A North Tyneside fire protection company has created 20 new jobs after expanding into a second regional site.
Barrier Fire Protection, which is based in Wallsend, has invested in a site at Haverton Hill, in Stockton, to increase workshop capacity, something which has become necessary to service growing off-site demands from customers. The company provides systems to protect the assets of businesses within the offshore, petrochemical, pharmaceutical, nuclear, marine and civil construction sectors since 1975.
Its parent firm Barrier Ltd was originally established to serve the burgeoning North Sea oil and gas market, providing abrasive blasting, corrosion protection and industrial painting services. In the 1980s Barrier Fire Protection was formed as a division of the company, to provide the specialist coatings and passive fire protection which was being demanded by the industrial majors of the time.
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It installs and applies products and systems which have been developed to protect assets in the event of a catastrophic event, such as a blast and the subsequent hydrocarbon pool fire or hydrocarbon jet-fire. Managing director David Shaw said: “Haverton Hill is a strategic location as it enables us to service Teesside and North Yorkshire fabricators and petro-chemical facilities more easily, while also enabling faster throughput of steelwork requiring passive fire protection.
“The move represents a significant investment for the business following installation of electric compressors, as well as the deployment of specialist plural spraying equipment – in addition to recruiting 20 new team members with potential for further roles being created over the next 12 months.”
Barrier Fire Protection has recently completed a fireproofing project at the Haverton Hill site for export to a Belgian construction site, a deal it said keeps Teesside on the map as a home of specialist industry.
Mr Shaw added: “For almost half a century we have been a significant name in passive fire protection, consistently upskilling our people, investing in equipment, and working on projects spanning numerous industries. With this new site, we are perfectly positioned to continue our exciting growth – creating new jobs, keeping investment in our local area, and championing the skill set right here on Teesside.”
