Lee McLean, Manufacturing Manager, earns industry recognition at the OGUK Awards.
Less than a week after tasting success at the annual EIC Awards, courtesy of its Middle East service team, Proserv has once again featured prominently at another major industry body’s awards ceremony, with Lee McLean, Manufacturing Manager at its Subsea Centre of Excellence in Great Yarmouth, being one of two runners-up in the Mentor of the Year category as chosen by OGUK at its event last night.
The OGUK Awards 2021 were held in-person at the P&J Live in Aberdeen, with Chief Executive Officer, Proserv Controls, Davis Larssen among those in attendance. Ten prizes were handed out on the night including an audience ‘live-vote’ award. Lee had battled through very stiff competition to make it to a final shortlist of just three candidates.
Lee has been with Proserv since 2002 joining the business as an apprentice before becoming Senior Team Leader prior to reaching his current position. Over a number of years, as he has taken on more responsible roles, Lee has been a key part of Great Yarmouth’s annual recruitment of apprentices, playing a fundamental role in their development and training as a mentor.
Kieron Malster, now Team Leader – Subsea Electronics Modules, is among the many Great Yarmouth colleagues that has benefitted from Lee’s mentoring and he was in the audience at the event to cheer him on. Kieron also happens to have been last year’s runner-up in the OGUK Apprentice of the Year category, nominated by Lee himself!
Speaking after the awards ceremony, Lee said, “I am very happy. To have been nominated for Mentor of the Year was humbling and not something I either expected or sought. So, to be here now as the runner-up of this award is special. I must congratulate the winner, thank OGUK for this wonderful experience, and, of course, Proserv, its management and the whole Great Yarmouth team for providing me with the chance to fulfil this role and play my part in our journey.
“I see mentoring as a resource that can offer valuable insights for mentees at any stage of their career, be they new recruits or experienced managers. I consider myself lucky to be able to meet our future colleagues as they first step in the door for an assessment day and then to support them along the way to becoming important cogs in Proserv’s day-to-day activities, making key contributions to our industry.”
Morag McGowan, Director – Human Resources, commented:
“Lee has been with Proserv for almost 20 years, playing a valuable role in the selection, training and mentoring of many young apprentices. Our various teams at Great Yarmouth contain numerous colleagues who were supported and mentored by Lee when they first joined the company.
“Across Proserv, we adhere to a clear set of values, including team unity, clear communication and the desire to reach out and help each other. The kind of guidance that Lee, and indeed many others throughout our organisation, supply every day, shows those principles in action. So, this is excellent recognition from OGUK.”
Davis Larssen added:
“To have been shortlisted for this award by OGUK and to finish as runner-up is great recognition for Lee and the management team extends its congratulations to him. Equally, this award shines a light on the valuable work going on across our various sites supporting the personal development of our talent.
“Every business needs to think of its future path forward and also that of its people, with experienced, skilled individuals empowering and advising the next generation. Lee is one of multiple Proserv colleagues carrying out this vital mentoring work.”
Leading global controls technology company Proserv Controls has secured the Service & Solutions prize at the annual Energy Industries Council (EIC) Awards, which were held online yesterday, December 2nd.
The event saw more than 60 companies compete for the 15 coveted awards, which, according to the EIC, “celebrate the best of the supply chain”.
The Service & Solutions category recognised “adding value to customers in their OPEX and O&M value chain, and the specific broadening of scope of work to provide a one-stop-shop or customer-centric approach”. Proserv was a joint winner of the award alongside UCT Fluid Solutions.
The shortlisting and ultimate success were due to the specific growth and expansion of Proserv’s Middle East service business, with its realignment and repositioning as a holistic, trusted partner to some of the region’s biggest players.
In the past 18 months, despite the headwinds of the global pandemic, Proserv’s Abu Dhabi based team has seen its headcount more than double, and it has moved into an upgraded, state-of-the-art facility in Mussafah in the UAE capital.
Moreover, earlier this year, Proserv acquired Dron & Dickson’s Middle East business to significantly broaden its service offering in the MENA region, enabling the team to deliver electrical engineering services and Ex certified equipment – suitable for use in potentially explosive atmospheres.
John Bright, Operations Director, led the firm’s nomination process for the award, including its inclusion in the EIC`s highly regarded Survive & Thrive Insight Report and he said of the win:
“This leading industry award is an acknowledgment for the journey we have been on over recent years in the Middle East. We possess a talented, experienced service business offering broad expertise across the supply chain and which has grown its footprint significantly. But that is the culmination of years of hard work, listening to the needs of the market and our key customers, adjusting our strategy accordingly and all of that underpinned by the dedication of the entire team.
