REDCAR AND CLEVELAND
Family-owned Tees Components has the skills and experience to take on large , complex jobs
CROSSING THE TEES
Machining – Specialising in complex , high-risk components , Tees can offer a CNC turning capacity up to 6.8m in diameter .
Case study : Magnet design could be game-changer
Heavy mechanical engineering subcontractor Tees Components is approaching its 60th year as a familyowned and managed SME in the Tees Valley .
Offering excellent road access , it operates from a six-acre site equipped with a range of workshops and heavy overhead lifting capacity .
Its specialism is very large , precision , computer numerical control ( CNC ) machining and particularly in complex , high-risk components .
Often asked by new clients , “ What is your minimum order ?”, Tees is known for its willingness and ability to take on one-off or small batch work , including prototype development .
MD Sharon Lane explains : “ Our whole team has a genuine interest in engineering and new technologies , and we really enjoy projects in which we are able to help clients develop their products , give them feedback on design for manufacture , and see something created that is a world first . That ’ s real job satisfaction for us .”
In addition to precision machining of free-issued materials , Tees also offers complete supply and has strong links with the local supply chain in Teesside for materials , fabrications , castings , forgings , heat treatments , surface coatings and other processes .
Its procurement team and project engineers arrange all subcontract operations and the site can accommodate assembly and testing .
Historically a power generation subcontractor , recent years have seen the firm supplying to the defence , marine , renewable and nuclear sectors .
The company ’ s values – health , skills and sustainability – are rooted in its industrial heritage location on the site of an iconic 19th-century ironworks and its commitment to long-term investment as a modern family business .
The health , safety and all-round wellbeing of its people form the first agenda item in each team meeting , and senior managers conduct daily safety walks .
The health and safety committee meets quarterly and always includes both an apprentice and a director , as well as representatives from each department .
There has been continuous investment in skills for decades , with an unusually high 10 per cent of personnel being technical apprentices and an award-winning four-year advanced manufacturing apprenticeship scheme .
Tees opened its Bolckow Training Facility in late 2019 , featuring new manual and CNC machine tools , a workshop classroom and bench work facilities .
Working closely with the local STEM centre , and offering work experience placements to secondary schools , the firm is committed to the promotion and support of STEM careers for young people .
Operating on a site of historical interest and heritage , with the rugged North York Moors and stunning coastlines on its doorstep , the company regularly assesses its impact on the environment .
In 2021 , while operating throughout Covid lockdowns , it created a wildlife park complete with a footpath .
Its environmental management systems work to continually reduce adverse impacts , keeping the firm abreast of UK and EU legislation to ensure full compliance with ISO 14001 standards .
teescomponents . co . uk
Game-changer – The completed directdrive permanent magnet generator leaves the Tees Components ’ site .
GreenSpur Renewables has developed the world ' s first ferritebased direct-drive permanent magnet generator ( DD-PMG ) capable of reliable multi-MW generation .
It is a low-cost innovation that replaces scarce and expensive rare earth magnets (£ 40 per kg ) with cheap and abundant ferrite (£ 1 per kg ) magnets . The design has been identified as a potential game-changer by the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult .
Tees Components was appointed to source and manufacture parts for a pre-production 250kW stage of a 1MW unit . The generator was assembled in a custom unit on the North Skelton site , and the 250kW unit was then successfully tested at the ORE Catapult , Blyth , in early 2019 .
According to Sharon Lane , MD of Tees Components : “ Working with customers to develop innovative new concepts is something we like to do at Tees .
“ We have staff , facilities and a variety of skillsets that we can bring to the table . Our staff are very excited at being involved in the development of this potentially revolutionary generator concept .”
Andrew Hine , commercial director at GreenSpur , added : " Scaling up shortterm production in the UK could create 200 new manufacturing jobs plus a further 70 in the supply chain .
“ If the technology is deployed at the 2GW to 3GW level , it could lead to the creation of more than 3,000 new UK jobs .”
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