FEATURE
Performance – BC & T’ s dedicated team have delivered an impressive 10,200 projects and recorded a string of record-breaking years.
WORDS: DAVE ROBSON PICTURES: SOCIAL ALLIES
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BC & T Consultants in good shape as it marks 40th anniversary
Forty years of excellence is being celebrated by BC & T Consultants – a business that continues to adapt to the changing needs of its clients and the world. When it began in 1986, its main focus was on the petrochemical and mining sectors.
Throughout the following 40 years, the ethos and core values that serve it so well have remained the same – even if the sectors it deals with have evolved.
Multi-disciplinary consulting engineers, the 2026 version of the company provides process, mechanical, civil, structural and electrical, control and engineering services to clients worldwide.
But nowadays, developments such as new-age fuels have been added to the mix.
And as Tees Business talks to general manager Joe Melville in Ash House – the impressive and modern Thornaby HQ it moved into three years ago from Kirkleatham Business Park near Redcar – it’ s clearly a business that won’ t stand still in a
Integrity – Ron Campbelll, the C in BC & T Consultants, recognises how the business has evolved over its 40-year lifespan. constantly changing industrial landscape. Joe says:“ While the business has remained largely the same in terms of our values and how we work, in 2026 it’ s very different in scale, capability and the technology we use.
“ We’ re continuing to adapt and use technology to our advantage – things like 3D laser scanning, drone footage and software that we use within our engineering operation, all to ensure we’ re at the forefront of engineering and technology and able to deliver the best level of service we can.”
BC & T stands for Richard Birdsall, Ron Campbell and Donald Thompson, the original founders. Indeed, the“ C”, Ron Campbell, dropped in the week before Tees Business visited to take part in an online marketing campaign, while his daughter, Lisa, is the firm’ s accountant.
Along with JM Dixon Associates and P & I Design, the firm is part of the Limestone Group – a holding company that connects leading UK engineering SMEs to form a specialist consultancy group serving the tank storage, petroleum, chemical and LPG sectors.
And while BC & T’ s figures are impressive, with more than 10,200 projects worked on so far and a string of record-breaking years recently, courtesy of its dedicated, strong team, certain things will never change.
Joe explains:“ We have fundamental core values and we’ re really keen to make sure that as a business, we retain that way of working.
“ Some companies lose their identity when they scale up, even if that’ s what made them successful in the first place, but we will always retain our identity by developing close relationships with our clients and customers.”
Joe is in his ninth year at BC & T Consultants, having started as an engineer working on several projects. And even in those nine years, he says the industrial landscape has changed rapidly – meaning BC & T has constantly adapted while still playing to its strengths.
He explains:“ With some of the new-age fuels and the challenges the UK chemical sector is facing, for example, we’ ve really had to transition – but we’ ve been able to seize those opportunities.”
He says the company’ s membership of the Tank Storage Association is important, given how vital the TSA’ s role is likely to be as the UK’ s future energy supply changes and storage needs evolve.
And despite its national and international successes, Joe believes that remaining steadfastly local has served BC & T Consultants well.
He says:“ It’ s really important to us to be a local company, providing local employment and opportunities across all professional spectrums, including apprentices and graduates through to chartered, qualified engineers.
“ The fact that our people are delivering on projects that carry terms like‘ world’ s largest’ and‘ world’ s first’ is something we’ re really proud of.
“ As we mark 40 years, we’ re in a really good place as a business. Now it’ s all about continuing to build on strong foundations and preparing a future of opportunities.”
Visit bct-consultants. co. uk
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