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Murphy, a leading specialist engineering and construction company, is pleased to announce its financial results for the year ended 31 December 2023, which builds on the strong momentum generated by the Group in 2022.

Murphy has continued to deliver key critical infrastructure and is making good progress towards its vision of becoming the leading family-owned construction business in the three geographies in which it operates.

John Murphy, Chief Executive Officer of Murphy, commented:

“I am pleased to report another year of growth with a resilient, year-on-year improvement in both our financial performance and operational delivery, alongside a continued commitment to delivering world-class infrastructure. These results are underpinned by the dedication and hard work of our teams, our ongoing focus on sustainable business practices and our strong customer relationships.

“As we approach our 75^th anniversary in 2026, our ‘Murphy at 75’ vision to be the leading family-owned construction business in the geographies in which we operate is well within reach. Our key focus remains on delivering long-term, sustainable growth, driven by our ability to provide our customers with a reliable and consistent level of performance as we strive to create a positive and lasting legacy across our projects and the communities we serve.”

• Operating profit increased by 57% to £71.7m in 2023 (2022: £45.7m), driven by a strong performance across all areas of the business with increased levels of repeat business from existing customers.
  
• Net cash increased by 26% to £347.1m in 2023 (2022: £275.5m), enabling continued investment across all areas of the business, including a significant investment in key sustainability initiatives.
  
• Group revenue marginally declined 5% to £1,421m in 2023 (2022: £1,491m), primarily due to the timing and completion of projects in Canada, although this was offset by continued revenue growth in both Ireland and the UK.
  
• Employee numbers increased by 4.5% to 3,855, up from 3,688 in 2022, as Murphy continues to develop talent while creating a diverse, inclusive and engaged workforce.
  
• A 35% reduction in the number of Lost Time Injuries as part of Murphy’s continued commitment to safety for all teams.

• Delivering Beaulieu Park, the first railway station to be built on the Great Eastern Main Line for over 100 years.
  
• Delivering two major design and construction packages for National Grid as part of their £1 billion flagship London power tunnels phase 2 scheme.
  
• Upgrading water supply to Liverpool from Oswestry water treatment works.
  
• Delivering the road infrastructure and associated utilities for a new town centre in West Dublin.
  
• Playing a key role in the Coastal Gaslink project, a 670km pipeline that will enable the export of Canadian gas from a new LNG terminal in British Columbia.

• Achieved a further 8.4% carbon reduction versus 2022, almost halving the Group’s cumulative emissions reduction total from the 2019 baseline by 48.2%, meaning that the Group is now well placed to reach 50% reduction target by 2026.
  
• Invested £39m in state-of-the-art, environmentally-conscious plant and equipment.
  
• Delivered a 35% increase in training and development spending, up from £2.3m in 2022 to £3.1m in 2023.

• Group order book grew by 31% to £3.31bn in 2023 (2022: £2.52bn) with secured and anticipated orders across the UK, North American and Irish businesses.
  
• The acquisition of WHC Energy Services enables the Group to expand its operations into the US energy renewables and oil and gas markets.
  
• Continued growth in traditional markets, as well as newer sectors such as energy security and new infrastructure investment, underpinning confidence in the Group’s strategic direction and long-term growth plans.

You can read the full report here.

The North West’s water company has proposed a £13.7bn investment programme for 2025-2030 to deliver cleaner rivers, more reliable water supplies and extra support for customers struggling with bills.

Following a competitive tender process, Murphy is one of the seven which has been added to the specialist framework that will help United Utilities deliver its plans. 

The organisations will come together with United Utilities to form an integrated enterprise delivery organisation to deliver circa £3bn of major infrastructure and non-infrastructure programmes from 2025-2030.  This work would include upgrades to wastewater treatment works and reducing spills from storm overflows. 

Adrian Savory, Managing Director of Infrastructure at Murphy, said; “Murphy has a long-established working relationship with United Utilities which we are delighted to be further developing.

