Hartlepool undersea equipment firm is flying high

A Hartlepool-based company is flying high – by plumbing the depths of the sea.
By Tom Patterson
Published 15th Sep 2021, 13:17 BST
Wayne Pullen, of Wavecon, left, with Peter Taylor of investor UKSE, Graham Cornforth, of Azets, and David Stout.Wayne Pullen, of Wavecon, left, with Peter Taylor of investor UKSE, Graham Cornforth, of Azets, and David Stout.
Wayne Pullen, of Wavecon, left, with Peter Taylor of investor UKSE, Graham Cornforth, of Azets, and David Stout.

Wavecon is giving the region’s thriving subsea sector a vital supply of cable harnesses and electrical systems on its doorstep for the first time and has already secured additional orders from as far away as Mexico, France, Norway and Italy.

The firm, which is based on the town’s Queens Meadow Business Park, was set up at the beginning of 2021 by Wayne Pullen and David Stout, and received a five-figure investment from UKSE, the Tata Steel business-support subsidiary, to help with the purchase of capital equipment.

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The company specialises in the design and manufacture of cable harnesses and electrical and control system equipment for remote control underwater vehicles used by offshore oil, gas, and renewable sector firms and expects to create up to five new jobs this year.

Mr Pullen said: “We both have decades of experience in the technology development and offshore sectors and saw there was a real gap in the market for a local supplier.

“We provide a full in-house service from concept and design to manufacture and testing including pioneering new manufacturing techniques not previously used in this industry.

"Our key unique selling point is high reliability products within a short time frame with no minimum order quantities.”

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Mr Stout said: “We are grateful for the support from UKSE. It enabled us to get up-and- running with the equipment and tooling we needed and we will continue to invest in the latest technology and design software and are confident about Wavecon’s future.”

Peter Taylor, business development manager for UKSE said: “Wavecon has a strong and well-connected management team with considerable expertise in this thriving sector. They saw an opportunity to lead this field in the region and we look forward to seeing the company expand and create valuable jobs.”

Graham Cornforth, corporate finance partner at business advisory expert Azets, which has supported Wavecon, said: “We are pleased to have been able to work with Wavecon to ensure the company found the growth capital it needed.”

"It was a pleasure to help Wayne and David with their ambitious plans and we wish the company every success.”

Related topics:HartlepoolNorway