More than 15 senior members of the former Buckingham Group have joined Strabag’s growing UK business to establish a new buildings unit.
Buckingham collapsed into administration earlier this month, which meant the dismissal of around 500 workers. Kier saved 180 jobs afterwards buying the company’s rail business for £9.6m.
The appointments have accelerated Strabag UK’s plans to enter the construction industry by more than a year. The Austrian contractor, which had a turnover of £14.7bn last year, is best known in the UK for its job now stopped in making a tunnel to Euston a a joint venture with Costain and Skanska.
Strabag said its new business unit would allow it to replicate its success in mainland Europe and around the world to provide end-to-end capacity services (financing, design, construction and equipment) to UK customers.
The new business is expected to undertake the construction of light industrial and logistics centres, data centres, advanced manufacturing facilities and commercial developments.
Strabag UK joint managing directors Simon Wild and Andy Dixon said in a statement: “We have been looking to expand the UK business in this area, and being able to recruit such a talented group of staff immediately was an opportunity we couldn’t pass up to lose
“We believe that the financial stability of the Strabag Group, combined with its extensive experience, will be very attractive to future UK customers.”
Ian Burford, the newly appointed director of the new unit, added: “My former colleagues at Buckingham Group are delighted to be joining Strabag UK. To be part of such a major international company at such an exciting time, where the UK business is going from strength to strength, it’s a fantastic opportunity.”
Strabag UK has established a new office in Solihull, near Birmingham, to ensure continuity of staff joining and to further expand its geographical presence in the UK.
