Billington adds some steel to the work of the Bard

Billington Holdings has secured work on the former Caf Royal in London, and also sealed a string of contracts in Chile, India and the Dominican Republic.

The company yesterday revealed that it plans to double the turnover of one of its subsidiaries by launching a range of "green" hoardings.

Billington Holdings believes its new division – called hoard-it – could revolutionise the way UK companies use hoardings.

"It's often said that the best inventions are simple,'' said Steve Fareham, the chief executive of Billington, which is based in Wombwell, near Barnsley.

"I certainly believe that this is one of those great ideas. The system is re-usable and easily moved on site or to the next job, key factors in our industry."

The hoard-it division is expected to make turnover of around 1m in 2010. The hoarding system uses concrete "counterbalances" and includes a digitally printed or painted panel.

Hoard-it has already helped Billington to secure contracts from major contractors such as Shepherd, Kier and Carillion.

Mr Fareham said: "Through our easi-edge subsidiary, we are developing a new division. We have acquired land and buildings in Barnsley to set up a new depot.

"We are in the process of recruiting further staff. Initially, we are looking at creating between six and eight jobs but that's just for a start. We have great hopes for this.

"We've got a fairly ambitious business plan. In terms of easi-edge's turnover, it's currently 3m to 4m. We're hoping with hoard-it to double that within 18 months."

Yesterday, Mr Fareham also revealed that Billington had secured work to dig tunnels in connection with mining work in Chile.

However, he said it was "too early to tell" whether the economic crisis was over. The construction market was showing signs of life but uncertainty remained, he added.

Mr Fareham said the structural steel market was suffering its worst conditions since the late 1980s.

He said the company, which employs 400 staff, including 150 in Wombwell, had just returned to a five-day week at its Wombwell factory, after two months of working a four-day week. In late 2009, the company made around 30 redundancies, with most of those affected leaving voluntarily.

He added: "The commercial market virtually disappeared last year. The whole retail sector came to a grinding halt.

"There are definite signs of activity but there is still a reluctance for people to get going on schemes."

There was more demand in North and South America, and Billington planned to take on more sales staff to cover these regions.

Apart from supplying the steelwork for the Royal Shakespeare Company's new theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, Billington has also been awarded the contract to provide the steelwork at the Caf Royal project in Piccadilly, London. The contract is worth 3.1m and surveying work is under way.

Billington will help to transform the historic caf, which once welcomed writers and politicians such as Winston Churchill, into a five-star luxury hotel.

Once completed, The Caf Royal redevelopment will house 160 bedrooms, a spa, a restaurant and 16,000 sq ft of prime retail space.

It is expected to open in time for the 2012 London Olympics.

Mace Group, the consultancy and construction firm, is the construction manager on the 70m project.

Mike Fewster, chief operations officer at Billington Holdings, said: "Billington remains focused on customer service and we are delighted to have won the contract for the redevelopment of Caf Royal.

"This contract win is on the back of successful work with Mace group and the strong relationship we have developed with the company."

Group with a major stake in steel contracting

Billington Holdings was formed in June 2008 following the disposal of non-core assets and change of name from Amco Corporation.

The group includes Billington Structures, which is one of the biggest structural steel contractor businesses in the UK.

It focuses on the design, manufacture and erection of structural steelwork for industrial, public sector and commercial buildings. The division is listed as a preferred supplier to a number of contractors, including Balfour Beatty and Bovis.

Hollybank – which is part of this division – designs and makes steel arch roof supports for the underground mining industry.

Easi-edge is a specialist in the development, production and rental or sale of safety products for the construction industry.

The group also includes Dosco Overseas Engineering, which is involved in the design and manufacture of roadheading and tunnelling machines for the mining and civil engineering industries worldwide.