Zebbug firm celebrates 35 years of steel supplies to the construction and metalwork industries

When John Mary Vassallo started his business career when still very young, little did he realise that he would end up at the helm of a company with the supply of steel as its main activity. As an enthusiastic young man full of energy and ideas, he touched quite a few lines of business.

In June 1969 he went for a small factory that manufactured concrete blocks and, soon after, in 1972, he introduced within the business the fabrication of steel reinforcement for the construction industry.

This was to be the line of business the company concentrated on and continually invested in for the next three decades.

Following the passing away of Mr Vassallo in 2001 at the age of 65, the company's direction fell on his son Raymond, himself involved directly in the business for more than two decades.

Speaking to The Sunday Times last week, Mr Vassallo, managing director, said his company is committed to the highest quality standards and is constantly investing in the latest quality steel products, mainly for the construction industry.

Looking back at the milestones in the history of J.M. Vassallo Vibro Blocks Limited, Mr Vassallo said that progress was achieved with the building in 1979 of a large shed where the company could stock its material. This shed is still as useful to the company today as it had been in the early days.

"Inside the shed, the handling of heavy material became much simpler and more efficient," Mr Vassallo observed.

"One thing that has remained constant over the years is that we can never predict the demand for our products. Work in the construction industry does not always follow a pre-determined programme.

"We deal with many small businesses and individual contractors who work very much on a day-to-day basis. Many times we have to meet their very rigid demands for a quick service, the saying that 'today is better than tomorrow, now better than later'.

"Sometimes we have to satisfy orders while the clients wait! This pattern of immediate service expectation is by no means limited to the small businesses. Work exigencies sometimes place the larger category of contractors in the same situation of wanting the material there and then."

In 1989 the company made a major investment in electrowelded wire mesh. It was a time when new and different types of meshes were introduced on the market.

J.M. Vassallo Vibro Blocks made a strategic decision in 1994. "We decided to discontinue concrete brick production," Mr Vassallo said. "Many new businesses had been set up in the same line and we felt that further investment in concrete brick production would not be economically viable."

In May 1997, the company organised a landmark seminar: "Quality and Safety on Construction Sites" for which its Italian suppliers teamed up with eminent local specialists in the construction profession and gave presentations mainly for architects and structural engineers to update them with the latest developments.

In 1998 the company was assessed and approved in ISO 9000 certification by BSI.

In 2000 there was further investment in an automated rebar processing plant to improve efficiency and reduce costs.

A recent investment was in a tensile testing machine with a capacity to test material up to 60 tonnes. Steel mesh and rods are tested in-house to ensure they fulfil the highest quality standards according to the certification it provides for its products.

The company currently employs 33 people, five of whom have been with the company since it was set up 35 years ago. The staff complement of the company increased by eight in the past four years.

The company intends to continue to be of service to the industry in general, and especially to the construction industry. Its motto is to continue to build on the good reputation it has gained over the past 35 years by improving the skills and expertise of its people, the quality of its products and the reliability of its service.