Severfield plc is a

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by national parks, including most of the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors. It is one of four co ...

based

structural steel Structural steel is a category of steel used for making construction materials in a variety of shapes. Many structural steel shapes take the form of an elongated beam having a profile of a specific cross section. Structural steel shapes, si ...

contractor. By turnover it is the largest in the UK, and amongst the biggest in Europe, with a capacity of 165,000 tons per year. Landmark works include London's 2012 Olympic Stadium,

The Shard The Shard, also referred to as the Shard of Glass, Shard London Bridge, and formerly London Bridge Tower, is a 72-storey skyscraper, designed by the Italian architect Renzo Piano, in Southwark, London, that forms part of The Shard Quarter dev ...

, Wimbledon Centre Court roof,

Emirates Stadium The Emirates Stadium (known as Arsenal Stadium for UEFA competitions) is a football stadium in Holloway, London, England. It has been the home stadium of Arsenal Football Club since its completion in 2006. It has a current seated capacity ...

and Paris Philharmonic Hall. The firm has acquired businesses across structural steel market sectors within the UK and participates with

JSW Group JSW Group is an Indian multinational conglomerate, based in Mumbai. It is led by Sajjan Jindal and part of the O.P. Jindal Group. The Group's diverse businesses include steel, energy, infrastructure, cement and paints, across India, the Unit ...

in two

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the secon ...

based

joint ventures A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four reasons: to access ...

, JSW Severfield Structures Ltd and indirectly, JSW Structural Metal Decking Ltd.

History

The business was founded in 1978 as a

partnership A partnership is an arrangement where parties, known as business partners, agree to cooperate to advance their mutual interests. The partners in a partnership may be individuals, businesses, interest-based organizations, schools, governments ...

named Severfield-Reeve; moved to

Dalton Dalton may refer to: Science * Dalton (crater), a lunar crater * Dalton (program), chemistry software * Dalton (unit) (Da), the atomic mass unit * John Dalton, chemist, physicist and meteorologist Entertainment * Dalton (Buffyverse), minor ch ...

in 1980, and incorporated as Severfield Reeve Structural Engineers Ltd in 1983. As a

public company A public company is a company whose ownership is organized via shares of stock which are intended to be freely traded on a stock exchange or in over-the-counter markets. A public (publicly traded) company can be listed on a stock exchange ( ...

it was known from 1988 to 1999 as Severfield-Reeve plc; from 1999 to 2014 as Severfield-Rowen plc, and then adopted its current title.

Listings

In July 1988, Severfield-Reeve plc was quoted on the Unlisted Securities Market, then moved up to the

London Stock Exchange London Stock Exchange (LSE) is a stock exchange in the City of London, England, United Kingdom. , the total market value of all companies trading on LSE was £3.9 trillion. Its current premises are situated in Paternoster Square close to St Pau ...

on 8 June 1995. , Severfield plc is a component of the

FTSE SmallCap Index The FTSE SmallCap Index is an index of small market capitalisation companies consisting of the 351st to the 619th largest-listed companies on the London Stock Exchange main market. The index, which is maintained by FTSE Russell, a subsidiary of ...

Acquisitions and new businesses

(UK) Steel and UK Steel

In 1991, Severfield Reeve acquired 80% of steel trading business, Steel (UK) Ltd and bought out the remaining minority shareholdings in 2009. The company ceased trading in 2002; was renamed Stable Move Ltd in 2005, and dissolved in 2013 owing £1,161,732 to Severfield plc and eliminating shareholder value. In 2006, Severfield established Steel UK Ltd as a 50% joint venture with

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire ...

based steel

stockholder A shareholder (in the United States often referred to as stockholder) of a corporation is an individual or legal entity (such as another corporation, a body politic, a trust or partnership) that is registered by the corporation as the legal own ...

Murray Metals Group Ltd to negotiate steel purchase prices for both partners. The company had been incorporated in 2005 as Stable Move Ltd. Severfield and Murray bought steel at prices agreed with suppliers by Steel UK and the company did not trade itself. The joint venture was dissolved in 2013.

