TYRONE-based specialist building contractor Western has seen turnover surge and employment levels grow in its latest set of accounts.
The Coalisland firm, which operates throughout the UK and Ireland and is best known for its offsite construction, saw turnover had risen by 72 per cent from £24.78m to £42.77m to the end of April while pre-tax profit climbed to £1.86m and employment numbers rose by 20 per cent.
Chief executive Martin McCloskey, who founded the business 38 years ago, attributed the record-breaking performance in large part to an increased focus on sectoral diversification, with major projects being won across health, education, commercial and housing.
"Our designation as essential workers in GB, NI and the Republic enabled us to proceed with key scheduled projects, some of which included Covid-testing facilities. Although there was some interruption during the first lockdown, our teams were able to continue to work within carefully managed social distanced environments."
During the period Western was awarded major projects at Limerick University Hospital (medical wards for 74 beds and a Covid-19-testing facility) as well major schemes at London's Imperial College totalling £28m, two schools for the Department of Education and Skills in the Republic, a range of modular classrooms for the Department of Education in Northern Ireland worth around £5m and almost 200 private and social housing units.
The company also added a fifth director, Rory McGuigan, during the same period.
Mr McCloskey said the pipeline for 2021 was strong and the directors anticipated similar turnover levels for the period between April 2020 and 2021.
Having recently secured a £500,000 project for the NI Ambulance Service and modular accommodation for the NI Fire and Rescue Service, Western has also commenced a number of other major contracts at Hillingdon Hospital in London (60-bed medical ward), Batchworth Council, Watford (office accommodation), two new housing developments in counties Armagh and Tyrone plus ongoing work with the NI Department of Education.