“This award really is for our Proserv colleagues, out there in the field, optimising the assets, efficiencies and performance of our clients.”
The success follows Proserv’s triumph in 2019 in the Export category at the EIC Awards, again for the Middle East’s team’s burgeoning service and maintenance footprint in the Arabian Gulf.
Proserv’s accomplishments at yesterday’s ceremony were not limited to its silverware in Service & Solutions – the team was also a runner-up in the Collaboration category, due to its increasing partnerships with some of the region’s, and the world’s, biggest producers.
Davis Larssen, Chief Executive Officer, Proserv Controls, commented:
“We are delighted to have secured this prestigious award from such a well-respected and long-standing tradeassociation as the EIC. This win represents a further endorsement of our strategy and template right across the Middle East and North Africa. Our goal is to build strong, collaborative partnerships with our customers, supplying a wide array of service support via our extensive bandwidth of capabilities and expertise, our local know-how and our maintenance agility. We seek to replicate this model right across the region and beyond.
“Congratulations to our Middle East team on this well-deserved recognition as we target onward progress in 2022.”
Collaboration combines Proserv’s controls technology with Trendsetter’s design and manufacture of subsea hardware systems.
Leading global controls technology company Proserv Controls and Trendsetter Engineering, a premier provider of specialised subsea solutions for oil and gas companies around the world, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) relating to the joint marketing and supply of integrated subsea hardware and controls.
The mutually beneficial arrangement will see Proserv and Trendsetter utilise their combined expertise and core strengths to develop cost effective, high-quality solutions for their clients, across both brownfield and greenfield projects.
The new MoU will mean that Proserv will now be able to incorporate its cutting-edge energy production control systems and related services, designed to improve the reliability, integrity and performance of critical infrastructure, alongside Trendsetter’s state-of-the-art pressure protection systems, including its cornerstone high integrity pressure protection system (HIPPS), connection systems and manifolds.
It is anticipated that the new MoU will enable the parties to extend their scope of offering for their customers, and to take their proposition into new global markets.
The collaboration has already borne fruit with the two parties combining their expertise on the expansion of the Shenzi North field on behalf of BHP in the Gulf of Mexico. Trendsetter will deliver its proven SIL3 rated HIPPS module, equipped with Proserv’s renowned subsea controls technology. This will enable BHP to use its existing flowlines, risers and topside facilities, significantly enhancing the cost-effectiveness of the tieback to the Shenzi tension leg platform (TLP).
One key component of the MoU’s value proposition sees the two parties harnessing the coexistence and backwards compatibility capabilities of Proserv’s subsea electronics technology to supply and retrofit HIPPS and manifold mounted controls on existing systems.
Mario Lugo, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Trendsetter Engineering, stated:
“We are delighted to establish this strategic arrangement with Proserv which will enable us to combine our expertise and capabilities to extend our respective product offerings worldwide. Our goal with this MoU is consistent with the reputation Trendsetter has cemented over the last 25 years, to be the premier supplier of high-quality, value-added subsea solutions for our clients.”
Davis Larssen, CEO, Proserv Controls, commented:
“Our methodology at Proserv, including both our technological development and how we respond to the core needs of the market, revolves around innovation and creativity. So, we too are delighted to enter into this new MoU with Trendsetter as it offers a further exciting and unique example of us working together with another service provider to deliver best-in-class technologies, as well as genuine value and quality for the direct benefit of our clients.”
To learn about an exciting solution offering high integrity pressure protection and control as a direct result of this new collaboration, please click here.
Group CEO David Currie was one of ten energy industry experts who attended a discussion roundtable last month arranged by business advisory firm Grant Thornton, looking at the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead for the sector, and also, specifically, for Scotland’s traditional energy hub – Aberdeen.
David put across his views on how rapidly the energy transition is progressing and the fact it is “technology that opens the door” for pushing into the renewables sector, including offshore wind. David also stressed that if Aberdeen can keep ahead of the changing landscape and can “pivot” accordingly then “the future is terrific.”
David offered a bullish view on the O&G outlook over the next two years and, referencing his vantage point from within Proserv, remarked that “being a provider of integrated services for different energy portfolios” represents a very strong value proposition for the future.
The roundtable is highlighted within an in-depth news story published today on the energy transition by Energy Voice and can be read here.
