Member Article

Sheffield steel firm secures Brazilian contract

A Brazilian deal to supply the structural steel components for the FIFA 2014 Football World Cup stadium has been won by Sheffield-based Daver Steels, during the renovation process of the structure ahead of the forthcoming tournament.

The South Yorkshire firm won a €150,000 contract to provide 1,500 tension tie rod systems which will be integral to the Brazilian World Cup stadium’s structural stability.

Export funding from Yorkshire Bank enabled the £4m turnover-a-year firm to secure the deal through Italian structural steel business, Cimolai.

The company has been running for 16 years, and has a current workforce of 28 staff working with business development manager, Marco Calvello, who has driven exports for the firm.

John Pritchard, managing director of Daver Steels, commented: “This is a welcome order for us. We won against tough global competition because we were able to change designs and manufacture very quickly.

“The order helps secure jobs at our company and also among our local suppliers. Although we operate internationally, this is our first contract in Brazil and we are hopeful of more, including for other stadia being refurbished for this tournament.

“The domestic market has been quieter for the last few years which led us to step up our export initiatives to compensate.

“The provision of export funding from Yorkshire Bank allows us to compete for larger export orders by being able to research potential customers and provide credit insurance.”

Steve Wicks, Yorkshire Bank commercial banking relationship manager, said: “This order shows that, as well as Sheffield having world-beating athletes, the city also has world-beating specialist manufacturers which can help deliver global sporting events.

“Exporting is an important way forward for UK businesses and we’re pleased to support a high-quality manufacturer such as Daver Steels”

Recent contracts also won by the business include a deal to supply a trio of New York buildings with components in Madison Square Gardens, The New York Times building and Columbia University, as well as an agreement to provide the Nelson Mandela Stadium for the last World Cup in South Africa, and two large bridge projects in Spain.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Miranda Dobson .