Energy is high for turbine firm, thanks to Clydesdale Bank

8th January 2015

A multi-award winning business specialising in the maintenance, service and overhaul of gas turbines and associated equipment is heading for further growth and creating new job opportunities, with support from Clydesdale Bank.

Turbine Efficiency, which was established in Lincoln by Alan Hawkins in 2000, moved to Clydesdale Bank earlier this year. The Bank has recently agreed to provide multi-million pound investment funding to support the firm’s continued expansion.

International sales to major global organisations account for approximately 85% of the annual turnover, which has been consistently growing at around 20% per year for the last five years. The business currently employs more than 60 staff across its two sites and aims to boost its workforce by a further 20% in the next 12 months.
Last year the company was recognised for its efforts in moving into new markets by a host of business award schemes. As well as being named Exporter of the Year at the Yorkshire Post Excellence in Business Awards 2014 and the Lincolnshire Energy Awards 2014, it also won Large Business of the Year at the Lincolnshire Media Business Awards 2014 and was shortlisted in Insider’s Made in Yorkshire Awards 2014.

Turbine Efficiency outgrew its original base at Sadler Road on the outskirts of Lincoln in 2012 and expanded to a new state-of-the-art facility in Witham St Hughs. Plans are now in place to take on an additional unit on the Lincolnshire site later this year. In 2012, it also opened a new headquarters at a 4,000sq ft facility base in Doncaster, South Yorkshire to facilitate an increase in business support staff to establish new business links and complement the core services offered at its Lincoln workshops.
Alan Hawkins CEO, who has worked in the energy industry for more than 40 years, explained:

“Our success is driven by a holistic approach to the power needs of our customers and our impeccable track record in supporting them on an international basis. Every project starts with a comprehensive commercial and technical assessment of the customer’s needs, enabling us to offer a solution based on their exact requirements.

“We are striving forward with an ambitious but considered growth plan and the funding we’ve received from Clydesdale Bank has given us the opportunity to pursue new avenues in order to provide the most efficient service for our clients across the sectors.”

Last year a £250,000 investment - £75,000 of which was from the Lincolnshire Growth Fund - at its Lincoln base saw the installation of two test cells for testing gas turbines after they have been stripped down, repaired and rebuilt. By bringing in equipment which allows the provision of this complete service in-house, it enables the company to test the engines prior to them being sent to the customer, thus saving time and money for the customer during the installation process. Another recent development has been the introduction of rental power to provide short supply power solutions in developing countries or remote sites (not connected to the national grid).

David Burgess, business development manager at the Clydesdale Bank’s Business and Private Banking Centre in Lincoln, said:

“Alan Hawkins is both a highly regarded operator in his area of expertise on a worldwide stage and a very well-respected local businessman.

“Finding the highest quality yet most cost-effective solution for clients is a major motivator for Alan and the team, and it’s a strategy that is bringing rewards. The raft of awards the company won last year and the forecast record turnover is testimony to such.

“As the economic outlook continues to improve, Clydesdale Bank remains focused on supporting the growth ambitions of businesses in Lincoln.”