The firm worked for Sainsbury’s as a preferred tier one contractor, and Tesco and Waitrose delivering projects worth up to £18m.

Turnover at the group peaked at £92m in 2011, but tight trading saw the firm make a pre-tax loss of £147,000 that year.

Company directors told the Enquirer they decided to close the business because margins were being increasingly depressed by clients.

The closure of the company saw instant jobs losses among the 43-strong workforce. The exact number will be determined when the administrators are appointed.

The aluminium operation of S Dudley & Sons, which was established in 1993, as a stand alone company called Dudley’s Aluminium is unaffected by the closure of S Dudley & Sons.

The directors said they would continue to trade normally with the Architectural Aluminium division, which also supplies shopfronts for Tesco among a wider list of clients.

This business expanded in recent years from its Cardiff base to provide a complete design, manufacture and installation service for the building envelope.

Managing Director Mike Dudley told the Enquirer: “The construction sector has been depressed for some time, and pressure on margins has been intense. This had led to S Dudley & Sons becoming unsustainable.”

“It has been an incredibly difficult period for us, and we are doing all that we can to help the staff who have unfortunately lost their jobs as a result of the closure of S Dudley & Sons.

“I would like to put on record my thanks to my staff, and also to the many people we have worked with over many decades of S Dudley & Sons.

He added: “However, Dudley’s Aluminium is looking forward to building on the current success of the aluminium operation, which has traded very successfully in recent years, and is predicted to show significant growth in the future.”