Mayor Ben Houchen has visited a global industrial equipment supplier which is set to celebrate 40 years of success in Tees Valley. Process Control Equipment, based in Stockton-on-Tees, was established in 1980 by Barry Jackson, employing just a handful of workers.
Today, it is run by Barry’s son Richard, and is now among the largest independently owned stockist and distributor of valves, actuators, tubes, fittings and instrumentation in Europe. It has around 90 staff, with European locations, including Spain, Scotland and Holland and also sales managers based in Portugal and Germany.
It has been involved in significant global projects, including Saudi Arabia’s multibillion-dollar Sadara Project, the world’s largest integrated chemicals complex ever built in a single phase.
Process Control Equipment has recently completed a refurbishment of its Tees Valley warehouse which was supported by European Regional Development Fund grants via Tees Valley Business Compass.
The Mayor met Managing Director Richard Jackson, Sales Director Nigel Hoult and Area Sales Manager Damian Dickson to discuss opportunities within the region’s chemicals and emerging renewables sector, as well as its plans for further growth.
Mayor Houchen said: “Process Control Equipment is a Tees Valley success story, building a worldwide customer base from humble beginnings, and Richard and the team should be very proud of what they’ve achieved.
“With chemicals and process a key sector in the region, and renewables only growing, the sky’s the limit when it comes to PCE’s ambitions. Although they are branching out across Europe, the company remains deeply committed to its home here and I was excited to hear of their future plans.”
Richard Jackson said: “Next year will be our 40th birthday and, in that time, we’ve worked hard to give our customers a top-quality service, which has helped us develop our business into Europe and attract clients even further afield.
“We were happy to welcome the Mayor to Process Control Equipment and discuss developments in the sectors that we serve and how we can better work together for the good of the whole Tees Valley.”
