Northumberland inspection firm expands into Europe with six-figure investment

A North East hazardous area inspection firm is expanding its presence in continental Europe with the help of its latest investment from NEL Fund Managers.

Cenelec Standards Inspections Ltd (CSI) helps companies operating in potentially explosive onshore and offshore environments, such as oil rigs and refineries, distilleries and chemical plants, to meet their extensive health and safety statutory obligations, and specialises in electrical and mechanical hazardous area inspections, repairs and installations.

The Cramlington headquartered firm has recently won a major new contract with global food, agriculture and bioindustrial business Cargills which will see members of the CSI team working in a range of Cargills’ facilities across Europe.

Around 40 new jobs are being created through the new contract, with CSI now using a £350k investment from the North East Growth Capital Fund Supported by The European Regional Development Fund to help bring in the staff and equipment required to manage its growing continental workload.

It is the fifth time that NEL has invested in CSI over the last decade, with previous capital being used to support the development of a CompEx training centre in Newcastle, whilst also taking advantage of a range of commercial opportunities around the world.

Improvements to its training centre will also follow from its latest investment as CSI looks to extend the breadth of training packages that it can offer, including into the mechanical engineering sector.

Founded in 1986, CSI has around 110 personnel working with around 300 clients of all sizes in countries right around the world, and is aiming to double its annual turnover to around £10m in the next three years.

CSI already provides services to a wide range of blue-chip companies, including Shell, BP, United Utilities, Centrica, ConocoPhillips, Diageo and William Grants and manages their clients’ compliance requirements from its regional headquarters. Its North East client base includes Sterling, Pharmaron, Akzo Nobel and Organon and Lianhetech.

Managing director Jonathan Gibson commented: “Our work with Cargills will cover a wide range of different hazardous locations right across the continent, and has the potential to eventually go worldwide, which will have an even greater impact on our growth plans.

“NEL has been at the fulcrum of every major development in the business for the last decade and it made clear sense to speak to the team once again about our growth capital needs.”

By Matthew Neville – Senior Correspondent, Bdaily

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