Transatlantic explosive demolition alliance

August 11, 2025 Video

The recent European Demolition Association convention in Venice brought the demolition world together.

Even though it was billed as a European event, delegates travelled from as far afield as Argentina and Japan, Canada and the United States to attend.

But that coming together was not limited purely to the wider industry.

The event marked the amalgamation of Dykon Demolition, Precision Blasting Services and Academy Blasting under a single banner, known as DetX.

At the same time, DetX announced the formation of a Transatlantic joint venture with Alford Technologies here in the UK.

In an exclusive interview, Demolition News caught up with Dr Anthony Konya and Ron Gilbert of DetX, and Roland Alford of Alford Technologies to find out more.

Industry-wide facade retention

July 25, 2025 General

I was talking to an industry friend yesterday about the process of facade retention within the field of demolition. For those of you that don’t know, the process is precisely as the name suggests. It is a demolition and construction technique in which the external walls or “façade” of a building are preserved while the rest of the structure – usually the interior and sometimes the roof – is demolished and rebuilt.

It is a process I have encountered many times over the years; and it is one that I find endlessly fascinating, because it truly tests the ingenuity and engineering skill of the demolition contractor.

Which is why it struck me as odd that this thought had never occurred to me before. That facade retention is, in many ways, the perfect metaphor for the demolition industry of today. And the more I thought about it, the more similarities I found.

This article continues on Demolition Insider. Please use the link below to access this article FOR FREE.

The Break Fast Show #975

July 25, 2025 Video

In today’s show: Priestly Demolition has plenty of energy; the Evolution of the CASE backhoe continues; Demi Lition returns to talk about black carbon in London – And construction is to blame; and we’re heading to South Africa for CASE equipment and leaping motorcycles.

PLUS in Mark’s Morning Monologue: An industry-wide façade retention.

Join host Mark Anthony LIVE for The Break Fast Show – the ONLY daily LiveStream built exclusively for demolition, construction, and equipment fanatics worldwide.

Breaking news. Expert views. Unmissable videos. Raw opinions. If it matters in the industry, we’re talking about it – LIVE.

Test your knowledge with the Mystery Machine, have your say in the Question of the Day, and don’t miss Mark’s Morning Monologue – a no-holds-barred take on the hottest topics.

And when the show’s done, the conversation’s just getting started. Stick around for The Craic, our legendary after-show chat!

Set your alarm. Grab your coffee. It’s time to break fast, and to break new ground.

Exodus

July 24, 2025 Long Form

Have you ever thought of leaving? Just throwing in the towel, calling it quits, packing your bags and going somewhere else? Somewhere better? Somewhere you’re actually wanted?

Have you felt weary of things as they are now; today? Do you hanker for a simpler life without the constant hassles and struggles?
Have you ever looked around you and shaken your head in disbelief at what we have become?

Have you ever looked at those in charge, those in authority, those with power and thought, “I wouldn’t trust you to walk my dog”?

Have you looked at those around you and thought: “You don’t belong here. You have no right being here. Your very presence is dragging us all down, making things worse”?

I know it sounds like I’m talking about emigrating: leaving the UK for somewhere greener, somewhere life feels less heavy. But I need to clarify.

When I asked about leaving, I meant quitting the demolition and construction industry. When I asked about those in charge, I meant the managers, foremen, company owners. And when I questioned those who don’t belong, I wasn’t referring to migrants. I was talking about those people currently stealing a living on demolition and constructions sites up and down the land. The ones that would really rather be somewhere – anywhere – else; that have a plastic card that says they’re competent, but have a skill set that proves the otherwise.

If you have experienced any of these feelings, you are not alone.

This article continues on Demolition Insider. Please use the link below to access this article FOR FREE.

The Break Fast Show #974

July 24, 2025 Video

In today’s show: CNB gets a push from John Deere; brothers in arms at Rummel Construction; Bobcat, and the true meaning of horse power; and the new CASE duck in action.

PLUS in Mark’s Morning Monologue: EXODUS!

Join host Mark Anthony LIVE for The Break Fast Show – the ONLY daily LiveStream built exclusively for demolition, construction, and equipment fanatics worldwide.

Breaking news. Expert views. Unmissable videos. Raw opinions. If it matters in the industry, we’re talking about it – LIVE.

Test your knowledge with the Mystery Machine, have your say in the Question of the Day, and don’t miss Mark’s Morning Monologue – a no-holds-barred take on the hottest topics.

And when the show’s done, the conversation’s just getting started. Stick around for The Craic, our legendary after-show chat!

