INTEGRAL news

Integral UK actively promote in Facilities Management to University students in Merseyside

As part of their continuing commitment to encourage more young people into the facilities management industry, Integral UK’s Business Development Manager, Mark Whittaker, delivered a guest lecture to final year degree students at Liverpool John Moores University’s School of the Built Environment in December.

The University, situated in the centre of Liverpool, is currently the twelfth largest in the UK, with a student population or around 24,000. Mark was invited by Senior Lecturer, Nazali Mohd Noor, who as well as teaching the students, is currently working on a research paper on BS11000 Standard for Collaborative Working within the Facilities Management sector.

Mark Whittaker explains Integral’s involvement, “Having already worked with Naz on his BS11000 research project, I was delighted to be asked to share my experience and provide practical insights to the University students. Facilities Management is a relative young, dynamic and exciting industry to work in, is forecast to grow by 15% by 2015 and we are keen to encourage others to work in the sector and to contribute and develop their skills. The lecture also focused on how contractors must deliver customer specific solutions and on the increased importance of social media”

Part of Mark’s lecture also contained the opinions of some high profile people within the industry. He adds, “I wanted a broad spectrum of opinions and contacted some respected industry figures for their thoughts on what attracted them to working in the Facilities Management Sector and the challenges and opportunities facing the industry in the future. Their input was fantastic.”

“We recognize there is a continuing skills shortage impacting our industry and Integral are keen to make a positive contribution to encouraging people to join the industry and help solve the shortage.”

Nazali Mohd Noor commented afterwards, “I invited Mark to share his FM wisdom in front of my final year undergraduate students, where he delivered absolutely fantastic lecture about FM procurement. The students enjoyed the session and provided him a very positive feedback about his session.”

Integral currently employ 80 apprentices each year across the UK and also work closely with Barnados on a mentoring scheme with young people. Within Liverpool Integral’s customers include the University of Liverpool and National Museums Liverpool. (December 2011)

 

New Appointment for Integral UK Ltd

Andrew Dutton has been appointed as the Critical Environment Director, responsible for ensuring that our Critical Environment Maintenance is delivered in a replicated manner across all key accounts that have either Data Centre or Critical sites and ensure the CEM team provide appropriate technical support to the specific contract operational delivery teams. (December 2011)

 

New Appointment in the South West & Wales Region

Wayne Porter has been appointed as Account Director for the Lloyds Contract and will be responsible for the service delivery and operational performance of the Lloyds account based in our Reading Office. (December 2011)

 

New Appointment in the South West & Wales Region

Howard McDermott has been appointed as the Contract Manager for the Arriva Trains Contract. (December 2011)

 

New Appointment in the Midlands Region

Maxine Robinson has been promoted into the role of Senior Administration Co-ordinator within the National Grid Central Account Team, based in the Birmingham Office. (December 2011)

 

The University of Liverpool has appointed Integral in a three year maintenance contract for its entire portfolio

Under the contract, which started last month,Integral is providing planned and reactive mechanical, electrical and fabric maintenance services to the university portfolio covering nearly 465,000 square metres (five million square feet).

Properties include residential housing,academic buildings, the Ness Botanical Gardens andSchool of Veterinary Science on the Wirral.

Integral will be working alongside the university’s own in-house maintenance team, according to a statement from Integral.

The university, with more than 25,000 students, plans to invest £600 million in its facilities,including a £250 million redevelopment of student accommodation.

“This significant future investment will deliver new world-class facilities together withongoing improvement and refurbishment of the existing estate and key infrastructure,” according to a statement from Integral.

Andy Nichol, Integral’s regional director for the North, said Integral is “working closely and collaboratively with the university to deliver a world-class experience for their students in the coming years”. (December 2011)

 

New Appointment in the Midlands Region

Martin Stokes has been promoted to Contract Supervisor working alongside the Contract Manager to ensure the smooth operation and efficiency of the Bullring Contract. (November 2011)

Sunday Times Top Track 250 Awards dinner

The Sunday Times Top Track 250 league table ranks Britain's leading mid-market private companies with the biggest sales.

