COVER FEATURE
Experts on both sides of the
Atlantic weigh in on some
of the challenges facing
the construction sectors in
Canada and in Europe, and
how they’re being addressed
By Mark Halsall
There are numerous challenges facing the building
industry these days, not just in Canada but in many
other parts of the world. For one, there’s generally a
lack of skilled trades workers entering the construction
business. Environmental sustainability and risk mitigation
seem to be ever-increasing tasks for building contractors,
and geopolitical events like Brexit and ongoing trade wars are
restraining new construction efforts in some regions.
Piling Canada touched base with two companies that
specialize in ground engineering and piling solutions – Keller
Canada headquartered in Acton, Ont., and the British firm
Aarsleff Ground Engineering Ltd. that’s based in Newark,
England – to get their take on how the construction business
in Canada as well as in the United Kingdom and elsewhere in
Europe are faring and coping with today’s industry challenges.
Impact of Brexit
Kevin Hague is managing director for Aarsleff Ground
Engineering. He says the impact of Brexit on the construction
industry in Britain has been profound and continues to resonate
as the long, arduous process of negotiating a withdrawal from
the European Union, which started in 2017, continues to drag
on; months past the original March 2019 deadline.
“There is a general feeling of uncertainty in the money
markets. Investors seem to be slowing down a little bit, which
as a result turns into delays on site and projects stalling. Once
that starts, everyone else starts to think the same way, so we
end up in a position where we actually also talk ourselves
into delays on projects,” said Hague.
“We’re seeing that daily here. We’ve got a fairly sizable
project in Sheffield in the U.K. that we have had on our books
now for three years, and we haven’t actually done anything
yet. It’s not uncommon for that to be the case.”
Hague says there’s also the matter of supply chain
uncertainty surrounding Brexit. He notes that Aarsleff
Ground Engineering often relies on German equipment
and support services as well as steel supplied by mills in
Germany and Spain – but what happens once Britain leaves
the European Union is unclear.
“If Brexit goes through, how easy will it be to get the parts
we need through customs?” Hague wondered.
AARSLEFF GROUND ENGINEERING
Drilling and grouting operations by
Aarsleff in Prudhoe, Newcastle
PILING CANADA 29