by

Divisional Manager Jonathan Core.

In recent years JLUK has worked closely with the Technical

Department, playing a pivotal role in the establishment of the

Technical Centre at Warrington.

The Technical Department also oversees Eurovia Roadstone

testing facility at Dagenham; and between them the laboratories

undertake hundreds of tests on hot and cold materials each year.

These range from general quality control tests

to more in-depth mix designs and

development activities on new

and existing products.

Through JLUK, the

Warrington facility will

have more direct access to

Eurovia’s research centre

in Bordeaux. Its

commercial activity for

external clients, both in the

UK and overseas, is also

expected to grow under the

guidance of JLUK.

Closer lab linksimprove backup

insight news

PHO

TO:

Dav

id L

angf

ord

A damaged Midlandsbridge has re-openedafter a challenging eight-month repairoperation by RingwayInfrastructure Services’sSolihull Division.

Loughborough University will be the training base for the GB Team

and host also to Olympic athletes from Japan and other countries.

Eurovia is on schedule to complete the vital link this September.

The scheme, which is the first to be let under the Midlands Highways

Alliance framework, was launched at a ceremony in November (see

picture).

Its track-side location requires detailed risk assessments and

method statements for Network Rail permits to work. A full-time site

officer liaises with the surrounding householders and businesses, and

hosts a fortnightly drop-in surgery.

“Work is progressing smoothly on this scheme, which is very

important to Loughborough, and the feedback from the main

stakeholders has been extremely positive, which is a credit to the

professionalism of the site team,” says Divisional Director Kevin

Graham. “It will improve traffic flow in and around the town, and

also help ensure the town is ready as a hub for athletes in 2012.”

The technical backup available to EuroviaGroup companies has been strengthenedthrough closer links with sister companyJean Lefebvre (UK).

New beams forbashed bridge

Testing:At workin the lab

The economic climate or another crisis may dominate the headlines but

climate change is still the biggest threat we all face. In any case, for

businesses like ours these two challenges – financial and environmental

– are closely linked. Our new Carbon Strategy recognises this, and

maps out a clear path for us to follow over the next three years.

Called Committed to Cutting Carbon, the strategy reaffirms the

Group’s target of cutting carbon emissions by 5% year on year. And it

spells out the steps we must take to achieve it.

What’s driving this ambitious strategy?UK law already requires that we disclose our carbon emissions as part of

a compulsory carbon-trading scheme. Changes made by the Coalition

government mean this is no longer financially neutral. The carbon

credits we must buy for our emissions will take a chunk out of the

Group’s bottom line from 2012. Cutting our emissions will reduce this

carbon tax bill.

Our customers and other stakeholders are also demanding robust

reporting of carbon emissions to help them report and reduce their own

carbon footprints. So every division needs to report in detail the carbon

performance of its services and our products.

Another powerful driver is our continuous pursuit of efficiency and

business improvement. Effective carbon management – for example,

changing our plant and fleet, and how we use them – drives efficiencies

in the way we operate, delivering financial as well as emissions savings.

And what does the Carbon Strategy commit us to doing? There are

four key steps:

• Measure – We need accurate data for our fuel and electricity use to

measure our carbon footprint. This covers not just our plant and fleet,

but also business travel by car, rail and air; activities such as surfacing

and maintenance, and manufacture of products and materials; and

offices and depots. We are also committed to measuring the waste we

generate, recycle and send to landfill. We will work with our supply

chain to measure the carbon impact embedded in their products and

services, to help us calculate the Group’s overall footprint.

• Report – We will continue to report our Group’s carbon performance

to stakeholders in various ways, including our annual Corporate

Responsibility Report. We must also report the carbon impact of our

services to highway authorities on a contract basis. Carbon reporting is

an increasingly important requirement when tendering. In some cases

carbon outputs must be predicted for a 25-year period with carbon

performance built into payment mechanisms.

• Reduce – We must reduce our carbon footprint by working more

efficiently, through behavioural change, and by consuming less virgin

materials, fuel and energy. Our Low Carbon Steering Committee

evaluates the financial and environmental case for investing in low-

carbon solutions and technologies. We must focus first on our main

greenhouse gas emitters: asphalt production and use, fleet and plant,

depots and offices, and programming our activities. And we must

remember, as individuals we can make a difference by the way we

drive, switching off lights and turning down the heating.

