C3 Partner, the Etex Group has indicated its ongoing commitment to the UK construction industry, investing £140 million in a new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Bristol. Etex Building Performance, the dry construction arm of the Etex Group, will develop an advanced plasterboard manufacturing facility for its Siniat brand at the Royal Portbury Dock in Bristol Port, adding significantly to its production capacity in the UK. A brownfield industrial site has been secured close to its existing plant, maximising its ability to import raw materials efficiently and sustainably via the Bristol Channel.

The investment marks Etex’s largest single capital investment to date and is testament to the group’s belief in the long-term strength of the UK construction industry - Europe’s largest plasterboard market. The new facility will serve Siniat’s customers across the UK, including projects in the residential, commercial and renovation sectors, and will manufacture thecompany’s full plasterboard product range.

Etex to expand UK presence with £140 million investment

BUCKLE UP FOR 2020 IT COULD BE A BUMPY RIDE

Welcome to our second edition of Collaborate. With the election now firmly behind us, and the result making for a much clearer mandate from the British Public, we are already starting to experience a positive reaction from Investors and Clients.

By removing much of the uncertainty we have had to endure over the past three years we are seeing the beginnings of a real kickstart for the industry coming into 2020. This said, we should not underestimate the effect that our exit from Europe will cause.

For instance, new border requirements could make material movements more challenging, including timing of deliveries. Trade agreement negotiations, new tariffs and rules regarding our European labour force all could have significant impact and make the next few years a truly ‘bumpy ride’ for those not prepared.

This backdrop, alongside the changes in building regulations increases the need for us to be a lot more diligent in regard to products and specification. More to the point, it reinforces the need for closer collaboration with manufacturers and the supply chain.

The C3 Alliance is a new type of organisation, geared up to facilitate this contemporary approach. Our focus is creating a competitive advantage for our Partners through collaboration, knowledge sharing and early design engagement on projects. Through our unique network of Partners we are ensuring that we are perfectly placed to be able to assist and support the growing number of like minded Clients who want to gain the considerable benefits of this pro-active approach.

Please take the time to read this issue of Collaborate, and enjoy insights from our Partners including Lucas and Symmetrys. We also cover the launch of our exciting new C3 Knowledge Days, the first of which takes place in April 2020 and will provide a multi learning and networking experience, industry challenges and the issues we face on our developments and projects. We wish you a prosperous 2020 and look forward to enjoying this exciting journey together.

Tony BallManaging Director

January 2020

There is a good reason why so much of our time at C3 Alliance is spent building relationships. It’s because we believe it to be our most important asset. It’s the relationships we have in place that enable us to grow our alliance of collaborative partners and deliver an increasing number of project opportunites. So a visit to Lucas, who are based in Kent was high on our list. The reason too is that we had heard so much about their unique, quality driven and lean management approach, we wanted to see these for ourselves, first hand.

Often, a companies brand and reputation is born out of hype and marketing ‘talk’ as much as anything else and when you begin to drill a little deeper, you find there is little to distinguish between one company from another, other than price or range. One thing is for sure, this is not true of Lucas. They are truly original. From the off, as soon as you step into the ‘world of Lucas’ you know you have arrived somewhere rather special. Every part of their offices has a specialist area, whether its the state of the art paint labs, or their own sound and vision studios, mockup of an entire street, learning facilities or customer experience sections, around every corner there is another surprise.

We were shown around by James Valentino , Head of Innovation and Marketing who’s enthusiasm and knowledge made for an incredibly engaging visit. What stood out was Lucas’s ‘lean approach’. Every angle of their process had been considered, streamlined and made more efficient. What would simply be impossible in most organisations has been made possible at Lucas because each stage has been analysed, optimised and streamlined.

