Latest News
August 2010
We were pleased to have been selected as kit sponsor of the Trondra Yoal Rowing Club, and were delighted to see the Under 16 girls achieve success in their first full season of competition. They completed the season in third place overall. Congratulations also to the veteran men who achieved a joint third place overall for the season.
June 2010
Sullom Voe Terminal acknowledged 250,000 manhours that the Project Aurora
construction workforce have achieved without a recordable injury by donating
£6,000 (£2000 BP Sullom Voe, £2,000 Wood Group Engineering, £1,000 CAPE and
£1,000 DITT) to The ARCHIE Foundation.
The workforce discussed which charity they would like to support and decided
that the money would be donated to the ARCHIE Foundation for the great work
they do supporting children and families from Shetland to deal with illness
and disabilities.
Lindsay Boswell Terminal Manager, along with representatives from Wood
Group, Cape and DITT donated the money to David Cunningham who was on site
from the ARCHIE Foundation.
The ARCHIE Foundation is the official charity of Royal Aberdeen Children's
Hospital. Supporting sick children and their families from Shetland, Orkney
and Grampian. David Cunningham said "We 'make the difference' by providing
extras such as family rooms, specialist equipment and even staff posts.
This fantastic donation of £6,000 will be used to support families from
Shetland by further enhancing and developing our parent accommodation suite
which allows families to stay beside their sick child for as long as is
required".
April 2010
We are delighted to announce that we have been awarded the contract to build the new Baptist Church.
On the evening of 28th April a dedication ceremony took place on the site at Quoys, Lerwick.
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A large gathering of the congregation was there for the event.
Peter Tait, DITT; George Anderson, Mott MacDonald; Roy Leask, DITT; Bryan Leask, Hjaltland Housing Association; John Tait, DITT; Bill Peterson, Baptist Church
(Photos courtesy of John Waters)
Tall Ships sponsorship:
D.I.T.T is pleased to announce that it has become the first Host Port Associate with £6,000 cash sponsorship towards delivering The Tall Ships Races in Lerwick in July 2011. This support is a vital part of the £400,000 sponsorship target set by the local organising company to deliver a high quality event next year. The Tall Ships Races are presented by Szczecin and organised by Sail Training International.
Director of D.I.T.T, Peter Tait said, “We are delighted to be involved in this huge community event and assist the organising company to reach their sponsorship targets to be able to deliver a fantastic event for the Participants and Visitors.”
Fiona Dally, the Project Manager for The Tall Ships Races- Lerwick said, “We are very grateful to D.I.T.T for their cash sponsorship. Securing this support early is vital for us to be able to develop our planned activities, and we are pleased to have raised £154,000 so far towards Hosting an excellent event in July 2011 ”.
February 2010
The keys to 16 new flats were handed over to Hjaltland Housing Association Ltd.
The project consisted of a mixture of 1 and 2 bedroom properties, completed to a high standard at Grantfield, Lerwick.
The completed project has been named "Da Vadill"
In Shetland, a vadill is a rock pool which varies in size with the tide.
January 2010 - Mareel construction
Follow the construction of Mareel on Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/shetlandarts/collections/72157619096385682
December 2009
Congratulations are due to Mark Young who picked up an award at the Shetland Training Awards held at the Clickimin Centre.
Mark was the winner in the section Modern Apprenticeship Outstanding Effort
Anthony Farquhar was nominated in the section for Modern Apprentice of the year.
Congratulations are due to them both for their nominations. completing their apprenticeships, and for both completing their final Joinery Skills test with maximum scores.
July 2009
DITT Construction Ltd have successfully achieved certification under ISO 9001:2008 confirming the company's progress in achieving standards of quality that are recognised and respected throughout the insustry.
Certification has been achieved after a rigorous two stage external audit carried out by the accreditation agency SGS United Kingdom Ltd.
ISO 9001 is an internationally recognised standard developed to set the benchmark for a Business Management System, consisting of a series of procedures that cover all the key processes in a business together with effective monitoring of these, and a method of facilitating continual improvement.
DITT have been working towards certification for the past 12 months. The process included the involvement of a student under the Shell Step Placement Scheme last summer, before employing a Business Systems Manager to take the project forward towards successful certification.
