Galvanized pressure vessels
On 7 December 2017, after months of sea trials, HMS Queen Elizabeth was commissioned. This is one of two new aircraft carriers for the UK – alongside the HMS Prince of Wales – collectively known as the Queen Elizabeth Class Carriers.
Over 10,000 people from a range of SME’s across the UK helped to build the ships, and we’re proud to say that Joseph Ash Telford, as a supplier to our client Abbot & Co, have played a part.
Abbot & Co was founded in 1870 in Newark, Nottinghamshire. It has 40 members of staff, and a long tradition of supplying the Ministry of Defence with air receivers and specially designed and fabricated pressure vessels.
Pressure vessels are used for diesel engine starting, diesel pumping and radar cooling.
Joseph Ash Galvanizing has been a longstanding supplier to Abbot & Co, with our Telford plant regularly galvanizing the pressure vessels and air receivers which they fabricate.
Henry Price, Managing Director of Abbot & Co, was proud to be involved in the new aircraft carrier project. He said: “There’s a huge sense of pride that our company is involved in such a prestigious project. It’s great to have local people from Newark working on a national project such as this, there’s a real sense of comradery. It’s also brilliant for manufacturing in the UK to have young people involved in a project such as this as it helps show British industry at its best.”
The two new aircraft carriers each weigh 65,000 tonnes, and are 280 metre’s in length. They can carry up to 250 Royal Marines, a complement of 679 personnel, and 40 aircraft including F-35B Lightning II fighter jets, Chinook helicopters, Apache AH64 helicopters, Merlin HM2 and HC4s, and Wildcat AH1 and HMA2’s.
Mick Jackson, IT and Marketing Manager at Joseph Ash Galvanizing, said:
“In 2015/16 the MOD invested over £1.5bn in the Midlands, supporting over 10,000 full-time jobs. This has been a boon to the local economy and local communities. It’s also been wonderful to see that one of our valued clients – Abbot & Co – have been one of the 700 British SMEs to support the build of these aircraft carriers. We’re also thankful to Abbot & Co for trusting us to galvanize the pressure vessels for the ships. We have been a supplier to Abbot & Co for years. It feels good to know that we can collectively play a small part in protecting our nation’s future security.”
HMS Queen Elizabeth has some further sea trials to undergo, and HMS Prince of Wales needs to be completed before it starts sea trials in 2019. Both ships are expected to be fully operational by 2020.
Joseph Ash Galvanizing would like to wish all our customers and contacts a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
It has been a great year. We’ve worked on some wonderful projects from seating at the Chelsea Flower Show to football stadiums, motorway guardrails to racing track monorails, railway steel to carparks, and a fantastic array of stunning steel sculptures from Andy Scott, Hudson & Kauss, and Matthew Lane Sanderson.
We’ve also exhibited at events, held Plant Open Days, and celebrated with you at the various steel and construction awards in our industry. We were also honoured to be part of the awe-inspiring Passchendaele Salute in November.
This is our final newsletter of the year. Best wishes to you all for 2018!
Joseph Ash Chesterfield completes the galvanization of a second storey Mercedes Car Park in Stevenage.
Working in partnership with Topdeck Parking – a trading division of Joseph Ash Galvanizing’s parent company Hill & Smith PLC – Joseph Ash Chesterfield has successfully galvanized over 400 tonnes of steelwork for Topdeck’s first second storey extension to an existing car park. (Which doubles the existing storage space.)
About Topdeck Parking
Topdeck specialise in quick build assembly for their clients, which maximises the use of valuable car parking space. This contract was the first second storey extension that they had undertaken after the initial car park was designed, built and installed by Topdeck several years ago. To date they have built several high-profile parking facilities for customers who consider the time taken to install these car parks to be their highest priority, as valuable customers and revenue can be lost during extended build times.
The second storey extension
The project involved galvanizing very long 16m beams and wide plate flooring, and Joseph Ash Galvanizing’s Chesterfield plant was chosen as the perfect location, as the plant can handle the largest of projects.
