North East subsea manufacturer Express Engineering is gearing up for a bumper year after opening a new £3.5m facility.
The Gateshead firm, which specialises in manufacturing, assembly and testing solutions for the subsea oil and gas industry, has opened its new international assembly and test centre.
Chairman Chris Thompson said the 48,000 sq ft purpose-built centre on the Team Valley will contribute to the company’s continued development in key global markets and improve the level of support provided to customers.
The company said it will be boosting its team of skilled project engineers and managers to work on new offshore technologies and upstream products under development following the
The centre’s opening comes months after Express Engineering sold its aerospace division to focus on developing its subsea energy products business, which it says has led to sales in the oil and gas sector growing significantly, leading to a jump in revenues to more than £35m for 2020.
Mr Thompson said he is optimistic about the offshore subsea market in 2021, adding: “We have a healthy order book for 2021 and anticipate significant market sector growth in the next three years.
"The new centre positions us strongly for further expansion and success as we look forward to providing customers with the most competitive, high quality subsea products.
“As an international subsea engineering sector specialist, the additional capacity will significantly enhance Express Engineering’s response times and operational performance and productivity whilst maintaining the highest standards of safety and reliability.”
Tim Witty, development director at UK Land Estates, said: “As 2021 picks up pace and the North East’s businesses look to the future, we’re glad to see Express Engineering go from strength to strength with the opening of its new centre. We’ve worked closely with Express Engineering on getting the site up and running and are pleased to see our joint effort come to fruition.”
Express Engineering works with customers including TechnipFMC, Baker Hughes and Aker Solutions and is a significant exporter of products, operating in areas including the North Sea, Gulf of Mexico, east coast of Brazil, east and west coasts of Africa and Australasia.
