Demand for solutions fuels new jobs

Fifteen new jobs are set to be created at a fast-growing control and automation specialist as it looks to exploit major opportunities in energy transition, marine and port activity and heavy industry.

iconsys, which works with hundreds of companies to improve productivity, operational efficiency, safety and profitability, is embarking on a major recruitment drive to increase its highly skilled workforce to 115 over the coming twelve months.

Located at its state-of-the-art smart manufacturing facility in Telford, the company is increasing capacity to take advantage of multi-million pound opportunities around decarbonisation, including carbon capture/storage, hydrogen production and fuel switching.

Its ‘technology independence’ and nearly 40 years’ experience in integration, control systems and engineering solutions are proving extremely popular, with the firm already designing, manufacturing, testing and supplying an electrical control and instrumentation switch room, control system and fire and gas detection system for the UK’s largest Hydrogen mobility corridor project.

Nick Darrall, managing director of iconsys, said: “2024 was an exciting year for the business, with two new technical offices opening in Cheshire and Scotland to support our Telford base and give us greater geographical reach and access to new talent.

“This has given us the foundations to aggressively attack new opportunities that we believe will come to fruition this year, as an increasing number of companies - from pretty much every sector imaginable - begin or accelerate their decarbonisation plans.

“I believe this is where we have a real advantage. There is significant Government backing, at home and overseas, to make energy transition a success and we have the elusive engineering, control systems and automation expertise to help EPCs, end users and sector specialists deliver their solutions.

“We’ve invested heavily in creating a dedicated team, with the recent high-profile hires of Steve Robinson and Joe Howe giving us two of the driving forces and most respected experts in this field.”

Another area in which iconsys is enjoying significant success is marine and ports, with this sector moving towards automation-driven smart ports that include smart shore power systems, electrification of equipment and integration of offshore wind projects.

The company, which expects revenues to increase by 15% this year, has the capability to work with customers through the complete asset lifecycle, delivering optimum performance and compliance to increasing regulatory requirements. It is also offering digital, cyber security and safety services as part of its growing portfolio of solutions.

Nick said: “It’s all about transitioning to smart infrastructure that is easier to maintain and future proofed for decades to come.

“We’re already completed multi-million pound contracts in this industry. These range from development and delivery of the first UK-built Smart Shore Power system to contributing to the groundbreaking retrofitting of the Pacific Grebe cargo ship with a 20-metre wind sail. The latter has seen us design and select the advanced drivetrain for the wind sail’s moving axis, as well as installing the panel drive system to maximise efficiency and performance at sea.”

Going forward, iconsys is keen to maximise the introduction of its Artificial Intelligence working group to onboard more AI tools in the business and in the solutions that it delivers to customers in more than 37 countries across the world.