From tree-saving barriers to cutting-edge grouting technology, Mainmark’s eco-engineering solutions set the standard for sustainability
With expertise in ground engineering and asset preservation, Mainmark provides innovative solutions to clients across the UK and beyond. The company maintains a long-held reputation for cost-effective, superior services, as Tom Kavanagh, General Director of Mainmark UK, begins: “Mainmark was founded in 1989 and is headquartered in Sydney, Australia. We have successfully grown our global presence over the last 20 years and have 18 office locations worldwide. We have led the industry for re-levelling, ground improvement, and void-filling solutions, developing and delivering the world’s most advanced and accurate solutions across residential, commercial, infrastructure, and mining sectors.
“We have over 80,000 completed projects across the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Thailand, and we have built a global reputation for delivering innovative solutions to some of the most iconic projects in the world. This international recognition has led to many award-winning ground engineering projects.
“Mainmark Ground Engineering UK Ltd is a subsidiary of the founding Mainmark group of companies. We established our business in the UK in 2016, with headquarters in Milton Keynes, which is well placed to serve the whole of the country and the Republic of Ireland. In 2021, the company inaugurated a new operational Southern hub in Hampshire, and, in 2022, it expanded its presence by opening another Northern hub in the Greater Manchester area. Mainmark UK is experiencing rapid growth, extending its reach not only within the UK but also by delivering its expertise and services to projects across Europe. Finally, in 2024, we moved to a bigger, better space in Stacey Bushes, MK. We’re looking forward to further expansion in 2025.”
Advanced technology
Operating within the construction and engineering sector, Mainmark UK offers all the necessary services to support its ever-growing customer base. As Tom
discusses: “We specialise in completing ground improvement projects in poor quality soils, as well as re-levelling of buildings and slabs that have suffered from subsidence. We also provide waterproofing and void-filling solutions alongside our permeation grouting systems, which facilitate excavations. Most of our projects make use of modern technology, like resin injection moulding, to strengthen foundations and re-level and repair structures.
“Our specialist teams operate across a variety of sectors, from small residential properties requiring re-levelling, large existing commercial buildings and premises, to big infrastructure projects such as reservoir embankment improvements, mining, and seawalls. One complex project, which we undertook in 2021, involved the erosion control of the soil beneath the wall separating a private road from a stream. The road, crucial for local residences, faced a significant structural threat and was fixed using advanced geopolymer technology, injected into the subsiding void.”
Environmental consideration
The company is adept at using the latest advances in technology to overcome industry-wide challenges, as Tom affirms: “Nowadays, we are facing a common issue with hotter, drier summers. According to The Met Office, the outlook for 2025 suggests that it is likely to be one of the three warmest years for global average temperature, falling in line just behind 2024 and 2023. Already this is having an impact on the quantity of water in our soil, which is quickly absorbed by tree roots and vegetation, causing significant clay shrinkage. When this occurs, the ground foundations begin to shrink, and any neighbouring structures are at a high risk of subsidence and structural damage.
“Previously, a solution has been to remove the nearby trees that are absorbing the water and therefore remove the localised cause of the subsidence. However, this has become an increasingly difficult process for insurers, councils, housing authorities and individuals to undertake, due to increased social, environmental and conservation pressures. This is where root barrier technology comes in.
“Mainmark currently uses a combined methodology approach to ensure trees can be saved wherever possible. This involves improving the soil and relevelling buildings using Teretek® or JOG controlled computer grouting and then inserting a root barrier to prevent tree roots entering the zone of influence of building footings.
“Research into root barriers is improving, with arboreal experts experimenting with copper ions over cementitious material. These are less harmful to tree roots and provide both an engineering solution along with a balance of social and environmental benefits.”
Increased collaboration
Strategic investment in the latest tools and technology has allowed Mainmark UK to become a major competitor, as Tom reveals: “As the business has grown, we have invested in additional Teretek® rigs to add to our fleet. With each addition, we make modifications to both the setup and the technology employed on each vehicle. We also recently invested in a new JOG system, which allows our operation to be self-contained, providing us with quicker mobilisation and demobilisation times, shortened delivery programmes and, therefore, a reduction in our carbon footprint. This alteration to the JOG fleet has been done in conjunction with our Australian and New Zealand branches.”
Alongside technology investments, Mainmark has been focusing on its supply chain for several years, with a move to a partnership arrangement. “One of our business values is ‘Collaboration’, and we believe that working with our suppliers and treating them as partners will provide our clients with the best possible service,” Tom asserts. “Relationships, like those we are developing with Minova, offer the opportunity for us to work together and develop the best product and methodology balance. We have seen this with great results on our Ellesmere Port project and look forward to delivering on an upcoming project on a Norman Castle (originally built in 1120).”
With so many exciting innovations underway, and even more on the horizon, the future looks bright for Mainmark UK and its team. As Tom concludes: “We will continue to offer innovative solutions to the UK market, developing long term relationships with insurers and housing associations. We are also looking to assist clients that are unaware of our JOG system for large building releveling. It’s suitable for a range of high-density locations where there are new tunnel installations, such as HS2, and we’re keen to expand its application.
“The business also recognises gaps in the solutions offered to an Irish market and is looking to set-up locally in the Republic of Ireland to better support our existing clients and develop new relationships. With my own Irish heritage, it would be great to provide the market with a more cost effective and sustainable solution than is currently available.”