A full sheet metal company has proved it is going from strength to strength on the eve of its first anniversary.

Keen Ltd., which is based in Mill's Creek Road, Pembroke, and specialises in sheet metal, highlift rental and electrical services, is set to celebrate its first year in business on April 1, having taken over the former Mechanical Solutions warehouse this time last year.

The business, which is 100 percent Bermudian owned and run by Michael Zimmerman, Chance McLean, Stephen Roberts and Kevin Constable, with nine employees in total, does everything from carrying out metal fabrication and installations to electrical fitting and wiring, and even offers rental of highlift vehicles for painting and tree cutting.

Mr. Zimmerman, who specialises in sheet metal, and Mr. McLean and Mr. Roberts, who are electricians by trade, having both worked for Universal Electric, along with with Mr. Roberts, who has extensive experience of highlift rentals, decided to club together one day and go into business, ably-assisted by Don Mackenzie, who helped with the purchase of the Mechanical Solutions equipment.

"Michael used to work for Mexhanical Solutions and he was planning on branching out on his own and when they shut down we took over the warehouse business, bought their equipment and really took it on from where they left off," explained Mr. McLean.

"We picked up the work they had and also some of our own.

"We computerised the shop and bought in equipment to modernise it.

"In addition, we are a new 100 percent local company and none of our employees are on work permits."

The biggest change the company has seen since it launched was becoming fully computerised with a plasma cutting machine, with which instructions can be programmed in and carried out by the machine, reducing time spent on manual labour, while it also owns two highlift vehicles, one of which has a 110-foot high reach, and a scissor lift, which it rents out, according to Mr. Zimmerman, who has 30 years experience of working in the sheet metal industry.

"We can do any size project in Bermuda," he said. "We are doing the Windward Building on Front Street and the old Harbourfront.

"We also do all the work for Air Care - we cater for their needs for sheet metalling, electrical and highlifting, we rent the warehouse from them and we take care of them and they take care of us - its a good partnership we have.

"In short, we do anything commercial, industrial, residential and office refits."

Keen is also working with the National training Board to develop programmes for sheet metal fabrication and installation and is looking to bring in an instructor to train apprentices and work alongside its staff, said Mr. Zimmerman.

"There are no sheet metal programmes for young Bermudians now and we are definitely moving in that direction now to try and set something up along those lines," he said.

"On the sheet metal side, we also brought back some of the employees of Mechanical Solutions, which is good because we know each other from working together before."

And Mr. Zimmerman said the company is planning to expand slowly but surely in the future.

"As our company builds we are steadily bringing in more equipment and we plan to grow with the business," he said.

"We are trying to get into the market of major constructions on the HVAC side, such as kitchen hoods, air conditioning and exhaust fans in restaurants, and electrical refits for offices."