The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Energy centres get together
Aberdeen-Houston Gateway celebrates north-east technology
A celebration of north-east technology has heralded the start of a week-long international business event in Aberdeen.
The fifth annual Aberdeen-Houston Gateway event, giving people on both sides of the Atlantic opportunities to further strengthen or develop new links between the two global energy centres, kicked off yesterday.
Oil and gas technology companies including Arnlea Systems, Centrifuges Un-Limited, Pipe Cleaning Solutions (PCS) and Safehouse delivered presentations at Macdonald Norwood Hall Hotel.
US visitors to the Granite City also enjoyed a site visit to the premises of subsea equipment firm Rovop in nearby Westhill.
The Aberdeen-Houston Gateway, created by Granite PR and managed by Business Plus Scotland, continues today with a flagship lunch, again at Macdonald Norwood Hall Hotel, where an audience will enjoy networking and knowledge-sharing over a showcase lunch.
They will also hear from a line-up of leading speakers who will share their experiences of UK and US markets and consider new ways to further strengthen the oil and gas links across the Atlantic.
On Wednesday, the Houston delegation will tour parts of the Energetica corridor between Aberdeen and Peterhead. Rovop commercial director Euan Tait said: “We were delighted to welcome the US delegation.
“This visit provided a good opportunity for Rovop to outline both our ROV (remotely-operated vehicle) service offering and growth ambitions, and highlight our continued focus on the US market, where our growing presence continues to be an important catalyst for future growth.” Arnlea managing director AllanMerritt said: “Eventssuchas this offeran excellent opportunity to engage with an international audience.”
PCS managing director John Burns added: “Reaching Houstonbased decision- makers will be key to our success and this event has helped us make progress in this direction.”
Centrifuges Un-Limited business development directorGordonMilne is taking part in this week’s activities ahead of his fourth visit to represent his firm at the 2017 Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in Houston.
“Events such as this and OTC are very important in maintaining direct lines of communication with our existing clients and potential new customers,” Mr Milne said.
He added adding: “We look forward to sharing our latest products with delegates in Houston.”
Safehouse technical support manager Stuart Gray said: “Cross- sector and country knowledge sharing, specifically focusing on the application of new technology, can help achieve huge cost efficienciesanddeliver projects ontime and to budget.”
“We were delighted to welcome the US delegation”