There's a lot to be said for teamwork and the sharing of best practice, but it's rare to find three private businesses working together to drive up industry standards.
That's exactly what is happening in county Yorkshire, England with three established aggregates firms liaising closely to share best practice, resources and knowledge when it comes to construction work for utilities and highways.
Mone Brothers, a quarrying and recycling business founded in 1965 and situated in Leeds, has joined forces with Barnsley-based E J Lidster and Mike Wakefield Tippers of Hull to promote the merits of the latest, cost effective, sustainable aggregates including SMR (Structural Materials for Reinstatement) and HBM (Hydraulically Bound Materials).
A conference organised by Mone Brothers in south Leeds in late 2015 bought together over 70 utility and road construction experts from across Yorkshire and the North East to find out about HBM, SMR and other infill aggregate options.
Timed to coincide with Northern Gas Networks' Environment Week, the event featured a number of video presentations and case studies including the recent demolition of the Yorkshire Post building in Leeds and how the resultant concrete waste has been used as the foundation for a number of roads across the region.
The event also served to showcase the links between the three businesses as Steve Horsley, director of Mone Brothers, explained: "The conference was a great success with a lot of knowledge shared with key individuals concerning the use of SMR and HBM for utility road and footpath remedial works.
"HBM is an aggregate we will be bringing to the market place over the course of this year. It can reduce the amount of tarmac that has to be put back into the carriageways by around 200mm and provides a structurally sound road. In 5 to 10 years’ time I believe that SMR and HBM will account for the vast majority of materials being put back into carriageways.
"Our links with E J Lidster and Mike Wakefield are a template for how business should be done with the sharing of best practice to ensure that this region stays ahead of the game in terms of utilising the latest aggregates," added Steve.
Neil Whalley, of Northern Gas Networks, commented: "As a utility company we strive to have a positive effect on the environment. We set ourselves tough targets as regards environmental impact and aim to minimise where we can.
Part of that involves limiting the amount of excavation soil that we send to landfill and also the amount of aggregate used for reinstatement.
"We have a target of no more than 20% virgin aggregate to be used for reinstatement which means that the 100% recycled products supplied by Mone Brothers and their Yorkshire partners really helps us in that quest," added Neil.
Seb Love, a director at SMR who also presented at the event, echoed those sentiments: "Because SMR and HBM are new products we are very careful as to who we pick to be our partners. In the Yorkshire area Mone Brothers have a very good reputation and that can now be extended to Mike Wakefield Tippers and E J Lidster.
"SMR and HBM outperform traditional reinstatement aggregates by a factor of three so you're reducing the cost and carbon footprint and meeting the sustainability targets of utility companies. It's win, win, win!
"Mone Brothers produce a consistently high quality product. If they are able to share that expertise with others in the industry then there's no doubt that standards will be driven up," added Seb.
Anthony Lidster, of E J Lidster, explained: "We have a new recycling plant that has been developed in conjunction with Mone Brothers. That is now up and running and supplying YHAUC (Yorkshire Highways and Utilities Committee) approved materials to civil engineering and utility firms across South Yorkshire and the East Midlands.
"Solutions such as HBM, which we will be supplying in conjunction with Mone Brothers, not only make perfect sense for the environment but they also bring down costs for ourselves, our customers and, ultimately, the public purse," added Anthony.
Mike Wakefield, who founded his business in 2002, was similarly enthusiastic: "It's been about a year since we first started discussions with Mone Brothers and E J Lidster. I would not have been able to set up on my own but Mone Bros have the technical experience associated with SMR to allow us to bring it to the market across Humberside and further afield.
"It's a great arrangement that works for all parties and makes total financial sense!" added Mike.