Integral UK wins a place on Renfrewshire Council's HVAC and Refrigeration Framework contract

New contract success builds upon a strong year of new local authority contracts within Scotland.

Integral UK has been awarded a place on Renfrewshire Council's four year HVAC and Refrigeration Framework contract for the council's corporate properties, building upon the existing relationship with the Council, having won a place on their Electrical Services Framework earlier this year.

Integral are highly experienced in providing Mechanical and Electrical Maintenance services for local authorities and this year has seen a broadening of this expertise. Other major contract awards in 2011 have been North Ayrshire Council's Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning servicing, maintenance and repairs contract, East Ayrshire Council's Air Conditioning Service Contract and Scottish Borders Council's Repairs and Maintenance Services contract.

Integral's Business Development Manager, Mark Whittaker, commented, "We are delighted to have won the contract with Renfrewshire Council, expanding the range of maintenance services we provide to them.

2011 has been a strong year for Integral in the local authority sector, particularly within Scotland. Our in-depth knowledge and keen understanding of the economic realities which face the sector, combined with a track record of delivering value for money and continuous improvement, are all key factors which have contributed to our success this year. Our robust Health and Safety procedures have also provided local authorities with the reassurance that the maintenance services are being provided by engineering professionals."

INTEGRAL UK Wins Five Year National Grid Property Contract New national contract

New national contract consolidates Hard Facilities Management Services with one provider - Integral UK

National Grid Property is a wholly owned subsidiary of National Grid that specialises in dealing with the company's UK property portfolio - some 645 sites across the UK, which contains around 1,680 properties, including former gasworks. The properties are extremely diverse and range from shops and offices through to depots and residential properties. National Grid Property's goal is to add value to the portfolio, minimise risk and contribute to Brownfield regeneration.

With such a broad portfolio, the National Grid Property team were keen to consolidate Hard Facilities Management Service into one national contract in order to rationalise their supply chain, maintain standards and ensure value for money. This approach also enables stronger contract partner relationships to be established whilst providing greater service control.

Following an intensive selection process, National Grid Property has appointed Integral UK as the new supplier for Building Fabric Maintenance Services, across the UK. David Abrahams, Contract Performance Manager for National Grid Property said: "Both myself and my team look forward to working closely with Integral. Over the coming months we will be calling on their skills, knowledge and expertise to support us in all the Hard FM services we deliver."

Integral UK is dedicated to best in class service delivery, their experience and business structure will not only support group requirements but afford a programme of continuous improvement and innovation.

INTEGRAL at Harrogate

Integral Housing Division exhibited in June this year at the annual Chartered Institute of Housing Exhibition at the Conference Centre in Harrogate as part of the Northern Housing Consortium "Village" The event attracts housing professionals and contractors from far and wide and presents opportunities to engage with a varied mix of competitors and potential clients.

The Integral team held a daily Nintendo Wi challenge that attracted a lot of attention from passing visitors and helped to break the ice and encourage conversation, even Housing Minister Grant Shapps stopped by (although did not take up the challenge) and can be seen in conversation with members of the Consortium management team.

The three day event was a great success and many new contacts were made and relationships formed which has helped to raise the profile of the services we provide to the social housing sector.

View the article

INTEGRAL UK helps LIDL deal with the aftermath of the recent Salford riots

Prime Minister David Cameron meets the Lidl and Integral UK site teams on recent visit to the North West. At the start of August Integral UK began a regional reactive Mechanical, Electrical and Building Fabric maintenance contract with Lidl supermarkets; a new agreement which was formed critically just before the August riots! This meant that when Lidl's Salford store was attacked during the riots on Tuesday 9th August, the team at Integral UK, including Electrical Contracts Manager Steve Dickinson and eight engineers, were on hand the following day to assess the damage and agree a way forward.

