_______________________________________________________________________________________ Fort Vale Nuclear Ltd
“ On the nuclear side, we’ re more involved in project work: one-offs and low volumes. Some projects we may repeat, some we may never see again,” he says.“ Fort Vale Engineering, by contrast, is a manufacturer of specialized valves and equipment for the fluid transportation market in reasonably sized batches.”
Since separating, FVNL has grown steadily, first supplying into the decommissioning sector before later moving into the defense sector.
Peter’ s route from apprentice to boardroom has shaped his approach to leadership.“ I’ m familiar with the day-today operations on the shop floor, and that strengthens my role significantly,” he continues, also noting his recognition of how complex turning raw material into a finished part is, and how much teamwork and effort that takes.“ I’ m not just a leader or director; I have an excellent understanding of how things are made.”
That hands-on perspective extends to how he views his team.“ You can have the best machines in the world, but you need a good, strong team that have great attention to detail, experience, and awareness of what we’ re manufacturing and exactly how to make it,” Peter says.
At the heart of the company is its‘ fit for nuclear’ philosophy, which Peter is keen to explain in engineering terms, underlining that nuclear safety culture must be embedded within the business.“ You’ re dealing with components that could have a serious effect if they fail,” he states.“ We’ re manufacturing to print; an engineer’ s job is to manufacture parts to the relevant drawings and specifications – what sets nuclear apart is the understanding behind it, namely why control matters and why procedures exist. It’ s about always doing the right thing, at the right time, in the right way, and never taking shortcuts, supported by a strong questioning culture.
manufacturing-today. com 227