Billington celebrates 70 years in business

The Barnsley-based firm said the future of the steel industry looks very positive and the group’s turnover has reached record levels.

Billington Structures​ is​ the largest division ​of listed firm ​​Billington Holdings​. It​ designs, makes and erects structural steel across all sectors of the UK market from its sites in Yorkshire and Bristol.

To ​mark its 70th anniversary, Billington will be running a seven day social media campaign.​

​The plan is to celebrate a decade of work a day. The campaign will highlight the company’s​ ​achievements and growth, including the advancements in the steel industry as a whole, and will​ ​thank all of its employees and customers for their support.

Mark Smith, ​c​hief ​e​xecutive of Billington Holdings, ​said:​ ​“It is a delight to see Billington Structures reach this milestone, and to look back at its achievements​ ​over the years.

“Billington Structures has been, and remains, committed to the British steel and construction​ ​industry. It holds a gold award, the highest possible award category, in the British Steelwork​ ​Association’s ​(BCSA)​​​ Sustainability Charter Initiative, is a member of the BCSA and the Considerate​ ​Constructions Scheme, and has a long, successful working relationship with British Steel, wh​ich​ is its​ ​primary steel supplier.​“

Mr Smith said the group is​ proud of ​its​ involvement and commitment to the local regions, making it a priority to​ ​support local communities and charities, including sponsoring local sports teams,​ ​campaigns ​(​such as the Women of Steel statue in Sheffield​),​ supporting local food banks and​ an apprenticeship programme with Barnsley College.

“As we celebrate the success of the past 70 years we look to the next 70 years, and with the future​ ​of the steel industry looking positive, we are confident that this success will continue​,” said Mr Smith.​

​“​Our current​ ​and future order book is reassuring and we are constantly growing, not only in terms of numbers,​ ​but also with our innovations and internal developments.

“Most importantly, we must remember that we could not have got this far without the support, hard​ ​work and dedication from all those involved in the business. Therefore, we would like to take to this​ ​opportunity to thank all our employees and customers, past and present, for their continued​ ​support.”

Billington​ announced a 29 per cent leap in profits in the six months to June 30 and it has recently won a number of significant new contracts.

The firm​ said it has a strong forward order​ ​book​ ​and it expects a similar performance during the second half of the year, supported by a​ ​number of large contracts in the pipeline.​

New contracts include a large ​retail ​distribution centre near Bristol, reported to be for online giant Amazon, and a deal for a new multi-storey structure for The London School of Economics.

Despite the slowdown in construction, Billington has seen good growth and strong demand.

Mr Smith said: “We’ve seen a steady flow of enquiries in both quality and quantity. Our pipeline looks strong and the work expands seven sectors. There is commercial building in Manchester, Leeds and London, strong demand from retailers, energy from waste and school projects.

“We are not seeing one sector struggling and we are seeing larger projects feed through. We are a world class company that can deliver.”

Revenue rose 27 per cent to £34m in the six months to June 30 and pre-tax profit rose 29 per cent to £2.2m.

With sites in Barnsley and Bristol, the group’s Billington Structures division designs, fabricates and erects structural steel across all​ ​sectors of the UK market.

​Mr Smith said it it is a nationally recognised and award-winning steelwork contractor with 70 years’​ ​experience and has the capacity to process over 25,000 tonnes of steel per ​year.

Projects carried out during the ​half year include IKEA​ in​ Sheffield​, c​ommercial ​o​ffices ​in London​ and, ​​after​ ​successfully completing buildings 3, 5 & 6 of Wellington Place​ in Leeds, Billington has recently secured another two projects​ ​on the development.

​Mr Smith said that​ Brexit has ​enabled the ​c​ompany to explore opportunities in Europe​.

“We have been involved in tendering for some very large data centres in Holland and Belgium primarily,” said Mr Smith.

European projects would use steel made in the UK and, as an exporter, the group is likely to benefit from the fall in the pound.