Plymouth company is taking tubes to new heights

Council leader Tudor Evans has been touring a Plymouth company whose precision tubes are at the frontier of science and engineering.

Fine Tubes in Estover have been developing products for space as well as scientific research underground and the leader of the Council has been learning at first hand about the company's future direction.

The company is a major high tech engineering firm which employs over 350 people and exports precision tubes for 'mission critical' applications in the aerospace, oil and gas, nuclear, power, and medical industries to over 35 countries.

Council leader Tudor Evans said: "Engineering companies are the quiet giants of our local economy. They are exporting expertise and products around the globe - reinforcing Plymouth's reputation as a city with the right skills and the necessary know-how.

"Advanced manufacturing is one of our six priority sectors and the Council has recently restructured and strengthened its economic development team to support growth in the city."

Plymouth is also working more closely with its neighbours to ensure that the city takes advantage of what's being offered through the City Deal.

This is an opportunity to ensure Plymouth and its surrounding area up their game and part of this work is developing international investment and export pilot with UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) to prepare and connect businesses with export markets.

The company has been working with Reaction Engines which is pioneering the Skylon, a commercial reusable space plane which will offer regular service into orbit and around the world.

A key innovation is combining jet and rocket engines to enable the craft to go to space in one leap. The heat exchange system that cools the air for the engine intake plays a vital role in this and the components Fine Tubes are developing for this need to be lightweight and cope with temperatures from 1,000°C down to -150°C, as well as high pressure helium and thermal expansion.

Fine Tubes also supplied high precision stainless steel tubes for the cooling system in the Hadron Collider at CERN, the European Organisation for Nuclear Research near Geneva, which may have isolated one of the most elusive building bricks of the universe, the Higgs Boson.

The company was taken over last year by an American equity investors group and have been tasked with substantially expanding the business.

Managing Director Ronen Day said: "We're looking forward to investing in our business to build a stronger global presence. Fine Tubes is an entrepreneurial company with exciting plans to make a step change to our competitive position and further strengthen our international presence.

"We have been here in Plymouth for the past 50 years; we are now looking forward to growing further and to continue to play our part in the development of the Plymouth economy."