LIVINGSTON-based John Heaney (Electrical) Limited (JHE) has its sights set on steady growth following a transformative few years in which the business has undergone a management buyout (MBO) and increased turnover by over 50% to £11.5 million.
The mechanical and electrical services specialist can trace its roots back to 1983 when founder John Heaney took a leap of faith and set up a small electrical firm as a sole trader. The business was incorporated seven years later.
The firm expanded over the years and at one point had around 150 employees. As the experience and skillset within the company grew, JHE started to undertake increasingly larger commercial and industrial projects. A milestone was reached in 2015 with the acquisition of a local mechanical engineering firm.
Today, the firm is led by John’s son, Mark, who has been the MD since 2016 and started the process of buying his parents’ shares in 2022 alongside two other directors.
JHE offers a wide range of services from electrical and mechanical packages through to facilities management, high voltage requirements, EV charging installation, building maintenance, and HVAC.
Despite the recent changes, the family values and commitment to quality workmanship which held the business in good stead for so many years remain.
“We’ve always had a strong family connection, not just with my mum, dad and I,” Mark told Project Scotland. “Over the years we’ve had several employees from the same families working with us. Having that strong family bond has helped. We have some employees who have been with us for 30+ years.”
JHE concentrates solely on industrial and commercial work. The core services are the electrical division, with expertise including system design, installation and maintenance. The mechanical division carries out servicing and repairs of pumps, gearboxes, valves and other industrial equipment, with welding, fabrication and grit blasting capabilities carried out in a dedicated workshop space.
Mark revealed the market is hugely competitive right now. JHE thrives through repeat business and aims to stand out by providing a quality and reliable service as well as the latest technology innovations.
“We have worked with some customers for over 30 years,” Mark added. “For a number of them, we are the contractor of choice. They know they’ll get a good service and a good job.”
2024 was a landmark year for JHE. As well as the conclusion of the MBO, the company recorded a 51% rise in turnover following a string of major contract wins. Profits increased by 79% to almost £1 million, while cash in bank grew by a whopping 305% to £1.9 million.
Staffing levels have remained consistently around the 60-mark in recent times. Mark revealed the business is keen to grow this number in the near future, but the priority is to promote from within where possible.
At a time of well documented construction industry skills gaps, JHE prides itself in helping to develop the next generation of workers and Mark is a passionate advocate for apprenticeships.
“I did my apprenticeship before moving into the office to learn estimating, quality assurance and finance,” he explained. “A number of office staff went through a similar process of doing their apprenticeship, working as an electrician, and coming into the office to either do estimating, project management or whatever it may be.
“We’ve always encouraged our employees to better themselves. If there’s a training course that will benefit them and us, then we’re happy to put them through it.
“It’s hard to get good engineers. We’ve tried recruiting several times over the last 12 months. Sometimes it comes down to money. Other times they just don’t have the skillset we’re looking for. There is definitely a skills shortage out there. I speak to fellow directors of companies of similar size and nature to ours, and they’re struggling as well to get good engineers through the door.
“In the near-30 years that I’ve been in the business, there’s only been three years where we haven’t been able to take on any apprentices. We definitely encourage budding young electricians to come to our business.”
JHE recently strengthened its senior team with the appointment of two new directors. John Cowan was promoted from facilities management (FM) operations manager to FM operations director, while Derek Menzies moved up from contracts manager to contracts director.
Looking ahead, Mark revealed another long-term employee is looking to buy into the business, which fits into its ethos of encouraging people to put themselves forward and help facilitate future growth.
“We’re hoping to grow,” Mark said. “We’re hoping to bring on new employees. As people retire, we’ve got to fill those positions. If we can, we promote from within. If not, we need to try external resources for recruiting new people.”
