South Shields firm targets ‘enormous potential’ of Australia with new Melbourne base

South Shields industrial services firm Wescott has expanded into Australia.

The company, based in Jarrow, has announced the launch of a new Australian subsidiary to tap into the coatings sector Down Under.

The move, part of the firm’s strategic growth and development plan, included opening a new office in Melbourne decked out with nearly £86k worth of blasting and painting equipment, purchased and shipped from the UK.

Mark Duffy, managing director of Wescott Industrial Services, said: “We identified numerous markets around the world and, due to the skills shortage and high amount of project work to complete over the next 20 years, made the decision to invest in Australia.

“We are now offering our specialist services in coatings and access in Australia with our local partners, Clean and Gone, who specialise in asbestos removal, insulation and fabrication.”

He continued: “Wescott Industrial Services Australia will add significant benefit to the Wescott Group and ensure we meet our growth targets over the next three years.

“With over $2m AUD of orders on the books for Q1 2019, we can hit the ground running and make an impact in Australia straight away.”

Speaking further, Mark said Australia holds “enormous potential” for the business, adding: “Whilst we’ll initially be taking over our own supervisory staff, we intend to start a major training programme to get the Australian operatives up to the quality level our customers over here expect.”

Wescott Industrial Services has a turnover of more than £5m and employs around 50 full-time staff.