GEG commence OWGP, Sharing in Growth, business improvement programme journey

Twelve UK companies are celebrating after securing £1.3m in funding and business improvement support from the Offshore Wind Growth Partnership (OWGP). The OWGP programme was established as part of the Offshore Wind Sector Deal and is funded by members of the Offshore Wind Industry Council (OWIC).

In the ‘Cross-Sector Support’ and ‘Open Call’ funding competitions, ten companies, ranging from those already active in offshore wind to those diversifying from adjacent sectors such as oil and gas, wave and tidal, and traditional casting and forging, secured £600,000 in grant funding, with £400,000 leveraged in matched contributions from the companies themselves.

Apollo, EC-OG, Ledwood, Sheffield Forgemasters and Vrai were successful in the Cross-Sector Support call with projects that address barriers to diversification and support the expansion of the UK supply chain. Cognitive Business, Leask Marine, MarynSol, Offshore Survival Systems and Sennen Tech are the Open Call winners with projects that will develop innovative solutions and demonstrate improved competitiveness within the supply chain. These projects will begin in February 2021.

In addition, Wescott Industrial Services Ltd and Global Energy Group (GEG (Holdings) Ltd), have commenced their journey on the OWGP’s Sharing in Growth business improvement programme. The programme is designed to support forward-thinking companies to compete in the global offshore wind market and provides a bespoke and integrated programme to develop leadership, culture and competitive operational capability to grow profitability.

The Sharing in Growth Offshore Wind programme will provide both companies with £150,000 of grant funding over nine months to support a series of structured improvement activities provided by the Sharing in Growth UK Ltd team. The programme is the first of its kind in the offshore wind sector, building upon the excellent track record proven by Sharing in Growth in the Aerospace and Civil Nuclear sectors since 2012.

Global Energy Group, owners and operators of the Port of Nigg, in Ross-shire, have a heritage in the Oil & Gas sector having provided equipment manufacture, fabrication and stewardship for marine, topside and subsea equipment for many years. The GEG team already have a track record of providing manufacture, assembly, logistics marshalling and O&M works to the renewable energy sector. They have recently announced plans to extend their quayside capacity to facilitate the increasing demand from the renewable sector at the Port of Nigg.

Jarrow-based Wescott Industrial Services provides operations and maintenance solutions to several offshore sectors including marine, oil and gas and offshore wind. The organisation is a service provider of protective industrial coatings, fire protection coatings, scaffolding, rope access, rigging and minor mechanical works. Wescott works predominantly in the UK, with extensive operations and facilities overseas and hopes to increase its global reach.

Andrew Macdonald, OWGP Programme Director said;

“These twelve companies represent a growing community of supply chain companies from across the UK being supported by OWGP, bringing the total number of companies awarded support to forty-eight. In 2021, we will be further expanding our reach – helping more start-ups to grow, and bigger companies get better.”

Tim Cornelius, Global Energy Group Chief Executive Officer commented;

“We are delighted to receive this support from OWGP’s Sharing in Growth business improvement programme. We are designing a facility that must be able to compete in terms of safety, quality, productivity and cost in the global offshore wind market and this program will provide us access to sector experts who will assist us in being world class from day one. The UK must strive to re-establish itself as a leader in advanced manufacturing or risk missing out on the real economic benefits of the offshore wind boom. The program will help companies like GEG learn from other relevant sectors to accelerate our journey towards optimum productivity, reduced waste and maximum adoption of best practice and cutting edge technologies.”

Danielle Lane, Co-Chair of the Offshore Wind Industry Council and UK Country Manager for Vattenfall said;

“The wide range of companies which have secured funding shows that businesses from diverse sectors are finding new opportunities in the UK’s rapidly expanding offshore wind supply chain. The Offshore Wind Growth Partnership is proactively seeking out new entrants to our industry to ensure we maximise the economic benefits of offshore wind for UK firms. These innovative companies are bringing transferable skills and a wealth of expertise to our sector. Over the course of this decade, we will need many more firms like these to enter the supply chain as we quadruple our offshore wind capacity. This technology has a central role in the Prime Minister’s Green Industrial Revolution and in helping the UK to reach net zero emissions as fast as possible”.