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A giant boiler has arrived under police escort to be installed at Venator’s Greatham site as part of a multi-million investment programme.

The boiler was transported from Barton, near Darlington, to Greatham, Hartlepool last night (Wednesday 21 August) and installed at the Venator site this morning (Thursday 22 August).

This major investment, totalling over £15m, highlights Venator’s commitment to manufacturing at the Greatham site and brings benefits to the local, regional and national economy.

This is one of four new boilers to be installed at Venator’s Greatham site on Tees Road.

The project was planned over 12 months and was a huge team effort involving the site’s chemical, mechanical and process engineers, project managers, health and safety officers, technicians, through to office and admin colleagues.

The boiler, weighing 110 tonnes, had to be stripped down so it could be transported by low loader under police escort over three days, travelling along the M74, M6, A66, A678 and the A1185. The Tees Road had to be closed temporarily to allow the low loader to reverse into site at Greatham.

Manufactured by Cochran in Scotland, all of the components for the new boilers have been made in the UK. The new boiler will give the Greatham plant better manufacturing resilience.

Venator, a New York Stock Exchange listed business which has its global HQ at Wynyard on Teesside, is a leading chemical company dedicated to the development and manufacture of titanium dioxide pigments and performance products. Its products are used in thousands of everyday items, including paints, plastics, inks, cosmetics and even smartphones.

Employing more than 4,300 people at 24 facilities worldwide, Venator employs 400 workers at Greatham and 800 across the North East region. Venator serves customers in more than 110 countries across the globe.
Marek Pawlak, Greatham Site Director, said: “We’re delighted to see our new state-of-the-art, high efficiency boilers arrive and be installed. It’s a fantastic sight to see, and great to witness a year of teamwork by our skilled colleagues come to fruition.

“This boiler installation project signifies major investment in Greatham and will help us deliver manufacturing resilience. This is the latest in a series of significant investments made at the site over recent years to improve the competitiveness of the site within a global manufacturing landscape, sending a strong signal of our commitment to manufacturing to our customers, workforce and the local community here in the North East.

“As a global company with its HQ on Teesside and other sites in the North East, we’re proud that all the components for these boilers have been made in the UK and that the investment project is helping to boost the local, regional and UK economy.”

Partners involved in the delivery include: Scottish boiler manufacturer Cochran; haulage sub-contractor GSC Johnson; project engineering contractor Wood and heavy lift contractor Mammoet.