Auchterarder-based JML SIPs owner John Langley, SIPs director Derek McIntyre and project coordinator Kyle Tait have returned from an exhausting 16,000-mile round trip to visit a construction site in Port Stanley and explore opportunities to meet the rising demand for homes on the island.

During their stay, the trio hosted a successful information evening held in tandem with the Falkands Chamber of Commerce.

Derek McIntyre said: “We sent out eight SIPs (Structural Insulated Panels) kits to fishing company Fortuna in a £500,000 order before Christmas and work got under way recently on the brownfield site in the centre of Port Stanley.

“The population of the town is only around 3000, and these homes are for rent. Businesses investing in the Falklands are obliged to provide accommodation for their workforce. We travelled to offer some advice and to make sure everything was going to plan, while at the same time assessing the potential for doing further business. 

“They are struggling to meet the huge demand for housing and we had an opportunity to brief developers, contractors and senior decision makers within the Falkland Islands Government on the role SIPs could play in solving their accommodation problem.

The feedback was very positive, and we are very hopeful that more kits made at our factory near Auchterarder will be sent out in the future. We also sent out flat pack pre-fill gabion baskets which provide protection from coastal erosion. These also attracted interest as there are plans to build a new floating port, where our kits can be landed. 

“This is the first time highly insulated SIPs have been used in the Falklands but islanders have close ties with Scotland, with many of the older timber frame homes coming from here. The weather and the environment are like you’d expect in the Scottish islands. It can be a harsh environment.”

He added: “We were visiting in the depths of winter, so it was bleak and windy. The penguins which attract tourists and cruise ship passengers in the summer months were posted missing during our stay. Even they must have had enough of the weather! 

“The beauty of our insulated and watertight kits is that they can be erected quickly, allowing tradesmen to get inside and progress with the fitments. We supplied everything to the developers – fridges, freezers and, quite literally, the kitchen sink - and we sourced our products from suppliers in Perthshire and Fife wherever possible.”

Derek revealed the Perthshire trio’s stay proved longer than planned. He continued: “You don’t appreciate just how far away the Falklands are until you go. t was an 18-hour flight via Ascension Island from Brize Norton on the twice a week RAF Air Bridge, as it is known. 

“We had planned to return via Chile on a commercial flight but technical problems and the foggy weather put paid to that. That gave us a chance to climb Mount Tumbledown, where the last battle of the war was fought, and raised a glass of whisky in memory of the men lost during the conflict. 

“After a four-day delay we ended up getting back to the UK on another RAF flight, otherwise we’d have been grounded for another full week.  We are accustomed to delivering kits to remote locations in the Western Isles, Orkney and Shetland but those journeys will seem like little jaunts now,” said Derek. 

Parent firm JML Contracts, which is marking its 20th anniversary this year, now employs more than 60 members of staff at the Auchterarder factory. 

Kevin McCloud and the Grand Designs Channel 4 team have paid a visit and the firm’s SIPS kit homes have attracted national accolades in recent years.