The store had sustained extensive interior damage during the riots, with the store looted and set alight. The team at Integral worked closely with Lidl's Project Managers from Wednesday through to Friday to make the site safe, re-establish power and install new electrical cabling and equipment. Such was the scale of the damage that the site was chosen for a visit on Friday 12th August by Prime Minister, David Cameron. During the visit the Prime Minister met the Lidl team and their site contractors, including Integral's electrical team. Steve Dickinson commented "The damage caused to this site had to be seen to be believed. Our main priority was to get Lidl back up and running as soon as possible, starting with making the site safe and sorting out the electrics.

Integral has some of the best in-house technical engineers in the business, so I was fully confident that we would be able to respond quickly and efficiently. We have made good progress and continue to work closely with Lidl to provide the best possible service"

INTEGRAL UK lights up major high street bank

Impressive new `Smart Pod` lighting solution improves efficiency and delivers on user satisfaction Integral UK is delighted to announce the successful installation of a new 'Smart Pod' system at the business critical office of a major high street bank located in Central London. The innovative new system was commissioned to replace the existing poorly performing installation with an energy efficient and user friendly alternative, which would improve lighting levels by allowing for a flexible output linked to variable levels of daylight ingress throughout the office. The resultant lit effect would not only ensure user comfort but would also ensure efficiency, uniformity and compliance, following the recent EU lighting directive. A solution designed and installed by Integral, the new addition has improved the overall lighting ambience of the office, via 600 x 600 shallow depth recessed luminaires which utilise high frequency regulating control gear, coupled with T5 3 x 14w lamps. A perforated canopy creates a soft effect with a measure of upward light, whilst the incorporated louvres deliver high reflectivity, ensuring optimum acceptability, uniformity and control. Utilising the locally programmed 'Smart Pod' system, individual performance is achieved by the use of intelligent controls, which allow for the dimming of luminaires located above daylight facing desks. Variable light levels at different time frames within a 24 hour period are linked to levels of daylight ingress and an additional automated presence detection feature completes the energy saving performance. This intuitive system provides effective energy savings, whilst at the same time achieves higher user satisfaction. Working closely with the client, Integral's technicians have monitored and refined system programming in line with individual requirements to achieve the very best performance. Alan Hall, National Lighting Solutions Manager added "The solution at this major high street bank is a prime example of how important it is to ensure that you have not only the right quantity, but the correct quality of light. Our in-house specialist teams, including lighting and sustainability, work with businesses to provide cost effective, bespoke solutions which improve office ambience, conformity and ultimately ensure compliance"

INTEGRAL UK reveal customer survey highlights

Impressive survey results reveal key to positive, long term partnerships

A recent independent customer survey, distributed on behalf of Integral UK, has revealed impressive results. Further supporting; their long term customer strategy and dedication to delivering the highest quality service in the most cost effective way possible. Of those who responded to the survey, over 41% of customers have been working with Integral for between 1 and 3 years and over 44% between 4 and 10 years.

Of those who completed the survey, words chosen to describe Integral included; reliable – achieving a score of 100%, followed by: experienced 94%, supportive at over 89%, professional at over 80% and responsive 79%. Interestingly enough in order to benchmark, a similar independent survey sent to individuals subscribing to competitor services was distributed and of the responders over 69% voted their existing service as slow.

Integral take a consultative approach to the service they provide, working closely with clients to ensure that available budget is spent in the most appropriate areas, to protect property portfolios and ensure compliance. The introduction of Integral's Energy Division and "Carbon Steps" initiative, further demonstrates this approach, with over 83% of respondents stating – that they feel prepared for the implications of the CRC and over 88.8% having created an energy strategy.

The survey also revealed that respondents working closely with Integral have implemented tactics in the following areas: lighting over 77%, heating and controls 72%, air-conditioning over 52% and other, consisting of a variety of individual answers, from insulation through to in-house management teams and electrics over 13%. Rob Barling, National Sales Director, Integral UK commented "These results reflect our strategy for business growth and our passion for customer satisfaction and exceeding expectations. We continue to ensure that we are innovative in all our service offerings from energy to critical site cover. We understand our customers and strongly believe that key to this the highly skilled experts in our team and our partnership approach. The company has never been stronger and it's through this solid foundation we can always offer the highest standards with confidence." Integral UK remains dedicated to providing innovative, cost effective solutions and the best possible service.

