A specialist technical base in the North-west of England is contributing significantly to the international success of a UK business.

ICR Group’s Carnforth operation is set to contribute around £6m to the company’s anticipated £50m turnover this year, an increase on its 2022-23 year-end figure of £41.7m – which in turn was up 20% on the previous financial year. 

ICR – a provider of specialist maintenance, inspection, and integrity solutions – has driven growth through activities across several sectors as well as the roll-out of an internationalisation strategy.

The operation is the group’s base for on-site machining, hydraulic bolt tensioning, leak sealing, Quickflange, a mechanical solution for pipeline integrity, and Technowrap, a versatile long-term alternative to steel replacement. 

The company has invested in new equipment and training at Carnforth, where additional technical and sales staff have been added. The team at the base has risen from 42 to 60 in the past year. 

Carnforth’s status within ICR has been further underpinned after the group secured a four-year extension to a major contract for specialist onsite machining projects at a large engineering facility in the North-west. Work has also been secured in the oil and gas, nuclear, government and defence sectors, across projects including flange management, controlled bolting, machining, leak sealing and composite repairs.

Darryl Dixon, General Manager of ICR at Carnforth, said:
“We have a clear vision of our mission, which in turn cascades outwards so our customers know what it is ICR stands for and what we will deliver: right first time, innovation, safety and reliability. 

“Our ongoing success reflects a genuine team effort at our Carnforth base, alongside collaboration with wider ICR operations and the support of senior management. We’ve invested significantly in facilities, equipment and people to ensure that knowledge and training from our existing technicians is shared across our wider pool of new talent. 

“We already have exceptional subject matter experts, from design engineers to product-specific technical authorities, and our on-site technicians do great work every day in delivering our products and services on behalf of clients. Our goal now is to capitalise on all those resources, capabilities, and experience to realise further growth – not least in new markets such as renewables.” 

ICR’s established technological solutions continue to play a significant part in its growth.

Technowrap provides life-long repairs that can be applied to internal, external and through-wall defects on complex geometries, while INSONO is an unique NDT (non-destructive testing) technique for the inspection of engineered composite repairs. 

The Technowrap repair system reduces emissions compared to the traditional replacement methods. 

Quickflange offers cold work solutions with weldless, high-performance flange-to-pipe connections. It provides a permanent repair option for improving pipeline integrity and flow assurance, eliminating the need for welding or hot work. With an extensive range, Quickflange is a cost-effective and efficient solution generating significant time savings over traditional welding. 

INSONO is a relatively new technology. It’s a cutting-edge, non-destructive testing technique designed for inspecting composite repairs applied to metallic components.

Known as the Carnforth operation, the base is located at nearby Holme.

ICR, which employs 270 people across its operations, also has UK offices in Aberdeen and Hemel Hempstead, alongside international sites in Stavanger, Abu Dhabi, Houston and Perth (Australia), as well as partners in 25 other countries.

The firm’s drone division, Sky-Futures, has secured UK and further international work supporting clients by delivering inspection reports and data on asset build or inspection programmes.

KeyFacts Energy Industry Directory: ICR Integrity