Armultra

EVOLVING through DIVERSITY

Armultra is an engineering solutions company with nearly 40 years of experience providing comprehensive fabrication solutions to various industries. Director Tom Beales reviewed the company's achievements and robust plans for growth in discussion with Andy Probert.

Armultra is a UK-based, world-class operator in the fabrication sector with an ethos of ‘never stand still, or you risk being run over.’ Constant evolution in providing the best solutions across varied industries has enabled the secondgeneration family-owned company to remain positioned at the forefront of its specialties.

All-in-one approach

Since moving to its present facility in Great Yarmouth on the East coast of England in 2001, the company has gone from strengthto-strength fabricating steelwork, pipework, refrigeration packages and pressure vessels of all types for the offshore, oil and gas, renewables and nuclear sectors. This all-in-one approach of offering design, calculations, manufacturing and installation

One of Armultra’s welders in progress on a main vessel stand to be installed on a renewable project.

has made it an engineering service provider of choice for global companies and Tier 1 contractors that depend on reliability and quality.

Consolidation through continual investment in people and equipment has enabled Armultra to thrive in a highly competitive environment. Its 160,000 sqft facility offers dedicated carbon steel and exotic metals workshops including pressure testing areas, and a 12m training tower for rope access, working at height and wind turbine industry training.

“We have grown significantly from 70 to over 170 employees and seen turnover double in the last four years,” highlighted Director Tom Beales, whose father Colin founded the company. “With everything going on in the world over this period, it shows how the Armultra team has excelled in the face of many challenges.”

As a bespoke service provider, Armultra often has early sight of its clients’ plans and ambitions on projects. “We pride ourselves on working closely and evolving with our

customers’ needs from the beginning and ensuring these partnerships thrive well into the future,” he added.

“Being honest and open from the outset of any relationship is key. We get all parties involved at the beginning of a project to ensure it runs smoothly and meets our client’s requirements, with quality and safety as top priorities from start to finish.”

Armultra has further underlined its reputation by achieving many industry accreditations, including ISO 9001, 14001,

An overview of the main area of Armultra showing all three of the main fabrication workshops, the laydown area and materials facilities.

A view of one of the workshops, showing progress in fabricating a hook up bridge for decommissioning works in the southern North Sea sector.

45001, ISO 3834-2, PED/PE(S)R Module H & H1, EN1090-1(CPR) To Exc 3, IRATA Full member (Trainer and Operator), Alcumus SafeContractor and PQQ-PA91 and Achilles UVDB and Oil & Gas verified.

The company offers pipework manufacturing solutions in various materials, including carbon steels, stainless steels, nickel alloys, and other exotic materials. Armultra supplies and manufactures pipe spools to the clients' drawings, or Armultradraughted drawings from the client’s requirements with all auxiliary operations such as NDT, pressure testing and coatings before delivery.

In recent years, Armultra's teams have been commissioned on premium projects ranging from working at Hinkley Point C nuclear power station in Somerset, to decommissioning operations for Petrodec

on the A2D platform in the Amethyst gas field, in the southern part of the North Sea.

One of the biggest milestone achievements was met when the team completed the fabrication and load testing of a 32metre bridge section, built in three parts, for a client in the North Sea oil and gas fields.

Adaptive to demands

Mr Beales said that teams of engineers had also been deployed over two years for various complex commissioning at the Bacton Gas Terminal in Norfolk, where the UK North Sea Transition Authority is creating an energy hub.

The Bacton project aims to deliver a sustainable hydrogen supply by 2030, with the addition of facilities that support

A major part of Bacton Gas Terminal pipework being welded to lengthen the life of the gas supply to the UK on the existing plant and equipment in place.

Armultra’s training tower with some of its rope access crew going through training with a certified IRATA trainer, before being sent out to remove the crane and riser pipework section of the Amethyst decommissioning project.

low-carbon hydrogen production, carbon capture and underground storage. In developing offshore wind, the Authority wants to produce renewable hydrogen as part of the energy supply transition by 2050.

“Bacton is a vital project for Armultra to showcase our skill set and experience on engineering projects,” said Mr Beales. “The renewables sector is a key area we want to be at the heart of, as it continues to play a significant role in all our lives.”

Just as important are the 50 or so engineers deployed over the last eight years on 'Shell simplification and upgrade barge campaigns' serving various needs for Shell's offshore Assets

“We are also trying to be a crucial part in the build of Sizewell C,” he added. “We are in a great position local to the project site. We have the skills, personnel, knowledge and experience for the fabrication projects that will arise there.”

Given the company’s continuing momentum on various fronts, Mr Beales

said he was optimistic that it could increase turnover between 5% and 10% each year for the next three years: “We are committed to expanding our services to our existing clients and bringing on new clients in all areas, especially in the renewables and nuclear sectors.”

Another developing element of the business is providing panoramic surveys and developing 3D computer models of platforms for clients, enabling them to better

One of the senior project team being interviewed by the BBC on recent oil and gas prices and new projects for 2023. This highlights Armultra as a key part of the future of fabrication, decommissioning and labour supply for the oil, gas and renewables sectors.

Hayden, one of Armultra’s apprentices, receiving the Apprentice of the Year Award. He was also nominated for the Young Person of the Year Award at the 2022 EEEGR event. Young professionals are crucial to the industry as it grows and personnel retire.

understand their assets and target project work in a more focused manner. This was recently achieved working with the global chemical company Ineos on one of its platforms.

Value added

Armultra is also proud to have been shortlisted – and won – Member of the Year 2022 for East of England Energy Group (EEEGR) awards, while one of its employees recently won the East Coast Fabrication and Welding Apprentice of the Year award for East Coast College. The company has also developed its own training facilities catering to all clients. The teams offer IRATA rope access training, WAH, GWO, confined space, s-cape and DONUT training.

“2022 has been a stellar year for Armultra,”

Mr Beales reflected. “It is down to the commitment and sheer hard work of our teams and their desire to get a quality job done

Armultra adapts to work at any time, in all conditions, and the team are always reactive to what is needed. Photo shows Armultra preparing to load out an offshore container late at night to deliver to a North Sea platform on time.

A full bridge section being load tested at Armultra, which gives an insight into the size of structures the company can house and fabricate.

Armultra Director, Tom Beales

reliably and safely, no matter how complex it is against the background of pressures and industry issues.

“The senior management team has a reinvestment plan for personnel, premises

and equipment. Armultra can offer the complete package from design to installation and commissioning. That extensive skillset brings added value to any project we embark on.

“We have one of the biggest workshop facilities in East Anglia, with a fully dedicated team with many years of experience in the sectors we operate in.”

As the business continues to grow, Mr Beales is attuned to the need to change the perception among young people that their industry is a male-dominated and dirty one to work in.

“It is not as bad as everybody says,” he concluded, “but as an industry, we need to make more effort to bring on the next generation and offer greater diversity. Youngsters need to see the industry is a great career choice and that it offers endless potential for all levels of experience, age and genders.” n

Armultra’s workshop in the process of fabricating pile sleeves and fender ladders for an innovative structure. This will be installed in the North Sea and will house birds and help the environment when offshore structures are being installed.

A full piping manifold system that has been designed, procured, fabricated, radiographed, tested, coated and delivered to a key offshore client.