Technical Operations and Lifecycle Replacement Manager

Kao Data has appointed Bruce Claassen as Chief Financial Officer, effective 1 October 2026. Claassen brings over 20 years of international financial leadership experience, including more than a decade in digital infrastructure and private equity-backed businesses. He joins from Global Switch, where he served as Group Finance Director and Acting CFO for four years, leading finance operations across Europe and APAC. At Kao Data, Claassen will support the company's expansion plans, which include developments in Stockport, Greater Manchester, and Park Royal, West London, alongside its existing campus in Harlow, Essex. The company operates data centres engineered for AI and advanced computing workloads. Claassen is a qualified Chartered Accountant and Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.

Grand Union Canal towpath closure for data centre work sparks resident criticism. Residents have criticised a canal towpath closure linked to data centre works in west London, saying it has disrupted journeys and left some unclear about the purpose of the project. The section of the Grand Union Canale towpath between Old Oak Lane and Barretts Green Road closed on Monday 14 September and is expected to reopen on 5 October while new equipment and cables are installed. Several towpath users said the closure was adding time to their journeys, while some said they had not been aware of the purpose of the works. Canal boat resident Jonny Grady said he was "not surprised" when told the works were being carried out to provide a connection for a data centre. He said: "Residents and commuters have had to navigate months of construction and closures, only to find out that the work is providing power for a commercial data centre in Park Royal. If public spaces are going to be disrupted on this scale, residents deserve clear and upfront information about why." Image: Canal boats moored next to Old Oak Common Elizebeth Line Depot. Credit: Alexander James National Grid's Willesden and Kensal Green Connection Project involves replacing around three kilometres of cable along the Grand Union Canal between its Willesden and Kensal Green substations. The company said the project followed a request for a new electricity connection for a data centre in Park Royal. It added that it has a legal obligation to connect customers to the transmission network when requested. National Grid said it could not comment on the identity of the company behind the individual connection request or on commercial arrangements with the customer. Image: Map of route of works. Credit: National Grid The first phase of the project, which ran from May 2024 to May 2025, involved removing existing high-voltage cables. The second phase involves installing replacement cables and associated equipment. It began in July 2025 before being paused ahead of the winter mooring period. The works come amid wider concerns about the growth of data centres in Park Royal. Further data centres are planned in the local area, including the SEGRO/Pure Data Centres development at Premier Park and Kao Data's planned site at Frogmore Industrial Estate. Both are expected to become operational in 2029. In July, Park Royal residents protested outside the planned Kao Data development and demolition during a heatwave, raising concerns about construction dust, noise, heat and air quality. Image: Protest outside the Kao data centre. Credit: Amandine Alexandre Green Party councillor Amandine Alexandre, who represents Harlesden and Kensal Green and attended the July protest, said the towpath closure should be seen in the context of wider concerns about the growth of data centres in Park Royal. She said: "The temporary closure of the towpath wouldn't be an issue if data centres were a critical piece of infrastructure that benefited residents, but this inconvenience is only the tip of the iceberg. "The construction of the data centres causes a lot of dust, noise and vibrations." She added that she believed the towpath closure should be viewed as part of the wider impact of data-centre development on surrounding communities. A National Grid spokesperson said: "North West Londoner recognise that the temporary towpath closures have affected some local residents and canal users, and North West Londoner has worked hard to minimise disruption where possible. "We'd like to thank residents and towpath users for their patience while this essential work is carried out, and we look forward to reopening the towpath for the community to enjoy once the project is complete." A spokesperson from the Canal & River Trust, which manages the waterway, said: "All third party works must be agreed with the Trust and comply with our charity's Code of Practice. Our Code of Practice includes conditions which ensure environmental protections, as well as guaranteeing that any towpath affected is reinstated to meet our standards." Feature image: Signs for towpath closure at Scrubs lane bridge. Credit: Alexander James