Joseph Ash Chesterfield is also unique in being able to offer both an assembly and trial erection facility, which reduces major transport costs and secondary storage costs at another location before installation.
The galvanization of the beams and plate flooring took four weeks, although most of the work was completed within the first 48 hours of arriving at Chesterfield. Topdeck then assembled all the long beams and plate flooring in the covered facility at the Chesterfield plant, which includes heat, light, power and a crane to assist in the assembly and movement of the large completed units.
Once assembly was complete, the 16m long by 2.4m wide units were coated and treated to the customer’s exact expectations. This ensured no wet trades were needed on site, and all the work could be carried out within the ideal conditions for painting.
Martin Hall, Joseph Ash Chesterfield’s Commercial Manager, stated “Having worked with Topdeck and Berry Systems previously we knew the exacting requirements that would be required of our plant, to complete the project to the end client’s satisfaction. Joseph Ash Chesterfield is unique in not only being able to dip the longer length 16m beams, but we also have the added benefit of large undercover assembly areas and storage facilities. This enabled Topdeck to install the project in a greatly reduced timescale as opposed to a traditional build scheme. The modular build carpark concept has proved very popular and hopefully at Chesterfield we will be in an excellent position to assist Topdeck on future ventures, after receiving high praise from the Topdeck team for our outstanding efforts.”
For more information about Topdeck, please contact Iain Smith on 01902 491100.
For more information about galvanizing large projects, such as carparks, please contact Joseph Ash Chesterfield on 01246 854650.
The November edition of the Joseph Ash Galvanizing newsletter is here. Hot off the press!
To read a copy click here.
Read about Andy Scott’s new sculpture at Marischal Square in Aberdeen; Folkestone Warren; our recent participation at the Passchendaele Salute.
If you would like to receive a copy of the newsletter in your inbox each month, please subscribe here by scrolling to the bottom of the page and looking for the ‘Newsletter Sign-Up’ button.
We’re always looking for interesting articles in the steel industry too, so feel free to get in touch with your news, and we’ll try to feature it.
The city of Aberdeen has a coat of arms that contains three towers, the fleurs-de-lis, and two majestic leopards. It also has a touch rugby club called The Leopards, as well as a university magazine titled ‘The Leopard’. So, when a new development called Marischal Square was built in Aberdeen city centre, it was fitting that it should house a beautiful Andy Scott sculpture of the majestic cat, called ‘Poised’.
The sculpture is a stunning work of art by the renowned Kelpies artist, and the team at Joseph Ash Galvanizing’s Telford plant were pleased to be involved in protecting its steel and preserving it for many years to come.
Marischal Square is a new £107 million development at the east end of Union Street in the heart of Aberdeen. The development – which provides 173,500 sq ft of Grade ‘A’ office space with secure parking, a mixture of granite and glass in the elevations – comprises offices, restaurants, bars, a hotel, shops and café bars, and is a welcome boon to the City.
The development partners for Marischal Square are Muse Developments and Aviva Investors, and as part of the project, they commissioned Andy Scott, to make a centrepiece for the buildings, to be inspired by the leopard symbols on Aberdeen City Council’s historic coat of arms.
Scott works in steel and bronze, combining figurative and equine themes with contemporary techniques to create stunning landmark artworks in a range of locations across the world including New York, Sydney and Chicago, as well as Glasgow, Falkirk, Cumbernauld, Leeds and Belfast in the UK.
He said: “I’ve worked on this sculpture for over a year in the studio and it’s been very demanding. There are literally thousands of steel fragments, all individually welded to create the form of the artwork. It now stands five metres tall, weighs just over two tonnes, and will sit proudly atop a ten metre high steel column. I hope it brings a real presence and sense of drama to the atrium space of Marischal Square.”
Andy Scott and Joseph Ash Galvanizing
As part of the leopard’s fabrication, Scott chose Joseph Ash Galvanizing’s Telford plant to protect the steel with a galvanized coating. Galvanizing is important for a sculpture such as this, as the zinc coating will protect the steel for many years to come from rust. It also provides a beautiful finish to the metal.
