Welcome to e-focus, our occasional regional newsletter that aims to update you on Pennine's activities in your area.

Construction Kick-Off at Kingsholm Stadium

Construction of Gloucester Rugby's new 7,000-seater south stand at the Kingsholm stadium is finally underway.

Preparing the way for the new structure involves a three-man Pennine team using a rig to insert 600 top feed vibro displacement stone columns, which will increase the strength and load bearing capacity of the varied ground conditions.

Graham Ellery, manager of Pennine's Gloucester office, said: "We were delighted to win the contract, not least because it's great to be working at the home of such a prestigious club.

"It's worth £22,000 to us and involves inserting the stone columns to depths of up to 4.5metres in ground comprised of fill materials and silty clays that become firmer with depth.

"The project will take a week to complete, after which we hand over to main contractor Slick Developments Ltd of Redditch. Next time I take my seat to watch the team play, I'll feel even more part of the match."

Phase 1 is scheduled for handover at the end of September, with the final phase due for completion at the end of October. The new stand will increase the ground's capacity from 13,000 to 17,000.

Pennine and Stent Move In Together

Pennine has now officially welcomed sister company Stent into its Gloucester office, providing clients with a one-stop shop in piling and ground improvement closer to home.

Stent regional manager Graham Bartlett has been operating out of the Gloucester base for the last twelve months, but other members of the South West operations team have continued to be managed from the Basingstoke and Somercotes offices.

In March, however, the full team moved over to Gloucester, including operations manager Rob Cannon and contracts manager Steven Arnold.

They join a Pennine team comprising regional manager Graham Ellery and contracts manager Simon Young. Estimator Nicola Newman will transfer from Bacup HQ in October.

Both companies also share the secretarial services of Lorraine Henderson.

Pennine opened the Gloucester office four-and-a-half years ago to serve the South West and South Wales. Between them, Graham Ellery and Graham Bartlett have more than 60 years geotechnical experience.

Ellery said: "We are both well known in the area and both have vast experience of piling and ground improvement and of the soil conditions that exist in South Wales and the South West.

"Together I believe we offer a formidable combination of knowledge for the complete range of piling and foundation techniques available.

"By working together Pennine and Stent are well placed to maximise the major ground engineering opportunities."

CPD Presentations

Professionals seeking to know more about ground improvement and piling techniques and their application for different projects, can now benefit from two CPD presentations offered by Pennine.

    The Ground Improvement CPD presentation explores the technical,
       construction, design and quality control aspects of various solutions
       along with case histories.

    The Penpile® CPD presentation looks at our auger displacement
       piling system and describes the benefits: economical with virtually no
       spoil and low levels of noise and vibration during installation.

For further information or bookings contact Graham Ellery 01452 500 268 graham.ellery@pennine.co.uk or visit our website at www.pennine.co.uk