OilVoice - GE Oil & Gas Supports European Growth with New Global Services Facility

GE Oil & Gas Supports European Growth with New Global Services Facility

Saturday, November 21, 2009

GE Oil & Gas has enhanced its European drilling and production equipment repair, maintenance and refurbishment capabilities with the official opening of a new global services facility in Montrose, Scotland.

$5 million (£3 million) has been invested in the site, which was officially opened today by Alastair Birnie, chief executive, Subsea UK, and David Smith, interim CEO, Scottish Development International.

Located on existing premises established in 1982, the Montrose facility consolidates GE’s previous drilling and production services operations in Aberdeen, Scotland, into one, state-of-the-art technology location. Montrose will provide new and existing customers with high-quality and rapid services expertise and support across GE Oil & Gas’ entire drilling and production portfolio. In addition, the site offers additional capacity to meet both customers’ expanding needs and GE’s anticipated services growth in the European region.

The new upgraded Montrose facility employs 164 personnel, including 11 local apprentices, bringing GE Oil & Gas’ workforce to more than 1,050 in Scotland and more than 1,600 across the United Kingdom.

Opening the GE global services facility, David Smith, interim CEO, Scottish Development International, said, “We are delighted with GE’s continued investment in the region. The new Montrose facility will be of great benefit to the global energy industry and, indeed, to the local community. An investment of this magnitude must be commended, particularly in these difficult economic times, and it clearly demonstrates the important role Scotland plays in GE’s global operations.”

Neil Saunders, global services leader, GE Oil & Gas- drilling and production said, “The new Montrose facility is crucial to our global services operations. It provides a strong localized presence to help our customers grow their businesses with advanced engineering services and expertise, while also offering increased capacity to meet anticipated growth. The United Kingdom and Northern Europe markets are a key focus for GE Oil & Gas, and this investment demonstrates our long-term commitment to the region.”