It has been nearly two months since we signed the acquisition deal for Dron & Dickson‘s Middle East business to establish new Proserv electrical services. The new team are now all moved into our Abu Dhabi facility and have been welcomed with open arms by our Proserv family.

The team has set up a new dedicated electrical assembly room where we assemble (amongst other things) Weidmueller certified Junction Boxes, as well as significantly increasing our storage racking area for electrical components.

Angus Rodger, General Manager for Proserv Al Badie says: “It has been amazing to see how welcoming the team, new and old, have been during the past two months and the incredible effort and energy so many people have put into making this integration a success. There are too many people to thank in one post but I would like to thank everyone who has been involved so far!”

Please enjoy a quick fly round video of our great facility in Abu Dhabi!

We speak to HSE Lead and Global HSE Function Leader Rudy Capelo about our recent success organising Proserv Global Safety Day that focused on hand safety and the dangers of complacency.

Tell me a bit about yourself.

I am currently the HSE Manager for Sommermeyer. I also hold a dual role as Global HSE Function Leader for all our sites. My primary focus is to provide HSE advice, guidance and mentoring as part of the management team. I also ensure compliance with all Proserv reporting requirements and HSE laws. As a leader, I understand I am only as good as my team. Therefore, to ensure Proserv continues to remain a safe place to work, I strive to create clarity, clear context and consistency with regards to HSE.

One recent accomplishment in our HSE world was our Global Safety Day, which was a first for Proserv.

Why is safety awareness so important?

Because safety is such an important part of our daily lives, it’s important to always remain aware of potential safety issues and consciously act in the best interest of safety.

It’s easier said than done, of course. Daily responsibilities at work can often distract even the most diligent employees and decrease alertness. Employees who have been doing the same job for years can be at an even higher risk. This is because they’re less likely to consciously think about their actions. Repetitive tasks can switch on a person’s autopilot to the point they don’t need to put much thought into their work.

When this happens, safety can become less of a daily thought, unless it’s brought back to the spotlight. Without ongoing awareness, employees may begin to neglect safe practices in lieu of faster, more efficient methods. Taking a shortcut once with no negative consequences makes it easier to repeat those shortcuts and look for new ones. But it’s only a matter of time before those ‘efficiencies’ result in an undesirable outcome.

At Proserv, safety is key. Because of the potentially catastrophic consequences that can result from complacency, we regularly conduct safety campaigns on various topics. Our recent Global Safety Day was one such effort to help keep the awareness at the top of everyone’s mind.

Why a global safety day?

We all know that safety begins from the moment we wake up, to the moment we get back into bed at night. I therefore wanted to showcase this, using one day in which safety was highlighted simultaneously around the globe.
The Global Safety Day is a safety awareness day in which all sites participate in multiple safety-related activities over the course of one day. As safety affects everyone, the day involved all our employees, from management to shop floor.

How was the day organised?

The HSE Leads at each site were tasked with developing their own ideas for how best to structure the day. They were however asked to base the day around the topics of safety complacency and hand safety. We ensured that we had materials and posters developed ahead of the day that highlighted these key themes.

Beyond that, facility leads were free to organise the day as they saw fit. This allowed individual site empowerment, and I was extremely proud that each site took complete ownership of the event. I will say that some of the activities really left a lasting impression on myself. Kudos to everyone!

What were some of the highlights of the Proserv Global Safety Day?

For one thing, participation levels were high, which truly showed the interest our employees have for HSE. Team building was also evident during the day, which only strengthened employee relations. This has a positive knock-on effect, as a strong team can, in turn, help to keep each other safe.

In terms of the activities that took place – there were many excellent ideas. One such activity was where employees at one facility were instructed to put a sock on their dominant hand to simulate a hand injury, and then attempt to eat lunch and move around the facility. I thought this was very effective.

Another activity was an art contest, which involved our employees and their children. It was great to see the many art pieces created. This was especially effective as, by involving their families, it shows how safety awareness doesn’t end once you leave the office.

Beyond that there were quizzes, presentations, themed lunches etc. Everyone really did a great job. Every site had fantastic ideas. I heard a lot of feedback that revolved around one site seeing what another site did, and thinking “now, why didn’t I think of that?” I will say this: I anticipate some friendly competition for the best ideas at the Global Safety Day next year!