Joseph Ash Telford was the best choice for treating the steel as the plant has one of the widest galvanizing baths in the UK. This was an important factor as the sculpture is so large and weighs in at 2.2 tonnes.
Scott is also used to the excellent quality of galvanizing provided by Joseph Ash Galvanizing as we have treated a number of his sculptures before, ranging from ‘Propella’ in Kent, to a series of steel horses called Herd IV for a private estate in Long Island, USA.
Andy Scott and Muse Developments
Muse Developments’ Director, Scotland, Stephen Turner, said the decision to work with Andy Scott was a significant moment for everyone involved in the Marischal Square project.
“If you look at Andy’s work and history and the massive impact made by The Kelpies in Falkirk, you can see why we are all delighted to work with him on a project which we believe will be huge for the development and the city,” he added.
“The new artwork fits right into the project partners’ ambitions to ensure that Marischal Square not only works for the business community in Aberdeen, but also draws people into the city centre area and extends the economic benefit delivered by the development.”
Aberdeen City Council
Aberdeen City Council City Centre Masterplan Lead Councillor Marie Boulton said: “At the outset of the Marischal Square project, we identified that public art would play a vital role in attracting both business and visitors to the prestigious new development, so it’s fantastic not only we have this art, but it’s also an amazing sculpture by Andy Scott.
“Andy’s work around Scotland is so well known and so it’s brilliant that his first major work in Aberdeen is here at Marischal Square and will be open to the public.
“His sculpture of a leopard is extremely impressive and is very appropriate for Aberdeen as leopards are a symbol of the city, featuring in our coat of arms after legend says they were bestowed as a gift by King James I for underwriting his expenses while he was held captive in England.
“We look forward to this contemporary new leopard in Aberdeen being enjoyed by residents and visitors in our beautiful city.”
Over the last year we have published a few articles about the Passchendaele Salute 2017. In case you’ve missed these articles, Joseph Ash Galvanizing has donated the use of some of its trucks for a number of days, to carry Great War field artillery from the Midlands to France, to take part in the Salute. (You can read the full story here.)
The Passchendaele Salute takes place on 10 November, and in preparation for the event, the trucks and the Great War guns have already started their long journey. They travelled from Hereford to Kent yesterday, where they are stayed overnight, before crossing the English Channel today.
To chart the journey of the artillery and the Joseph Ash Galvanizing trucks, click onto our photo diary on Flickr. We’ll update it with new photos each day.
Joseph Ash Medway provides metal finishing treatments for BH Engineering’s signpost panels at a nature reserve.
Folkestone Warren is an area of outstanding natural beauty along the Kent coastline. Visitors to the area can enjoy the stunning beach and the majestic views of the White Cliffs, as well as walks through woodland and fields, passing interesting sites such as Napoleonic Martello Towers and the ruins of a Roman villa.
Early in 2017 the White Cliff Countryside Partnership (WCCP), engaged BH Engineering Ltd in Deal, Kent to fabricate a series of signpost (interpretation) panels to be situated amongst the Warren, to highlight points of interest for visitors to the trails.
The project was funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Bob Hogben, who runs BH Engineering Ltd, was happy to take on the project and he set about designing and fabricating 10 steel panels in close collaboration with Kirk Alexander of WCCP, which he then sent to Joseph Ash Medway for hot dip galvanizing and powder coating.
As part of the design, Bob wanted to depict the kinds of things that visitors to the Warren would see along the way. For example, wildlife, cattle, fossils, Roman ruins and the Martello Towers. His overall scheme included 10 separate panels each with different designs:
- Highland cows
- Ammonite fossils
- Coccolith fossils
- Birds
- Butterflies
- WW2 helmet
- Roman helmet
- Martello Tower
- Hearts Tongue Fern
- Starfish
As the panels are very detailed, and very large (3.1m high by 1.35m in width), it was a Summer-long project for BH Engineering Ltd.
