UK suppliers continue to develop and improve.
Eaves Machining and Coupe Casting have won approved supplier status with Alstom Thermal Power's nuclear division. They have signed a contract for the main pump body, gland and stuffing gland on a new contract for Alstom, all of which are being cast at Coupe Castings. Earlier this year, Eaves Machining and Shakespeare Foundry bought Coupe Foundry.
Warbreck Engineering and Construction, a wholly owned subsidiary of the HS Ocean Group of Companies, has been awarded a key marine contract by BAE Systems. The contract will see Warbreck Engineering & Construction manufacturing a substantial structural support framework as part of a plan to create a full-size steel replica of the new Successor class submarine's Rolls-Royce PWR3 nuclear reactor compartment. The support framework will be manufactured and assembled in sections - dimensionally checked at each stage - and then shipped to the BAE Systems' site in Barrow, where it will be re-assembled. Its primary use will be to allow personnel to safely access the mock up, carry out design justification reviews and assist in the development of future crew by enabling training activities to be undertaken in a 'real life' scenario. The replica will not contain any nuclear materials.
Warbeck Engineering and Construction is one of the first contractors to commence work on the project. HS Ocean Group of Companies, which has a global reach with 12 offices across five continents, will fabricate, assemble and disassemble the steel structure on site at both its Warbreck and McTays shipyard facilities in the North West of England.
Ventilation ductwork supplier Hargreaves Ductwork Ltd has achieved level 4 in its F4N (Fit for Nuclear) assessment. Delivered by the Nuclear AMRC, with the Manufacturing Advisory Service and key industrial partners, F4N is a unique diagnostic tool designed to assess the supply chain's readiness to compete in the nuclear sector supply chain. Level four is the highest possible level of readiness, which proves that Hargreaves has the sector expertise, product range and manufacturing capabilities required to supply the UK's new generation of nuclear power stations. Bury-based Hargreaves has supplied ductwork to the nuclear sector since the 1950s and is a leading supplier to both the decommissioning and operations markets. The F4N level 4 assessment ensures that the company can now build on that heritage for the next generation of nuclear energy infrastructure in the UK.
"We saw F4N as a mechanism to test our readiness for this market and it has given us a benchmark of where we sit as a business that supports the nuclear sector," comments Hargreaves' managing director, Tim Hopkinson. Following the assessment, Hargreaves received a site visit from the Nuclear AMRC, led by supply chain consultant, Martin Ride, who worked with the Hargreaves team to produce a more detailed report and action plan.
Picture: Hargreaves' managing director Tim Hopkinson, left, with a colleague at its factory
