Business has been operating separately since 2019 and will look to grow footprint and push into new markets.
Global controls technology leader Proserv has announced that sister company Gilmore, a Houston based specialist in flow control solutions, has been purchased by Control Devices, headquartered in Fenton, Missouri and a portfolio company of global conglomerate HBM Holdings.
Proserv was acquired by its majority shareholders Oaktree Capital Management and KKR in 2018 and Gilmore, then incorporated within Proserv’s portfolio of brands, was subsequently established as a separate division in October of the following year, as part of a corporate restructuring to enable Proserv to focus on its core strengths and capabilities. Gilmore has effectively been operating independently since that point.
Gilmore is a long-standing name in the innovation, engineering and supply of high-performance severe service valves (check, relief, regulator, solenoid, control) and other flow control solutions. This acquisition allows Control Devices, itself a major designer and manufacturer of highly engineered flow control products utilised in niche applications across various end markets, to expand its portfolio and widen its reach into oil and gas. The deal also further broadens HBM Holdings’ expertise in the flow control sector.
In anticipation of Proserv and Gilmore continuing to collaborate on future projects, a master purchase agreement has been established to accelerate the smooth and seamless procurement of components and products between both parties.
David Nemetz, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Gilmore commented:
“After many excellent years being part of, and associated with, Proserv, we are excited to now be joining Control Devices and the HBM family of companies as we seek to drive ever forwards with our growth and expansion plans. We are grateful for the tremendous support we have received from Proserv and its shareholders, as we have developed our business in recent years to take this next key step.”
Proserv’s CEO Davis Larssen stated:
“We wish Gilmore’s team every success as it moves on to this new chapter and we look forward to working alongside each other on future opportunities. These are positive times for Proserv, both subsea and topside, with market-leading technologies, extensive service abilities and our on-going, proactive push into cutting-edge digital tech and offshore wind.”
Proserv’s Chairman David Currie added:
“Proserv and Gilmore have many shared values and outlooks, not least around innovation and the ability to engineer technologies that lead the market in quality and reliability. As Proserv continues to harness its know-how in control systems and harsh environments to push into new areas and opportunities so too does Gilmore and we are delighted that the business has reached this point to continue its journey alongside Control Devices.”
As part of the acquisition, Gilmore’s team of around 100 employees will be moving across to Control Devices. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Andrew Rodger, Business Development Manager, Digital Innovation, gives his insights on Intelligent Plant’s unique Inform Prize which took place this autumn, fostering interaction between academia and industry and challenging students to innovate digital solutions to real-life problems.
How would you describe the core aims and benefits of the Inform Prize?
I work closely with Steve Aitken and the team at Intelligent Plant and recognise this has been a long-standing initiative that has reached its tenth anniversary this year. It is a fantastic idea providing students with an early insight, whilst they’re studying, of what they would experience when they join the workforce in the coming years.
It is especially valuable to give this opportunity to computer science students because, in the energy industry, we’re really going to need their expertise as we move forwards. Students from Aberdeen University and Robert Gordon University came together to collaborate within eight different teams, each member identifying and undertaking a certain key role, and they shared their capabilities to build applications to help resolve everyday issues.
The Inform Prize event gave them a platform to deliver presentations on their specific solution, its value and the process that shaped its innovation. Beyond that, there was also a chance for those attending to network with the participants and offer them feedback on our own journeys into the energy industry and our experiences and viewpoints.
On a personal level, I returned to academia after having spent some time working and so I can appreciate the value the Inform Prize can give students about joining a business. I think it is great that this initiative is ingrained into the courses and curricula in the universities as well, encouraging students to think collaboratively, creatively and to find ways of driving things forward.
You were part of the judging panel, how was that and what were your impressions on the day?
It was definitely a new experience for me, but I was blown away by the quality of the presentations. As I mentioned, it was clear that most of the teams had worked really closely together, right down to who was going to do the talking, and who had delivered the more technical elements. This was really impressive teamwork as they had maximised each of their individual capabilities.
