News

To support our sustainability objectives, we’ve joined the Net Zero Accelerator programme with Net Zero Nation.

The programme is designed to support businesses of all sizes and sectors to demonstrate their commitment through skills and action plans which make real, consistent and compliant progress to net zero.

Ian Mathieson, Business Director and sustainability lead at James Ramsay, said: “As a business, we’re really inspired by what the Net Zero Accelerator programme can offer us in terms of continuous improvement, training and awareness for the team and a framework that will help us to make significant progress with our carbon reduction initiatives.

“We are currently underway with the on-boarding process and looking forward to the programme officially launching on 30^th April.”

Participation in the programme means we are committed to producing monthly carbon accounts and a certified carbon reduction plan which will show our clearly defined pathway to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Net Zero Nation will work alongside us to ensure and validate that we are adhering to the greenhouse gas (GHG) protocol, Science Based Targets pathway (SBT) and are fully aligned with UK government SECR reporting and PPN/0621 public sector standards.

Find out more about Net Zero Nation here, and follow us on LinkedIn and Facebook to keep up to date with our progress.

Following a rigorous audit by Alcumus, we’re pleased to have secured our continued accreditation with the SafeContractor scheme.

Recognised by more than 50,000 customers, including 450 big-name brands globally, SafeContractor is trusted by the world’s most respected organisations to help them create better, more sustainable workplaces.

 SafeContractor is a leading health and safety standard and its Safety Schemes in Procurement (SSIP) accreditation collects and verifies information across health, safety, financial and ethical practices. 

Ian Mathieson, Business Director at James Ramsay, said: “Safety always comes first at James Ramsay, and our re-accreditation with SafeContractor demonstrates our continuing commitment to safety, compliance and quality in all that we do.”

Alcumus said: “As one of the founders of the SSIP, we believe in building a better working world for everyone.

“Our SSIP and PAS91 contractor accreditation scheme checks that companies meet the necessary requirements around health and safety, equal opportunities, diversity and environmental management practices – all in one plan. So, clients can be confident about you and reduce risk in their supply chain.”

About Alcumus SafeContractor

Alcumus SafeContractor has been part of the Alcumus group for the past 20 years. It aims to create a better working world by building a global network of responsible buyers and suppliers. Its mission is to take the pain out of compliance throughout the supply chain. By connecting buyers with accredited suppliers and making the supply chain more transparent, it helps its customers save time, lower costs, and manage major risks.

Find out more at www.safecontractor.com  

This week we’re celebrating our apprentices as part of the government initiative National Apprenticeship Week (5^th to 11^th February 2024) – a week-long celebration that brings together businesses and apprentices across the country to shine a light on the positive impact that apprenticeships make on individuals, businesses, and the wider economy.

At James Ramsay, we currently have four apprentices on board: Thomas Quinn, fourth-year heating and ventilation; Paul Clancy, second-year heating and ventilation; Daniel Robertson, second-year service and maintenance; and Euan Caddell, first-year heating and ventilating: industrial and commercial installation.

Ian Mathieson, Business Director at James Ramsay, said: “Apprenticeships play a key role in career development and the widening of opportunities for all. At James Ramsay, apprentices play a big role in developing the future of our business and we’re committed to supporting every learner to achieve their full potential.

“We’re really proud that many of our apprentices from over the years are still with us in key roles today, including our managing director, Gary Shepherd.”

Our former apprentices still with us in the business today include Gary Shepherd, managing director; Marc Millar, project manager; John Milligan, foreman; heating engineers Ross Mowat, Malky Aitken, Stevie McNeil, Colin Bright, Stuart McBeth; and Kyle Munro, service engineer.

Apprenticeships are a great work-based qualification route available across a wide range of industries, from engineering and accountancy to healthcare and hospitality, as well as everything in between. They combine academic study with on-the-job training enabling individuals to gain industry-specific skills, work experience, a nationally recognised qualification, and they are paid roles.

Support National Apprenticeship Week 2024 by encouraging others to consider how apprenticeships can provide #SkillsForLife.

Find out more at National Apprentice Week

We’ve appointed Graeme Cunningham as Operations Director.

Based at the company’s Glasgow head office, Graeme joins the team from Aggreko where he was laterally Service and Operations Manager for Scotland.

