Sheffield Forgemasters has appointed Vinci to do the building works for its new £400m steel production line.

Vinci Building has been appointed on an early works contract and pre-construction services agreement at Sheffield Forgemasters, worth more than £70m.

Vinci will construct a new service road and undertake demolition works and services diversions at Sheffield Forgemasters’ Brightside Lane site to prepare for a new forging line.

This represents the first phase of a wider £400m investment over 10 years, to develop the UK’s largest open-die forging operation.

A new 13,000 tonne Mitsubishi press has been shipped from Japan and is now in storage waiting to be installed.

Vinci Building regional director Chris Winspear said: “Initially, Vinci Building will handle construction of a new access road onto Sheffield Forgemasters’ site, including all necessary service diversions and partial demolition of existing buildings. We will also undertake intrusive survey works and provide support with scheduling and risk management, engagement of supply chain and development of costs for the main construction works.”

The contract, covering the forging line installation, is set to run until 2025, when the new forge is commissioned and Sheffield Forgemasters’ existing 10,000 tonne press will be decommissioned.

Sheffield Forgemasters chief operating officer Gareth Barker said: “Vinci Building will input into the current phase of the RIBA 3 design works which should promote buildability and development of the subsequent main-works contract to install a new, circa 140,000 sq ft building to house the new forge-line.

“Further to this, we are looking invest locally through our contracting partners as we launch the first phase of construction works.”

Vinci Building UK joins Turner & Townsend (cost management/quantity surveyor and principal designer), Tetra Tech (engineering services/lead designer) and JLL (planning consultant) on the project.