More than 180 local firms learn how they can benefit from SeAH’s mammoth offshore wind facility

A raft of local firms yesterday (20 April) turned out to discover the opportunities for them to get involved in the construction of a mammoth new offshore wind facility at Teesworks.

The major supply chain event welcomed a total of 187 of Tees Valley’s biggest names from across a range of sectors, including Francis Brown, Lionweld Kennedy, Jacksons Law, Calm Digital and Seymour Civil Engineering.

There, representatives from global pipe manufacturer SeAH Wind Ltd laid out how they can benefit from its £200-300million monopile manufacturing facility being brought to Teesworks, which will produce the large steel tubes that form the foundations of the construction of offshore wind turbines. Once up and running it will be the world’s largest monopile plant for offshore wind turbines.

Work on the factory, which will create 1,500 jobs in the supply chain and during construction, is planned to begin in July.

NOF, which provides comprehensive business development services for companies in the energy sector, held the event at Hardwick Hall, Sedgefield, backed by the Tees Valley Mayor and Combined Authority, which offered to cover ticket costs for firms based in the region.

Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said: “Projects like SeAH Wind will bring massive benefits for our brilliant local businesses, helping them to grow and, ultimately, creating more jobs for people across Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool. With this event, SeAH Wind is giving yet another vote of confidence in our area and the companies and skills we have right on our doorstep.

“To make the event as open and accessible to as many of our businesses as possible, we covered the cost of tickets, which was clearly the right thing to do as shown by the huge number of attendees taking advantage of the event. I’d like to thank NOF too for supporting this opportunity and highlighting this huge and incredibly exciting project to companies far and wide.”

Francis Brown CEO Jamie Brown said: “This engagement event showed that SeAH Wind is truly committed to using local businesses and expertise and is actively encouraging us to work alongside them as they bring forward this huge project – it’s not just lip service.

“It was a really valuable, rewarding event not just for our company, but for lots of others, to really understand the scale and scope of the project. It was also great that these firms could be supported further with free tickets making sure everyone who wanted to attend could do so.”

SeAH Sales and Business Development Manager David Jack added: “SeAH Wind understands the importance of engaging with suppliers at every level in the local supply chain. Today’s event is testimony to the existing capability, expertise, and willingness of the suppliers from not just Teesside but the UK in general to support our mega project.

“We are very grateful for the continued support of companies like NOF, and TVCA to help SeAH to engage with the right people.

“Now we turn our focus to the construction phase in earnest knowing that we have the people and companies locally and nationally who can move our project off of the drawing table and into reality.”

Joanne Leng MBE, chief executive of NOF, said: “NOF was proud to work with SeAH and Tees Valley Combined Authority on this event which attracted a significant turnout from the local supply chan. This region has an outstanding, strong and innovative supply chain and I have no doubt that many of the companies in attendance will benefit from opportunities arising from this new facility.

“SeAH is just one of the clients NOF is currently working with in this region, it is our intention going forward to alert the local supply chain to as many other projects and opportunities as possible. Provided the local supply chain is both capable and competitive, local projects should mean local contracts.”