How does the safety day link with our FRESH values?

Throughout the globe, we easily showcased multiple values, from Forward as a Team, Right thing, Right way, Entrepreneurial Spirit, and Help, Share and Communicate. The activities highlighted teamwork, created excellent safety-related memories and allowed everyone to continue to focus on safety.

What are your future plans with safety initiatives?

This is a great question, and I’ve had a few inquiries about this. It’s important we do activities like this to keep our employees engaged. I believe the Global Safety Day, and the themes it showcased, will stick with our employees for a long time.

Even so, I intend to keep up momentum by conducting a few more mini campaigns throughout the year. One can never have too much safety. The key aspect will be to ensure that any campaign is meaningful and relatable. This will ensure we are not just ticking the box, and the Global Safety Day was anything but a box-ticking exercise. We will make sure we put our own Proserv touch on any HSE campaign, built around our FRESH values.

Name one piece of advice you would give to those reading this article for keeping safe.

Improve your own and others safety by understanding risks and always be aware of your surroundings. Continue to look for opportunities to improve and shine a light on any strengths and weaknesses. Always strive to maintain a culture of ZERO harm to those around you – whether it’s colleagues, their families, clients and beyond!

Proserv Profile: We spend time with Senior Sales Manager Luke Wassell and learn more about his current role and background.

Luke, you were promoted to Senior Sales Manager earlier this year, but in 2019 you made the move across from operations to sales, what prompted that decision?

I really felt my background and regular client interfacing in project management, as well as my time before that in the workshop and services, gave me an ideal profile to move into sales and business development. I had established a good, close understanding, not only of how our products and solutions are built and function, but of the voice of the customer too.

I am now 18 months into the role. I am thoroughly enjoying it and building relationships with our clients has been great. Within Proserv, the support I have been given has been extremely helpful, not simply in terms of training, but also being able to come together as a group and give opinions on things, suggest changes and openly share with colleagues that key voice of our customers.

Towards the end of last year, I took on the senior sales role and my responsibilities and accounts have increased. I now have a new additional challenge, beyond my role in the European market, of looking to grow our presence in East and South East Asia.

Do you see good opportunities for Proserv in East and South East Asia?

Yes, I certainly do and the discussions I’m having with new and existing clients are encouraging for both greenfield and brownfield opportunities. We are extremely close to formalising a second representative agreement in the region, with one already successfully secured, which I think will be highly beneficial, not only for subsea controls but across all our offerings, including topside. Building such partnerships makes it much easier for us to bid for future projects in the region.

Recently, several of our teams, including our IWOCS and subsea offerings, have also seen significant wins in South East Asia and we are determined to build on that success. Our goal, and the challenge, is to steer some customers in the region away from what they know, and towards our own market-leading technologies.

But you also have a key role in the UK market too, where are you seeing most interest and potential business development?

In the North Sea, my clients are typically independent operators who require fast, efficient service which we can provide. We have developed relationships with these key customers so that they trust us to deliver high-quality products, on time, and they can already see the long-term benefits of using Proserv for our service support, excellent reliability and, critically, our capabilities in resolving issues around obsolete subsea electronics equipment.

There are a number of opportunities on the horizon with independents that we are very excited about right now, and through building these relationships, we want to keep driving our footprint in the North Sea forwards. These customers don’t just see us as service suppliers but as partners, and through harnessing and growing this trust, we can continue to extend our installed base.

In the current climate, our affordable and rapid subsea solutions, integrating our coexistence and backwards compatibility capabilities, connect strongly with market sentiment.

Our expertise and technology benefit any operator, of any scale, and as we build our reach in the North Sea, and across other regions, we are actively looking to engage more and more with majors and independents who are less aware of the strength of our value proposition.

You mentioned your previous experience within the company and understanding the voice of the customer – how does that give you and other members of the Proserv sales team an edge?

I have been fortunate to have worked in several roles at Proserv and the skills I learned daily – especially in my early days as an apprentice and test technician, where I would try to discover as much about our products as I possibly could – can be called upon now.

