GDI June 2009
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Per Aarsleff pools resources to put stadium to bed early
Danish civil-engineering contractor Per Aarsleff and its European subsidiaries have pooled their expertise and resources to complete a mega precast, concrete piling contract in Poland’s capital, Warsaw, for a new national stadium being built for the 2012 European football championships.
Innovative eco heating for luxury flats
Residents of a new, luxury apartment building in London are among the first high-end beneficiaries of a district heating scheme providing efficient energy using a central heating plant that serves all 25 of the apartments.Wraps come off GeoDrilling 2010
The wraps have come off the next GeoDrilling show, which will be staged once again at the East of England Showground in Peterborough on April 13-14, 2010.Gecco2 wins pool work
Gecco2 has won the contract to design and build a closed-loop, ground-source heat-pump system for the newly-named Rebecca Adlington Swimming Centre in Mansfield Woodhouse, UK.Bauer in jordan link
Bauer Aktiengesellschaft has come to an agreement with the general owner of Site Group for Services and Well Drilling Ltd, Rami Wahdan Oweis, to acquire 60% of Site Group’s shares.Trevi first-quarter revenues up
Trevi’s interim operating report, for the first quarter to March 31, shows total revenues of €289 million (up 23% quarter-on-quarter) and an order portfolio worth €900 million (down from a record €1.1 billion in 2008).Albion wind farm win
Drilling and blasting specialist Albion Drilling Group has won a contract at Scottish Power’s new wind farm at Arecleoch, Ayrshire.Secret blacklisting
The UK Government plans new regulations to prevent the secret blacklisting of workers by construction companies.Western Lithium testing
Western Lithium Canada Corporation is drilling several core holes at its Kings Valley, Nevada, lithium property using sonic drilling to test the technology as it prepares for 2009’s drilling.Land-Drill digs on Ascension Island for turbine project
Scotland-based Land-Drill has been involved in the construction of five wind turbines for the BBC on Ascension Island in the South Atlantic.Bauer piles into Pembroke
Bauer Technologies Ltd has won a contract to install a total of 2,250 continuous flight auger (CFA) foundation piles, of 600mm in diameter, for power-generation company Alstom, to support a new, 2,000MW, combined-cycle, gas-turbine power station near Pembroke for RWE npower.Vibro saves client over £1m with band drains
Vibro Projects Ltd recently came up with a money-saving scheme on the Waste Transfer Station project at Preston Docks, UK.Major Drilling finds the times hard-going
Major Drilling says that, as expected, the fourth quarter of fiscal 2009 (ending March 31) proved difficult as the current economic environment impacted drilling worldwide, particularly base-metal projects.CPA seeks more detail on HESS
The Construction Products Association (CPA) has welcomed the UK government’s latest consultation on its Heat and Energy Saving Strategy (HESS), but has called for more detail on the finance and delivery mechanisms. The strategy aims to upgrade every building in the UK by 2030.Rigs & Supplies
Soilmec unveils next-generation micro-drillers
Soilmec has launched the next generation of micro-drilling rigs, the SM-18, which it claims is unique in the field of micropile multi-purpose rigs.
Bauer takes a bow on stage
In spring 2009, construction industry specialists from more than 50 countries around the world visited Schrobenhausen, Germany, to attend the in-house exhibition of Bauer Maschinen GmbH.Atlas Copco cop care
Atlas Copco is launching COP Care, a full-service agreement for all of its COP hydraulic rock drills.Atlas Copco rolls out new COP 1838 duo
Atlas Copco has launched two new versions of its COP 1838 hydraulic rock drill – the 1838MUX and 1838HUX – which are intended for use in underground long-hole drilling.Cummins line epa-ready
Cummins Inc has introduced its on-highway, heavy-duty engine line-up, all ready to meet new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations for the North American market.Kensa scoops award
Kensa Engineering, a UK-based manufacturer of ground-source heat pumps, has won first prize for Product of the Year at the Housing Excellence Awards 2009.Pile Dynamics enhances SPT analyser
Pile Dynamics Inc, a developer and manufacturer of solutions for deep foundations, has introduced a new model of its Standard Penetration Test (SPT) Analyzer for calibrating SPT rigs.Coretrack goes west
Coretrack’s technical team have travelled to Dongara in Western Australia to conduct a field well test of its intermediate telemetry system to further support findings of tests undertaken in October 2008.Fordia unveils super Hero for diamond drillers
Fordia, the diamond tool manufacturer, has launched a new matrix inspired by the colours of a dark superhero – the HERO diamond bit.Diamanttek makes the job safter with E-Z Drill
Specialist UK diamond-drilling, sawing and demolition contractor Diamanttek, based in Bolton, is using an American E-Z Drill pedestrian-controlled drilling rig on a vast waste-processing and recycling project in Lancashire.IMT patents seismic piler
At Intermat 2009, Italy-based IMT International presented a new patented system for piling in seismic areas.Fueltek web manager
According to fuel-management company Fueltek, its new software, being a web browser-based application, is different to traditional, fuel-management software.New atlas copco set
A new Atlas Copco QAS 500 generating set, rated at 400kW, 500kVA prime power at 50Hz (and 457kW, 575kVA at 60Hz) has been introduced for industrial, rental, construction site and public utilities applications.Geogrid symposium
A symposium to mark 25 years of polymer geogrid research and development will bring UK academics and geotechnical practitioners together to review progress in the field of geogrid reinforcement on September 8 in London.Seazone is five!
