Sunderland radiator manufacturer creates jobs as it warms to new markets

A Sunderland-based engineer is expanding into new markets and creating jobs after building a second workshop for its new division.

Advanced Radiators has launched Advanced Heat Transfer, a new division of the business which is helping the company expand into the industrial, marine and rail sectors.

Established in 1982, the family run business now employs more than 30 people, with key clients including Nissan, Hitachi, Finning Caterpillar, Northern Rail and Banks Group.

Following support from the Sunderland City Council Business Investment Team in 2018, Advanced Radiators moved its head office from Newcastle to a 26,000 sq ft building in Washington.

Mark Riches, MD, Advanced Radiators said: “For many years, Advanced Radiators focussed on the heavy plant industry, such as aggregate quarries and opencast coal sites around the UK.

“We’ve always worked on large cooler groups for various Caterpillar, Hitachi and Komatsu equipment, however since our move to the larger facility in Washington, we’ve been able to build a second workshop – which we have branded Advanced Heat Transfer – that has enabled us to move into new sectors and create six highly skilled jobs, including a head of industrial, head of rail, workshop foreman, workshop chargehand and two on-site industrial engineers.”

Mark Riches added: “We’re on track to achieve an increase in turnover of around 15% in comparison to last year, to which last year was a record year since the company started trading.

“Now that the dust has settled and we are coming to the end of our three year plan, it’s now a case of servicing the new industrial, marine and rail sectors in the same way we have for many years on the quarries and open cast, providing 24/7 support as required.”

Philip Riches, co-founder, said: “The support we’ve received from the Business Investment Team at Sunderland City Council has been first class.

“It’s helped reduce some of the financial burden we’ve inevitably taken on throughout this project, including new capital equipment, extraction, drainage and our exit strategy from the old property.

“We have always been incredibly confident in what we do day to day, but the support we’ve received has given us that further encouragement to create the new job roles that we needed to hopefully grow sensibly.”

Cllr Graham Miller, leader of Sunderland City Council commented: “We’re delighted to support Advanced Radiators and its new division that has created highly skilled jobs in the city.”

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