Tag Archives: building services

Charity & CSR, News

B-engineering Group’s support puts Standing Tall Foundation on a high

A charity led by a former soldier who is a triple amputee has received a major boost from Warrington-based building services company B-engineering Group.

The Standing Tall Foundation in St Helens is converting a four-bedroomed terraced property in the town into a house of multiple occupation for armed forces veterans in need.

B-engineering Group is providing equipment including a boiler, bathrooms, showers and solar panels to help refurbish the house after choosing Standing Tall as one of its charities of the year and signing up to be an affiliate partner.

The company is pledging further support for the charity during the course of 2024, including undertaking fundraising.

Managing director Rob Ditchfield said: “As a company we’ve signed the Armed Forces Covenant and we like to support veterans and their families whenever we can.

“We have a number of veterans in our team, and they have all been welcome additions to the staff due to their great attitude and work ethic.

“Some of our team know Andy and he’s an inspirational person, so when the opportunity arose to support Standing Tall, it seemed a really good fit for us. We’re really pleased to be able to support the charity in its work.”

The charity, founded in 2020 by Andy and John Tabern, offers support and programmes for veterans and disadvantaged community groups to promote mental health and wellbeing. Its services include mental health counselling, addiction support, physical activity sessions and holistic therapies such as meditation, hypnotherapy and auricular acupuncture.

It also helps people with accommodation or employment needs and those in financial hardship, including the homeless, via the provision of grants, items and services.

In 2009, Andy was serving in Helmand Province in Afghanistan as a corporal in the 3rd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment when he stood on an improvised explosive device while on patrol. He lost his legs and right arm in the blast.

Andy, who holds an MBE for his charity work, said: “It’s fantastic to receive the support from B-engineering Group, whose backing means we can provide a much-needed house in St Helens to support veterans.

“We’re delighted to have the company on board as an affiliate partner of the Standing Tall Foundation. It will be a great asset to our current partner stable, and the services it provides are invaluable for what we are trying to achieve with our accommodation.”

B-engineering Group is a family business which was founded in 1990 by Rob’s father Bernard. It employs more than 50 staff.

The company designs, installs and maintains heating, ventilation, air-conditioning, electrical and energy systems and solar PV panels in premises across sectors ranging from education, healthcare, leisure and hospitality to manufacturing, retailing, construction and nuclear. It is a specialist in decarbonising commercial properties and estates.

Under its B-Kind initiative, the company has helped numerous charities over the years by raising thousands of pounds, donating items and providing hundreds of employee hours of assistance.

Last year, it supported a range of good causes, including St Rocco’s Hospice in Warrington, sports teams and food banks.

Rob said: “We are a purpose-led business and like to do our bit to help make the world a better place.”

Charlotte Howard, senior events manager at St Rocco’s, said: “St Rocco’s Hospice is a local charity and we rely on the generosity of the Warrington community for most of our funding.

“The support from B-engineering Group during our recent Christmas Tree Collection event was invaluable. Staff gave up their time to help us collect and recycle over 2,600 trees from homes across Warrington.

“With their support, we were able to raise over £40,000 for the hospice which will go straight to caring for patients and their loved ones.”

News

Soaring demand for solar panels helps B-engineering Group to shine

Soaring demand for solar panels is driving expansion for a building services group amid an increased focus on renewables projects by its growing client base.

B-engineering Group has secured orders totalling £500,000 for commercial solar schemes since October.

Warrington-based B-engineering Group has won projects across Cheshire, Greater Manchester and Cumbria to design, install and maintain solar photovoltaic panel schemes for education, healthcare and industrial clients.

Its solar success contributed to record first-quarter turnover for the group between October and December.

The group’s solar business forms part of its renewables division, and has been boosted by the arrival of Mike Peacock in the new role of Solar PV manager.

Mike joined from a solar installation and maintenance business based in Liverpool, where he was technical manager.

B-engineering Group’s solar operation is registered with the Microgeneration Certification Scheme, which certifies, quality assures and provides consumer protection for installations and installers in the renewables sector.

It is also accredited under the Home Insulation and Energy Systems Quality Assured Contractors Scheme.

Managing director Rob Ditchfield said: “Mike is a tremendous addition to our team. He’s a true specialist who really understands the market, with a great track record and lots of knowledge about the sector. In addition to those orders already secured, there is a strong pipeline of future projects.

“Solar PV is a specialism which fits in well with other areas of our business, such as mechanical and electrical work, project management, installation and maintenance.

“As solar panels are much more affordable these days, with a payback of between three and five years and systems which last 25 years, demand is increasing rapidly and we see this as a sector where we can deliver strong and sustainable growth for many years to come and generate new employment opportunities within the group.”

