Celebrating 100 years at Bentley Works

From humble beginnings in the 1920s, the manufacturing, engineering and maintenance teams today provide world-class services and specialist steelworks for export globally.

In total, 160 employees are based at Skanska’s Deep Green Bentley Works site in Doncaster, with 90 percent living within a five-mile radius.

Two days of activities were held to mark the centenary, on 23/24 September. On the Friday, customers, suppliers and partners were invited to tour the factory and meet the team, with Saturday a day for employees and their families to celebrate together. The day included site tours, a climbing wall and bouncy castle, arcade games and live entertainment.

“It’s been a fantastic couple of days during which we have been able to celebrate this amazing milestone together,” said Terry Muckian, Managing Director, Cementation Skanska. “Who would have thought 100 years ago that today we’d be operating on a 7.5 hectare site with 5,000 sqm of workshops developed to the highest environmental standards.

“We’re really proud of our long-standing heritage. We have a fantastic team here, which includes loyal people who have been with us for decades as well as our trainees, apprentices and graduates – many coming from local schools and colleges. It’s great that we can provide these opportunities, leading to really exciting careers.”

World-class servicesToday, Bentley Works is home to a multi-skilled team of mechanical and civil engineers. Their expertise includes production design, fabrication, welding, electrical engineering, hydraulics and computer numerical control machining. This latter specialism involves the use of computer-controlled equipment to create items directly from 3D plans. The office is also a key hub for Skanska’s Finance team.

Green facilitiesThe redevelopment of Bentley Works in 2015 transformed the offices and workshops into green facilities, meaning they have a near zero impact on the environment. Features include natural lighting and cooling, solar panels that generate energy and a dual-fuel heating system that uses biomass and waste oil from machinery, reducing the workshop’s energy usage by 40% and the office accommodation usage by 25%.