School’s out - so A1 gets stuck in

A1 Flue Systems has completed a raft of projects in a frantic six-week period installing flue and chimney systems during the school summer holidays.

We have completed a busy summer programme of work installing flue systems at schools, colleges and universities across the UK.

Our Managing Director John Hamnett said that we go into overdrive during the summer holiday period, as that’s a good time for schools in particular to get construction or refurbishment projects completed.

“We’ve had another busy spring and early summer manufacturing systems in the run-up to the school holidays and then getting our installation teams on sites up and down the country fitting flue and chimney systems,” he said.

“We work closely with a host of construction firms and facilities management companies, so A1 Flue Systems is very often specified on both new-build and refurbishment projects – which is why we secure so many projects in the education sector, where there are defined times of the year when work on HVAC systems can be carried out.

“Although school projects mount up in the run-up to and during the school six weeks’ holidays, we have sufficient capacity within our design, engineering, manufacturing and installation departments to handle the spike – and still ensure the delivery of all the other projects we are working on at any one time.”

Our work in the education sector forms part of what we call our ‘bread and butter’ projects, which also include hotels, office blocks and public buildings. Although these are the lifeblood of the business, it’s the high-profile projects that grab the headlines. 

Recently, we secured a multi-million pound contract to manufacture nine British-made 100-metre tall chimney systems to be installed inside two of the four iconic chimneys at Battersea Power Station in London. As part of the redevelopment of the site of the Grade II* listed building, the company has been working on-site at the main energy centre (MEC), installing the flue modules for the South West and North East Wash Towers.

John added that the company delivers the same level of excellence, pride, passion and precision whether it’s for a primary school or a skyscraper.

“A1 Flues has become the UK centre of excellence for the design, manufacture, installation and maintenance of commercial chimney systems – and this is all due to the expertise and experience of the 140-strong team of people at A1 Flues,” he said.

“We keep learning from every project we complete and continue to accumulate a level of knowledge that we can apply moving forward because for us, every day is a school day.”