UK productivity conference

A new UK conference – the Construction Productivity Forum – will discuss how to boost innovation and productivity, and the keynote speaker will be Lord Adonis, chair of the UK’s National Infrastructure Commission (NIC).

Taking place at the Inmarsat Conference Centre in London on June 8, 2016, the conference will also include presentations from clients, contractors, specialists and equipment manufacturers.

UK Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne announced the creation of the NIC in October last year. It will oversee spending of £100 billion (€126.07 billion) on infrastructure projects of all sorts.

Firms also on the agenda at the conference include Thames Tideway, Skanska, Highways England, Mabey and Komatsu. The conference will also hear the results of new research on productivity from the Chartered Institute of Building.

The organisers – Plantworx and the Construction Equipment Association, with support from the Department for Business Innovation & Skills, Build UK, CECA (representing civil engineering contractors), CIOB (Chartered Institute of Building) and the Construction Plant-hire Association – said that the conference would be a one-day conference for senior industry managers from all companies in the construction supply chain, from clients and major contractors to specialists and manufacturers.

Other speakers will include Paul Nash, director, Turner & Townsend Project Management and senior vice president, CIOB; Roger Bailey, asset management director, Thames Tideway; David O’Neil, head of supply chain management, Highways England; Pat Gaffney, director, Collins Earthworks; and Richard Clement, UK planning manager, Komatsu.

Rob Oliver, chief executive of the Construction Equipment Association, said, “New markets, clients demanding ever higher standards and disruptive technologies all mean that the construction industry is changing faster than ever before.

“These changes mean that companies along the supply chain need to keep up to date and understand how their businesses and that of their clients will be affected – and what opportunities are arising as a result.”

The conference programme will focus on a number of core themes – innovation adoption, innovative technologies, productivity challenges, and changing client requirements.

The organisers said there would be a block of free tickets reserved for Plantworx Exhibitors on a first-come-first-served basis. Tickets are also free for members of the Construction Equipment Association and their guests, while there are discounts for members of supporting organisations.

Registration for the Construction Productivity Forum is at www.cpf16.co.uk.