The sustained success of its civil engineering business has seen Robertson Group continue to diversify into new sectors such as flood alleviation, bridge construction and marine work.

Robertson Civil Engineering, which was established in November 2012, has completed a number of major contracts including the £7 million Halbeath Park and Ride project, a £4m Legacy 2014 land remediation scheme at Cuningar Loop and, most recently, the first flood alleviation project in the group’s history.

In the last year alone the Civil Engineering business has doubled its turnover and trebled its staff numbers, bringing together a highly experienced team with a wealth of practical knowledge across a variety of sectors.

The most recent additions are two graduates who were retained following the successful completion of an internship programme last year. The company is also looking to make further appointments to several key areas of the business, further adding to the extensive skill base within the company. In addition it has commenced the employment of a directly employed workforce, which was recently supplemented by the recruitment of its first modern apprentice.

Tony Fry, a civil engineer, joined as managing director of Robertson Civil Engineering in January 2014 to develop the business into an operating civil engineering unit with the capability to provide a quality service throughout Scotland and the North of England. He says the business, which has recently joined CECA (Scotland), is in a strong position after completing the second year of its five-year growth strategy.

He said: “Although we are a relatively new business, in a short space of time we have been able to build an exceptional team with a wealth of experience in sectors that are new to the wider Robertson Group. The depth and breadth of practical knowledge present within our civils business means we have the capability to undertake a diverse range of heavy civil engineering contracts. This is reflected in the number and variety of projects we have recently won. Our challenge is making the wider industry aware of this new capability within the Robertson Group.”

Current projects include the construction of a new substation and HV ring main within RAF Lossiemouth, a contract that involved extensive directional drilling beneath operational runways and taxiways; a major urban regeneration project in Pennywell, Edinburgh; the construction of a new pedestrian footbridge across the River Clyde; and a bulk earthworks and coastal protection scheme in Fife.

The company will launch an ICE-accredited graduate training scheme later this year and intends to take on a number of modern apprentices to encourage young people into the industry, which is on the cusp, he says, of a major skills shortage.