Muehlhan Surface Protection, the painting and coatings specialists, has successfully completed the acquisition of Maritime Scaffolding Limited, a locally-based specialist scaffolding company.
The integration of the Aberdeen-based Maritime Scaffolding Ltd into the Muehlhan Group will allow the venture to offer a complete package of fabric maintenance support and services to clients, not least those in the important offshore energy industry.
The acquisition was completed on March 29 following a series of discussions that started about 15 months earlier. The view was that Maritime Scaffolding’s capabilities would be a good fit, including helping to reinforce Muehlhan’s North Sea offering.
Maritime Scaffolding was formed in 1993 by John McDonald sen and Alex McDonald.
Stepping back a little further, McDonald was the founder of Aberdeen Scaffolding; again a locally-based company and which, at its peak employed over 400 people in the UK sector of the North Sea, plus three overseas depots in Norway, Denmark and Brunei.
Aberdeen Scaffolding was merged with other group members in 1991 and the company ceased to be a single disciple in 1992.
John McDonald retired from Aberdeen Scaffolding and started Maritime Scaffolding in 1993, stepping down in favour of son John in 1998 after five years of successfully growing the business.
John had returned from Norway to join Maritime Scaffolding in 1997, having previously held positions with Stephen & Carter (Glasgow), Aberdeen Scaffolding and SGN (Norway).
He became a director in 1998 and has played a key role in building the company and the discussions that have led Maritime Scaffolding becoming part of the Muehlhan family.
Turning to Alex McDonald, he initially worked with Aberdeen Scaffolding, specialising in offshore for a decade; completing four hook-ups and working on projects in Brunei and Denmark.
Alex became contracts manager in 1991 and stayed with the company until the formation of Maritime.
Maritime Scaffolding has pioneered the use of system scaffolding offshore and in particular the Layher system.
“Our decision to invest in a singular scaffold system in 1993 was viewed sceptically by most of our competitors, but having now used this system in all environments . . . offshore, petro-chemical and onshore including shipyards, we are certain our original decision was correct,” said Alex.
“We have experienced considerable gains in productivity while also reducing accidents and injuries. That we attribute in no small part to our selection of a high-quality modern progressive scaffolding system.
“As with any change, unexpected challenges arise, and our experience was no different.
“The lack of available training for system scaffolding meant that Maritime Scaffolding needed to develop “in-house” and CBT training for its employees.
“This has grown into a full-time training division which provides training courses to all sectors of the industry. The centres are located in Aberdeen and Paisley, but our four trainers are fully certified to travel offshore and can provide on-site training as required.”
The training division offers a full range of access-based training, including PASMA, system scaffolding courses, scaffolding inspection, working at height and asbestos awareness to name but a few.
Indeed, Muehlhan has established an asbestos department and holds a “Licence to undertake work with Asbestos”. This licence encompasses scaffolding operations, and will allow the company to undertake all aspects of asbestos removal, scaffolding, encapsulations and material management; thus providing a complete solution for clients.
The Maritime team of some 28 specialist scaffolders significantly reinforces that capability.
John added: “When we first discussed working together with Muehlhan we were delighted that all their overseas operations used the same equipment and their commitment to training mirrored our own. It was obvious to Alex and myself that we could work very easily with these guys.
Jim West, MD of Muehlhan’s Aberdeen business, said Maritime Scaffolding is a strong company with a highly-trained and motivated workforce.
“Their all-round experience in every sector of the industry made it an easy decision for us to approach them and achieve this rewarding outcome,” he said.
“We look forward to a bright and prosperous future together, and will continue to deliver the same high quality work now enhanced with our extended services.”