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 the world carrying out emergency repairs to damaged main engines, crankshafts, tail shafts, 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 tail shaft 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.

We realised 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 world’s first orbital machining tool – 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. 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 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 plc 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 ship’s engine room at sea or 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:

• Crankshaft repair services
• 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 original size after electroplating
• Precision engineering services to make unique (including undersize) replacement parts
• Metal spraying of components to “Marinise” metal components or build them up to recover wear or damage
• Hydraulic repairs and refurbishment of rams and cylinders