JML SIPs directors Derek McIntyre (left) and John Langley loading an order which is heading for the Falkland Islands
A Perthshire construction business has dispatched home kits on an 8,000-mile journey to the Falkland Islands.
Accustomed to sending materials UK-wide, including remote Scottish islands, Auchterarder-based JML SIPs has shipped eight of its specialist SIPs (Structural Insulated Panels) home kits across the Atlantic in a £500,000 deal.
Founding director John Langley said the initial enquiry from a developer based in the South Atlantic came out of the blue.
After assessing several potential suppliers, family business JML got the nod – and the initial £500,000 order has been loaded into shipping containers for the six-week voyage to Port Stanley, with a stopover in the Uruguayan capital Montevideo to transfer to a smaller vessel.
“The developer wants to deliver high quality, low-energy housing for the island community,” explained John.
“Housing is in high demand, but we have been told there is limited choice and costs are very high.
“We developed the designs and took things forward to the construction phase at our Auchterarder factory.”
Until now, the business has sent SIPSs orders the length and breadth of the UK, the furthest being to Shetland and Land’s End.
SIPs director Derek McIntyre explained: “The kits are ideal for remote locations where access can be challenging. In addition to using all manner of ferries, we have called on helicopters and landing craft to reach inaccessible peninsulas.
“SIPs are ideal to erect on-site because you can quickly get them wind and watertight. They are very well insulated, warm and airtight.
“The climate in the Falklands is much like the Orkney Islands. Our units are up to seven times stronger than standard timber frame construction, so they’re ideal for coping with the fierce winds which whip in off the South Atlantic.
“In addition to the initial eight SIPs kits we are also supplying all the finishings, including doors, kitchens etc, which have been sourced from companies in Perth and Kinross and Fife wherever possible.
“These are currently being loaded into a second batch of containers heading for the Falklands later this month.
“We are hopeful to dispatch even more kits to the islands for other sites which are at the development stage.”
JML Contracts marks its 20th anniversary next year and now employs more than 60 permanent staff, doubling in numbers in the last five years.
Its designs have been featured on television programmes such as ‘Grand Designs’, and a property in Torridon, which JML supplied and erected a SIPs kit for, won the RIBA House of the Year in 2018.
A home completed on the northwest coast of Scotland sees the firm shortlisted for the National Build It magazine awards, with the ceremony being held at London’s Hilton Bankside on November 8.