POLAR CELEBRATES 25TH ANNIVERSARY WITH LARGEST EVER WINDOW CONTRACT – AND IT’S LOCAL!
Middlesbrough specialist window fabricator Polar is installing all the windows at the £80 million St Luke’s Hospital redevelopment in its largest ever contract – and also one of its nearest, being just 10 minutes from Polar’s Skippers Lane factory!
More than 1100 windows will be required for the new build project, taking place close to the original hospital site on Marton Road, which is being redeveloped over three years. The new mental health hospital will be the largest of its type in the North of England, and Polar’s biggest ever single contract, worth £1.7 million to the company.
Polar will be installing windows and external doors at the site between June 2008 and March 2009. There will be a total of 312 beds for patients. The window contract includes a unique anti-ligature window, jointly designed by leading profile supplier Kawneer in conjunction with the Laing O’Rourke design team. Polar has been working with main contractor Laing O’Rourke for three years, and produced prototypes of the specialist windows prior to installation as well as working on other public sector projects.
Polar managing director John Wilson said the contract win was exciting news for the company, and being local, had even more significance:
“All our staff are locally based, and Polar is 25 years old this year, so this win is fantastic news for us. It is a great achievement to have been awarded this contract and we’re looking forward to working on it.”
He stressed that this landmark project would not impact on Polar’s current business, and that its existing customers, many of whom were also local and in the public sector, would continue to receive the same high levels of service from Polar. The company carries out significant numbers of refurbishments and new build projects for schools – over 200 in the last year alone – as well as other public and private sector work in the region.
As the St Luke’s site is so local, transport costs to and from Polar’s factory will be minimised, with less impact on the environment. The company is currently working towards achieving the environmental quality standard ISO 14001 and the occupational health and safety standard BS OHSAS 18001 to add to the already achieved ISO 9001 quality management framework.
Tees, Esk and Wear Valley NHS Trust is responsible for the St Luke’s redevelopment, which forms part of a Trust-wide modernisation programme.
For further information see Polar’s website at www.polarne.co.uk or telephone John Wilson on 01642 440844.
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