In order to achieve this phenomenon, Lucas have devised a number of Apps for everyone to connect to, bringingtogether those in Lucas, who work for Lucas or have work done for them by Lucas. It seems that every aspect is taken care of from scheduling, ordering, quality checking or time management. Seeing this level of control, one wonders how it’s received by those who have to report into the systems. The interesting part is that far from feeling tied down and under tight scrutiny, the general feeling is of empowerment by having a better understanding of what, when and why.

Meeting Danny Lucas, the driving force behind the company summed it all up. You quickly realise where the energy and focus comes from. His determination to stand out isn’t just a vague hope, every single aspect of the business moves Lucas towards that goal - with Danny pushing every inch of the way.

Lucas’s customers too have responded well with glowing testimonials from case studies that read more like a ‘wish list’. From projects such as the Shard, Jubilee Line extension, Bloombergs headquarters, the Olympic Park, the Savoy Hotel and McLaren amongst many other landmark companies, you can’t fail to be impressed. These are not just casual comments, in many cases they are personal testimonials from the CEO’s and principals of these headline organisations.

This is the point, and reflects on Lucas’s success, when you see all this you begin to realise that everything is connected and also determines why Lucas has become the company of choice when it comes to prestige projects. The true bottom line is that Lucas is all about the Customer experience, the ‘lean aspect’ is just a way of delivering this. Ultimately, from our perspective having Lucas as a C3 Alliance Partner certainly gives us greater peace of mind, knowing we have them helping us and our clients. Should you wish to discuss Lucas regarding projects, please either contact us at the C3 Alliance or Lucas direct on +44 (0)1732 884 022 or at lucas@lucasuk.com

The Lucas Way

Ibstock - Kate Tinsley

Collaborate: January 2020

There is no doubt that Lucas is one of the most innovative and progressive fit out and finishing companies in the UK.

“The distinct Lucas logo was commissioned byDanny Lucas from Rob Jannoff, the designer

who created the Apple logo”.

Look out for our next issue as we follow Kate Tinsley, Managing Director of Leicestershire-based Ibstock. With 20 years leadership experience, Kate is widely recognised for being one of only a handful of women that has reached the top of a largely male dominated construction industry. We will also be covering the ideas behind Ibstock’s recently launched London design studio in Hatton garden, a place for developers, specifies and designers to see the latest products and bring projects to life using the latest technology.

KNOWLEDGE DAY WORKSHOP

Collaborate: January 2020

On Tuesday 28th April 2020, the C3 Alliance will be holding the first of our Knowledge Day Workshops at the Knowledge Centre, British Library in London. We will be focusing on a programme of building a community of practice. The idea is to generate and share knowledge that helps our Partners on an individual basis (as in CPD, Continuing Professional Development) and their companies.

There will be multiple sessions run by thought-leaders and experts from a broad range of disciplines within our industry. Their remit is to impart experience and share knowledge, through interaction as well as to encourage the exchange of information. Our goal for these knowledge days is not just for learning, but to support networking and collaboration.

Leading organisations are recognising that knowledge sharing is vital for good communications and contributes greatly in developing a more unified and engaged workforce within individual organisations. From the beginning the C3 Alliance have taken a lead in the collaborative approach, so the importance of having a knowledge sharing strategy is a major factor for our future. This is

because sharing ideas and experiences fosters innovation, increases productivity and delivers commutative advantages and better results. If you would like to be included on C3 Knowledge Days please let us know, and we will make sure we include you on the invitation list contact: c3events@c3lliance.co.uk

Symmetry Structural Engineers are one of those innovative and fresh companies that seem to be developing new ideas all the time. This isn’t such a surprise when you hear that they are on a mission to constantly push the boundaries forward and this is borne out in their approach and delivery of a growing number of exciting projects. This aligned with their fervour on collaboration, sustainability and sharing knowledge, really does demonstrate quite clearly why they are forging ahead.

Although most of their work comes from repeat business, new clients too are eager to explore how these new approaches to construction can help them.

We met up with Ashwin Halaria, an Associate with Symmetry. His excitement and enthusiasm for how well designed and efficient building can change the way we work and live was infectious. Symmetry’s proactive stance to delivering well engineered, pragmatic structural solutions by considering all the available options, means that their clients trust them to deliver the best in value engineering.

