Cllr Robert Humby; Leader of Hampshire County Council, and Natalie Wigman; Assistant Director for Regeneration and Growth visit our A303 IBA Processing Facility in Hampshire

We were delighted to welcome Cllr Robert Humby; Leader of Hampshire County Council and Natalie Wigman; Assistant Director for Regeneration and Growth to our A303 IBA Processing Facility in Hampshire.  Along with a guided tour of our facility, discussions focussed on the critical role that Fortis play in ensuring that Hampshire’s household waste is transformed into low carbon construction materials that are used in road building and developments across the county.

Incinerator bottom ash (IBA) is a residual output from Hampshire’s three energy recovery facilities (Marchwood, Chineham and Portsmouth). These energy recovery facilities process the county’s non-recyclable household waste, whilst also creating 38MW of electricity annually, enough to power over 50,000 homes each year. Rather than going to landfill, the IBA produced from this process is transported to Fortis’s A303 IBA Processing Facility, where it is recycled.

Fortis IBA Ltd recover metals from the IBA which are reused worldwide to relieve the burden on mass extraction of low yielding virgin metal ores and manufacture construction aggregate called Fortistone® IBA Aggregate, which is used as a low carbon and sustainable alternative in the construction industry.

Fortistone® IBA Aggregate complies with the Specification for Highways Works 600 and 800 Series and is one of the most sustainable construction aggregates available, potentially offering substantial CO2 savings for construction projects. Its use in construction is an integral part of the collective ambitions of local authorities and industry in minimising waste and encouraging recycling, repurposing and re-use.

Fortis IBA delighted to have been shortlisted as a finalist for prestigious Hampshire Business Awards

Fortis IBA is delighted to have been shortlisted as a finalist for the prestigious Hampshire Business Awards in the Sustainable Green Investment Award category.

The awards are a partnership between The Business Magazine and Hampshire County Council.  The highly respected awards programme recognises businesses throughout the region across 11 distinct categories.

The Sustainable Green Investment Award is sponsored by Fat Face and the category recognises businesses that have demonstrated a strong commitment to sustainability and environmental responsibility through their investment strategies.  It seeks to acknowledge businesses that have demonstrated a commitment to investing in sustainable and green initiatives that make a positive impact on the environment, society, and the economy.

Fortis IBA has recently invested in and commissioned a new state-of-the-art Incinerator Bottom Ash (IBA) processing facility.  The investment in this new plant draws from the knowledge gained through our experience with the IBA Processing Facility at our A303 Enviropark in Longparish.  Our new facility works to give resources new life, providing the energy from waste industry with a solution for IBA, and enabling the production of sustainable low carbon aggregates and recovery of recycled metals which will, in turn, reduce the need for new energy intensive and CO2 generative aggregate quarries and metal mines.

“We are honoured that Fortis IBA has been chosen amongst the other leading Hampshire-businesses that share our dedication to sustainability and a collective drive towards a circular economy.  We extend our gratitude to the Hampshire Business Awards for this acknowledgment.” Commented Mark Oliver, Chairman.

“The awards have received an extremely high number of entries so many congratulations to those companies that have been identified as finalists.” Richard Thompson, chief executive, The Business Magazine Group.  The awards have been supported by 5 independent judges all based in Hampshire.

The Awards Dinner will take place on Thursday 30th November at Farnborough International Exhibition & Conference Centre.

Raymond Brown Quarry Products awarded Bronze reaccreditation under the Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme (FORS)

Raymond Brown Quarry Products Ltd has again been awarded the Bronze accreditation under FORS.
The accreditation follows an extensive re-approval audit which ensures we meet the strict criteria set out by the FORS standards which encompass all aspects of safety, efficiency, and environmental protection. Thank you to all staff, particularly the Transport Team for their help in maintaining our high standards and their dedication to the safety and effective monitoring of efficiency.

FORS is a voluntary accreditation scheme for fleet operators. It aims to improve standards within fleet operations and demonstrate which operators are achieving exemplary levels of best practice in safety, efficiency and environmental protection.

Fortis IBA Ltd is delighted to welcome New Chairman Mark Oliver to the business to accelerate growth strategy

Mark Oliver, Fortis Chairman

 

Fortis IBA Ltd is delighted to welcome Mark Oliver to the business as Chairman.  Mark, a civil engineer, brings over 40 years of experience to the business and will support Fortis through its next phase of growth.