Alongside its solar operation, B-engineering Group designs, installs and maintains heating, ventilation, air-conditioning, electrical and energy systems in commercial premises. It is a specialist in decarbonising commercial properties and estates.

The family business was founded in 1990 by Bernard Ditchfield, who handed over the reins to son Rob in 2011, when the company was turning over £180,000 and had just six staff.

B-engineering Group’s workforce has increased to more than 50 and is poised to grow further as the group looks to expand into Yorkshire, the North East and the East Midlands.

The group employs engineers from Lancashire to Worcestershire, working across sectors ranging from education, healthcare, leisure and hospitality to manufacturing, retailing, construction and nuclear.

Revenues in the 12 months to September 30 were £8.5m and the group expects to achieve £10m of turnover this year.

Mike said: “There are big financial gains to be made for solar PV installations, as they generate savings on electricity bills and unused energy can be sold to the National Grid.

“Lenders are showing a real interest in financing solar panel schemes at competitive rates, so when the loans are paid off the savings are even greater.

“There is an added plus as well as the financial benefits, because solar installations help companies to meet their ESG commitments.

“As well as working with our existing client base, there is huge scope for expansion to new customers.

“As we are providing a full service, including planning, design, project management, installation and maintenance, the sky’s literally the limit for our offering.”

He added: “I’m passionate about renewable energy and have joined B-engineering Group at an exciting time to really add impetus to its activities in the sector.

“The ethos of the company was also a big attraction. It takes ESG seriously, has a genuine commitment to the communities in which it operates, and looks after its staff really well.”

News

Trio of former colleagues unite to lead building services engineering business

Three former engineering colleagues have joined forces to bring two existing engineering companies into a partnership that offers complimentary services to synergise their offering to new and existing clients.

Kaizen Consulting Engineer and Verisys, which have bases in Leeds and Warrington, offer complimentary services and will be managed by the three directors, with an overarching mission to bridge the gap between engineering contractors and consultants. All three directors have extensive experience in traditional engineering design consultancy and contracting.

Chris Tate, Leigh Farr, and Phil Riddeal worked together at fellow Leeds-based engineering consultancy firm Silcock Leedham. Leigh was the first employee at the company over 20 years ago, with Chris joining in 2010 and Phil in 2018. Chris moved to Dubai in 2014 and established the company’s Middle East office, and Phil moved to Dubai shortly after to work for some of the region’s largest MEP contractors before both returning to the UK in 2018.

Chris left his role at Silcock Leedham in 2020 to launch Kaizen Consulting Engineers, and Leigh and Phil joined the business as directors this year. Before this, Phil was running the day-to-day operations of Verisys – before he legally acquired the business – while retaining all of the company’s existing employees. 

Kaizen provides consulting services in mechanical, electrical, public health and sustainability engineering, focusing on sustainable long-term building and engineering solutions. The team works on a broad portfolio of diverse projects, and some of Kaizen’s key services include mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineering design, low-carbon consultancy, dynamic building thermal modelling, daylight analysis and energy profiling and analysis.

Kaizen has grown to employ eight staff members in total and is currently hiring for senior and associate-level engineering positions. To further bolster this period of fast growth, the company also expanded their office space last year within their Leeds Headquarters and established its presence in the group’s Warrington office. Verisys has employed a further four staff members to its existing workforce since the acquisition and has full-time team members based at the Leeds office. 

Co-Director at Kaizen and Verisys, Phil Riddeal, explained, “Energy and building performance is something we have always been passionate about. Our clients’ requirements vary from building to building, and with the broad range of skills our businesses carry in-house, coupled with our passion and enthusiasm, we offer a unique service that has never been more in demand with the global focus on energy. We pride ourselves on providing a proactive, personable, and professional service”

Chris Tate, Co-Director at Kaizen and Verisys, added, “Providing optimum design solutions that are both practical and buildable in the real world is something that I have been passionate about since the early days of my career. So, with the synergy that Kaizen and Verisys offer, I feel we can offer our clients a far superior service. 

“We can take the hands-on experience of contracting, detailed design and commissioning and validating new and existing systems and incorporate these into a project’s very early design stages to ensure that the most optimum solution is provided for our clients. This constant process of seeing projects from concept to completion and feeding back the learning of this means we are continuously improving our skill set and offer to our customers.”

Verisys provides testing, commissioning, validation/ verification and other associated services – delivered by a specialist team of engineers. The company formed to offer Commissioning Services to clients throughout the UK. Since its formation in January 2010, Verisys has carried out works for commercial landlords and tenants, design and building contractors, developers and owner/occupiers. 

Kaizen and Verisys have worked on projects worth a combined 400 million since Kaizen was founded in 2020, and both companies count large, blue-chip companies among their trusted clients.