Ashwin has extensive experience in construction management and structural design, gained working for contractors as well as consultants. Using his considerable in-depth knowledge of various construction methods, he constantly strives to make his designs practical to build as well as cost effective.

A recent guest presenter at the LFA (London Festival of Architecture) Ashwin’s received significant interest when speaking on ‘Modern Methods of Production’. His talk was on the opportunities that exist in the industry from gains in efficiency, new production methods, new products and from better design.

He explained how the construction industry had been left in the wake of other industries by remaining almost static in terms of efficiencies over the last 50 years compared to that of general manufacturing which had improved eight-fold, and agriculture which is now sixteen times more efficient than they were before. He pointed out that although this might seem to be a poor indictment on the industry, it did however highlight the opportunities that were there for progressive organisations who were able to adopt a culture of collaboration and learning.

Finally, we asked Ashwin what his favourite building was? His response, the National Theatre. “A building that I have grown to love as my understanding of the challenges of forming fair faced concrete has developed. I might not be able to fully appreciate the architectural nuances that make this a national monument but what I do understand is the dedication and teamwork of so many to achieve such a remarkable finish.

From the engineer, architect, client, concrete supplier, carpenter, steel fixer and even the person pouring concrete all have had to work together to get the right finish and it’s for this reason that I have grown to love this building. It’s a true testament of collaboration and teamwork”. Should you wish to contact Symmetry’s regarding opportunities, please either contact us at C3 Alliance or contact Symmetry direct on 020 8340 4041 or Ashwin at ashwin.halaria@symmetrys.com

A New Breed of Company

C O N S T R U C T I O N

C O L L A B O R AT I O N

C H O I C E

C3 Alliance248 Regents Park Road

London N3 3HN

T: +44 (0) 20 3195 7952W: www.c3alliance.co.ukE: info@c3alliance.co.uk

CONTRACTOR OPPORTUNITIESWe are delighted to be assisting MY Construction with an 89 unit Apart hotel in Chiswick, London and

Linfield Construction in relation to a 44 unit residential development in East Ham, London.

C3 Projects

Collaborate: January 2020

A proud member of the Allneeds Group

Client: Argenta Homes / Ridgefield JV C3 Development Management Services

3 Residential Development sites in Yorkshire. 24 New Build units with a mix of luxury detached accommodation to apartmentsPlanned Commencement April 2020

C3 Alliance has been engaged to assist in the formation of a Joint Venture Agreement between the parties and completing development appraisals in respect of potential development opportunities including Site and sales appraisal along with exploring funding solutions. C3 will be actively involved with project design and specification and monitoring the progress through to completion.

Client - V&N Developments Ltd C3 Development Management Services

Residential/Care Conversion – Kent

Planning 2020 - Commence Construction 2021 Residential - 50 apartments

C3 Alliance has been appointed in a development management role to work alongside the V&N Developments and to review and research final use and obtain planning consent for this outstanding former private hospital facility. Works will involve sympathetic refurbishment of the existing Manor House and associated out buildings with further new build extensions to provide additional amenity facilities.

Client: NIVEDA - Liverpool C3 Development Management Services New Marriott Hotel – 180 rooms and 120 PRS Residential units

Early engagement Planned commencement Jan 2021

C3 have been engaged at the pre-planning stage of this development to work in conjunction with the design consultants in order to help maximise the efficiency of the building with the hotel operator. Our brief is for full engagement from development design through to contractor selection and our manufacture partners being able to review and advise as to the most suitable procurement routes.

The C3 Alliance team will be at MIPIM this year between

10-12th March 2020 if you are attending then please

get in contact and we can arrange a meet - we would love

to see you.

Hottest ticket in townCome and join us at the

C3 Knowledge Day in London on 28th April 2020

to request an invitation email:c3events@c3alliance.co.uk