Results from 2011 Integral UK Customer Survey

RBS Kite Mark awarded to Integral

Integral's continued drive for excellence was recognised and rewarded in April 2011 when they were awarded the RBS Kite Mark as a 2011 approved supplier. Alan Durward and David Lindsay of RBS broke the good news to Integral's Steve Collins when the Vendor Performance Assessment scores from 2010 were produced. The scores indicated Integral to be the most improved supplier in the facilities division for the whole of that year.

The award now means that Integral are able to use the kite mark as part of their Vendor Management tools both within RBS and for all other accounts and presentations.

Bryan Glastonbury, managing director, made the comments after the facilities management group blamed “intense price competition” for its first fall in annual sales since 2001.

Integral, which competes with Carillion, Mitie and Interserve, the listed outsourcers, said that it had adopted a cautious approach by refusing to take on a number of contracts that “did not meet minimum profitability hurdles”.

Spun off in 2005 from Staveley Industries, Integral, based in Bristol, maintains thousands of buildings across the UK, fitting lighting, laying flooring and painting and decorating for clients such as Royal Bank of Scotland, Dixons Retail and several local authorities. “Our clients are under tremendous pressure to save money on their portfolios and that drives down to the supply chain whether we like it or not,” said Mr Glastonbury.

But he added: “Most of the plcs are always looking to grow the business ... Whereas now we’re privately owned, we can be a bit more selective and don’t have to chase volume.”

Mr Glastonbury cited the example of Connaught, to which Integral lost out when a contract in Sefton, Merseyside, which his company had run for more than seven years, went out to tender.
“Connaught won it at something like 20 per cent less than our costs,” Mr Glastonbury said. “It was only a matter of time before something happened [to them].”

Connaught, which employed about 10,000 people, jolted investors in the market for social housing maintenance when the former FTSE 250 company fell into administration last September.

Asked about the possibility of another failure in the sector, Mr Glastonbury said: “I’m sure there will – who it’ll be, I don’t know ... I think this year’s going to be very tough and I think half of next year will be tough.”
Accounts recently filed at Companies House showed that sales at Integral fell from £183.9m to £177.7m in the year to the end of December. Including various exceptional items, pre-tax profits at the company rose from £7.3m to £13m. Mr Glastonbury, who holds a stake of about 80 per cent, said potential buyers of Integral were “knocking on the door all the time”.

However, he said he had no plans to sell the business, which is wholly owned by company’s directors after they bought a stake that had previously been held by Barclays Ventures, for the time being.

Financial Times, Tuesday 5th April.

To view the full article please visit http://www.ft.com/home/uk

INTEGRAL UK WIN MAJOR LOCAL AUTHORITY MAINTENANCE CONTRACT WITH CHESHIRE EAST COUNCIL.

Following an intensive four month selection process, Integral UK have been appointed to provide cyclical and responsive maintenance for Cheshire East Council’s properties for the next four years.

As the third largest unitary borough in the North West of England, Cheshire East Council covers the areas of Macclesfield, Congleton and Crewe and Nantwich. With an extensive and diverse property portfolio, including Town Halls, Offices, Day Centres, Libraries, Museums, Parks, Market Halls, Leisure Centres, together with the Commercial Estate. The Council were looking to consolidate its services with one building and facilities maintenance supplier, to provide excellent service delivery, whilst maintaining a high quality, value for money solution. With extensive experience of working within the local authority sector in the North West, for customers including Bolton Council, Barrow Borough Council and South Lakeland District Council, Integral UK is fully aware of the challenges and requirements of this sector. Integral Business Development Manager, Mark Whittaker, commented “ We understand the need for local authorities more than ever to achieve value for money and continuous improvement in their asset management.

