Delivering Quality Since 1945

Dating back to 1945, Tubecon’s origins began in agricultural farm buildings. Moving through the decades with innovation and dedication, Tubecon truly deserve their longstanding market position as industry experts. 

1945 – Iron & Marble Company was founded and began selling buildings to the agricultural trade for farm buildings. 

The steel was designed by Tubewrights and the style was called ‘unimer’. Many examples of this style of building are still in service today. The light weight tubular design was very popular and led on to tubular designs utilising the hot finished circular sections produced by British Steel.

1961 – Tube Construction Limited was formed. Ron Kendall of Iron & Marble Company becomes Managing Director.

Umbrella Building – 1961 – Using Unimer type steel

Triangulated girders – 1965 – 70ft Tubecon girders represents half the roof of a 13,500ft warehouse being built at Cheshire Lines Bank, Trafford Park, Manchester for Trafford Park Estates Limited. Clear span roof erected by Tubecon using their space frame construction system.

1969 – Tube Engineering (Bristol) Limited was formed to become the primary supplier of fabricated tubular steel for Tubecon. 

1970 – Engineering started at Yate workshop.

Tubecon marketed themselves as specialists in tubular steel building techniques. The same ethos is still evident within the company today.

During the 1970‘s the business steadily grew with customers ranging from British Rail (platform improvements), Volkswagon dealerships and British Airport Authorities, where practically every airport in the UK employed Tubecon to provide and install tubular steel.

UNIBAT – Heathrow Canopy – Assembled at ground level prior to lifting on to columns

Many designs were utilised including ‘Unibat’ and ‘Nodus’, both of which enabled large spans with light weight and favoured by many architechts at the at the time.

Tubecon fabricated the nodus roof structure for the London Science Museum. Their client was Modern Engineering in Yate.

May, 1970 – New stand for Bristol City Football Club. Tubecon designed and fabricated the steel structure.

January, 1971 – Temporary connection between north and central piers at Gatwick Airport.

1984 – Roger Hale made Production Director of Tube Engineering (Bristol) Ltd with Tubecon as the Holding Company.

1990‘s – Southampton Magistrates Court

2003 – Tube Engineering (Bristol) Ltd was acquired by Billington Structures Ltd. Ron Kendall, founder, retires.

Tubecon demonstrated their capabilities in the design of this curved sidewall.

Today – Tubecon’s philosophy is much the same today. Our knowledge and experience of complex structures and expert project and installation teams, coupled with the ability to offer a flexible approach has enabled Tubecon to continue to work on many interesting high profile developments for a variety of different clients and across all market sectors.