CPA Bulletin

10 CPA Bulletin > November 2021 www.cpa.uk.net ASSOCIATIONNEWS: 3 busy - or to keep warm on cold days because the nearest welfare unit was too far away. So by adding more facilities and training drivers in correct usage, savings were duly achieved. Adding to that, Steve Bradby said that telematics helped in analysing how and where machines were being used, and it ensured that planned service schedules were adhered to. However, it was vital to have good KPIs (key performance indicators) and information dashboards in place to interpret the wealth of data meaningfully. And Chris Matthew suggested that some operators and managers could be nervous about having their methods and performance analysed in this way. Indeed, an interesting paradox emerging from the discussion was that achieving efficiencies could lead to less equipment being needed on a site. Perhaps, however, it might also enable tasks to be completed faster and the contractor starting their next job sooner. If they were pleased with the results achieved fromworking with the hirer, they might well partner with them for future contracts. In fact, Merrill Lynch highlighted a road construction study undertaken by Caterpillar into plant fitted with GPS machine control systems for a specific project. “The job was done 46% quicker, 34% less equipment was needed and 37% less fuel consumed,” he said. It was recognised that early adopters of new technology faced costs and challenges. But Select’s Steve Bradby said more projects were now insisting, for example, on using electric machine options if practicable. It was also important to look out for resources available: some banks, for instance, offered attractive ‘green finance’ packages to help with funding. He also recalled Select’s efforts to reduce carbon emissions on site cabins and getting an initial blank response from suppliers of items ranging from flooring material to insulation when asked about their embedded carbon characteristics. That spurred the suppliers to assess their operations. Flannery’s Chris Matthew added that if hirers could put measures in place to determine their Scope 1, 2 and 3 performance, that knowledge could be a model for others in the supply chain - highlighting again the need to work together. He also mentioned the positives that derived from implementing ‘quick wins’ like reducing paper usage, fitting PIR (passive infrared) motion activated lighting, optimising heating and sourcing green energy. These delivered social value benefits that would be recognised by customers and the community. Merrill Lynch described how Lynch personnel could commit one day a year to an initiative with local environmental benefits. In this way an organisation can engage with its community and evolve its green strategy. In brief opening remarks ahead of the afternoon sessions on Decarbonisation, CPA President Brian Jones noted how, in many ways, attitudes in plant hire had changed little in the previous 50 years. Customers were still likely to switch supplier for a small rate reduction and hirers found it hard to raise rates. However, he suggested there was a change in one area, namely collaboration and sharing ideas. He had seen this during a dinner hosted by the CPA on the evening before the Conference, where senior executives had exchanged views and experiences in a spirit of advancement. This, Brian said, was important for helping smaller businesses, too. And maintaining the positive tone, he had observed that the word ‘collaboration’ had been mentioned no fewer than 35 times during the morning sessions. The first afternoon session, called ‘Digitalisation – Transforming the Construction Industry’, involved five panellists: Vanessa Bold , Head of Supply Markets Management with the New Hospital Programme (NHP) which aims to have 40 new hospitals built across England as quickly as possible; JoshWallman , co-founder of the software solutions provider Capja; Chris Gill , a Director of L Lynch Plant Hire; Steve Bradby of Select