Building Collaboration at the Heart of Engineering Innovation
Acorn Coaching & Development is supporting RED Engineering’s Tech Centre team as the business expands further into nuclear.
Hexham-based RED Engineering has built a strong reputation for collaboration, evidenced when the company was recently recognised with a BECBC Award for its working culture, a reflection of how its teams’ partner internally and externally to successfully deliver complex engineering projects.
As specialists in creating solutions for operations in hazardous environments, RED Engineering’s business continues to grow and diversify into from new sectors’ from its origins in offshore oil & gas, RED is now making great strides in the UK’s nuclear arena including delivering complex projects at Sellafield.
Growth and diversity mean maintaining that collaborative culture across different teams and working environments becomes increasingly important, and increasingly challenging.
To support this next phase of development, Acorn Coaching & Development has been working with a small key group within the business and their operations within the RED Technology Centre.
Supporting a Critical Team
The RED Technology Centre (RTC) is where specialist equipment is tested and validated, a core function of the organisation’s engineering capability.
The facility itself represents significant investment and houses a mix of expertise, bringing together multiple disciplines including design engineers and testing specialist.
Like many growing organisations, RED’s teams have evolved quickly and continues to do so. As the scope of work broadens, so they face the challenge of defining how they work most effectively together, and as cohesive teams.
In the autumn of 2025, Acorn was commissioned to deliver support through a blended programme of team coaching and leadership development. The work focuses on a core group of six people, supported by a senior leader, helping them strengthen their effectiveness.
Acorn’s Pippa Mitchell explains further, “Rather than addressing a ‘broken’ culture as Acorn have often had to do in the past, our work is about refining and strengthening collaboration within a team, something that plays an increasingly important role in RED Engineering’s future.”
Navigating Sector Growth
RED’s growing involvement in nuclear projects reflects a wider shift within the sector. The NDA and Sellafield have increasingly welcomed expertise from industries like oil and gas and advanced manufacturing.
The reason is simple: the complexity, scale and cost of nuclear decommissioning.
“RED bring valuable experience from other high-hazard, technically demanding industries. Their ability to adapt proven engineering approaches and apply them to nuclear challenges places them in a strong position within the sector.” Adds Pippa.
However, operating across different industries also introduces new dynamics for teams.
RED’s personnel support work that spans all client’s industry sectors, not just nuclear. Engineers frequently collaborate with the team to test equipment and validate designs, meaning the group must operate with agility and be open to different ways of working when required.
Developing a strong internal team culture is therefore essential, not just for their own performance, but also for how effectively they collaborate with external engineers and project partners.
Creating a More Open Team Environment
Acorn’s work with the team has centred on helping members reflect on how they want to operate together.
The focus has included strengthening communication, clarifying expectations and developing leadership capability within the group. Many of the individuals are relatively early in their leadership journeys but are now responsible for guiding others and shaping the team environment.
One of the most immediate changes has been the introduction of new meeting styles designed to be efficient and effective, whilst encouraging openness and shared ownership.
“The team take time to reflect on how effectively they are working together. These conversations create space for issues to be addressed constructively and helped foster a greater sense of psychological safety.” Continues Pippa, “Innovation is fostered, ideas shared, any concerns are openly voiced and collective support is evident.”
Small Changes, Meaningful Impact
Even relatively simple changes are already making a difference.
The team has begun to focus more deliberately on practical collaboration: making sure the site is prepared for the next day, supporting colleagues when workloads shift, and addressing challenges collectively rather than individually.
These conversations may sound straightforward, even relatively mundane, but they are proving central to building a high-performing team environment.
By agreeing how they want to operate day-to-day, the group is establishing the foundations of a shared culture that supports both technical excellence and strong working relationships.
Collaboration as a Competitive Advantage
Acorn’s engagement with RED Engineering is expected to run for around 8- to 12-months. The goal is not simply short-term improvements but helping the team establish sustainable habits that will support the company’s continued growth.
As RED Engineering strengthens its position across all the markets they serve, the ability for teams to collaborate effectively – across roles, disciplines and sectors – will remain a critical capability.
“For a business expanding into new sectors and technologies, their investment in people is every bit as important as investment in facilities or equipment.”
“By taking time to reflect on how teams work together and equipping emerging leaders with the skills to guide that collaboration, RED is reinforcing one of the key qualities that has already earned it industry recognition.”
Pippa concludes: “In complex, critical engineering environments, technical expertise may deliver the solution, but it is strong collaboration that makes those solutions possible.”
Images © RED Engineering Limited (www.redengineering.co.uk)
