A CONSTRUCTION firm boss says his firm is back on the up after weathering a tricky period in the industry.

Raisco is celebrating a series of successes of late after working on 14 projects in the last six months– totalling 1,800 tonnes of steel which were fabricated at its premises on Aycliffe Business Park.

The firm, founded by Gary Raistrick in 2007, has just completed a 160-tonne project fabricating and erecting the steel frame for Hargreaves Contracting, who are building a new research and development centre for Warburton’s in Bolton.

The world-famous bakery was given the go-ahead in 2017 to build the state-of-the-art facility to test and develop innovative new products, following on from new favourites like the Giant Crumpet and Sandwich Thins.

The new two-story centre will house a large test bakery, a milling room, food stores and staff showers and changing areas, offices and meeting spaces.

Mr Raistrick said: “We’re delighted to have worked on such a high-profile and important project for a world-renowned brand.

“We completed the steelwork package for the project ahead of schedule and within budget, so overall it was an excellent contract win for us.”

Raisco also recently completed a 200-tonne steel project for Ward Recycling’s new plant in Hartlepool.

In the summer it finished a 290-tonne portal shed for AV Dawson, in Middlesbrough, and 100-tonne project for Tolent at Tyne Coast College’s New Build Education Centre, in North Shields.

Mr Raistrick added: “It has been a particularly busy six months for us after we managed to weather what was an unpredictable and volatile market place in the early part of 2018.

“We’ve completed 14 contracts in the last half-year for 12 different contractors up and down the country from Eastbourne on the South coast up to Glasgow in Scotland, so logistically it has been testing.

“But our team have demonstrated their ability to turn projects around with short lead times, wherever the location, and we’re delighted that we’ve delivered on time for all our clients.”

Mr Raistrick, who started his career within the civil engineering sector, now has 30 years’ experience in the construction industry and employs 25 staff at his firm’s 35,000 sq ft site in Newton Aycliffe.

The company's management team boasts more than 200 years' experience in the industry and has grown into one of the country’s leading construction and steel fabrication firms.

It now works with clients up and down the country and has delivered a wide range of fabrication and secondary steelwork projects for major contractors.