Willmott Dixon maintenance arm rebrands as Fortem

Willmott Dixon’s property repairs and maintenance specialist, Willmott Dixon Partnerships, is changing its name to Fortem as well as being given more freedom to design bespoke service offerings and grow the company outside its core social housing market. 

As part of the new strategy the senior management team will be given greater operational autonomy.

The company currently provides repairs and maintenance services to local authorities and housing associations across the country, with its team of 1,400 directly employed engineers undertaking over 400,000 repairs each year. It also provides planned cyclical work to support programmes of estate renewal and property asset investment.

Managing director Mick Williamson explained: “As we focus on ensuring we support our existing clients in delivering the best service possible, the new name embodies our commitment to keep evolving as a successful business. We have strong ambitions for growth and this means that now is the right time to create a new stand-out brand to become recognised as a leader in property maintenance across all sectors, not just housing.

The new logo and branding is designed to be a welcoming and reassuring presence in the community

“Fortem reflects these aspirations by heralding a new era for our business as we continue to invest in ensuring we are ‘best in class’ for our existing customers, while giving us flexibility to plan ahead for expansion with new customers.”

Fortem is a Latin word for strength and prudency, underlining Willmott Dixon Partnerships’ existing brand values. The new logo and branding is designed to be a welcoming and reassuring presence in the community, as its highly trained and qualified team of engineers arrive to carry out work that improves the immediate environment of residents and customers.

The company is currently responsible for repairs, maintenance and cyclical work on more than 110,000 homes, working as a key partner for local authorities such as Birmingham City Council and Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council, plus housing associations such as Midland Heart, Metropolitan, Orbit and Paragon.

To coincide with the new name, Willmott Dixon Partnerships’ sister company Willmott Dixon Energy Services will be drawn into the Fortem brand to extend the services and skill-sets of the business.