Following two years on the Media City site, building services contractor, Hirst & Danson Mechanical & Electrical Services, which employs two thirds of its workforce in Greater Manchester, has ripped up its site boards and rebranded the company as ‘Ameon’ as it seeks to focus attention on its flourishing renewable technologies business.
Based in Blackpool, Lancashire, but recruiting most of its skilled workforce from Manchester, Ameon has around 100 permanent management and staff engaged on the Media City site as part of its £7.5 million, two and a half year contract to design and install all services systems in 400 residential apartments on the prestigious Salford Quays project.
In its new guise of Ameon, the company has also been awarded the £1.1 Million contract for building services engineering works as part of construction giant ISG’s major refurbishment of Manchester Crown Courts. And, once work on Media City is completed, many of Ameon’s Manchester based workforce will move to Rochdale College’s new five-storey teaching and theatre facility, to work on the £1.86 Million installation of mechanical services in the 8,000sq metre building. The presence in Manchester has also been further enhanced with involvement in the striking Peninsula development in the Northern Gateway, in a contract worth in excess of £600k, and by newly launched sister company, Ameon Utilities’ completion of a £0.75 Million contract to install mains electricity, and design and construct a new substation at Lancashire County Cricket Club’s Old Trafford ground.
The company, formed in 1996, is projecting a turnover of £20 million for 2010 and a 100% year on year growth of its renewable technologies business alone, which involves the design, building and installation of everything from wind turbines and solar energy systems for electricity generation, to ground and air source heating systems, and waste water recycling plants for public sector and private construction projects of all sizes. Within five years the renewable technology element of the business is expected to help turnover rise to £30 Million.
Ameon’s links with Manchester could be strengthened further as the company grows, with more staff being recruited from the City. Commented managing director, Robin Lawson: “Although based in Lancashire, at new premises close to the M55, we are a major contributor to the Manchester economy, because most of our permanent staff has been drawn from, and still lives in the area, which we’ve found to be the richest resource pool for skilled technicians and engineers in the region. We currently employ around 150 permanent staff, with at least two thirds of those employed in the Manchester area, and this figure is likely to increase exponentially as we develop our renewable technologies expertise and recruit to meet demand.
“Under our old name we were recognized across the North West as one of the leading building services operations, but we are arguably the first contractor of our kind to have in-house low-carbon technology facilities, so decided a new name was essential to avoid being stereotyped as just another building services contractor. I’m sure the Ameon brand will become established in the area very quickly due to the increase in business derived from the Greater Manchester area.”
Originally released: 03/03/10
For more information please visit the Ameon website at: http://ameon.co.uk
