Millcroft's Construction Division has delivered specialist building services across large-scale industrial facilities for over five decades. We have carved a niche, working within live environments, ensuring critical day-to-day operations continue without disruption.
The complexities of industrial construction
Industrial construction projects involve high-risk environments with teams working around heavy machinery, active piping, live substations, and high-voltage equipment. Any minute of downtime can lead to serious operational and financial consequences. Therefore, experience, meticulous planning, and a thorough understanding of industrial processes are crucial.
Our Construction Division is skilled at managing complex projects, ensuring they are completed on time, and strictly follow health and safety protocols.
The risks in live environments are similar to those in most construction projects. They include falls from height and falling objects, chemical exposure, fire, electrical hazards, noise exposure, heavy machinery and moving vehicles. We mitigate risks by carefully planning each activity and segregating the work. Consistent communication, coordination and cooperation with all relevant parties are central to ensuring safety throughout the construction phases.
How we minimise disruption
What sets Millcroft apart is our comprehensive understanding that industrial facilities cannot simply shut down for construction work. Before any work begins, our teams take the time to understand the site's operational requirements fully. This allows us to develop tailored strategies that minimise disruption, such as scheduling work during off-peak hours, implementing phased work and maintaining clear lines of communication with site personnel.
Our specialist team does much of the work. However, we also have a trusted network of partners, including our own scaffolding division and structural steel contractors, who help ensure projects run smoothly and efficiently when needed.
Accreditations and specialist training enable Millcroft to operate safely in high-risk areas, ensuring compliance with all industry regulations. All site teams are trained to industry standards, typically holding qualifications such the Construction Skills Certified Scheme (CSCS), the Construction Plant Competence Scheme (CPCS), Site Management Safety Training Scheme(SMSTS) and Site Supervisor Safety Scheme (SSSTS) training. Risk-specific training includes first aid, confined space, manual handling, asbestos awareness and face fit.
Our clients will also have specific inductions and permit to work systems at their industrial locations that require client in-house training such as Persons in Charge of Works (PICW), particularly where hot works, chemical processes or ATEX (atmospheric explosive) are involved.
At the management level, many of our team members hold advanced certifications, including the CSCS Black Card, the NEBOSH Construction Certificate, the IOSH Managing Safely, the Temporary Works Coordinator, and NVQs in Construction Contracting up to Level 7.
This comprehensive approach ensures Millcroft keeps full compliance with regulatory standards and maintains a safe and competent environment across all projects.
Key services and capabilities
Millcroft's Construction Division provides diverse services tailored to industrial construction projects' unique demands. These include:
- Structural works - constructing concrete turbine tables, weighbridges and foundations for heavy plant machinery
- Groundworks and excavations – drainage, curbs, piling and site preparation
- Full refurbishments – transforming outdated facilities into modern office spaces, canteens, and private meeting areas through our turnkey fit-out solutions
- Virtual reality – video walkthrough and floor plans of proposed refurbishments to visualise the potential of spaces
- Live substation projects – extending and refurbishing high-voltage substations while ensuring continued operations
- Liquid waterproofing – we are approved installers of Axter Starcoat® PMMA cold applied liquid waterproofing.
Spotlight on recent projects
Our Construction Division's portfolio showcases our extensive capabilities in working on complex industrial projects. These include new construction, renovation, small refurbishment work and reactive maintenance.
Substation extension project
One of our most complex recent projects involved extending a substation in a steel-frame clad building with all the associated groundworks. We built a new building around the live, high-voltage substation without disrupting the existing electrical infrastructure. Once the new building was watertight and signed off, we demolished the arm substation to allow cables to be reconnected and new equipment installed in the new building.
Turbine table construction
Another notable project involved the construction of a 30ft high concrete turbine table to support a biomass boiler turbine. The work was carried out in a highly complex environment, with live pipework above and below the construction site. The team had to manage tight time constraints and precisely position around 65 penetrations within the concrete base. Our trusted steel contractors constructed the structural framework, with scaffolding provided by Millcroft's scaffolding division.
As well as our continuous reactive infrastructure maintenance works, we have secured a few larger up-and-coming projects involving the design and installation of steelwork, insulated fire-rated cladding panels and full office fit-outs.
Why Millcroft is the partner of choice
Industrial facilities require a construction partner who can deliver complex projects safely, efficiently and on schedule. And that's where Millcroft's Construction Division comes in.
Our ability to work within operationally sensitive environments has made us the go-to partner for major industrial clients. This has resulted in long-standing partnerships with leading industrial companies like Tate & Lyle, Procter & Gamble, Johnson and Matthey spanning some 35 years.
