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Hundreds of jobs at risk as Mabey Bridge to close Welsh factories

Steelwork specialist Mabey Bridge is planning to close one of its sites in Chepstow and sell another, with the possible loss of over 300 jobs.

The firm has started consultation with the 150-strong workforce at its Station Road infrastructure division site which specialises in bridges.

It has also revealed it is looking for a buyer for its specialist renewables factory at another site in Chepstow, where 180 people are employed.

The proposal follows a comprehensive review of the Mabey Bridge business and will effectively see the firm pull out of traditional heavy bridge construction

The steelwork contractor said it was confident the proposed changes will help build a stronger, more sustainable future for Mabey Bridge’s modular bridge business in Lydney in Gloucestershire.

The firm presently employs around 130 staff at the site and some may be transfered over when the Chepstow head office closes.

A spokesman said: “We regret to confirm that we have informed our employees today of the proposed closure of the Mabey Bridge Infrastructure division at Chepstow.

“We also told employees that we have taken the very difficult decision to prepare the Renewables division and the Newhouse site for sale.”

He added: “We have not made these decisions lightly and we understand that this is a very difficult time for our people.

“Their welfare is an important concern for us and we will provide them with as much support as possible over the coming weeks.

“A full consultation process will now be conducted with all those affected and we will provide them with as much information as possible.”

He said that Mabey Bridge was hopeful that it would find a buyer for the Renewables division at the Newhouse site, who would provide the necessary investment to support this business in the long-term.

He said: “Like many companies we are forced to consider every possible option to remain competitive in difficult times.”

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Morrison chief engineer takes charge of Forth Crossing

Queensferry Bridge Forth

Morrison Construction’s Michael Martin has taken over as project director of the consortium building the £1.4bn Queensferry Crossing.

Transport Scotland is expected to confirm this week that he has taken over from Hochtief’s Carlo Germani, who was chief engineer for the Forth Crossing Bridge Const­ructors consortium.

Germani announced he was leaving the project last month after nearly four years heading the bridge building team to take up a new job in Qatar.

Martin, 61, has represented Galliford Try-owned Morrison on the four-company consortium for two years and will now take over the chief role for delivering the new Forth bridge project.

The Carlisle-born engineer started his career with Ove Arup and was involved in both the Kessock Bridge in Inverness and the building of both the Dornoch Bridge, and Kylesku Bridge in Sutherland.


The Queensferry Crossing construction project has passed the halfway mark

Galliford Try is part of the four-company consortium that includes Hochtief, Dragados, and American Bridge of Pittsburgh in the US.

After early setbacks with the setting of the foundations the project is now reported to be back on schedule and budget as the first deck support sections were launched in the summer.

A Transport Scotland spokesman said: “After three and a half years on the Forth Replacement Crossing (FRC) project, Carlo Germani has informed us that he is to leave his position as Project Director for Forth Crossing Bridge Constructors in December this year.

“Carlo has made a hugely significant contribution to the successful delivery of the FRC project to date and we pay tribute to that contribution as he prepares to move on to new challenges in Qatar. He leaves the project in a very healthy state as we move towards its final two years.”

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ISG Wins Major Cardiff Student Accommodation Scheme

ISG has secured is latest student accommodation project, taking a multi-million pound, 314 bed scheme in Cardiff for specialist property developer Fusion Students. In the past month, the contractor has secured a further £13 million of student accommodation wins in Edinburgh and Plymouth as demand for high-quality housing continues to surge. Posted via Industry Today. Are you into it? Follow us on Twitter @IndustryToday Continue Reading