The origins of the facility date back to 1871 when two brothers, George and James Weir, founded the engineering firm of G. & J. Weir and opened the current site in 1886. From their Glasgow base, they quickly established a positive reputation for developing pump and valve technologies that were utilized successfully on ship engines, oil pipelines, and power stations across the world.
Photos and documentation depict the workforce over many decades and the advancement of the foundry and machine shop, capture the evolution of British pump manufacturing. Today, British pump companies continue to drive product improvement through advanced manufacturing to meet the continually evolving and demanding requirements of the global energy industry.
Recognising the heritage in the Glasgow facility, much of the equipment produced still uses the distinctive blue paint finish that has distinguished ClydeUnion-produced components over the years. Nowadays the ClydeUnion Pumps brand is a central component of SPX Flow's power & energy business which supplies the oil and gas and power generation industries in more than 150 countries worldwide.
SPX Flow produces engineered products and technologies to meet rising demand for energy, processed foods and beverages.
Photos such as these depict the workforce over many decades
Pumps for nuclear power
Many of the technologies that SPX Flow is manufacturing have evolved from the 130-year heritage in pump technology in the UK, and expertise in hydraulic design, engineering, manufacturing, testing and through-life support. An example of this is the company's TWL™ (Turbine Water Lubricated) pump, manufactured in Glasgow, which is currently being installed in nuclear power plant safety systems around the world.
Originally designed for boiler feed service on naval applications from as early as the 1960s, the TWL started as a compact, self-governing and robust application for this critical system. Importantly it operated independently of any external services such as AC and DC electricity.
During the 1970s, engineers realised that the benefits delivered by the pump's design would also enhance steam driven safety pump applications on nuclear power stations. Whilst maintaining the basic design philosophy, the pump was completely redesigned to nuclear standards, then thoroughly tested and delivered to Pressurised Water Reactors (PWRs) and Boiling Water Reactors (BWRs) around the world.
Following the Great Japan Earthquake of 2011 and the resulting incident at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, the TWL was further optimised to address lessons learned from the event.
Engineers at the Glasgow facility, led by Chief Engineer Ranald Patrick, tested the pump against higher seismic loads and when fully submerged whilst operating under steady state and transient conditions. These tests demonstrated the pumps integrity under extreme accident conditions and supported the objective to ensure emergency reactor cooling in the event of a complete station blackout.
The Glasgow facility continues to manufacture the TWL and export it around the world.
Like many industrial plants, the Glasgow factory has manufactured munitions.
BPMA membership
SPX Flow is a proud member of the British Pump Manufacturers Association (BPMA) and plays a key role in promoting the export strength of British manufacturing.
Membership of the BPMA offers SPX Flow a wide range of opportunities to work with its partners in the pump industry, as well as share knowledge and best practice.
