Balmoral earns rapid recognition for international efforts
After only four years in business, Balmoral Offshore Engineering (BOE), a division of Aberdeen-based Balmoral Comtec Ltd, has achieved the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the International Trade category.Overseas sales increased by almost 700% between 2007 and 2009 with a current 80% of manufactured products being shipped overseas.
Led by Balmoral’s chairman and managing director, James Milne, the company re-entered the subsea market in early 2006 and currently employs approximately 300 people.
The challenges faced in working in an industry with a global client base were considerable. However, Balmoral was able to fast-track its progress because of the retained expertise and market knowledge within the holding company.
BOE quickly appointed specialised engineering and sales teams, built up a network of global agents in key strategic locations and created a new design, manufacturing and testing plant at its Aberdeen HQ.
In recent weeks 50,000 sq ft of expanded capacity has been brought on line to complement the already considerable manufacturing facility while an upgrade of Europe’s most comprehensive privately owned subsea test centre is about to be finalised.
Mr Milne said: “Although we had previously operated in the offshore sector we started BOE with a totally blank canvas. To earn recognition at this level for our international effort after such a short period of time is quite remarkable. I am delighted for all the staff at Balmoral Offshore Engineering; everyone has worked extremely hard to take us where we are so quickly.”
Mr Milne is upbeat about the latest chapter in his company’s history and continued: “These are exciting times for the subsea industry and we continue to seek out opportunities around the world - particularly those with a deepwater focus.
“Our aim is to provide the industry with a single source for all its buoyancy, insulation and elastomer product requirements.”
Balmoral Offshore Engineering is chiefly recognised for providing technically advanced solutions for the most challenging of deepwater environments. The company’s products are used in the oil and gas fields of the Gulf of Mexico, West Africa, SE Asia and South America.
A client focused company, Balmoral Offshore Engineering is dedicated to cost effective technology-led composite and polymer solutions for the energy sector. It benefits from the industry’s most comprehensive range of syntactic/composite/polymer processing facilities designed solely to produce high performance products for long term subsea and deepwater projects.
