About us ...
Welcome
We ’ re a family-owned company providing structural steelwork to the construction industry .
Our premises are based on Aycliffe Business Park , in County Durham , providing a central location and flexibility to supply the whole of the UK .
Whilst providing a wide range of structural solutions , the company specialises in the production of portals , trusses , beams and columns .
We ’ re determined to ensure that customers ’ requirements are met at all times with quality and cost being at the forefront .
As a team we guarantee that delivery is timely and strive to achieve a first class reputation to be at the leading edge within the construction industry .
We are continuously investing to ensure we have the latest technology and software .
Finley Structures was established in 2000 by John Finley and , since then , we have grown significantly .
We ’ ve increased our workforce and worked on high-profile projects up and down the country .
We have reinforced our position as one of the market-leading steel fabricating firms in the country .
Finley Structures Ltd Whinbank Road Aycliffe Business Park Newton Aycliffe Co . Durham DL5 6AY T : 01325 328120 E : enquires @ finleystructures . co . uk W : www . finleystructures . co . uk
Newsletter produced by Mantis Media Ltd T : 01325 728024 E : martin . walker @ mantis-media . com W : www . mantis-media . com
Welcome to the Winter 2021-22 issue of the Finley Structures newsletter .
We head into 2022 in strong shape , despite what can only be described as a chaotic 12 months .
We ’ ve seen unprecedented levels of material price increases and material and labour shortages .
Steel prices have gone through the roof over the last 18 months .
British Steel has reported almost monthly increases in the cost of steel since last summer , with a £ 30 per tonne rise in July 2020 , £ 30 in August , £ 40 in November , £ 80 in December , £ 50 in January , £ 30 in March , £ 50 in April , £ 80 in May .
But then two further increases in June , of £ 80 , have hiked the tonnage cost even further .
In total , steel prices have increased by 110 %.
There has been a shortage of galvanised coil coming into the country which has seen lead times for metal decking and cold rolled go from 4 to 14 weeks . Metal decking has also seen a 39 % increase and cold rolled has increased by between 32-36 % depending on supplier .
We continually face recruitment issues , due largely to a general skills gap in the welding and plating profession . On our shop floor , we ’ ve been operating with a team that needs another six , – four welders and two platers . To overcome this issue the team have been working a lot of overtime to ensure we meet our commitments to our clients .
These increases cause obvious challenges for the business to remain profitable , and some companies sadly haven ’ t been able to absorb the extra costs .
The most high-profile case was , of course , Cleveland Bridge . It ’ s never nice to see other firms go out of business , but it was particularly sad to see such an iconic local company go under .
Conversely , we experienced an influx of work coming through this year but – for reasons explained above – the combined labour and material shortages has made it difficult to cope with that spike in demand .
To put this all into context , the whole team at Finley Structures can take pride from the fact it has ended up being a strong year for us .
Our turnover in 2021-22 is expected to climb to £ 18m – up from £ 15.7m in 2020-21 – and this is testament to the committed , professional team we ’ ve built here over many years .
I ’ d like to take this opportunity to thank all our employees for their efforts and loyalty in 2021 and wish everyone a prosperous 2022 .
We can all take comfort and reassurance from the fact we go into another New Year in strong shape and , as ever , looking to grow our team even further .
Julie Raistrick Managing director
FINLEYSTRUCTURES . CO . UK