SRD Stand Down Day
On the 20th of September, Mackenzie Construction’s Structural Refurbishment Division held a highly successful Stand Down Day, designed to equip team members with cutting-edge skills and knowledge. Held at the Westerwood Hotel in Cumbernauld, the day had running themes of ‘ensuring a consistent delivery approach’, ‘continuous improvement’ and ‘working together as one team’ to ensure our success.
The day kicked off with an opening address from Structural Refurbishment General Manager, Mark Brown, who emphasized the importance of continuous learning in the evolving field of structural refurbishment, “Our projects are becoming more intricate and the technology more advanced. This event is essential to ensure we remain at the forefront of the industry.”
Throughout the day, participants gained valuable insights into improving technical skills through a number of employee-led sessions. Ryan Taggart covered HAVS, Scott MacDonald discussed Testing Equipment and Rab Dyer & Mark Keegan spoke about Quality: ITPs, Recording of Defects, and Good & Bad Practice.
We were delighted to welcome Fosroc to our event, where they discussed Proofex 3000, a cold-applied, flexible waterproofing membrane which has Net Zero Credentials. Aligning with Mackenzie Construction’s ongoing commitment to Net Zero, we recently collaborated with Fosroc using the Proofex 3000 waterproofing membrane on a project in the Scottish Borders. Fosroc were able to share the properties of Proofex 3000 with the wider Structural Refurbishment Division. The application process is faster and more resilient than alternative liquid applied alternatives, which reduces return to service times for our clients.
Georgina Mills (ReSano Occupational Health) attended the event to raise awareness of the hazards of Silica Dust in the Construction Industry. Georgina provided key background information about the activities which create dust, the harmful effects that exposure to dust can have and most importantly the mitigation measures we can take to prevent exposure.
We also had Jack Edwards from Natural Cement present on the day, Jack provided some really informative insight into Natural Cements Water Industry Products and how to select the best possible applications from their product line of all naturally produced cement-based solutions.
The Stand Down Day didn’t just focus on technical skills but also emphasized collaboration and communication—skills that are crucial when working in multidisciplinary teams on small and large-scale projects.
We were proud to have Mackenzie Construction’s People Ambassador, Scott Meenagh present at the event. Scott spoke in the morning session about his preparations for the 2026 Winter Paralympics. It was fascinating to gain insight into an exciting time in Scott’s career. Scott was also able to pull some key parallels between his preparations for the Paralympics and the workplace.
The people and the culture within Mackenzie Construction has and will always be one of the greatest assets to success. It is crucial that we continually provide development opportunities and build on our commitment to developing talent and providing training for our entire team to ensure our people reach their full potential.
“This day wasn’t just about learning new techniques; it was about building the foundation for even greater success in the years to come. This forum gave us an invaluable opportunity to bring our full Structural Refurbishment Team together allowing our people to share how we can best deliver our commitment to continuous improvement and build on the already excellent reputation our structural refurbishment teams have.” – Andy Dalrymple, Managing Director