In an era where many software companies start in a bedroom or boardroom, IAMTech’s origins are a little different — they began with superglue, plastic, and scale models of industrial plants.
In the 1970s, tucked away in a factory workshop in ICI’s largest chemical site, a small team was building something that looked like engineering art works: detailed scale models of chemical plants, meticulously crafted from plastic, foam and glue.
These models weren’t for display — they were tools. Used by engineers to visualise complex site layouts, plan plant upgrades and troubleshoot construction problems before they occur. One of them, a vast ammonia plant built for ICI, now lives in the British Science Museum. A snapshot of Britain's Petrochemical Heartland, at the height of its production.
Fast-forward 50 years, and the company behind those models is still solving industrial problems — just on a very different scale.
Today, that same company is known as IAMTech, and its models have gone digital. Its tools — like iPermit, an electronic permit-to-work system, and iPlanSTO, software for managing shutdowns and turnarounds — are used by some of the world’s biggest energy and chemical companies. The same hands-on knowledge that went into building those models evolved into something new: software built on real-world experience.
“Everything we build comes from first-hand experience, and listening to our end users,” says Ross Coulman, IAMTech’s Managing Director and third-generation owner. Before he was leading a global team, Ross was working on-site at ICI, learning firsthand what software should do — and what it often doesn’t.
That’s been IAMTech’s quiet advantage: while others chase trends, IAMTech fuels continuous improvement with customer end-user feedback. The result? Software that doesn’t just tick boxes — it works when it matters most. Products like iPermit and iPlanSTO weren’t born out of theory — they were built by people who’ve worked in process plants, high-hazard site environments, managed shutdowns, and know the stakes of high-risk activity.
IAMTech now serves clients in 27 countries. But they haven’t outgrown their roots. The company remains proudly Teesside-based, privately owned, and driven by a leadership team that still believes in doing things properly — no outsourcing, transparent pricing, and a firm belief that bigger isn’t always better.
They’ve come a long way from the model shop. But the mission remains the same: build tools that help people do tough jobs, better.
To learn more about IAMTech's rich history and the milestones that have shaped us, watch our 50th Anniversary video on YouTube:
