The company makes components, steel enclosures and specialised process equipment. It uses a substantial quantity of cutting oils, general lubricants and fuel oil for heating purposes. The factory, sited on a typical industrial estate adjacent to a small river, is around twenty years old, is well maintained, clean and the working environment is generally good.

While the management have a positive attitude towards environmental issues they were concerned about their oil storage and handling and were unsure how they stood in respect of long-standing and recent regulations and Environment Agency Pollution Prevention Guidelines.In common with most organisations the company has only a very limited budget for environmental issues so it was essential that it received accurate, relevant advice and, if required, carefully targeted expenditure plans.