Those skills and knowing our products, and how they work, enable me to relate to and understand the voice of a particular customer. I might have been that individual, either on site, in the workshop or offshore, and so know the specific issues and challenges. I can now bring several different hats to a situation from project management through to manufacturing and business development.

This means I can often propose potential options to clients, right there and then, while I can also go back to our team and talk with clarity and accuracy about what I think they need.

But this is the real strength of the Proserv sales team. We all have varied backgrounds: some colleagues have design backgrounds, others will have built products or tested them. Pooling that know-how can only help our customers achieve the right solution.

Finally, in your role, you need to keep an eye on industry trends, where is 2021 heading?

Currently, as we emerge from the pandemic, being cost-effective will remain key. At Proserv we have a strong reputation for subsea tiebacks, and I think these will continue to increase, including longer tiebacks. It makes more economic sense to tie back to an existing platform than build an entirely new hub when operators are being cautious. Such strategies fit our template perfectly and so the coming months look promising.

When the market is being careful as it recovers from such a tough 15 months, our ability to provide proven reliability at competitive prices, avoiding expensive and time-consuming interventions, will be a powerful offering.

Recently, we have also seen enquiries from customers around remote monitoring of systems on potentially unmanned platforms. This could provide another rewarding challenge for us to employ our proven and existing technologies to deliver on this growing need.

Overall, these are exciting times for the industry, with opportunities to engage technologies in the right area to supply maximum customer benefits.

At Proserv, we have our fair share of exercise enthusiasts, keen to keep fit and healthy. Senior Designer Scott Andrews is one such runner, and has recently undertaken a challenge to raise money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation by running the Virgin Money London Marathon. We recently spoke with Scott about his training efforts in preparation for the run on the 3 October 2021, and why the endeavour is so important to him and his daughter.

Why are you running the marathon?

My daughter and I both have Type 1 Diabetes. I am running the London Marathon to prove not only to myself but to my daughter that having Diabetes doesn’t have to stop you from achieving your goals.

I chose the London Marathon because it has always been a personal goal to complete it, ever since seeing family members finish the run many years ago. I have spoken with people that have run the marathon before, and they have said the atmosphere is amazing.

Have you done much running or any marathon events before?

I have always been a keen runner. As a runner, the London Marathon is one of those events that is a must, and this will be my first attempt. I have done many parkruns and completed the East Coast 10k event. As part of my training, I recently ran the Norwich half marathon event on the 13th of June.

What training are you doing to get ready?

I am currently running three times a week, varying the distance anywhere between two to seven miles. My current pace for these runs is approximately eight minutes per mile. My training app tells me that I need to run at a pace of 10.18 minutes per mile to complete the marathon in my desired finishing time of four hours, 30 minutes.

Over the past few weeks I have started to increase the distance, and I am trying to get used to the pace required to complete the marathon in the desired time. This has been hindered by the fact that I pulled my calf muscle a few weeks ago. All training was suspended until I could walk properly again.

What have been the biggest challenges in your training so far?

There have been many challenges so far. Planning routes to hit the target distances has been a key challenge, as well as making time within my family to go for a run.

My biggest challenge to date has been running with my condition. Training is difficult! Apart from the obvious injuries, having Diabetes means that I must ensure my blood sugar levels are at a reasonable level before I start my run. It can take anywhere between a few hours to a day for my blood sugar levels to stabilise enough to go on a run.

While I’m running I have to be aware of my blood sugar levels as they can start to drop mid-run. To be able to do this, I have self-funded the Dexcom G6 sensor and bought a Garmin watch. This enables me to see my current blood sugar levels on my watch, so I can react to any lows with dextrose tablets as soon as I see them. I must also deal with the aftereffects of a run, which can last anywhere between a few hours to 24 hours post-run.

Anything can affect my blood sugars and they can do unexpected things at any time. The main difficulty is that, on my current regime of injecting insulin, I can’t take the insulin away once I have injected it. The good news is that I have been accepted to have NHS funding for an insulin pump. I want to give a big thank you to the Diabetic Nurse that has made this happen. This will give me the ability to better control the insulin in my body and gives me the ability to pause/stop the insulin pump, especially when it comes to exercise. With the addition of the Dexcom G6 integration I will, essentially, have a semi-automatic mechanical pancreas making some of the decisions for me, thus meaning less stress. Hopefully!

