A COMPANY in Huddersfield is turning from oil to milk!

Marsden-based Andel Ltd is best-known for designing, making and installing plastic bunds – containment devices to prevent oil leaking from storage tanks and electricity transformers.

Now the firm has won a contract from a £250m-turnover dairy to provide its own design of heavy-duty recycled plastic bunds to be placed around milk silos.

Client Meadow Foods was stuck for a way to provide environmental protection around the silos following an increase in production – until they hit on Andel’s system made from recycled plastic rather than concrete.

The equipment supplied by Andel, a winner of the Queen’s Award for Enterprise, was installed at the firm’s Peterborough site, which processes packaged milk, cream and yoghurts.

The containment system ensures Meadow Foods meets Environment Agency standards and helps it achieve its Carbon Reduction Commitment.

Andel’s equipment means the recently-upgraded Peterborough operation can store up to 710 tonnes of liquid milk, cream and other products in silos close to a minor underground waterway and Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Spokeswoman Yvonne Porter said: “Our capacity is at a new level and the Environment Agency requires 110% containment using a bund around the site to deflect potential spills in the very remote chance of a catastrophic failure.

“Estimates for concrete systems would have been cost prohibitive.

“We believe the work could have taken up to six months to complete and been highly disruptive to the operation.”

Mark Harris, commercial director at Andel, said the firm’s Rebund recycled plastic system was now used by some of the largest firms in the UK and Eire to contain liquids, including foods and oil.

The contract with Meadow Foods follows Andel’s recent successes with major electricity suppliers, including SSE, to contain oil around transformers.

Andel was formed in 1992 to design, make and install a range of electronic devices, including flood alert systems for sites computer rooms, museums, libraries and art galleries.

The company has distributors across Europe, America and Canada, the Middle East, China and Brazil and has installed systems in locations such as Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace, government buildings and banks.