HW Martin Group of companies

Successfully delivering specialist public and private works contracts for 40 years.

A trained and certificated workforce of over 1,000 delivers works and support services from design, through to build and onward maintenance for the transport and waste recycling infrastructure of the UK. With 16 substantial operations centres from Devon to Durham and from Kent to North Lanarkshire and from our head office facility in Derbyshire, we provide a truly national coverage.

The Martin Group work in partnership with our clients to self- deliver integrated, valued and sustainable solutions. Our major clients include:

• Highways England
• Network Rail
• HS2 Ltd
• Local Authorities
• Major contractors
• Utilities

Our History

Successfully delivering to our client’s needs for over 40 years

From the very first local fencing contracts of the early 1970’s to the multi discipline national contracts of today is a journey throughout which we have always strived to exceed our clients expectations.

The beginning

The business began in 1972 from Harold Martin’s home in the small village of Brinsley, Nottinghamshire with himself and a few men carrying out commercial fencing for local civil engineering contractors and local district councils. In 1976 H W Martin (Fencing Contractors) Limited was incorporated.

In 1979 the Company was awarded a five year contract with the National Coal Board for the restoration of fencing and ditches covering Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Cumbria and Northumbria. So began an 18 year relationship with the N.C.B. and later British Coal and the Coal Authority which was also to extend to South Wales.

Company expansion required the formation of a second company; H W Martin (Plant) Limited in 1980 to service the plant and vehicle demands of the fencing operation and also, in 1986, for a move to larger premises at the former bus garages at Underwood, Nottinghamshire.

Into the highways sector

The 1980’s saw a growing demand for motorway and trunk road safety barrier. Significant contracts for major construction companies led to the formation of H W Martin Safety Fencing Limited in 1987.

Carrying out safety barrier works required traffic management facilities and it was therefore a natural progression to carry out these works ourselves leading to the incorporation of H W Martin (Traffic Management) Limited in 1988 and the purchase of additional operational premises at Underwood in 1989.

A decade of expansion

The 1990’s saw the Martin Group (under the parent company of H W Martin Holdings Limited) continue to grow in all sectors.

Significant fencing contracts were successfully procured with Network Rail whom continue to be a major client today.

Demand for our safety fencing and traffic management services drove growth with contra flow and other traffic systems works being carried out on the country’s biggest road schemes.

The expansion of our activities demanded investment in greater infrastructure and in 1995 the Martin Group relocated to a 13 acre site adjacent to the M1 Junction 28 at Blackwell, Derbyshire.

Diversification into waste and recycling

In addition to providing plant and vehicle services and constructing specialist vehicles for the other companies within the Group, H W Martin (Plant) Limited also began providing services to external clients, including some haulage of waste and recyclable materials.

A significant contract was procured to provide the haulage and some waste facility management in South Yorkshire in 1999 and H W Martin Waste Limited was born.

Investment in the vehicle and container fleet and management structure of the waste recycling company facilitated further long term contracts, particularly in the management of household waste recycling centres, direct with local authorities in this expanding industry sector.

A national organisation

In 2007 a recyclable materials contract was successfully procured with Leeds City Council, 60,000 sq. ft. premises were purchased and a materials recycling facility built within 9 months to mark our entrance into this sphere of the waste recycling sector. This was shortly followed by kerbside collection contracts and investment in a refuse collections vehicle fleet and the purchase of a further 66,000 sq. ft. recycling facility close to Head Office at Alfreton, Derbyshire.

Opportunities in traffic management and the logistical demands of operating in the south east of England lead to the acquisition of Amber Langis Limited, a company based near Sevenoaks, in 2008. Originally a hire and contract specialist in urban traffic management, Amber was used as spring board to provide the infrastructure to support our growing south east traffic management operation whilst retaining Ambers existing activities.

Meanwhile the continued success of the original fencing company and the demand for security fencing products lead to our interest in William Bain Fencing Limited, a company which can trace its roots back over 100 years, in the manufacture of quality security steel fencing products. The acquisition of William Bain was successfully achieved in 2010 marking our entry into Scotland and confirming the Martin Group as a truly national organisation.

Sustained Growth

In 2011 an opportunity arose in the North East of England to acquire the trade waste collections business of a local authority owned company. A successful competitive procurement process resulted in the formation of Premier Waste Recycling Limited, a customer base of in excess of 2,500 and a 6 acre site with over 100,000 sq. ft. of warehousing at Washington, County Durham.

Elsewhere the increased demand of the highways industry for high standard traffic management works drove significant growth with regional bases set up at Winchester (in 2009) and Bristol (in 2011). The acquisitions of the trade and assets of Roadservices (in 2014) and Westcountry Road Management (in 2015) continued that drive providing further regional bases at Peterborough and Plymouth and established the Company as the leading traffic management provider in the country.

Vehicle transport engineering

In 2016, continuing our policy of self-sufficiency and delivery and our desire to enter new markets; we acquired the King Vehicle Engineering Group of companies. A key supplier of specialist highway vehicles to the Martin Group, King provides skills to design and build innovative transport engineering solutions for our key activities and also provides established access to defence, nuclear and other energy markets.

Today

Through organic, self- financed growth the Martin Group of today is an organisation able to deliver a broad portfolio of works from an established national infrastructure and skills base.

We recognise our strengths of today have been built upon over 40 years of effort and experience.

We will continue to strive to achieve.