Company News

Last Friday, we celebrated 3 years in business. Building a strong relationship with our team has been vital to our success. The very phrase ‘social distancing’ is a fallacy. We are not being socially distant; we are being physically distant. Now more than ever, people need to come together and working from home does not have to hinder that.

We have put together a shortlist of some useful things we have learnt during this period:

• Utilise one of the many video-calling services currently available. These services do not purely have to be used for meetings and conferences but can help to create a ‘virtual’ office environment. There are meeting rooms which allow private discussions and meetings to be held, with a main room where staff can socialise and seek the help they need whilst they work. Most importantly, it provides an opportunity for our staff to interact on a daily basis.
• In the current climate, keep staff mental health and wellbeing at the forefront of what you do. There are many little ways in which you can show that you care. Sending out E-cards is one environmentally friendly way to show staff that you are thinking of them during important celebrations and occasions. Some staff have needed to drop or alter hours, due to extra obligations during the pandemic. By being approachable and understanding, you relieve some of the added stress they may be experiencing. As a result, you will have a happier and more productive workforce.
• Finally, bring the social aspect of the workplace to the home. During our monthly meeting, we encourage our staff to order in lunch on us. This way we can bring the joy of having lunch together, to the home. We also use this time to do online trivia, quizzes, and games (the favourite so far being online connect four!). There is a plethora of games that can be played online, and it is worth giving them a try. There are even teambuilding activities which have now been brought to the virtual world, such as escape rooms, murder mystery evenings and even remote dinner parties helping colleagues feel connected and part of a team.

KA Engineering Group continues to provide uninterrupted structural engineering consultancy for our clients during these disrupted times. Contact our expert team at: info@ka-engroup.com to learn more and discuss how we can best serve your needs.

Due to our extensive in-house structural design capabilities and experience, KA Engineering Group has been awarded many more headframe projects this year.

Headframes are built up steel structures carrying multiple telecommunication equipment supported on various primary structures, like monopole, stub tower and, lattice tower. They come in varying shapes including turret, triangular, square, hexagonal and circular headframes.

The structural analysis of a headframe may be performed using 2D or 3D finite element methods. 3D analysis is computationally expensive and can involve lengthy engineering man-hours. 2D analysis can be fast and effective, however, it requires comprehensive understanding of the whole structure so that a complex structure can be broken down into simpler parts that can be analysed using 2D method.

Furthermore, 2D analysis, in most cases, depends on significant assumptions in order to simplify the model, which potentially results in more onerous analysis results and may cause structure failure in analysis.  3D finite element analysis of headframe is able to capture the behavior of the whole structure at the level of each element and allow for better load distribution, which leads to more realistic and accurate predictions. KAEG structural team have delivered numerous headframe projects and we can use our expert knowledge to select the appropriate method for your application.

KAEG are always passionate in pursuing engineering excellence, best design practice and new technology to keep pace with increased industrial demand and provide our customers with cost-effective, reliable and fast turnaround design solutions. Contact our expert team at: info@ka-engroup.com to learn more and discuss how we can best serve your needs.

At KAEG we understand the value of our highly qualified and experienced engineering team. As such, we believe that staff well-being should take priority on our HR agenda. The 5 steps to positive mental well-being as suggested by the NHS: connecting with people, being physically active, learning new skills, giving to others and mindfulness – are embedded into our work environment and culture at KAEG.

It is undeniable that the option of working from home allows staff to stay very much connected with the people who matter most-their family. Our working arrangement takes away the stress and additional cost of childcare, with the flexibility to work successfully around family commitments. But whilst this is great for some, others might find the prospect of working from home an isolating experience. Our clever use of a virtual office, to compliment our working office, allows ongoing support and interaction throughout normal hours, so that no one ever feels alone. Additionally, company funded team-building retreats and activities, offered to all staff, have helped to build up strong relationships within our team. Our staff are very much connected with their colleagues from all over the world, and benefit massively from the strong support network.

As our staff spend a lot of their working time in their home office, they are encouraged to keep fit outside of work. In general, it is argued that the main barriers to an active lifestyle are: cost, a lack of time, a lack of support and a lack of opportunities. KAEG breaks down these barriers. Working from home allows people to save a lot of wasted time, that many spend on a commute, opening up opportunities to access a range of different clubs and teams. The company even offer a monthly reimbursable contribution towards gym membership to all employees. The directors lead by example, sharing their incredible sporting feats, with Kingsley being voted by his team as football player of the year just last December.