• Innovate – As we move towards a low-carbon economy, products,

services and their providers will increasingly be chosen on their carbon

credentials. We already have innovative low-carbon products. Our

laboratories at Warrington, Dagenham and Normanton give us a

competitive edge, reinforced by the world-leading Eurovia Research

Centre in Bordeaux. Through early contractor involvement (ECI) and

partnership with our supply chain, we must promote these and new

alternative solutions.

��������

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12

FOOTPRINTING – THE FUTUREFootprinting will go beyond carbon. Already we are being asked

to assess our water footprint.

Climate change is expected to worsen shortages and drought,

especially in the South of England. Isle of Wight Council wants

PFI bidders to measure their water footprint – the amount used

directly in producing products and delivering services, and indirect

water use in the supply chain. Other clients are also showing an

interest in water conservation.

We need to identify where we use water, measure it accurately,

and set benchmarks and targets to reduce consumption.

As a business we can investigate options such as water

harvesting.

And as individuals we can: turn off taps and hoses, when not

in use; mend leaks; and avoid over-extracting water from hydrants.

insight sustainability

How do we do our bit to limit climatechange? Group Corporate ResponsibilityManager Jo Homer sets out the strategy.

Cutting carbon

13

insight project

Resurfacing by Royal appointmentAn intricately planned operation to renew the colourful asphalt besideLondon’s most famous address has received The Royal Parks’ seal of approval.

Millions of tourist footfalls and hundreds of thousands of vehicles

passing Buckingham Palace had, by last summer, taken their toll on

surrounding footways and carriageways. Asphalt was cracked and

crazed, and potholed in places, while the distinctive red surfacing

had begun to fade. So the Royal Parks agency and its consultant,

Parsons Brinckerhoff, commissioned Eurovia to come up with a

suitable resurfacing treatment.

As surfacing contractor, Eurovia specified different surfacing

materials to provide a subtle distinction between footway and

highway for the safety of pedestrians and drivers.

A 40mm-thick Fibrovia stone mastic asphalt (SMA) surface course

was chosen to provide durability for pedestrian areas linking

Buckingham Palace to the Queen Victoria Memorial. The Fibrovia

included a 10mm red aggregate with a red pigmented binder. For

the carriageways, a 40mm-thick red-pigmented hot rolled asphalt

surface course was used with 20mm ‘red’ pre-coated chippings.

Eurovia completed its £400,000 contract in under two weeks

during September 2010, working in shifts through the night to

ensure tourists could watch the Changing of the Guard during the

day without disruption. Roads reopened to traffic at 5am each

morning. RIS East Traffic Management was on duty throughout to

ensure safe access for pedestrians and vehicles.

By doubling up to two milling and paving teams during the

second night’s work on the approaches to the Victoria Memorial,

Eurovia was able to pull ahead of the original schedule, ensuring the

scheme was completed before a high-profile VIP visit to London.

Eurovia Roadstone manufactured and supplied all asphalt

materials, Eurovia Specialist Treatments applied a Gripclean bond

coat to all surfaces, and RIS Contracting carried out the roadmarking.

“We planned meticulously to ensure that deliveries arrived in The

Mall on schedule,” says Eurovia Surfacing’s Operations Manager, Paul

Kidd. “We applied a Grand Prix ‘pit stop’ mentality to reduce delays.

Everyone on site knew exactly where they had to be, and at what

time. The team really pulled together and we completed the contract

with a day to spare.

“This was a challenging contract not only because we had a tight

programme, but we also had to get the quality of finish just right,”

he adds. To minimise the number of visible surface joints in the

pedestrian concourse outside the gates, two paving machines

worked in echelon, laying the red Fibrovia SMA.

Technical investigations prior to the works were critical to the

success of the contract. These included coring and production plant

trials with the LANXESS pigment to colour-match the materials,

under the direction of Jan Hemsley, JLUK National Technical

Manager.

Eurovia took a similarly fastidious approach to laying and

compacting the hot rolled asphalt (HRA) and pre-coated chips used

on all trafficked areas, both into the Palace and around the Queen

Victoria Memorial.

This surfacing solution has lost popularity in favour of SMA in

recent years. “This has resulted in a decline in the numbers of people

with the skills and experience to lay HRA and pre-coated clips to a

very high standard,” Paul says. Fortunately, Eurovia still lays a lot of

HRA for clients around the country.

