Bringing Aycliffe Business Park Together | 27
ALM’s new quality engineer Trevor Wright with
an intricate component made by the firm’s
pnew £160,000 lathe for the oil and gas sector.
£160k MACHINE PROVES
WORTH AS ALM EXPAND
TO OIL & GAS
Award-winning business ALM Engineering
Solutions is reaping the benefits of investing
£160,000 in a new machine already, with new
work in oil and gas sectors pouring through its
doors.
The company, based on Grindon Way on the park, has just
completed two big contracts for two Aberdeen-based firms in
the oil industry.
ALM has been producing steel billets and valve bodies for
clients in two deals worth a combined £60,000, and boss Tony
Thompson is hoping it’ll lead to more work.
And in a separate contract the Aycliffe engineers, which has
35 staff and an annual turnover of £3m, has been producing
intricate flow bodies – 17-4 grade stainless steel components
which enables oil to flow through tooling systems.
“We’ve invested heavily in state-of-the-art machinery in the last
year which is enabling us to explore these markets and take on
the work, said managing director Tony Thompson.
”
“The oil and gas sector is obviously a growth market and we’re
tapping into that as well as working on what I’d call our run-ofthe-mill stuff.
“But it’s an exciting time for the company. We’re picking up
new orders almost every week, with the prospect of more in
the pipeline, and that means we’re looking to take on more
skilled staff.
“We’re looking for two new CNC turners to help us cope with
the workload.
”
ALM used to specialise in manufacturing and supplying
hardware and systems for cubicles and lockers, but in 2008
the company set up ALM Engineering Solutions, tapping into
several sectors including the oil and gas, aerospace, nuclear
The steel component is about to go through ALM’s lathe, ready to be made into a part
and automotive industries.
Named Durham and Wearside
Manufacturing Company of the Year
in 2013, ALM Solutions produce
components from a wide range of
materials including stainless steel,
exotic alloys, titanium, inconel,
copper and engineering plastics.
Since August last year £200,000
has been spent on machinery,
including a £160,000 lathe which
is processing the firm’s new
components.
Tony started the business in 1994
and was originally based at South
Church in Bishop Auckland, but
relocated to Aycliffe Business Park
in 1999.
He has already set out an ambitious
growth plan which will see turnover
jump to £5m by next year.
But despite taking on five new staff
this year, including new quality
engineer Trevor Wright, the skills
shortage remains a problem.
“Recruiting skilled people has been
a problem for a while and we’re still
faced with it, as is everyone else,
”
added Tony.
“These latest contracts
demonstrate our ability to take
this kind of work on, but we need
more staff to accommodate that
workload.
“It’s frustrating, but we’re always
looking at innovative ways to attract
skilled people to the area and
hopefully the potential of working
on challenging projects like this
will be an attraction to ambitious
engineers.
”
More details about ALM
Products can be found at
www.alm-es.co.uk, or you can
contact them on 01325 313377
or [email protected]