Firm wins �1m Wimbledon roof deal

The panels for Wimbledon's retractable roof should be ready in November

An essential part of the new Wimbledon centre court roof is being manufactured by a firm in Llanelli, Carmarthenshire.

3Ks Engineering has begun work on a contract worth �1m to build the panels which will open and close the retractable roof.

Each of the 28 panels weighs 16 tonnes, and all 60 members of staff at the company have been working around the clock to meet the project deadline.

The retractable roof will be in place for next year's Wimbledon.

Centre court at Wimbledon has recently been extensively redeveloped, and this year's competition will see both players and spectators left open to the elements.

The company won the contract because it is the only one in the UK where the panels could be fabricated, machined and assembled on one site.

'Large components'

The panels are expected to leave Llanelli in November under police escort.

A company spokesman said he thought the contract would help to bring in more work.

"We do a lot of offshore work anyway for the Ministry of Defence so we have the systems in place to compete with the big companies," he said.

"We got the work because we can fabricate and handle the large components.

"We have got a young management team and I think the future is bright."

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