“It is a very labour-intensive process and requires an experienced

team of operatives to get the right finish,” he adds. “A ‘right first

time’ approach is absolutely essential, along with a great deal of

planning and supervision to ensure the highest quality throughout.”

This is just the latest in a series of major highway contracts in the

vicinity of Buckingham Palace for the company. In September 2009,

the Group re-laid asphalt along the full length of Constitution Hill,

and it resurfaced Horse Guards Parade on the opposite side of St

James’s Park in 2008.

The Royal Parks was very pleased with the outcome of the autumn

resurfacing. Its Project Manager, Caroline McDonagh, noted that not

a single complaint or negative comment had been received from the

public, adding: “If a project is scored against the number of

complaints received, this scheme was a huge success!”

14

At your eService! Not so long ago the highway contractor’s job was all about following orders.But times have moved on and today’s service providers have a much biggerand more challenging role.

“We are having to evolve to think like the client,” says David

May, Business Systems Project Manager. “Understanding and

supporting our clients in achieving the outcomes required from a

modern local authority highways service is key – namely: a safe,

reliable network; travel information for road users; a highways

asset that gives best value for money; engagement with

communities and local politicians; as well as measured proof of

performance.”

And the technology that supports the business is having to

evolve too. To deliver those outputs and outcomes for clients and

their customers, all people, systems and processes behind the

service must be joined up and working seamlessly together. That

requires freely flowing information and an IT system to collect and

process it.

eServe is the electronic Management Information System (MIS)

that Ringway has developed to do this crucial job.

“We and our clients recognise that open, reliable, accurate and

timely information is essential for successful contracts that deliver

effective and efficient service to the public. And we have a decade

of experience in customising systems to local authorities’ specific

requirements,” he explains.

eServe has evolved through years spent selecting, developing and

forging together tried and tested system elements. The eServe MIS

can link dozens of software applications and databases – which

may be hosted by the client, Ringway or other partners – in an

easily accessible but secure environment.

The beauty of eServe, David stresses, is that it does this in a

powerful, intelligent and, above all, flexible way. “Typically there

may be 40 different system elements. The shift in vision that eServe

brings is the flexibility to bolt those different elements together so

as to match the needs of each contract and client.”

For PFI contracts where Ringway is required to take on the role of

the highway authority, the MIS must provide all the supporting

systems, whereas for the more traditional term maintain-type

contracts, half the components may come from the client side.

eServe ensures they are always fully integrated. It also dovetails

with Ringway’s integrated management system, The Way We

Work, and joins up all the key components required to run a

contract – not

least the Kheops

business

management

system, as well as

the systems

controlling

network

management,

works delivery,

asset

management and

communication

and reporting.

eServe can also

be linked to

highway

authorities’

systems for

permitting

streetworks under

the Traffic

Management Act,

customer contact

centres, and even public websites for road users and residents.

And through eServe mobile, the system frees gangs and

supervisors from paperwork and feeds back live progress data from

road sites.

DRAIN BRAINS eServe uploads details of the location and condition

of gullies to authorities’ asset management systems in Bracknell

Forest and Worcestershire (see page 19). The information, gathered

on-board through Masternaut

during cyclical maintenance, is

driving improvements in planning

and delivery of the drainage service

GREENER FLEET Using eServe, the environmental

performance of the Group’s fleet is being monitored

and improved by analysing the vehicle mileage, fuel

and other data captured via the Masternaut tracking

system.

-THE PHILOSOPHY• Functionality – support peopleand processes in delivering outputsand outcomes

• Integration – fully integratedsystems, shared data, ‘one sourceof truth’

• Visibility – current data, what weneed to know, when we need it,with controlled access forinternal/external customers

• Intelligence – using data inclever ways, identify issues, designoptimal solutions

• Storage – secure and efficientdata storage and retrieval

15

insight services

LEAN SAVINGS As part of a Lean engineering process,

eServe was configured to support new ‘operations

hubs’ that have streamlined emergency response,

boosted gangs’ daily output by 20%, and delivered

maintenance savings of around £1 million

a year in Kent.

OPEN HIGHWAY Access to information on Buckinghamshire’s

highway services has been transformed by an award-winning

website, which shows live eServe updates on where gangs are

working and the progress of winter gritting (see page 20).

