Gloucestershire-based AIS is an award-winning global supplier of insulation, passive fire protection, buoyancy, and cable-protection systems. From design and build through to installation and maintenance, the company delivers best-in-class service advanced material products – off-the-shelf and bespoke – that perform in the world’s most challenging environments.
Managing Director Andrew Bennion explains that the company, established in 2007, started its continued growth journey in 2008, when he and his partner acquired Aldersley Materials, a local business with just a handful of people.
Over the two decades since then, the business has been transformed through organic expansion and acquisitions into a global leader in its sector with over 650 employees and a worldwide presence with factories and offices in all key regions, serving customers across a range of industries from automotive and industrial to defence, oil, and gas.
The acquisition in 2023 of CRP Subsea, a leading provider of high integrity solutions for the most demanding offshore environments, has been the latest milestone, further improving AIS’s financial position and expanding its growing range of subsea offerings, says Bennion.
“The clear synergies between the two companies have enabled us to meet the needs of the global energy industry. As the offshore market is expected to grow, the acquisition has further strengthened AIS’s position in the industry, whilst ensuring our customers have access to a wider range of innovative subsea solutions.”
Award-winning business
Describing AIS’s key capability, Bennion explains that the company sees itself as a material sciences business, with specialisms in a range of non-metallic chemistries, such as phenolic, silicon, polyurethane, and epoxy.
“Those technologies are applied primarily in the energy sector,” he says. “Traditionally, our key industry has been oil and gas, but like many other companies we are on a transition journey, moving towards sustainable energy. This segment currently represents about 25% of our business, with our products applied in the offshore and wind farms but also in lithium-ion batteries – a major growth area for us, and one in which we have invested heavily.”
AIS material solutions are premium products, designed to solve particular technical challenges, to protect life of assets from either damage or heat or fire. “A lot of what we do helps our customers reduce their environmental footprint and given current market developments, demand for our products continues to rise.”
He affirms that AIS is a highly innovative company. Some £5 million is invested each year in R&D, where 30 specialists are looking at novel materials. Just recently, the company scored a major success with a product developed for the oil and gas industry.
“As oil and gas field exploration will in future take place at greater depths and greater pressures, we have introduced ContraTherm® B85 that was designed to ensure reliable and consistent flow by reducing the formation of hydrate plugs and wax build-ups in complex subsea structures.”
“It does this by withstanding difficult environmental conditions such as temperatures of 204°C and unlimited water depth. B85 is a pour-in-place solution which meets tight dimensional requirements and is highly adaptable to suit bespoke needs. It is probably the most temperature resistant material available in the market today, designed to protect subsea assets for 25 years,” says Bennion.
The product won the company the prestigious Make UK Manufacturing Award for Innovation in January 2024, but this was far from being the only recognition the company has received. In 2023, AIS collected its 6th King’s Award (formerly the Queen’s Award) for International Trade, for its export success over a three-year period, in key markets including China, Brazil, the United States, Malaysia and Ghana.
Solid relationships
Whilst AIS’s solutions help reduce its clients’ environmental footprint, the company itself is also highly environmentally conscious. “We have just invested a significant amount in over 1,250 solar panels at our Skelmersdale facility. These systems are forecast to generate 480,000 kWh per annum. Furthermore, the estimated carbon offset is equivalent to planting a staggering 4,275 trees annually,” says Bennion, adding that across all its sites, the company generates a combined 1MW of renewable energy each year.
The increasing focus on sustainability also supports AIS’s business growth as more companies become interested in its products. For example, in demand are the company’s water intake risers that pump cold seawater at depths of 800m to provide the appropriate volume and flow of cold water to cool down essential equipment and prevent overheating. Benefits include reduced power usage and thus a significant carbon footprint reduction.
“We work closely with our customers to come up with the right solution for a particular application. Similarly, solid relationships with our suppliers are also key; sometimes we need them to tweak their products to suit our specific needs,” says Bennion. “We have long-standing relationships with many of our suppliers and as a result of the pandemic and the shortages of raw materials, we have consolidated our supplier base to be more resilient and avoid issues in the future.”
He further points out that the company continues to invest in its people, supporting their career development and higher education. “Staff recruitment is always our biggest challenge. Following the pandemic, the shortage of skilled people has further worsened, and competition for them is very high. We do all we can to offset this challenge by providing our people with attractive working conditions.”
Fit to meet increasing demand.
Given the company’s expertise and track record, AIS can expect a bright future – a rapid increase is seen in green technologies, specifically in offshore wind and transport electrification. This is also one of the company’s key areas for investment.
“We will spend some £2 million in R&D over the next 12 months and expect new equipment to arrive in Q4 this year. This will provide us with a capability to produce 1.2 million square metres annually of one of our products, enough to cover the needs of some 600,000 cars.”
“We are also expanding capacity for the oil and gas solutions. We have invested heavily in our facility in Brazil where we now employ over 80 people. Brazil is a fast-developing market and one of which we have high expectations.”
Looking ahead, he affirms that AIS is well positioned to respond to market developments. With its eight manufacturing facilities in five countries, AIS has significant scope to expand production to meet increasing demand across the sectors it serves.