SeaZone, the marine geographic information data, software and services firm, is celebrating its fifth birthday.Bauer Australia makes tracks
Drilling operations on May 8 marked the start of the third project for Bauer Resources Australia, a unit that was founded in 2008.Vermeer guides the way with laser
The new Axis guided-boring system from Vermeer features a laser-guided system that provides accuracy in the trenchless installation of 10-14in (254-356mm) pipe for on-grade water and sewer projects.Concern over CE marking
The European Construction Industry Federation (FIEC) has welcomed the result of the vote on April 24 of the European Commission’s proposal for a Construction Products Regulation in the first reading plenary of the European Parliament,Drillers Log
NHSE holds June open day
Norwest Holst Soil Engineering (NHSE) will hold an open day on June 18 at its Leeds office and depot.SAFE contractor award
The UK’s Geotechnical Engineering Ltd has received accreditation from SAFEcontractor, a programme recognising high standards of health and safety practice among UK contractors.Site-injury claims fiasco
The claims process for construction workers hurt in site accidents can be so complicated that some – and their solicitors – just give up, missing out on compensation.Ontario drilling-safety event
AN INTERNATIONAL Drilling Safety Conference will be held at Sir Sandford Fleming College in Lindsay, Ontario, Canada on July 25-26.Stiebel Eltron’s free eco advice helps building planners
A GLOBAL renewable energy specialist is launching a free eco design advice service for architects and developers to help their projects meet tougher green building standards.Seismics leads Geothermics agenda
AROUND 200 trade visitors came to the International Geothermics Conference in Freiburg, Germany, on April 27-28.Gatenby takes on second role at another BBGE arm
TESTAL, the specialist technical services division of Balfour Beatty Ground Engineering (BBGE), has appointed BBGE director and environmental expert Ian Gatenby to head up the business.China expo’s third year
China Geo-tech 2009, the third such geological exhibition and forum based in China, will be held in Beijing on September 16-18.BAM team fund-raising
Ten men from UK-based BAM Construction Ltd undertook a 24-hour endurance challenge to raise money for Yorkshire Cancer Research on June 4, climbing 2,785ft (about 850m) up Slieve Donard the highest mountain in Ireland, then cycling 140 miles (about 220km) to and around Lough Neagh, the largest lake in the UK.Pile Dynamics’ founder wins major US award
FRANK Rausche (right), PhD, PE, has been awarded the 2009 G. Brooks Earnest Technical Lecture Award by the Cleveland section of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).SA Geo SOCIETY events
The Geological Society of South Africa will present a course on advanced diamond drill methods in exploration and mining in Johannesburg on June 24-25. The society will also hold GeoForum 2009 on July 9-10 in Johannesburg.Skelair secures French rig supply deal to British Isles
SKELAIR International Ltd has been appointed UK and Ireland distributor for a new range of mid-sized drilling rigs made by French company EMCI.Features
Multi-reflex action over a third of a century
ONE of Claes’ first ventures was to introduce the innovative but fledgling Fotobor slimline optical borehole survey instrument to a worldwide audience at the 1974 Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) trade show in Toronto.Keeping watch over dams in distress
Treviicos Corporation, in operation since 1997, is the North American subsidiary of the Trevi Group of Italy.UK aggregrates sector needs stimulus
THE quarrying industry has taken a bit of a hammering recently, reflected in the fact that premier UK quarrying event Hillhead, due to take place this month, suffered cancellation and has had to be rescheduled for next year.Stimulus here, stimulus there… I’m confused
ALL right – I admit it doesn’t take much to confuse me these days but, in all honesty, I’ve become absolutely lost as to what is going on with the variety of stimulus packages I read about. I am experiencing ‘stimulus package overload’.Compact Roto-Sonic boasts speed-power combo
THE new Compact Roto-Sonic CRS-17-C from Sonic Sampling & Supply combines the advantages of sonic drilling speed with the power of rotary drilling.Common challenges in ground-source drilling
Problems in the industry are mostly unrecognised by the drilling companies involved. To help people trying to get along in the world of geothermal ground loop installations, so that they all perform well, drillers should be encouraged to question something they feel may not be right.M&J’s early sonic purchase pays dividends
M&J Drilling Services was the first UK contractor to take delivery of a Canadian-sourced track-mounted sonic drilling rig, as reported in the March 2006 issue of GDI.AMS sonic rigs proving popular throughout US
WITH Sonic Sampling & Supply, Idaho-based AMS has been manufacturing sonic rigs which have found favour with drilling contractors all over the US, from coast to coast.BAM Ritchies adds Tanzania, Sri Lanka to major contract tally
BAM Ritchies is well known as the largest drilling and blasting contractor in the UK, with some 36Mt blasted in some 100 quarries nationally.Sandvik reliability helps Emirate’s gabbro-quarrying success
THE Emirate of Fujairah continues to be the region’s ‘bread basket’ for construction projects in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.Compressors aid repair to main Sri Lankan highway
KOREAN contractor Keangnam Enterprises is carrying out the rehabilitation of the Nittambuwa-Kandy Road project in Sri Lanka.A new era for Crater Lake Drilling
REFERRING to his vision of expanding his geothermal operations into more rugged and demanding terrain, Gary Whitesell, owner of Crater Lake Drilling Ltd, said: “I needed more rig.”Nashville test site offers key guidance for drilled shaft foundations
THE Southeastern Chapter of the International Association of Foundation Drilling (ADSC) has sponsored a continued research project to improve design methods and cost-efficiency of rock-supported drilled shafts in the southeastern US.Site Search
Log inIssue: GDI June 2009