At the heart of eServe is its Knowledge Centre, where eServe

collects data from around its various elements, then analyses and

communicates performance using various tools and reports. These

include powerful tools to identify the root causes of problems and

manage their resolution.

eServe’s user-friendly graphics display all the information needed

to support Ringway’s proactive performance management culture.

The Group’s Performance Coordinators lead the way in helping

teams identify ways to make their part of the service more

effective, efficient and consistent, and to drive performance

improvement. They also share this knowledge with clients’

performance managers, identifying wider opportunities to improve

efficiency and effectiveness. An example is using Lean techniques

to re-engineer organisational structures and processes to reduce

network congestion due to roadworks and the mileage driven

each day by crews, thus cutting carbon emissions and increasing

value for money.

“All this delivers powerful cost-benefits compared with paper-

based or standalone systems that are inefficient and create work

through error and duplication of effort,” says David.

And the eServe evolution continues. “We are working with

software developers and end users to implement eServe even

more widely, taking advantage of developments in Lean thinking

and cloud-based computer systems.”

It is a big investment, but he predicts the benefits for Ringway,

clients and customers will be as far-reaching and significant as the

advances of recent years, sustaining Ringway’s position as a

leading highway services provider over the coming decade and

beyond.

GANG HANDED eServe mobile has streamlined reactive

maintenance in Wiltshire and Kent. Gangs can navigate to

pothole locations using hand-held devices, notify arrival

and completion, take and

transmit ‘before’ and

‘after’ photos, and receive

new orders for any urgent

jobs, updating the MIS

back at base as they go.

CLASS ACT Linking eServe to Kent’s Mayrise permitting system

for streetworks has reduced admin by almost two thirds. Permit

applications are generated automatically when scheduling

works. Jobs are only released when permitted. And gangs

receive permit and works order together electronically.

However safe our sites, none of us have allthe answers – though we do tend to havesimilar problems. That’s why Eurovia hascommissioned DuPont safety consultants tocarry out a best-practice audit of theirbusinesses around the world and see whatwe can learn from each other, writesDavid Campbell.

It is the Foreman who turns an instruction into action by

actually putting our operatives to work. If work is to be carried

out safely, the Foreman must communicate clearly to the gang

what needs to be done, where and how – including the main

hazards and what control measures need to be put in place.

Another key responsibility is to communicate the company’s

expectations to the gang. How should a site look? How are

employees expected to behave? What are the standards for

safe behaviour and the consequences of unsafe behaviour?

It is the Foreman who, on site, applies the Group-wide

standards that define our safety culture. If operatives do not

follow procedures or rules the Foreman must take appropriate

action. Turn a blind eye and the operative will believe their

unsafe behaviour is acceptable. No matter how many times

they may get away with it, inevitably a safety incident will

result.

That is why we will soon be giving Foremen a special high-

visibility jacket. Members of the public will know whom to

approach should they have a query concerning the site. Visitors

to a site will also be able to recognise the person in charge

more easily. And thirdly, and most important, it reflects our

recognition of this key management role within our Group.

FOREMAN

safety matters

16

Auditors aim toshare best practice

We are seen as Eurovia’s leading delegation on health and safety

due to our well-established safety culture. This is driven by strong

leadership and management commitment, and reinforced by the

goal-setting approach of UK health and safety legislation.

Ringway based its approach to managing safety on the DuPont

philosophy: no-one comes to work to be injured, all incidents are

preventable, and managing safety is good for the business.

But we can still learn from others and share our success with

them. DuPont will audit a sample of our locations following Eurovia

World Safety Day on May 26th.

After all audits have been completed we will make the findings

available so that we can learn from them.

Breaking New Ground: The first is a joint Ringway production with

the Highway Term Maintenance Association and will be used industry-

wide as a training aid. Called Breaking New Ground, it takes viewers

through safe digging practices.

It was filmed on location at Ringway Infrastructure Services

Worcestershire and in Loughborough, where RIS North is working for

the Midlands Highway Alliance (see page 10). Ringway employees in

both places did a really good job of showing how excavation works

should be carried out.

Near Misses: The new near misses DVD was made in four Eurovia

delegations – France, Chile, Germany and the UK – for Eurovia World

Safety Day on May 26th.

