19 Construction and Engineering Awards 2021 BUILD he potential of tensile structures has not really been discovered in the UK. While popular around the world, these construction projects have often seen subjected to low quality construction techniques using low-grade materials. TCP has made an enormous effort to change the record on this, using skills honed through projects in the Middle East, America and Central Europe to present the UK market with an entirely new face for this part of the construction industry. TCP are the only people who can offer the comprehensive services that go into the construction of their products, designing, manufacturing and constructing their own tensile structures. These often inflated tensile membrane structures can be held up purely by air pressure, offering major advantages when compared to other constructs. The team have the exclusive distribution rights to some of the highest quality materials which means they can offer the best structure at the lowest possible cost. The nature of bespoke tensile structural designs means that it can easily be adapted to suit the individual needs of the client, regardless of the size or shape that a project must undertake. The team at TCP have become renowned for being able to offer true flexibility across the board in this regard. Since moving into the UK marketplace, the firm has built up a talented staff of sixty-four team members. Each is committed to ensuring that their clients are always satisfied, with a comprehensive after-sales package so that no detail is overlooked. With a desire to offer the lowest price, the longest warranties on the market and the best service possible, TCP is even confident enough to offer clients monies back if they are beaten by a competitor. To ensure these high standards, the team consists of some of the highest paid designers in the market, their pay justified by their unique and unrivalled track records of being responsible for some of the worlds most iconic tensile structures. As a result, it is easy to see how TCP’s work has recently gained ISO 9001 and 14001 accreditations. Since opening its doors, TCP has seen continual investment to stay on top of the direction taken by this new membrane technology, and how it can be applied to the specific needs of the client. Much of the firm’s profits are pumped directly back into maintaining their front-runner position. The research and development team, for example, has secured regular investment of over £250,000 a year, a number which has only dropped because TCP is so far ahead of the competition. As the team reduces its development investment, they have moved to improve the impressive range of services they can offer. Currently, the team are exploring the possibilities of increasing the size of their service or even the use of new and exciting materials. Instead of squeezing out as much profit as possible, the team at TCP are aiming to build a business that is simply unmatched within the marketplace. As a result of the firm’s innovative designs, they have been able to work with some of the biggest corporate partners in the world. Often, the firm has taken on projects with the sporting sector, and this makes up around 60% of the business. This includes many football clubs, such as Hull City, Glasgow Rangers, Watford to name but a few as well as major players across Europe, the US, Asia and the Middle East. To ensure the tensile structures meet the highest standards in other sporting endeavours, the TCP team have liaised with LTA, the British governing body for tennis and the English Federation of Disabled Sport. This work with the EFDS is held very closely to the team’s heart as it could open the door to high-quality sporting opportunities for T groups that might not normally feel they’re able to access such venues. Instead of being a business transaction, the success of TCP has allowed them to expand into various community projects, connecting people around the country with sport. These projects are self-funded but completed to the high standards that is synonymous with TCP. The team’s knowledge of the sector means that it sees the value of sport to all and is aware of the importance of making it accessible to all. While many in the construction industry are worried about the impact of Brexit, the desire for TCP has always been to keep everything they do British. All their structures are designed manufactured and engineered within the UK, maximising local labour and businesses wherever possible. This means that the increasing costs of importing materials will make no real difference to the financial and operational activities of the team, and there is significantly less disconnect between the various parts of the company. The challenge, as ever, is not to adapt these rapidly changing events, but to continue to explore ways of remaining at the forefront of the industry. That said, the UK presents its own unique challenges to businesses. For TCP, their difficulties come from the UK tender process, which is not geared towards getting the best products at the best price. This means that large general contractors, household names in many cases, can tick all the boxes in the tender process while having no discernible expertise in this specialist sector. Often when TCP are finally brought in, they spend time correcting other people’s mistakes. It’s a cultural issue at the heart of the UK’s approach to business and one which must change soon. The world of tensile structures is one that many will not have considered, but it is clear that this type of structure offer a uniquely beneficial experience in the majority of cases. TCP stands apart for its incredibly high quality of construction, creating a future for itself that is incredibly bright. The team have built a strong base of interest in what they do, across the sporting industry and beyond. It’s what has led to such success with the team from BUILD, and is certain to lead to further impressive achievements in the months and years to come. Company: The Construction Project. Name: Paul Barthorpe Email:
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