Data centre logistics: deliveries done right. 7th September 2026 Last week OpenAI released GPT-6 Astra. Within days it was rolling out to millions of ChatGPT users. Every leap like that runs on the same thing: data centres, and a lot more of them. That is why data centre logistics has quietly become one of the most demanding jobs in UK haulage. The AI boom isn't just a software story. It's a construction and delivery story. Every new facility needs switchgear, busway, racks, cooling plant and power equipment moved in - on time, intact, and through a gate that turns most hauliers away. This guide explains what data centre logistics actually involves, why standard haulage struggles with it, and what to look for in a haulier that's genuinely set up for the work. The demand behind data centre logistics. The numbers are hard to ignore. The UK is building more data centre capacity right now than at any point in its history. Almost 100 new facilities sit in the pipeline. Investment is measured in tens of billions. And it's not just a London story. Here in the North West, Kao Data is building a £350 million data centre in Stockport - Northern England's largest when it opens, with room for more than 4,000 racks. In August, Latos submitted plans for an AI-ready data centre in Newton Heath, Manchester. Greater Manchester now sits inside an AI Growth Zone. Every one of those sites needs equipment delivered. Every delivery needs a haulier who understands the environment. That's where most transport providers fall short. What makes data centre logistics different. A data centre is not a normal delivery address. Four things set it apart. 1. Site access is strictly controlled. Most data centre and major construction sites now require FORS Silver accreditation as a condition of entry. This isn't a preference. It's a gate requirement. A vehicle without current FORS Silver accreditation gets turned away - no exceptions, no conversations at the barrier. The consequences are immediate. The installation team stands idle. The programme slips. Someone has to explain why a non-compliant vehicle was sent to a site where the rule was clearly stated. 2. Height restrictions catch people out. Many data centre sites - and the urban areas around them - impose vehicle height restrictions. A growing number specify 4 metres or under. Send a standard high-roof trailer and it may not get on site at all. Height needs checking at the point of booking, not on arrival. That means a haulier who asks the question before the vehicle leaves the yard. 3. The equipment is high-value and sensitive. Switchgear, busway, UPS units and racks are precision-engineered and expensive. They are often bespoke to the project. Damage in transit doesn't just cost a replacement - it delays commissioning by weeks. That rules out pallet networks. Multiple handling points, multiple depots, multiple drivers who don't know what they're carrying. For data centre equipment, dedicated haulage - one vehicle, one driver, door to site - is the only sensible model. 4. Offloading needs the right kit. Data centre sites frequently have no forklift available at the moment your vehicle arrives. The equipment is heavy and awkward. A standard tail-lift can't handle it. This is where Moffett capability matters. A Moffett is a forklift carried on the back of the vehicle. Its driver dismounts it, offloads the equipment, positions it exactly where the site team needs it, and leaves. The site provides nothing. For heavier lifts, a HIAB crane vehicle does the same job from above. Without self-offload capability, a delivery to a site with no forklift simply fails. What good data centre logistics looks like. Done properly, the delivery should be invisible. The vehicle arrives on time. It clears the gate first time. The equipment comes off without incident. The installation team gets on with the job. That takes a specific set of capabilities working together: * FORS Silver accreditation, current and maintained. Ask to see the certificate and check the date. It needs annual renewal. * Vehicles that fit the site. Height and access checked before booking, every time. * Moffett and HIAB self-offload. So the delivery doesn't depend on site equipment being available. * Dedicated haulage. No networks, no transhipment, no unknown hands on your equipment. * Drivers who know the environment. Data centres have security protocols, induction requirements and strict conduct standards. The driver represents you on site. * Forward planning. Data centre deliveries into London and other major cities need routes, restrictions and timings mapped in advance. Data centre logistics in Manchester and the North West. Chadkirk Transport Ltd is based in Hazel Grove, Stockport - ten minutes from the M60, and a short drive from the region's biggest data centre builds. Chadkirk Transport Ltd run FORS Silver deliveries into data centres and construction sites across the North West and the full UK mainland, including regular movements into London. Chadkirk Transport Ltd has held FORS Silver accreditation for over eight years. Its Moffett-equipped fleet self-offloads where sites have nothing of their own. And because Chadkirk Transport Ltd run dedicated vehicles, your equipment travels with one driver from collection to site. For North West businesses supplying the data centre build-out - electrical manufacturers, M&E contractors, equipment suppliers - a haulier on your doorstep who already understands data centre logistics removes a lot of risk from the programme. The question to ask any haulier. Before you book a data centre delivery, ask one question: "Can you show me your current FORS Silver certificate, and does the vehicle fit the site's height limit?" If the answer to either isn't immediate and confident, you have your answer. The AI boom is moving fast. The infrastructure behind it can't afford a delivery that fails at the gate. Find out more about its data centre deliveries or call Chadkirk Transport Ltd on 0161 449 7323 to talk through your next data centre project.