The UK sequence was recorded at RIS Wiltshire’s High Post winter

maintenance depot. It highlights the danger to passing operatives from

a reversing gritter – using special techniques such as an aerial view of

the scene, freezing the action, and panning around the operatives.

They discuss the importance of reporting near misses, while managers

explain the process for recording, analysing and acting on the evidence.

We have received very positive feedback from both film production

teams and hope the viewing of the DVDs will be rewarding too. Thanks

to everyone who took part or contributed in other ways.

Two new safety DVDs are coming to ascreen near you. And Ringway people have played a leading role in both, asDavid Campbell reports.

Watch out fornew safety films

Managers at all levels play their part inpromoting safety but none more so thanthe Group’s site Foremen, writes DavidCampbell, Group HS&E Manager.

Raising the profileof the Foreman

17

insight health and safety

Pick up a packceLooking goodin 2011

Better guidance is helping crews working onthe roads. Chris Plant, HS&E Advisor,describes the new Gang Packs.

Another year, another calendar, andthe theme of Ringway’s 2011 Health,Safety & Environment Calendar is‘What does good look like?’, writesRob Dyer, HS&E Advisor.

What are they?

The improved Gang Packs began appearing on our sites earlier this

year, and the feedback has been good. They are colourful and

informative, and all employees should take the time to have a look

through them. These packs give a really good insight into how we

manage our health, safety and environmental responsibilities when

working out on the roads.

Why change them?

We needed to move away from the large, cumbersome documents

that had become increasingly hard to manage. They were also very

generic and too much reliance was being placed on their content

rather than managing the actual risks on site. So we have moved to a

‘less is more’ approach. The new packs provide general information

only, while risks on site are managed through ‘site-specific risk

assessments’.

What do the Packs do?

They provide step-by-step guidance for carrying out any task safely. A

gang needs to be informed what PPE to wear for each task and what

action to take if a spillage should occur. This is the generic aspect of

the work common to any site.

And risk assessments?

Other hazards vary with location. We need risk assessments for each

site to show how hazards are identified and controls are put in place:

Why have we chosen that type of traffic management or kerb lifter?

Why are we applying road markings at that time of day? It is essential

to record the control measures we use to manage these and other

hazardous elements of the activities we carry out daily.

The calendar shows real-life examples of good practice

from across the business, including our joint ventures.

We tried to choose images that were as varied and

interesting as possible and representative of the relevant

seasons. They also demonstrate the diverse nature of our

work and how we are truly a national business.

We would like to thank those who took the time to

send in pictures along with an explanation of what they

showed and why it represented good practice.

PHO

TO:

Bruc

e Fi

ndla

y

Well, there’s no excuse for not getting advice and information.

You are entitled to free and confidential help 24/7 under the

Eurovia Group’s Employee Assistance Programme. And that now

includes advice on medical matters and general health and

wellbeing.

The freephone and online service provided by FirstAssist was

widened in 2011 to cover these areas. Access to wider health and

fitness information is also available online.

Prompt action to identify and tackle health problems, stress, or

ways to enhance people’s wellbeing will benefit employees and

hence the company.

And the same is true for all the issues covered by the EAP service

– from family concerns, and legal and financial matters, to landlord

and tenant topics, or statutory rights and personal injury.

“Remember that this service is completely confidential – all that

FirstAssist reports to us is the number of users,” says Kristine

Pollock, Group Human Resources Director. “And it includes

telephone counselling on any subject at a time convenient to you.”

The main exception is any contentious issue about your

employer. This is covered by the company’s HR policies and

procedures.

To seek assistance from the service online, simply visit:

www.first-assist.com and click on ‘FirstAssist Online’.

Enter ‘Ringway’ in both boxes. To access your free telephone

helpline 24 hours a day, call: 0800 716 017.

insight peopleAre you worried about your health, or maybe just conscious you could be feeling better?

Be well informed

18

Name: Ashleigh Beecroft

Age: 22

Background: Ashleigh joined the

Group’s two-year apprentice

programme in September 2010. He

spent seven weeks at Askham Bryan

College near York and 12 weeks at

the Ringway depot in Harrogate learning on site with the support of a

mentor. He spent the first full week of his employment at the Stilton

facility in Cambridgeshire, where he attained the Ringway 5 Core

Skills in manual handling, first aid, abrasive wheels, cable / service

avoidance and banksman.