How supportive have your colleagues been?

Support from colleagues has been great. Some have sponsored, some have told me about their hints and tips for running long distances (e.g. gels), and some have also told me about apps that help plan routes.

Have you had much support so far in terms of sponsorship?

To date, I have raised £691 of my £1000 target. This is with Proserv sponsoring me £300 of that, which I am very grateful for. I am hoping to achieve my target before the event, and possibly more. I appreciate that trying to raise money in the current situation is not ideal, and I am very fortunate that people have donated.

Do you have any tips for anyone considering running a marathon?

As I haven’t completed the marathon yet, my tip once completed might be not to do it at all – we’ll see! Currently, I would say preparation is key. Don’t underestimate the distance. Also, find someone to train with if possible, as running solo is not much fun!

If you would like to support Scott Andrews, please visit his fundraising page.

Maren Dahl Hirschholm, part of Proserv’s Trondheim team, reveals how the Aberdeen based company is playing its part in encouraging environmentally friendly habits in Norway.

At Proserv, as a controls technology company, we can be inspired by our latest successful innovation, or by an important contract win for our global team, but in Trondheim we have been consistently collecting one particular prize year after year – and we are really motivated by that too.

For the eighth time in a row, we have been handed the Fyrtårn award (meaning “lighthouse”) by the Trondheim municipality as a beacon, or shining light, for cycling-friendly workplaces throughout the city. Each year just ten businesses, across all sectors, are selected – and we have been on this list since 2014.

Part of the reason is that, within our office building, we provide essential facilities such as indoor bicycle racks and a dedicated area for repairing, maintaining and washing bikes (much needed in winter to clean off the salt spread on to paths and tracks to improve the frequently icy and snowy conditions). Then, for convenience and personal comfort, there are showers and lockers.

We have Proserv branded cycling gear and, at times, as an extra incentive, we offer prizes to those in the team who frequently cycle, or even just walk, to work, therefore avoiding the need to drive and use a vehicle.

Greener Trondheim

Miljøpakken (or “Greener Trondheim”) is an initiative that is giving impetus to major changes in daily habits and lifestyles. By 2029 large sums should have been invested in multiple schemes to reduce individual car use, via expanded public transport, and, crucially, more facilities for pedestrians, as well as safe cycling routes, including fast-tracks into the city centre. The aim is to reduce traffic noise, congestion and greenhouse gas emissions.

Many of our colleagues have embraced healthier, greener ways of getting to the office and at least 60% of our team regularly either cycles or walks to work. Even in our challenging winter, we have several hardcore cyclists switching to their winter tyres.

School support

We have also visited a local school and assisted the children with fixing and preparing their bikes at the start of spring. We helped with checking brakes, tyre pressures and generally making sure everything was good and ready to go. Such schemes not only promote bicycle use in the young but also teach children about the importance of safety and maintenance.

Cycling is increasingly part of our culture and it is growing in popularity around the world. Norway is a country of smaller towns and rural places, and so using a bike is difficult across longer distances, but in our cities, with encouragement from companies like Proserv and with the right infrastructure, it is easily possible to get around without needing to use a car.

As more individuals cycle to work, air pollution in Trondheim has reduced, and it is inspiring to see so many people using their bikes and adopting environmentally friendly lifestyles. Cycling is not just valuable for reducing emissions – it promotes personal wellbeing too. For busy people, with little free time, cycling is simply a great way to stay fit and help the planet.

To see a version of Maren’s article as it was published in Subsea UK’s latest quarterly magazine, please click on the link below.

This article was published in Subsea UK News, May 2021 and kindly replicated here with their permission.

Richard Barr, Business Development Manager – Production Chemistry, explains that probing the exact reasons behind production issues is the obvious way to unlock the most effective solutions.

As we celebrate 50 years of the success of the Forties field in the United Kingdom Continental Shelf (UKCS), now is the time for a bit of reflection. It’s complex: we champion the “ups” or successes in the industry, but perhaps we should also be marking the “downs”, or setbacks, as they too have played a part with respect to progression.

Reflection is never easy as a process and it can throw up unexpected results, but often it can help one gain a wider picture of a situation – and thus a better outcome.