Property operational costs are a major expenditure and we are aware of how crucially important both the condition and performance of building assets are in effectively managing these costs. Our extensive experience and availability of resources to deliver the service requirements in this sector were factors in our favour and we will bring a fresh, collaborative and innovative approach to this contract.

” In a contract due to commence 1st April 2011, Integral UK will deliver cyclical maintenance and responsive repairs relating to all mechanical and electrical equipment and building fabric services.

Cheshire East Council Portfolio Holder for Asset Management, Peter Mason, added, "I am delighted to announce the appointment of Integral UK Ltd as the new Framework Contractor for responsive and cyclical maintenance. The implementation of the new contract over the next 4 years will enable the Council to provide an all encompassing maintenance service across the whole of the new Borough and I am confident that this will go from strength to strength."

INTEGRAL UK WINS THREE-YEAR NATIONAL MAINTENANCE CONTRACT WITH CHILDREN’S CHARITY THE NSPCC.

The new maintenance contract will help the NSPCC manage its properties cost-effectively and allows more of its funds to be directed to its main cause - protecting children.

Integral UK is delighted to announce the commencement of a three year contract to provide planned and reactive maintenance services to NSPCC’s main properties in England and Wales, together with space heating system maintenance to its other buildings and reactive maintenance to all its high street shops.

With a portfolio of over sixty buildings, in addition to its shops, it was important for NSPCC to have a more predictable and cost-effective method of managing its property. The new arrangement with Integral provides a streamlined approach to building maintenance, based on the needs of each individual property, identifying where efficiencies can be made and ultimately maximising direct funding to the front line – the prevention of cruelty to children.

NSPCC will benefit by working with a building and facilities management provider who has the depth of resource and geographic coverage to look after its building requirements and the flexibility to adapt to NSPCC’s dynamic property portfolio. Integral UK self-deliver the majority of its services, which enables it to offer greater levels of accountability to ensure a coherent and effectively managed maintenance service – one of Integral UK’s major strengths The appointment of a National Account Manager to the contract will ensure that the management of the NSPCC portfolio from a building services perspective is optimised and NSPCC has the information it needs to make decisions about its property. Through an open and collaborative partnership with NSPCC, Integral UK will also be looking to help the charity in achieving energy efficiencies across its properties.

INTEGRAL UK ANNOUNCES 3 YEAR M&E SERVICE AGREEMENT WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER INCUBATOR COMPANY.

Following an existing relationship providing electrical testing services to the University of Manchester, Integral UK is delighted to announce details of its new agreement to support two buildings at UMIC’s main Grafton Street site.

Integral UK has this month commenced a three year Mechanical and Electrical Facilities Maintenance contract with the University of Manchester Incubator Company (UMIC). UMIC provide high quality management facilities for start ups and SME’s associated with the Bioscience and IT/High Tec sectors. The facilities at UMIC are critical to the research activities and the UMIC Facilities Team were rightly careful in selecting the partner they wanted working alongside them.

Wholly owned by the University of Manchester, the contract includes maintenance of two large research facilities on Grafton Street, Manchester (the Manchester Bioincubator and Core Technology buildings) with a combined size of approximately 200,000 square foot.
Keen to build upon existing work with the University of Manchester, Integral UK is delivering a bespoke facilities maintenance service which will be measured against agreed KPI’s, such as the improvement of equipment performance, to ensure optimum operational and cost efficiency. As part of the maintenance service, Integral UK will provide a resident site engineer, with additional support provided by internal Specialist Service Teams and Integral’s extensive Manchester mobile engineering team.

Implementing a one stop shop approach, will minimise the level of subcontracted work and provide a number of key benefits. As Integral Business Development Manager, Mark Whittaker, adds, “Our ability to self deliver the vast majority of the services means that we are able to offer our clients greater levels of accountability, which ensures a more coherent and effectively managed maintenance service. It is this approach which continues to be one of our major strengths.” Taking a consultative approach to the service provided, Integral UK will additionally be working with UMIC to meet energy reduction targets and reduce operational costs, utilising the expertise of their Energy and Sustainability Division.