Some parts of the video presentations were amazing. These were between three to five minutes long, each talking the viewer through what the digital solution was, how and why the team had decided to identify and fix that particular real-life problem and then explaining how the human interaction and engagement would work.
I think the Inform Prize challenges everyone in different ways, so for me, being a judge is not a role I am used to and so I needed to balance scrutiny and assessment alongside curiosity, encouragement and support – in other words, constructive questioning! It is great there are several prizes handed out because the eight teams involved put so much effort into their projects.
How vital would you say computer science skills will be to the future of the energy market?
Pulling insights out of live data is an increasingly crucial capability, allowing so many processes and decision-making to be optimised. At Proserv, we have great understanding of control systems, and their integration, alongside the other offerings we deliver – so a lot of specialist, domain knowledge established over decades. But as a leading technology company, we are always looking at ways to extend our abilities and where we can innovate new solutions.
It’s going to be the type of student who was at this event that will help move our sector forward with data analysis, working with AI and cyber security, vital areas across all industries. Over the next decade, today’s computer science students will be designing intuitive dashboards, building industrial apps and devising algorithms – they will be central to bringing insight and understanding to the performance of equipment in so many areas. They will be the ones making that a reality.
Of course, for us at Proserv, we have our own digital journey, alongside our partners, engaging monitoring and intelligence to optimise and enhance operational reliability, reduce the threat of downtime, boost ROI and extend life. We will increasingly need this digital expertise to help innovate the solutions demanded by the energy sector and to grow our offering. Delivering remote real-time monitoring, accessing live data, and providing predictive intelligence fundamentally needs this domain knowledge.
More widely, we face the rising challenges of the energy transition and making a fair and just pivot from oil and gas into sustainable sources. The technologies of the future will require the skills of those students at the Inform Prize. In fact, graduates like them will have a crucial role to play as the likes of offshore wind, CCUS and hydrogen evolve in the coming years, so creating this link between industry and academia is important. Energy is a dynamic and fluid environment for computer scientists to enter.
How would you say the Inform Prize reflects the values and philosophy of Proserv?
I think it highlights the shared values between Proserv and Intelligent Plant where both businesses greatly encourage innovation and collaboration. More than anything else, the Inform Prize is about bringing these two things together.
In the way that the various team members naturally took on particular roles, this can reflect a little on what we are doing here at Proserv with our various technology partners – each of us sharing our knowledge and expertise, supporting one another, to accelerate the generation of new solutions or finding fresh opportunities in the market. It is about leveraging capabilities and not re-inventing the wheel, and many of these teams, in the Inform Prize, were similarly acting to maximise what they each could bring to a process.
I also think Proserv has a strong history and ethos of encouraging the development of skills whether that is through graduate entry or our impressive apprenticeship programmes, so encouraging aspiring students to demonstrate their know-how and to give back to them by networking and providing feedback was very satisfying.
The event also offers us a chance to engage with potential future Proserv recruits. We have already brought a team member into the business via the networking through the Inform Prize and he currently combines his studies at Aberdeen University with working alongside us a couple of days a week building his abilities in data analytics.
The Inform Prize offers so much from skills development to potential workplace opportunities. I am sure both Intelligent Plant and Proserv, not to mention the other sponsors, will be keeping a keen eye on this initiative year-on-year to unearth talent that one day might play a key role in driving our businesses, and our industry, forward.
Global controls technology leader scoops runner-up prize for its step change ECG™ holistic subsea cable monitoring system for offshore wind.
Proserv has been spotlighted yet again at a leading industry awards event gaining acknowledgment as Innovative Supply Chain Company of the Year (Large Enterprise) runner-up at the annual Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) Awards, held last night at the P&J Live in Aberdeen.
Eight categories were featured as OEUK took the opportunity “to celebrate the people and companies who have demonstrated standout talent, innovation, and accomplishment across the energy sector in 2023.” Speaking ahead of the ceremony OEUK CEO David Whitehouse said:
“Our members are investing not only in homegrown oil and gas, but also to accelerate our expansion into renewable sources. The expertise of our people is driving innovation in clean energy solutions like carbon capture and storage, the hydrogen economy, and offshore wind. We are determined to create a sustainable future.”