Set your alarm. Grab your coffee. It’s time to break fast, and to break new ground.

For the love of demolition

July 23, 2025 Video

Let’s start with a simple question: Why does the demolition and construction industry get such a bad press?

Why is it, in a world built quite literally by people in hard hats, high-vis vests and steel-toe boots, that those very same people are so often overlooked, undervalued, or outright disrespected?

It’s a strange contradiction. Because without this industry, there would be no hospitals. No schools. No homes. No supermarkets, stadiums or roads. No high-rises or railways. Not even the power stations or data centres that keep our lives ticking.

Demolition and construction are not a necessary evil to tolerate and castigate. They are the foundations – pun absolutely intended – of everything modern life depends upon.

So why, then, is this industry so often on the receiving end of public scepticism, media criticism, and even political indifference?

This article continues on Demolition Insider. Please use the link below to access this article FOR FREE.

The Break Fast Show #973

July 23, 2025 Video

In today’s show: We are delving deep to find some of the unsung heroes of the construction equipment world including: The Hunklinger compact wheeled excavator; the Knikmops compact wheel loader; the trailer-mounted backhoe loader from MK Martin; and the mighty Huddig.

PLUS in Mark’s Morning Monologue: For the love of construction.

Join host Mark Anthony LIVE for The Break Fast Show – the ONLY daily LiveStream built exclusively for demolition, construction, and equipment fanatics worldwide.

Breaking news. Expert views. Unmissable videos. Raw opinions. If it matters in the industry, we’re talking about it – LIVE.

Test your knowledge with the Mystery Machine, have your say in the Question of the Day, and don’t miss Mark’s Morning Monologue – a no-holds-barred take on the hottest topics.

And when the show’s done, the conversation’s just getting started. Stick around for The Craic, our legendary after-show chat!

Set your alarm. Grab your coffee. It’s time to break fast, and to break new ground.

Anatomy of a whistleblower

July 22, 2025 Long Form

What makes someone become a whistleblower? What makes someone come clean about what they know? What makes them turn their back on friends, colleagues, employers and even the very industry that once afforded them a decent living and kept a roof over their heads?

There are many reasons; reasons that run the whole gamut from the selfish to the selfless, and stopping off at self-preservation along the way.

But the main drivers for turning whistleblower can be broken down into three main categories:

There are those that turn whistleblower for vengeance. A disgruntled former employee, for example, who believes they have been poorly treated or slighted in some way.

There are those that turn whistleblower for financial gain; in the pursuit of a payment to secure their silence over something they know that others might prefer to keep under wraps.

And then there’s the third kind; the noble kind. The whistleblower not as a malevolent force, but as a force for good. Or perceived good at least. Those that bravely choose to come clean to improve things; to reveal and right a wrong; to hopefully make a positive difference, regardless of the personal cost.

This article continues on Demolition Insider. Please use the link below to access this article FOR FREE.

The Break Fast Show #972

July 22, 2025 Video

In today’s show: Getting high with Volvo wheel loaders; we’re in the trenches with Kemroc; c’est magnifique – Cardem demolition; and Demi Lition is back to discuss the “industrialisation of construction crime”.

PLUS in Mark’s Morning Monologue: The anatomy of a whistleblower?

Join host Mark Anthony LIVE for The Break Fast Show – the ONLY daily LiveStream built exclusively for demolition, construction, and equipment fanatics worldwide.

Breaking news. Expert views. Unmissable videos. Raw opinions. If it matters in the industry, we’re talking about it – LIVE.

Test your knowledge with the Mystery Machine, have your say in the Question of the Day, and don’t miss Mark’s Morning Monologue – a no-holds-barred take on the hottest topics.

And when the show’s done, the conversation’s just getting started. Stick around for The Craic, our legendary after-show chat!

Set your alarm. Grab your coffee. It’s time to break fast, and to break new ground.

A severe lack of vision

July 21, 2025 Long Form

The demolition industry of today stands on the shoulders of giants; and those shoulders belonged to the industry’s forebears and founding fathers. These were great men that shaped the sector through vision, determination, and sheer force of will.

All that the industry is today can be traced back to the foresight and wisdom of those leaders of the past. They looked beyond the now. They looked beyond the next project. And they looked beyond the next pay cheque. They worked, not just for themselves, but for bigger ideal; a greater good. And while they were unquestionably highly competitive, they sought unity rather than division. They recognised that a rising tide lifts all boats. In doing so, they built the foundations upon which the demolition industry of today now stands.

This article continues on Demolition Insider. Please use the link below to access this article FOR FREE.