Bringing Aycliffe Business Park Together | 13
SCH Site Services operations
director Andy Braid with the
firm’s new admin apprentice
Callum Emmerson.
Steel firm looks to add to workforce after
£4.8m turnover boost and contract wins
Newton Aycliffe steel company SCH Site Services is looking to add at least eight
new members of staff to its team after enjoying another turnover boost.
By Martin Walker
SCH’s annual sales grew slightly to £4.8m,
up from £4.5m in 2015, while it has also won
a string of new contracts which is resulting in
another recruitment drive.
SCH has already employed office manager
Lynsey Finley and apprentice administrator
Callum Emmerson recently.
Now the fabricating firm is looking to add
at least eight site staff – Including a foreman,
erectors and crane drivers – to bolster its
growing team to 48.
SCH has won a contract to work on
Belvedere Retail Park at Kingston Park,
which is due to start in August, while it’s
also celebrating two new contracts from
Sir Robert McAlpine – the Durham Gates
development in Durham city centre and a
refurbishment of the Student Union building
at Leeds University.
The Aycliffe firm has also won a contract
at BAE Systems, in Barrow-in-Furness,
refurbishing a structure which is used in the
manufacture of nuclear submarines. They
are also working on a new development
at GlaxoSmithKline’s (GSK) site in Barnard
Castle.
SCH operations director Andy Braid said
“We’ve enjoyed a number of new contract
wins in recent months which comes off the
back of another record year for the company
in terms of sales, so we’re delighted.
“We’ve also employed two new office
staff and we’re now looking to expand on the
site side of the business to accommodate
the recent contract wins which will keep us
busy well into the Autumn.”
Apprentice Callum, from Ferryhill, joined
SCH from a North-East training provider after
being shortlisted, along with two others, for
interview.
The 17-year-old spent his school days
volunteering part-time at Bishop Auckland
Railway Station selling rail tickets, and is now
organising purchase orders and quotes, filing
and printing out drawing packages for SCH.
“He’s quickly developed into ordering
plant and equipment for our sites, organising
cherry-pickers and cranes for projects as well
as ordering bolts and fixing for sites,” said
Andy.
“His training instructor has said he’s doing
more than he should be at this stage of his
apprenticeship, so we’re really pleased to
see him settle in so quickly.”
Callum added: “Everyone here at SCH is
great to work with and has supported me
throughout my time here so far.
“I am looking forward to learning more
as my time here goes on. Before I started
my apprenticeship with SCH I had very little
experience within the construction industry,
but now I feel like I have been here a lot
longer than I actually have.
“Gary and Lynsey Finley have very
supportive. As a result of this it has helped
me gain vital knowledge which has allowed
me to get on with all tasks with confidence.”
SCH recently completed a Glulam (wood)
project at BSkyB’s HQ near Heathrow
Airport, for B&K Structures, and it has also
completed a 150-tonne job building.
Closer to home, SCH recently constructed
a 150-tonne project for Huntsman Tioxide
at Greatham, near Hartlepool, for a new
chlorinator, which involved using 400-tonne
crane to complete its complex roofing
system.
Formed in 2006, SCH first operated as a
crane hire company with four mobile cranes
and four drivers working for local companies,
but it grew into steelwork and in 2011
recorded a turnover of £325,000.
After moving into new premises in 2012,
sales grew to £2.2m and then £3.43 before
hitting £4.1m in 2013, £4.1m in 2014 and
£4.5m last year before hitting £4.8m, while
staff numbers have also doubled to 40 in the
last four years.
As well as Sir Robert McAlpine and B&K,
SCH also boasts Wates Group (Formerly
Shepherd Construction), Peikko, Gailford Try,
Interserve, Lucite International and Brims
among its impressive client list.
For more details about SCH, go to
www.schsiteservices.co.uk or call them
on 01325 327149.