22/03/10 Consolidate starts 2010 with the award of two new ground consolidation contracts

Ground engineering specialist Consolidate is bucking the downturn with the award of two new contracts to stabilise old mine workings in advance of a new school development in Motherwell and a private housing development in Stevenston.

Consolidate Managing Director Beaton Sutherland noted “2009 was quite a tough year, turnover went down and we had to reduce staff numbers at all levels, but we made the right decisions at the right times, got the right response to the challenges and managed to return a profit”.

“We’re reasonably positive about 2010, it isn’t going to be fantastic – things are very competitive out there and we don’t intend to be chasing the market down to secure turnover without margin. Consolidate is a strong brand and we have a reliable client base”.

Work is well ahead of programme and already near completion in Motherwell for Morgan Ashurst, with the prospect of a follow on contract under their schools programme with South Lanarkshire Council.

Meanwhile, for the development at Mayfield, Stevenston - work is well advanced on the £0.5 Million project for Barratt Homes. The 15 week project in preparation for a selection of three and four bedroom properties is being carried out in conjunction with Consulting Engineer, the Mason Evans Partnership.

The project to infill an abandoned bauxitic clay mine (bauxitic clay was used primarily as a furnace lining) is geologically challenging for Consolidates specialist ground engineering team as they prove the extent of the working, to allow their high capacity grouting equipment to come into its own as they inject large quantities of cement/ pfa grout to fill the voids.