THURSTON GROUP INVESTS MILLIONS IN DEDICATED ENGINEERED SOLUTIONS MANUFACTURING FACILITY
Thurston Group, the Yorkshire engineering-led manufacturing partner, is making a multi-million-pound investment in its Ottringham manufacturing facility in East Yorkshire to create a dedicated base for its Engineered Solutions offer. The facility will be a home for the complex, regulated and technically demanding structures its customers rely on in some of the most challenging operating environments in the UK.
The investment feeds into a 1,250 m² purpose-built facility, which will manufacture blast-resistant buildings, toxic refuges, equipment and control housings, battery and electrolyser enclosures and bespoke containerised solutions. These products serve sectors including energy, hydrogen, oil and gas, data centres, utilities, rail and defence.
Expected to be operational in the first half of 2027, the investment is backed by owner GCH Corporation as part of its continued programme of investment across Thurston and will increase the business' specialist manufacturing output capability by 158%. It is also a key step towards developing Ottringham into an operation capable of supporting more than £40 million of annual output.
Matt Goff, group managing director for Thurston Group said; “Customers come to us with their most complex and technically demanding work – structures that have to protect people, house critical equipment, or perform offshore, in a hazardous or regulated location. We solve those challenges through engineering expertise and practical experience, turning difficult requirements into solutions that perform in the real world. Demand for this work is increasing rapidly, particularly across areas such as hydrogen, offshore energy and equipment housings and this new facility will allow us to undertake more of this work, at a greater scale, along with the stringent quality assurance this type of work demands.
“The new facility will create a dedicated environment required to run specialist, lower-volume production alongside our higher-volume manufacturing.”
The facility brings together the types of work that set Engineered Solutions apart: dedicated fabrication with overhead lifting capability, a specialist shot blast booth, controlled paint finishing and a final inspection bay. Surface preparation and finishing are critical for structures expected to withstand corrosive, offshore and industrial conditions for decades, while segregated production zones create a safer, more efficient production flow.
The facility builds on Thurston’s existing Bureau Veritas, CSC and Lloyds Register accreditations, supporting UK-engineered, UK-tested solutions for customers who need confidence that a structure will perform from day one.
Matt added: “This investment positions Thurston for the next stage of growth and shows what it means to be engineered for the challenge. We’re building on more than five decades of manufacturing experience, applying it to an increasingly specialist and technically demanding world across some of the UK’s most innovative and safety-critical sectors.
“Our new facility gives us the dedicated environment, equipment and capacity to meet increasing demand and allows us to support the local economy by creating 55 jobs. We’re grateful to GCH Corporation for its ongoing support, which makes investments like this possible”
Cassie Hutchings, founder and CEO at GCH Corporation, said: “Thurston has a clear direction and the people to deliver it. Our continued investment reflects our long-term commitment to the business and our confidence in where it is heading. Ottringham is a significant step, an investment in Thurston’s people, its capability and the infrastructure it needs to grow, and we look forward to supporting the team through its next stage of growth.”