Kilmac plans to add 30 jobs

The increase in staff numbers comes is giving a boost to the company, which had been forced to announce 10 redundancies late last year after unexpected delays in the award of multiple construction contracts.

Group director Athole McDonald and fellow director Richard Kilcullen anticipate creating up to 30 new jobs when an £8m deal to carry out the groundworks on the new Madras College in St Andrews is signed off in the next few weeks. “This promises to be the biggest job we have ever handled and will also provide security for the existing workforce in the longer term,” said McDonald.

McDonald said that a record £20m annual turnover now projected for the Kilmac construction arm. In addition, a lucrative joint venture is providing a cash injection to its development arm. “There is a real air of positivity within our company following the joint venture agreement we recently struck with Muirhall Energy to deliver the £50 million Glen Ullinish wind farm project on the Isle of Skye,” he said. “We have been working towards this for eight years. It has the potential to become one of the most productive onshore wind projects in the UK and one the country’s first subsidy free onshore wind projects.

“A four-year grid connection delay had tied-up our initial seven-figure investment but now, with partners Muirhall Energy, we are planning to use our mutual strengths and complementary skills sets to deliver the project in 2023.

“This deal guarantees the financial security to deliver a route to market for the Glen Ullinish project in a post-subsidy era and provides stability for the Kilmac group in what are still uncertain times for the wider construction industry.”

McDonald said that Kilmac, which employs around 100 staff from its Perth and Dundee offices, has looked beyond its traditional Tayside hunting ground to secure new business opportunities. “We have picked up strongly after the traditional Christmas seasonal lull,” he said. “We have been moving beyond what had been our traditional geographic area, expanding our horizons and forging new relationships.”

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