.png)
A Dudley company that specialises in drilling holes hundreds of metres deep into the ground to help stabilise land for development is celebrating moving into new ‘green’ premises as part of a £3 million investment.
.png)
M & J Drilling Services works on drilling contracts around the UK including the investigation and stabilisation of mineshafts and installation of geothermal heating systems.
The company owns more than 25 drilling rigs, capable of boring up to 300 metres into the ground in order investigate whether land is safe for building.
If land is unstable, M & J Drilling can also infill, stabilise or treat any voids or tunnels.
Turning over almost £8 million last year, the company has now moved into a new custom-fitted base on the Coneygree Industrial Estate having previously been located on Holloway Street in Gornal.
The new base includes specially-drilled geothermal heating loops which use sustainable energy to heat or cool the building.
It will be the HQ for the 54 staff employed by the company which includes engineers, geologists and surveyors.
Les Nichol, Managing Director of M&J Drilling, said the new base was a sign of the company’s commitment to ongoing success.
He said: “Our previous base did not reflect the standards we set as a company so the decision was made to make this investment into the high-quality base we have now.
“When the company was founded in 1982 by Maitland Woods and Joe Harper, the main focus was on investigating and stabilising mine workings and mineshafts in the South Staffordshire Coalfield.
“The Black Country in particular has been left with a legacy of mineshafts which can cause real problems if brownfield sites are being developed.
“As the years have gone on, drilling has become far more sophisticated as more land is developed and the company has had to move with the times and expand nationally.
“We now work right across the UK ranging from householders who need a couple of boreholes prior to building an extension to their home right through to national house builders, local authorities and major civil engineering contractors.
“In a way, this is an industry that has developed as a result of our industrial history, using very specialist and high-tech methods to overcome a traditional challenge.”
Large scale clients include Dudley, Wolverhampton and Walsall councils, Advantage West Midlands, the Coal Authority, Wrekin Construction, St Modwen Developments and numerous housing developers such as Taylor Wimpey Homes, Bloor Homes and Persimmon.
Major projects the company has been involved with include the Bilston Urban Village Development and the stabilisation of the rock salt mines beneath Northwich in Cheshire which involved the infilling of four mines over three years, including the treatment of ten mineshafts.
View UK Drilling Contractors on The Construction Index
Got a story? Email news@theconstructionindex.co.uk