So, with the breadth of issues faced in the cyclical oil and gas industry, have we sometimes followed the same path for too long, or failed to adapt, missing a chance to improve, and has such an ethos proved costly?

Changing established approaches and attitudes can be challenging but it is obviously better to be part of a solution rather than part of the problem.

Take production operations. I have seen, and still hear about, how production is lost due to well shut-ins, inevitably resulting in targets being missed, and future operational expenditure budgets being cut: some of the numbers are truly concerning.

Production losses in the UKCS in 2019 amounted to 146m barrels of oil equivalent, of which 36m were due to the hydrocarbon processing system, 11m owing to the reservoir and 4m attributable to issues with the gathering system, however what we don’t know is the true cause of these production losses.

More answers, better solutions

It’s fine to suggest there was a gathering system issue – but why had the gathering system become an issue? Did it not meet its design purposes, its requirements – or was it something else? So, dissecting and leveraging such a setback or problem could ultimately lead to a defining answer.

Having worked for operators for several years, and now supporting them across the globe, I believe that if more operators shared further details of their challenges, then ultimately the service and support industry could offer better solutions.

As an example, allocating production losses to specific activities, rather than general areas, might take a bit more time in reporting and collating, but better data would be produced, providing greater information, which would, in turn, improve the industry’s knowledge and understanding.

How many operators, if they looked at the detail, would be able to pinpoint these losses to production chemistry issues? Unrepresentative topside sampling, pipeline flushing and/or a lack of accurate meter calibration, all impact the chemistry of what is produced. Understanding more of the problem would help the industry develop, innovate and offer technologies that can truly benefit sustained production and reduced uplifting costs.

But perhaps some of these solutions already exist, and a number of operators just aren’t aware of what is out there.

Trust in the chemistry of sampling

For example, the benefits from subsea sampling clearly far outweigh the risks associated with not knowing for certain what lies behind a problem. A subsea sample, obtained from the right place with the right equipment, will crucially not be downstream of deposits, does not require other wells to be shut in and does not rely on days of flushing in the hope that it is free from pipeline or other well contaminates.

What that sample will tell us is the actual chemistry: the physical and chemical properties of the produced fluids, confirming the mass balance in the pipeline taken upstream of deposits. A subsea sample is a sample taken at source, capturing the core elements of the problem afflicting the flowline, and therefore enabling the correct remedies and actions to be implemented.

It is important to remember the effective management of any process depends on understanding how that process is performing. At the end of the day, sampling is the key to unlocking all that data.

The moment you change your perception on subsea sampling, is also the moment you rewrite the chemistry of your process, allowing you to manage much more efficiently what you monitor.

In the first of two features with Julia Lutfy, Business Development Manager, IWOCS, we discuss the past year, and how she and the team have handled the different challenges that 2020 has brought.

The site at Skene in Aberdeen has been a hive of activity with a new delivery. Can you explain what happened?

We were very excited to receive four complete, new intervention workover control system (IWOCS) spreads to our equipment fleet.

How will the new IWOCS help our customers?

The new IWOCS equipment is DNV GL rated and NORSK certified. This will allow us to work in markets such as Norway, which has stringent requirements. The units have up to 33 functions, are 10,000 pounds per square inch (psi) pressure rated, with emergency shutdown as standard. They will boost our capabilities running deepwater umbilicals.

The addition of four systems will also help us with utilisation levels, which have historically been high. We now simply have more capacity to take on work in different regions across the globe, which is a real focus for us.

This is a fantastic achievement, especially considering the changes that have happened to the IWOCS team over the past year.

Indeed! This has come about after years of hard work by a group of people who’ve seen the downturns and the challenges this industry has thrown at them and still managed to come to work and get the job done every single time – resulting in a multi-million pound investment by Proserv into their futures.

Following the sale of our field technology services business unit last year, we became our own standalone team. We took on new people, relocated, built a new global strategic growth plan, and have had to deal with COVID-19. To say it’s been a crazy year is an understatement!

How has COVID impacted IWOCS operations?

COVID is something none of us predicted at the start of this year and yet it continues to dominate our weeks. For us, the most important thing has been to keep our team and our clients safe. Proserv acted fast, with diligence and, most importantly, focused on keeping communications open with everyone.