Mark Oliver’s appointment comes after a recent period of expansion and substantial investment, including the development of a brand-new state-of-the-art processing facility at Ridham in Kent and technical development of the range of Fortistone® IBA Aggregate (Fortistone®).  As an example, the Fortistone® Type1 is fully compliant with the SHW 803 and can be widely used as a high performing sub-base in the construction of roads, footpaths, structural platforms and car parks.

Mark has had a long career in the building products industry, most recently as CEO of The Clarison Group.  He has also been a member of the Government Green Construction Board and served on the steering committee for precast concrete of the Mineral Products Association (MPA).  His experience and knowledge, together with his past involvement in the successful development of aircrete building products, will be invaluable as IBA Aggregate provides increasing volumes of sustainable, low carbon and low-cost product to the construction industry.

Fortistone® is a manufactured aggregate created by processing residues from the thermal treatment of non-recyclable household and commercial waste.  Fortis helps divert more than 275 million black bin bags from going to landfill each year by transforming them into materials to build roads, homes and other infrastructure, and reduces the need to quarry primary materials such as limestone.

The demand to maintain supplies of minerals for the growing economy and construction industry has been driving the development and adoption of Fortistone®.  Several County Councils, including Hampshire and Kent, are now actively supporting the use of IBA Aggregate as a highway construction material in their adopted schemes, including S278 and S38.

Recent projects include: 55,000 tonnes as subbase for a Lidl Development in Southampton, 17,500 tonnes for Crest Nicholson at Centenary Quay and 35,000 tonnes for Portsmouth City Council’s Tipner Park and Ride.  Fortistone® has also been used within the Kingsmere Retail Park in Bicester, Coldstream Farm Residential Development in Buckinghamshire, and Worthing Integrated Care Centre.

Commenting on his appointment, Mark said: “I have been a pioneer of sustainable and low carbon construction for many years and I am now delighted to have the opportunity to Chair a business in the circular economy that can really make a difference by reducing waste to landfill, reducing quarrying of natural aggregate and reducing carbon emissions.”

Mark will be working closely with Chief Operating Officer, Steve Clasby, Chief Financial Officer, Wayne Roberts, and the management team.

Steve Clasby, Chief Operating Officer, commented: “We are extremely pleased to welcome Mark Oliver as Chairman to the Fortis business.  His wealth of experience in the construction industry will be a great asset to the management team and further expansion of the Fortis business.”

Fortis and Raymond Brown Quarry Products both win internationally recognised health and safety accolade for 14th year from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA)

We are delighted to announce that Raymond Brown Quarry Products Ltd has won a RoSPA President’s (14 consecutive Golds) Award, demonstrating their commitment to health and safety excellence and dedication to ensuring staff, customers, clients and contractors get home safely at the end of every working day.

The RoSPA Health and Safety Awards is the largest occupational health and safety awards programme in the UK. Now into its 67th year, the Awards have almost 2,000 entries every year, covering nearly 50 countries and a reach of over seven million employees. The programme recognises organisations’ commitment to continuous improvement in the prevention of accidents and ill health at work, looking at entrants’ overarching health and safety management systems, including practices such as leadership and workforce involvement.

Julia Small, RoSPA’s Achievements Director, said: “Accidents at work and work-related ill health don’t just have huge financial implications or cause major disruption – they significantly impact an individual’s quality of life. That’s why good safety performance deserves to be recognised and rewarded.

“We are thrilled that Raymond Brown Quarry Products Ltd won a RoSPA Award and would like to congratulate them on showing an unwavering commitment to keeping their employees, clients and customers safe from accidental harm and injury.”

Sponsored by Croner-i, the RoSPA Awards scheme is the longest-running of its kind in the UK, and receives entries from organisations across the globe, making it one of the most sought-after achievement awards for the health and safety industry.

Lifesaving Defibrillators now available across all Raymond Brown / Fortis Sites

We are pleased to announce that the Raymond Brown Group has installed defibrillators across all sites, including quarries, IBA processing facilities and the head office in Chandler’s Ford.

An Automated External Defibrillator (AED) is a lifesaving device that can help someone experiencing a sudden cardiac arrest by delivering an electric shock.

The new ZOLL AED Plus Fully Automatic Defibrillators were purchased from St John Ambulance and provide access to potentially lifesaving equipment for staff, visitors to our sites and the local community.

Steven Laight, Group HSQE Manager commented: “The well-being and safety of our employees, visitors, and the communities in which we work has always been our priority.  The implementation of the defibrillators was an outcome of our staff suggestion program, and we are delighted that each of our sites now has its own fully automatic defibrillator.  These are a great additional measure in protecting the health of our teams and can be shared with the local community as they are registered on the national defibrillator network.”

