M6toll helps build staff loyalty and retention for construction firm

Friel Construction has been operating as a business for over 30 years, specialising in ground works and civil construction for national house builders.

Among the key foundations for the company’s business success is getting people and materials to construction sites on time and ready to begin work.

Clare Lynch, Friel Construction’s Sustainability Co-ordinator, discusses how the M6toll plays a vital role in ensuring the movement of people and materials to their key sites is as seamless as driving on the toll road itself.

It’s just over five years since Friel Construction first started using the M6toll and in that time their use of the toll road has paid huge dividends for the Great Wyrley based business.

Clare said: “We work with contractors and sub-contractors, including engineers, surveyors, builders and site managers, and everyone’s time is extremely valuable to us. We can’t have them losing time stuck in traffic on motorways like the M6 or local B-roads, crawling along at 20mph or enduring stop start journeys because of congested traffic.

“This is where the M6toll really adds value for us. The less time people spend driving to sites and the more time they spend working on those sites, the better it is for them and for us.”

“It’s very beneficial to our site teams, as the extra time they have on site allows them to be more involved in meetings and discussions regarding projects. Similarly, for ground workers and those involved in quite physical labour on site, they don’t want to be wasting valuable energy cooped up in slow moving vehicles on the road.

“They want to be on site carrying out their work for the day and then going home as quickly as possible to enjoy some down time with their families or friends. The M6toll helps to ensure they can do that.”

As well as the valuable role provided by the M6toll in time savings for its people, it’s equally priceless for Friel Construction in facilitating smooth movement of materials and goods.

Clare said: ““Although our destinations for the M6toll are Tamworth and Telford, we have construction sites across the West Midlands and the M6toll is a vital route in servicing those sites.

“The vast majority of materials get delivered direct to site by our suppliers but we do a small number of ad hoc deliveries ourselves and its essential they get there as quickly as possible. the seamless, hassle-free nature of the road helps us to maintain the frequency of our delivery schedule.

“Without it we would not fulfil our deliveries as quickly, which in turn has a knock-on effect for the sites. We lose both time and money from any disruption to deliveries and it’s an impact we can’t afford to have as a business.”

Another key focus for Friel Construction is staff retention, an issue amplified further by the recent pandemic and one of the key challenges currently faced by the business.

Clare said: “One of the biggest challenges faced by our industry today is staffing shortages, which in turn increases the importance of holding onto our existing teams.

“Being able to offer a TAG to use the M6toll has proved a very effective way to improve the daily commute for both existing contractors and new prospects at certain sites.

Overall, the M6toll has proved of huge benefit to Friel Construction, with 34 tags already in place, and plans to take up more, it looks set to continue that way into the future.

Clare said: “There are many key benefits to the business in using the M6toll. The flexibility and reliability it provides, the time savings made on contractor journeys and its vital role in enabling the movement of people and materials to our sites in the quickest way possible are big benefits.

“As we move forward as a business, I can only see more use of the M6toll”