The Spice of Life pt 2

See Transport HW Martin for pt 1.

About as far removed from plant hire, must be Mirage Machines of Derby. This specialist portable machine manufacturer was founded in 1993 by brothers Richard and George Silk and enjoyed particular success in a range of flange facing, milling, portable band saws, boring and hot tapping pipeline applications before becoming part of Acteon in 2006. Although the machines are based on tried and tested designs, each project is bespoke and invariably different as they are built for specific applications. For instance the SDU (Single drill unit) is a sub-sea single pin drill, remotely positioned by a ROV, using a hydraulic clamp. The spindle operation also involves an automatic release that needed careful design. Pirtek Derby were consulted on suitable stainless steel valve blocks and hoses, and through their involvement on that project, became an OEM to Mirage.

"Pirtek Derby has become an integral part of our manufacturing and maintenance programme," says production manager, Richard Barlow. "Not only do they respond immediately to any emergency, they are also part of our design team on time critical projects. They give a first class service, which enables us to react to our own customer requests. Pirtek Derby is far more than a hose supplier, they are more like an outsourced engineering service.”