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Producers of ultra large, complex steel casting and forging solutions.
Business profile
Established in 1805, acquired by Ministry of Defence (MoD) in 2021.
Well established in oil and gas, renewables, defence, nuclear, steel processing and petrochemical sectors.
Looking to diversify into Floating Offshore Wind.
Support recieved
Business Transformation
Grant Funding
Solutions for the offshore wind industry
Manufactured the world’s first cast node in 1978.
Manufacturers of the world’s largest cast steel nodes.
Developed an innovative steel support system for water depths of 20+ metres to support large turbines.
A closer look at Sheffield Forgemasters
Sheffield Forgemasters has a long history in pioneering components for Offshore Wind including the production of cast nodes. The company has a dedicated research and development team experienced in designing the optimal cast or forged component for highly stressed areas of structures, improving longevity by increasing their fatigue resistance. These optimised castings help to reduce fabrication time, allowing for the high volume production that the floating structures market requires.
Impact of the support
Detailed understanding of the Floating Offshore Wind market and how to target the sector.
Series of recommendations made to the company’s board, which secured full support.
Restructuring of business resources to focus on the Offshore Wind market.
Before
Before engaging with OWGP, Sheffield Forgemasters had identified the Offshore Wind sector, particularly Floating Offshore Wind, as a new market for the business’s castings products. The company was seeking clarity on an approach to diversification, with a view to restructuring its business development strategy to enter the Offshore Wind sector.
During
Sheffield Forgemasters first secured consultancy support through OWGP’s business support programme, WEST. Through this programme, the business received one-to-one business support with market specialists to help the business deepen its understanding of the Floating Offshore Wind sector and recognise unique opportunities for Sheffield Forgemasters to enter the market.
Sheffield Forgemasters then successfully won grant funding from OWGP and used this to conduct a feasibility study into the manufacture of steel structural castings for Floating Offshore Wind platforms. The study focused on the viability of producing larger quantities of castings, which are smaller than the large, often bespoke, castings required in oil and gas structures.
After
A full assessment of the Floating Offshore Wind market enabled Sheffield Forgemasters to better understand the required cost improvements in serial production. The company restructured its business development strategy, bringing together relevant technical and commercial expertise to specifically target Floating Offshore Wind and now has dedicated resources for these new areas, focused on securing contracts in the field.
“OWGP’s business transformation programmes are a great asset to the UK supply chain and their funding was crucial in supporting Sheffield Forgemasters’ ambitious growth plans for the Offshore Wind market.”
