Since joining Prior Power Solutions three years ago to lead our newly established fabrication department, Welding Fabrication Department Manager Ollie Carey has overseen significant growth in the department’s capabilities and production capacity.

Earlier this year, he also achieved his CSWIP 3.0 qualification, recognising his competency in welding inspection, non-destructive testing (NDT) and materials integrity. Ollie continues to study for his CSWIP 3.1 qualification.

Ollie began his engineering career as a student at Lowestoft College before serving his time at SLP. Since then, he has developed a broad range of skills spanning welding, design engineering, weld engineering and the preparation of welding procedure specifications (WPS) and welding procedure qualification records (WPQR).

Ollie is proud of how far the fabrication department has progressed since he joined.

“We’ve grown from fabricating one frame a month to having three or four in production at any one time, with all work now completed in-house by a team of 12.”

Managing this increased workload requires careful planning and rigorous quality control. Having WPS and WPQR in place provides quality assurance to oil and gas industry customers where safety and documentation are paramount. Welds are approved to DNV standards, tested and documented at each stage of the process, ensuring that every weld can be fully traced.

Ollie has introduced processes to maintain consistent standards, with a strong emphasis on quality and traceability.

“Making sure welds are perfect first time around not only speeds up production, but means they are the best.

To me, it is important that everything is done in-house. That way, we have control over timescales and quality.”

The recent relocation of Prior’s Engine Sales and Parts Department has also created an additional 4,000 sq ft of workshop space for fabrication, providing capacity to support the department’s future growth.

With its established processes, experienced team and increased workshop space, Prior Power Solutions can manufacture a standard open frame for a nitrogen pump from cut steel through to a finished frame ready for paint in just four weeks.

As the department grows, developing the next generation of skilled welders remains an important priority. Prior supports this through taking on apprentices who combine formal college training with practical experience in the workshop.

Ollie understands first-hand the value of learning from experienced colleagues.

I wouldn’t be where I am now without the knowledge passed down to me by time-served welders. In addition to their college courses, I make sure that I’m passing my knowledge and experience on to our apprentices. There is so much you learn from others around you that is invaluable.”

This commitment to sharing skills and experience helps build the knowledge and capability needed to support the business in the years ahead.

Alongside his fabrication responsibilities, Ollie has recently taken charge of the company’s ship repair services, one of the business’s original service lines when the company was started by George Prior more than 45 years ago.

Based in Great Yarmouth, the team is well placed to respond to urgent ship repair requirements, helping customers address problems quickly and minimise disruption.

“Given our location, we are able to quickly attend to emergency calls in Great Yarmouth, Lowestoft and other East Anglian ports.

After 45 years in the industry, there isn’t really a scenario we haven’t encountered before. A lot of our work involves heavy corrosion and legacy structures – and quite often the engineering wasn’t done at the outset to enable sections to be removed and replaced.

“There’s a lot of thinking outside the box with these jobs, and we’ll always repair with future needs in mind.”

From precision fabrication and nitrogen pump frame manufacture to complex ship repairs, Prior Power Solutions combines practical engineering experience with in-house capabilities and a focus on quality, traceability and long-term reliability.

Find out more about our ship repair services.