“Our purpose at Murphy is to improve life by delivering world-class infrastructure and we look forward to continuing to serve communities in the Northwest through our active participation in the integrated enterprise delivery organisation.”

This is the first time that United Utilities has engaged partners in this way. It will allow the organisations to make best use of their extensive expertise to work collaboratively and at pace for the benefit of the North West.

Louise Beardmore/Jane Simpson at United Utilities, said: “We’re really excited by our proposals for the next investment period. They will deliver a real step change in our environmental performance and further modernise the water and wastewater infrastructure we have here in the North West. 

“It will be the most ambitious and challenging programme we have ever delivered and that’s why we must be ready to start as soon as our plans are approved. By putting this partnership in place with some of the best design and construction companies in the country, it will allow us to hit the ground running with projects in 2025.”

The partnership has committed to investment in the North West through the supply chain and will look to create a lasting legacy by creating apprenticeship opportunities and jobs for local communities.

As well as helping to deliver cleaner rivers and upgraded infrastructure, United Utilities’ proposed investment would support 30,000 jobs across the North West, including 7,000 new jobs.

Regulator Ofwat will review the proposals and give its draft response by July 2024.  The final plans will be agreed by December 2024.

Murphy is delighted to be included in the huge boost to UK supply chain as National Grid launches the Great Grid Partnership with seven new industry partners all united in the drive to deliver The Great Grid Upgrade

• National Grid launches pioneering ‘enterprise model’ as response to UK supply chain and skills shortage, announcing the first seven supply chain partners to form the Great Grid Partnership.
• The Partnership, which will initially focus on the network design and construction work required by the end of the decade for nine major infrastructure projects across England and Wales, forms part of a £9bn supply chain framework which will also support infrastructure projects beyond 2030.
• The Partnership will support supply chain capacity and foster collaboration across best practice and skills, delivering benefits for consumers and the wider UK economy.
• This investment further underlines National Grid’s commitment to the people, jobs and skills required to help deliver the energy transition.
• Investment in the UK’s electricity network industry will contribute an average of £18.4bn to GDP and support around 220,000 jobs each year between 2024 and 2035.

In a major boost to the UK supply chain, National Grid has today launched the Great Grid Partnership. The company, which sits at the heart of the UK energy transition, has named the seven partners who will support the delivery of an initial nine Accelerated Strategic Transmission Investment (ASTI) projects.

The ASTI projects form a key part of The Great Grid Upgrade which is building the significant new electricity network infrastructure required to reduce the UK’s reliance on fossil fuels by connecting 50GW of offshore wind by 2030.

This new ‘enterprise model’ is a collaborative partnership bringing together National Grid’s supply chain partners. Two design and consenting service partners [AECOM Arup (JV); WSP], and five construction partners [Laing O’Rourke; Morgan Sindall Infrastructure; Morrison Energy Services; Murphy; Omexom / Taylor Woodrow (OTW)] are joining National Grid in the newly formed Great Grid Partnership.

Designed to speed up the delivery of much needed national electricity infrastructure by taking a fresh approach to UK supply chain and skills issues. The partnership aims to coordinate the planning and execution of projects, allowing each supplier and National Grid to pool their resources, skills, insights, and experience to deliver faster and more economically – driving value for money and benefits for both consumers and local communities.

By creating these long-term strategic contractual relationships, our partners will work collectively as an enterprise to drive value and innovation and secure delivery. Once established, this pioneering model will also deliver significant opportunities and benefits beyond the initial ASTI framework.

The partnership comes as the demand for products, services and skills continues to rise on a global scale as countries ramp up investment in the energy transition. It represents a huge challenge but also a great opportunity if industry works together to take advantage of the opportunity.

Carl Trowell, President, Strategic Infrastructure, National Grid said: “Today’s announcement is another significant and exciting milestone in the delivery of The Great Grid Upgrade – the largest overhaul of the electricity grid in decades. The scale and pace of this upgrade requires us to unite as an industry and to think and act differently.

“This Great Grid Partnership is a ground-breaking initiative from National Grid that places our supply chain partners at the heart of our infrastructure upgrade programme. All our chosen partners have an established history of successful collaboration in delivering major projects and enabling innovation to thrive.

