David Pollock, ECA Group Chief Executive Officer

Looking at the wider building services industry

In his presentation opening the conference’s second day, ECA Group Chief Executive Officer David Pollock called on delegates to embrace cooperation and convergence as the only way for Mechanical and Electronic (M&E) contractors to provide clients with the sustainability and environmental solutions they seek.

David told delegates he believed the M&E industries, supported by the technical developments offered by manufacturers and distributors, were well placed to benefit from these priorities. 

Responding to sustainability

As the built environment accounts for some 40% of carbon emissions globally, there is also a significant need to respond to the sustainability agenda.

David discussed the need for associations to work on a joint electrical and mechanical basis to integrate the industry both vertically in the supply chain and horizontally across building services.

“If we don’t do that, we will be unable to deliver for M&E companies and crucially, we will miss the chance to give a better deal to the single discipline companies that make up the majority of our memberships,” he said.

Advancing through cooperation

David admitted that it is possible to identify examples of problems with convergence that might scare contractors into staying within comfort zones. But, in a call for action, he added: “let’s not do that. I think we should recognise that there is more that binds us than separates us, and that our mission is best achieved cooperatively.

“This is not the first time convergence has been on the agenda, but I sense that, largely thanks to the sustainability agenda, there is now a greater probability of effective cooperation than ever before,” he added.

In addition, David’s presentation also addressed certification and the standardisation of health and safety criteria for contractors.

Click here to download David’s full presentation.  

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