Our Company

History

YJLi is part of Renew (Holdings) PLC, and a specialist in rail infrastructure.

Renew Holdings was founded over 225 years ago as a Marlow based building company. Until the recent move of our HR department, the group had maintained its link with the town during that period. In 1876 the then owner, Thomas Corby, sold the company to Young James Lovell – the original YJL whose initials we still use in our name today.

Young James Lovell was clearly a man of enterprise and sound business sense - he had started out as a carpenter in Dorset, made enough money to buy Thomas Corby out, then went on to expand the firm under the new name of Y J Lovell and Son. His son, Percy, took over the business in his turn, and the success continued. In 1938, the firm became a limited company, and a parent company structure followed in 1960. In 1986, the firm became publically quoted.

Throughout this period, the firm had been acquiring national recognition in the UK as a contractor capable of tackling all types of construction work, and our reputation was spreading overseas as well, particularly to the United States, where we still have business interests.

After going public, the group identified a number of good opportunities to purchase companies within the construction sector. A number of these were outside general contracting, being in more specialist areas of the industry. These new businesses supplemented our organic growth and boosted turnover to over £400m.

It became apparent by the late 1990s that the opportunities for future growth would be better as a group of specialist businesses rather than as a general contractor. As a result, a number of group businesses were re-focused or sold and others acquired over the following five years.

To reflect the changes that had taken place, the group settled on a new name – Renew (Holdings) PLC. In a sense, the business had successfully renewed itself, while keeping much that was of value from our former days as Y J Lovell.

As part of these changes, it was recognised that one of the specialist businesses that already existed within the group was the Infrastructure Division of YJL Construction. This had already achieved great success over the preceding 20 years and was given the opportunity to become a business in its own right, within the wider group.

This firm is, of course, YJL Infrastructure Limited, and we believe that we have repaid the faith placed in us by creating a £35m turnover business with an excellent reputation in our sector.

Experience

YJL Infrastructure has thirty years experience of working on both Network Rail and London Underground infrastructure. The whole of the company’s focus is on the rail industry, so we operate with clarity of focus and purpose often missing in more generalist companies.

We are an accredited supplier to Network Rail and London Underground, and operate throughout the Home Counties, East Anglia and the South West. Wider group support enables us to tackle projects in South Wales and north as far as Yorkshire. We have full Link Up accreditation and offer a wide range of contracting services such as:

Stations
New build / Reconstruction / Refurbishment / Maintenance / Car parks

Depots
New build / Reconstruction / Refurbishment / Maintenance / Car parks

Lineside
Lineside Buildings / Walking Routes / Access Points / Under Track Crossings / Cable Routes / Pedestrian Bridges

Term and Framework contracts
Structures / Buildings / Maintenance

Building, M & E
Design and build / Development / PFI and PPP / Partnerships

Within the portfolio section of this web site we have given details of a selection of schemes completed in the last few years. If you want to know more about any of these schemes, or you want to hear about other schemes we have delivered, please do get in touch.

YJLi bring a commercial and technical professionalism, developed from their extensive experience in the competitive construction market to all their infrastructure projects.

YJLi have a well developed supply chain, evolved over many years, so we can source and deliver a vast range of technical solutions to any project. Our management systems and construction experience enable us to draw together the many aspects of construction works into a seamless and efficient programme. We are used to dealing with both Network Rail and London Underground approvals and assurance regimes and deliver to cost and time whilst maintaining the highest quality standards.

YJLi is accredited to ISO 9001 for quality and ISO 14001 for Environmental management. YJLi has a current approved Network Rail Contractors Assurance Case and is a Chartered Building Company.