Lostock firm completes £50m Heathrow contract

Severfield-Watson Structures has been named as one of the UK businesses behind the development of Heathrow’s brand new Terminal 2.

The Lostock firm has successfully completed a prestigious £50m contract to help build the UK’s newest airport terminal, set to open in June next year.

The £2.5bn infrastructure development is one of the of the largest privately funded construction projects in the UK. More than 140 UK businesses have been involved in its construction, drawing together expertise from across the country and supporting thousands of jobs.

The specialist steel company designed, created and erected more than 26,000 tonnes of structural steelwork for Terminal 2.

Manufacturing work was undertaken at the company’s 340 person factory in Lostock and involved 16 of the company’s apprentices who are undertaking their Modern Apprenticeship in Plating.

The contract also helped safeguard jobs across the broader group to which the company belongs, including Atlas Ward, based at Malton in Yorkshire and Fisher Engineering in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, both of which received additional contracts related to the build.

Tony Whitten, project director at Severfield Rowen, said: “The project was of huge importance to our business at the time of award; it safeguarded jobs at our plants and helped us build on an existing longstanding relationship with Heathrow Airport where we’ve been working for over 20 years.”

John Holland-Kaye, Heathrow development director, added: “Investment in Heathrow is making a significant contribution to Britain’s economic recovery, creating jobs across the UK, allowing our suppliers to invest in training and innovation and giving them a fantastic showcase for their work. It demonstrates how expansion at Heathrow will not only create jobs when it has been built, by connecting British exporters directly with emerging growth markets, but also create jobs across the UK while it is being built.”

Severfield-Watson Structures will have its work showcased on a global stage with more than 20 million passengers passing through every year. In the coming weeks, the development of Terminal 2 will move into a new phase as Heathrow, its airlines and other operators begin to get the terminal ready for passengers. This will include six months of intensive preparations, with more than 180 trials and tests involving over 14,000 people.