Happy 25th birthday to VolkerLaser
On Sunday 5 May 2019, VolkerLaser will be celebrating its 25th birthday.
Laser Special Projects was formed in 1994 by Mike Weaver as part of the Laser Civil Engineering group and quickly became a company in its own right in 1999.
The business continued to go from strength to strength, being acquired by VolkerWessels in 2005 and rebranded as VolkerLaser in 2009 under the umbrella of VolkerWessels UK.
As a specialist business, VolkerLaser has become one the UK’s leading multi-functional contractors over the last 25 years, offering a wide range of services including waterproofing, strengthening, concrete repair, expansion joint repair and replacement as well as bridge bearing replacement and associated temporary works.
Having secured a number of award-winning projects over the years, VolkerLaser teams can attest to having worked on some of the most prestigious sites across the UK, including Reading Bridge, King George Docks, University of East Anglia, Queensferry Crossing and Port of Dover, with the last year seeing the company working on Britain’s largest ever concrete repair project at the M5 Oldbury Viaduct.
With a host of in-house specialists and professionals, VolkerLaser is held in high regard across a number of sectors within the industry and are able to provide their range of services either as a main contractor or a sub-contractor, being flexible enough to cover the whole of the UK whether this means working on a multi-million pound framework or engaging in minor works. Providing a specialist arm to the VolkerWessels UK group, VolkerLaser regularly collaborates with internal business units, bringing vital knowledge and experience to a range of projects.
People are very much at the heart of the VolkerLaser business with over 35 members of staff having been with the company for 10 years or longer. Managing director, Mike Weaver, believes it is the people and the company’s investment in them which has enabled the business to grow so successfully over the last 25 years.
With a turnover of over £45 million last year, 2019 is set to be a record-breaking year for the company as it expands into new markets, bringing a revolutionary bridge access system exclusively to the UK market.
Reflecting on the last 25 years, Mike Weaver said: “From humble beginnings with one blast pot, a hired van and two loyal lads, we have become by far the biggest, most profitable and diverse specialist in our field.
"2005 was a milestone in our journey when the business joined VolkerWessels UK, becoming VolkerLaser. This was the right thing for the future of the business and is fundamental to our future success as a market leader in the industry.”