What Rollalong does

Rollalong is a UK-based offsite modular construction company, founded in 1932 and headquartered in Wimborne, Dorset, where it operates a large factory producing light-gauge steel volumetric modules. The company designs, manufactures and installs permanent and temporary modular buildings for three primary verticals: education (mainstream schools, SEND facilities and STEAM buildings), residential (permanent low-carbon homes, relocatable homes, meanwhile-use housing, and social/affordable housing for housing associations and local authorities), and defence (primarily single living accommodation for the Ministry of Defence, delivered through Aspire Defence). A healthcare/NHS channel is addressed via framework membership but is not a headline vertical. The underlying technology is a factory-controlled light-gauge steel volumetric framing system, upgraded with a £2m Howick machinery investment for improved production speed and traceability, supported by AI-assisted design visualisations.

Rollalong generates revenue through one-time project contracts awarded via competitive tender and procurement frameworks, including the NHS Modular Building Framework (~£1.6bn), the Southern Construction Framework (~£5bn, where Rollalong is the only volumetric manufacturer among 19 firms), and the Southern Modular Building Framework. The most significant historical contract is the £100m+ Aspire Defence Army Basing Programme (52 blocks, 2,427 bedrooms, 1,521 modules), completed in 2020. Pricing is project-based and not publicly disclosed. The company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Newship Group, a diversified conglomerate, with Steve Chivers as Managing Director and a leadership team spanning manufacturing, projects, design, and health and safety.

Name

Rollalong

Legal name

Rollalong Ltd

Website

https://rollalong.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1932

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Rollalong is a UK offsite modular construction company (founded 1932) that designs, manufactures and installs light-gauge steel volumetric buildings for the education, residential, defence, and healthcare sectors, primarily serving public-sector buyers via procurement frameworks.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Modular Building Manufacturing

NAICS

Residential Building Construction (23611), Commercial and Institutional Building Construction (236220), Construction of Buildings (236)

SIC

General Bldg Contractors - Nonresidential Bldgs (1540), Prefabricated Metal Buildings & Components (3448)

akta.pro primary industry

Modular/Offsite General Contracting & Installation (IMAFAAAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Residential Modular & Prefabricated Home Construction (IMAFABAF), Modular/Prefabricated Classroom Buildings & Installation (EDAEABAH), Multi-Family Residential Construction (Apartments, Condos, Townhomes) (IMAFABAB)

Keywords

• Modular construction
• Offsite manufacturing
• Volumetric buildings
• Light-gauge steel framing
• Modular housing

Headquarters

HQ city

Wimborne

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Modular Building Design, Manufacturing and Installation: Full turnkey design, manufacture and installation of modular buildings for education, residential, defence and other sectors. Revenue generated through project contracts awarded via frameworks and direct tender.
2. Social Housing Development: Development and delivery of low-carbon modular homes for housing associations and local authorities, including both market and affordable tenure properties.
3. Defence Accommodation Contracts: Large-scale Ministry of Defence contracts for single living accommodation blocks, with contracts exceeding £100 million.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Rollalong designs, manufactures and installs offsite modular buildings using a light-gauge steel volumetric system produced in a controlled factory environment in Dorset. It delivers permanent and relocatable modular buildings for education (including SEND), residential (social, affordable, low-carbon, and meanwhile use housing), defence (Ministry of Defence accommodation), and healthcare (NHS) sectors across the UK, typically completing projects within 14 weeks from concept to handover.

Product overview

Rollalong is the UK's longest-established modular construction company (since 1932), offering offsite modular building solutions across multiple sectors. The core offering consists of modular buildings designed, manufactured, and installed in a controlled factory environment before delivery to site. The product portfolio includes: (1) Education Buildings - permanent and SEND school buildings; (2) Residential - permanent modular homes, low-carbon homes, relocatable/temporary homes, and meanwhile use solutions; (3) Defence - Ministry of Defence accommodation and facilities. The company operates from a Dorset factory using light-gauge steel volumetric systems, delivering projects typically within 14 weeks from concept to handover. Recent AI integration has been applied to design visualisations and production scheduling to improve accuracy and efficiency.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Modular Education Buildings Permanent modular school buildings manufactured offsite for the UK education sector, including primary, secondary, and SEND facilities. Delivered as a turnkey design, manufacture and installation service for schools, academies, local authorities, and education trusts, typically within around 14 weeks from concept to handover.
• Permanent Modular Homes
• Relocatable Modular Homes Relocatable temporary modular housing solutions designed to be moved and redeployed, with a lifespan of over 60 years. Used for transitional/meanwhile use housing, temporary accommodation, and rapid-deployment residential needs for local authorities and developers.
• Defence Modular Buildings High-quality modular buildings for the UK Ministry of Defence and defence contractors, including single living accommodation blocks and counter-terrorism compliant facilities. Delivered through direct defence contracts and via prime contractors such as Aspire Defence Ltd.
• SEND School Buildings Specialist modular education buildings designed for students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), offered as both temporary and permanent classroom solutions. Delivered for schools, local authorities, and education trusts.

