Plant & Civil Engineer Jul-Aug 2021

Welcome to our latest bumper issue of Plant & Civil Engineer. As you read through the pages, one thing may well catch your eye: a lot of companies are investing a lot of money, with a keen eye on the future, and that is good news for the industry as a whole, with demand across most areas of construction currently very strong, particularly in the housing market.

That’s not to say, though, everything in the garden is rosy, because there are still some serious underlying challenges to overcome, not least a growing shortage of skilled labour, in particular lorry drivers, and rising material costs, in the main due to issues surrounding Brexit and the global pandemic. We know a lot of effort is being put in behind the scenes to address these difficulties, so let’s hope there will be some success.

On another subject, CITB NI has launched a series of mental health and wellbeing training courses aimed at helping employers to think about how they can create work environments that minimise stress and support employees who are struggling. With over a third of construction workers reporting that they have experienced a condition in the past year, let’s not forget mental health is a significant and ongoing issue within the industry, as it is indeed in top level sports, as we witnessed recently in tennis, football and at the Olympics.

Some more positive news: after what will be 28 long months since the last Vertikal Days event, there is a very positive vibe in the air from the UK crane, access and telehandler fraternity looking forward to catching up in late September at its new venue, the East of England Arena & Showground in Peterborough. We have a full report.

Also in this issue we carry a 20-page section on the Norman Emerson Group, celebrating 75 years in the industry, from small family beginnings to one of our leading success stories, it’s certainly well worth a read!

Our ‘view from the cab’ team have also been exceptionally busy, bringing you reports on a wide variety of machines, as well as some important new product launches and innovations.

Please click the download button in the magazine viewer below
for the Jul-Aug 2021 issue of Plant & Civil Engineer Magazine.