Consultancy celebrates 30th anniversary

Alan Matthews, AV Technology (AVT) Manager, says his company is the best in the business and his colleagues and clients tend to agree with him.

Alan Matthews, AV Technology (AVT) Manager, says his company is the best in the business and his colleagues and clients tend to agree with him.

The engineering consultancy is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year with clients and staff who have worked for or with the company over several years to create the business' long and successful history.

The company's team of 30 engineers has developed a remarkable CV with the business assisting industry across the board respond to challenges presented by changing EU and UK legislation, increasing global competition and technology developments.

Established in 1976, AVT specialises in the fields of maintenance consultancy, plant condition monitoring, noise and vibration prediction, measurement, assessment and control, structural and process monitoring and internal/remote visual inspection.

A customer survey last year found that AVT's consultants were seen as being knowledgeable, friendly and reliable.

The survey revealed 100% of customers would recommend AVT to colleagues, 100% of respondents believed the consultants were professional, 96% found the company service orientated and 94.7% of customers rated the service's value for money good or excellent.

The quality of technical expertise provided was also rated good or excellent by almost 100% of respondents.

With offices in Stockport, Aberdeen and Grangemouth, AVT has developed an impressive blue chip client base including Shell, Unilever, JCB, Princess Yachts, Rio Tinto Zinc, ExxonMobil, BP and Diageo.

Shell Services purchased AVT in 2001 from owner Robin Monk in a bid to assist its industrial clients improve productivity and manufacturing efficiency.

However, a change in business focus three years later resulted in Shell Services' decision to outsource this service and sell the technical consultancy business.

Former Shell Services employees Stephen Mottershead and John Chappell identified this as an opportunity too good to be true.

Mottershead commented on the decision: "The UK manufacturing industry is under tremendous pressure to reduce operating costs, improve production and maintain quality whilst having to comply with increasingly stringent health, safety and environmental legislation".

"What makes AVT a market leader is our ability to provide integrated technical and service support across the board to all industries".

AVT is one of Europe's leading specialists in equipment condition monitoring with an international customer base in the oil and gas, chemical, power generation, paper, food and beverage, automotive, process and general manufacturing industries.

Chris Greenhalgh, AVT Condition Monitoring Director, said with AVT leading the market in condition monitoring services, the company is now looking at developing complementary offerings.

Greenhalgh commented: "With AVT positioned firmly as market leaders in condition monitoring services, including vibration analysis, thermography, oil analysis as well as diagnostic and troubleshooting services, we're looking forward to further developing the business over the coming years by extending our service portfolio to include failure analysis and other critical maintenance services".

"The company has grown significantly since I joined 18 years ago and has stood the test of time by responding to the dynamic, constantly changing environment that industry operates in".

"There have been many developments in automated condition monitoring programmes, but there will always be a requirement from our clients for that innovative and efficient human touch to predictive maintenance solutions, and that's what we provide".

Recognising the engineers' expertise, Shell has worked with AVT's condition monitoring team since 1985 with the company's consultants working full time onsite at the Stanlow Refinery, supporting key assets applying vibration analysis, thermography, ultrasonic acoustic emissions and oil analysis methods.

AVT also regularly provides additional support services such as internal and remote visual inspection as well as noise evaluation.

AVT's expertise in noise and vibration testing has grown with European pressure on industry to monitor and control its impact.

Alan Matthews, AVT Noise and Vibration Divisional Manager, has worked at the consultancy for the past 17 years and his department's reputation as experts in the field has taken the company around the world.

"The beauty of our job is you could be here one day and then the other side of the world the next", Matthews said.

With his career history starting with a tractor manufacturer, Matthews is in an obvious choice for the likes of John Deere whose certification engineers in the US sought out the company to assist them meet European noise certification compliance.

JCB has also called on a range of AVT's services for the past 10 years, using Matthews and his team's noise and vibration expertise as well as the AVT special projects division for structural monitoring and fatigue analysis services.

Matthews commented: "We have been able to develop our market leading position through our ability to present the client with the right solution every time through our pragmatic approach to their problem and expertise in their industry".

Mottershead said that as long as the company's loyal customer base are continually challenging the engineering consultancy with new and developing technology, and industry sectors increasingly recognise the economic advantages of seeking expert advice to remain productive and competitive, AVT has an exciting future ahead.

"As industry faces the consequences associated with global competition and the subsequent regulations and legislation imposed to monitor the environment, health and safety, business has realised the advantages of maximising efficiency and ensuring best practice", Mottershead concludes.

"AVT is providing a simple, convenient solution and expertise that now spans 30 years".

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