Articles by Lucy Barnard

Airships for construction have failed before. Could they take off this time?
Published on: 27 November, 2024
A handful of companies are attempting to build airships specialising in lifting and carrying loads for the construction industry. 
European dealers weigh the benefits of buying Chinese EV equipment
Published on: 16 August, 2024
Dutch equipment dealer Kemp Groep says trade wars and far-right climate scepticism will not deter it from investing in Chinese electric earthmovers
Why construction is training record numbers of mental health first aiders
Published on: 03 July, 2024
Can mental health first aiders effectively help colleagues in crisis?
Too much of a good thing: Can rental companies ever sign too big a contract?
Published on: 27 June, 2024
Can you ever have too much business with one customer?
The AI systems used to fight energy waste on construction sites
Published on: 22 May, 2024
Contractors including Kier, Balfour Beatty and Bouygues are all using AI-enabled energy management systems in site cabins to reduce power waste 
Solar panels and wild flower gardens: How rental depots are becoming greener
Published on: 20 May, 2024
How rental firms are using their depots to cut carbon emissions
Yellow Line: Is construction equipment changing colour?
Published on: 09 May, 2024
Can the ubiquitous yellow excavator survive in an age of global branding?
Job hopping, remote working, and tech: How can construction retain Gen Z?
Published on: 08 April, 2024
What does Gen Z want from the construction industry? And can the industry provide it?
Baltimore bridge collapse: Can engineers prevent similar disasters?
Published on: 02 April, 2024
Deadly catastrophe leads to opportunity for engineers to do more to protect the world’s aging bridges
Instagrid charges ahead with ambitious battery storage plans
Published on: 11 March, 2024
Andreas Sedlmayr, co-founder and joint CEO of German battery storage manufacturer Instagrid on the battle to make smaller battery storage solutions for equipment rental  
Why women are leaving engineering and construction at twice the rate of men
Published on: 01 March, 2024
Valued At Work author Lauren Neal on why so many women are leaving the industry
Banking on Europe: Why the EIB is backing rental firms with cheap loans
Published on: 26 February, 2024
The European Investment Bank announced in 2019 it would phase out lending to fossil fuel projects and has since funded several rental firms investing in zero-emission equipment
EPA tightens rules on Fine Particulate Matter
Published on: 09 February, 2024
First time since 2012 that the federal government has cracked down on fine particulate matter
Disrupting the disruptors: How Austrian rental site Digando is taking on tech platform startups
Published on: 11 January, 2024
Digando chief executive Alexander Höss sets out his strategy for taking on tech startups at their own game.
The increasing affordability of electric construction equipment
Published on: 08 December, 2023
Battery-powered machines are seeing more adoption from equipment rental companies, but many in the sector still need to be convinced
Equipment rentals in the platform economy: A rising trend
Published on: 04 December, 2023
Multibillion-dollar online platforms like Uber and Airbnb are inspiring efforts to create similar solutions for equipment rental, but there are challenges in making this a reality 
Electric dreams: When is the best time to switch to an electric machine?
Published on: 28 November, 2023
Mark Ashdown explains why he chose to become an early adopter of electric construction machinery.
What on earth is internal PPE?
Published on: 16 November, 2023
With 2023 on track to be the hottest year on record, construction firms are looking to new technologies to protect workers from the heat, leading some to coin the phrase ‘internal PPE’.
How to promote an inclusive environment in your company
Published on: 01 November, 2023
Lucy Barnard interviews Emma Porter, managing director of UK-based Story Contracting about how to adopt a workable diversity and inclusion strategy
How sustainable are alternative fuels in construction?
Published on: 24 October, 2023
Are alternative fuels really better for the environment?
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