The UKs leading manufacturer of prefabricated reinforcement steel has invested £4m into a new 220,000 sq ft facility in Cannock, with 57 new jobs created so far.
Total Construction Supplies Ltd, which was founded in 1998 by Craig Gibbons and Matthew Hague, has seen turnover double after securing major new contracts with HS2 and a host of highways, housing and nuclear infrastructure projects.
This growth has driven the need for the new Walkmill Lane site that has already been fitted with state-of-the-art cutting and bending machinery, industry-leading welding equipment and overhead gantry cranes stretching the length of the production area.
The facility was officially opened on Friday December 9th as part of a major open day featuring guided tours, ‘day in the life of an employee talks’, and meet the managers.
It also kickstarted the next recruitment push to fill a further 60 positions in 2023, with the company hoping to overcome labour market issues by maximising a strategic partnership with HMP Oakwood.
“There’s a lot of talk about the UK heading for recession, but we’re not seeing this, especially with the products we supply being so important for completing infrastructure projects all over the UK,” explained Matthew Hague, CEO of Total Construction Supplies.
“We’ve already got six production sites in the West Midlands, Ilkeston and France and the newest one in Cannock will be our biggest yet, with over 220,000 sq ft of space.”
He continued: “The £4m investment was necessary to give us a dedicated facility that could manufacture our largest reinforcement steel products and cages and the good news is we’re already 50% full.
“With what we’ve got in the pipeline with HS2, nuclear and highway infrastructure projects, the remaining capacity will soon be taken, and we’ll then have to consider whether we need an eighth premises or not.”
Matthew Hague and Craig Gibbons initially set-up Total Construction Supplies in 1998 to provide PPE and construction accessories to customers in the West Midlands.
The business ticked along nicely, until a chance contract meeting ten years later saw the duo diversify into manufacturing prefabricated reinforcement steel for several national infrastructure projects.
More than a decade on and the company is now the supplier of choice for piling, reinforcement mesh, caging and cut and bent products.
Craig Gibbons went on to add: “We are very passionate about our West Midlands roots and have tried really hard to recruit locally, offering individuals the chance to have full training and good career prospects.
“With 60 new jobs on the horizon and tales of a saturated labour market, we also decided to innovate the way we look for new staff and have invested in a new partnership with a local prison.
“Three individuals are already working with us on Release on Temporary Licence (ROTL) so they can gain new skills and have immediate employment when they are free to re-join society. This got us thinking and we went one stage further by investing in a welding workshop within the prison.”
He concluded: “This gives those not eligible for ROTL the chance to gain an insight into Total Construction Supplies and what being a welder in the future could look like. Giving people a second chance is important…if they want to succeed, we will give them the tools and the opportunity to do so.”
