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.
Sangeetha Ravisankar and Sindhu Srinivasan from Proserv’s Chennai base explain how the company’s teams in India and Qatar have delivered quality service on a key project, despite a volatile global situation and tight schedules.
What was the background to the project and how did Proserv contribute to it?
We secured a contract in the autumn of 2021 to deliver four multi-wellhead control panels (WHCP) and spares to a European oilfield service company working on behalf of a major subsidiary of one of the Arabian Gulf’s biggest national oil companies (NOC). The asset in question is a long-standing mature gas field and our WHCPs have been earmarked for use as part of a wide-ranging multi-billion dollar project to sustain production for the NOC moving forwards.
We have now delivered all four of the WHCPs to the client according to the timeframe requested, with some accessories also finalised and completed, to close off the project.
From our side, this was yet another example of Proserv teams coming together to pool our capabilities. Project management, procurement, engineering and expediting was provided from Chennai, with manufacturing and assembly undertaken at our facility in Qatar.
For the team in Doha this contract had been an important target and so in the lead-up to the bidding stage, colleagues across several sites worked together on cost and design optimisation exercises to make our bid as competitive as it could be. When we secured this substantial contract, it was a fitting reward for those efforts.
The Chennai team that played a key role in this project – Sindu Srinivasan (centre)
What were the key challenges faced during the delivery of this project by the Proserv teams?
With topside controls contracts, it is usual that final designs are not agreed even after a contract has actually been awarded. This is in contrast to what tends to happen with subsea wins and so, as this is a frequent aspect of our work, we need to be flexible and proactive at all times. Even before the request for quote (RFQ), we were receiving a number of technical queries from the client.
Though we submitted intended designs that November, final approval from the customer did not come until well into 2022. We held weekly meetings with the client to understand their requirements and to recalibrate our design proposals. So one of our core challenges was that negotiations have many moving parts: even while final designs are being drawn up, as the service provider we must think about supply chain considerations and lead-times – we have to stay ahead of the curve.
Specifically, this project required the purchase and delivery of Inconel, an exotic material. Ordinarily, you have to factor in a generous lead-time of several months for this high-performance alloy but we were additionally affected by multiple geopolitical and other global factors, from an unexpected military conflict in Ukraine through to the continued after-effects of the pandemic. These were causing serious supply chain and transit delays and bottlenecks, while price inflation was affecting such a high-quality material.
Our ability to multi-task was effectively being challenged by factors beyond our control. With the period taken to agree ultimate designs, along with the supply chain constraints, prices that we were seeing quoted for materials in autumn 2021 were not necessarily the same four or five months later, as global volatility took greater effect.
Keeping tight schedules on track required resourcefulness and effective, regular communication not only with the main client, but also with our vendors to learn about their own needs and issues regarding logistical factors and delivery timeframes.
Sangeetha Ravisankar pictured on a business trip to our Great Yarmouth facility in the UK
How critical was the support of Proserv’s Qatar team to meeting deadlines and adjusting to uncertain global supply chains?
We really acknowledge the tremendous support we received from our colleagues in Doha’s assembly team. The supply chain issues and severe uncertainty around shipping dates ultimately meant that most materials simply did not arrive in Qatar on time. It is then so challenging to devise a viable production schedule as there is no clarity about what will arrive when!
The Qatar team demonstrated real flexibility, assembling whatever materials and components that had been shipped, deliberately leaving others until they arrived. It was almost first come, first served. This kept the production schedule moving as effectively as possible. We worked closely together, as a hand in glove collaboration. So we would have a daily meeting and would plan out different tasks and how we could keep driving things forwards. The contingency planning was highly effective.
We must also add that this was very much a wider joint effort. Our Qatar team was boosted by additional support from both our Dubai and Abu Dhabi facilities in the UAE so that everything could be pushed forwards swiftly. It isn’t easy for colleagues to come together for the first time on such a key new project, but the agility and cooperation between groups was exceptional.
On one hand, we faced the time factor of a client that understandably wanted its wellhead control panels assembled and delivered as quickly as possible, while on the other we had to deal with such a volatile and uncertain delivery schedule and supply chain. It was a genuine learning experience.