Within the IWOCS team, the office staff went to work from home early in the outbreak, so that the operations team could then have as much space as possible on-site. We worked with our clients to understand their processes and procedures as soon as possible and managed them in line with each project. Our team has continued to monitor every aspect of the pandemic and communicates daily, as we understand it has affected every part of people’s lives, work and home, as well as physical and mental health.

We are proud to say we have continued to manage each project and come in on time, within budget, meeting every client’s different needs with regards to COVID. It’s not been easy some days, but this is a formidable team that knows how to focus on the job in hand.

What has been the biggest achievement regarding the changes you’ve experienced over the past 18 months?

For the business, it’s been a phenomenal year of progress through the formation of a clear strategic growth plan, with the right people in place to execute it. Continued positive customer feedback has led to enhanced capabilities on-site and expansion of our work scopes globally. Most recently, of course, we received backing from the management to purchase new equipment as part of that growth plan.

For me, the biggest achievement has been seeing our team go through all this turbulence yet learn, develop and grow. When I first joined, it was just a few people working exceptionally hard every day to get a job done. Now I can see the change in them as they know they are part of something bigger. Their expertise and relentless ‘can do’ attitudes are shining through, as they build this business into a global operation and the opportunities become limitless.

No matter what challenges have been thrown at us in the past year, we have pivoted and adapted. It’s a sign of the strength of the team that they come in every day and keep one thing in mind – no matter what is going on around us, we will get the job done for our clients. They always come first.

Kieron Malster is an Electronics Assembly Technician for Proserv at our Artemis House facility in Great Yarmouth. Having recently completed his apprenticeship with Proserv, we sat down with Kieron to discuss his apprenticeship journey over the past four years.

You’ve recently completed a four year apprenticeship with Proserv. Why did you decide to become an apprentice?

I have always been more of a hands-on learner, so endless hours in a classroom really did not appeal. I always wanted to get into industry as fast as I could to pick up key practical skills and experience. This made an apprenticeship perfect for me.

Describe a typical day during your apprenticeship

A typical day would start with a morning brief, relaying any recent company news like project awards and safety themes, before moving onto the tasks to be carried out that day. At the start of my apprenticeship I shadowed a qualified technician on a project, picking up workshop skills along the way. I worked in many different areas, to help discover my strengths and areas of interest. Towards the end of my apprenticeship I was at a point where I was competent in my work. I could work independently to run my own project. I also discovered the area of work I wanted to pursue in my career.

What has been the most challenging aspect about being an apprentice?

I would say I initially found it challenging being in an environment with so many experienced, qualified technicians. I was aware that my skills were very limited to begin with.

I soon realised this was nothing to worry about. No one expects you to be brilliant when you first start as that’s the whole point of the apprenticeship. If you’re hardworking and dedicated, you will learn and develop your skills over time. Some of the guys here have been in the industry their whole lives and have a wealth of knowledge to pass on to the next generation.

What has been the most rewarding aspect about being an apprentice?

I think the most rewarding thing was being able to work on a variety of mechanical, electrical, electronic, topside and subsea projects. This really helped me determine what I wanted to do in the future. I feel like, without this, I may have ended up working in an area I was not enthusiastic about, which could have prevented me from reaching my full potential.

Another mention would be Proserv recognising my ambitions and giving me additional opportunities to develop and further my career. My manager (Lee McLean – Manufacturing Manager) has given me a lot of support. He has been a brilliant mentor over the last year. At the beginning of my final year he gave me the opportunity to lead a team of electronics technicians. I am still doing this now. It’s something I truly enjoy and has helped me to set my goal of pursuing a career in management.

What area of expertise are you now working in?

My main area now is the Artemis 2G subsea electronics module (A2G SEM). I was taught how to build them by shadowing and being mentored by a qualified electronics assembly technician. Eventually I got to a level of competency where I can build them on my own.

I was initally nervous about working on such an intricate, key component for our subsea control modules (SCM). However, the electronics technicians have been building them for many years now, so I was taught by the best. I now oversee the build and test of these A2G SEMs, and we are constantly looking for ways to improve our building/testing processes. In addition, we are planning for future growth to expand our production capacity in Great Yarmouth.

