Lili Mackenzie, Author at Delphi Steel Buildings

Delphi Steel’s buildings have a wide variety of uses, see some examples on Our Buildings page. Cold rolled steel buildings are versatile, cost effective and easy to build. On top of that, with the range of colours/doors/windows available they look good too. Of all the uses we could list, Start-up Units at Delphi Steel are the most popular. We have seen an increase in number of requests for these so they have grabbed our attention. Read on to find out why the demand for these particular buildings is so pupular.

So, what exactly are they? Essentially, smaller units within a larger building are rented out to businesses. Their uses range from anything from office spaces to storage to workshops, industrial units, studios, and more. The customer is able to avoid large costs of building or buying premises to launch or expand their business. Additional features can include flexible rental agreements, with no fixed period commitments or long-term contracts.

Large financial risks go hand-in-hand with starting up or expanding a business. Start-up units provide a win-win solution for both parties. The customer grows their business at reduced cost and risk while the owner generates regular income with low running costs.

The demand for this type of facility coupled with the lack of them has driven our customers interest. There are just not enough of these sorts of units available. Often rental agreements have been arranged before building is finished meaning money can be earned straight away. An excellent business idea.

We have added some plan drawings of a few Start-up Units projects Delphi Steel has been involved in. Also a photograph of a completed building located not far from our premises.

Start-up Unit plans

Start-up Unit

Happy Dolphin Day from all of us at Delphi Steel! So what do dolphins have to do with Industrial Steel Buildings…well not that much! But we are located close to the Cromarty and Beauly firth in Scotland, famous for their dolphins. So as it’s Dolphin Day we’re sharing some pictures of our local aquatic residents. These guys attract visitors from all over the world to admire their playful activities out in the water.

An estimated 200 bottlenose dolphins patrol the area and are best spotted an hour after low tide as they chase fish into the firth. As you can see from the picutres they really do put on a spectaluar show. Typically growing from 1m in length as a calf to 4m as an adult they reach a weight 350kg. Chanonry Point on the Black Isle has been described as ‘the best Dolphin viewpoint in Britain’ Cromarty Dolphins so is definitely worth a visit. If you ever visit check out ecoventures in Cromarty who will take you out on a thrilling rib-boat ride around the firth to get up close to these amazing animals.

Here are some interesting facts about Dolphins:

Bottlenose are the most well known and common species of Dolphin
Up to 12 individual Dolphins live together in what are called schools or pods
Their eyesight and hearing is very good plus they have the ability to use echolocation allowing them find the exact location of objects
Communication between individuals is done through various sounds such as clicking and whistling.

Delphi Steel turns enquiries into quotes within 1 working day and have building kits delivered typically within 3 weeks of order.

You can contact us via:

E-mail – Sales@Delphi-Steel.com
online Contact Form
Telephone: 0800 009 6553

Quotes can be requested by contacting us via our online Building Designer tool. We also have a Building Designer Tutorial video for an easy to follow instruction on how to use this useful tool.

The tutorial illustrates how quickly you can design your building by making selections in the drop-down menus. Our Director, Rory Macleod wrote this program himself. He is a computer programmer and lecturer of 30 years, teaching literally thousands of students across the world. Using his advanced programming skills, he produced the designer to allow customers an easy way to visualise their completed project.

The designer allows you to select different options for sizes, colours, trims, doors, etc to get a feel for what best suits your needs.

With all your requirements selected you can request a quote, which we will email to you within 1 working day. Delphi Steels systems are completely unique: we design, quote, and order buildings quickly and easily, saving you time and money. If you have any special requirements such as windows, internal walls, open bays, etc please don’t hesitate to get in touch. We can add these with our in-house software and send drawings for your approval.

Was superman hot-rolled or cold-rolled?! Both types of steel are pretty much indestructible (like superman), but what is the difference between them? We get asked that a lot so we thought we’d explain…

Fundamentally this is down to differences in the production process. Hot rolled steel is manufactured at high temperatures, temperatures above 1700° F (as hot as lava). This is above the steel’s ‘recrystallization temperature’ which allows it to be shaped and formed easily. However, as the steel cools it tends to shrink a little which, in contrast to cold rolled, means there is less accuracy in size and shape of the finished product which also tends to have a scaly surface finish. So for situations in which the appearance of the material is a concern, the scales will be removed through pickling, grinding, or sand-blasting.

Cold rolled is essentially hot rolled steel that is then processed further. So the manufacturer takes the cooled-down hot rolled steel and rolls it another time. This allows for more exact dimensions and a much better surface quality. We’ve added a link here with a more detailed explanation if you’d like to know more…click here

Happy Mothers Day! I felt today being Mothering Sunday, I would shout out to all those mothers who (like me) continue to work, effectively having 2 full-time jobs. Now with the coronavirus outbreak we are under even more strain as we juggle work and home-schooling, meal times, showers, baths, fighting kids, bored kids, hyper kids, perhaps ill kids. So giving myself and all mums just cracking on with parenting and working a massive high-5!

