Volvo Construction Equipment inaugurates expanded manufacturing facility in Shippensburg, PA
The event was attended by local and state public officials, company executives and personnel and members of the local media. It marked the revealing of a US$30 million investment to expand the company’s assembly capabilities to meet anticipated demand in the North American market.
The campus broke ground on the 200,000 square foot, US$30 million expansion of the facility just over a year ago. The expansion includes a materials service center and an assembly hall, designed to improve manufacturing flow and increase production space to incorporate the production of Volvo motor graders. The design and construction of the new facility is built on the Volvo core values of quality, safety, and environmental care and the company is seeking recognition as a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified green building.
The expansion of the plant and its manufacturing capabilities was made possible in part by a US$1 million Opportunity Grant from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Department of Community and Economic Development.
Jim Thompson, President, Operations Americas and the plant’s general manager, paid tribute to the individuals and organisations that helped make the expansion of the manufacturing complex possible. He thanked the local government agencies for their ongoing support of the company’s Shippensburg construction equipment operation.
May 2010
Ajman real estate market ready to rebound, says Sweet Homes
Leading UAE developer express optimism for the emirate’s property sector in the upcoming year
The Ajman real estate market is ready to rebound, with the emergence of major developments signalling the recovery of the emirate’s property sector, says Sweet Homes Holdings (SHH), a leading UAE-based developer and real estate services provider and the company behind the AED 2.2 billion ‘Ajman Uptown’ community project. Underlining its optimism towards new prospects in the local industry for the upcoming year, the developer also expressed its high expectations in terms of convenience in obtaining mortgage financing, which will drive more people to move to the emirate.
Ajman’s growing strength in the real estate front is being fuelled by the availability of resources that can support various industries as well as residential communities. This includes access to energy at competitive rates and costs, with secured and guaranteed provision and supply on longer terms; raw materials for certain industries and the possibility for extraction of these materials; basic industries for provision of materials required by the finishing and intermediate processing industries; domestic capital and financing; and financial incentives and facilities for investments by many of the domestic and international banks. Furthermore, the emirate’s convenient location and the development of the infrastructural utilities such as the port, roads and transportation also make it an enviable location for community developments such as ‘Ajman Uptown’.
“Over the years, Ajman has witnessed major upgrades as far as infrastructure development is concerned, emerging not only as an attractive site for industrial and manufacturing activities but also as a thriving location for residential projects,” said Fahad Sattar Dero, CEO, Sweet Homes Holdings. “Although the emirate, similar to other emirates in the UAE and cities across the region, had been subjected to the harsh realities of the global financial meltdown, it is steadily gaining back its momentum and is on its way to recovery. As the developer of one of the largest residential communities in Ajman, we are looking forward to leveraging the new opportunities as the real estate sector turns around and opens up new prospects for residential and commercial investors alike.”
With building works on ‘Ajman Uptown’ continuing on a 24/7 basis, the developer continues to report significant construction milestones, including the completion of all sub-structures for the 1,504 villas within the massive community development. Two subcontractors for the project were also recently named including Al Ibhar Electrical Contracting and Elegant Electromechanical Contracting, which will oversee the MEP, air conditioning and fire fighting aspects; and Liwa Building Contracting as the civil sub-contractor. In addition, Sweet Homes General Contracting is also currently building an AED 149 million shopping mall within the project, which is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2012. At present, a total of 2,000 labourers are working on the site in different shifts to be able to meet the project’s scheduled delivery date.
“Construction works within ‘Ajman Uptown’ is proceeding according to our specified timeline, with our appointed subcontractors working continuously to ensure that all processes are completed according to the highest quality standards and in time to hit our delivery deadline. At present, we have completed the sub-structure of all villas, and are currently focusing on the on-going superstructure works for all the VIP villas within the community,” concluded Dero.
CMCS signs MoU with buildingSmart ME to broaden use of Building Information Modeling in MENA region
BIM offers cost, time, and sustainability benefits for building design and construction
Collaboration, Management and Control Solutions (CMCS) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with buildingSMART ME (BSAME), the MENA Chapter of the globally recognized building and construction standards body buildingSMART International, to promote greater use of Building Information Modeling (BIM) solutions across the MENA region.
BIM refers to the process of generating and managing building data using virtual 3D digital models during the building lifecycle (i.e. during design, construction and operations) It typically uses 3D, real-time, dynamic building modeling software to enhance building design and construction and has emerged as a valuable project and construction management tool. A number of key developments in the Middle East such as Abu Dhabi’s Capital Gate, the world’s furthest leaning manmade tower, have been designed using BIM software. However, few developers in the region are well-versed or even familiar with the modeling technique.
Under the terms of the MoU, CMCS becomes a BSAME member and will assist the body in encouraging the use of BIM in its covered territories. BSAME will provide in-house BIM training to CMCS and its MENA and India clients through its BIM Support Bureau (BSB).
“BIM is a very powerful tool and yet it is not widely used in the region. Through our partnership with BSAME we have the opportunity to encourage the use of BIM and consequently raise the quality of MENA building and construction standards. We also value BSAME’s role in setting global construction technology standards and hope that we can make significant contributions in this regard as a member,” said Bassam Samman, CEO and Founder, CMCS.
BIM simulates the actual parts and pieces used in building structures, as opposed to the traditional use of computer-aided drafting. It enables contractors and engineers to reduce costs and cut down the time needed to complete detailed design. BIM enhances quality by minimizing mistakes, improving build capabilities and decision making, and supporting compliance with sustainability requirements that are becoming stricter across the Middle East.
“We recognize the importance of selecting proven project management consultants and training institutions to spread awareness of the potential of BIM in construction , which is why we chose CMCS as our regional partner. Through CMCS’ extensive international presence we hope to enlighten more contractors, developers, engineers and architects on the increased design and construction efficiencies offered by BIMbased solutions,” added Mr. Tahir Sharif President buildingSMART ME.
Collaboration, Management and Control Solutions provides Project Portfolio and Risk Management Information System solutions to help organizations ensure the success of their project delivery. The company uses state-of-the-art products from Oracle Primavera, Hard Dollar, Deltek, EcoSys, ADePT, eTimeMachine, and Synchro to build knowledge, transfer tools and techniques, and develop skills.
