The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
High-flying valves firm changes name
Rebranding: Move to show firm has greater range of services
Bosses at a north-east valve specialist are hoping a change of name can spur it on to further growth after a record year.
Severn Ball Valves, of Portlethen, near Aberdeen, became Severn Glocon (Aberdeen) at the start of this month.
The rebranding follows a huge jump in turnover to in excess of £9.6 million, more than double the figure for 2016 and 24% up on the previous annual best.
Established in 2010 with a team of just five, the business now has 37 permanent staff and aims to employ three apprentices at a time on a rolling basis.
The firm’s recent projects include a £2m contract to supply three 20-tonne emergency shutdown valves for the riser pipeline of a major gas platform in the North Sea.
Other milestones during the past year include gaining a string of quality and health, safety and environmental management certifications.
Managing director Brian Wood said the change of name was essential as the business had evolved to do more than supply ball valves.
He added: “It’s secured five major contracts for the ongoing management and maintenance of valves on North Sea platforms.
“And a large stockholding, combined with our testing and machining facilities, means it can support operators with short lead time deliveries across the full spectrum of mechanical, isolation and safety valves during critical shutdown periods.
“We’ve performed well over the past four years, despite the oil price collapse in 2014, and we’re now seeing a gradual upturn across the market.
“It feels like the right time to reposition our business with a name that
“Reposition our business with a name that better reflects the scale of what we do”
better reflects the scope and scale of what we do.”
Severn Glocon (Aberdeen) is part of engineering specialist Severn Glocon Group, which has its head office in Gloucester and employs about 950 people globally.
The group has been helping oil and gas operators with plant safety, reliability and profitability for more than 50 years. It launched a north-east operation in 2010 to provide isolation valves to offshore industry. engineers to plug and abandon wells.
Ms Wood said: “Companies have put off projects as long as they can.
“They have been very budget-constrained but you can only work with a very thin team over a period of time.
“It’s not crisis recruitment but they just don’t have a longterm plan. It’s still very reactive to market conditions.”
Ms Wood also said there was a risk of a skills shortage Aas new roles are created through technology and more mature workers leave the industry,
She added: “We have lost in the region of about 70,000 people in the last three years. The challenge we’re going to see is more people leaving the industry. We don’t necessarily have the mature competencies we need coming through.”