Introduction

A Nottingham County Surveyor, Edgar Purnell Hooley, discovered tarmac by accident in the early 20th century. He found a barrel of tar had spilled onto the road at a local ironworks. This had mixed with waste slag from the furnaces. The result was a dust-free, strong surface. Hooley created and patented the product that could take the weight of the new automobile. In 1903 the Tarmacadam syndicate was formed, its name taken from the developer of the road construction system, John MacAdam.

Tarmac has three main business areas:

Tarmac’s mission is ‘to be the first choice for building materials and services that meet the essential needs for the development of the world in which we live.’

Tarmac employs 12,500 people and has an annual turnover of £2.1 billion. It operates in many countries, including the UK, Poland, India and the Middle East.

In 2005 it produced 76.8 million tons of aggregates. An example of Tarmac construction is the ceiling of Canary Wharf Station in London.

Tarmac aims to provide customers with high quality products and services in line with its mission statement. This case study shows how Tarmac focuses on attracting and keeping the right staff and ensuring its employees have the right skills and expertise to grow the company.