"WERE good at building big things here," says Cleveland Bridge boss Brian Rogan, as he stands in the shadow of one of the massive U-shaped steel sections that will shortly bear the weight of the new Forth Road Bridge.

Mr Rogan's phrase could have been an apt motto for North-East engineering, or emblazoned above the entrance to the Darlington firm that has been building big things since 1877.

The region's industrial history is packed with the names of famous firms that helped to build empires; open up new worlds and spread the industrial revolution. Cleveland Bridge is one of only a handful that survive.

The Victoria Falls Bridge, which meant trains could speed over the Zambesi River, and Istanbuls Bosphorus Bridge, connecting Europe with Asia, are examples of Cleveland Bridge's talent for turning lumps of metal into life-changing infrastructure.

The firm was buffeted by the recession when it shed almost half the 500-strong workforce, and a long-running dispute over its contract on the new Wembley Stadium was a low point for the Yarm Road works, the plain-speaking Mr Rogan admits.

But the company is now on the up thanks to a string of high profile orders, which included the new Forth crossing; 210 bridges for rural outposts in Sri Lanka, and seven contracts linked to the London Crossrail project.

Mr Rogan hints that two more major orders could be on the cards in the coming months, but like most engineering bosses he is taking nothing for granted until they are signed and sealed. 

Crucially, those deals would keep the workforce employed until the industry finally emerges from a protracted slump. 

"Things here are looking brighter but that is more down to us growing our  market share than any major improvement across the sector," explains Mr Rogan, who's been at the firm for 20 years. 

"I am just a custodian in a long line of people who have been in charge here," he continues. "I feel the responsibility to keep the name of Cleveland Bridge alive, but, more than that, I want my legacy to be that when I leave here the company is on a strong footing and in good shape for the future."

As he speaks, Mark Jennings fires up a welding torch and a Catherine Wheel of sparks dance over the metalwork. Mark and his colleagues are living proof that, contrary to rumour, there is a future for North-East engineering.

"Our reputation is built upon the quality of our people," adds Mr Rogan
"A big part of what we are about is a commitment to apprentices. Even during the tough times we never wavered in our belief that you have to invest in training the next generation.

"Every year we take-on between 12-20 apprentices. When you think of how long this company has been going there cant be many that have produced more than us.

"That, as much as the bridges weve made and the prestigious projects we are involved in, is something we can be really proud of."

It comes as no surprise that work for Crossrail - Europe's largest construction project - was high on Cleveland Bridge's hit list of must-win deals. Any contractor worth its salt wants a piece of a £14.8bn project that will support an estimated 55,000 jobs during six years of building.

The main feature of the scheme is the construction of 42 km of new tunnels that are being dug beneath Londons streets. The huge tunnel boring machines shifting 4.5 million tonnes of muck and rock have been named after powerful women, including computer scientist Ada Lovelace, Olympian Jessica Ennis and Queens Victoria and Elizabeth II.

The excavated material will be shipped to Wallasea Island in Essex where it will be used to create a new RSPB nature reserve. Developers are keen to highlight Crossrail's ethical credentials, although Andrew Wolstenholme, Crossrail chief executive, admitted during a visit to the region this month that problems such as workers operating on zero hours contracts continue to plague the industry.

Crossrail is aimed at improving access to the capital for commuters and visitors. But the man heading the scheme bristles when its suggested that - following London 2012 - Crossrail is another South-Eastern vanity scheme that will do nothing for regions such as the North-East.    

''To say this is a London-centric construction project would be a gross misrepresentation of something that is of benefit to the UK economy," said Mr Wolstenholme, during a visit to Cleveland Bridge this month which was part of a drive to get more North-East firms involved in the flagship scheme.
"We are employing workers from all over the country.

"The North-East has a world-class reputation for engineering excellence and I have seen at first hand how Cleveland Bridge is ensuring that proud tradition is alive and well.

''It makes perfect sense for this region to play a major role in Crossrail."
Mr Wolstenholme said three out of five Crossrail contracts had been handed to regional firms.

But only 25 have been won by North-East suppliers and developers are determined to get more on board as the project moves into the peak construction phase over the next two years and thousands of contracts are up for grabs. 

Among the North-East firms that have won work on Crossrail are Seaham-based borehole drilling company Drillcorp; crane supplier Mammoet, based in Billingham, near Stockton; Gateshead's Goodall, Bates and Todd, which supplied engineering lubricants; sewage waste removal specialists Conder Solutions, in Peterlee, and Washington's Sitelink Communications, a supplier of two-way radios.

Mr Rogan says: "It's been good for us and it can benefit the region as a whole. Being involved in Crossrail has been a feather in our cap and we hope to get more work from it.

"Cleveland Bridge has a history of being involved in big, landmark projects so Crossrail is exactly the type of thing we are suited to," he adds.
More big things could be on the horizon for the makers of big things.