Family engineering firm celebrate bumper year
A SPECIALIST welding and engineering company based in Ilkeston is enjoying a record year with a number of high-value orders.
Rayden Engineering has continued to work through the Covid-19 pandemic nationally on projects worth many millions of pounds, because the projects in question are considered to be essential works.
Established in 1979, the family company specialises in manufacturing and installing high pressure pipework systems. It operates in specific market sectors such as the gas, oil, petrochemical and water industries.
Rayden is experienced at working throughout the UK and abroad to extremely high standards for businesses that are big-name market leaders in their fields, some of them being household names such as National Grid Gas.
The year started off in style with the award of a major contract for Northern Gas Networks for a pipeline diversion and a new above ground installation (AGI) in the North East of England, which involves the diversion of various gas pipelines and also includes a micro tunnel 24 metres deep and 160 metres in length.
This is part of a Highways England scheme to widen and re-structure a four-mile section of the A1dual carriageway near the Angel of the North statue in Gateshead. The £220 million scheme when completed will ease congestion and cut journey times.
Other major schemes include:
■ A design and build scheme for Uniper UK to enable the construction of a new power generation unit at Cottam Power Station in Lincolnshire.
■ Providing a new gas pipeline and two above ground installations (AGIs) for a new power generation unit at Carrickfergus in Northern Ireland, for EP UK.
■ Enabling works for National Grid Gas at various sites in the Midlands, by providing support to its specialist team on inline inspections of the high-pressure transmission system.
All this is on top of an already full order book at its base and engineering works at Wentworth St, Ilkeston.
To help support its workload, Rayden has made heavy investments in new HGVs and specialist equipment.
In addition, it has recently refurbished the one remaining British Rail building on the former British Rail site at Wentworth Street to create high-tech workspace for 18 extra staff.
Managing director Richard Hayden is delighted that the company has won major contracts during difficult times caused by the coronavirus crisis which hit so many industries and projects.
“Despite the pandemic we carried on in the face of adversity in 2020 and this year also, because these critical contracts are crucial as essential infrastructure work,” he said.