You could say that Avonmouth-based Mathias & Sons Ltd is all over the Hinkley Point C project, its main contractors and suppliers at site.
Hinkley Point C is one of the largest infrastructure projects in Europe and as anyone who has been to the construction site knows, having the correct Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is essential.
Mathias & Sons is a leading supplier of branded workwear, hi-vis clothing, PPE and corporate uniform – and its Avonmouth headquarters is less than an hour from HPC.
Established in 1952 by George Mathias and his two sons, the company has gained a strong and enviable reputation in the market. The company has a stockholding of over £1.2m of PPE and workwear at its Avonmouth facility, sourced through an extensive supply chain, which includes all of the brand leaders. They also have their own full, in-house embroidery and heat-seal transfer capability.
Mathias & Sons has been working with the Hinkley Supply Chain Team for several years. The involvement has ramped up over the last two years as the project has mobilised further and the company has secured new contracts for workwear and PPE supplies to several key customers on site.
To date, they have worked with a number of Tier 1, 2 and 3 contractors at HPC, including: Forest Traffic Services (Somerset Infrastructure Alliance), Boccard UK, G4S Secure Solutions (UK) Ltd, G4S Fire & Security Systems (UK&I), Bylor JV, GE Power, Somerset Passenger Solutions, Somerset Larder, NAB Concrete and Darchem.
With over 65 years of industry experience, the team provides a unique blend of expert knowledge and high levels of dedication and personal service that people would only expect from a family-owned business.
Adam Lane, Commercial Director of Mathias & Sons, said: “We create long term, trusted partnerships with our customers who operate across sectors including utilities, construction, facilities management, transport and logistics. On average, we have held our top 10 accounts for over 13 years.”
But it’s not just first-class workwear and PPE the company prides itself on, staff are also justifiably proud of the firm’s green credentials, too.
“We care passionately about our environmental impact and have worked collaboratively with some of our largest customers to eliminate single use plastic packaging. To date, this has prevented over 2,000kg of plastic from going into landfill or the environment, including our oceans, and this number is increasing daily and led to us winning the 2020 Green Apple Award for Environmental Best Practice,” Mr Lane explained.
Mathias & Sons offers a consultative approach and works hard to understand customer’s requirements to tailor a product range, including bespoke workwear options and an IT solution, to suit.
The company’s powerful MUMS online management portal can eliminate the administrative burden of ordering and co-ordinating workwear, which has saved customers up to £100,000 per year, while also maintaining full control of spend. Detailed management information is generated at the click of a button and the team will analyse reports to highlight any unexpected spend.
Mathias & Sons is also a BSiF Registered Safe Supplier, accredited to ISO:9001, ISO:14001 and ISO:45001 and is a proud and active member of the Supply Chain Sustainability School (Gold Status).
At HPC, Mathias & Sons is a keen supporter of EDF initiatives such as Zero Harm Week and regularly attends site to contribute to contractor health and safety meetings to offer advice, product demonstrations and present innovative/emerging products.
Mr Lane said he would recommend local businesses contact the Hinkley Supply Chain Team to enable them to build relationships with key contractors already working on the project. He added: “We have found the Hinkley Supply Chain Team to be very supportive of us as a local supplier to the project and the Team has actively facilitated introductions to new contractors on site.
“We have attended numerous workshops and training days hosted by the Team and we have also been visited by key supply chain staff to see our operations in Avonmouth to gain a better understanding of how we work and how we can contribute to the project.”
As well as working at HPC, Mathias & Sons supplies a wide range of commercial industries, though to local governments and schools with uniforms, PPE and workwear. From the latest state-of-the-art hydraulic heat-sealing press to embroidery machines and alteration equipment, Mathias & Sons has the resources to cater for a myriad of demands and needs.
Jason Mathias, Managing Director of Mathias & Sons, said: “Mathias & Sons is very proud to be associated with the construction of Hinkley Point C. As a long-established family owned and managed SME based in Avonmouth, it is fantastic to be able to support one of the largest construction projects in the UK with safety critical PPE and workwear.
“We look forward to developing our relationships with EDF, HPC Contractors and the Hinkley Supply Chain Team over the coming years.”