DITT is one of only a few construction companies or builders merchants in the North of Scotland to achieve this recognition.
Magnie Shearer, Business Sytems Manager and Gibbie Irvine, Managing Director display the ISO 9001: 2008 certificate.
May 2009
On Wednesay 27 May a groundcutting ceremony was held on the site of Mareel, the new cinema and music venue. The ceremony was carried out by Sandy Cluness, Convenor of Shetland Islands Council. Works on site are expected to begin in early July with piling, but site accommodation will appear prior to then.
Pictured following the breaking of ground are Roy Leask, Director, DITT; Gwylim Gibbons, Director, Shetland Arts Trust; Sandy Cluness, Convenor, Shetland Islands Council, Kathy Hubbard, Assistant Director, Shetland Arts Trust; Peter Tait, Director, DITT; Rick Nickerson, Trustee, Shetland Arts Trust; Gibbie Irvine, Managing Director, DITT; and in the digger, Tom Johnston, DITT.
April 2009
Project Aurora safety milestone
A significant milestone has been reached on Project Aurora being carried out at Sullom Voe. Our works comprise the civils works in preparation for installation of the new gas plant.
The project commenced on 28 July 2008 with excavation of the first module foundations, and we recently achieved a total of 50,000 man-hours on site - without injury.
Over the nine months of the project a significant number of safety audits have been carried out, with consistently good feedback on behaviour and practice being received.
We have identified and successfully delivered some innovative ways of executing some of the works which have significantly reduced the risk exposure to the people involved in the tasks.
It is a credit to everyone involved in the project that a positive safety culture has been achieved, and that no accidents, injuries or environmental incidents have occurred.
New members of staff
We are also pleased to welcome two new members to our team.
- Claire Christey has joined our Quantity Surveying and Estimating Department.
- Jim Work has joined us from SIC to take on a Health & Safety role, and to assist in managing our Small works/Maintenance Division.
We are sure they will both make a positive impact on the Company.
January 2009
Shetland Arts Media Release
Monday 26 January 2009
Mareel construction contract agreed with DITT Construction Ltd
At a Board Meeting of Shetland Arts Development Agency on Monday evening (26 January 2009) Trustees of Shetland Arts agreed to proceed to contract DITT Construction Ltd to build Mareel, Shetland's new music, cinema and education venue. The decision comes after a period of careful examination of the project to identify any potential savings in the construction methods and materials along with any costs that may have been missed.
The conclusion is that Mareel can be built within budget. A construction contract for Mareel will be awarded to DITT Construction Ltd for just over £10 million (£10,0020,000). A figure that includes a £300,000 contingency.
Gwilym Gibbons, Director of Shetland Arts said: "I would like to thank DITT Construction Ltd and our design team for all their work to date which has brought us to this very important stage in the development of this project. The constructive partnership approach that all have adopted over recent months has been welcomed. No stone was left unturned to ensure we maximise value for money on this project. No significant changes have been made in the design, sizes or number of spaces".
Donald Murray, Chair of Shetland Arts said: "It is with great pleasure that Shetland Arts can now move forward on the construction of Mareel with DITT Construction Ltd as our partner. I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to the hard work of the Design Team and DITT Construction Ltd in getting us to this stage. I would also like to thank all those in Shetland who have been eagerly awaiting news on the final costs of Mareel for their patience. I hope it has been appreciated that it was not wise for us discuss openly the negotiations with DITT, sub-contractors and the design team through this period. It was important that Shetland Arts and DITT agreed on a final figure before going public in anyway".
He went on to say "DITT Construction Ltd are an excellent local firm which has demonstrated high levels of craftsmanship in some of Shetland's most prestigious building projects. Mareel will be a fitting neighbour to DITT's most recent award winning major project the new Shetland Museum and Archives.
Gibbie Irvine, Managing Director of DITT Construction Ltd said "We are delighted to have been appointed contractor for the Mareel project. A huge amount of time and effort was spent in preparing our tender submission and subsequent discussions with the Project Team, and it is therefore very satisfying to have that commitment rewarded. As a major employer, the award of the contract will assist in securing the continued employment of our workforce and a continuation of our apprenticeship training programme. We look forward to working with the Shetland Arts Project team to bring this exciting project forward."
