The managing director of Rok in Scotland has issued a strong defence of the building firm’s performance north of the border, following a profit warning on Thursday which led to the company’s London share price dropping 45%.

Andy Mallice, Managing Director of Rok, Scotland, said: “Waking up to newspaper headlines on Thursday about Rok warning the City that its profits for the year were not going to be as good as we’d hoped, my heart sank.

“Worse still, the markets had already passed their judgment and our share price plunged 45 per cent in a single day.

“So I was understandably aggrieved. You can’t help but feel bruised by reports that suggest your company is in trouble. But this was compounded by a sense that the headlines weren’t telling the whole story – and certainly not for Scotland.

“Because in truth, Rok’s Scottish operation is a success story. The past year has seen us secure new business, we’re training new apprentices and we’ve reacted swiftly to the effects of the recession to turn our arm of the company into a lean and focused outfit which will emerge stronger from the downturn we’ve all faced."

He continued: “Rok has seen significant growth in Scotland over the past decade, boosted by our acquisition, in 2006, of Tulloch Construction - bringing 875 staff into Rok and expanding our presence and our capabilities, especially in Inverness and the North.

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“Now, we’re in a position where we have offices around the country complementing our three key centres in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Inverness– allowing us to take on projects pretty much everywhere and making us a ‘weel kent face’ in Scotland’s communities.

“So for example, we’re currently the lead contractors on the build of Diageo’s new multi-million Leven bottling plant in Fife, which when operational will employ over 400 people. And in Dundee, we’re the principal construction partner on a £45m redevelopment project of the Mill O’Mains estate, transforming the built environment for an entire community.

“And those are just two of our larger projects. We have maintenance and building technicians working on others of every size, across public and private sectors and from homes to industrial, commercial and academic facilities."

In contrast to England and Wales where Plumbing, Heating and Electrical (PHE) is seen as an underperforming part of the business, in Scotland this unit has grown through acquisition and under local leadership is operationally healthy.

"My focus here is consolidation. I believe our success over the past year is down to our reputation for quality workmanship, cost-effectiveness and rigorous adherence to deadlines. We deliver," he added.

“Of course, there’s not a building firm in the land that hasn’t been knocked by the recession and we are no exception. The key thing is that our management team here in Scotland has responded to the challenge by stripping away unnecessary costs wherever possible and is embedding a culture of efficiency across our company.

“We’ve done this to make our company stronger in the long run, but it’s not been an easy process and it’s also been personally saddening for me at times, especially when we’ve had to let go of staff. Indeed, I’m angry that the construction industry as a whole continues to suffer the effects of recession when it should be on the road to recovery."

But that hasn’t stopped Rok in Scotland from planning for the future. They are still taking on new apprentices because they believe in training new talent.

"I think we’ve all got a duty not to allow this recession to rob us of our construction skills base, which we’ll need when economic recovery does begin in earnest.

“So while I can’t quibble with the headlines, I think Rok in Scotland can hold its head high. We’re getting on with the job of building a strong company for the future,” he continued.

(GK)