A WISHAW-based mechanical and electrical contracting specialist founded in 1976 has fallen into administration with 93 employees being made redundant.
Blair Milne and James Fennessey, partners with Azets, have been appointed joint administrators of family-owned Weir & McQuiston (Scotland).
The administrators said: “The administration was caused by unsustainable cash flow problems stemming from wafer thin margins in the construction sector, the cessation of construction activity and the widely reported problems with labour and materials shortages.”
Weir & McQuiston (Scotland) provided a full portfolio of mechanical and electrical design, installation, maintenance, testing and consultancy services for the commercial, industrial and residential sectors. Projects included city centre offices, health boards, local authorities, private companies, community projects, churches, hotels, retail and sports centres.
The administrators said: “The business had expanded rapidly in recent years and diversified into new markets, including the supply of M&E consultancy and services for the fast-growing renewables sector. Staffing peaked at over 200 in 2019, and Weir & McQuiston was firmly established as one of Scotland’s leading M&E contractors. The business was also well-known for its leading apprenticeship recruitment and training programme.”
Noting the business had ceased trading with immediate effect, the joint administrators said they would “market the assets for sale including work-in-progress and plant and equipment, and are encouraging interested parties to make contact as soon as possible”.
They said they would also focus on working closely with the Redundancy Payments Office and PACE to minimise the impact on staff affected by the closure.
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