Meat processing equipment

Fisher Engineering, Ballinamallard - geograph

In 1995, Severfield's

meat processing The meat-packing industry (also spelled meatpacking industry or meat packing industry) handles the slaughtering, processing, packaging, and distribution of meat from animals such as cattle, pigs, sheep and other livestock. Poultry is generally no ...

safety equipment subsidiary Manabo (UK) Ltd began trading. Initially the business was a 75% joint venture with the original technology developer but in 1996, Severfield Reeve bought out all remaining minority shareholdings. The established Scandinavian distributor for Manabo's products agreed to purchase from the new company. Manabo manufactured at sites around

Thirsk Thirsk is a market town and civil parish in the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire, England known for its racecourse; quirky yarnbomber displays, and depiction as local author James Herriot's fictional Darrowby. History Archeological ...

and, from 1997, operated a

chain mail Chain mail (properly called mail or maille but usually called chain mail or chainmail) is a type of armour consisting of small metal rings linked together in a pattern to form a mesh. It was in common military use between the 3rd century BC and ...

glove factory in Bataszek, Hungary. Such was the anticipated transformation of the structural steel business that by 1997,

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' ( ...

described Severfield as a ''specialist engineer and supplier of equipment for the meat and poultry processing industry''. However, in the same year company founder John Severs blamed Manabo's six monthly £902,000 losses on the meat industry being ''reluctant to change its ways in health and hygiene''.The glove business and company were sold in 2000 after a further £2 million loss in 1998, and asset

write-down A write-off is a reduction of the recognized value of something. In accounting, this is a recognition of the reduced or zero value of an asset. In income tax statements, this is a reduction of taxable income, as a recognition of certain expenses ...

of £2.8 million in 1999.

Severfield Reeve Projects Ltd

In 1991, subsidiary Severfield Reeve Projects Ltd was incorporated, initially to carry out construction at Severfield's plants. It began to undertake main contracting for others in 1997. Severfield Reeve Projects diversified into

house building Home construction or residential construction is the process of constructing a house, apartment building, or similar residential building generally referred to as a 'home' when giving consideration to the people who might now or someday reside th ...

in 2002, purchasing on its own account a site in

Bagby Bagby is a village and civil parish in the Hambleton District of North Yorkshire, England, south-east of Thirsk. The parish had a population of 470 according to the 2001 census. The population of the parish was 593 at the 2011 Census. The p ...

for two traditional, five bedroom dwellings with gardens. In 2008, it launched a

property investment Real estate investing involves the purchase, management and sale or rental of real estate for profit. Someone who actively or passively invests in real estate is called a real estate entrepreneur or a real estate investor. Some investors actively ...

division with the purchase of distribution warehouses for £7.1 million. The value of the initial investments was written down by £2.1 million in 2009. New projects and investments by Severfield Reeve Projects Ltd stopped in 2009, and it closed in 2011.

Kennedy Watts Partnership Ltd

In 1999, Severfield purchased 25.1% of

based design bureau Kennedy Watts Partnership Ltd for £464,000 in shares and cash. The shareholding was restructured in 2008 so that it was held through an intermediary, Last Exit Ltd. Kennedy Watts Partnership Ltd was placed into

administration Administration may refer to: Management of organizations * Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal ** Administrative Assistant, traditionally known as a Secretary, or also known as an administrative officer, admini ...

in 2013; into

liquidation Liquidation is the process in accounting by which a company is brought to an end in Canada, United Kingdom, United States, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, and many other countries. The assets and property of the company are redistrib ...

in 2014, and dissolved in 2016 with a deficit to creditors of £292,000 and elimination of all shareholder stakes.

Work platform

In 2006, Severfield

patented A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an enabling disclosure of the invention."A p ...

a craned or self climbing work platform that attaches to steelwork at height, and mounts its own powered

cherry picker An aerial work platform (AWP), also known as an aerial device, elevating work platform (EWP), cherry picker, bucket truck or mobile elevating work platform (MEWP) is a mechanical device used to provide temporary access for people or equipment t ...

. The apparatus was invented to assist erection of steel structures where conditions are not suitable for safe operation of conventional access equipment. In 2009, the work platform project was abandoned and £2.4 million development costs

written off A write-off is a reduction of the recognized value of something. In accounting, this is a recognition of the reduced or zero value of an asset. In income tax statements, this is a reduction of taxable income, as a recognition of certain expenses ...

Tonnage

Severfield structural, fabricated steel output, relative to capacity and UK market: , the JSW Severfield Structures Ltd joint venture in India has a capacity of 100,000 tons of fabricated steel per annum.