Members of Proserv’s Qatar team in action
How did Proserv’s FRESH values help to overcome the multiple challenges faced and to ultimately deliver on behalf of the client?
This was a valuable and critical contract win and from before the RFQ stage we were, as mentioned, scrutinising how we could find extra competitiveness and value to strengthen the attractiveness of our bid by evaluating potential suppliers and vendors. The teamwork started at that preparatory stage.
But throughout, the Proserv values acted as a pathway to our success. The coming together and close collaboration of the Chennai and Qatar teams, supported by other colleagues in the UAE, was a great example of ‘Forward as a team’.
Working closely with the client to deliver regular design adaptations, reflecting its specific needs so that these plans were completely optimised, was underpinned by our ‘Right thing, right way’ approach.
‘Entrepreneurial spirit’ was an inspiration at every point – needing to estimate and guesstimate delivery times, expedite numerous tasks and to problem solve creatively, tapping into our contingency planning expertise. At the same time, the assembly team’s agility and ingenuity in Qatar was also vital.
When the client requested a last minute adjustment, potentially requiring a major design adaptation, the Chennai team took this in its stride and engineered a swift and innovative solution that required minimal alteration to key components and kept schedules on target.
All of these activities and challenges, approached with a proactive attitude, were guided by ‘Serious about service’. So much planning and trouble-shooting was undertaken to make sure we minimised the impacts from supply chain disruption and this important client was supported to the best of our ability.
This was augmented by our regular meetings and updates, to keep the customer fully in the picture as to progress and feedback – demonstrating the team’s commitment to ‘Help, share and communicate’. This was just as essential internally as the Chennai and Qatar colleagues pulled together, at every step of the way, to deliver this contract.
Proserv’s CEO warns that abandoning North Sea oil and gas production could jeopardise innovation, threaten jobs and lead to even greater importation of critical energy supplies.
I have previously voiced my concerns about the future of the UK’s oil and gas industry becoming a binary choice between two contrasting outlooks.
We owe it to the decades of expertise accrued in the North Sea, the 200,000 jobs it supports, and the undoubtedly crucial role it is playing, and will continue to play, in empowering the rollout of new technologies to propel the clean energy sector, to make sure the transition is exactly that: a clear, unequivocal yet balanced pivot into a sustainable energy future where skills, livelihoods and the UK’s energy security are prioritised.
Within the senior executive teams of Proserv’s industry partners and customers that I speak to, there has long been a strong recognition we must, as a sector, realign our strategies and engage our capabilities into new areas, not only to play our key part in alleviating climate change and meeting vital targets ahead, but to keep our businesses, and the communities they serve, relevant and viable in the decades to come.
Proserv is working on new technologies alongside other supply chain collaborators to support the growth and, future life, of fixed bottom and floating offshore wind farms. Digital technology and renewables must be our company’s long-term future. We hope to contribute to the UK becoming a world leader in engineering cutting-edge technologies, exporting those skills, and creating multiple new jobs as our industry transitions from hydrocarbons to a balanced and affordable energy mix.
But right now, as these new energies develop and evolve, our revenues from oil and gas help accelerate Proserv’s R&D to support that evolution and remunerate the many talented and experienced team members who lead this innovation for us. We are but one example of many businesses for whom this will be the current reality, as we build opportunities by harnessing our established skill sets.
At a time when the UK is challenged by a severe cost of living crisis, when war on the margins of Europe has spiked energy prices, led to rapid inflation and threatened its security of supply, and when the price of the UK’s energy imports have doubled in one year alone, now is not the time to unilaterally set aside future North Sea oil and gas production.
The transition is essential – we clearly must make it work. But at present more than 75% of the UK’s total energy still comes from oil and gas. Around 50% of that total is imported, a figure set to increase significantly over the next five to ten years, and this often arrives at a higher financial cost and generates a greater carbon footprint than the oil and gas we can deliver within the UK.
We need a unified, joined-up policy that puts a clean energy future as our unquestioned primary aim, but not at the expense of thousands of jobs, the loss of so much know-how and talent, the stifling of innovation alongside crippling costs to the UK economy.