Jobs lost as construction supplier calls in administrators

A Walsall-based supplier of specialist access equipment to the construction industry has filed for administration with the loss of nearly 40 jobs.

Blair Nimmo and Alistair McAlinden from Interpath Advisory were appointed joint administrators of Adastra Access.

It was one of the UK’s largest and well-known suppliers of specialist access equipment to the construction industry. The company provided mast climbing work platforms and suspended cradles to blue chip construction contractors operating across commercial and residential construction, maintenance and refurbishment of existing buildings and the construction of maritime transport.

Historically, the company enjoyed a strong order book, with a number of successful large-scale projects across the UK but over more recent years, it had been faced with significant operational, health & safety and financial challenges, which resulted in trading losses and significant cash flow pressure.

Despite a recent injection of funding from the company’s shareholder and the efforts of the directors to safeguard the future of the business, the financial position of the company deteriorated such that the business was no longer considered viable.

The company has now ceased to trade and the administrators have made 38 employees redundant, with two being retained in the short term to help the administrators.

Blair Nimmo, chief executive of Interpath Advisory and joint administrator, said: “The collapse of Adastra Access Limited is another indicator of the challenges and economic headwinds currently facing the Scottish and UK construction sector and in particular, subcontractors. The directors fought hard to save this business, but it was ultimately impossible to mitigate the impacts of labour shortages, rising costs and delays to customer projects.”