Aycliffe Today Business Aycliffe Today Business Issue 42 | Page 7

The magazine for Aycliffe Business Park | 7 /NEWS /ADVICE INCREASING UNEMPLOYMENT CONCERN FOR REGION T Tekmar Group makes third acquisition with Pipeshield International ekmar Group has signed a sale and purchase agreement for the acquisition of Pipeshield International from its founder Steven Howlett. It’s the third acquisition of the group since its admission to AIM in June 2018 and is continuing the strategy to acquire offshore energy businesses. Tekmar says the deal further strengthens the group’s technology offering enabling them to offer more subsea protection in addition to the current suite of products. Pipeshield is a world leading technology provider of subsea concrete mattresses. The mattresses are used in the protection of subsea equipment such as pipelines and power cables within all marine environments, including offshore wind, marine renewables, oil and gas and marine civil engineering. The business, which is headquartered in Lowestoft, has manufacturing operations local to its primary markets, including Aberdeen, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Singapore. The majority of Pipeshield’s production activity is undertaken at its new leased facility at Blyth in Northumberland, a major hub for offshore renewables activity in the UK. Pipeshield currently employs 25 full-time staff, most of whom are technically focused, plus around 15 contractors supporting the manufacturing process at any one time. The business has four patents protecting its core technology and is fully accredited and independently certified. Tekmar Group CEO James Ritchie said: “Pipeshield is a perfect fit for Tekmar. Its products are complementary, allowing us to upsell and expand our offering to clients, realising our Group vision. “The business has many similarities with Tekmar from both end customers to markets but also most importantly it fits culturally. “The business focuses on technology, as its key differentiator, and Pipeshield has outstanding credentials, which demonstrate its commitment to safety, quality and, above all, its people; these are key values which we embrace across all Group companies.” Steven Howlett added: “I am keen to see the business progress and believe that being part of Tekmar will accelerate the achievement of our long-held growth aspirations.” T he regional labour market statistics show an increasing gap in performance between English regions. The employment rate in the South- West reached 81%, the highest for any region since records began. The employment rate in the North-East is 71.2%, the lowest of any region, although the number of people in employment increased over the past year. Unemployment in the North-East rose to 5.9%, with a further 12,000 unemployed compared to the same period last year – the largest increase in the country. The North East England Chamber of Commerce is calling on all political party leaders to produce a compelling vision for regional growth ahead of the December 12 General Election. We will hold the new Government to account on their plans for improving the economy in all parts of the country. We are calling for politicians to give us the powers and the funding to address barriers to growth, and make decisions on infrastructure and skills investment that will benefit North East residents and businesses. Paul Carbert Policy Advisor North East England Chamber of Commerce ‘Made in Aycliffe’ technology heading to Taiwan T echnology made in Newton Aycliffe is heading to Taiwan as part of a major new subsea deal. Aycliffe-based Tekmar Energy has revealed that subsea power cable provider JDR Cables, part of TFKable Group, have selected the Tekmar’s patented cable protection system (CPS) TekLink Mechanical Latch for the Formosa 1 Phase 2 offshore wind farm. Formosa 1 Phase 2 is a project located 6km from the shore of Taiwan, consisting of 20 turbines and will provide a total of 122 MW in water depth of approximately 15-30m. The project is set for completion in 2019. Tekmar will be providing approximately 60 cable protection systems and a further 60 hang off clamps which hold the subsea cable in place within the turbine transition piece. The project will mark Tekmar’s 67th within the industry, retaining Tekmar’s record of having worked on more offshore wind projects than any other company worldwide. As part of the project, Tekmar will be supplying its CPS protection system for all inter array and export cables. The product will be produced within Tekmar’s state-of-the-art manufacturing facility on Aycliffe Business Park. AYCLIFFE TODAY BUSINESS The magazine for Aycliffe Business Park – the North-East’s biggest business park. Get involved in future issue by emailing [email protected]