Newly-acquired historic engineering business delivers in Algeria
A 79-year-old engineering firm which called in the administrators last year following a global downturn in the oil and gas market is to deliver its first components to a gas field in Algeria – its first order since being acquired in December.
The assets of Rotherham-based Whiteley Read were acquired by Stainless Metalcraft, part of Avingtrans energy and medical division, for an undisclosed sum, saving the iconic British manufacturing brand.
The 60 mile journey from Rotherham to Immingham to ship the package this weekend will require two police forces to escort, Northern Power to isolate two main grid cable road crossings, five local authorities to remove road signs en route, and a tree surgeon to clear a route out of Rotherham.
Austen Adams, managing director of Avingtrans’ energy and medical division, said: “Seeing these first components leave the factory is an exciting landmark for the business. Whiteley Read has a long track record supplying pressure vessels and packaged equipment to the upstream and downstream oil markets so this contract – to supply a Glycol Regeneration Package for the Timimoun Field Development Project in south-western Algeria – was a perfect fit for the site.
“Acquiring the assets of Whiteley Read has provided the division with invaluable additional capacity to service overspill from existing operations. While the oil and gas industries continue to face unprecedented challenges, I hope this will be the first of many contracts to be delivered from the site, building on its reputation for quality and driving growth across our business.”
The Timimoun Field Development Project is a joint venture between Sontract, Total and Compañía Española de Petróleos. A non-conventional gas project, it covers 2,500km2 and will ultimately include 40 wells, a gas gathering system, central gas processing facilities and a connection to the export pipeline. The development is expected to produce 1.6 billion cubic metres a year of natural gas over eight years.
