In 2011 the same team that had designed the MRF in Sunderland asked me to repeat the exercise in Portugal for the French company, Vannier Manutention (now Vannier Tri Solutions). I was involved initially in the selection of the mobile plant (Rubble Master crusher, Husky Tub Grinder, and Volvo wheeled excavator) and spent time in Mesnil-Saint-Nicaise to get to know the team in France and their procedures.  I arrived in Figueira da Foz in December 2011 for a brief acclimatisation with the Portuguese market and to observe the completion of the civil engineering phase.

My role was to initially supervise the delivery of the plants components and then to project manage the installation with my French and Portuguese colleagues while the commercial manager was building connections with local construction companies and the authorities in the Distrito de Coimbra.

Once the plant had been commissioned and start up was underway, my role was then to design and implement a successful maintenance programme for all of the machines, mobile and static, to ensure optimal productivity and efficiency. After the one-year project was completed, I returned to the UK.