Hi-Tec Spray contract to help maintain prison ship

Hi-Tec Spray has won the contract to supply specialist paint spray equipment as part of a maintenance project on Britain's only prison ship.

Hi-Tec Spray has won the contract to supply specialist paint spray equipment as part of a maintenance project on Britain's only prison ship.

HMP Weare has been anchored off Portland, Dorset since 1997 and has the capacity to hold 400 inmates.

The contract win underlines Hi-Tec Spray's reputation as Britain's leading supplier of surface coatings technology products to the marine, shipbuilding and repair industry.

From ferries to luxury powerboats and yachts, from Royal Navy warships to ocean-going oil tankers, Hi-Tec Spray has developed an unrivalled reputation for supplying custom-designed spray-paint systems to meet specific customer requirements.

Thanks to the Kent-based company's expertise in the field, it has worked with some of the biggest names in the industry, including top powerboat manufacturer Fairline Boats and award-winning luxury motor-yacht company Sunseeker International.

Hi-Tec Spray supplies the specialist equipment required to apply high-quality finishes to cabin interiors.

Hi-Tec Spray managing director Garry Dowling said: 'We're proud of our position as the largest specialist coatings equipment supplier to the marine industry in the UK.

Our list of clients in the sector is testimony to our ability to deliver precision surface coating solutions to the most exacting standards demanded by our customers.

'And our expertise doesn't just stop with top of the range leisure brands like Fairline and Sunseeker - we're also a major supplier to the Royal Navy and to big international commercial shipping operators like P and O Ferries.

Whether it's the application of anti-slip coatings on decks, infrastructure repainting or the application of anti-fouling coatings on the exterior hulls, we are heavily involved in every aspect of the maintenance of these passenger and freight ferries.

'Hi-Tec Spray has also worked with cargo and oil tanker companies like Texaco and BP Shipping for many years, so our track record in the marine sector is very diverse,' he added.

From its head office on Maidstone's Parkwood Industrial Estate, Hi-Tec Spray operates a nationwide network of equipment hire, sales and maintenance depots.

The centre in Southampton is where the company services its marine and shipyard clients based in Portsmouth, Southampton and along the South Coast.

Southampton depot manager Bryan Dart said Hi-Tec Spray had long-standing relationships with all the big names in the marine trade.

The company is a major supplier of shot blasting and spray paint application systems to warship shipbuilding specialist Vosper Thornycroft, which occupies a 33 acre site within the Portsmouth Naval Base.

VT's giant centre includes state-of-the-art steel production equipment, ship assembly halls and dry docks.

Hi-Tec Spray also works closely with the A and P Group, which is based in Southampton and has 13 dry docks at ports throughout the UK.

A and P is one of the country's biggest ship repair, conversion and marine services operators, undertaking maintenance and repair projects on a wide range of commercial vessels, including the QEII.

Bryan said: "We are widely acknowledged throughout the industry as a marine trade specialist, with companies relying on us to provide the custom-built systems they need.

We also organise full training and a comprehensive back-up service of spares and expert advice to all of our clients in the marine and shipbuilding sector".

Hi-Tec Spray is one of the UK's biggest distributors for leading international manufacturers of spraying, finishing and pumping equipment, including Graco, Wagner, ITW DeVilbiss, ITW Binks, Kremlin, Sames, Iwata and Sagola.

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