The firm revealed the planned expansion at its Shafton works in Barnsley as it reported another strong performance in the first half of the year following on from a record previous year.

The expansion plan will help to accommodate the extra handling needs of the recently acquired bridge and architectural specialist SH Structures.

Mark Smith, chief executive officer, said the firm was also seeing previously stalled projects returning to the market after the steep fall in steel prices to pre-Covid levels.

Billington has secured a record order book spanning multiple market sectors and a positive pipeline of opportunities extending out to 2026.

He said: “The first half of 2024 saw Billington continue to deliver a resilient performance across all its business units.

“The group has been successful in securing a number of significant contracts, with further opportunities expected to be realised in the short term, providing confidence for the delivery of a strong performance in the second half of 2024 and in 2025.

“I believe the economic environment has begun to stabilise following a challenging period and indications are for the industry to return to regular, steady growth, allowing the group to look forward to the remainder of 2024 and 2025 with optimism and positivity.”

Revenue remained stable in the first half to June at £58m with pre-tax profit marginally ahead on the prior period at £4.6m.  This helped to double cash to £22m.

Smith added: “While we remain mindful of the continuing challenging macroeconomic environment and subdued market this year, we have increased our share of the market.

“The economic outlook, moving into 2025, is starting to show signs of optimism, with the current downward trajectory of interest rates expected to continue and industry consumption forecast to return to regular growth.”