This year marks Kaymac Marine & Civil Engineering Ltd’s 50th anniversary and the Swansea-based company has even more reason to celebrate after it was named Specialist Contractor of the Year award at the prestigious New Civil Engineer (NCE) Awards 2026. Construction Industry News recently caught up with Rhiannon Crees-Moore, Marketing & Business Development Director, to find out what the latest accolade means to the business and how it has chalked up half a century of progress.
“In terms of the award, it was an absolutely fantastic night and what made it even more enjoyable was that we weren’t expecting to win,” explains Rhiannon. “We were up against some fantastic specialist contractors, so we knew the competition was incredibly strong. To hear Kaymac announced as the winner was a real whirlwind.”
While Rhiannon’s modesty may have meant she was personally taken aback with the award win, the reputation Kaymac has built since its creation in 1976, coupled with the commercial success the company has achieved, shows that it was more than worthy of the accolade.
Underlining the upward trajectory Kaymac is on, in 2024 it completed the largest project it has delivered to date: the development and delivery of the Long Sea Outfall replacement project near Nash, Newport.
Working as principal contractor on behalf of Private Chemical Company, the project involved the replacement of an aging outfall pipeline that had been in service since 1960. It entailed the carrying out of site investigations, geophysical surveys and bathymetric surveys that informed the final design, as well as the installation of nearly 1.5km of new HDPE outfall pipe in the Severn Estuary to replace the deteriorated concrete-coated steel pipeline.
The long sea outfall project forms part of a much broader portfolio of complex marine and civil engineering works delivered by Kaymac across the UK. This includes high-profile scour protection and structural repair schemes beneath critical transport infrastructure, often undertaken in environmentally sensitive locations and areas with significant public interfaces.
Recent projects have included major scour protection works on behalf of Network Rail’s Tier 1 contractors, where Kaymac has worked within sensitive watercourses across the UK, while maintaining close control of environmental, operational and public-facing risks. The company has also delivered emergency and planned works to bridges and viaducts throughout Wales and further afield. These schemes have required specialist temporary works, confined-space access, in-water construction, and careful coordination with clients, stakeholders and the surrounding communities.
Kaymac’s specialist capabilities have also enabled it to support projects within the nuclear decommissioning sector. Working in highly controlled environments, the company provides specialist marine and civil engineering, commercial diving and confined-space services required to safely decommission complex assets and water infrastructure. This technical capability supports the systematic removal of legacy constraints and enables sites to achieve their desired end state, preparing land for safe and sustainable future redevelopment. This experience complements its growing presence across the water, rail, ports, harbours, energy and coastal infrastructure sectors.
Being involved in these projects has opened the door to new opportunities for Kaymac, both with the same clients and with others within the sector too. To help support this impressive level of growth, the company recently moved to new premises, comprising a larger office block and increased workspaces.
“We’ve previously always had our workshop teams and office staff together, so it will take some getting used to, but we’re really excited about the potential we have going forward,” adds Rhiannon. “It’s a really positive step.
“It’s an absolutely stunning office and gives us the room to grow further, as well as providing the launchpad for increased innovation and new ideas. We’ll also be bringing in new talent to ensure we have the numbers we need to keep building the business.”
In what continues to be a highly competitive marketplace, such growth doesn’t come about by accident, especially as it can be a challenge to keep growing without losing the key ingredient behind that success. So, what’s been Kaymac’s secret?
“A key factor has been our values as a company that we have maintained from Day One,” outlines Rhiannon. “Even after 50 years we continue to be a family business with traditional values. We strive to look after all our staff and listen to any issues they might have in order to work with them and come up with solutions. The emphasis really is on teamwork.
“Training and employee development also continue to be a priority. Due to the high standards we adhere to, it’s vital that every member of our workforce receives the training they need to fulfil their role to the best of their ability. We’re also extremely fortunate to have many long-serving employees, with different generations of the same families having worked for the business. This has helped embed the Kaymac ethos throughout the company and retain a significant depth of knowledge and expertise.”
This approach has ensured that Kaymac has a highly competent workforce and a wealth of experience to draw from, not only at its headquarters in Swansea, but also at its satellite offices in Bristol and Kent. This provides the company with the confidence to deliver projects of the quality its clients are looking for.
“Another important element of our approach is that we strive to add value whenever we can. We listen to our clients so we can accurately identify their needs and provide full support when meeting them.”
With 50 years of experience and expertise behind it, Kaymac is better placed than most to overcome the challenges it comes up against. When combined with the values that have remained at the heart of the company, it is easy to see why the business has flourished.
“We’re always looking to improve, whether that’s internally, operationally, or from a sustainable perspective. Every small step we make as a business helps us to move further forward. This has been the key to our successful growth, as each layer of progress snowballs into something more substantial. This is why the NCE Award was so important, as it reflects the hard work that everyone within the business puts in.
“As we have multiple operational sites, it can be really difficult to get everyone together and to celebrate as a team. We’re determined to have a celebration for everyone, not just for the award success but also for the 50th anniversary, both here at our new offices and at our satellite sites. We’re fully appreciative of the work everyone puts in.”
With numerous opportunities continuing to emerge in the sectors in which it operates, Kaymac looks well set to remain busy for the foreseeable future, particularly as its standing within the marketplace keeps building and it is aiming to secure places on further frameworks. This is ambition hasn’t been diminished by the challenges that all UK businesses are facing, such as the skills shortage and rising prices. Strong collaborative links with suppliers that have been developed over the years, not to mention its emphasis on staff training, have helped make these issues more manageable.
With a prestigious NCE Award nicely supplementing its 50th anniversary celebrations, Kaymac can quite rightly look back at the past half century with a great deal of pride. However, all the indicators are that the business is in no danger of resting on its laurels anytime soon, as it continues to push itself to even greater heights in the years ahead.