“By sharing best practice and collaborating across nine of our critical major ASTI infrastructure projects, we will set the gold-standard for future infrastructure projects in terms of driving innovation, shoring up capacity across the skills base, operating responsibly and sustainably and ultimately in getting the best value for consumers.”

John Murphy, CEO at Murphy, said: “We are delighted to have been awarded a place on the Great Grid Partnership and are proud of the longstanding and successful relationship we have with National Grid. Improving life by delivering world-class infrastructure is at the heart of everything we do at Murphy, and we look forward to working collaboratively with National Grid, our fellow enterprise partners and all stakeholder groups to successfully deliver the extension of England and Wales’s electricity transmission network – contributing directly to the UK government’s target to provide a net zero energy system by 2050.

Harnessing the benefits of the latest innovative technologies, coupled with a positive social value impact and safe and efficient project delivery, we will foster a robust enterprise culture to successfully build the electric network of the future”.

_________________________________________________________________________

1. National Grid’s policy paper: Delivering for 2035 https://www.nationalgrid.com/document/149496/download

The nine Accelerated Strategic Transmission Investment (ASTI) projects are:

Norwich to Tilbury North
Norwich to Tilbury South
North Humber to High Marnham
Grimsby to Walpole
Chesterfield to Willington
Brinsworth to High Marnham
Tilbury to Grain and Tilbury to Kingsnorth
Pentir to Trawsfynydd (cable replacement)
Pentir to Trawsfynydd (second circuit)

As a leading engineering and construction firm, Murphy’s ongoing commitment to a positive and inclusive workplace culture has seen it link up with the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) – the global chartered body for safety and health professionals.

Murphy’s ‘hub day’ is the first in-house, targeted cultural development course of its kind to gain the IOSH stamp of approval. In partnering, Murphy and IOSH worked together to develop a robust approach to the delegate assessment process to ensure the correct level of understanding is achieved. All delegates receive an IOSH certificate upon successful completion highlighting their support and commitment to Murphy’s approach to culture development.

And this approach is working, with 96% of delegates believing they can use the learning in their roles.

As a family-owned business dating back more than 70 years, Murphy’s values have been evident from the start. The in-house Culture Development Programme (CDP) was launched in 2010 to continue to embed these values and bring them to life. This real and relatable approach is delivered by a team of 10 in-house coaches, all of whom have frontline construction experience themselves.

The ‘hub day’ is one of the core CDP modules and engages all roles within Murphy and the supply chain – focusing on what happens before behavioural choices are made. This holistic approach to culture begins with the company values, and sees safety performance as an output, not a focus.

Gareth Riding, Culture Development Programme Manager at Murphy, said; “Our hub day is part of a motivational cultural programme which enables individuals to restructure their beliefs and attitudes about safety, themselves and their working practices. We believe it is vital to success that all our colleagues understand our values and the impact of the day-to-day choices they make in the workplace. The key is having the correct working environment that supports them.  

“Partnering with IOSH has been very beneficial, we have shown a long commitment to culture development at Murphy and to receive this approval highlights the value our approach can have. In 2023, over 1,000 of our colleagues and supply chain partners attended a hub day, alongside receiving follow up support of onsite coaching which ensures everyone feels empowered to drive positive change.”

As well as being a global chartered membership body, IOSH is a leader in developing occupational safety and health (OSH) training courses that play a key role in workforce development around the world.

IOSH recognises the flexibility required to support the changing world of business and, through its IOSH for Business team, is helping businesses put their OSH strategy first.  

Charlie Grayson, IOSH’s Business Development Manager, said the Institution was confident the ‘hub days’ were pitched at the right level to enhance Murphy’s cultural development goals and keep people safe and healthy;

 “Murphy’s ethos and desire to drive cultural development and keep people safe and healthy at work very much aligns with IOSH’s vision and strategic objectives, so there were clear benefits with us working closely together.

