About Us

The Steel Piling Group (SPG) was formed by British Steel in 1995 with the Steel Construction Institute organising it to promote steel piling and knowledge to the UK industry. In 2004, British Steel (by then known as Corus) sold off the sheet piling division to ArcelorMittal and the group looked for a new host. The SPG was re-launched in 2006 as an independent group sponsored by several members with secretarial services being provided by the Building Research Establishment. In 2017 we reviewed our organisation and re-aligned ourselves with the Steel Construction Institute, who now provide our secretariat service.

The group has developed into a forum that provides a platform for discussion and an outlet for dissemination of steel piling knowledge to the UK industry. The group’s objectives are to:

promote the use of steel piling
raise awareness of the benefits of steel piling
assist with the development of codes and specifications
identify, encourage and publish research to advance the use of steel piling systems
provide a cross industry source of knowledge of design and construction aspects of steel piling
promote sustainable use of steel piling by advancing best practices including: reuse, recycling, efficiencies and carbon reduction

Over the years, a key focus of the group has been to contribute technical expertise to UK industry publications and to identify and report technical issues with the use of the Eurocodes and to produce complementary guidance reflecting UK best practice. We also promote the circular economy benefits of steel piling when considering the supply chain and whole life cycle issues.

Membership of the Steel Piling Group

The membership of the SPG consists of individuals or companies that are heavily or entirely involved in the use of steel in foundations and who represent one of the following organisations: consultants, contractors, plant companies, material, and research / advisory / testing organisations.

Any person who works for an organisation that qualifies to one of the above can apply to be a member of the SPG. Typically, one person will be accepted from each organisation but larger organisations can have more than one member. An annual fee is charged.

The SPG represents the full supply chain from product manufacturer to client. Direction of the SPG is driven by a committee comprising a mixture of members who are experts and experienced in their respective fields. All members are encouraged to contribute to the activities of the group by typically meeting twice a year exchange information whilst also advancing SPG projects throughout the year.

If you wish to join the Steel Piling Group and believe you would make an active contribution to its objectives then please write to the secretary with a short statement on what you would contribute and please include a CV, highlighting your experience with steel in ground engineering.

SPG Committee

Name	Organisation
Myles Bethell (Chair)	BAM
David Coyle (Vice Chair)	Volker Ground Engineering
Chris Barker	Arup
David Baxter	ArcelorMittal
Dave Brown	Dawson Construction Plant
James Burchell	Piletec
Andrew Cotton	Sheet Piling (UK) Ltd
Roy Fishwick	Cleveland Steel
Graham Hall	Fussey Piling
Mathew Howells	Tony Gee & Partners
Colin Jacobs	Anker Schroeder
Ray Ransome	BSP