ISG Strengthens Regional Contracting Brand As South East Office Delivers Strong Financial Performance

ISG is phasing out its Jackson brand as part of a strategic review to position the business as the leading global construction services company delivering the built environment for international and local customers. Operating as ISG Jackson since 2006, the business, which has offices in Ipswich and Tonbridge, will now become ISG’s South East region following the global rebranding initiative, designed to simplify the contractor’s structure and provide enhanced consistency for clients.

This important development for the South East region follows the delivery of a strong set of financial results, whilst sustaining a secured forward order book of £100 million, which gives visibility into 2012/2013. In line with expectations of growth within its core geographic markets, the South East region expects further revenue growth this year.

The flexibility of ISG’s business model has enabled the contractor to deliver a strong performance despite the challenging economic climate. Adapting quickly to the shift from public to private sector work and its diversification strategy into the South, through a regional office in Tonbridge, Kent has enabled ISG to both maintain and grow its market share.

Partnering frameworks continue to provide a consistent and high quality pipeline of opportunities for the business, especially with national Registered Social Landlords (RSLs), which again proved a core sector delivering an impressive volume of work. Admittance to the Suffolk County Council and Hertfordshire County Council frameworks, as well as those for the Essex Health Authority and Orwell Housing, further identifies ISG as a trusted partner that works collaboratively with clients to achieve outstanding results.

Key project highlights over the last financial year include the handover of the £65 million Suffolk One education scheme in Ipswich on time and within budget. The project continues to attract numerous industry accolades and plaudits and most recently has been named as the Best Education Building in the UK at the Local Authority Building Control (LABC) Building Excellence Awards. The contractor has also successfully completed the iconic new Marlowe Theatre building in Canterbury - a £25 million arts venue with a capacity in excess of 1,200 theatre patrons.

ISG also commenced its first ever project for Quantum Care during this period, quickly securing two further schemes with the provider, and again the business took an impressive haul of industry awards, highlighting the quality and sustainability of its projects. Accolades included four RoSPA gold awards, Suffolk Association of Architects and Local Authority Building Control Officers awards, as well as recognition by the Ipswich Society and Civic Trust.

The successful start to the new financial year has meant ISG is now actively looking to recruit high calibre individuals to join the business across all disciplines. The contractor continues to invest in the training and development of its staff and through its Academy programme, the business delivers £150K worth of training per annum, which equates to three and a half training days per staff member.

ISG’s Bernard Clarke, managing director - South East, commented: “The decision to simply our brand was taken following extensive consultation with clients and staff and reflects our continuing influence on the growth of ISG’s global business. As a reflection of the regional importance and heritage of the Jackson name, our head office in Ipswich will continue to be named Jackson House, however the move towards a unified brand, vision and ethos is clearly the future for the business.

“We have worked extremely hard to reorganise and focus the business to the challenges of the prevailing economic conditions and this effort has paid dividends when reviewing the headline financial performance. A key element of our strategy has been the investment in our first regional office outside Ipswich, and our presence within Kent is making a major difference to the geographical scope of the business.

“It is a source of immense pride that throughout the challenges of the previous 12 months, we have continued to invest in our most important asset – our employees. Staff development and training is such a critical component of our success and enables the business to deliver the excellence demanded by our clients. This investment has resulted in our lowest ever reportable site accident rates, which far eclipse the industry standards, and maintenance of our impressive customer satisfaction scores.

“Targeting sustained profitability for the year ahead will see ISG look towards further strengthening our relationships with key clients, securing consistent volumes of work through our expanding range of framework deals and working hard with our supply chain partners to develop innovative solutions that maximise efficiencies for our clients.”

Nick Hann; Tel: 07970 275251; Email: nick.hann@isgplc.com

ISG Plc is an international construction services company delivering fit out, construction and a range of specialist services, with 31 offices worldwide. The company works with owners, developers and occupiers in the public and private sector for an extensive range of industries.  ISG Plc was established in 1989 and has been quoted on AIM since 1998. Today the company has a turnover of around £1.2 billion.

For further information about ISG please visit our website www.isgplc.com