SUCCESS
Visibility – general manager Joe Melville says BC & T Consultants is reaping the benefits of its move to Thornaby a year ago .
ENGINEERING A BRIGHTER FUTURE
Home is where the heart is for an ambitious firm that ’ s helping to create the engineers of tomorrow
WORDS : ANDY PASSANT PICTURES : STUART BOULTON
Thornaby-based BC & T Consultants has forged a reputation for delivering multi-million-pound projects across the UK and all over the world .
The company has carved out a niche for itself in storage projects , in particular liquefied petroleum gas ( LPG ) and fuel storage facilities .
It ’ s a multi-disciplinary engineering and design consultancy , which provides process , mechanical , civil , structural and electrical , control and instrumentation engineering services to the process and petrochemical industries .
Founded in 1986 and originally based in Whitby , the company later moved to Kirkleatham Business Park , in Redcar .
Now based in modern premises in Ash House , Thornaby , it is well positioned at the heart of Teesside and has grown to employ 24 people , including apprentices .
General manager Joe Melville said : “ We have been here a year now . I think we are benefitting from the location . It is an area where we want to be .
“ One benefit is there are other engineering businesses around us . We
Comprehensive – BC & T offers multidisciplinary engineering and design capabilities all under one roof .
110 | Tees Business have put ourselves in an area where there is a higher level of engineering activity . Over time we have become more visible .”
While its international work is ongoing , the company is looking to expand its business at home , employing local people and giving something back to the area .
Joe , a proud Teessider , said : “ Teesside has some of the most exciting engineering projects in the country . There is a lot going on in this area .
“ We are proud to be supporting projects here . Our capabilities and abilities are expanding as a business . We want to be involved in larger projects in and around Teesside and the UK , as well as overseas .
“ We have multi-disciplinary engineering and design capabilities . We are not one dimensional . Everything is under one roof , all in-house , providing world-class engineering services .”
The team includes apprentices who bring a new vision and fresh ideas and help make up a strong team combining youth and experience .
BC & T Consultants has worked with Teesside University and Middlesbrough College to recruit young talent and has taken on its first engineering apprentices .
Joe said : “ It is certainly a new thing for us . We are supporting Middlesbrough College with their T Level work placements . “ They ( the apprentices ) have different ideas and energy levels . You ’ ve got to have that diversity in the team .”
Engineering recruitment can be a challenge , with employers battling it out to attract the brightest from the available pool of talent .
Recruiting and retaining experienced engineers is still important but , Joe says : “ What we have missed is the ability to grow our own people .
“ It gives us more diversity ,” he continues . “ It does take a while but one thing we have been surprised by is how quickly our apprentices have been able to adapt .”
Joe said the work is varied and rewarding , seeing projects through from the beginning to the end result .
One recently completed time-critical project was for a liquified petroleum gas ( LPG ) storage facility at Seal Sands .
It imported LPG from an upstream facility ( Teesside Gas Processing Plant ), stored it and then distributed by road tanker wagon for onward supply .
Joe said : “ We have delivered a lot of projects overseas and across the UK , so to have projects like this one in our own area is really important .
“ We were able to expand our network and got some really good references off the back of it . There was a mutual benefit .”
The company is set to continue taking on apprentices in the future and is still on the lookout for qualified engineers to further expand the business .
Joe said : “ Without our people we would not be able to deliver what we do . They are by far the most important aspect of our company . We have a good mix of people with exceptional abilities .
“ We enjoy what we do and we deliver some really interesting projects .”
To enquire about vacancies or opportunities at BC & T Consultants , email enquiry @ bct-consultants . co . uk