Member Article

Yorkshire companies help change Scotland landscape

Two Yorkshire companies are helping change Scotland’s landscape with the structural design, manufacture and installation of ‘The Kelpies’ – two 30-metre high horses heads.

SH Structures, based in Sherburn-In-Elmet, is currently installing the enormous structures and Outokumpu, a Sheffield-based specialist in stainless steel production is supplying 200 tonnes of 316 grade stainless steel that forms the outer skin of the heads.

The Kelpies have been designed by renowned Scottish sculptor, Andy Scott, and will form the centre piece of a major new visitor attraction - the Helix Park in Falkirk. Assembly is underway and is due for completion in the Autumn 2013.

SH Structures was awarded the £5m project earlier his year and has since developed the detail design and using the latest computer software has produced the complex 3d models that enable the two heads to be fabricated, bringing Andy Scott’s original artistic interpretation to life.

Around £600,000 of stainless steel has been produced in Outokumpu’s plants in Tornio, Finland and Avesta in Sweden and then transported to the company’s Sheffield plant for final processing.

The coils, which the steel originally arrives in are cut into sheets and then lasers are used to cut the sheets into a jigsaw style.

Over 1000 individual panels have been produced in the Sheffield plant, ready for fabrication into the Kelpies.

Tim Burton, sales and marketing manager of SH Structures said: “This is an extremely significant project for us as it will put our work firmly on the international map.

“Our team have used a mixture of traditional skills and exciting new technology to help ensure every piece of the Kelpie structures fit together perfectly on site.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Mark Lane .