A family firm has become a fundamental force behind the scenes, helping to implement some of the biggest projects in the HS2 scheme.

 

Little-known to the wider public, Stafford-based PTS Group, run by directors Ed Roe and Steve Baldwin, have been working on the viaducts and bridges for HS2 across the UK.

 

The company, which was established by Steve’s father in 1995, has been appointed by some of the giants of the construction industry worldwide to carry out vital components of each build.

 

Working closely with Belgium-based Victor Buyck Steel Construction (VBSC), PTS Group has become the go-to firm for Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) including ultrasonic testing, magnetic particle testing and visual testing before HS2 projects are signed off for completion.

 

All parts of the viaducts and bridges have been manufactured in large sections in a VBSC factory in the Netherlands before being transported to the UK where they are welded on site and PTS carry out the NDT testing in situ.

 

The work includes vital testing for certification on the M42/M6 link road viaduct, the River Cole viaduct, the M6 viaduct, the Longhole viaduct in Warwickshire, and the

River Avon viaduct.

 

Ed Roe, Managing Director of PTS, said: “We are a very small but significant cog in the HS2 machine and we are proud to have established ourselves as such through the work we have done so far.

 

“Our inspection on those bridges is what allows them to be signed off by inspectorates and we have travelled up and down the country to ensure the project can continue on time.

 

“We carry out a lot of work for companies all over the world and with VBSC we have a great working relationship. We hope the fact that we are reliable and professional is part of the reason they come back to us again and again.”

 

PTS Group, based at Common Road Industrial Estate, first worked with VBSC in 2017 on the Newfoundland Tower in Canary Wharf, built as a joint venture between VBSC and Hollandia, who PTS had worked with before.

 

Since then, in addition to HS2 projects, their two companies have worked together on the pedestrian footbridge over the A14 as part of the improvement scheme, the Heads of the Valley bridge on A465 in Wales and the Weir Bridge in Sunderland in 2018, among others.

 

Steve Baldwin, Technical Director of PTS, added: “The NDT work cannot hide, all our reports are out there to be scrutinised and we ensure they are of the highest quality.

 

“It is a vital part of the process and as our professional reputation becomes more widely known, we are working with more clients as well as repeat partnerships – as such, we are currently experiencing a period of growth, doubling our workforce to cope with demand.”

 

Carlotta Dammekens, Project Manager at VBSC, added: “We are striving to deliver the structures in time and with a high quality, in line with what is expected by the client.

“An essential part of the quality assurance is the NDT testing on site, which is performed by PTS. VBSC has worked with PTS for many years on many different projects, and the working relationship has always been satisfying.

“PTS deliver their work in accordance with the high quality standards, and are extremely flexible in their way of working to accommodate the ever changing circumstances on the different sites.

“Overall we would highly recommend working together with this professional subcontractor, as they are top notch in their field.”

 

PTS Group also works with businesses in the oil and gas and nuclear sectors, as well as many more industries, and carries out testing from their Stafford base as well as at sites across the UK as well as in France, Germany, Belgium, and Bahrain.

 

For more information about PTS Group and the NDT services they can provide visit their website www.ptsgroup.co.uk, email them on info@ptsgroup.co.uk or call them on 01785 250706.

 

For more information about VBSC visit www.victorbuyck.be/nl.