Garry Johnson, Director, Gareth Hoskins Architects said: "Shetland is a unique place and it has been a real delight to work on such an important project and even more satisfying to know that it will be built by a local contractor. Projects of this nature are complex and challenging; they require a significant contribution and commitment from many people. We now have a positive way forward which is testament to the continued dedication of all those involved."
Gareth Hoskins added: " I have no doubt when complete, Mareel will be a striking addition to Lerwick's waterfront and provide a wonderful range of purpose built facilities that will contribute and enhance Shetland's cultural reputation and musical heritage for many generations to come. It is a project with which we are all very proud to be involved".
Gwilym Gibbons, added: "I believe that DITT Construction Ltd will do Shetland proud. They have a track record for building great buildings, their skill coupled with the Gareth Hoskin Architects' design will mean Mareel will be no exception. It is an additional bonus that a local contractor has won the contract given the local knowledge they will bring to the project and the obvious significant added value to the local economy, this is good news for Mareel and good news for Shetland".
There are still a number of site related issues to be resolved before Mareel construction can start. However, the agreement with DITT Construction Ltd on a price to build the venue, means that mobilisation planning can now begin which will ensure construction starts promptly once the remaining site issues are ironed out.
The next news on Mareel will be a construction start date expected sometime before the spring. Mareel is still on schedule to open to the public in late 2010.
MEDIA STATEMENT ENDS
For more information call:
Gwilym Gibbons, Director of Shetland Arts on 01595 743843
Peter Tait, Director DITT Construction Ltd on 01595 692733
Lerwick Port Authority open the extension to the Lerwick Fishmarket after we successfully complete the contract within a three month programme.
November 2008
Our congratulations go to Ross Work who was awarded the Institution of Civil Engineers, Incorporated Engineers & Technicians Shield which is awarded to the top student in the final year of the HNC Civil Engineering course at Inverness College.
Ross is pictured receiving his award from Angus MacLeod MBE, Head of School of Construction and Forestry, Inverness College UHI. Also pictured (left) is John Tait, Commercial Director, DITT Construction Ltd who attended the awards ceremony in Inverness.
September 2008
SHETLAND ARTS MEDIA STATEMENT
MAREEL UPDATE: Saturday 27 September 2008
The Board of Shetland Arts last night approved for Mareel Project Team representatives to enter into detailed negotiations with DITT Construction Ltd as the potential contractor to build Mareel, Shetland’s new music, cinema and education venue. The decision comes after detailed evaluation of a number of full tenders for the project that were submitted. DITT’s tender achieved the highest overall score on the basis of the Quality and Price tender and demonstrated a high level of skill and experience in their submissions.
The Board of Shetland Arts is committed to ensuring that Mareel is built on time and on budget. To that end, Shetland Arts through the Mareel Project Team is now working with DITT to explore opportunities to examine costs particularly with sub-contractors given recent changes in the world market before agreeing to start construction. It is hoped that negotiations will be completed during November.
August 2008
Shell step award
Nigel Mycock, a student placement with us for summer 2008, has won the Shetland heat of the Shell Step Trainee Awards. Nigel has made a valuable contribution in setting up an ISO9001 Quality Management system during his eight week placement.
The Shell Step programme offers students the chance to undertake a project with a company during their summer holidays and learn some valuable business experience.
Nigel undertook the project with great enthusiasm. The awards were judged by an independent panel on a 1,500 word report and a seven minute presentation. The calibre of the presentations by the seven students taking part was of a very high standard.
Nigel now goes forward to the Scottish finals in Edinburgh on 8 October.
New director
We are pleased to announce that John Tait has been appointed as a Director of DITT Construction with effect from 1 August 2008.
John has been Senior Quantity Surveyor since joining the company in November 2005. He will continue in that role whilst also bringing his own unique insight, skills and experience to the board.
July 2008
We successfully tender for the Aurora Project construction works at Sullom Voe Terminal.
May 2008
Work commences on 16 flats for Hjaltland Housing Association Ltd at Grantfield, Lerwick.
We are awarded the Civils and Building Maintenance contract at Sullom Voe Terminal.