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Issue No.2 - Summer 2016
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Issue No.2 - Summer 2016

President Welcome

This is now the second Newsletter from the EFFC and I am pleased to present you with some of the latest information from the organisation. As before, the Newsletter should be considered a complementary source of information to you, with more available from the EFFC website – http://www.effc.org
 
The world is moving fast. Changes are appearing constantly and we are challenged to cope with them. The flow of information is therefore an important factor to enhance our networking and to promote our businesses.
 
As a Federation of 16 European countries, we are challenged to work together. The exchange of technical improvements and information, harmonisation of standards and best practice, can only be successfully implemented if we network effectively. Please let me therefore direct you to my latest Statement -  
http://goo.gl/fZvdzf - on the website: EFFC Needs Increased Networking of Members.

Each National Federation is working on topics of common interest like: Working Platform Certification; Reduction of Accidents; Rig Safety; BIM and Collaborative Working.
 
This second Newsletter will you provide with the results of a task group from the German Federation on Noise.  Also Mr. Sebastian Richter will tell us about further details on key positions in the EU.  There is also a report on Working Platforms, the recent Secretaries Meeting and a survey of Young professionals.
 
A new kind of equipment eBay has been launched by Equippo from Switzerland – featured in our Industry Partners section - and I would like to direct you to it as an interesting business model.
 
As always your feedback is welcome. Please email or contact me directly with your news and suggestions concerning the EFFC.

The EU and the EFFC – How it all Works

It is worth presenting an overview of key positions within the European Union as the EFFC works to promote the interest of 16 National Federations across Europe.

As part of its mission the EFFC has to ensure that specific needs are taken into consideration during the European legislative process in order to create a sound business environment. Within the political system of the European Union (EU) are some key positions that are notably important for the functioning of the EU. For the full article please click here -
http://goo.gl/tCV3BT

Noise of Construction Sites

Due to the increasingly difficult legal situation regarding the realisation of projects in inner city areas, the National Department of Specialised Foundation Engineering (Bundesfachabteilung Spezialtiefbau, BFA) of the German Construction Industry Association (Deutscher Industrieverband) has decided to create a guidance leaflet dedicated to the topic of noise on construction sites.
 
The guidance leaflet is primarily intended for developers, planners, and construction companies, with the aim of raising awareness of this topic. It also provides practical advice
 
on how to deal with noise, since the proactive planning of a construction project that takes these problems into account can help achieve a balance between the interests of the various parties. For more information or to download the Guidance Document please visit -
http://goo.gl/Rbyc60

Working Platform Guidance Initiative

Progress is being made towards establishing Working Platform Certificate (WPC) scheme that can be adopted across Europe.
 
A properly designed, built and maintained working platform is critical to the safety of site workers. The WPC scheme works to ensure main contractors are aware of their responsibilities to ensure a safe working platform is provided and maintained and sign a certificate to validate what they have provided for a foundations contractor.
 
The EFFC is keen to encourage EU countries to adopt the scheme as a critical step towards making job sites safer for workers and the public. Implementing this initiative across Europe will be challenging owing to the different national requirements, laws and health and safety cultures. The EFFC is preparing to launch a task group to look at this issue and provide guidance on the most effective way to implement the scheme across Europe. In time it is our ambition to create a European Standard for working platforms.
 
With 25% of the accidents reported to the EFFC being slips and trips, the importance of pedestrian safety on working platforms cannot be underestimated and will form an important part in the establishment of any such guidance document or standard.

Federation Secretaries Report

The EFFC has long acknowledged the importance of listening to the views of the different member Federations and with this in mind, a meeting has been held with a number of the national federation secretaries (Austria, France, UK, Netherlands, Hungary and the Czech Republic) with the President of the EFFC also attending.
 
The main purpose of the meeting was to learn more about each other’s Federations and share information and insight on how each was approaching the issues of their industry. It also set out expectations of what needed to be shared with the EFFC and what the EFFC should be sharing with the National Federations in order to support their work.
 
The meeting was extremely productive as it highlighted just how much could be learned from each of the Members especially as the EFFC has a mix of long established and active associations as well as those that are new. Going forward, it is hoped that more Members will contribute to the next meeting, which will be held in Paris.

Young Professionals Survey Results

Firstly, a big thanks to the 61 participants, from 11 countries who took part in the Young Professionals Survey. The information it reveals is extremely useful providing not only a snap shot of opinions but also allows the EFFC to adapt and better meet your needs.
 
The results of the questionnaire are presented here and will be used to create a section of the new EFFC’s website aimed at meeting the requested needs of young professionals within the European foundations sector.
 
Specifically the website will now include subject areas including Master / Bachelor Thesis, Profiles and Universities offering further education in subjects applicable to working in the foundations sector.

Industry Partner | Equippo - a Swiss start-up aims to make online equipment transactions safe and easy

Foundation contractors often work in large projects or remote jobsites, where sourcing or reselling of equipment can be a difficult task and one of the most important parts to a project’s profitability.

In 2014, an idea was born in Zug, Switzerland to change the way equipment sells around the world. Michael Rohmeder, having a background in heavy equipment auctions and management, teamed up with Software Engineer and internet expert Philipp Knobel to create a new kind of equipment marketplace -
equippo.com. By connecting buyers and sellers from remote geographies and across different languages, time zones and customs barriers, Equippo wants to create more profitable transactions for both buyers and sellers.
 
So we asked Rohmeder what makes Equippo unique: “Our software calculates all-in final prices including shipping and customs so that buyer and seller can both benefit from a more direct transaction.  With factors like currency exchange, the market is changing every day. We open up this potential. What’s even more important is not only how we sell the equipment with the click of a mouse, but our full service approach managing the whole process for the buyer so that it becomes extremely easy and safe to buy equipment online.” Equippo provides the buyer independent money-back guarantees from an internet safety company, and manages complex international transport, payment and a full inspection process. “For most equipment - even for crawler foundation drills - we send inspectors that have the manufacturer's systems and can do a read-out, so we can verify the condition and most importantly, the hours” CEO Rohmeder says.
 
Equippo has attracted some remarkable Venture Capital investments, and has been growing the start-up to over 20 employees working for the company across the globe in a lean and international company culture. It won 1st prize in an international startup competition, and recently opened offices in Rotterdam, Netherlands and Medellin, Colombia. Through Swiss Venture Capital specialist “VI Partners” famous Swiss companies such as ABB, Schindler,
 
Nestle, Hilti and Novartis have invested with VC funding. The VC firm was founded jointly by McKinsey and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology “ETH” and has over 100 Million Swiss Francs under management.
 
Michael Rohmeder can be contacted at michael.rohmeder@equippo.com and is looking forward to supporting EFFC members to buy or sell equipment online via
equippo.com

 

... and Finally

Thank you for taking the time to read this newsletter and I hope you will find space and time in your inbox to read the next issue, which will be sent to you in September 2016, and I hope it has also prompted you to visit the EFFC website for more information.
 
Your comments on this newsletter or the website are welcome and that includes ideas for articles and topics that you feel should be communicated to all our members and across Europe. Please in the first instance email me at
EFFC@effc.org with your topics and I look forward to reading them.

We NEED You…

…to support and sponsor this newsletter!  Produced three time a year this newsletter gives you and your company a great opportunity put your brand in front of a select and targeted audience across Europe. It also shows your support for the EFFC, and it is our aim to see more networking and the exchange of knowledge between the Federation Members and Industry.
 
There are a number of sponsorship opportunities available for each issue. For more information and a media pack please contact
debbie@joocemarketing.co.uk
*London Skyline image credited to Cementation Skanska

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