INTEGRAL UK SECURES 3 YEAR SERVICE AGREEMENT WITH JOCKEY CLUB RACECOURSES, THE LEADING HORSERACING, ENTERTAINMENT, LEISURE AND CORPORATE EVENTS VENUE GROUP.

Integral UK is delighted to announce details of its phased agreement to include hard services maintenance across a diversified portfolio of 14 racecourses in the UK.

Jockey Club Racecourses stage a quarter of the UK fixture list (24.9%), including the famous Cheltenham Festival, John Smith’s Grand National Meeting at Aintree and the Investec Derby Festival. Integral UK has worked closely with the Jockey Club Racecourses over the past 18 months to fully understand their business objectives and requirements, from cost efficiencies through consolidation of service, to issues concerning communication, culture and compliance. An approach which has allowed Integral UK to develop a comprehensive range of maintenance solutions specifically tailored to Jockey Club Racecourses. Mark Johns, Integral UK Operations Director added “Understanding the individual needs of each very unique course has allowed us to bring structure and standardisation, whilst importantly allowing their core business to continue uninterrupted.” Initially providing a full range of Mechanical Electrical and Fabric Planned Maintenance and Repair Solutions to 4 race courses in the Southern region, this 3 year agreement will provide Jockey Club Racecourses with a number of benefits including: a fully comprehensive PPM programme, cost efficiencies, simplified invoicing, statutory compliance, improved quality of service delivery and comprehensive performance reporting. Integral UK will then increase this coverage in February 2011 to include Jockey Club Racecourses’ full portfolio including: Aintree, Newmarket, Epsom Downs, Cheltenham, Sandown Park, Kempton Park, Haydock Park and seven other courses.

INTEGRAL UK WINS NATIONAL SHOPPING CENTRE CONTRACT WITH HAMMERSON PLC

New win further strengthens Integral UK’s position as one of the largest building and facilities maintenance providers to shopping centres.

Integral UK is excited to announce details of its recent contract win with Hammerson plc a leading European real estate company. Operating in the UK and France, the group are specialists in managing prime shopping centres as well as retail parks and offices.

With over 35 years of retail services experience, supporting in excess of 7,000 retail outlets, specifically 40 shopping centres across the UK, Integral UK understand the Retail environment, providing safe, comfortable, clean and secure solutions that take into consideration client needs, culture and priorities as well as wider issues surrounding compliance and brand image protection.

The solution for Hammerson combines client side expertise with Integral UK expertise. Over a fixed three, plus optional two year term a dedicated management and engineering team, from Integral UK will provide an extensive range of planned and preventative maintenance engineering and fabric services to support to a number of Hammerson shopping centres including: Bullring, Brent Cross, Queensgate, West Quay, The Oracle and Highcross.

Integral UK’s best in class service delivery and organisation and support structure will not only support group requirements but will afford a programme of continuous improvement and innovation.

INTEGRAL UK SECURE PLACE IN "THE SUNDAY TIMES HSBC TOP TRACK 250"

Featuring in the Sunday Times Top Track 250 Lead Table for the second year running, Integral UK announce improved position.

Despite 2009 / 2010 being a challenging year for all business sectors, Integral UK has produced its 10th successive year of both sales and profit growth, which has been reflected in their jump up the Sunday Times Top Track 250 table, achieving a position of 173, an improvement of 33 places over the previous year.

Their performance has been greatly influenced by a continual drive to eliminate waste from their business in an effort to find clients the most cost-effective building and facilities maintenance solutions. This, together with their continued focus on client satisfaction and retention has enabled the business to produce excellent financial results in the face of a recession.

Integral UK has enjoyed a number of successful years, revealing outstanding end of year results in their 2009 annual report and accounts, including; a turnover of £184 million, profit of £9.5 million and retention rates of 86%. With their commitment to delivering Best Practice and Best Value, Integral UK remain in a robust position to face the economic conditions in 2011 with confidence.

Published yearly, Fast Track's league tables have featured many successful companies before they floated and inclusion within the Fast Track 250 has become renowned within business as a mark of real achievement.