L&R Roadlines, one of the UK’s leading road marking and surfacing contractors, hosted an open day at its Ellesmere Port headquarters for the Balfour Beatty Mott Macdonald (BBMM) joint venture team responsible for managing the Area 10 Asset Support Contract (ASC). L&R Roadlines is a key supply chain company for BBMM on the ASC, providing a comprehensive range of highway maintenance solutions including road marking renewal, replacement of cats-eyes, joint sealing and anti-skid surfacing. Read more
Hexagon Software, a leading independent provider of property and financial management software, has announced that it has successfully integrated the Dream accounting solution with WPM Education’s payment platform which handles around £2.6 billion in student fees every year. With more than 160 of the UK’s leading universities and colleges currently using its payment platform, this integration will enable users to automate and enhance workflow processes relating property management, financial collection and arrears management whilst streamlining online payments for rent, utilities, tuition and more. Read more
Purpose Software, the UK’s leading supplier of business management software to MPS and Print resellers, has announced the immediate availability of FORZA, a new SAP Business One-based system that includes all sales, service and accounting functionality on a single integrated platform. This is the first of a new generation of total business management software solutions and provides instant access to a single source of real-time data when and where it is needed the most to increase performance, efficiency and profitability. Read more
Hitex International, a leading global provider of road safety and surfacing solutions, has announced the formation of a strategic partnership with Protasco Trading, part of Protasco Berhad the Malaysian-based provider of integrated engineering and infrastructure related services. This partnership provides Protasco with exclusive access to Hitex International’s full range of anti-skid surfacing and road repair materials which will enhance ongoing maintenance programmes for over 10,000 km of Federal and State roads across Malaysia.
“After an extensive research to locate the most effective high friction surfacing for the Malaysian climate, we are pleased to be partnering with Hitex International,” commented Dato’ Ronnie Yap, Executive Director at Protasco Berhad. “We have been impressed with Hitex’s understanding of road maintenance across Asia and its approach to working closely in partnership with our engineering teams. The company is committed to an ongoing programme of investment in developing innovative and cost effective road safety and repair solutions that will play an important role in reducing the number of accidents on roads throughout the country, particularly during monsoon seasons.”
Under this agreement, Hitex is supplying Protasco with materials, equipment, training and all necessary support to ensure that installations are completed quickly and efficiently. The materials include Hitex Type 1 anti-skid surfacing materials which are fully accredited by the British Board of Agreement (BBA) certification scheme, the highest classification attainable. It is specially formulated for Malaysia’s sub-tropical conditions and provides a uniquely sustainable and durable solution for use on highly trafficked, high stress areas including off ramps from busy toll roads and busy trunk roads. Quick and easy to install, it keeps traffic disruption and traffic management costs to a minimum.
To speed up the road maintenance process, Protasco is also using Hitex TexBand, a BBA certified single pass over-band and fill and over-band system which permanently repairs open joints and cracks in road surfaces.
Hitex International Group added: “We are delighted to be partnering with Protasco Berhad. As Malaysia’s foremost provider of road maintenance services, it has the capability and resources to leverage existing supply chains to existing public and private sector customers. It will also enable us to extend our reach across Asia and we have already received significant interest from surrounding countries including Singapore and Thailand.”
South Gloucestershire Council took delivery of a new multi-purpose road maintenance vehicle from Somerford Equipment at the Commercial Vehicle Show. This innovative vehicle will enable road maintenance crews to carry out a wide range of works including installation of reflective road studs, application of road markings, surface preparation and line removal whilst providing a comprehensive traffic management capability. Using a single prime mover and crew to perform multiple functions will speed up the maintenance process to reduce traffic disruption and maximise return on investment. Read more
PSP Asset Protection, one of the UK’s leading providers of library stock management and security solutions, has announced the immediate availability of Concord Infiniti™, a new cloud-based school library management system. This innovative solution integrates physical and digital resources to elevate library and information services to a new level and improve the learning experience at every stage of the curriculum.
“Infiniti empowers library and teaching professionals to deliver advanced student services,” commented PSP Asset Protection. “It will reinvigorate school libraries and help to redefine their role in managing digital resources to support online learning. This will enable libraries to regain their position at the heart of every school’s educational ecosystem.”
Infiniti enhances the whole library management process and liberates staff from mundane and time consuming tasks. With a modern, intuitive user interface, it provides one-click cataloguing, smart circulation management and intelligent searching to speed up the library management process. It also offers innovative ways to compile and publish learning pathways to support your curriculum and integration of digital library resources with Learning Management Systems.
“As well as being really easy and intuitive to use, the Infiniti system streamlines the whole library management process enabling us to concentrate on developing our services further,” commented Jo Saxby, a librarian for Pearson TQ Education and Training, one of the first users of this new library management system. “We can now integrate with other libraries such as the British Library and the Library of Congress, which adds to the value of our records in terms of information provided. It feels like the library has come into the 21st century at last.”
Infiniti is cloud-based and enables whole school communities to access library resources regardless of the devices they use, whether at school or at home. It provides browser-based access, using tablets, laptops and smartphones, to a school-styled online portal to create a more personal experience. This portal enables librarians, teaching staff and students to quickly find and access learning materials when they are needed from any internet-enabled location
An intelligent email notice system automates the production and sending of overdue notices to students with additional overdue escalation messages to parents and guardians that further improve loan return rates. Infiniti also delivers measurable time and cost savings by eliminating the need to install, manage and maintain software applications and reducing the workload for school IT departments.
Infiniti cloud space is encrypted on Amazon Web Services in secure datacentres where all data communication passes along encrypted connections with the latest software-based security tools to monitor and protect the flow of information into and of out of the school’s cloud resources.
PSP Asset Protection also provides a comprehensive stocktaking service to ensure that available data is as up-to-date as possible. It can also convert data from legacy Library Management Systems to import into the Infiniti platform. This can be achieved in less than 72 hours.
Videalert, one of the UK’s leading suppliers of traffic enforcement and management solutions, has added Clean Air Zone (CAZ) and Low Emission Zone (LEZ) enforcement to the range of moving traffic contraventions supported by its DfT Manufacturer Certified hosted platform. This will be of particular interest to the five Defra-nominated cities where CAZs will be created by 2020, providing cost effective enforcement to reduce pollution from toxic gases, including nitrogen dioxide which is estimated to cause the premature deaths of 40,000-50000 people each year. Read more
The London Borough of Havering has introduced Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) to crack down on dangerous driving and parking during the school run. This is the first pilot scheme of its kind to use Public Space Protection Orders (PSPOs) making anti-social driving a criminal offence in areas around schools. To enforce the new scheme, a Videalert CCTV-based traffic enforcement and management system has been installed as part of an initial pilot contract awarded to OpenView Security Solutions. Read more
Hitex International, a leading global provider of road safety and surfacing solutions, is showcased in the forthcoming series of How Do They Do It?, the long-running Discovery Channel series that focuses on important engineering and scientific advances and the people whose ability to solve problems make them happen. The show’s slogan is “Behind the ordinary is the extraordinary” and the series is broadcast throughout the world on various Discovery-owned networks. Read more
Bournemouth Borough Council is taking the first steps towards a fixed deterrent to reduce the increasing incidence of inconsiderate parking outside schools by deploying Videalert’s fully hosted CCTV-based enforcement platform. Six cameras will be deployed as part of a year-long pilot scheme at an initial three school locations where illegal parking on the yellow ‘keep clears’ has been identified as putting children’s lives in danger. Read more