If repeat business is the goal of most companies, then Keith Stoner must be one of the steel-framed building industry’s top scorers. Such is the attention to detail and level of service offered by his company, Sussex-based Forma, that he regularly returns to carry out a second or third project for satisfied customers.

As he arrived to meet South East Farmer at one of Forma’s current projects, Henners Vineyard at Herstmonceux, he revealed that he had just finished a sign-off meeting for a general purpose and livestock barn and another general-purpose barn, complete with all the groundworks, at Honeywood Farm, near Burgess Hill in Sussex.

“As soon as we had finished signing off that project, the landowner started talking about another new building that he needed us to erect,” he added.

It’s a familiar story for Forma, which builds everything from grain stores and storage buildings to wineries, classic vehicle storage buildings and cold stores to a high standard that reflect Keith’s several decades of building experience.

Forma’s fully galvanised, steel-framed buildings are just part of the story. “We aim to make life easy for busy farmers by taking on the whole project, from groundworks through to the electrical fit out, drainage, driveways and power-floated floors – and anything else that might be required,” said Keith.

Another recent project at Park Farm, Aldingbourne, near Chichester, saw Forma complete a 36m by 18m grain shed, six metres to the eaves, complete with four-metre concrete walling and a powerfloated floor.

In another example of repeat business, Keith outlined his close working relationship with the Whitebread family at Wybournes Farm, High Halstow, near Gravesend. “We erected a general-purpose building to house Richard Whitebread’s collection of vintage tractors and were then called in by Richard’s son Nick and asked to build a new grain store for the family farm,” he said. “Now we have been called back again to build a general-purpose machinery store.”

Keith’s approach is straightforward. “We like follow-on work, so we always make sure we do a first-class job. We have a transparent pricing structure, we only take on two or three jobs at a time so that we can give them the attention they deserve, and we never compromise on materials.

“We promise to provide a quotation for work within seven days of being briefed and we provide elevation drawings free of charge. That’s usually all a planning department will need in the case of a 28-day permitted development application and it saves the farmer an extra expense.”

Forma has also developed an enviable reputation amongst vineyards and has built a number of wineries and ancillary buildings for growers across the South East.

The project at Henners again represents repeat business. “Four years ago, we built a winery at the top of the site, including a mezzanine, a tasting room, staff facilities and a shop,” Keith explained. “We also built an outside seating area for tastings, along with a pond, parking and drainage.”

Now Forma has returned to build a second winery on the lower part of the site, complete with storage and office space and trackways that will link the two buildings within the site.

The galvanised steel frame, 30m by 18m and 6.5m to the eaves, is being clad with composite insulated panels to help keep the building’s temperature constant. White on the inside, the panels’ olive green box profile exterior will help the building blend with the landscape.

Forma is also delivering the drainage, electrical fit out, doors, windows and insulated roller shutter doors, while a new terrace and tarmac paths will complete the project. The company is also installing a self-contained klargester septic tank.

Always looking for ways to add efficiencies, Forma has installed an innovative diverter system into the drainage so that any acidic washoff during the harvest period can be safely stored in a 20,000-litre storage tank and then pumped out and disposed of safely. At other times, the relatively clean wash off water is allowed to go into the drainage system.

“Erecting buildings is just the start of what we do,” Keith explained. “Our ultimate aim is to make life easier for the customer, whether that’s by project managing the whole development or coming up with new ways of solving problems.”

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