In this week’s episode: In what was an awful week for the UK demolition industry: Wooldridge goes to the wall; Blucon is gone; demolition could be actively discouraged in London; and a court upholds the disqualification of a demolition director.
The Wrap #3
The Break Fast Show #663
In today’s show: The Allu Transformer bucket – Is it Hot or is it Not? Ringing the changes with Bell; a demolition project like you have never seen; a JCB customer prepares for take-off; and Bobcat’s big plans for Intermat 2024.
PLUS can you guess the identity of our Mystery Machine?
Join us LIVE for your daily fix of news, views, video and comment from the world of demolition and construction.
Come for the news and stay for the chat in our after-show discussion session, The Craic.
The Break Fast Show #662
In today’s show: Komatsu’s autonomous mine truck is a glimpse of the future; XCMG delivers in Turkey; Caterpillar gets to grips with trees; and Montabert embraces telematics for greater attachment management.
PLUS can you guess the identity of our Mystery Machine?
Join us LIVE for your daily fix of news, views, video and comment from the world of demolition and construction.
Come for the news and stay for the chat in our after-show discussion session, The Craic.
London demolition to be “discouraged”
New plan places London demolition contractors on notice.
Demolition should be actively discouraged to help reduce carbon emissions in the nation’s capital.
That is just one of the recommendations of a new report from the London Assembly entitled Retrofit vs Rebuild – Reducing Carbon in the Built Environment.
This report looks at the new approach laid out in the London Plan to assess both operational and embodied carbon emissions through Whole Life-Cycle Carbon Assessments.
Those Assessments compel builders to show they are working to reduce carbon emissions during construction. They also compel them to actively consider alternatives to demolition such as retention and retrofit if these reduce the carbon footprint of a development.
The report goes on to say: “Discouraging demolition could positively impact how we manage the quality of our historic housing estates going forward. This, in turn, could positively impact the capacity for communities to remain in their homes and to protect beloved historic community buildings, if they choose to.”
Sakina Sheikh, Chair of the Planning and Regeneration Committee, says: “There is no room for delay. We need a serious reorientation of our approach in order to ensure climate considerations are embedded at every layer of governance.”
A copy of the report can be found here.
The BreakFast Show #661
In today’s show: JCB is back in black; going green with Sennebogen; raising standards with XCMG; box blading with Bobcat; and we’re getting attached to Arden.
PLUS can you identify our Mystery Machine?
Join us LIVE for your daily fix of news, views, video and comment from the world of demolition and construction.
Come for the news and stay for the chat in our after-show discussion session, The Craic.
An industry in crisis
The untimely collapse of FOUR UK demolition companies in just three months surely speaks to a wider malaise within the industry.
In this EXCLUSIVE LiveStream show, we will unpick the demise of Squibb Group, McCormack Demolition, Wooldridge Contractors and Blucon; and we will discuss the likelihood of more demolition firms following them into the demolition dead pool.
Join us if you can.
The Break Fast Show #660
In today’s show: Develon unveils two new mini excavators and Demi Lition has the details; we’re headed Down Under for a crane demolition like no other; the pivotal role played by the Cat Rental Store; and we’re going for a spin in the CASE 651G wheel loader.
PLUS we’re holding out for a hero with Liebherr.
Join us LIVE for your daily fix of news, views, video and comment from the world of demolition and construction.
Come for the news and stay for the chat in our after-show discussion session, The Craic.
Blucon gone
West Midlands-based contractor the latest in liquidation.
Solihull-based contractor Blucon Demolition has slipped into liquidation. Following hot on the heels of the collapse of Squibb Group, McCormack Demolition and – most recently – Wooldridge Contractors, the demise of yet another demolition company will be cause for wider concern for an industry seemingly beset with financial troubles.
According to a creditor’s list seen by DemolitionNews, the company owed more than £1.9 million, with HMRC listed as one of the biggest creditors.
Companies House says that the company was incorporated in 2015. In the years following, the company carried out a number of high reach demolition projects in and around its native West Midlands.
A statement on the Companies House website says that Blucon has appointed John Hedger, Adam Ramsey and Adam Harris of Seneca as joint liquidators.
Breaking News – Another one bites the dust…
Wooldridge Contractors to appoint administrators.
It has been one of the worst-kept secret in the UK demolition industry for several weeks now. But industry news portal – Construction Enquirer – is reporting that Wooldridge Contractors has become the latest UK demolition company (and National Federation of Demolition Contractors member) to slip into administration.
The company joins Squibb Group and McCormnack Demolition in the industry dead pool.
According to Construction Enquirer, sources close to the firm said staff started redundancy consultation late last month but have been “kept in the dark” since them. DemolitionNews subsequently received a tip that staff had been sent home from at least one site.
Wooldridge’s sister demolition and muck away company Wooldridge Ecotec is also being wound-up.
The Break Fast Show #659
In today’s show: We’re meeting a happy LiuGong customer; a look behind the scenes of the Magni telescopic handler factory; we’re taking a closer look at the electro-hydraulics built into the latest generation of CASE wheel loaders; and we’re hauling with Rokbak.
PLUS we are looking ahead to Internat 2024 in the company of the mighty Liebherr.
Join us LIVE for your daily fix of news, views, video and comment from the world of demolition and construction.
Come for the news and stay for the chat in our after-show discussion session, The Craic.