“Our tailored course approval service is a very rigorous process, and we were satisfied that Murphy’s Culture Development Programme met with the quality standards we expect from IOSH certified training and is very well thought-out.

“The IOSH Senior Development Officer who approved the course felt that the efforts put in by the Murphy team to further develop their assessment process are a great example of their dedication to the impact of the course on Murphy employees and supply chain.

“We look forward to continuing to work with them and to seeing how the programme, and the hub days which are part of it, develops.”

-ENDS-

Murphy

Laura Bradley, Senior Communications Manager

laurabradley@murphygroup.co.uk

IOSH

Marcus Boocock, PR Lead

Marcus.boocock@iosh.com or +44 (0)115 257 3139

Murphy is a leading international, specialist engineering and construction company founded in 1951 with a purpose to improve life by delivering world-class infrastructure.

Operating in the United Kingdom, Ireland and North America, Murphy provides better engineered solutions to infrastructure sectors including transportation; natural resources; power and water. Headquartered in London, Murphy has a number of related businesses – Piling; Utility Connections; Murphy Plant; Murphy Process Engineering; Pipeline Testing Services; Specialist Welding Services; and Electrical Services. Murphy is a specialist in delivering pipelines, design, structural steel, tunnelling, fabrication, bridges and piling, and has a substantial holding of plant, equipment and facilities.

Murphy employs around 4,000 engineers, professional managers and skilled operatives around the world. Together, they work as ‘One Murphy’ – directly delivering the people, plant and expertise needed to make projects a success.

Visit www.murphygroup.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter: #MoretoMurphy

The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) is the world’s leading chartered professional body for people responsible for safety and health in the workplace. We have more than 50,000 members in over 130 countries.

We act as a champion, adviser, advocate and trainer for safety and health professionals working in organisations of all sizes. Our focus is to support our members in their efforts to create workplaces that are safer, healthier and more sustainable.

Our shared objective is a world where work is safe and healthy for every working person, every day.

Visit www.iosh.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

Lower Thames Crossing delivery team complete as Bouygues Travaux Publics – Murphy awarded tunnelling contract

• Low-carbon bid from Bouygues Travaux Publics – Murphy Joint Venture (BMJV) wins Lower Thames Crossing Tunnels and Approaches contract
• The contract award completes the team that will build the Lower Thames Crossing, as BMJV joins Balfour Beatty (Roads North of the Thames) and Skanska (Kent Roads)
• The team is focused on carbon reduction, value for money and building a local workforce and supply chain ahead of a Development Consent Order decision

National Highways has today (7 December 2023) announced that it has awarded Bouygues Travaux Publics – Murphy Joint Venture the contract to build the country’s largest bored tunnels.

The Lower Thames Crossing is a proposed new road connecting Kent and Essex, and is designed to tackle congestion at the Dartford Crossing. The new route will help grow the economy across the UK by almost doubling road capacity across the Thames east of London and make journeys across the region quicker, safer and more reliable. 

The award of the Tunnels and Approaches contract completes the assembly of the Lower Thames Crossing delivery team, with BMJV joining Balfour Beatty who will build the roads north of the Thames, and Skanska who will build the roads in Kent.

The delivery team is now getting construction ready by using their extensive experience in delivering major projects around the globe to improve the design and exploring ways to maximise the benefits of the project. This includes working with local stakeholders to carry out the detailed design work that will reduce the impact of construction on the local community and environment, and to embed new and emerging low carbon technologies and materials. The team has also made commitments to develop a local supply chain, and help local people take advantage of the new green jobs and skills that will be available on their doorstep during construction. 

Matt Palmer, Lower Thames Crossing Executive Director, said: “This contract award completes a world class team that has carbon reduction, community and value at its heart. By bringing the team together at an early stage we can focus on driving out carbon, delivering the best possible value for money and maximising the huge benefits the project will deliver nationally, regionally and locally.”

“Bouygues Travaux Publics – Murphy JV and all of our delivery partners are fully bought into our passion for delivering a green-skills legacy and share our ambition to use the Lower Thames Crossing as a catalyst to change the whole construction industry’s attitude and approach to carbon reduction.” 

