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D-Drill’s investment in its staff has been recognised by a major award.

The company, which has offices across the UK and an HQ just outside Coventry, won the Coventry Telegraph’s Training and People Development award at a ceremony at the Ricoh Arena on Friday night.

Managing director Julie White said: “I am delighted to pick up this award. Despite the recession and downturn in construction, we have continued to invest heavily in our staff.

“That has allowed us to grow the business and awards such as this are recognition of that. The business was started here in Coventry and Warwickshire so it is fantastic to be recognised in our local area.

“We are also proud that our training and development practices are being hailed across all industries not just in construction.”

Julie has shown great faith in apprentices and apprenticeships – so much so that she is even going through the scheme herself to ensure that she understands what her next generation of employees are going through.

D-Drill currently has 12 apprentices on its books and more than 45 per cent of the current workforce have come through the scheme or are currently undertaking an apprenticeship.

But it’s not just the apprenticeship scheme that highlights the company’s commitment to the training and development of its workforce.

Julie has overseen a 12 per cent increase in spend per head on training throughout the company in the past year.

Each D-Drill branch trains a quarter of the workforce in special operations, while short-hit sessions are being employed throughout the year.

It is all having a dramatic, positive effect on the overall business as customer satisfaction has risen, accidents have been significantly reduced and D-Drill’s market share has increased. On top of that, the company has just received a platinum award in CSCS certification – the only diamond drilling company to attain that status.

The dreaded ‘r’ word does not seem to have the same devastating effect that it had in 2008 and I believe there is good reason why.

I am, of course, talking about recession and the recent figures that showed we have had two negative quarters of GDP.

In all honesty, I have never been one to get bogged down by the actual technicalities of what makes a recession and what doesn’t but what bothers me is its affect on confidence.

While we all know there were serious problems in 2008, the country was set in a downward spiral because you could not turn on the TV, pick up a paper or listen to the radio without hearing ‘experts’ talking about recession.

So far, that seems to have been avoided or, at least, toned down compared with four years ago.

It doesn’t mean we bury our heads in the sand because we know the construction industry has been particularly hard hit over the past four or five years and I would suggest that by improving the fortunes of construction, the whole economy would feel the benefit.

I also know that there are positive signs among specialist companies within our industry.

Here at D-Drill, we are seeing the benefit of investment in people and technology over the past few years and are consistently growing.

I was also delighted to see the National Specialist Contractors Council release figures that suggested an increase in enquiries and orders across the industry at the start of this year.

That’s certainly how it feels on the ground and I do hope that this time round we focus on what it takes to grow rather than only focusing on the negative.

In business, so many key decisions are based on confidence and, while being realistic, we must do all we can to accentuate the positive.

A company, which provides the most environmentally-friendly and cost-effective way of stabilising concrete roads before resurfacing, has been bought out.

Highway Systems, which is based in Lancashire, has been bought by diamond drilling and sawing business D-Drill, which has offices throughout the UK and a HQ near Coventry.

Highway Systems was founded in 1993 and utilises a ‘cracking and seating’ method prior to resurfacing concrete-slab roads, the concrete which can be up to 70-years-old.

Instead of digging out the road and removing the concrete, the company’s specialist machines turn the existing concrete into a flexible road base which is then overlaid.

The process is quicker and more economical than other processes and cuts down massively on labour and particularly waste costs.

Julie White, the managing director of D-Drill, saw huge potential in the business.

She said: “Local authorities and councils are looking to make efficiency savings in all areas and so are the contractors Highway Systems can serve.

“This process is so much more economical in terms of cost, time and the environment that I thought it was a strong proposition and decided we should purchase the business.

“In terms of the costs, to totally reconstruct a concrete road to a flexible carriageway in the traditional way, you might be looking at up to £200 per square metre. Using this system, it can be £5 per square metre. That’s better than a 90 per cent saving.”

The system can only be utilised on concrete roads and that means areas such as older housing estates and original concrete roads are most likely to benefit.

Des Burns, who will run the business on behalf of D-Drill having been in the industry for 25 years, said: “As soon as the cracking and seating process is finished the road can be driven on immediately and safely for up to six weeks before overlaying.

“Traditionally, excavating and reconstructing, for example, 10,000 square metres worth of road would have taken weeks if not months before it could be used again. Using our system, we can have that finished and ready for resurfacing in around five-and-a-half days and the road can stay open during the cracking and seating process therefore no costly or inconvenient closures.

“The process was discovered completely by accident on an airfield in Suffolk in the 1960s. The person cracked the concrete and left the job for a couple of days and when he went back, discovered that it had been turned into a flexible base after some of the planes had driven on it!

“He realised that he didn’t need to dispose of the waste concrete but could re-use it as the base.

“That’s the system we use to this day and our machines ensure it’s a very smooth process and an even smoother surface afterwards.”

He added: “We can also find hidden voids beneath the surface by using this method and put them right in a controlled condition which is imperative for safety reasons.”

For more information log onto www.highwaysystems.co.uk

Pictured: Des Burns, Julie White and Alan Rogers (all D-Drill)

A Plymouth driller was given a once-in-a-lifetime warning on his latest job: ‘Don’t disturb the sharks’! 

D-Drill’s office in Plympton was called in to help create a new viewing area at Plymouth’s National Marine Aquarium. 

The company had to cut out an eight-metre block wall beneath a tank containing Sand Tiger Sharks, five Nurse Sharks and ten Southern Stingrays. 

In ordinary circumstances, drills or powerful concrete breakers would have been employed to cut through the wall but, because of the sensitive nature of the creatures above, the decision was taken to use a quiet, vibration-free method of chain-sawing which is widely used in the USA. 

Edward Taylor, the manager of D-Drill’s Plymouth office, said: “We would have usually used a drill or breaker to remove the wall but, because we had been asked not to disturb the sharks and other animals in the tank, we looked for the best possible method. 

“Sharks, we were told, could become very spooked by loud noise, and particularly by vibration, so our priority was to carry out the work without distressing them. Nobody wants to upset a shark – even if it’s inside a tank!

 “We were provided with a power pack and new hydraulic chainsaw by ICS that cut down on noise and vibration. 

“The operation was a complete success and proved that it pays to call in a specialist when this type of work is needed.  As it happens our driller, Dave Lawes, used to volunteer at the Aquarium before he joined us as an apprentice, so he knew the place inside out. 

“And I am delighted to say none of our operatives was harmed or eaten by sharks during the operation!”

James Wright from the National Aquarium thanked D-Drill for their attention to detail.

He said: “It’s vital we don’t upset the animals, particularly the sharks, as they can bolt. 

“They normally swim quite slowly and appear quite sluggish but when they go, they certainly move quickly and when doing this they could collide with each other or objects in the exhibit which could cause injury.

“Our highest priority is the standard of care that animals at the Aquarium receive, which is always an important consideration for us.

“D-Drill were extremely professional, fully understood the issue and went out of their way to ensure they completed the job with absolutely no disturbance to any of the sharks and other animals in the tank.”