Gary Shepherd, Managing Director, said: “Our business has experienced significant growth during the past year, and as we expand, we need to ensure we have both the talent and resources to continue being the best we can be to support our customers.

“As a key member of the senior management team, Graeme will take on the day-to-day operational running of the mechanical side of the business. We’re delighted to have Graeme join us, and as a result of this strategic appointment, we’re looking forward to continuing our expansion and pursuing new opportunities.”

Graeme has extensive experience in the industry having worked his way through the ranks as a commercial gas engineer, mechanical engineer, and running his own engineering business before moving into focus more on the design and then the hire side of the industry.

Graeme added: “It’s an extremely exciting time to be joining James Ramsay. Having watched the expansion and success from the outside, I can see the opportunity to support the business through the next stage of growth and I’m looking forward to the challenges ahead.”

We’re proud to report that Maia McConnell, who joined the business as Operations Administrator back in March 2023, has successfully completed an SVQ Business and Administration, in just six months.

Maia, 21 from Glasgow, has been studying online with the City of Glasgow College since May, completing regular check-in calls with an assessor and uploading work for marking via an online portal.

She said: “James Ramsay is a thriving and fast-growing business, so my goal now is to grow with the company, learn more about everything we do, and eventually work my way up through the business to progress my career there.”

Ian Mathieson, Operations Director, said: “We’re on a mission to empower our people to deliver safety, quality, and value to solve our customers’ industrial and commercial heating and pipework problems – working together as one team.

“This latest success is a real testament to all of Maia’s hard work and perseverance, and we are all extremely proud of her well-deserved achievement.”

The Institution of Engineers in Scotland has elected, Gary Shepherd, managing director at James Ramsay, as an honorary fellow – the highest accolade that the Institution can present.

He said: “I’m both delighted and honoured to have received this news from the IES. I look forward to contributing to the institution as our industry moves forward in developing and implementing the exciting new technologies that will shape the future of engineering and innovation in our country.”

IES is a multi-disciplinary engineering body, founded in Scotland in 1857, that provides a forum in which individuals from all engineering and related disciplines can discuss and exchange information, generate ideas and encourage young engineers. IES works with kindred bodies to promote a wider understanding of the role of the professional engineer in society.

Find out more here.

We’re proud to announce that we’ve successfully retained the Constructionline Gold standard membership for yet another year including Acclaim accreditation for health and safety.

Constructionline collects, verifies and monitors standard company information through a process aligned with PAS 91. The gold standard membership ensures suppliers to the public and private construction sector go above and beyond by undergoing enhanced validation checks including environmental management, quality management, equal opportunities and diversity, Modern Slavery Act adherence, and anti-bribery and anti-corruption policies.

Ian Mathieson, Operations Director at James Ramsay, said: “Constructionline supports industry to build value from the beginning to end in the supply chain and procurement cycle, making it easy for customers to optimise performance, minimise risk and realise opportunities.

“Securing the gold membership for yet another year reinforces our ability to stand up to increased scrutiny around governance and risk management, and enhanced validation checks to ensure we meet and exceed supplier requirements in the construction industry supply chain, demonstrating our professionalism across a number of key areas.”

Developed in partnership with Build UK, the Common Assessment Standard goes one step further than PAS 91. A standardised set of questions crafted from existing systems as well as input from clients, suppliers and trade associations, the Common Assessment Standard helps businesses save time and money during the prequalification process – and lets buyers know, with confidence, that suppliers can satisfy all their requirements.

About Constructionline

Originally created as a government department, Constructionline has been connecting buyers and suppliers for more than 20 years. The organisation has a deep understanding of buyers’ needs and takes pride in opening up opportunities for members to access a wide range of procurement contracts and projects – and for buyers to access a validated pool of high-quality suppliers.

Compliance is at the heart of Constructionline’s purpose. Whether it’s getting to grips with new standards and requirements or updating systems to enable buyers to search on a wider range of criteria, its longstanding experts keep ahead of changing regulations.

Tens of thousands of buyers rely on the Constructionline platform to identify construction suppliers, and in using the service, buyers can expect to simplify and speed up their search, validation and purchasing decision processes considerably, improving resource and cost efficiency.

Find out more at www.constructionline.co.uk