Quantifiable outcome

• 39% CO2 emissions reduction vs Part L requirements
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship, supporting and strategic.

• Wates ResidentialcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 October 2025Partnership for Meanwhile Use temporary housing scheme in Havering. Rollalong delivering 18 temporary modular homes on Waterloo and Queen Street site for Wates and Havering Council.
• Southern Modular Building Framework (SMBF)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 29 June 2025Partnership for delivering education sector modular buildings in partnership with local authorities like Hampshire County Council.
• Hampshire County CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 June 2025Local authority partner for delivering SEND education buildings through Southern Modular Building Framework, including The Hamble School project.
• Southern Construction Framework (SCF)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 8 December 2021One of 19 construction firms appointed to £5bn residential procurement framework, and the only volumetric manufacturer on the framework. Enables public sector bodies to procure modular residential construction.
• NHS Shared Business ServicescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 7 July 2021Rollalong appointed to NHS modular building framework agreement opened by NHS Shared Business Services. Framework runs from July 2021 initially until July 2023, expected to be worth £1.6bn. Provides procurement route for NHS trusts requiring modular healthcare facilities.
• Aspire Defence LtdflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2015Prime contractor for Army Basing Programme 2020. Rollalong awarded £100m+ contract to design, manufacture and install 52 accommodation blocks for service personnel. Major strategic partnership demonstrating capability at scale.
• Westcountry GroupsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerFit-out partner for Forres Sandle Manor School project, designed and supplied specialist science fit-out for three science classrooms, two prep rooms, and chemical store.
• D4S (Design 4 Structures)supportingTechnology or IntegrationStructural engineers for Forres Sandle Manor School project, providing engineering design services as part of the project team.
• Newship Group (Parent Company)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent company and strategic partner. West Ashling development was Rollalong's first project on behalf of parent. Vertically integrated approach where Newship Group's specialised modular expertise delivers group projects.
• Magna HousingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for MMC-first affordable housing trial. Delivered first 50 factory-built homes as proof of concept. Report commissioned with CAMS demonstrating MMC benefits including fewer defects, lower whole-life costs.
• Royal BAM GroupstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Royal BAM Group as client, alongside Design 4 Structures and HNW Architects, for upcoming project delivery.
• Wiltshire CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProcurement cluster partner with Magna Housing for MMC housing. Multiple housing developments delivered including Maud Davies Close. Climate action committee members engaged with company.
• Newship DevelopmentscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister company for whom Rollalong is delivering a 16-home development in Surrey, as part of group operations.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Portakabin: UK-headquartered modular building manufacturer offering permanent and relocatable modular solutions across education, healthcare, public sector and commercial — direct competitor with overlapping product categories, customer base and UK-wide delivery capability.
• Wernick Group: One of the UK's largest family-owned modular building manufacturers, supplying permanent and hire modular buildings across education, healthcare, construction and public sectors — comparable factory-based volumetric model and similar customer mix.
• Premier Modular: UK volumetric modular manufacturer focused on education, healthcare, defence and commercial sectors with framework positions across the public sector — directly comparable in scale, product offering and GTM.
• Caledonian Modular: UK offsite construction specialist delivering modular buildings for NHS, education and commercial clients, with similar NHS Modular Building Framework overlap and volumetric construction approach.
• McAvoy Group: Northern Ireland and UK-based offsite construction provider delivering modular buildings for healthcare, education and commercial — directly comparable light-gauge steel volumetric technology and public sector customer base.

Emerging players

• Ilke Homes: UK modular housebuilder focused on residential delivery for housing associations and developers — competing in the same permanent modular housing segment as Rollalong's residential line, including low-carbon housing.
• Legal & General Modular Homes: Institutional-backed UK modular housing manufacturer targeting housing associations and developers at scale — competing for the same social and affordable housing framework opportunities as Rollalong.

Broad incumbents

• Algeco: Pan-European modular space and permanent modular building provider with significant UK presence — broader portfolio across hire and permanent buildings, overlapping in education and public sector customers.
• Wates Group: Top-tier UK construction and residential developer with growing MMC capability — both a customer (Meanwhile Use scheme) and adjacent competitor for residential modular contracts through frameworks.
• BAM Construct UK: Major UK construction firm with established offsite construction arm and partnership with Rollalong — competes on modular schemes while also acting as a route-to-market for Rollalong's manufacturing capability.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Rollalong_Ltd
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCeinGBGO7T7mt9CIwAzuKqA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rollalong-ltd
• Instagraminstagram.com/rollalong_ltd

Compliance8 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Rollalong