When it comes to our UK transport network, maintaining assets and investing in new highways infrastructure is a major responsibility, with temporary works having a key role to play in this. Read on, as we speak to John Wrigley, our Business Development Manager – Highways, about his background in the industry, how he’s supporting both National Highways and principal contractors and the key challenges for the sector moving forwards.
How did you first get into the highways sector?
It goes back several years to when a university friend invited me to help his traffic management company set up a southern office. From humble beginnings, we went on to work with several Tier One contractors on a range of large projects. During the nine years I spent at this company, I gained a solid understanding of the highways system and how major contractors operated, something which has proved invaluable for my career since.
I later worked at Bouygues Energies and Services as their Business Development Manager – another great opportunity that allowed me to establish solid industry connections and integrate myself more in the sector.
Fast forward to 2022, when I joined Mabey Hire as its Business Development Manager for Highways. A well-respected company in the industry, Mabey Hire has a history of working on large projects with top contractors, as well as being extremely innovative in the way they operate, which I felt aligned well with my own career aims.
In your opinion, what are some of the main challenges facing the highways sector today?
I think one of the biggest challenges is the potential for inefficiencies, in terms of how the works are distributed and delivered. The system, as it operates currently, means that there can often be numerous sub-contractors employed to complete different sections of a project, leading to a disconnect between what National Highways want and the results out on site. This disconnect can lead to mistakes being made, adding time and cost onto already lengthy and expensive projects.
For this reason, it’s so important for the supply chain to become more streamlined, much like the nuclear sector is already doing, resulting in efficiency and safety improvements.
Recognising this, Mabey Hire recently joined the Get It Right Initiative (GIRI), where I’ve been able to get face-to-face with some of the Directors at Tier One contractors and National Highways, allowing me to discuss with them how we can best support their projects. By working with GIRI, as well as with other likeminded organisations, we’re able to improve productivity, quality, sustainability and safety through the drive of innovation and sharing of best practice and ultimately reducing errors on site.
As one of the leading temporary works providers in the UK, we have a wide range of equipment we can offer, ranging from groundworks support, to propping and jacking and even monitoring. With this, we can assist contractors in the highways sector with completing their works in a safe and efficient manner, including the design, specifying and installation if required.
As Business Development Manager, how do you support the sector?
I operate a little differently to some of my other colleagues, opting to take more of a strategic approach. This involves speaking to the top-level executives at the companies and organisations we work with, educating them on how we can help them and what we do differently to other temporary works providers. For example, we offer full-service packages, along with monitoring and digital technologies like EVE, which can help our customers stay connected across their entire supply chain.
I think with how the highways sector operates, this is the only way we’ll see real change in project efficiencies, and it has to come from the top down. We’ve already seen a shift in the way these top organisations operate, with National Highways keen to listen to those on the ground and the feedback they’re receiving. It’s my hope that with this approach and adapting the way the sector is organised, we can start to see more projects being completed on time and to budget.
What’s next for you?
Well, I’ve spent the past two years working on National Highways projects, but there’s actually a significant portion of the UK’s road network that is owned by local authorities. This is where we as an industry should start looking at in the next few years, with a recent report by the National Audit Office finding that around 17% of local roads in England were in poor condition.
It’s important that these local networks are not forgotten, ensuring we have a well-connected and well-maintained transport infrastructure across the UK.
Find out more about how we can support your projects in the highways sector, here.
