Success is in the pipeline for East Lancashire engineering company
Pipe manufacturer Aquaspira is poised for further growth as it helps support United Utilities’ £13 billion programme of investment in water and wastewater infrastructure across the North West.
The East Lancashire based company specialises in producing large diameter pipes, tanks and access solutions that provide a low-carbon alternative to concrete pipes and tanks from its manufacturing facility in Nelson.
Now their innovative solutions have been introduced to three United Utilities’ project across Greater Manchester and Cumbria.
The projects in Prestwich, Bramhall and Allerby have all been delivered to improve river water quality by reducing the number of times that stormwater overflows operate during periods of heavy rainfall.
With limited space available at each of the sites, Aquaspira’s lightweight, modular tank systems have helped reduce the number of deliveries to the sites and eliminated the need for wide loads. The locally manufactured low carbon, composite steel reinforced systems have also played an important role in reducing the carbon impact compared to a traditional concrete solution.
It is estimated that the solution reduced carbon by more than 40% and reduced the number of vehicle movements to the sites by around 60%
Mark Stanway, Director at Aquaspira, said: “We worked closely with United Utilities to understand the challenges of each site and assisted at each stage of the process towards achieving the most appropriate solutions. Each element is manufactured at our factory in Nelson and delivered in sections, massively reducing vehicle movements and offloading time, while at the same time greatly improving site safety and installation speed.
“Aquaspira has been growing steadily both in terms of our order book and number of employees for the last few years. This work from United Utilities is a welcome boost in supporting our continued growth.”
Emma Oakes, United Utilities’ County Business Lead for Wastewater in Greater Manchester visited Aquaspira’s production facility in Nelson to see the units being made. She said: “Seeing these units coming off the production line was very exciting. Their expert design services and production techniques are very impressive, and we’re delighted to support an SME in the heart of our region.
“The units I saw being produced are now installed and playing an important role in improving water quality in three of our region’s water courses. We are already making good progress on our commitment to reduce the number of pollution incidents by 30% by 2030 and the solutions developed by Aquaspira are helping us with that.”
Aquaspira, which employs 45 people, is on a mission to deliver low carbon construction solutions. The company has been investing extensively in research and development which has seen the use of recycled materials in its products increased, as well as using solar power in the manufacturing process to further de-carbonise.
Small and medium sized businesses account for 12% of United Utilities’ supply chain.
The company is making major progress on the largest upgrade of water and wastewater infrastructure in the North West in a century, investing more than £13billion to protect and enhance over 500km of rivers, lakes and bathing waters, while safeguarding drinking water supplies for millions of customers.