Engineering news
Oil and gas engineering services firm Wood Group has appointed three senior engineers to grow its capability in vibration, dynamics and noise in the UK, which will see it open a Southampton office in January 2016.
The move follows the acquisition of BETA Machinery Analysis, a Calgary-based engineering consultancy specialising in advanced vibration analysis, in June 2015.
Mark Hutchinson will become operations manager of Wood Group's UK vibration team, Jonathon Baker joins as sales and business development manager, and Rob Swindell will take on the role of R&D and technical authority.
The appointments bolster Wood Group's integrity management capability by adding subsea vibration and fatigue experience to its onshore expertise. This is the first step towards building a comprehensive vibration service in the UK, with plans to recruit up to 20 people over the next 12 months.
Baker, Hutchinson and Swindell have expertise in vibration, fatigue and structural integrity assessment associated with piping, static equipment and structures on topsides, subsea and onshore facilities, across both oil and gas and renewable energy sectors.
The UK-based team will be an extension of the BETA business, which operates under Wood Group Kenny and is geographically focused on the US, Canada, China and South East Asia.
Bob MacDonald, chief executive of Wood Group Kenny, said: "Developing a dedicated team in the UK strengthens the investment we have made in our recent acquisition as part of a long term strategy to expand this technical service line globally.
"Fatigue failure due to vibration and other dynamic effects is an important element of a holistic integrity management capability, both at the design stage and on operational facilities. There are a number of synergies with other parts of the business including piping and renewables. We are enhancing key capabilities to sustainably grow our business," he added.