Petrie Ltd

Like many companies from the region, Petrie Technologies Limited can trace its history as far back as the early 1800’s. From 1814 when John Petrie started making steam engines for the textile industry, Petrie was then joined by McNaught in 1870 whose business was improving the power and efficiency of the steam engine.

Over the years there have been many significant changes within the company but common throughout our history has been a desire to provide solutions to our customer’s problems.

From the early 1900’s, ‘Petrie’ has offered heating solutions to industry based initially around a requirement of the local textile industry to dry their products. This expertise utilising conventional drying technologies (typically convection and conduction heating) was later applied to other industries – most significantly the Food processing industry.

From the mid 1980’s Petrie expanded their technology portfolio into the use of ‘Advanced heating Technology’ using both Microwave and Radio Frequency heating techniques.

In 1995 Petrie (then Petrie & McNaught) was purchased by the NIS Group and moved to the current site in Chorley. The availability of on site design, project management and manufacturing services via our sister company NIS Limited facilitated a change in operating philosophy and has allowed Petrie to evolve into an ‘Advanced Heating Technology’ solution provider with a greater emphasis on ‘Product’ and ‘Technology’ development. The focus of the operation at Petrie now is very clearly as a provider of heating technology solutions using predominantly Microwave or Radio Frequency.

Based at the same Ackhurst Road site as our sister company NIS Limited, Petrie now occupies a 600m2 facility dedicated to product, technology and (client) process development using a large range of pilot scale test equipment and heavily invested Intellectual Property. The Petrie Test & Development Centre offers enormous flexibility through the range of available equipment and building layout to achieve novel and innovative solutions to real world heating problems.

The Group

On 21st March 1983, NIS Ltd, with the assistance of Lancashire Enterprises, was formed from B&R Engineering and B&R Fabrications. During the subsequent years NIS grew organically & by acquisition and the milestone was reached in 1993 when NSG Environmental Ltd was purchased. With the acquisition of Petrie Technologies Ltd in 1995, the continuing growth of NIS Ltd in Chorley, and the need for individual corporate identity, it became apparent that the Group needed to be reorganized and so in 1997 NIS Holdings Ltd was formed, as the overall parent company.

The 3 Group companies provide engineering services to 5 key markets; Nuclear, Aerospace, Food, Security & Industrial. In total, employing some 250 staff, and with a collective turnover exceeding £25M, the group’s business philosophy is to provide a vertically integrated engineering service from ‘in house’ resources.