On 30 April, Ian Burnett, General Manager of CONSTRUCT, visited Stair Formwork Ltd at their Huntingdon facility, marking an important opportunity to see first-hand the impressive progress of a relatively young but rapidly growing company.
During the visit, Joshua Brown and Gavin Timmins gave Ian a comprehensive tour of the offices and operational areas. The walkthrough provided valuable insight into the company’s day-to-day activities and the systems and processes that underpin its success.
A key highlight of the visit was the working environment. Ian observed a strong commitment to health and safety across the site, with effective measures in place to protect staff from common workplace risks such as fumes, noise, and hand-arm vibration (HAVs). These safeguards demonstrate Stair Formwork’s proactive approach to employee wellbeing and its alignment with industry best practice. Moreover, it was evident that the company had invested into machinery to improve efficiencies, bring control in-house and reduce manual processes-clearly with an eye on growth.
The visit also showcased Stair Formwork’s innovative range of lightweight modular stair formwork systems. These products have been specifically designed to expedite procurement, speed manufacturing, and reduce on-site labour time, while enhancing construction safety and overall build quality. Their solutions offer a simple, robust, yet flexible approach to addressing many of the common challenges encountered in reinforced concrete (RC) frame construction—helping contractors deliver projects more efficiently without compromising on safety or performance.
Despite being established just six years ago, Stair Formwork has quickly built a strong reputation within the sector, with their products and approach gaining increasing recognition across the industry.
The visit underscored the positive impact that well-managed, progressive companies like Stair Formwork are having on the construction industry, combining technical innovation with a clear commitment to workforce wellbeing, setting a strong example for others in the sector to follow.
While this was a very positive visit and the Stair Formwork story is a genuine good news story, discussions also reflected the wider challenges currently facing the construction industry. In particular, the ongoing conflict involving Iran is continuing to drive volatility in global energy markets, with rising fuel costs feeding directly into construction through increased manufacturing, transport, and operational expenses. As a company that supplies stairs to high rise buildings, the point was also made that Stair Formwork Ltd have been critically impacted by the well publicised delays arising from the Building Safety Regulator since Q3 of 2025 and are only now beginning to see their workload increase to normal levels.
A severe reduction in approved projects coming through the Gateway 2 process, followed by disruption to both price and availability of key materials, especially steel, higher energy inputs, and increased shipping costs are all contributing to upward pressure on prices and making for difficult trading. The company is not through all these pressures yet but believes that they have found ways forward whilst minimising impact on their customers.
These ongoing pressures highlight the resilience required across the sector, making the progress and innovation demonstrated by companies like Stair Formwork all the more significant in the current climate.