Bill Imlach, the newly appointed president of the Scottish Building Federation and Managing Director of Stewart Milne Construction, has predicted that 2008 will be another strong year for Scottish construction despite the challenging economic climate.

Speaking today, Bill Imlach said: "2008 promises to be another strong year for the Scottish construction industry. Despite the challenging economic climate we face order books remain buoyant. Major projects like the Commonwealth Games and the new Forth Crossing are just a small proportion of the many infrastructure projects in the pipeline.

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"However, we can not afford to become complacent. The credit crunch is having an impact and we must act now to remain competitive. That is why the Scottish Building Federation will continue to work hard to put the issues of skills and planning firmly at the top of the political agenda."

Paying tribute to his predecessor, Billy Kirkwood of RDK Construction Ltd, he added: "Taking over the chains of office from Billy Kirkwood will be a hard act to follow. He is an excellent ambassador for our industry and I thank him for all his work. As a Federation we are continuing to grow and increase the profile of our sector and I look forward to working with members across the country over the coming year."

(GK/JM)