Locations

Gate to steel stockyard Rowen Structures

Severfield plc is headquartered on the former

RAF Dalton Royal Air Force Dalton or more simply RAF Dalton is a former Royal Air Force satellite station located near to Dalton, North Yorkshire, England. The airfield was by RAF Bomber Command during the Second World War. It was a satellite of nearby RA ...

near

and is a significant employer there. It also has sites in Sherburn, Lostock,

Bolton Bolton (, locally ) is a large town in Greater Manchester in North West England, formerly a part of Lancashire. A former mill town, Bolton has been a production centre for textiles since Flemish weavers settled in the area in the 14th ...

Bridlington Bridlington is a coastal town and a civil parish on the Holderness Coast of the North Sea in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is about north of Hull and east of York. The Gypsey Race enters the North Sea at its harbour. The 2011 ...

Ballinamallard Ballinamallard or Bellanamallard (Flanagan, Deirdre & Laurence; ''Irish Place Names'', page 172. Gill & Macmillan, 2002. ) is a small village and townland in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 1,340 people in the 2001 Ce ...

, and European offices at Zevenbergen. Joint ventures JSW Severfield Structures Ltd and JSW Structural Metal Decking Ltd are located in

. The Construction Metal Forming Ltd cold formed construction steel joint venture manufactures steel decking, and light gauge framing, in Mamhilad and Magor.

Safety

Offices and Works of Atlas Ward Structures Limited - geograph

Accident statistics

Severfield plc's

RIDDOR The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013, often known by the acronym RIDDOR, is a 2013 statutory instrument of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It regulates the statutory obligation to report deaths, ...

ratios have improved, and are lower than its industry average. Senior executives are remunerated according to the ''accident frequency rate'' of the business units they oversee.

Site fall denied

In January 2021, a steel erector employed by Severfield fell down a staircase at Google's Kings Cross site and was unfit to work for six days. Severfield suspected fraud and summarily dismissed him, but an

Employment Tribunal Employment tribunals are tribunal public bodies in England and Wales and Scotland which have statutory jurisdiction to hear many kinds of disputes between employers and employees. The most common disputes are concerned with unfair dismissal, ...

determined the incident occurred; that the employee was unfairly dismissed, and awarded £2,721 in compensation. There was no order for payment in lieu of

notice Notice is the legal concept describing a requirement that a party be aware of legal process affecting their rights, obligations or duties. There are several types of notice: public notice (or legal notice), actual notice, constructive notice ...

because, post dismissal, the erector took immediate, better remunerated employment elsewhere.

Hazardous welding fumes

In March 2020, Severfield was served a

Health and Safety Executive The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is a UK government agency responsible for the encouragement, regulation and enforcement of workplace health, safety and welfare, and for research into occupational risks in Great Britain. It is a non-depar ...

Improvement Notice, because of hazardous welding fumes at its Lostock works. The fault was corrected by April 2020.

Lifting chain failure

In 2019, a link weld in the

chain A chain is a serial assembly of connected pieces, called links, typically made of metal, with an overall character similar to that of a rope in that it is flexible and curved in compression but linear, rigid, and load-bearing in tension. ...

set being used to lift a 2.5

ton Ton is the name of any one of several units of measure. It has a long history and has acquired several meanings and uses. Mainly it describes units of weight. Confusion can arise because ''ton'' can mean * the long ton, which is 2,240 pounds ...

beam failed, although rated to over twice that capacity. The lifting equipment had recently been independently inspected. Similar sets from the Turkey based manufacturer were withdrawn from use and allegedly exhibited faulty welds. The beam was partially bolted in place so did not fall.

Damage to Leadenhall Tower

During 2017 redevelopment of

22 Bishopsgate 22 Bishopsgate, also known as Twentytwo, is a commercial skyscraper in London, England. Completed in 2020, it occupies a prominent site in Bishopsgate, in the City of London financial district, and stands at tall with 62 storeys. The project ...

, a suspended girder struck Leadenhall Tower. Severfield was the steel frame subcontractor to Multiplex's Bishopsgate site. Nobody was hurt.

Hand tool vibration

In November 2017, Severfield was served a Health and Safety Executive Improvement Notice, because of tools causing excessive hand arm vibrations, at its

site. New working practices were applied by March 2018.

