Billington Structures and Shafton Steel Services welcomed a group from Wates’ graduate scheme for a guided tour of the manufacturing facilities.
The Billington team provided a presentation and site tour at our premises, discussing the engineering and fabrication processes of steel structures.
Wates’ team of graduates were given the opportunity to learn more about not only Billington Structures and the production process for steel structures, they also had an opportunity to see the steel processing and profiling services available at the Shafton Steel Services site.
The day began with the graduates having an insight presentation covering both companies before then going on site tours which included a behind the scenes tour of the design and drawing office together with the full production facility at the Wombwell premises.
From here the graduates were taken to the Shafton facility to learn about steel profiling and beam assembly, an integral part of the fabrication process.
Visiting both of the sites gave an opportunity for the graduates to see first-hand the technical engineering that goes into the design and production of steel beams and structures.
Team effort by Billington
The visit was an opportunity to showcase our expertise and technical knowledge in all areas including project planning, design, detailing, processing, production and fabrication.
The graduates had an opportunity to meet all leads in each department and learn directly from those responsible for each area. This led to the graduates getting a good understanding of every process across the business.
A great insight into how steel frames are designed and fabricated. Very educational day for all us new to the construction industry, we gained useful knowledge that will benefit us on future projects with a steel frame structure. It’s amazing how much work goes into it from tender stage, fabrication and installation on site. Charlene Sango, Site Management Graduate Trainee, Wate
The tour was a great insight into the production of structural steel. Understanding the process from order inception to delivery on site helped me to gain an appreciation for the different elements and teams involved in the chain that I wouldn’t have previously acknowledged. I found it especially interesting how the factory make up the majority of their margin through waste reduction / collection and over-delivering on production to improve efficiency. Fabio Chiarizia, Commercial Management Trainee, Wates
The whole visit was very interactive and informative which I will hopefully be able to utilise on future projects. They were really good hosts! Neve Prout, Site Management Graduate Trainee, Wate
The visit to Billingtons was an excellent chance to observe the steel manufacturing process. This experience will allow me the opportunity to assess the appointment procedure of our supply chain and take away lessons learnt, so we can be more efficient in the future. I look forward to working with Billingtons on future projects. Jacob Spencer Parkin Bid Management Trainee, Wates