The current situation is going to put a lot of pressure on us all and we’ll all have our own struggles to deal with. Lets hope we get as many people through this by everyone doing the best they can for themselves and each other.

With nearly 2,000 people testing positive for coronavirus in the UK and the number of people who have died at 71, Coronavirus has swiftly become a severe epidemic and the effects are reaching into all areas of our lives. The construction industry is no exception where often large numbers of people with differing skills and expertise come together to get a job done. The implications of locking down construction sites are of course extremely costly to businesses and their staff and requires careful consideration. Measures including social distancing and strict worker hygiene protocols are hoped to delay the need for such closures and keep the industry running for as long as is feasible. Read more here.

Meet the Director – Rory Macleod Rory graduated from Aberdeen University in 1973 with a degree in Mathematics. From there he has gathered an impressive portfolio including 8 years with Intel through the 1980’s and 30 years as a self-employed computer programmer and lecturer. Lecturing has taken Rory around the world, teaching literally thousands of budding computer programmers for some of the world’s biggest names in banking, elite aerospace and technology companies. With 14 years’ experience in the cold-rolled industrial steel building industry, he has brought the design, order and delivery of steel buildings into a seamless process through his unique self-written software packages.

Delphi Steel Buildings has continued to grow from strength to strength in a market that was initially a tough nut to crack. Rory puts this down to the quality and speed of service Delphi Steel offer and of course the quality of the product.

‘We are proud to be able to provide some of the most competitive prices on the market and be able to move projects forward faster than any other supplier. Our turn-around from enquiry to design, to order and delivery is second to none. However, the speed we work at does not mean we cut corners; all our building components are sourced from leading manufacturers, guaranteeing a product of the highest quality. We rate our success in terms of customer satisfaction and that has always been our driving goal.’

Meet the Director – Rory

Delivery Price Cut to Remote Areas

Here at Delphi Steel we like to make sure our customers get the best price and value for money for our industrial steel building kits. High delivery prices are a major issue espeically for those that live in remote areas of Britain, such as the Highlands of Scotland. Unfortunately for some, delivery cost can be a show-stopper. With that in mind we have worked hard to secure alternative delivery options from our suppliers. The result? A significant delivery price cut to remote areas, saving some of our customers in excess of £1000!

Living in remote areas of Britain does have it’s advantages. Many are not only the most remote but also the most beautiful. Often inhabited by people whose families have lived there for generations, others have found it a welcome escape from the rush of modern life. Of course there are disadvantages too. Getting anything to a remote area incurs more cost, and subsequently more cost to the customer. Higher fuel costs combined with the amount of travelling required to get anywhere means people spend much more on getting around. Food brought in has additional travel charges added, so supermarkets, restaurants and cafes a little more expensive than ‘normal’.

However, it is surprising to learn some of the areas of Britain classed as ‘remote’ in terms of delivery and postage costs. This will strike a chord with many who live in and around Inverness in the Highlands, a city of around 70,000 inhabitants. No boat is required to aid your arrival to this city, nor aeorplane, no bridges, causeways or tunnels. It is very much on the mainland, but not (apparently) if you wish to post anything there. Having an Inverness postcode can often mean you are not considered part of mainland Britain. Reports have claimed that this can incurr up 4 times the postage costs.

We can’t resolve all these issues, however our delivery price cut to remote areas is reassance for our customers. If you have a project planned and live in a remote area, get in touch today. We will be happy to discuss how to get your project moving.

Steel...How It's Made Today Delphi Steel are sharing this fascinating video (Steel…How It’s Made) showing how this amazingly versatile material is manufactured. All Delphi Steels Industrial Steel Buildings are constructed using cold-rolled steel, one of the most light-weight construction materials available. Light-weight yet retaining high tensile strength.

There are few materials that play as important a role in our lives as steel. It is the most widely used and recycled material on the planet. With uses ranging from cutlery to bridges, our lives really would not be the same without it.

Some interesting steel facts:

Formed when Iron is combined with small amounts of carbon, recycled steel and traces of other elements
Steel is roughly 1,000 stronger than iron in its purest form
The first true steel was manufactured in India in around 400 BC
A British inventor, Harry Bessemer, is generally credited with the invention of the first technique to mass-produce steel in the mid 1850’s, a technique that is still used today.
Steel closes the material loop
100% recyclable without loss of quality
There are more than 3,500 different grades of steel, each designed for specific purposes.
- Over 75% of these grades did not exist 20 years ago
Steel can be reprocessed time and again without losing its properties, making it an exceptionally sustainable material
- Recycling steel saves the equivalent energy to power around 18 million households a year
The amount of energy needed to produce a ton of steel has been reduced by 34% since 1972

Cutlery, bridges, cars, surgical equipment, dishwashers, buildings…..the list goes on, steel is a major player in our modern lives. Today we’re sharing this fascinating video showing how this amazingly versatile material is manufactured.

Steel…How It’s Made