Forklift driver fatality

In 2016, the Health and Safety Executive fined the firm £135,000, plus £46,020 costs following a 2013 incident when a 27 year old

forklift A forklift (also called lift truck, jitney, hi-lo, fork truck, fork hoist, and forklift truck) is a powered industrial truck used to lift and move materials over short distances. The forklift was developed in the early 20th century by various ...

driver was fatally crushed at its Dalton site.

Site unloading

In 2015, Severfield and its haulage contractors adopted customised trailers for delivering fabricated steel to construction sites. They are fitted with exclusion barriers to prevent unauthorised access whilst unloading by forklift, and fall arrest equipment to protect riggers on the trailer when unloading by crane.

Leadenhall Tower bolts

In November 2014, two embrittled bolts, purchased from a supplier, broke and fell from Leadenhall Tower. Another descended in January 2015. Severfield announced an anticipated £6 million charge for bolt remediation works in 2015, and final settlement in 2019.

Faulty crane plate clamp

In 2012, Severfield settled the claim from a welder who had been moving steelwork with a crane and faulty plate clamp. A ten foot long, and two foot wide, beam fell and crushed his foot.

White finger

In 2011, a plater at Severfield's Dalton facility suffered permanent damage to his hands caused by vibrating tools provided by the firm. He developed hand arm vibration syndrome commonly known as white finger.

Clyde Arc Bridge

Severfield subsidiary Watson Steel Structures Ltd fabricated the Clyde Arc Bridge in 2007. It had to be closed in 2008 because a clevis connector failed and a 35 metre long tension bar fell onto the carriageway. Another clevis was found to be cracked and it was decided to replace all 14 tension bars in the structure. Watson Steel Structures Ltd claimed £1.8 million from

Macalloy McCalls Special Products Ltd is a British manufacturer of steel bar and cable components for tensioned concrete, ground anchors, curtain walling, and steel structures. It operates under the Macalloy brand and claims to be a world leader in th ...

, the clevis supplier, alleging its product was faulty. Macalloy denied the claim and countered Watson Steel Structures Ltd had only specified minimum yield stress for the components.

Epoxy resin paint

In 2005 Severfield dismissed a

painter Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ...

, at its newly acquired Sherburn site, who suffered allergic industrial contact dermatitis following exposure to epoxy resin paint. He claimed compensation. Severfield initially denied, but then accepted responsibility just before the 2007 High Court hearing. Mr Recorder Salter went on to award the painter £113,168.15 damages including £50,000 for loss of future earnings. The firm

appealed In law, an appeal is the process in which cases are reviewed by a higher authority, where parties request a formal change to an official decision. Appeals function both as a process for error correction as well as a process of clarifying and ...

but in 2008, Lord Justice Keene's judgement rejected its arguments and increased the award for future earnings loss to £90,000.

Waltham Abbey fall

In 2002, a 29 year old steel fixer working for Severfield's Steelcraft Erection Services Ltd fell from a new

Sainsbury's J Sainsbury plc, trading as Sainsbury's, is the second largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom, with a 14.6% share of UK supermarket sales. Founded in 1869 by John James Sainsbury with a shop in Drury Lane, London, the company ...

distribution centre, and suffered spinal injuries; broken ribs, and a

punctured lung A pneumothorax is an abnormal collection of air in the pleural space between the lung and the chest wall. Symptoms typically include sudden onset of sharp, one-sided chest pain and shortness of breath. In a minority of cases, a one-way valve is ...

Project gallery

File:30 South Colonnade reconstruction, Canary Wharf, Oct 2021.jpg, 30 South Colonnade three floor addition File:Aspire sculpture in Nottingham (1).jpg, Aspire,

Nottingham Nottingham ( , locally ) is a city and unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east of Sheffield and north-east of Birmingham. Nottingham has links to the legend of Robi ...

File:Emirates Air Line towers 24 May 2012.jpg, Towers for the London Cable Car File:Distribution Centres (geograph 6338527).jpg,

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon (company), an American multinational technolog ...

Kegworth Kegworth () is a large village and civil parish in the North West Leicestershire district of Leicestershire, in the East Midlands region, England. It forms part of the border with Nottinghamshire and is situated 6 miles north of Loughborough, ...