Bertrand Burtschell, Managing Director of Bouygues Travaux Publics, said: “We are excited to work in partnership with National Highways and our joint venture partner Murphy, alongside a range of amazing local supply chain and stakeholder partners to deliver the Lower Thames Crossing Tunnels and Approaches contract on time and on budget, while playing our part in creating a positive long-lasting legacy for the Lower Thames Crossing project in both Kent and Essex. Alongside our Lower Thames Crossing delivery partners, we will work tirelessly to deliver a project that is the benchmark for future infrastructure in terms of skills education, employment opportunities, local business growth and exemplar low carbon construction!”

Nick Fletcher, UK Managing Director at Murphy, said: “We are delighted to have been awarded the Tunnels and Approaches in partnership with National Highways and our joint venture partner Bouygues Travaux Publics. At Murphy, our purpose is to improve life by delivering world-class infrastructure, we look forward to working with all partners and stakeholders on this project to help realise the long term benefits of investing in a key part of the UK’s national infrastructure. Lower Thames Crossing is a great opportunity for all partners to showcase our engineering expertise and commitment to collaboration and constructing low carbon infrastructure.”

The Tunnels and Approaches contract includes the design and construction of twin road tunnels under the river Thames, which at 2.6 miles will be the longest in the UK. At over 16 metres wide they will be one of the widest in Europe to enable three lanes of traffic to flow through freely at the national speed limit. This includes the UK’s next generation of goods vehicles that are currently restricted from crossing at Dartford, such as efficient double decker HGVs and those carrying sustainable fuels like hydrogen. The contract also includes the tunnel systems, portal buildings, and approach roads.  

The Lower Thames Crossing’s ground-breaking procurement process builds upon National Highways’ track record of delivering major projects such as the A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon improvement scheme early and on budget, and has learned the lessons from other infrastructure programmes. Bringing the delivery partners on board at an early stage, combined with the additional planning time gained by rephasing the project’s construction period earlier this year, means National Highways is able to more effectively manage risk and cost.  

The procurement approach also supported the project’s role as a Pathfinder exploring carbon neutral construction. It is the first major infrastructure project in the UK to set an ambitious construction carbon limit in its procurement process, and then allow the competition between bidders to achieve further carbon reduction at no additional cost. BMJV have used their tunnelling and engineering experience to dramatically reduce the embodied carbon below this carbon limit, as well as ways to refine the design to reduce disruption to the local community and leave a legacy of green jobs and skills in the region and broader supply chain.

The wide range of programmes are designed to provide the knowledge, skills and experience needed to launch a career in the construction industry, whilst working towards a recognised qualification.

Our apprenticeships are for people of all ages and aren’t just for school or college leavers.

Our range of entry points means that there are opportunities for those looking to change careers or progress even further in their current career.

A range of roles are available across the UK including:

• Business Administration
• Civil Engineering
• Construction operations
• Construction Management
• Digital Engineering
• Electrical Engineering
• Electrical Installation
• Finance and Accounting
• Groundworker
• HGV Driver
• Plant Operator
• Plant maintenance
• Planning and Project Controls
• Procurement and Supply
• Quantity Surveying
• Repair Technician
• SHES (Safety, Health, Environment, Sustainability)
• Welding and fabrication

If you, or someone you know is looking for an exciting new opportunity, then visit our Apprenticeship web page for more information. Or if you already know the role you want, head to our Murphy jobs site and search ‘Apprentice’ to get started.

Murphy & Sons Limited is pleased to be working with the Home Office to offer up to 175 Ukrainian refugees employment opportunities across a variety of roles.

The roles include onsite, operative and functional roles in areas such as finance, along with skilled opportunities in Murphy’s engineering, commercial and operations activities. Murphy’s goal is that the wide range of jobs will support a broad cross-section of the Ukrainian community that is relocating to the UK.

