12

Case study 2:
AESSEAL
Picture: Chris Rea, Managing Director
and Gordon Bridge, Chief Executive

AES Engineering Ltd (which trades as AESSEAL)

was formed in 1981 by Chris Rea with 5 people.
With his small team he designed a modular
range of mechanical seals and sold the product
primarily to companies in South Yorkshire.

Today, the company has 1,050 employees. It sells

more than 80% of its product to 83 countries and
has branches in 66 locations in 30 countries.
It has three principal manufacturing sites, one in
Bradford and two in Rotherham. These account
for more than 95% of production output.

A mechanical seal is a precision engineered

product which fits in rotating equipment, such
as centrifugal pumps, and prevents leakage
of potentially harmful liquids and gases.

The Company’s range of mechanical seals now

covers all industries and all applications. The
range includes high performance Dry Gas Seals
capable of operating at 46,000 revolutions per
minute and at 300 bar; bearing protectors
with unique patented features; standard
product and one-off specials.

Industries served include Oil and Gas,

Petrochemical, Chemical, Pharmaceutical,
Pulp and Paper, Food Processing, Power
Generation, Mining, Shipping, Steel
Production and General Industry.

Customer service is the company’s core value

and the company’s purpose is “To give our
customers such exceptional service they need
never consider alternative sources of supply”.

The Company’s turnover in 2008 will be £74

million with a target for 2012 of £150 million.

AES Engineering Ltd is the second largest

manufacturer of mechanical seals in the UK
and fourth largest in the world. Its long-term
objective is to be Number One.

Chris Rea is the majority shareholder

and Managing Director of the AES Group
of Companies.