Chairman David Currie, CEO Davis Larssen and Vice President, Renewables, Paul Cook were among the Proserv delegation in attendance. The recognition was conferred on the company due to the development, emergence, impact and industry-wide potential of its ECG™ holistic subsea cable monitoring system for fixed bottom and floating offshore wind.
The technology represents a major step forward in subsea cable monitoring, delivering real-time intelligence and visibility on the condition and integrity of subsea cables, enabling asset owners and operators to detect possible faults and failures before they occur, enhancing utilisation, alleviating the threat of costly downtime, extending ROI, while optimising maintenance scheduling and the targeting of OPEX. Critically, ECG™ also monitors cable terminations, an area highly susceptible to potential issues.
Synaptec, a power system monitoring expert, and subsea power cable engineering and management specialists, BPP Cable Solutions, pooled their capabilities alongside Proserv’s know-how in control system integration and subsea experience within a technology consortium to deliver this genuine shift in cable monitoring.
In little more than two years since its development, ECG™ has won landmark deals on the vast fixed bottom Dogger Bank Wind Farm and the world’s pioneering floating wind projects, including the first commercial asset – Equinor’s Hywind Scotland.
After the event, Paul Cook commented:
“This accolade is much appreciated and we thank OEUK for yet another enjoyable evening. Our congratulations to all winners and runners-up.
“This recognition speaks not only to the potential impact of ECG™ and its ability to support the future rollout of offshore wind, and the transition, but how the supply chain can come together and share its knowledge to collaborate and build the essential technologies of the future.”
CEO Davis Larssen added:
“Our core mission at Proserv has long been to deploy our skills to develop solutions to empower decision-making, optimise performance and ultimately extend the life of critical infrastructure. ECG™ is a great representation of our methodology as we pivot that approach to offshore wind and sustainable energy.
“Every industry acknowledgement is much valued but for the broad team that has worked on ECG™, from concept through to delivery, particularly our partners Synaptec and BPP Cable Solutions, it is especially well-deserved.”
Proserv Chairman David Currie observed:
“This has been another good night for Proserv at a leading awards event, hosted by a very well-respected trade body in OEUK, and once again witnessing due acclaim for our talented and creative team.
“One of our unique differentiators is engaging closely with the market, listening to what it actually needs and pinpointing areas where we can innovate genuinely effective solutions. It is very satisfying to see our impactful work in offshore wind making ever further headway.”
UK headquartered company spotlighted at major industry event for its global service capabilities.
Global controls technology leader Proserv has been selected as one of only three finalists for Services Company of the Year 2023 by the Energy Council as part of its upcoming annual industry awards. The Energy Council is a leading industry membership body, with more than 100,000 members, as well as an investment networking provider.
The event will once again be held on the sidelines of the World Energy Capital Assembly (WECA) in London, which is in its 14th year. WECA involves 375 participating companies, including NOCs and supermajors, representing 40 nations.
The awards evening will take place later this month. The event will see eight awards handed out across a range of categories in addition to a Lifetime Achievement Award and recognition for Executive of the Year. The Services Company of the Year category is sponsored by management consultancy Alvarez & Marsal (A&M).
Speaking about the occasion, the Energy Council stated:
“Our Annual Awards of Excellence ceremony represents a global benchmark of excellence…recognising and honouring the individuals and companies who have been at the forefront of first-class deals, value creation, innovation, or exceptional financial and operating performance.”
Proserv’s Senior Vice President, Iain Smith said of the award shortlisting:
“We are delighted to be a finalist at this prestigious industry event and we congratulate the other shortlisted companies. This is well-deserved recognition for our global capabilities, support and broad portfolio of expertise. We look forward to the evening and we thank the Energy Council for hosting it and A&M for sponsoring this particular service award.”
Strategic move follows agreement signed late in 2022 which saw SMS become Proserv’s exclusive agent and representative in the Southeast Asian country.