File:Coal Drops Yard 0550.jpg, Coal Drops Yard Image:Millennium Bridge, taken from the Baltic.jpg, Baltic Gateshead Millennium Bridge File:Heathrow Terminal 5 from the air.jpg,

Heathrow Terminal 5 Heathrow Terminal 5 is an airport terminal at Heathrow Airport, the main airport serving London. Opened in 2008, the main building in the complex is the largest free-standing structure in the United Kingdom. Terminal 5 is currently used exclusi ...

File:5 Broadgate.jpg,

5 Broadgate 5 Broadgate is a groundscraper in the City of London. It was designed by Ken Shuttleworth of Make Architects for Swiss bank UBS, the world's largest private bank. It is notable for the horizontal, diagonal and vertical strips of windows on i ...

File:Pinnacle, Leeds 16.jpg, Trinity Centre, Leeds File:Manchester Victoria roof view.JPG, Manchester Victoria Station Renovation File:Heathrow Terminal 2 under construction 2012.jpg, left,

Heathrow Terminal 2 Heathrow Terminal 2, also known as The Queen's Terminal, is an airport terminal at Heathrow Airport, the main airport serving London, United Kingdom. The new development was originally named Heathrow East Terminal, and occupies the sites where th ...

File:Ordsall Chord under construction April 2017.jpg,

Ordsall Chord Ordsall Chord, also known as the Castlefield Curve, is a short railway line in Ordsall, Salford, England, which links and Manchester Oxford Road to , designed to increase capacity and reduce journey times into and through Manchester. It allow ...

File:The Shard from the Sky Garden 2015.jpg,

File:22BishopsgateDec19.png,

File:Cheesegrater and Gherkin.jpg, Leadenhall Tower File:Francis Crick Institute, September 2016 (29634828786).jpg,

Francis Crick Institute The Francis Crick Institute (formerly the UK Centre for Medical Research and Innovation) is a biomedical research centre in London, which was established in 2010 and opened in 2016. The institute is a partnership between Cancer Research UK, Impe ...

File:New Victoria Hospital, Glasgow, Scotland.jpg,

New Victoria Hospital The New Victoria Hospital is an ambulatory care hospital situated at Langside/Battlefield in the south-east of Glasgow. It is managed by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. History The hospital, which was commissioned to replace the outpatient h ...

File:Wimbledon Centre Court (May 15, 2019).jpg, Wimbledon Centre Court Roof File:2015-09-23 Birmingham New St Station.jpg,

Birmingham New Street Station Birmingham New Street is the largest and busiest of the three main railway stations in Birmingham city centre, England, and a central hub of the British railway system. It is a major destination for Avanti West Coast services from , and v ...

File:Emirates Stadium east side at dusk.jpg,

File:BBC Cymru Wales (geograph 6226511) (cropped).jpg,

BBC Cymru Wales BBC Cymru Wales is a division of the BBC and the main public broadcaster in Wales. It is one of the four BBC national regions, alongside the BBC English Regions, BBC Northern Ireland and BBC Scotland. Established in 1964, BBC Cymru Wales is b ...

File:One Blackfriars, The Shard and South Bank Tower - from Waterloo Bridge - 2019-01-04 - Afternoon.jpg, South Bank Tower Extension File:Dublin Waste-to-Energy Facility.jpg, Dublin Waste-to-Energy Facility File:Philharmonie de Paris @ La Villette (28853121662).jpg, Philharmonie de Paris File:Tottenham Hotspur Stadium South Stand.jpg,

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is the home of Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur in north London, replacing the club's previous ground, White Hart Lane. With a seating capacity of 62,850, it is the third-largest football stadium in England and the ...

File:ArcelorMittal Orbit at night.jpg,

ArcelorMittal Orbit The ArcelorMittal ''Orbit'' (often referred to as the Orbit Tower or its original name, ''Orbit'') is a sculpture and observation tower in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford, London. It is Britain's largest piece of public art, an ...

File:London 2012 Olympic Park (13 July 2012).jpg,

London 2012 Olympic Stadium London Stadium (formerly and also known as Olympic Stadium and the Stadium at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park) is a multi-purpose outdoor stadium at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in the Stratford district of London. It is located in the Lower L ...

