West Midlands-based tube manipulation, high integrity welding and pressure vessel manufacturer, European Heathyards has announced the opening of its new nuclear facility.
Reportedly built and commissioned in under 16 months, the new 10,000 sq ft, fully equipped workshop, which houses two 10 tonne overhead cranes and offers a clean, secure manufacturing environment with biometric controlled restricted access.
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The fully sealed unit – which also includes office space and a bonded store – expands the business’ capability to move into the nuclear decommissioning and new power generation plant markets, with a view to increasing market share within the petrochemical sector.
Formerly used as an outside storage area, the investment in the new facility is anticipated to create 15-20 new jobs over the coming 12-18 months.
It is also estimated to increase turnover by as much as 30% over a similar period for one of the UK’s leading pressure vessel manufacturers.
Speaking at the opening, technical director Arran Nash commented: “Our new workshop is an important step in advancing our capability in the thriving nuclear sector.
“European Heathyards have been pre-qualified by Achilles UVDB [EDF Nuclear] and we are also currently engaged on the fit for nuclear programme”
“This will expand European Heathyards capabilities to deliver large scale contracts for key players in the Nuclear and Petrochemical industry”
The investment in the new workshop and machinery has been reinforced with a significant amount of time and investment into achieving certification in several quality standards.
Currently accredited to the globally recognised ISO 9001 (Quality Management System) and ISO 14001 (Environmental Management System), the firm has completed the first phase towards achieving BS OHSAS 18001 (Occupational Health and Safety Management), with the second phase due for completion imminently.
Having achieved accreditation to ASME U Stamp (Boilers and Pressure Vessels), the business has started the initial consultation, with the view to achieving accreditation for ASME S-stamp (Power Boiler), ASME PP-stamp (Power Piping), and ASME R-Stamp (Repairs and Alterations).
Work has also been completed on the first phase and are now entering the second phase towards accreditation of BS EN 1090 (Execution of Steel Structures and Aluminium Structures).
