The role played by a North Lincolnshire industrial painter in a major overhaul of Scunthorpe steelworks’ gas main has won it the top prize in a prestigious trade event.
Jack Tighe Ltd of Kirton Lindsey, was an integral contractor on a major maintenance project involving the 47-year-old infrastructure at British Steel.
And the work on the Anchor Mixed Enhanced Gas Main – a 2.7m diameter pipeline you can drive a Land Rover through – saw it pick up the Industrial Project of the Year at the 31st Premier Trophy Awards, organised by national trade body the Painting and Decorating Association.
Held at Plaisterers’ Hall, London, the annual event celebrates the excellence of the painting and decorating industry, showcasing the workmanship of members across seven different categories.
The award for Tighe’s, a long-standing business in the area, was given for the extensive repairs and decoration work on phase four of the project.
Having previously seen a 90m stretch replaced at a cost of £8,000 a metre back in 2015 – to deal with pitting and corrosion at the four o’clock and eight o’clock positions, where a waterline between liquid and gas forms – a different process was brought forward involving it being lined, shotblasted and then coated. It reduced the cost by 75 per cent.
Cost-savings for crisis-hit British Steel were huge, with £9 million across the project revealed by then director of engineering, Grahame Wallace, as well as improved asset integrity. It featured as an engineering exemplar case study when he opened the 2018/19 Lincolnshire Iron and Steel Institute lecture season as president.
Martin Hillyard, chairman at Jack Tighe Ltd – who was at the awards to see his team collect the award – said: “We are so proud of the commitment demonstrated by our team employed on this project for their massive accomplishment.
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“To have this project further recognised by an independent panel of judges for the prestigious PDA Premier Awards was simply the pinnacle of our achievement.”
Tighe used Belzona products, specialising in erosion, corrosion and chemical protection, with judges recognising the complex contract required specialist skills and knowledge, as well as working closely with security, health and safety, the local authority and fire services.
To achieve completion within the nine-day programme, the company worked 24 hours a day, with approximately 50 operatives on-site.
The accolade also recognised the company’s positive working relationship with the client and engineer on site, which enabled the job to be completed ahead of time.
Jack Tighe Ltd – part of the family owned Jack Tighe Group of companies – specialises in the application of protective coatings in environments including marine, rail, highways, petrochemical, construction and energy, as well as tank linings.
Neil Ogilvie, chief executive of the PDA, hosted the awards luncheon. He said: “This is the first time that Jack Tighe Ltd has won an accolade at the Premier Trophy Awards and we couldn’t be more pleased for them.
“The project carried out demonstrated their incredible craftsmanship and was a credit to them all.”
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While it is a first ‘gold’ there, Tighe’s legacy is one familiar with medals.
Jack Tighe was an Olympic track cyclist in the immediate post-war era, before turning to business in Scunthorpe in 1954.
From him and an apprentice it reached a £42 million annual turnover, selling to HAT Group, a publicly quoted company.
It dropped the Tighe trading name and he picked it up after serving his no-compete clause, re-acquiring the original office block in Kirton. Several members of the pre-sale management team returned and the business grew from annual sales of £400,000 to the current £20 million.
The PDA was established in 2002, following a merger of the British Decorators’ Association and the Painting & Decorating Federation. The former was originally founded in 1894.
This organisation is Britain’s largest trade body, dedicated to the painting and decorating trade. Members include sole traders through to large-scale national contractors employing hundreds of operatives.