Shell Training & Enterprise Program (STEP) students assist Amarinth with growth

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - 4th May 2005


Undergraduates make vital contribution to pump firm’s expansion

A Suffolk pump company has won a massive new order to supply 10 specialised pumps to a petroleum refinery in Pakistan.

The contract – and the imminent launch of a new condensate recovery unit - underlines the growth of Rendlesham-based Amarinth, whose continuing expansion has been accelerated by the valuable work of two undergraduates on eight-week summer work placements.

Amarinth hosted local students Greg Aldam and Richard Morgan after they were placed with the firm by Norfolk and Waveney Enterprise Services as part of the Shell Technology Enterprise Programme (STEP).

Woodbridge-based Greg, who is studying Physics at the University of Nottingham, won last year’s STEP awards for Suffolk after writing a 70-page pump testing guide.

Richard Morgan, from Henley, who is studying engineering at the University of Durham, was joint runner-up in Suffolk for his work to redesign the control logic for a condensate recovery unit which captures and recycles steam in industrial buildings to save energy.

Amarinth managing director Oliver Brigginshaw said the work of both students had been important to the two-year-old company, which has around 15 full-time employees and up to another 10 self-employed workers.

“We have doubled our turnover in the last year, and we are now starting to export, The Pakistan order will account for 10 per cent of our total output this year and is due for despatch in June.” said Mr Brigginshaw.

“Our growth since Greg was with us has made his pump testing manual all the more valuable.

“In the early days we only had one test engineer who was qualified to test the pumps, but the guide has been an important starting point in helping new employees learn how to test pumps in a potentially dangerous area of the operation.

“Richard did a lot of electrical work involving a smart control panel which automatically adjusts the speed of the condensate recovery unit according to its operating environment.

“He came back during the Christmas holidays to do a bit more work in refining what had started following prototype testing, and the project is now due for launch next month. The unit can save a lot of energy for our customers because it only operates when it’s needed. It’s been a long project, but Richard’s contribution has been very important.”

Greg said he would recommend any undergraduate to consider taking part in the STEP scheme: “It’s valuable experience and it can only help when it comes to finding a job for real,” he said. “It’s a proper job with a sense of responsibility. You really feel you are doing something which will benefit the company, and it’s good to get that kind of experience under your belt.”

In total there were around 1500 STEP placements across the UK last year, while NWES has now placed more than 100 students with businesses across Norfolk and Suffolk over the last five years.

The scheme is designed to be mutually beneficial, with the student gaining valuable paid work experience, and the business getting the services of an intelligent undergraduate to undertake a specific project.

Amarinth also benefited from the STEP scheme 18 months ago when University of Nottingham student Jonathan Rouse designed a base plate component for the company.

For further information about this year’s STEP programme contact Rosina Haskell at NWES on 01493 850204, or email rosina.haskell@nwes.org.uk

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NOTES TO EDITORS:

Amarinth Pump Manufacturing

Amarinth is a carbon net zero organisation delivering world-leading expertise in the design, application and manufacture of centrifugal pumps and associated equipment for critical applications in many of the most arduous and hostile environments around the globe.

Founded in 2002, Amarinth has harnessed the skills, creativity and passion of people who have worked in the pump industry for decades, delivering bespoke API and ISO pumps primarily to the offshore and onshore oil & gas industries; nuclear and renewable energy generation; defence; desalination; process and industrial markets.

The company’s innovative approach, business agility and use of sophisticated computer applications enables it to deliver robust, reliable and sustainable pumping solutions on the shortest lead times in the industry.

Process pumps – API 610, API 685, ISO 5199 horizontal, vertical and in-line bespoke process pumps, including ones that are hydraulically and dimensionally interchangeable with the former Girdlestone and other obsolete pumps.

Skid packages and modules – Supplied with a variety of drives for applications including de-sanding, mixing, filtration and chemical injection and tailored for the oil & gas, water treatment and power generation industries.

Condensate recovery – Cutting-edge design providing low NPSH up to 98°C with variable speed drives to reduce cycle time and lower operating costs, available in stainless steel, galvanised or copper tanks for light or heavy industrial uses.

Seal support – Integrated pressurised and vented seal support systems designed and delivered to API 682 and ISO 5199 standards and specific site specifications and requirements, working closely with AES, Eagle Burgmann, John Crane and Protect System.

Spare parts – Critical spares for all Amarinth pumps and related components can be dispatched the same day, reducing potential downtime, and in addition components for the former Girdlestone and other obsolete pumps can be re-engineered often improving the performance of existing assets.

Services – A full range of pump related services, delivered from UK head office or on-site globally, onshore or off-shore, including full commissioning and start-up support; also strip, report and refurbishment of any pump regardless of manufacturer.

Amarinth operates globally from its base in Rendlesham Suffolk, United Kingdom and offices in the Middle East and Malaysia with a global customer base, including BP, Shell, ADNOC, NOV, ExxonMobil, Schlumberger, COSCO, EDF, GlaxoSmithKline, Saudi Aramco, Pfizer, Diageo, Kuwait Oil Company, AMEC, Fluor, LUKOIL, Halliburton, and Babcock.

For further information or photos contact

Comment:
Alex Brigginshaw
Commercial Director
Amarinth Limited
Bentwaters Park, Rendlesham
Woodbridge IP12 2TW
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)1394 462131
Mobile: +44 (0)7703 681821
Alex.Brigginshaw@Amarinth.com

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Phil Harland
B6 Solutions Limited
29 Swan Drive
The Wharf, Aldermaston
Reading RG7 4UZ
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)118 971 3271
Mobile: +44 (0)7880 748380
Phil.Harland@B6solutions.com

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