Wind farm equipment firm secures big contract

A NORTH East maker of protective equipment for wind farms has secured a £5.5m international contract with the help of trade loan.

- TOM KEIGHLEY Business writer [e-mail]

OES Group manufacturers ultrasonic anti-corrosion and fouling systems for offshore wind sites and other maritime assets has secured the export contract from an unnamed Belgian firm. It was partly backed by a £2.5m loan guaranteed with a General Export Facility from UK Export Finance, the Government's export credit agency.

The Gateshead-made equipment will help boost the lifespan of offshore windfarms being built in Europe with the trade loan said to give OES greater confidence in cash flow. It comes amid a year in which the firm has opened a new factory and created 15 jobs, taking its UK workforce to 36.