Building materials manufacturer Ibstock has bought Birmingham-based Coltman Precast, one of the largest independent suppliers of precast concrete products, which operates out of Sutton Coldfield, making hollowcore flooring panels and staircases. The deal will allow Ibstock to deliver a full portfolio of precast concrete products at a national level, and complements …

Unto the man of yearning thought And aspiration, to do nought Is, in itself, almost an act My placard-waving, DM-and-hoodie-wearing student activist self from my 1980s days at the University of Essex is probably hanging her head in shame.  Why? Because I found myself agreeing with more or less every …

The UK Minister for Energy Efficiency and Green Finance Lord Callanan visited the Cemex Rugby cement works in Warwickshire last Friday (January 12) to gain an insight into the actions needed to decarbonise the UK’s ‘dispersed’ cement plants. The Mineral Products Association (MPA) and Cemex, hosted the visit to highlight …

Knauf Insulation has launched the industry’s first online condensation risk analysis tool, which will allow architects and specifiers to evaluate the risk of interstitial condensation and generate U-value calculations in less than five minutes. The condensation risk analysis tool is quick and easy to use. First, users need to generate …

Lauren Haines, director at Southampton-based Elliotts Builders Merchants is celebrating 50 years in the building industry, having joined the family-run company in December 1973. Starting work as a typist in the brick department at a time when typing pools, stenciling price sheets by hand and making phone calls from a …

Sentry Fire Safety Group, the fire safety and security doorset manufacturer, showed Ed Miliband, Shadow Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, round its Doncaster manufacturing facility last week (January 12). Having last visited the firm in 2011, Miliband toured Sentry’s newly expanded facility, chatted to staff, learnt …

Andy Cottee has joined plumbing and heating buying group The IPG as its new managing director. Having previously worked at Vent-Axia and Anglo Nordic, his diverse experience spans manufacturing, distribution, independent businesses and wholesale . He said, “The passion for our group’s core beliefs and vision is palpable among our …

We know that no one ever seizes power with the intention of relinquishing it. Power is not a means; it is an end. There’s an old saying: Power corrupts, and Absolute Power corrupts absolutely. It’s a phrase that gained traction towards the end of the 19th century when Lord Acton …

Lindsey Hart has been appointed as sales & marketing director of the Channel Island builders merchant NP Group. The group incorporates Norman Piette, Norman Piette Ecohomes, Annandale, Project, Quantum Building Supplies in Jersey, and Blanchard Building Supplies in Alderney. Hart’s career path at Norman Piette took her through various positions …

South Wales’ independent builders’ merchant LBS has continued its expansion with the acquisition of D G Heath, a timber merchant in Pontarddulais, Carmarthenshire. D G Heath has been trading for 38 years as a family-run business and will continue with the name; two of the directors are remaining post-acquisition, along …