Fortis IBA Ltd KTP Partnership with Portsmouth University

As part of a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) with Portsmouth University, we are pleased to welcome Harry Frost to the business as a KTP Associate.  Harry is working with both Fortis IBA and Portsmouth University on a three-year research and development project.  Harry will be leading and managing the development of sustainable products using IBA Aggregate, which is an exciting development for the Fortis business.

Raymond Brown Group sites take part in another successful ‘Stop for Safety’ Event

All Raymond Brown Group sites took part in a group-wide ‘Stop for Safety’ event on Tuesday 3rd January 2023.

The site management and site teams are well versed in Stop for Safety and the event sees all plant operations temporarily stopping to allow safe access for our staff to walk around in teams to spot hazards, safety concerns and improvement ideas. Actions are then fed back to the team to ensure continual improvement.

Steven Laight, HSQE Manager commented: “Thank you to all the site teams for their participation again, we have had some really positive feedback and ideas across all our sites this year.  These events help set the tone for a positive HSQE culture and eliminate/reduce risks and hazards from our sites.”

Core Value Award Winners 2022

Passion, Responsibility and Engagement are our three core values and should form the foundations of how we perform and conduct ourselves across the business at all times:

Passion – Having enthusiasm for our business and everything we do;
Responsibility – Our success is only achieved by protecting our people and the environment;
Engagement – Seeking good ideas from our people and the local community.

In our recent Staff Surveys, we asked employees to nominate colleagues who they felt had gone above and beyond this year in demonstrating our core values. Thank you to all who took the time to take part in the surveys, the feedback from them will be announced in early 2023 but we are pleased to announce the following as winners of our Core Value Awards this year. Well done to each of these employees on their hard work and on making such a positive impact with their colleagues over the last year. We have included some comments below from colleagues at the time of nominating:

Overall Winner – Jordan Reynolds, Technical Operative
Jordan has been with the business since 2020 and it is clear he has already made a positive impact with his colleagues he is ambitious, passionate about both his role and the business and goes above and beyond when it comes to being responsible. Jordan received a number of nominations across all three of our core values.

Passion – Darryn Saunders, Purchase Ledger Clerk
Darryn has worked for the Raymond Brown Finance Team for seven years. Darryn is clearly passionate about his work and colleagues have nominated him for going above and beyond and being helpful and approachable.

Responsibility – Sean Bunting, Site Manager (Calvert IBA Processing Facility)
Sean has been with the business since 2020 when he joined to manage the Calvert IBA Processing Facility. Sean had a number of nominations and is held in high regard by his site team.

Engagement – Tom Weeks, Sales Manager
Tom has worked for the business for almost ten years and previously won the award for Passion in 2017 so it is great to see him nominated again. Tom started with the business as Trainee Sales Representative in 2013 and has progressed to Sales Manager, working closely with Colin Bolam.

Fortis IBA welcomes new General Manager to Ridham Dock IBA Processing Facility

We are delighted to welcome Tim Palmer, General Manager of the Ridham Dock IBA Processing Facility to Fortis IBA Ltd. Tim’s experience in operations management spans a variety of organisations throughout the UK and Japan where he has worked across a number of industries including manufacture of high-volume engineering steels, the complex and bespoke manufacture of high value super alloys as well as the production of high-volume low margin commodity items within the concrete products and plastic extrusion and injection moulding sectors.

The new Ridham Dock IBA Processing Facility is an advanced development facility in the South East which will be shortly operational. Once complete, it has the capacity to process 400,000 tonnes of IBA, generating 320,000 tonnes of Fortistone® IBA Aggregate into the local construction market.

Tim said: “I am delighted to have joined the Fortis IBA team as General Manager of Fortis’ latest facility.  Over the last few weeks, I have very much enjoyed meeting everyone and getting to know more about our business and in particular employee ideas, views and expectations of our exciting new processing facility in Kent.

The philosophies that I subscribe to and adopt are based on some very simple and effective ideas and processes. Fundamentally, I believe in the power of working together as teams to achieve success and security for the business and its employees. I am also a strong advocate of visual, open and effective communication, sharing and using information throughout the organisation in order to allow us to make good, well-informed decisions that are consistent with the company’s values and objectives. Openness and transparency provide a basis for ensuring that people know what is expected and needed of them, helping us all to succeed and perform well. It also helps to develop and drive a culture where we are comfortable challenging the status quo and focussed on delivering evolutionary improvements in performance.”