Global controls technology company Proserv and Aberdeen based sand and erosion monitoring, analytics and management experts SMS have announced the rollout of a new Sampling Service Centre, strategically located at SMS’s facility in Kemaman Supply Base (KSB), Terengganu, Malaysia.
The collaboration between Proserv, a leader in sampling and injection equipment for the energy sector, and SMS, with its cutting-edge sand monitoring technologies, accelerates the optimisation of production performance and brings greater operational efficiencies.
With the launch of the Sampling Service Centre in KSB, Malaysian clients can now access and procure Proserv’s solutions locally, bringing substantial time savings and significantly alleviating logistical complexities and costs typically associated with sourcing such essential sampling equipment from overseas.
As the authorised representative of Proserv in Malaysia, SMS also stands as the exclusive, trusted party for servicing and maintaining Proserv’s sampling fleet with its extensive range of rental equipment including sampling cylinders, mini separators and sand injection calibration packages.
The joint service centre supports various areas of expertise including production chemistry, flow assurance, metering, reservoir and subsea operations. This wide-ranging, joined-up approach delivers specialised and integrated solutions to address requirements at every stage of the production process.
Andrew Kinsler, SMS’s Operations Director commented:
“Our unwavering client commitment has been at the forefront of this collaborative development. The dovetailing of SMS’s sand management and flow assurance instrumentation with Proserv’s multi-faceted sampling know-how delivers a single focused capability for our clients’ exacting demands.
“From exploration and appraisal through to development and production, we provide a comprehensive suite of technical solutions and commercial models, as part of a truly unique client value proposition.”
The joint Sampling Service Centre, with its broad servicing and rental possibilities, leads on from the successful template in operation at Proserv’s main Sampling Centre of Excellence in Aberdeen and at its global sites in the US, Norway, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
SMS’s Southeast Asia Regional Manager, Jonathan Ambrose added:
“This new centre and our alliance open up real possibilities. Integrating Proserv’s liquid and gas sampling equipment within our service offering in Malaysia not only complements our existing solids sampling portfolio but creates an opportunity to develop local Malaysian talent in the various sampling disciplines.
“We also believe our collaboration, with its extended range of abilities, will provide added benefits to local clients whether in flow assurance, production chemistry or well testing”.
Sean Andersson, Proserv’s General Manager, Sampling observed:
“At Proserv, one of our core values is delivering, and prioritising, excellent service and with this new sampling centre in Malaysia, additionally harnessing SMS’s specific expertise and sand monitoring technologies, that is exactly what we are jointly providing. Local clients can now benefit from even swifter response and support, plus vastly reduced lead-times, accessing Proserv’s critical, best-in-class equipment just when they need it.
“Our broader philosophy is based upon supplying impactful equipment and solutions enabling clients to gain insights into performance to empower decision-making, while ultimately optimising operations. This joint service centre, allied to our respective skill sets, will assist in improving the scrutiny of flowlines, can enhance safety and so alleviate the threat of unscheduled downtime.” Kinsler and Andersson added that the new Proserv and SMS Sampling Service Centre in KSB not only maximises growing synergies between the two parties in the Malaysian segment but also builds closer ties as they look towards the global market.
Lise Borgen Tonstad, who is based in our team in Stavanger, has recently taken on the position of Business Development Manager for our subsea controls offering in Norway. She takes time out for a Q&A to discuss her new post, the openings it brings and what Proserv can offer the Norwegian market.
Tell us a bit about your change in role and what you will now be focusing on?
I joined Proserv early last year with a responsibility for business development (BD), and part of that has been to help support and drive our trading segment. This has been a perfect introduction and learning curve as it gave me a great window into what the many different sites and teams at the company do – so on one hand, I might be talking to clients about the different components we sell and brands we represent, while on the other hand, I could be discussing possible service support and maintenance.
As BD Manager for Trading, the past 18 months have been a springboard to truly understand what Proserv offers, not only in Norway but right across its portfolio, and to think about where Proserv can go in the future. I am a big believer in communication and talking with people, meeting them, and I have taken that into my work at Proserv. I have already visited some of our other teams to learn about their skills, and how they might be applied here in Norway.