Industrial sponsorship for ECG™ follows government funding award earlier in 2021.
Global controls technology company Proserv Controls has received industrial sponsorship for its disruptive subsea cable condition monitoring system for the offshore wind segment, ECG™, or Electro Cable Guard, from ScottishPower Renewables (SPR).
SPR is part of the ScottishPower group of companies operating in the UK under the Iberdrola Group, one of the world’s largest integrated utility companies and a leader in wind energy.
The sponsorship agreement will see SPR provide its expertise and resource both from a cable owner and operator perspective, bringing vital knowledge into the project to assist in the on-going development and ultimate functionality of ECG. SPR’s input will greatly help the future commercialisation of the system, with its close understanding of the key requirements of the industry across asset owners and developers.
ECG has been initiated and driven by Proserv with critical support from its consortium partners Synaptec, a power system monitoring leader, and cable engineering specialists BPP Cable Solutions. The system offers a paradigm shift in present market offerings around condition monitoring of both inter array and export cables.
The consortium has adopted a holistic approach to building its solution, incorporating multiple parameters such as distributed temperature, acoustic and electrical sensing, with synchronous, real-time monitoring across an asset and continuous automated data analysis.
Machine learning will be integrated into the system, so that, once fully engaged, minute anomalies in performance, even within normal operating boundaries, will be detected, potentially indicating future issues requiring remedial action.
It is anticipated that the capabilities of ECG will lead to huge advances in the way subsea cables are managed, significantly reducing the incidence of faults and failures on offshore windfarms in the future.
Proserv’s Business Development Director – Renewables, Paul Cook stated:
“This industrial sponsorship commitment from ScottishPower Renewables is a vital step forward for our ECG project. To have such key end user support throughout the development ensures that our subsea cable monitoring solution sits front and centre of what the industry needs and wants.
“SPR recognises there is a critical requirement for an innovation in the offshore wind industry that monitors cables using a methodology that goes way beyond what is available today within the market.”
Our agreement with SPR comes months after the ECG™ project received two thirds of its £1.5mn development costs, totalling £1mn, via a Smart Grant from Innovate UK, the UK’s Innovation Agency. The funding programme is offered to the “best game-changing and commercially viable innovative or disruptive ideas.” The remaining sum is being supplied by the respective members of the consortium.
As the ECG™ project moves forwards, it is anticipated that the technology will be demonstrated on a UK commercial scale windfarm in Q2/Q3 2022.
Davis Larssen, Chief Executive Officer, added, “The transition to a more varied and sustainable energy mix is moving forwards rapidly and it is vital companies like Proserv harness its heritage and know-how in subsea controls to innovate exciting new technologies. ECG™ represents the perfect example of the sharing of cutting-edge expertise, across a consortium, to build a solution that will offer a transformation in offshore wind subsea cable health monitoring capabilities.”
Major EPCM provider KBR facilitates deal aimed at boosting capacity on key Iraqi asset in Majnoon Oil Field.
Aberdeen based global controls technology company Proserv Controls has secured a significant contract to manufacture and deliver 22 wellhead control panels (WHCP) to the Basra Oil Company (BOC) for use on the Majnoon Oil Field in southern Iraq.
The deal has been arranged through KBR, the Houston based engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM) company, which is the EPCM lead on BOC’s plans to significantly ramp up production capabilities at the field.
The 22 WHCPs each has the capability of controlling up to four wells and they have been earmarked for use on 70 new wells which are currently in the development phase. At present, Majnoon has a capacity of just over 200,000 barrels per day (bpd) of production, but BOC’s strategy is to more than double this to above 400,000 bpd in the next two years.
Proserv will deliver the WHCPs in three lots, with the first due towards the end of Q3 2021, with the second scheduled for Q4 and the final tranche set to arrive in March 2022.
The firm will make use of its well-developed footprint in the Arabian Gulf to deliver this order, with the WHCPs being manufactured at Proserv’s dedicated site in Jebel Ali, Dubai.
The value of the contract has not been disclosed.
Proserv’s Vice President, Operations, Geert Kooi commented: “This contract award has been achieved through the excellent reliability and quality of our products and our fabrication processes. We have provided support on the Majnoon Field for eight years now, delivering high levels of service expertise, and building both relationships and trust in the meantime.”
News of Proserv’s deal with BOC at the Majnoon asset coincides with another significant gain for its topside controls business, with a sizeable order from Pakistan for its WHCPs, which will also be manufactured in the UAE.
