SWH Ltd wins Devon County Council’s highways maintenance contract - Wednesday 05 September 2007
The five-year competitive tender contracts to maintain the county’s extensive 7,900-mile road network and 4,000 bridges -- one of the largest of any county in England -- and to maintain highways vehicles, also have a five-year extension option subject to satisfactory performance.
With some 650 staff, 400 plus vehicles, five business units, 10 divisions and two satellite offices, Rockbeare-based SWH Ltd is one of the region’s top performing and largest roads and civil engineering contractors.
Boasting a growing client base in Devon, the firm also operates right across the South West in Cornwall, Dorset and Somerset.
Formerly known as South West Highways, the fast-expanding East Devon-based firm celebrated its tenth anniversary in 2005, having posted increased trading results for the last five years.
With another 150 people working full-time for its subcontractors, SWH, is now a major employer. Recently ranked 32nd out of the Top 150 companies in the West Country, annual turnover was some £67 million in 2005.
SWH not only maintains and improves the road links at the heart of the region, but also keeps some of its biggest commercial fleets running, builds accommodation for new businesses, and provides training for hundreds of sole traders and small companies.
SWH Ltd Managing Director Ben Pyle comments: “Winning these important contracts today is really great news for SWH and our dedicated work-force in the West Country. We’ve worked hard to remain competitive and our quality has clearly shone through too.
“For over a decade, SWH’s workers have been responsible for looking after the Devon County Council road network as well as salting the roads in the winter, plus repairing a fleet of lorries and gritters used in the work. I’m obviously delighted that this work will be continuing in our hands.
“We always aim for continual improvements in levels of service and every time the bar is raised higher, SWH has responded positively by providing a value for money and top quality service.
“As a firm, we celebrated a major milestone in 2005 with our tenth birthday. Now, with steady growth in all sectors of our client work, we are looking forward to the future with growing confidence.
“But we only achieved this thanks to the quality of our staff and their commitment to doing the job right, on time and on budget. I see SWH going from strength to strength in the future and with our roots firmly planted in the West Country.”