Water relief for African families thanks to tie-up
A MANUFACTURER and a Sheffield-based charity have teamed up to help improve the living standards of families in Nigeria.
The collaboration between X-cel Superturn, producer of precision machined components for the petrochemical and power generation industries, and TASTE, which works in Nigeria helping rural communities to gain access to clean drinking water, is set to benefit thousands of people.
Andrew Taylor, managing director at X-cel Superturn, based at the Advanced Manufacturing Park in South Yorkshire, said: “As a manufacturer of downhole drilling components for the oil industry, Ben from TASTE approached us to see if we had any used drill bits that we could donate.
“Once he’d explained what the charity was about and how they help communities in Nigeria we found what they do very interesting and worthwhile and decided it would be better to provide new drill bits instead.”
Ben Udejiofo, chief executive of TASTE, said: “It has been fantastic to get the help from Andrew and X-cel Superturn. We would have been happy with used drill bits, but to get new, specially manufactured components means that we can help a number of new communities and not have to suspend our projects while we try to find replacement used drill bits parts that will wear out more quickly.”
One drill bit will typically be used to drill five to six boreholes down to a minimum depth of 30 metres in hard rock.
Each borehole can provide water for up to 2,000 people, so the three parts supplied by X-cel could help around 36,000 people.
X-Cel Superturn, has recently expanded to a new facility at the AMP in Rotherham after securing a £6m, three-year contract to supply precision gaskets and sealing rings to a global manufacturer of subsea trees, the equipment used to top underwater wellheads and control the flow of oil or gas.
