8th March 2010UKSE Company Secures £2 Million worth of Contracts.jpg)
A Wishaw-based steel fabrication company is looking forward to a successful 2010 having already secured contracts worth over £2 million, safeguarding local jobs and allowing it to continue with expansion plans put in place last year.
GR Contracts recently secured a contract worth £800,000 from house builder Cruden Building and Renewals Ltd. GR Contracts will supply and install the structural steel for residential flats in Govan, Glasgow. It will also oversee all fire protection services for the building.
The company has also been awarded a £1.3 million contract from construction giant Carillion to supply and install all the structural steel for phase one of a new prison to be built at Shotts. It will also provide metal decking for floors, install pre-cast concrete and work on four new buildings as well as a linking security corridor.
These are two of several contracts secured since GR Contracts expanded its facilities, including the purchase of its premises last year, and see the order book full until well into the summer.
The contracts have provided a welcome boost for GR Contracts which received a £2 million funding package last year, including £100,000 from UK Steel Enterprise (UKSE).
The business which was established in 2004 by George McColl and Robert Savage, again following support from UKSE, currently employs 27 people and has a high-profile client list which includes Carillion, Cruden, Laing O'Rourke, Eastern Properties and Muir Construction.
Anne Clyde, area manager of UKSE, said: “Given the economic climate, GR Contract's expansion plans were very ambitious however these have clearly paid off and the company is now securing contracts which may previously have gone to larger competitors.
“We are always keen to support ambitious companies like GR Contracts, which has grown steadily over the past five years. I'm confident it will continue to provide employment for local people and win more contracts.”
George McColl, director of GR Contracts said: “Although the credit crunch hit the construction industry particularly hard we have not been too badly affected. We have recently experienced a significant increase in the number of tender enquiries received from contractors and are confident that some of these will lead to firm orders.
“The funding we received last year has allowed us to continue to secure work with high-profile names. The Carillion contract in particular is significant for us and due to our expansion we can now undertake more work of this size as well as continuing to service our existing client base.” | 