Now, I am taking on a specialised role with a focus on our subsea controls. It is really exciting as this is such a central and core part of our Proserv identity and heritage. I have had great support from colleagues both here in Stavanger but also at our site in Trondheim where so much of our innovation in subsea control systems has been created. There is a wealth of expertise accessible in this company.
How would you describe the synergies between Proserv’s sites in Trondheim and Stavanger?
Close and getting closer! I would say Stavanger presents a multi-faceted set of offerings for our customers, where we can meet their needs through our wide portfolio of skills. We can design, manufacture, test, install or rent out different types of solution for offshore, subsea and onshore use. We can maintain, repair and upgrade both ours and other OEMs’ products like HPUs, IWOCS and subsea control modules. Or we can supply gaskets, pumps or valves. We can deliver and support on every level.
Trondheim is our subsea R&D Centre of Excellence with its dedicated cutting-edge engineering and technology expertise. The synergies fit really well as we have this best-in-class subsea controls capability that we export around the globe, right here close-at-hand in Norway.
In Stavanger, we are proactively looking to increase our subsea footprint and activities. A central part of my new focus is to get the understanding and message about our market-leading subsea skill sets out into the wider market. There are several benefits of using an independent subsea controls solution, as it gives operators more options around how to build their fields with different Xmas tree and manifold suppliers.
One of the challenges I have noted is that Proserv has many strengths but there are some customers who do not necessarily realise the full range of what we offer, as they might only engage with our trading arm or our rental team. But we can leverage that. So when a regular customer steps into our workshop, as we develop and grow our subsea activities even further in Stavanger, this presents a great opportunity to show them around, highlight our subsea offering and open new avenues for them.
Where do you see growth opportunities in the Norwegian subsea market for Proserv?
This always comes back to the strength of our controls value proposition. The ways we can unlock opportunity in the Gulf of Mexico are being replicated right here in the North Sea and Norway very successfully, and we can extend that further.
People who know and value our subsea business also know that we lead the market in controls reliability. We have an obsolescence management system in place ensuring our subsea electronics never become obsolete and that stands as a commitment to our customers.
The same problems exist at the bottom of the Norwegian Sea as exist at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico. We can be the solution everywhere.
There are a lot of brownfield assets in the seas around Norway and reliability issues and obsolescence are a serious industry challenge. We can integrate solutions like ACT, our augmented controls technology, that avoids major intervention and complete system upgrades, can save time and money, and extends the life of field.
Many operators recognise how our technology can be transformative, enabling tiebacks that previously were just not viable, with our coexistence capabilities opening new doors that can lead to improved ROI. We can build strong relationships with operators where we can solve these reliability problems, regenerate their infrastructure when required, and effectively be their go-to partner.
My new role in subsea controls will allow me to extend my contacts, tap into my belief in communication, and talk to potential clients about how we can bring real gains to their operations. OTD Energy 2023 is set to get underway and this offers a perfect platform to continue this exciting journey.
Our Vice President Commercial, Ewen MacLean participated in a Breakfast Briefing panel discussion hosted and moderated by Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) in Aberdeen this summer, focused on the future rollout of offshore wind, entitled Wind: Powering the UK Offshore Future. The conversation covers a broad range of topics, and Ewen emphasises how supply chain collaboration could lead to the rise of industry standards that can be driven around the global sector. Ewen also talks about skills transfer and how much of Proserv’s innovation finds its origins in our established expertise and know-how. If you missed attending the event on the day, here is a great chance to watch it online.
Proserv Chairman among a delegation of energy industry leaders to meet His Majesty King Charles at GUH’s Westhill, Aberdeen premises.
Proserv Chairman David Currie was a guest today at leading trade and industry development body for the UK’s underwater sectors, Global Underwater Hub (GUH), as it hosted His Majesty King Charles for a tour of its offices.