(with

in foreground) File:I54 and M54.jpg, Jaguar Land Rover Engine Manufacturing Centre File:The RRS Discovery & the V&A Museum, Dundee.jpg, V & A Dundee File:LeedsArena during construction geograph-2746797-by-Rick-Carn.jpg,

First Direct Arena The First Direct Arena (also known as the Leeds Arena) is an entertainment-focused indoor arena located in the Arena Quarter of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is the first in the United Kingdom to have a fan-shaped orientation. The arena of ...

File:One Angel Square during night, December 2012.jpg,

One Angel Square One Angel Square is an office building in Manchester, England. Construction work began in 2010 and was completed in February 2013. The landmark building is the head office of the Co-operative Group. Standing 72.5 metres (237.8 feet) tall, the buil ...

File:ClydeArc.jpg,

Clyde Arc The Clyde Arc (known locally as the Squinty Bridge) is a road bridge spanning the River Clyde in Glasgow, Scotland, connecting Finnieston near the Clyde Auditorium and SEC with Pacific Quay and Glasgow Science Centre in Govan. Prominent feature ...

Controversies

Blyth battery plant

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...

reported in September 2022 that Severfield had been impacted by cancelled and delayed works at

Britishvolt Britishvolt is a UK startup manufacturer of lithium-ion batteries for the automotive industry. It began construction of a gigafactory in northeast England in 2021, but work was halted in August 2022 amid funding difficulties, with battery manufa ...

's challenged Blyth gigafactory. It declined comment to the newspaper.

Manchester Ship Canal

In 2022, Severfield issued a legal claim against Davymarkham Ltd relating to 2015 bridgeworks over the

Manchester Ship Canal The Manchester Ship Canal is a inland waterway in the North West of England linking Manchester to the Irish Sea. Starting at the Mersey Estuary at Eastham, near Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, it generally follows the original routes of the ri ...

. Davymarkham Ltd had been dissolved in 2021, but was restored by

court order A court order is an official proclamation by a judge (or panel of judges) that defines the legal relationships between the parties to a hearing, a trial, an appeal or other court proceedings. Such ruling requires or authorizes the carrying out ...

to face proceedings alongside its insurers and Fairfield Engineering Solutions Ltd.

Late supplier payments

In July 2019, subsidiary Severfield Design and Build Ltd was suspended from the UK Government's Prompt Payment Code for failing to pay suppliers on time. The firm submitted an action plan to the

Chartered Institute of Credit Management The Chartered Institute of Credit Management (formerly the Institute of Credit Management, often abbreviated as CICM) is a United Kingdom-based professional body representing credit professionals formed in 1939. The company is based in South ...

and was reinstated by November 2019.

Carrington Power Station

In 2013, Severfield contracted with the

Duro Felguera Duro Felguera, SA () is an international business group with headquarters in the Science and Technology Park of Gijón, Asturias, Spain. It specializes in the implementation of turn key projects for the energy and industrial sectors, as well as th ...

group to provide steelwork for the new

Carrington Power Station Carrington Power Station is a combined cycle gas turbine power station, which was completed in Autumn 2016 and began commercial operation on 18 September 2016. It is located on the site of a former coal-fired power station, close to the villages ...

. Duro Felguera's UK subsidiary refused to pay a December 2014 stage payment. Severfield obtained

adjudication Adjudication is the legal process by which an arbiter or judge reviews evidence and argumentation, including legal reasoning set forth by opposing parties or litigants, to come to a decision which determines rights and obligations between the p ...

under the ''

Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996 The Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996 is an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom. Its long title shows that it is a piece of omnibus legislation: :''An Act to make provision for grants and other assistance for housing pur ...

'' for £2,470,231.97, and then sought

summary judgement may refer to: * Abstract (summary), shortening a passage or a write-up without changing its meaning but by using different words and sentences * Epitome, a summary or miniature form * Abridgement, the act of reducing a written work into a sho ...

from the

High Court of Justice The High Court of Justice in London, known properly as His Majesty's High Court of Justice in England, together with the Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, are the Senior Courts of England and Wales. Its name is abbreviated as EWHC ( Engl ...

to enforce payment for a reduced amount of £1,445,495.78. Judge Stuart-Smith refused because part of the sum related to a power plant and was therefore excluded from the 1996 Act, and the adjudicator's jurisdiction. Duro Felguera argued it was in fact owed money by Severfield because of overpayments. Severfield finally obtained a judgement from Mr Justice Coulson in 2017 for £2,774,077.91 (or £1,760,480.27 up to 2014) but by then Duro Felguera UK Ltd had entered

and recovery was limited to what Duro Felguera in Spain could be obliged to pay under a parent company guarantee for the period up to 2014.