Staff are actively encouraged to pursue their interests, learn new skills and give something back to others. Frequent review meetings allow staff to have their say in how they would like to grow and progress. Cost of relevant training courses are covered by the company, taking away an additional barrier to growth. Giving staff a certain autonomy in the areas in which they would like to specialise, creates greater engagement and motivation for progression. Within our company, knowledge is our most valuable resource and all staff are given numerous opportunities to share it. This might be through mentoring other members of the team, sharing their knowledge through writing blogs or technical papers and through giving technical presentations during training.

Every month, KAEG hosts a meeting for all staff where they can reflect on the challenges and the successes over the last month. It allows everyone the opportunity to discuss any challenges they may have faced and receive support from the whole team, allowing them to tackle these with a fresh outlook. More importantly, it encourages all to be mindful, to reflect on the present moment and take notice of how far they have come.

If you are interested in joining a company dedicated to promoting staff well-being, check out our current vacancies on indeed: Vacancies.

Recently we completed the detailed engineering design of a brand-new tower. We were required to put our engineering design through third-party substantiation in accordance with design codes EN 1990 & 1090 which recommends independent verification by third-party company on the engineering of High Consequence Class structures.

It was great to see the that the outcome of the substantiation process fully agreed with out design results. The outcome demonstrates KAEG due diligence, efficient and quality delivery to our stakeholders. Our detailed but simple reporting/presentation facilitates the reproduction of our solution by independent third-party companies. The substantiation shows 95.3% agreement between KAEG design and analysis and the third-party company.

Contact our expert team at: info@ka-engroup.com to learn more and discuss how we can best serve your needs.

KAEG started 2019 by delivering the engineering design of a 110m lattice tower for telecommunication and meteorological operations in mainland Europe.

This design included the application of detailed wind action on the structure accounting for terrain roughness, orography, turbulence, and structural dynamic factor. However, in addition to the typical environmental load combinations of wind and ice, National regulatory standards required that the lattice tower also satisfy earthquake (seismic) loading.

The design and analysis considered tower important class IV (typical for uninterrupted emergency services response and communications) to ensure that the tower remains operational during and after seismic events.

The design was delivered to accelerated schedule and in accordance with EN 1998-4:2004 and EN 1998:6-2005. This was a challenging but successful project with excellent client feedback on how KAEG team handled and delivered itemised scope to high professional standards.

Contact our expert team at: info@ka-engroup.com to learn more and discuss how we can best serve your needs.

KA Engineering Group (KAEG) is a structural engineering consultancy specialising in the structural design and analysis of telecommunications towers and foundations, onshore and offshore wind turbine support structures and subsea riser systems. We take the privacy of our users seriously. This policy explains our data processing practices.

The information we collect about you:

We collect and process Personal Data relating to you in connection to our relationship with you. This Personal Data will typically include:  name, address, email address, telephone, company and occupation.

For those who contact us, view and interact with our website, we may process data to include you in our mailing or when you request to through our website. You can opt out of receiving such communications at any time by simply emailing info@ka-engroup.com. We may retain this data until you unsubscribe from our mailing list.

How we collect this information:

As you use our services, make enquiries and engage with us, information may be gathered about you.  We collect information about you when you contact us, when you are copied in communications with our company and when you complete the Contact us or New enquiry form on our website. We may also collect information about you from other people and other parties, for example, as part of a tender application or submission.

How we use this information:
The Personal Data that is referred to above will be processed for the purposes of supplying you with our newsletter and informing you about events that we may organise. Our legal basis for collecting and using this information in accordance with the provisions of this Data Privacy Notice is:

• Our legitimate interest in the administration and operation of our business.
• Sharing information with you about topics relevant to the industry.

Who we share your information with:
We do not share your information with third parties. If we require your data to be shared we will do so with your consent for example in the partaking of a tender process.

How long we hold your information:
The length of time we hold your data depends on a number of factors, such as regulatory rules and the type of data we hold about you.

Where you have provided consent for the use of your Personal Data, you can withdraw it at any time by sending an email to info@ka-engroup.com.

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• You have the following rights:
• The right to ask what personal data we hold about you.
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• The right to have any personal data we hold about you erased or blocked within 30 days of the receipt of such a request from you.

If you wish to exercise any of the above rights, please contact us by email.

Changes to this notice:
We will update this Data Privacy Notice from time to time. Any changes will be made available on this page and, where appropriate, may be notified to you by email.