Thriving firm top of the pile
Mar 31 2009 by Karen McLauchlan, Evening Gazette
A GLOBAL giant with its roots firmly planted in the Tees Valley - that’s Company of the Year Tracerco.
And the Billingham-based industrial technology specialist has plans to grow further in 2009.
Part of the much larger Johnson Matthey group, Tracerco specialises in designing bespoke measurement systems for bulk fluids and process systems. It has developed the Profiler, which is used to accurately measure and control the process of oil and gas separation.
The company has sold close to 300 Profilers - each for a six-figure sum - to major blue-chip firms including BP, Shell and Chevron.
And a new version of the technology is now being developed.
Fraser Thomson, operations director, said: “We’re currently working on the next generation of Profiler, which we will be launching in 2010 - plus we have another new instrument, for the petrochemical and oil sectors, which we’ll be launching in the summer.
“It’s technology that’s developed here on Teesside and manufactured here on Teesside.”
Tracerco currently employs around 300 staff - with 130 based at its global headquarters in Billingham. Mr Thomson said staff numbers are to grow by another 25 this year - 15 of those jobs on Teesside.
Tracerco has 27 operations across the globe and is about to open its 28th - a base in Abu Dhabi, the financial powerhouse of the oil rich United Arab Emirates.
It will help the business strengthen its foothold in the Middle East’s oil extraction and processing sectors and the base is due to be operational by the summer.
New jobs, new products and new overseas operations are all signs of Tracerco’s on-going development.
“We are still growing through the downturn,” added Mr Thomson.
The Company of the Year Awards was sponsored by KPMG.
Runners-up were Reflex Vehicle Solutions, Stockton and NIFCO UK, Stockton.
