With access to over 500 skilled operatives around the world, a Welsh maritime repair company is looking to expand.
4 Corners Marine Services has moved into a larger, 6000 sq ft unit at Cardiff Bay Business Centre (CBBC) from where they will co-ordinate the teams they engage to work on shipping around the world.
Paul Robbins said he and his fellow directors Joel Reddin and Paul Rebhan are on target to achieve a global business in excess of a £5 million turnover within the next year and have ambitions much higher for the years to come. We could not do this, he added, without the amazing team of ten staff at the company’s base at CBBC.
Mr (Bunny) Robbins has worked in maritime maintenance and repair for 21 years and has built a huge network of contacts across the globe. “We are working on ships here in Wales, as well as engaging teams for projects in Australia, New Zealand, the US and in many locations around the world.
“We have over 500 skilled trades people we work with around the world who can take on any repair or maintenance task, and we can deploy them quickly and efficiently, whether the vessel is in dry-dock or in service.”
4 Corners Marine Services also takes on land-based engineering work in manufacturing, fabrication and installation.
Clients include ZPE Ltd, Swansea Dry Docks, Wolf Minerals, Pyrocore and leading cruise lines such as Carnival and Royal Caribbean.
He is full of praise for CBBC, owned and run by Tata Steel subsidiary UKSE. “The staff have been brilliant. They are helpful at all times and nothing is too much trouble.
“When we found we needed extra space to grow and develop, we were able to move into a suitable unit and stay as part of the business community here.”
Covid 19 has seriously affected the Cruise industry, which, before the pandemic, was a significant part of their work. The company has diversified to cope with the shortfall, working with merchant shipping and taking on general fabrication projects.
He is confident, though, that the Cruise industry will recover in due course. “The Cruise industry, while going through very difficult times right now, have already started to show signs of recovery with record bookings from March 21 onwards.”
The company is also embracing the latest green technologies. “As a part of our strategy we have been actively looking for partners with strong green credentials and have now signed exclusive contracts to install Pyrocorps pyrolysis system, which turns waste products into power. These systems are presently in use on the recently launched Aircraft Carriers HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales.
4 Corners Marine Services also holds exclusive rights to the sales, installation and servicing of the pioneering Axial Heat Recovery Steam Engine. Creating electricity from waste heat, this system is used in the marine industry as well as land based projects such as incineration plants, power plants, and can be applied to virtually any industry where waste heat is being produced.
Glyn Thomas, Manager in Wales for UKSE, said he was delighted to see the company moving forward. “They are long-standing tenants at Cardiff Bay Business Centre and are very much part of the community of businesses here. I am very pleased that they are looking to grow and create jobs, and that we have been able to accommodate their needs as they expand.”