Barnsley Development Agency

21st February 2005
LIDGET CONCRETE BUILD ON PREVIOUS SUCCESS AND LAUNCH NEW PRODUCT

Thurnscoe based company Lidget Concrete have become the UK’s second largest producer of state-of-the-art concrete garages, workshops and storage facilities for private individuals, industry units and government contracts. Since the formation of the company 14 years ago, the business now employs some 62 people, mainly from the local area in their modern production plant.

Owners of Lidget Concrete, Bob and Diane Nutt, outside a range of their concrete garages.

Owners, Bob and Diane Nutt, manage the family business along with son, Andrew Robinson, John Kendrick and Andrea Donaldson, who have all recently been appointed Directors. When John joined the company three years ago, it saw the start of major investment to significantly modernise the company’s operations. This has included the construction of a vehicle service and repair centre for their own fleet of vehicles, a new welding/fabrication shop and upgrading of both the joinery department and moulding shop. Other initiatives have included major improvements in quality control and computerisation of the concrete batching plant.

The growth of the company is set to continue in 2005 with the launch of a new maintenance free product range. This upgrade in product design will make valuable use of modern advanced materials such as UPVC windows, doors and roofing supplies. The company has also adopted Computer Aided Design (CAD) for the individual design of garages to suit customer requirements and advanced computerisation processes to deal with order processing, delivery and erection on sites as far as Scotland.

Following the purchase of one acre of land from Yorkshire Forward in 2004, Lidget Concrete also developed two 6000 sq. ft. industrial units, both of which were leased prior to completion. New tenants, who have created some 25 local jobs, include a beer keg repair centre from Germany and a local conservatory company. Such high interest, in what has been the first construction of this kind in the local area for many years, demonstrates the need of local businesses for further such developments.

Building on this recent success, officers representing Barnsley Development Agency have assisted the company to purchase an additional four acres of land from BMBC on which further construction will take place. This will include facilities for further expansion of Lidget Concrete as well as additional units for lease. Such developments, which are to start on site early Spring 05, will lead to the welcome creation of further jobs in the local area.

Such expansion is being supported by Barnsley Development Agency who, through The Single Regeneration Budget (SRB6), has provided Lidget Concrete with a training grant to enable a number of employees to undertake HGV training.

Managing Director, Bob Nutt, commented, “We hope to replicate the high degree of quality interest connected with the two recent units in the new developments. We are grateful to BDA for their help in obtaining suitable occupiers and in facilitating the SRB6 training grant. Such assistance is helping to move the company forward and achieve the successful position we are in today.”