Energy industry suppliers expand

Specialist energy industry supplier ULVA Insulation Systems (ULVA) has moved into additional premises in Telford, marketed by Bulleys Bradbury, in an expansion that will create up to ten new jobs.

ULVA has agreed a six-year lease for 8,878 sq ft of space with Schroder Real Estate Investment Trust at Horton Park Industrial Estate, Hortonwood 7.

The company creates polymer sheets that help to prevent the corrosion of pipes in the international oil, gas and petrochemical sectors.

Colin Stott, managing director of ULVA which is headquartered at nearby Hortonwood 31 in Telford, said its new premises were perfectly located to cope with the company’s planned growth.

“We’re experiencing serious investment in the energy sector worldwide and have forecasted a 50% expansion in demand for our products in the next couple of years. Our processes are highly mechanised and computerised with some of the sector’s most advanced equipment, but this increase in trade will also result in the creation of five to ten extra jobs.”

Until recently, ULVA had a unit in Wednesbury as well as its manufacturing headquarters in Telford, but Mr Stott said it made sense to consolidate its location so staff could easily work at either site.

“With all this activity going on, it made sense to have our two units based closer together, and we’re very happy with the new premises at Horton Park.”

Richard Bradbury is director of Bulleys Bradbury, the Telford-based commercial property consultancy who acted on behalf of the landlord, the Schroder Real Estate Investment Trust.

He said: “ULVA was looking for modern premises where it could increase capacity for storage and distribution, and also carry out some production and conversion work. We were delighted to offer this refurbished unit at Horton Park that was not too far away from its headquarters,.”

Alan Walker, chairman of SWP Group, the parent-company of ULVA, said: “We’re very excited about ULVA’s prospects and were pleased to find somewhere just around the corner to help this expansion. The service from Bulleys Bradbury has been excellent. There were some hurdles along the way but Richard Bradbury gave the project his full attention to see the transaction through."

ULVA was founded in the 1990s and was bought by the SWP group in 2007. Its niche work sees its products exported to energy companies such as BP, Shell, ConocoPhillips and Chevron, and used in markets as far afield as the USA, Canada, Russia, the Middle East, China, Korea, Azerbaijan, Singapore and Malaysia.

Bulleys Bradbury are joint agents for Horton Park with Wiggins Lockett Thompson.