Blackhill Engineering diversifies into precision test equipment fabrication with Bruel & Kjaer VTS Ltd. contract

Posted on May 15, 2018May 23, 2018 by Proteum

Blackhill Engineering, the heavy engineering division of engineering services company, SC Group, has been awarded an initial two year production contract by Bruel & Kjaer VTS Ltd. to fabricate base frames for high specification testing equipment. Bruel & Kjaer are a world leader in acoustic and vibration test & measurement products used by the space, aerospace, defence, automotive, telecoms and mining industries and the contract marks a diversification for Blackhill.

Nick Woods, Category Manager, Bruel & Kjaer VTS Ltd, said, “As a company that looks for more than just the price of the products we buy, finding Blackhill Engineering was an ideal fit with our business requirements. Not only do they have the fabrication and machining capability we were looking for, they have the right mind set to give their customers the confidence they know what they are talking about. This culture exists from the beginning of the ordering process, through every touch point during manufacture to the final delivery of product. With the support we have seen to date, Bruel & Kjaer VTS Ltd. is confident in the knowledge it has found a long-term business partner”.

The base frames weigh up to 2.5 tonnes and relate to eight different models of vibration test equipment, of which each model has up to six different versions.

Blackhill Engineering has one of the largest CNC mills in the South West of England and boasts one of the region’s largest crane lifts with the capability to lift up to 50 tonnes. Its 28,000 square foot of workshop space offers the flexibility to build large and small components and prototypes and perform one-off, low rate bespoke and continuous volume production.

Dan Baker, Business Development Manager at Blackhill Engineering, said: “Working with Bruel & Kjaer is a major diversification in Blackhill’s portfolio and an exciting milestone in its 60 year history”.

Blackhill’s markets have spanned nuclear new build and decommissioning, civil engineering & construction, marine & offshore, oil & gas, renewables, quarrying & mineral processing, space & telecommunications and automotive.

Recent projects have included flood gates and the delivery of components totalling 650 tonnes of steel for the Hinkley Point C jetty, for which it won two EDF Energy HPC Excellence Awards for Best Local/Regional Business and Best Manufacturing Equipment Supplier.

Blackhill Engineering builds flood defence gates for New York City hospital

Posted on December 7, 2017December 7, 2017 by Proteum

Blackhill Engineering, the heavy engineering division of engineering services company, SC Group, is building flood defence gates as part of the flood defence system being installed to protect a new flagship patient wing at the NYU Langone Medical Centre, one of the US’ leading university hospitals in New York City. The hospital’s new $150 million Kimmel Pavilion is being designed to meet new standards for flood protection that were introduced in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, which in 2012 forced the evacuation of patients at the Manhattan hospital overlooking the East River.

Devon UK based Blackhill was awarded the contract by Flood Control International, also based in Devon and a world leading specialist supplier of bespoke engineered flood defence systems. The Kimmel Pavilion is the largest contract to date for Flood Control International which has supplied systems for Nairobi Airport, retail stores in Australia and East Anglian coastal towns.

Flood Control International selected Blackhill for its capacity to manufacture four steel `flip up` flood defence gates, the largest one measuring 12m long and 2.5m high, which combined use some 10 tonnes of steel. Blackhill specialises in building large fabrications and recently delivered components totalling 650 tonnes of steel for the Hinkley Point C jetty, for which it won two EDF Energy HPC Excellence Awards for Best Local/Regional Business and Best Manufacturing Equipment Supplier.

Dan Baker, Business Development Manager at Blackhill Engineering, said: “Winning this prestigious contract from a world leader in a growing niche sector of the construction industry is testament to our expertise and an exciting breakthrough for Blackhill”.

Blackhill Engineering completes heavy engineering project for Hinkley Point C jetty development

Posted on September 29, 2017March 15, 2018 by rosie

The Exeter based heavy engineering subcontractor has a unique 60 tonne lifting capability in the South West of England, which helped secure the contract. This is the company’s largest ever project in terms of tonnage involving over 650 tonnes of steel. Blackhill fabricated the 30 steel caps required for the piles supporting the top of the jetty and the 48 steel bridge beams spanning the piles, some measuring up to 14 metres long.

The temporary jetty, which will extend 500m into the Bristol Channel, is designed to shift freight movement of cement, sand and aggregates away from local roads to more sustainable sea transportation. Some 80 per cent of the aggregates needed to build Hinkley Point C will be delivered to site via the jetty.

Nigel Cann, Hinkley Point C Programme and Construction Delivery Director, said: “The jetty will allow us to bring significant volumes of construction materials to the site by sea as part of our transport strategy of minimising traffic on local roads. The temporary jetty is a vital part of that plan as every shipload will take the equivalent of 250 lorry-loads off the local road network”.

“We’re also pleased that a local Devon company is part of the team of south west firms helping to deliver a vital part of the UK’s infrastructure.”

Nick Ames, Chief Executive of SC Group said, “This project has been a major success for Blackhill Engineering, which has performed superbly in delivering the project. Blackhill is ideally placed in terms of its heavy engineering capacity and location to provide the fabrication services required by HPC’s local supply chain and other major contractors in the nuclear and energy sector. I have also been delighted that SC Innovation, another of our Group companies, has been able to bring its skills to the fore here, with the provision of Engineering Design and Project Management Support.”

The contract represents a further breakthrough into the nuclear sector for Blackhill, which has also completed its first contract with Magnox to manufacture equipment to support nuclear decommissioning work at their Winfrith site in Dorset.