Safety seal specialist, Roxtec UK has seen turnover rise to £6m thanks to several major orders, including Scotland's largest offshore wind farm and the polar research vessel, the 'RRS Sir David Attenborough'.
Bury-based Roxtec UK, a subsidiary of the Swedish Roxtec firm, also worked on high-profile projects such as the Beatrice Offshore Wind Farm, Scotland’s largest offshore wind farm, and Kazakhstan’s Tengiz oilfield.
Speaking to Manchester Evening News, Roxtec UK’s MD Clive Sharp said that these projects, combined with careful forward planning, had helped to drive the record annual turnover.
He said: “There remains enormous scope for our product range across multiple sectors, and our UK operation is fortunate to be backed by the broader global Roxtec Group with an international network of more than 750 staff and 27 subsidiaries.
“This provides huge potential to explore new markets and guarantees on the ground support for overseas projects anywhere in the world.”
The ‘RRS Sir David Attenborough’ is probably the most famous project on which the company has worked. The firm designed specialist seals for the ship that was installed in important areas of the vessel, including the engine room, power generators and external lighting.
The ships also used Roxtec Transit Designer software, a web-based application that Clive Sharp claims to reduce time and save money.
The seals are designed to protect the ship from multiple hazards such as fire, water, gas, vibrations, electromagnetic disturbances and explosion. The ship itself is designed to operate in extreme polar climates. The British Antarctic Survey says the ship can spend up to 60 days at sea unsupported, and possesses an ice-strengthened hull designed to break through ice up to a metre thick.
Roxtec’s Marine & Offshore division is responsible for around a quarter of the firm’s UK turnover. It has recently invested in additional manpower to target shipyards and engineering companies across the UK.
Currently, they are targeting projects involving carriers and cargo ships, cruise liners and ferries, offshore support vessels and superyachts. It is also hoping the government’s National Shipbuilding Strategy will see them gain contracts for naval and defence sector work.
Roxtec UK began in 2005 as a subsidiary of the Swedish company Roxtec. The business was founded in 1990 and experienced rapid growth thanks to the invention of Multidiameter, a solution that improved the process of sealing cable and pipe penetrations.
Reporting by Harry Wise
