Selected Case Study - June 2006 - Brand and Rae

Brand and Rae Builds Blocks for a Better Environmental Future

Brand and Rae, a Fife based manufacturer and supplier of concrete blocks, won a special VIBES award in December 2005, for making over £30,000 worth of water, electricity and aggregrate savings and helping theenvironment.

The company showed a significant commitment to the environment through carrying out a numberof initiatives ranging from recycling cartridges, using paper from sustainable forests andenvironmentally friendly cleaning products, to reducing mains water usage, re-using damagedconcrete blocks and designing and creating a new bonus scheme for the factory manager to minimise block production waste.

Future plans include a second phase water project, using heat pump and solar power and substituting glass for aggregrate which might save as much as £80,000 per year. The company also expects to bring to the market place a number of new block products that incorporate recycled material in 2006 – 7.

Founded in 1948, the company started off manufacturing ‘Breeze Blocks’ for the post war construction industry. Brand & Rae is now the first company in Scotland, using mainly re-cycled materials, to manufacture a 440x215x140mm solid block weighing 20kgs which are supplied extensively throughout Scotland and North East England.

Ian Harrison, director of Brand & Rae, commented: “We were delighted to win a special VIBES award at the end of 2005. As a former winner, I would definitely encourage other companies, whatever their size, to become more efficient and competitive through improving environmental performance.”

Businesses from any sector or any type located in Scotland are now being encouraged to apply for a VIBES 2006 award. There are three categories: Businesses with more than 250 employees (large); businesses with between 50 and 250 employees (medium) and businesses with less than 50 employees (small)

The VIBES competition is supported and managed by a partnership of organisations in Scotland:
CBI Scotland; Envirowise; Federation of Small Businesses in Scotland; Forward Scotland; Highlands and Islands Enterprise; National Society for Clean Air and Environmental Protection (NSCA); Scottish Enterprise; Scottish Environment Protection Agency; Scottish Executive and Scottish Water.

VIBES Awards are sponsored by Rolls-Royce Inchinnan and Allied Distillers, Dumbarton.

For more information on Brand & Rae, please contact Ian Harrison on telephone 01334 652 828 or visit www.brandandrae.co.uk

For further information about how your business can benefit from entering VIBES, contact VIBES coordinator Linsey McGillivray on 01896 754797 or log on to www.vibes.org.uk. Applications should be completed by 30 June 2006.