Interbuild nails winning formula

The final day of Interbuild 2009 was a day for celebration with numerous companies and individuals being recognised for their outstanding efforts in a series of hands on challenges and competitions as well as in some prestigious awards.

Taking the time to celebrate achievements and success within the industry were the OSC Magazine Awards which, for the first time, were held onsite at the Birmingham NEC.

With eleven categories in total, including Best Offsite Education Project, Best Demonstration of Sustainability and Best Offsite Housing Project, the awards celebrate all that is great and good about the world of prefabrication and factory-controlled manufacture - from materials, products and systems to construction, design and delivery.

The award of the day, the OSC Magazine Gold Award, went to Vision Modular Structures for its project at Wolverhampton University.

Proving once again to be a major pull for visitors to the show this year were the SummitSkills UK Finals, designed to help promote the awareness and benefits of apprentice schemes within the industry.

The finals, which are split into two disciplines, SkillPLUMB and SkillELECTRIC, saw Nathan Cummings (SkillPLUMB) and Chris Young (SkillELECTRIC) (pictured) come out victorious following intense regional heats and days of challenges at the show.

Chris Young commented on his win: "This has been a fantastic experience. The team spirit between everyone was amazing and it's been an honour to compete beside such talented people. I'd like to thank Rogers Restorations because they have supported me every step of the way and I couldn't have done it without their support."

David Pierpoint, event director, said: "We've had a great response from exhibitors and visitors who need a show like Interbuild to meet face to face with peers and customers across the construction supply chain. It's a difficult economic climate - there's no shying away from that - but we've seen at the show the industry is keen to get down to business and build for the future."