The construction industry is celebrating a particularly happy new year, following news in the Autumn statement that the government will be investing heavily in housing and infrastructure. George Osborne’s plans include introducing the largest affordable house-building programme in more than 30 years, and doubling the housing budget to £2bn a year. Capital spending at the Department for Transport is set to increase by 50% to £61 billion, and will see construction begin on significant infrastructure projects such as HS2, Transport for the North and the scheme to electrify the railways.
Opti-cal Survey Equipment Ltd provides land survey and precision measurement technologies, which are widely used by the construction industry at the initial stages of projects and developments. As a result, sales and demand for equipment at Opti-cal often provide a strong indication of the health of the market in the months to follow. According to Jim Warner, Director at Opti-cal, 2016 is set to be a bumper year for the sector:
“We noticed business really picking up towards the end of 2014, and have continued to see an increase in sales since then. Last year was extremely busy, but this year already looks to be even stronger. Many construction companies are already fully booked up with projects until well into 2017.
“The sheer number of major infrastructure projects underway at the moment, such as Crossrail and the Thames Tideway, are keeping the largest organisations busy, leaving plenty of medium-sized contracts for the smaller organisations to pick up. The positive knock-on effect is being felt throughout the entire sector.”
Jim is finding that the number of Opti-cal customers choosing to finance through Ignition is increasing too:
“We offer a great three year deal in partnership with Ignition which includes warranty, servicing, support and training. It’s proving particularly popular with our customers as the rate is very competitive, and it provides reassurance that the equipment will continue to benefit their business in the long-term.”