I think technology is something that sets us apart. Our SCMs are proven to be some of the most reliable in the industry. We are seeing a lot of new projects come in where we apply our technology and engineer it to coexist with existing subsea equipment. This is something that not many companies are prepared to do.

What has been your favourite memory from throughout the apprenticeship?

A highlight for me would the team building week we went to through the Outward Bound Trust. Myself, three other apprentices from Great Yarmouth and about seven apprentices from various other Proserv sites in the UK got the chance to go away to the Lake District for a week. The week was filled with team building activities: hiking, raft building, canyoning, kayaking, camping, and plenty more.

We had a brilliant time, meeting apprentices from other sites and finding out what they do and finding out more about the business. It was a great experience overall that I never would have done without Proserv organising the trip.

Now that your apprenticeship has finished, what are your ambitions for the future?

I plan on moving into management later in my career, but there are many opportunities that may pop up along the way. There are so many examples here at Proserv of apprentices progressing through the company. Some have gone on to be team leaders, project managers, sales reps, engineers and department managers. It is always good to keep your options open. As Proserv operates in multiple countries, opportunities come up to relocate as well.

What would you say to those thinking about going down the apprenticeship route?

I think the main two options are normally to get an apprenticeship, or complete A-Levels and university. There is nothing wrong with either of these choices. You just need to find out what suits you.

If you are the type of person who likes to get stuck in with practical work and wants to get into industry sooner, then an apprenticeship is the way to go. You’ll become a valued member of a team with experience, and from this point, the only way is up.

I am looking forward to being a part of the future of Proserv, as there are exciting times ahead!

Nick Koster, Aftersales Manager – Field Service, Proserv Controls explains that positive customer feedback provides a real boost for our Great Yarmouth service team.

Providing high-quality service support is so important to Proserv that it is ingrained in our core corporate values: to be “serious about service”.

In these challenging times, when every sector around the globe is under strain, and all businesses are looking for those gains and differentiators to help protect the top-line, it is encouraging to see our own Great Yarmouth based service offering stepping up to deliver much-valued support to its clients – and that this is being recognised via excellent customer feedback.

Topside and subsea services

Our team, which primarily serves the North Sea, offers a broad range of topside and subsea know-how and expertise: from flushing, pressure testing and spare parts supply, through to planned maintenance of wellhead control panels and hydraulic power units, as well as the installation and commissioning of topside and subsea controls equipment, including site integration testing (SIT) capabilities.

Customer feedback is key for any company to understand how well it is performing and, just as crucially, to learn what it can do better. At Proserv, we take these views seriously so we can continue to shape a service team alert to the core needs of the market, whether that relates to speed of response or offering high-quality, reliable maintenance skills leading to significant cost-savings for customers.

We also pride ourselves on the positive relationships we have forged over time with a breadth of operators across the North Sea market, including both independents and majors. The Great Yarmouth team is led and driven by two vastly knowledgeable engineers, Dale Riggall and Shawn Cork, who have been with the company for many years and who set the high technical standards that our success is built on.

First-rate feedback

We recently carried out two separate SITs: one for an independent producer and another for one of the world’s leading supermajors.

The customer feedback we subsequently received from both parties was extremely motivating. The independent operator referenced our “level of professionalism, safety, ownership and proactiveness” with Proserv being “a pleasure to deal with” as a service partner.

The supermajor similarly highlighted our positivity of approach and the safe, responsible way we carry out our work scopes. But this firm also observed that we had identified, “…two issues with equipment that could have led to both HSSE and major cost implications for the project.” Pinpointing such concerns only came about due to our “thorough experienced approach” to our responsibilities.

Our service offering at Great Yarmouth wants to make a real difference to the efficiency and performance of our customers’ equipment, as that’s what the team is all about.

For the numerous longer-serving experienced technicians and engineers within our group, as well as the younger recruits, enterprising and hungry to learn, it is always hugely rewarding to hear such approval from those we work alongside.

Ultimately, when one of the world’s biggest oil and gas companies credits Proserv with a “level of support that’s sadly missing from most companies these days”, such positive words are a testament to the dedication and professionalism of our entire service team.