1 July 2025 Sucess Stories
EIC Survive & Thrive 2025
EIC Survive & Thrive IX
Success Stories July 2025
97 1
Story type #energy transition (main category) #scale up, #transformation
Benefits ▸ Successful diversification strategy.
Halton
▸ Record year in turnover and profitability.
Driving growth through a successful energy transition strategy Shuresh Maran Global Sales Director
How is Halton thriving? Halton MEI has executed an incredibly successful move into energy transition markets in the past half decade, with more than a third of its business now coming from new ventures. With an expanded headcount, new site in the US and upgrade in Finland, personnel development, enhanced technical capabilities and improved sustainability credentials, the firm has made incredible progress on several fronts. The challenge - Founded in 1969, Halton Group is a family-owned global leader in indoor air solutions for demanding spaces. Under Halton sits Halton MEI (marine, energy & infrastructure), specialising in HVAC solutions for cruise and navy ships, offshore energy, and heavy industries including nuclear, midstream and downstream. That mix of customers has evolved in recent times. Historically, Halton MEI’s business was rooted in the marine and oil and gas sectors – the former having previously accounted for roughly two thirds of revenue, with the latter making up the remainder. However, as the global energy priorities have shifted toward sustainability and decarbonisation, Halton MEI saw an opportunity to adapt, together with customers and partners. The turning point came in 2019, with a clear move toward greener energy solutions. That shift accelerated in the last three years, with Scope 1 & 2 sustainability objectives climbing higher on global agendas and the drive toward carbon-neutral operations intensifying. By balancing its long-standing expertise in traditional sectors with the need for HVAC innovations in emerging sectors including nuclear, offshore wind carbon capture, battery manufacture, green steel and hydrogen, Halton MEI saw that it could secure new energy transition clients while continually satisfying demand from its existing customers. The solution - To capitalise, Halton MEI recognised it needed to get closer to customers, solving their sustainability challenges while working on its own transition.
It expanded regional manufacturing capabilities, refurbishing its Finnish facility to carbon-neutral status in 2019, and opening a new site in South Carolina in August 2024 — marking a major expansion in the US, where it previously only had a sales presence. Halton MEI identified several green transition opportunities, with investments in energy transition and heavy industries proving instrumental. Its 2021 acquisition of UK firm Flamgard Calidair typifies this, with a new centre of excellence providing nuclear dampers to Hinkley Point C and potentially Sizewell C. Internally, the “Green Transition Growth” initiative enabled collaboration with customers on rapid engineering input and prototyping for energy transition projects. The nuclear market – and Hinkley Point C in particular – has proven extremely lucrative for Halton MEI. Not only was the power plant a very technically challenging project that made for a good fit with the firm’s values, but the work it has delivered has provided significant benefits to the client. Critically, Halton MEI has helped with the reallocation of production schedules, provided local supplier contacts, and introduced a welding school to help drive local talent. Working closely with Equans and EDF, the project has been a major success. However, Halton MEI’s move into renewables hasn’t been without challenges. While oil and gas clients are confident of their needs, newer markets show greater uncertainty. Launching its welding school reflects the difficulty finding talent with the right skills. Even so, Halton’s ethos – tackling first-time projects and solving client problems – has driven success, supported by ownership encouraging a long-term view beyond shortterm returns. The heavy industry business has grown fourfold during the Hinkley Point C project, with Halton moving to a larger flagship site as headcount increased. The firm also hired a Chief Sustainability Officer, committed to
Key findings For young people ▸ Look at nuclear and at new markets. The world is changing fast, even what you study now might not be going what you are doing in 5 years, so be agile. For industry ▸ Have a global view, be in multiindustries and multi-regions. For government ▸ Policies to help make the country to most inviting for the best talent and the most dynamic companies in the world.
Halton at a glance: Key products and services: global technology leader in indoor air solutions for demanding spaces. Main industries served: ▸ Nuclear power – 20% ▸ Oil and gas – 12.5% ▸ Offshore renewable energy – 12.5% ▸ Conventional power – 2% ▸ Carbon capture – 1% ▸ Energy storage – 1% ▸ Others (energy) – 1% ▸ Others (non-energy: cruise/navy) – 50% Headquarters: Helsinki, Finland Year established: 1969 Number of employees: 1900 Revenue: £260m Revenue from exports: 90%
science-based SDTI targets, and published a sustainability report – exceptional for a privately-owned enterprise. 2024 also marked a record year for turnover and profitability, with its business having been diversified. Having previously been reliant on marine and oil and gas contracts, the firm now derives revenues from nuclear (20%) and offshore wind (12.5%) as well as oil and gas 12.5%) and marine (50%). Further it is also now working on projects in conventional power, carbon capture and energy storage. With a global outlook and a local focus on client challenges, the firm continues to go from strength to strength.