History
Our journey so far...
Company formation
Barrnon formally opened its doors in October 2007 when Managing Director, Andy Barr, decided it was time to go it alone and set up a company that could push his engineering ideas to the limit. Barrnon’s early work was in the marine industry, creating exceptionally efficient and hard-wearing scallop fishing gear.
Fishing industry experience
One of our early successes was the design of a modified scallop catching system.
Snack production
We broadened our experience when we drafted and manufactured a snack production plant.
Scallop handling
We built on our marine experience with the design and manufacture of a highly effidient scallop catch handling system.
First exports
In 2011 we designed a cockle dredge system and began to sell to customers in France.
Conceptual design of Bladecutter systems
Appointed as a Hardox Wearparts centre
Our high standards in metalworking were recognised by SSAB when they officially endorsed Barrnon as we’d earned the right to display Hardox Wearparts on our products and services.
Nuclear breakthrough
Contracted to Hunterston A to provide a turnkey solution for sludge recovery.
First patent granted
In 2014 we were granted our first patent by the Intellectual Property Office for Bladecutter.
Innovate UK grant
We were awarded an Innovate UK grant to complete further studies on sludge recovery.
New prototypes
We extended our experience of the nuclear decommissioning industry in 2015 when we completed our first HydroSpyder and Rotocutter conceptual designs and build prototypes.
New tools and awards
2016 was a busy year for the company. We developed and live tested our Bladecutter tool, put the HydroSpyder through its paces on Ullswater and picked up innovation awards from the London Business School, Innovate UK and Innovus, including Best Nuclear Decommissioning Project for Bladecutter.
Collaboration with University of Manchester
In 2016 we developed our HydroSpyder floating deployment platform in collaboration with the University of Manchester – which was a finalist in the Best Academic Collaboration category of the Innovus Awards.
‘Fit For Nuclear’ status
In March 2017, we were officially endorsed by the Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre as ‘Fit For Nuclear’. It’s the benchmark standard for British companies entering the civil nuclear supply chain.
An integrated approach with BIDS
In 2019 we successfully demonstrated the Barrnon Integrated Decommissioning System (BIDS), a VR controlled, manoeuvrable, robotic system that’s capable of deploying a wide range of tools in the most hostile irradiated environments.