Davis Larssen, Chief Executive Officer, Proserv Controls, added: “Across the entire company, we have enjoyed a very encouraging first half to 2021, with some major wins both subsea and topside. We have not only achieved success in our traditionally strong markets, such as the Gulf of Mexico, but also in south-east Asia and right across the Middle East.
“This valuable contract from BOC in Iraq demonstrates the full scope of our abilities across the Middle East and North Africa region. We have the bandwidth to deliver expert service support, as we have done previously on Majnoon, but also the know-how and infrastructure to manufacture high-quality topside controls equipment at scale.”
Deal will enable Proserv to deliver hazardous area products and electrical engineering support.
Leading controls technology company Proserv Controls has announced the acquisition of the trade and assets of Dron & Dickson Electromechanical Contracting (DDEC) LLC, the Middle Eastern business of Dron & Dickson, UK based experts in the supply, assembly and maintenance of hazardous area and industrial electrical equipment.
The deal reinforces and expands the breadth of offering and capability that Proserv delivers in the Middle East and North Africa, where it has multiple sites including in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Doha and Dammam.
DDEC provides a range of electrical engineering services and Ex certified equipment (suitable for use in potentially explosive atmospheres). These products include in-house assembled Atex/IECEx approved junction boxes, LED light fixtures and cable glands, for multiple sectors including the energy industry.
The DDEC team also supplies competent electrical and instrumentation (E&I) technicians to carry out electrical equipment installation, inspection and maintenance, with accreditation from globally recognised bodies such as CompEx, as required for working in potentially explosive atmospheres.
In addition, as part of its wholesale activities, DDEC acts as a principal distributor for several globally recognised and market-leading hazardous area product manufacturers.
Following the transaction, the entire DDEC business and inventory will be fully integrated and absorbed into Proserv’s Middle East based service operation and will relocate to the company’s state-of-the-art new facility in Abu Dhabi, which was opened in 2020.
Speaking after confirmation of the acquisition, Proserv’s General Manager, Abu Dhabi, Angus Rodger commented:
“This deal presents genuinely exciting possibilities for us. DDEC has established excellent supplier relationships with major manufacturers of high-quality products for hazardous areas and we will make sure that the transition over to Proserv is a seamless process and we will provide those valued partners with excellent levels of support moving forwards.
“Equally, we see real potential in the service side of the business, and we look forward to assimilating DDEC’s highly qualified technicians into our own multi-skilled and talented team. By being able to send a combination of both hydraulic and electrical know-how offshore, as a single service provider, we can now cover a far wider scope of maintenance, upgrade, commissioning and installation work.”
Proserv has built a growing service business across the Middle East, underpinned by its broad bandwidth of capabilities, including manufacturing, alongside its local experience and rapid response. Its Abu Dhabi based team has developed maintenance and support partnerships with the region’s biggest players, including national oil companies (NOCs).
The acquisition of DDEC will help expand and enhance those ties further and will also enable Proserv to target greater service activity within gas and petroleum processing plants, so extending its current predominant focus on upstream support, both on and offshore, into midstream and downstream areas.
Colin Rowley, Managing Director, Dron & Dickson Group, said: “After nine years, we are delighted to pass on our Middle East business to Proserv. We are confident this move represents a perfect outcome for both our team members in the UAE and our highly valued supply partners.
“This deal allows Dron & Dickson to firmly focus on growth opportunities in the UK and European markets, and further pursue our strategic objectives both within the energy sector and diversification into new market segments.”
Davis Larssen, Chief Executive Officer, Proserv Controls, added:
“Our Abu Dhabi team has pushed forwards proactively in the past two years, forging key relationships with major local operators and, despite the global challenges of the pandemic, has moved into an upgraded new facility and added significant head count to its team. This deal is the perfect fit for the business, with many obvious synergies, including shared values around service excellence and a strong regional reputation for those engineering skills and expertise.
“Looking ahead, we now have an even deeper and wider offering that we can present to the region’s NOCs and our other key customers.”
The views of Group CEO, Proserv, David Currie have today featured prominently in a global press statement released by Oil & Gas UK (OGUK), a leading representative body for the UK offshore oil and gas industry, in the wake of a major announcement by the UK government concerning the North Sea Transition Deal.
The deal represents a transformative agreement between the UK government and the nation’s oil and gas industry. It is the first of its kind by any G7 country and it is intended to provide a template for how countries with active oil and gas industries can move “towards a lower carbon future in a way which supports the economy, jobs, and energy communities”.
