Shufflebottom at the Senedd Welsh Steel: proud history; bright future

Shufflebottom Managing Director, Alex Shufflebottom, has recently had the honour of showcasing Shufflebottom at a prestigious event, Welsh Steel: proud history; bright future, convened by The British Constructional Steelwork Association (BCSA) held at the Senedd in Cardiff Bay, on Tuesday, 29th January, 2025.

The BCSA represents the UK structural steel sector, operating on a local, national and international level to raise the profile of the sector and importantly, members of the Association. Alex was therefore delighted to have been asked to attend this gathering as it highlighted again that construction steel is a significant and substantive sector in the UK, with a turnover in excess of £1.6 billion, creating interesting, diverse, well-paid jobs and value that support local communities as evidenced by the Shufflebottom’s experience at Cross Hands, Carmarthenshire.

She was also delighted at the title of the event as it could have been written especially for the Shufflebottom story so far, and Alex was proud to tell, and sell, that Shufflebottom story, to those attendees gathered in the Oriel for networking and lunch.

Following an introduction by Jonathan Clemens, Chief Executive, BCSA, and remarks from Wales’ First Minister, Eluned Morgan MS, Alex summarised what is the remarkable narrative of Shufflebottom: a Welsh, home-grown, family business with a proud history which has grown from manufacturing a single garden gate in 1977 to today being one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of steel-framed buildings and suppliers of structural steel for the industrial, commercial and agricultural sectors. With a turnover of £26 million+, employing 84 staff in its #teamofsteel, and with a portfolio of buildings visible on the landscape across the UK and beyond, it is some story!

Those who have heard Alex speak before (though she says that public speaking is not her thing) know that she tells the Shufflebottom history with passion and commitment. And also honesty. At the event she didn’t shy away speaking about barriers to growth and investment.

As well as the proud history, she also remarked on the bright future for Shufflebottom now that it is part of the Embrace Steel Group. With the arms of the Embrace Steel Group metaphorically wrapped around Shufflebottom for the next stage in its growth, it means that Shuffelbottom can extract leverage from the expertise and size of the larger group, so that its customer offerings can work both harder, and smarter, going forward.

It was a very special day for Alex to represent Shufflebottom at such a high-profile event. Those present were inspired by Shufflebottom:  a business committed to continuing the proud tradition of the Welsh and UK Steel Industry. So much so, that many Members of the Senedd approached Alex after her talk and said that they would welcome her input into the Senedd on matters of steel and construction (and perhaps as a woman in what has historically been a man’s world). They are also keen to visit Shufflebottom HQ at Cross Hands in the near future and see for themselves what makes a UK leading steel-framed buildings’ specialist.

Alex would like to thank Jonathan Clemens for the invite to the Senedd and to all those who gave her such a big welcome/croeso mawr!

She’d also like to thank both Jonathan Clemens and Eluned Morgan MS and First Minister of Wales, for the following comments, which summarise what was a wonderful day, and for the opportunity to celebrate Shufflebottom and the Embrace Steel Group’s contribution to the ongoing story of Welsh Steel. Ymlaen/Forward!

“The BCSA event at the Senedd was to both celebrate Welsh Steel and importantly set out the success criteria's the future for of constructional steel. The role of steel in construction has never been more important in terms of delivering quality infrastructure and buildings plus accounting for 52% of the steel consumption in the UK. At the event we heard first hand from Apprentices on their amazing experiences and from Alex Shufflebottom, the MD of Shufflebottom Ltd, the organisation which is a subsidiary of the Embrace Steel Group, on how they are overcoming the skills shortage through engagement with schools, supporting apprentices and recruitment from outside the UK. Additionally, as part of Embrace Steel Group's continued strategy, multi-million pound investments have been made in areas such as automation and production to become more efficient and create value.” Jonathan Clemens, Chief Executive, BCSA

“Innovation is absolutely key for how we design and produce steel with real opportunities for growth and jobs, making this a priority for the Welsh government.” Eluned Morgan, MS and First Minister of Wales