About Us
COMPANY HISTORY
Originally founded in 1952, Nicol & Andrew was the first company of its kind to carry out in-situ machining and repairs on marine propulsion units such as diesel engines.
Our in-situ marine technicians travelled around the world carrying out emergency repairs to damaged main engines, tailshafts, propeller shafts and associated marine equipment. Our customers came to expect a very rapid response and total dedication to getting the equipment back in running order in the minimum possible time. We became accustomed to our teams working around the clock and being available seven days a week. Whatever the customer requirements, we committed to fulfilling them whatever it took.
One of the core repair services at the time was Orbital Honing which was the only method available to refurbish damaged crankshaft and tailshaft bearings. This process was slow and relied upon highly skilled technicians to achieve a good result. In those days hand filing (a very highly skilled craft) to correct ovality and misalignment was common practice.
It soon became apparent that a faster, more reliable and more accurate method was required to remove damaged material. Years of design and development resulted in the patenting of the worlds first orbital machining tool or "Orbitool" equipment. Simply described this was a single point tool mounted on a set of toolbars with a leadscrew to drive it along. This assembly sat in a metal cage and was driven around the shaft. The damaged material was "tooled" or "turned" off to reveal a perfectly round and concentric piece of undamaged shaft beneath. Then Orbital Honing was used as usual to provide a smooth surface finish.
These improvements and our commitment to working with the customer to get the job done, whatever the problems, led to the name Nicol & Andrew becoming an industry byword for quality in-situ marine repairs.
As other industry sectors became aware of our specialist services the demand increased for us to expand our range (including our Laser Alignment Services to include repairs specific to their industries.
THE COMPANY TODAY
Nicol & Andrew is firmly established as a world leader in in-situ repair technology and on site repair services.
In every industry sector we provide equipment tailored to the repair environments and customers specifications. Whether the repair is in a ships engine room at sea or in the classified area of a Nuclear Power Station, we have trained personnel and specialist equipment to meet our customers needs.
We now provide a total package of on site services to give our customers Turnkey solutions to their maintenance and breakdown problems.
- Metal Stitching of Cast Iron and other steel components
- Laser and Optical Alignment to measure the problem
- In-situ Electroplating to recover (build up missing material) on damaged items
- On site machining to machine undersize or back to roriginal size after electroplating
- Precision engineering services to make special (including undersize) replacement parts
- Metalspraying of components to "Marinise" metal components or build them up to recover wear or damage.
- Hydraulic repairs and refurbishment of rams and cylinders.
We work with our customers to help reduce downtime, increase productivity and lower operating costs.
We have established a broad range of on site services designed to restore equipment to its original (or better) condition. These now include additive processes (where we apply materials or coatings) such as welding, metal spraying, electroplating and metal stitching.
We replace lost metals and even apply high performance wear resistant or protective layers. This type of repair can return your equipment to it's original size with the benefit of utilising standard rather than undersize bearings Saving Time and Money.