Once the panels had been fabricated, they were sent to Joseph Ash Medway for their final treatments. Because the steel panels are part of the nature at Folkestone Warren, they needed to be protected from the elements with a galvanized and powder coated finish. These treatments prevent steel from rusting and provide longevity.
At the end of the Summer, the panels were finished and were erected at various points along the trails at Folkestone Warren. Artwork for inside the panels was designed and produced by Arc Creative Design Ltd of Folkestone. Visitors to the nature reserve can now see them, and use the information contained within to find out about specific points of interest along the route.
Bob Hogben said: “The panels were a labour of love this year. Folkestone Warren is an area of outstanding natural beauty and it was a privilege to be asked to create signposts that have now become part of the beautiful landscape.”
Matthew Hodges from Joseph Ash Medway said: “Folkestone Warren is relatively close to our Joseph Ash galvanizing plant in Kent, so it was also an honour when BH Engineering asked us to work on this project. We’ve visited the panels since they were treated at our plant, and it’s wonderful to see them at their final destination.”
To see photos of some of the panels along the trails, and to see them being galvanized and powder coated, click here.
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About BH Engineering Ltd.
BH Engineering Ltd have undertaken a wide range of metalwork since 1994. As a CE (BSEN1090) marked company they are involved in civil and structural fabrication projects but also enjoy being involved in artistic work, forging, heritage restoration and much more.
The October edition of the Joseph Ash Galvanizing newsletter is here. Hot off the press!
To read a copy click here.
Read about the Birminghm Velo; the Structural Steel Awards; our recent participation at UK Construction Week and London Build 2017 in October.
If you would like to receive a copy of the newsletter in your inbox each month, please subscribe by scrolling to the bottom of the page and looking for the ‘Newsletter Sign-Up’ button.
We’re always looking for interesting articles in the steel industry too, so feel free to get in touch with your news, and we’ll try to feature it.
Congratulations to the runners and riders of the Velo Birmingham.
A couple of weekends ago the inaugural Velo Birmingham took place in the Midlands.
The course was 100 miles long and 15,000 cyclists of all abilities took part, criss-crossing through the picturesque Worcestershire and Staffordshire countryside before returning to Birmingham.
The event – which raised funds for various charities – was also created as part of the Birmingham Cycle Revolution, whereby Birmingham City Council are trying to encourage more people to take to the roads on two wheels, rather than four.
As per an earlier story on our website in March, we’re proud to say that members of Joseph Ash Galvanizing and Premier Galvanizing took part in the race: Stuart Cobourne, Justin Deegan and Richard Hall. They enjoyed the event and achieved very respectable times between 5.30 and 7.11 hours.
A Premier Galvanizing client, Stephen Harvey, also took part alongside Justin.
It was touch and go whether Justin would be able to do the race after his bike broke just before the start line. But luckily, a company called Cycle Republic – who had a stand at the event – were on hand to lend him another one.
Justin said: “The race itself was brilliant, the route and crowds were exceptional, and if I could choose between Ride London and Ride Birmingham, I would definitely choose Birmingham. A post ride beer and massage was the perfect way to finish a brilliant event. Are we comng back next year? 100%.”
Congratulations to the team!
You can see some of the photos of our team members at the event here.
Here’s to the Velo Birmingham 2018!
The September edition of the Joseph Ash Galvanizing newsletter is here. Hot off the press!
To read a copy click here.
Read about a sculpture we galvanized for renowned ‘Big Art’ artist Matthew Lane Sanderson; our new status as a RISQS supplier; our recent industry open days; and our participation at UK Construction Week in October.
If you would like to receive a copy of the newsletter in your inbox each month, please subscribe by scrolling to the bottom of the page and looking for the ‘Newsletter Sign-Up’ button.
We’re always looking for interesting articles in the steel industry too, so feel free to get in touch with your news, and we’ll try to feature it.