The construction industry has changed greatly over the past few decades and Hartigan has in turn transformed the way it operates to stay at the cutting edge. Its latest move is to open up in Porto. Emily Moore reports
If you want something done, it is usually best to ask a busy person.
It is a well-known saying, which has been put to the test countless times since being uttered by Benjamin Franklin, but few teams can have tested it quite as extensively as one construction company has over the past few months.
Indeed, while the summer can often offer some respite from the usual gruelling workload, the opposite has been true for Hartigan, an engineering company which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this month.
“Organising the celebration for this milestone anniversary was a big job in itself,” said managing director Colin Tadier. “But then we also decided to open a new office in Portugal and relocate our Jersey office, while constantly looking after our clients and continuing to generate new streams of work.”
While acknowledging the significant workload which these developments have brought to the team, Colin is in no doubt that each change will play a key role in securing the business’s future.
Founded by Dan Hartigan in September 1984, the firm – which Colin took over following Dan’s retirement – is no stranger to evolution.
As Colin recalls: “When I joined the business, about 16 months after it was formed, the office and the overall economic picture were very different. I remember an office filled with drawing boards where staff would produce real works of art. I also remember the day the fax machine came in and what an imposition it was because people would end their messages with a request for a reply by the end of the day.
“Now, of course, communication has changed again with emails, Teams and design software, which mean that we are no longer working in isolation in our offices but are working on shared building models, collaborating in real time with the client and all parties involved with the project. This change in culture, where everyone works together, brings tremendous efficiencies and helps to create a good end building.”
But it is not just, says Colin, the working culture and environment which has changed over the past four decades.
“The whole construction industry is completely different now,” he acknowledged. “In the early days, we never had to look for business. Construction was booming and we would just receive phone calls from clients saying that they needed us to complete certain jobs for them. Now, it is a much more challenging and competitive picture.”
Despite this, says Colin, Hartigan has “weathered many storms”, gaining valuable insights each time, which have enabled the firm to strengthen and diversify its team and services.
As a result of this, many familiar landmarks from Vauxhall Gardens in Vauxhall Street – one of the first projects with which the company was involved – and the new orangutan enclosure at Durrell to La Frégate, the cargo buildings at the Airport and Jersey Post’s headquarters at Rue des Prés have all been shaped by the Hartigan team.
“When Dan launched the company, the focus was primarily on civil and structural engineering,” Colin reflected. “Now, in line with the way the industry has evolved, we have added to these core services, training specialists in areas such as the conservation of historic buildings, geotechnical engineering and sustainability, something which is increasingly important to the industry.”
At the heart of the company’s ability to compete and deliver services in all of these areas, says Colin, is its commitment to training and development.
“Not only is it important to train staff so that they have a good understanding of each area of engineering but it is also vital to give local people those skills which are critical to the future of the Island,” he added. “We take on staff at all levels, and are committed to taking on school leavers and developing them not just until they become fee earners but until they reach chartership status.
“While that requires a significant level of investment, both in terms of time and money, it is something which not only gives back to the community but which helps the Island to maintain a strong engineering skill set. The importance of this cannot be overstated, as it is the construction industry which maintains the Island’s infrastructure and provides the buildings in which other sectors operate.”
While stressing the value of the industry to the Island, Colin also acknowledges the ever-increasing challenges facing construction.
“Previously, in time of recession, the government tended to stop its developments, consolidate and take a look at its projects to see what it could afford to do,” he reflected. “As a result, contractors’ prices would become keener and businesses in the private sector, which had projects ready to go, would jump in and take advantage of the lower costs. That meant that although there were some ups and downs, things didn’t drop off the cliff face.
“Now, though, with the government providing social housing and office developments – two sectors which used to be covered more by private developers – when there is a downturn, you don’t have the number of large-scale private developers to fill the gap. That means that the overall downturn in work is greater than it used to be.
“It is also difficult for contractors to lower costs, as accommodation needs to be of a good quality and to achieve sustainability criteria such as thermal values and air tightness, all of which increases the costs.
“When you combine all these factors, and look at the way many businesses were structured, you can see how and why they have struggled to compete and adjust as quickly as they needed to.”
And while he admits that “adapting, remaining sharp and still making a profit” is a challenge, it is one which Hartigan has so far managed to achieve by diversifying, investing in its people and “finding a different way of doing things”.
“In some ways, Covid helped because, although work stopped for a while, it gave businesses an opportunity to look ahead and identify ways of changing,” he said. “By making changes, such as moving from a server to the cloud, we were able to offer our staff greater flexibility in working hours and approach, enabling us to accommodate their needs better.
“This ties in with our commitment to staff wellbeing and progression opportunities, and also explains why, as we mark our 40th anniversary, we have taken the chance to move from our offices at Five Oaks to newer, modern offices in Weighbridge, which will give staff a better environment and facilities in which they can work more efficiently and productively but in a relaxed way.”
The move also, Colin adds, ties in with the team’s understanding that “the business has to more streamlined and efficient”, something which has driven a number of changes in recent years.
“Our engineers are equipped to work on different aspects of engineering, enabling us to work on anything from tall steel-framed buildings and coastal and marine engineering projects to civil and drainage works and small domestic properties,” he said.
“Before the pandemic, our set-up was generally geared towards large projects, but post-Covid we noticed a drop in this type of work, so we started to target small and medium projects to ensure we had a steady workstream. To do this, we adjusted our team structure, so that we were able to provide efficient responses to clients and the other professionals involved with the projects.”
This diversification, Colin adds, has been fundamental in safeguarding the business.
“It enables us to compete and provide services in areas where other practices may not be so experienced,” he said. “It also means that if there is a drop in one area, such as large developments, we can weather it by focusing on other areas, such as civil engineering.”
And it is not just Jersey where Hartigan is focusing its efforts, with a new office in Porto due to open this month and work already taking place on several projects in the UK.
“Looking at other markets also strengthens our position,” Colin explained. “There is a method of construction using hollow clay blocks, which provide high insulation levels and quick build times, which a company in the UK is using. We have been providing the engineering and design services for that business for about three years, and we are seeing increasing levels of demand for that system, something which could work very well in the Island.
“Taking that a bit further, one of our engineers, who is from Porto, decided that she would like to return home. This gave us the opportunity to set up Hartigan Portugal, which she will spearhead. This is a tremendously exciting extension of the business, as Porto is thriving, with several construction projects taking place and lots of opportunities for engineers.
“While we intend to start slowly and build gradually, this extra market will give the business some extra protection, with the Jersey and Porto offices supporting one another. Everything we have learnt over the years can be used in Portugal and our structure can be applied to the Porto business.”
Admitting that the European opportunity arose “naturally”, Colin has no doubt that the move “makes sense” and could lead to further Hartigan offices around the continent.
“Portugal offers great prospects and, at a time when the construction industry has had more than its fair share of bad news, this is a really positive story,” he said. “There is a great opportunity for further jurisdictions to follow but you have to be careful about where and how you develop the business.
“Portugal is a big country, so there may be opportunities there to open other offices but we will only do so there, or in other European countries, if we feel it is the right thing to do. We have a young and enthusiastic management team, who are not frightened of a challenge, so watch this space.”
