A TECHNOLOGY firm backing Royal Navy attack submarines has supported the rebirth of Teesside steelmaking in a £250,000 deal.

Applied Integration, in Stokesley, North Yorkshire, carried out work on SSI UK's £37m pulverised coal injection (PCI) plant.

The company designed, developed and installed control systems for the facility, which steel bosses say is reducing costs and increasing output at the Redcar blast furnace.

The PCI plant blows finely powdered coal into the furnace centre to speed up steelmaking.

Applied says it beat international rivals for the contract, with a five-strong team creating software and electrical panels.

Last year, the company secured a multi-million-pound deal to design and develop control systems for the nuclear-powered HMS Agamemnon and HMS Ajax.

Lee Raywood, Applied Integration's managing director, previously worked on the Redcar plant as an apprentice with IMS Lycrete in the 1990s.

He said: “While SSI is right on our doorstep, we faced competition from long-established global rivals, so winning the contract was a reflection on our growing reputation in the industry.

“The project served as a personal trip down memory lane for me, but it was fantastic for everyone at the company to work on such an important asset in one of our key local industries.

“As a proud Teesside company, we were privileged to have played our part in helping to bring steelmaking back to the area and secure a major part of Teesside’s industrial heritage.”

SSI this week revealed five million tonnes of steel slabs have been made since the blast furnace was fired back into life nearly two years ago.