A show of steel as Barrett establishes a new brand

Daniel Redgwick, general manager of the new Barrett Constructional steel business, said the business was established “as a centralised operation to meet the growing demand from the UK construction industry”.

He said: “We have worked with clients in the structural fabrication and construction markets for many years for projects such as bridges, hospitals, schools, shopping centres and industrial buildings.”

He said the new business will refine its services to clients and help build the reputation it has already established for quality and competitively priced products.

Mr Redgwick was previously a sales manager at the Barrett Group in Bradford before taking on the new role. The new division offers customers “all the benefits” of being part of the UK’s largest independent steel stockholder.

Barrett Constructional has extensive dock facilities which allows them to deliver to customers promptly. The company also unified all its engineering services under one name – Barrett Engineering Steel. The companies involved in the move are as diverse as Rotherham in south Yorkshire, Oldham in Greater Manchester, Consett in Durham and Dudley, in the West Midlands.

John Childs, managing director of the engineering division, said it consolidated the businesses and gave a strong corporate identity that supports growth in the UK and exports. BES provides specialist materials such as black and bright carbon and alloy and stainless products. They offer cutting, forging, heating and testing.

At a time when many similar companies in the sector are contracting, Barrett Steel with 42 firms working out of 28 sites across the UK and Ireland is bucking this trend. It continues to invest and is confident of future growth. A recent acquisition was a steel stockholding company in Maghaberry, near Lisburn, from the Sterling Group. The company, a five-acre site with a 30,000 sq foot steel processing facility, will now trade as Barrett Steel Ireland Ltd.

The purchase in Ireland demonstrates the company’s commitment to Ireland and providing customers an extensive range of products and processing facilities. The company made its first acquisition in Ireland in 2012.

The facility will offer processed options such as shotblasting and priming and automatic drilling and cutting to customer specifications.

The company was established in 1866 by the eponymous Henry Barrett and is now the UK’s largest independent steel stockholder.

A processing facility has recently opened in Houston,Texas in addition to the UK facilities in Bradford, Scunthorpe and the West Midlands. It enables them to saw, cut, punch, drill and shear and laser marking machine tubular and flat products as well as shotblasting, primer painting and profiling.

Group marketing manager Chris Lamb said they were taking a more diversified approach and looking at renewables; oil and gas and offshore, but the core of the business “has always been manufacturing and construction”.

“The ethos of the company is to move away from traditional thinking with steel to becoming more of a solutions provider, we can supply the needs of the customer and we’ve adapted to the market.” With oil and gas, they are looking towards India and China.

Constructional seals don’t travel well, so they don’t export to these markets. In the next year, the company plans to recruit following the acquisition of the Irish steel company.