In addition, Murphy will offer practical assistance to Ukrainians joining the business — such as helping with language barriers, housing searches, cultural integration support and informal mentoring. As part of this, Murphy will partner new recruits with current Murphy employees who have Ukraine or other Eastern European locations as their country of origin as part of a ‘buddy system’.

Following the announcement of the support scheme, John Murphy, CEO at Murphy, commented:

“As a family-owned business, we strive to go above and beyond when it comes to supporting our people and communities. This is an opportunity to offer meaningful employment to those Ukrainians looking for work in the UK, as well as helping them and their families adapt to life here. We are looking forward to welcoming new colleagues from Ukraine to the Murphy family.”

John’s words were echoed by Dawn Moore, Group People and Communications Director at Murphy:

“We are a growing business with a number of opportunities, and we want to do whatever we can to support those impacted by the current situation in Ukraine. There are many different levels of jobs available within our business along with a wider package of support. It’s also no surprise that many of our Ukrainian, Polish and other Eastern European Murphy people have volunteered to help these prospective new joiners, which is a fantastic show of support.”

Inas Almnasra, who will be acting as Murphy Ukrainian Volunteer Mentor added:

“I was born in Ukraine and lived there until I was five, and have worked with Murphy for the past three years, so I am really looking forward to helping our Ukrainian colleagues to find their feet and get settled in the UK. The war in Ukraine is causing untold heartache for families; I’m incredibly proud that Murphy as a business is committed to helping people who are in such desperate need.”

The Refugee Support Scheme is now open to refugees of all nationalities. Any refugees already in the UK interested in applying for one of our roles should talk to their local Job Centre Plus work coach for more information or email careers@murphygroup.co.uk quoting ‘Reference 454 J Murphy & Sons jobs’.  Applications will then be forwarded onto us for consideration. All applicants must have obtained the relevant VISA/Right to Work in the UK.

Murphy would like to thank the Department for Work and Pensions and the Home Office for their support.

In the last three years we have seen fantastic progression on our IIP accreditation, moving quickly from standard level, then through Silver to now being recognised as a Gold level organisation. This growth has only been possible thanks to the incredible engagement and feedback from all of our teams and their commitment to each stage of the assessment process.

Among the feedback in the latest report, it was noted that colleagues at Murphy “reflected high levels of satisfaction, motivation and association with people describing the company as a great place to work.” Additionally, Murphy’s approach to diversity and inclusion was highlighted as being well ahead of the industry curve, along with its people strategy and also the genuine buy-in of our teams across all locations to the company values.

Murphy is now looking forward to working towards achieving its ultimate aim of becoming an IIP Platinum organisation by the end of 2025.

Murphy has once again been celebrated for its achievement of being recognised as the best big company to work for, this time at The Best Companies to Work For Awards 2023.

This latest accolade caps off an exciting twelve months for Murphy at Best Companies, during which it was firstly named ‘Best Improver’, then retained its ‘Outstanding Company to Work For’ status and then achieved the ultimate accolade in the first quarter of this year of being recognised as the ‘Best Big Company to Work For’ in the UK.

Dawn Moore, Group People and Communications Director at Murphy said; “We are delighted to have once again been recognised by Best Companies as an outstanding place to work. All these achievements have been awarded as a result of feedback from our colleagues across the business, and it is great to have members of our site and project teams join us tonight to celebrate. This is well deserved recognition for all our colleagues at Murphy and the hard work they put in every day to help us deliver world class infrastructure projects.”

In the Best Companies feedback many employees noted how there are ‘various opportunities’ available for personal development and that they had confidence that the organisation will look to promote from within.

In addition, there is a strong sense of ‘family’ within individual teams, with employees doing whatever they can to ‘help each other out’. Employees share that there is a sense of ‘community’ and ‘care’ with colleagues that leads to a shared appreciation for working with ‘people that genuinely care for your wellbeing’. It was also widely acknowledged that the leadership team ‘genuinely care about people’ and are approachable.

If you would like to join Murphy, you can take your first steps by visiting our careers site at https://www.murphygroup.com/murphyjobs