Why become an apprentice?I get to learn and work at the same time; so I get paid to learn and

gain NVQs, which is good for me. It’s a once in a lifetime chance to

learn a skill and be guaranteed a job. This can then lead to bigger and

better things in the future.

How was college?College really helped me understand the skills involved with

construction and improved my reading tremendously. The whole

course was very worthwhile and I would recommend it to anyone.

And your site work?It gives good practical experience; without it I would be stuck in

college just learning, not doing and learning.

What’s best about it?I’m really enjoying my apprenticeship. I like the people I work with;

they are friendly and support my learning. Every day brings something

new; it may be similar work but the location is always changing,

meaning different challenges.

And the worst?Probably the pay! But I am getting paid to learn so that outweighs

that. In truth I haven’t experienced anything bad.

Your aims?The training has made me realise my ambitions and my aim now is to

further my career and become a Foreman and have my own gang.

sharp endRingway employees at work

YOU’REPART OFOURGROUP

Now share inthe benefits!PH

OTO

: Ri

char

d O

rr

19

These are covered by new service level agreements (SLAs)

proposed by Ringway and inspired by the success of its first SLA for

road gullies.

Called Drainman, this combined gully emptying and jetting with

asset management planning so that gullies are managed more

effectively on the basis of need. The Worcestershire Highways

partnership has also agreed a flood plan targeting flooding

‘hotspots’ before and after rainstorms.

All the county’s safety barriers will be inspected, recorded and re-

tensioned under the new rolling programme devised by Ringway.

Barriers are usually inspected using the same traffic management

as grass cutting. Its new regime identifies areas that require more

frequent cutting to prevent visibility problems for road users.

The locations of milestones have also been captured and growth

rates measured to improve verge maintenance along with sign

cleaning and vegetation cut-back.

Meanwhile, the quality of road patching has risen under another

SLA introduced last year for Jetpatching works. Ringway re-

programmed the work to exclude the winter months and boost

productivity. The cost of the service has been cut along with

the number of defects picked up by highway inspectors,

generating further savings.

Road markings are next in line for an SLA. Ringway is

systematically mapping their condition, using the Group’s

specialised Ecodyn survey vehicle. A three-year continuous

re-lining plan for A and B-roads is almost 65% complete.

High-friction surfacings have also been mapped. They are

now being tested to determine how effective they are

when part-worn and to plan their renewal.

“We are continuously delivering operational efficiencies, in

collaboration with our partners, and will provide even more

benefits with our new ways of working,” says Dave Rowley,

Divisional Manager.

Street cleansing, gully emptying and highway patching have all

been transformed under service level agreements proposed by

Ringway. Their success gave councillors the confidence to extend the

five-year Street Care contract, which started in 2004, to September

2014.

Working together, the company and client first tackled the under-

performing street cleansing service. Resources were costed on an

open-book basis, the contract specification was revised, and payment

switched to an annual lump sum.

The new cleansing regime has raised standards of cleanliness and

accelerated removal of graffiti and fly-tipped waste. Along the way

Bracknell Forest has garnered its first Britain in Bloom Gold Award for

many years.

Similar efficiencies were achieved in gully cleansing after Ringway

took over from the council’s preferred subcontractor. Joint audits have

confirmed the service improvements, while the lump sum payment

gives the council certainty of price, saves inspection and management

time, and passes the risk of extra flood-related workload to Ringway.

The third service level agreement has changed the way minor

footway defects are reported and repaired. A new dedicated Reactive

Patching Unit has generated significant savings that are being

reinvested in a microsurfacing programme to raise the condition of

footways in the borough.

“These changes to the contract have improved the service we

provide to the council, bringing tangible benefits to both

organisations,” says Ian Thorpe, Divisional Manager.

insight services

Partnership and open discussion areallowing innovative ideas to blossom inBracknell Forest as Ringway deliverssavings and service improvements forthe Berkshire council.

Innovation bloomsin Bracknell

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Grass verges and safety barriersalongside roads in Worcestershireare the latest aspects of the countynetwork to benefit from a proactiveapproach to service delivery.

Taking service tothe next level

PAN-TASTIC: Success is also breeding success in Bracknell’s annual pancake

race. Ringway’s team again scooped first prize in the mayor’s charity event.