Alongside David, a number of senior representatives and key stakeholders from the UK’s energy segment including Neil Gordon, the Chief Executive Officer of GUH, were on-hand to meet His Majesty. Those attending also comprised His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant for Aberdeenshire, Mr Sandy Manson, as well as GUH Board members, its staff and further representatives from multiple member companies.
During the tour, King Charles learned about the vital and innovative work being undertaken across offshore energy, aquaculture, defence and telecommunications. His Majesty also spent time with some senior pupils from Aberdeenshire’s Mintlaw Academy who had brought along a fully operational Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) which they had designed and built themselves.
The Mintlaw ROV team had been inspired by GUH’s STEM educational outreach programme that Proserv had supported at the Subsea Expo event earlier in the year.
On leaving, The King was invited to unveil a plaque to commemorate the visit.
Neil Gordon commented, “We were honoured to welcome His Majesty to the Global Underwater Hub in Westhill. It was a unique opportunity to showcase the UK’s underwater sectors, the technology and expertise of our member companies, and our commitment to developing skills and capabilities to drive competitive advantage as the global leader.”
David Currie added:
“I was delighted to attend this visit and to spend a little time talking with His Majesty. These are critical times for our industry and King Charles has a long-standing passion not only for innovation but to see the energy sector pivot into exciting new areas to propel the transition.
“It was an honour to represent Proserv as this is a fine example of a company using its expertise to build the technologies to accelerate this process. GUH plays a key role bringing our supply chain together and helping to foster collaboration and knowledge sharing.”
Site in Dammam extends service capabilities and follows relocation of Proserv’s Chennai facility as company looks to ramp up global and regional activities.
Leading controls technology company Proserv has moved its operations in Saudi Arabia into a new dedicated, state-of-the-art facility in Dammam as part of its roadmap to bolster and extend its expertise for customers and establish itself as the control system solutions partner of choice across the kingdom.
Proserv has invested a significant sum in the bespoke site, located close to the HQ of major national oil company Aramco, as the Aberdeen headquartered business seeks to increase its activities within the digital arena in Saudi Arabia, including real-time condition monitoring and industrial automation right across the energy landscape, including renewables. The strategy reflects Proserv’s wider global digitalisation push alongside several technology partners.
The new base delivers key upgrades to enhance Proserv’s well-established topside service provision with investment directed to an in-house instrumentation calibration zone, as well as a purpose-built pressure testing facility. The site also incorporates manufacturing, service and refurbishment areas within its 1,000 square metre footprint.
Proserv’s General Manager, Saudi Arabia, Chris Chambers commented:
“This new facility, with its increased and upgraded capabilities, is testament to our proactive ambitions to drive this business into exciting new areas here in the kingdom. Our absolute commitment to supporting the Saudi economy, and building new skills within its workforce, is long-standing and Proserv’s future direction into cutting-edge technologies and potentially new markets will only reinforce and broaden that.”
Angus Rodger, Vice President, Services added:
“Across every facet of our global business, we are harnessing our controls expertise to deliver real-time monitoring, intelligence insights to enhance operational strategy and ultimately the optimisation of critical infrastructure. This impressive new site in Dammam gives our skilled team in the kingdom the means to push further to widen this offering. Saudi Arabia represents a market with much potential.”
Proserv’s relocation and upgrade of site capabilities in Saudi Arabia follows a similar move conducted earlier this year at its important base in Chennai, India. Increasing headcount and growth in its breadth of activities meant the team required not only additional space but the scale for further in-house capability.
Proserv has moved into its own dedicated site to the south of Chennai comprising a floor space of 850 square metres, which offers both a manufacturing and service workshop alongside a bespoke pressure testing area. The new facility underpins its role, and extends its expertise, as a vital global functional support network, across varied disciplines including engineering, effective global supply chain sourcing and product builds.
The Chennai team not only offers this core support throughout the entire Arabian Peninsula and North Africa but to Proserv’s worldwide business. Among multiple on-going projects, it is currently collaborating with its Saudi based colleagues on the real-time monitoring of industrial equipment as part of the push into digital technologies and intelligence.
