Barclay and Mathieson - More Than Steel

With over 130 years' Steel Stockholding and Fabrication service to industry, B+M Steel now operates from 15 locations around the country.

Barclay & Mathieson (B+M Steel) has over 130 years’ experience as steel stockholders in the UK; we now operate from 15 locations around the country, from Aberdeen down to Winchester and Sittingbourne across to Bangor.

Our extensive stock range enables us to satisfy most of our customers’ requirements with same or next-day delivery. Through our well established inter-branch transfer system, each site has access to our total group stocks. Whether you are a multinational engineering group or a DIY enthusiast, we can provide the service you require.

Our Products page details the ranges we carry, while our Services page outlines the value-added work we can perform. Our Depots page enables you to find the branch nearest to you.

Dear Customer

I think it’s fair to say that these past months have been full of surprises. Who would have thought that a global pandemic would be closely followed by a toilet roll shortage, significant global raw material shortages, BREXIT, a blockage in the Suez canal, a massive increase in the cost of energy, global shipping costs increasing 10 fold, and now to cap it all, a national driver shortage leading to panic buying and fuel pumps running dry. It certainly feels like we’ve all had so many left hooks, that an uppercut would feel good right about now.

At B&M/IMS, we have been working hard to ensure that our supply chain is fully stocked and secure, despite all the above obstacles. Our depots, across the nation are fully fuelled with our own bunkered diesel and fully staffed. Our drivers, all permanent full-time employees are out delivering daily, no shortages here. 

More recently, in the last two weeks, we have seen the emergence of ‘energy surcharges’ imposed by the steel mills to gather much needed revenue to counter their significant energy cost increases. British Steel have announced a £30/T surcharge, Arcelor have announced a €50/T surcharge and Celsa a £80/T increase. It would seem, at least for the near future, that these charges are set to stay, particularly through the winter months, when energy costs traditionally rise. It’s likely that these will not be the last.

Over the last 5 years, we at B&M/IMS have been quietly investing in new, smaller and more fuel efficient HGV vehicles for our entire fleet, state of the art telematics, visionary route planning software, long before our competition. Today, this means that our MPG is higher than it’s ever been and our mileage considerably lower, despite delivering to more customers than ever before. We have invested over £3M in the last 18 months, installing more efficient, low energy lighting, heating and particularly, processing equipment such as plasma profiling and drill/saws to reduce our energy consumption and therefore our carbon footprint. 

It is this industry-leading thinking, that separates us from our competitors. 

As a direct result of the above initiatives, we will not be passing on to our customers any existing surcharges, and although we certainly can’t guarantee this for any future increases, please be assured that our job is to deliver your steel, on time with the lowest possible carbon footprint, as efficiently as possible. A goal that we set ourselves over 6 years ago. This goal, our goal; is as fundamental now, as it was ambitious then. 

Our commitment to you, our customers, is that B&M/IMS will continue to be the best value for money service in the UK, and offer a service without compromise, every time. 

Please contact your local B&M/IMS depot for your steel, access & safety and architectural products today. Regards

Mike Walton

  CEO