FOR A company with its roots in IT, MC Ware has been making great strides in the marine fabrication market.

The company's engineering services arm, MC Ware Mechanical, has enjoyed a year of record growth on the back of contract wins in the oil and gas, marine and offshore renewable energy sectors.

It has been a star performer for the Stokesley-based MC Ware Group, generating more than £4m of business since it started trading in November 2010.

There is plenty of potential for future growth, too, especially with the oil and gas, marine and renewable energy markets remaining buoyant.

Jonathan Wheatley, who launched the MC Ware Group in 1998 and MC Ware Mechanical in 2010, said: “The fabrication side of the business has grown at a rate of knots because there is so much demand for supply chain work on oil, gas and renewable energy projects.

“Although our engineering services arm is less than eighteen months old, we are punching well above our weight.

“Recently we have completed several high-profile projects for national and international companies – all on time, safely and to budget.”

During the past year, MC Ware Mechanical has won several large contracts from Darlington trenching specialist CTC Marine and worked on the mobilisation of several ships for pipe and cable infrastructure giant Visser & Smit Hanab.

MC Ware was also an integral part of the successful Topaz Commander project – an intense 17-day mobilisation project that was completed on time despite clashing with two four-day bank holidays.

The work was carried out on behalf of Offshore Marine Management, which praised MC Ware for its role in the project.

Mike Waddle of Offshore Marine Management, said: “It was a fantastic team effort between everyone involved both onshore and offshore, achieving an immense amount of work during an intense period.

“The mobilisation proved to be both a technically and operationally challenging period but we got there, which is a credit to the entire team.”

MC Ware also carried out fabrication work and supplied tower sea fastenings for the MPI Resolution vessel on behalf of MPI Offshore.

But vessel mobilisation work is not the only string to MC Ware's bow.

The company, which has fabrication facilities on the banks of the River Tees and at Bowburn in County Durham, is active in many other sectors and has supplied fabrication services for several chemical and petrochemical sites throughout the North East and UK.

It has also carried out several piping installations for clients including Strathmore Water.

MC Ware also has extensive experience of the offshore wind sector, clinching a contract to supply equipment for the Sheringham Shoal wind farm which will provide enough clean energy to power up to 220,000 homes.

The company also mobilised three vessels in the Greater Gabbard offshore wind farm off the Suffolk coast and produced several fabrications to support key operations on the scheme.

The booming oil and gas sector is also a major source of business for MC Ware, which has worked for end client Petrobel on the North Bardawil project off the coast of Egypt and for end client ConocoPhillips on the Ekofisk scheme off the coast of Norway.

With local companies reporting increased activity in the North Sea and other European waters, the sector holds massive potential for oil and gas supply chain firms over the next few years.

Jonathan Wheatley said: “While everybody talks about the renewable energy boom - and rightly so - people sometimes forget that the oil and gas market offers a lucrative source of revenue right now for the engineering supply chain.

“We have some of the finest supply chain companies in the country on our doorstep and I'd like to include ourselves in that category.

“We operate to rigorous health and safety standards and all staff and contractors undergo comprehensive training to ensure that accidents are prevented.”

The company is expected to achieve the OHSAS 18001 health and safety accreditation later this year to go alongside the ISO 9001 accreditation it achieved in 2010. The ISO 14001 accreditation is expected to follow as MC Ware continues its upward trajectory.

:: For more information, call MC Ware Mechanical on 01642 710004, e-mail info@mcware-mechanical.co.uk  or visit www.mcware-mechanical.co.uk