Geert Kooi, Senior Vice President, Operations stated:
“Chennai is a key site for us and the move earlier this year enables the team to augment its skill sets within its own dedicated space to deliver techno-commercial solutions for the wider controls market, in both oil and gas and renewables. Worldwide, our Chennai team is producing valuable work in numerous critical functions and locally this new facility also gives us a great base from which to target and attack the many opportunities available in the Indian market.”
Proserv’s CEO, Davis Larssen remarked:
“These facility upgrades in both Saudi Arabia and Chennai are crucial steps to allow those talented teams a platform from which to thrive and grow locally, and also to contribute a significant role within our broad global business strategy, including the development and delivery of new digital solutions to our customers right across the energy sector. We look forward to seeing the on-going progress and development in these locations in the coming years.”
Chris Denton, Director, Supply Chain details the evolution of Proserv’s latest concept in bringing strategic supply chain partners together.
At Proserv, it certainly helps that communication is firmly embedded within our values, but you won’t go far without relying on it in the ever-changing and ever-moving world of supply chains and logistics. Like any forward-thinking business, we constantly strive to find advantage and we have been evaluating how we can secure more added value from our supplier engagement programme.
Already, we have successfully delivered supplier engagement events across our global locations of Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the UAE and Great Yarmouth in the UK over the past 16 months to hugely positive effect and garnering excellent feedback.
Going further
But how could we go further? Proserv’s supply chain team came together and, driven by our FRESH values around sharing insights, creative approaches and prioritising excellent service, we formulated a new event brief: to create a platform that fostered an environment to encourage our suppliers to discuss ideas, innovation and solutions to challenges.
Our supply chain team identified that to meet this new brief, the proposed event required greater levels of supplier participation enabling those involved to demonstrate their range of capability to support these broader discussions.
So, how could this be achieved? Through internal reviews, the team brainstormed several ideas with one of the options described as “staging a mini ADIPEC,” inspired by the leading UAE based energy industry event and driven by an exhibition framework, incorporating a stall format, and a medium for networking. From that point onwards, the concept of adding stalls to showcase our supplier capabilities was born.
Next Gen supplier engagement
This new format was branded as the Proserv Partner Expo, also encompassing presentations, one-to-one review meetings, and networking with a much broader number of Proserv and supplier attendees.
We wanted to deploy this “Next Gen” supplier engagement concept in one of our key growth areas and Proserv’s base in Chennai, India, was soon pinpointed.
This May, Proserv rolled out the very first Proserv Partner Expo in Chennai, with 19 current, and potentially future, key strategic partners setting up stalls over two days to enable us to accelerate our understanding of their technology offering and how they can help Proserv today and support future business growth.
The Expo format allowed Proserv Sales, Proposals, Engineering, Quality and Supply Chain teams, both in Chennai and from our global locations, sufficient time to visit all the different stalls, and this innovative approach created openings for discussion as each supplier was able to highlight their abilities through sample products and visual aid displays.
Ultimately, it proved a great platform for our supply chain partners to share their future plans and presented them with effective business development opportunities.
But equally importantly, the event was also about Proserv reaching out to the attendees and giving an overview of our business (both within India and globally), our strategic roadmap and our on-going and ever-developing supply chain and sourcing initiatives. Several key presentations were delivered including one by our General Manager in Chennai, Suresh Subramanian.
Guided by positive feedback
Proserv’s next generation supplier engagement event was very well received by our partners who provided excellent feedback which can help guide us as we look to develop further iterations of this Expo across our locations.
One local engineering partner stated: “It was a great platform to showcase our abilities and products and because of this Expo we also got to know the exact requirements of Proserv.”
Meanwhile, a measurement and calibration equipment specialist added, “We were able to interact in one place with all your colleagues and other vendors. It was also good to know about Proserv’s future plans which will help us increase and extend our capabilities to serve you better.”
Sharing such comments, and harnessing such positive and valuable communication, is central to how we work at Proserv. It is encouraging that this inaugural Expo proved such a success but we will develop and augment this framework as we move forwards and we deploy this format elsewhere around the globe, seeking to drive and support business growth, innovation and value creation.
Forward as a Team.