Losses on Leadenhall Tower

During 2013, the group acknowledged substantial contractual losses in relation to Leadenhall Tower in the

City of London The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London f ...

. This prompted a major restructuring of the business; departure of the Chief Executive, and a £45m

rights issue A rights issue or rights offer is a dividend of subscription rights to buy additional securities in a company made to the company's existing security holders. When the rights are for equity securities, such as shares, in a public company, it can b ...

. Severfield's 2012 accounts included a £9.9 million

charge Charge or charged may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * '' Charge, Zero Emissions/Maximum Speed'', a 2011 documentary Music * ''Charge'' (David Ford album) * ''Charge'' (Machel Montano album) * ''Charge!!'', an album by The Aqu ...

for losses at Leadenhall Tower, plus a further £10.2 million on other delinquent contracts.

Wimbledon roof leak

In 2011, the

Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily Tabloid journalism, tabloid. Founded in 1903, it is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its Masthead (British publishing), masthead was simpl ...

alleged the retractable roof over Wimbledon Centre Court leaked during a quarter final tennis match. Severfield completed the 3,000 ton moving roof in 2009. The

All England Club The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, also known as the All England Club, based at Church Road, Wimbledon, London, England, is a private members' club. It is best known as the venue for the Wimbledon Championships, the only Grand Slam ...

stated the leaks were in the permanent roof, not the mobile section, and were ''part of the normal drainage process''.

Discrimination by association

In 2011, Severfield decided to reduce the number of welders at its Sherburn site by selectively not renewing the

contract A contract is a legally enforceable agreement between two or more parties that creates, defines, and governs mutual rights and obligations between them. A contract typically involves the transfer of goods, services, money, or a promise to tr ...

of an employee who was caring for his disabled wife. He claimed ''discrimination by association''. Severfield could not satisfy the

employment tribunal Employment tribunals are tribunal public bodies in England and Wales and Scotland which have statutory jurisdiction to hear many kinds of disputes between employers and employees. The most common disputes are concerned with unfair dismissal, ...

there was any other reason for the dismissal and the welder was awarded £10,500 compensation with a recommendation he should be re-employed.

Remuneration of founder

Shareholders rebelled against a 2007 payment of £1.6 million to retiring Managing Director, John Severs. They refused to pass a resolution at AGM to authorise the payment which had already been made.

Property transactions

In 2001, directors of the company, including John Severs, purchased the headquarters property for £14 million. In 2007 the company bought it back again for £23.5 million. Both transactions were endorsed by the independent directors.

Fischer and Bartlett roof leaks

In 1989, a subsidiary of

Georg Fischer AG Georg Fischer (abbreviated GF) comprises three divisions GF Piping Systems, GF Casting Solutions, and GF Machining Solutions. Founded in 1802, the Corporation is headquartered in Switzerland and is present in 33 countries, with 140 companies, 57 ...

built a distribution warehouse near

Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a city in the West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its city status until the Middle Ages. The city is governed b ...

. The shallow pitch roof leaked, exacerbated by deflection of supporting steelwork. It sued the builders and designer. Severfield-Reeve plc was the steelwork subcontractor and met specifications supplied to it by the designer. In 1994, Severfield-Reeve plc agreed to pay £175,000 to the building owner in return for an indemnity against all parties in the matter. In 2009, Severfield became third party in a claim relating to the leaking roof at a potato processing plant in Airdrie constructed by its then subsidiary Atlas Ward Structures. Severfield agreed joint liability with the building's main contractors. Lord Menzies in the Outer House of the Court of Session was asked to choose between remediation options for the Airdrie premises, the alternatives differing in cost and quantum of damages. He drew attention to the similar decision that had faced Judge Hicks in the Fischer warehouse case.

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{{Coord, 54.173332, N, 1.353098, W, display=title, type:landmark_region:GB 1978 establishments in the United Kingdom Companies based in Hambleton District Construction and civil engineering companies established in 1978 Companies listed on the London Stock Exchange Construction and civil engineering companies of the United Kingdom Hambleton District Steel companies of the United Kingdom Structural steel 1978 establishments in England Companies established in the 20th century