One of Gormley’s two new works, a standing figure is almost four meters tall while the other is an interpretation of a reclining figure. Both were part of the artist’s latest exhibition at White Cube Gallery in London, before being acquired by a collector.

Watson Towers normally provides a range of steel plates, beams and profiled steel components for the construction, oil and gas, and nuclear industries.

This is their first foray into the arts world and involved supplying almost fifty individually sized blocks made from140mm thick weathering steel.

Fraser Towers, director of Watson Towers Ltd said: “We are immensely proud of our association with Antony Gormley. It was a pleasure and an honour to work with him and his team

“We were delighted that we were able to provide the grade of steel required and that we have the level of technical expertise to provide the parts for such a specially designed piece.

“The standing sculpture was 4m in height and was machined to very tight tolerances and assembled using hardened pins, also manufactured at our factory in Coatbridge”

Antony Gormley said: “It has been a pleasure to welcome Watson Towers as part of our family of suppliers.

“One of my challenges when planning an exhibition is to make a show that allows forms and materials to work on us, releasing us from any expectations of what sculpture is, and how it might act on us.

“In this context it was good to have a reliable supplier of industrially cut steel plate to add a new dimension to the range of materials that helped achieve that objective.”

Watson Towers and their construction arm Cairnhill Structures, played a key role in the re-opening of the Forth Bridge just over a year ago when they produced steel plates which were used to repair the cracked truss ends that closed the bridge for three weeks in the run up to Christmas.