Richmond based pipeline pigging experts – iNPIPE PRODUCTS™ – celebrates its 35th year in business this year with a strong order book and exciting plans for high tech innovations to bolster its extensive range of pipeline pigging products and bespoke solutions.
The North Yorkshire firm – which was founded in 1984 by pipeline industry figurehead Ken Hemingway after a lifelong dedication in the field – has grown at an exponential rate from a 20,000ft² site in Colburn to its current state of the art facilities spreading across a six acre site with a 60’000 ft2 production and testing facility in Brompton on Swale.
The company really made its first mark within its field in 1986, when it successfully secured its first patented product – an omni directional intrusive signaller – which continues to be a market leader across the globe.
Exporting over 84% of all orders to major clients across six continents worldwide, including the likes of Aramco, Centrica, Shell, Esso, ConocoPhillips and Subsea 7, the company is an acknowledged world leader in pipeline pigging, maintenance and testing products and developing bespoke solutions.
Headed up by Simon Bell, who played a major role in the company’s management buyout and relocation in 2013, iNPIPE PRODUCTS™ boasts one its most successful achievements to date was working on what it believes to be one of the largest pigging projects in the world only a couple of years ago.
This involved the company being commissioned by a South Korean conglomerate to supply a first of its kind integrated solution including cleaning tools, loading equipment, launching equipment together with integrated tracking which is now being used on some of the world’s largest pipelines, measuring an impressive 90 inch in diameter.
And since the successful delivery, the company has received several enquiries to complete additional projects on a similar scale, that is relatively unheard of.
Speaking about the company’s 35th anniversary and its success to date, Simon Bell, Managing Director at iNPIPE PRODUCTS™ said: “We have a proud history of innovation and we have constantly evolved our products and services to suit the ever- changing market conditions and needs of our clients, which we believe has played a significant role in our success to date.
“With a healthy order book for the next 12 months and the business receiving a growing number of enquiries as we benefit from green shoots of recovery in the oil and gas sector, we have great expectations for this next year to be one of our most successful to date.
“Our technical pigging experts have also been very busy developing and expanding our product range and, as such, we look forward to making some exciting announcements in the coming months.”
For the second consecutive year the business has also achieved a RoSPA Occupational Health and Safety Award – in recognition of the company’s achievement and commitment to raising the standards of health and safety management.
With a team of 56 staff, iNPIPE PRODUCTS™ operates from its six-acre site in Brompton on Swale. Working in accordance with the accredited framework for BS EN ISO 9001:2015, the business prides itself on innovation and quality and its large investment into research and design which has subsequently led to the company producing and patenting a number of pipeline products that are now regarded as an industry norm.