New blast room facilities and facility-wide extraction upgrades are helping the specialist coating business increase capacity, improve efficiency and prepare for future demand.
As customer requirements continue to evolve, eBlast has invested in expanding its surface preparation and coating capabilities. The project forms part of a wider growth strategy designed to increase blasting capacity, enhance operational efficiency and create a stronger platform for future opportunities across the oil and gas, energy transition and renewables sectors.
The priorities were practical: recover abrasive more efficiently, reduce maintenance demands, improve working conditions and create additional capacity to support long-term growth. SurfacePrep was selected to supply the blast room fit-out and a series of extraction systems across the facility.
A familiar partner for a substantial investment
Based in Kintore, eBlast provides surface preparation and protective coating services, primarily for the oil and gas industry. Its capabilities include abrasive blasting, thermally sprayed aluminium, passive fire protection and specialist coatings for demanding service environments.
For Scott Duguid, eBlast’s Managing Director, the relationship with SurfacePrep was already established through the Hodge Clemco brand. That history helped give the business confidence in its choice of supplier.
“We chose SurfacePrep primarily because it was a name we trusted,” says Scott.
The scope extended from the large metallic abrasive blast bay to dedicated extraction for garnet blasting, a manual thermal spray aluminium (TSA) room, paint spraying and paint mixing. This brought several connected parts of eBlast’s preparation and coating operation into the project.
A blast room designed around daily operation
SurfacePrep supplied a full fit-out to suit a blast room measuring 25.3 metres long, 10 metres wide and up to 8.7 metres high. The installation includes four IND2452 blast machine packages with operator PPE, two dust collectors and associated fans and ducting.
The recovery system combines a sweep-in floor hopper, bucket elevator, abrasive separator and a four-outlet storage hopper. Rubber wall linings, protected LED lighting, electrical controls and equipment wiring complete the package, with basic operator training also included.
For eBlast, one of the most useful changes is the recovery arrangement. Scott describes a system with fewer screw conveyors running through the blast bay and a larger hopper for recovering and storing grit. He reports a more efficient recovery process and lower ongoing maintenance demands in the company’s largest blast bay.
That operational detail matters. Abrasive recovery and storage are part of the daily workload, so the way they are arranged has a direct bearing on how the team uses and maintains the facility.
Extraction matched to each working area
The ventilation upgrades address several distinct activities across the site. Paint spraying, abrasive blasting, paint mixing and thermal spraying each have their own extraction requirements, reflected in the separate systems supplied.
For painting, the project includes three open-fronted spray booths, with a 4-metre-wide installation and two larger 10-metre installations. Dedicated extraction was also supplied for the garnet blast bay and manual TSA room, together with four Zone 1 rated extraction units for the paint mixing area. The TSA hall was a particular priority. eBlast wanted a dedicated, standalone space, separate from its existing paint sheds, with Scott identifying health and safety requirements as the main reason for that decision.
He also reports that additional local exhaust ventilation (LEV) in the paint sheds is helping improve air quality and working conditions. Reducing potential overspray during busy periods is another benefit he identifies, supporting the finish quality eBlast expects to maintain.
The project support also included hire equipment: paint fume LEV and bespoke TSA extraction with an engineered hood. This added an equipment hire element alongside the permanent installation scope.
Capacity for the next stage of growth
eBlast expects the additional bays and wider facility expansion to increase blasting capacity by 30%. The investment has been designed to provide greater flexibility for existing projects while creating room for future growth as demand increases.
The expanded facility will support opportunities across traditional oil and gas markets as well as emerging sectors linked to the energy transition and renewables. By investing in both production capacity and working environments, eBlast is creating a long-term foundation for continued business growth.
Scott sees the new equipment as an investment that will support operations for the next 10 to 15 years and beyond, helping the business meet customer requirements without the need for further major capital expenditure.
Support from enquiry through to commissioning
Scott’s recommendation rests on SurfacePrep’s ability to support the scope of the investment, from the initial enquiry through delivery and commissioning. He points to the team’s skills, experience and capacity as reasons the partnership worked for eBlast.
“We would definitely recommend SurfacePrep to other businesses looking to invest in their facilities.”
For manufacturers and coating businesses planning a similar investment, eBlast’s project illustrates the value of considering the full operation: how blasting equipment, abrasive recovery and extraction will work together, and how the preparation stage connects with the coating facilities that follow.
Planning a blast room operation, coating facility expansion or extraction upgrade? Speak to SurfacePrep about your existing process, production requirements and plans for growth.