The wide-ranging initiative will target climate change as a core priority, with £16bn earmarked to help the reduction of carbon emissions by 2030, with the investment coming via government and industry sources. The UK sector has committed to reducing emissions by 50% by 2030.
Another key component is the goal of securing up to 40,000 jobs across UK industrial heartlands, with the aim of supporting the transition of communities such as Aberdeen and Teesside, retaining skills and expertise in the process.
Investment will also be channelled towards carbon capture and storage, as well as exciting plans for future hydrogen production.
David stated:
“As our industry, and companies like Proserv, make advancements in the evolving energy business through utilising new and existing technologies, with key initiatives supporting the energy transition, the announcement of the North Sea Transition Deal is tremendous news.
“It is an innovative and transformational partnership that further enables us all and supports the journey we have firmly embarked upon. The transition and this partnership are critical, as they concern bringing the present into the future, while harnessing and enhancing skills and expertise accrued over many years. It is inspiring to see our industry, our leading industry body and the government come together to take this powerful step.”
Read the full Oil & Gas UK press release
“The future in offshore wind revolves around smarter, real-time decision-making, and so having access to far more data will significantly enhance operations and maintenance (O&M) activities. Operators will be able to pre-empt possible failures, giving them an opportunity for considered remedial action.” Subsea UK News – February 2021
Paul Cook, our Product Manager – Renewables, at Proserv Controls has this month collaborated on a thought leader piece for Subsea UK’s quarterly magazine focused on the exciting subsea cable health monitoring solution that we are developing with several key partners.
Tom Morley from Synaptec and Darren Moore from BPP Cable Solutions join Paul in explaining how the powerful capabilities of machine learning, for example, will lead to a paradigm shift in automated condition monitoring, enabling small anomalies in performance to be detected long before a problem arises.
This article was published in Subsea UK News, February 2021 and kindly replicated here with their permission.
Proserv featured at a prominent trade association awards ceremony last night, courtesy of Subsea Electronics Module (SEM) Team Leader Kieron Malster.
Kieron was one of two candidates who finished as a runner-up for the prize for Apprentice of the Year at the prestigious Oil & Gas UK (OGUK) Awards ceremony which was held as a virtual event for 2020. The OGUK is a not-for-profit organisation and is a leading representative body for the UK offshore oil and gas industry, established in its current state in April 2007.
Kieron, who beat off stiff competition from a significant number of other applicants to make it into the final three, works at our Great Yarmouth Subsea Centre of Excellence and plays a critical role in the build of our cutting-edge SEMs. The OGUK singled Kieron out for his “genuine passion for what he does” and his “ability to remain calm under pressure, organisational skills and knowledge.”
Kieron recently completed his four-year apprenticeship at Proserv and, in the short time he has been with the firm, he has taken a proactive role in many aspects of life in the Great Yarmouth SEM workshop, including instigating numerous new methods that have enhanced efficiencies and workflows. He also acts as one of the in-house mental health first aiders and is a member of the health, safety and environment committee.
In her welcome note, Deidre Michie, OBE, the Chief Executive Officer of the OGUK, said:
“On behalf of the OGUK I would like to offer our congratulations to all of the finalists. Your impressive achievements act as stand-out examples of what our resilient and transforming industry is capable of.”
After the event, Kieron commented, “I’m delighted to finish as a runner-up, and I extend my congratulations to the other candidates, and most especially to the winner. Just being nominated for the award was a huge achievement for me.
“There are many thank yous: the OGUK for holding this event, through to Proserv itself and the entire senior management, plus of course my electronics team. But I must make special mention of Lee McLean, my manager and mentor. I’m very appreciative of all the help he’s given me, especially over the last 14 months, for believing in me and investing in my future!”
Lee McLean himself observed, “Kieron has shown continued growth over his four years. He performed well in all disciplines before really finding his feet in the SEM department. As he goes into his fifth year with Proserv he has now recently taken on the role of SEM Team Leader, a responsibility he has earned through his excellent commitment and attitude.”
Geert Kooi, Vice President, Operations, added:
“Kieron’s success in being shortlisted for this award was very well deserved. But this achievement is also testament to Proserv’s unstinting commitment to young talent and our much-valued apprenticeship programmes. These have helped develop and unearth individuals like Kieron who will hopefully contribute to Proserv’s progress forwards for many years to come.”