Running relay, Rod MacKinnon, Mike Frost, Rob Neesham and Lyndon Milam –

from the Street Cleansing division – had to toss their pancakes at each

changeover. They finished ahead of staff from the local Bentalls store, while the

Bracknell Forest Standard team, led by their Sports Editor, came third.

Contestants were “shrover-excited,” the local newspaper reported. Hopefully,

no-one from Ringway added: “Our guys just get batter and batter…”

insight news

Insight is published by Eurovia Group Ltd, Albion House,

Springfield Road, Horsham, West Sussex RH12 2RW

Feedback to: Tracey Elms, Group Marketing & PR Manager.

E: Tracey.Elms@Eurovia.co.uk

20

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AIR PACKAGE: Eurovia Airport Services has completed a large

package of works at Glasgow Airport, demonstrating the

division’s ability to self-deliver specialised civil engineering works.

The £1.75 million contract for BAA included repairs to taxiway

areas paved with fast-setting PQ concrete, rehabilitating and

overlaying aircraft stands with asphalt and airport-spec block

paviors, installing drainage, and the resurfacing of taxiways. It

also required a new fire access road to be constructed and the

resurfacing of car parks at the passenger terminal.

The division, which faces the challenge of covering a large

geographical area, provides all airports in Scotland – including

10 in the Highlands and Islands – with airside and landside

services.

Other recent contracts involved a roadway for a new security

gatehouse and fencing at Inverness Airport, and a car park at

Stornaway, while a new bus

lane at Aberdeen Airport

required the installation of

shelters, signage and white-

lining – delivered outside

working hours to avoid

disruption to the busy airport.

Current projects include

installation of aeronautical

ground lighting at Islay and Wick airports for Highlands and

Islands Airports, repairing helicopter aprons at Aberdeen, and

assisting BEAR with concrete repair works on the M90.

EAS also undertakes maintenance contracts from its base at

Inverness including surfacing, civil engineering, runway marking,

electrical and landscaping works.

Buckinghamshire’s pioneering website for all

things highways is proving a hit with residents

and road users.

Developed by Ringway Jacobs, the online

one-stop shop is attracting over 100,000 visits

a month from people accessing a wealth of

critical information on roads and transport in

the county.

This includes live updates on where gangs

are working and gritting progress, relayed from

vehicles’ tracking systems. Users can also log

and pinpoint defects on maps. If these are

urgent, office-based highways staff alert the

nearest suitable gang via their hand-held

device, reducing response times and increasing

productivity.

Winner of a Highways magazine Excellence

Award, the website taps the power of Ringway

Jacob’s Management Information System and

Masternaut, the satellite tracking system for the

Transport for Buckinghamshire highways fleet.

Visitors can sign up for email, text and

Twitter alerts about traffic disruption and other

news.

The service information centre fills a need for

more easily accessible information identified

after media criticism of gritting and pothole

repairs following the 2009/10 winter. This

December hits exceeded 135,000. And calls to

the council’s call centre more than halved after

the launch last May.

The £8.1 million project to convert the

two/three-lane A414 in Essex to a full

dual-carriageway required a suite of skills

from across the Group. A target-cost

contract, it followed two successful major

schemes in Harlow also completed by the

Eurovia Contracting division under the

county council framework contract.

Work on the 1.8km-long route

between the M11 Junction and Southern

Way began in November 2009. It ranged

from earthworks and drainage to

surfacing, safety barriers, streetlighting

and signs. One subway had to be

extended by 17m, while another was

replaced with a new structure.

Careful programming was crucial on

the scheme, which was supervised by

Mouchel and included £3.5 million of

diversionary works. High output in the

civils and surfacing phases had paved the

way for completion in November 2010

until BT and then the severe December

weather interrupted progress.

The nine-man project team, led by

Project Manager Matthew Taylor, still

steered the scheme to early completion in

March. They also limited the cost rise

from substantial additional works and

design changes to just 4%. The Highways

Agency, meanwhile, was relieved that

traffic queues onto the nearby M11 were

avoided throughout the 16-month

period.

“This project has been a major success,

showing future clients the capacity of

Eurovia Contracting to tackle even bigger

jobs,” says David Waggett, Operations

Manager. “It also utilised and rewarded

the capabilities of the wider Group.”

A major road dualling scheme – one of the Group’sbiggest – has finished aheadof schedule despite a three-month hiatus imposed bysnow and utility delays.

Dualling defies delays

Bucks website’sgreatest hits

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