In Brief: Director helps Chinese family; Plowman Brothers diversify; and more

PLANNING expert Paul Grover has swapped his suit for a hard hat and tool belt as he joins other business leaders in building a house for a low income family in China.

Mr Grover, a regional director at Leeds-based global infrastructure consultancy WYG has volunteered his time to the build in the run up to Liverpool Day at the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai.

The project has been organised by the Chinese arm of Habitat for Humanity in association with Liverpool Habitat for Humanity (LHFH) and is being sponsored by Liverpool Football Club.

Since its launch in 1976, Habitat for Humanity International has built and rehabilitated more than 220,000 houses with families in need, addressing the issues of poverty housing.

Mr Grover said: “Working at WYG I have been involved in a wide variety of projects and whilst I have been known to get my boots dirty on occasion it’s about time I got my hands dirty as well. With planning projects taking months if not years to get through the UK planning system it is very rewarding to instantly see the fruits of my labour.”

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YORK-based engineered metalwork specialists Plowman Brothers have completed a major investment in product development with the launch of a re-locatable tensile fabric building.

The company, which manufactures and engineers metal fabricated products such as livestock containers, said that its diversification into temporary building solutions is a response to demand from companies that need extra business space at short notice without taking a financial risk through high capital expenditure.

The result of its three-year CAD and physical development programme is a fully galvanized facility that provides flexible business space.

Managing director Matt Plowman said: “With the fluid environment in many of today’s industries and the unpredictability of the economic recovery, temporary building solutions are a superb option for companies seeking low-risk expansion.

“Our buildings pass all relevant regulations and they are suitable for a multitude of commercial and industrial uses, from storage and warehousing to manufacturing facilities and distribution bases.”

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A YORKSHIRE company which specialises in the analysis, testing and heat treatment of metals is projecting a 25% growth for its heat treatment business this year.

Keighley Laboratories said that much of the increased customer demand is being driven by its gas-fired pit furnace facility, one of only a handful in the UK, which accommodates metal components vertically and enables processes like carburising, case hardening, carbonitriding and tempering to be carried out with minimal distortion.

The company has also commissioned a new jig to enable a wider range of components to be processed, including large rectangular blocks.

Employing around half of Keighley Laboratories’ 60-plus staff, the heat treatment division offers a range of surface engineering services to UK engineers.