GE Oil & Gas has enhanced its European drilling and production equipment repair, maintenance and refurbishment capabilities with the opening of a new global service facility in Montrose, Scotland.
Montrose facility consolidates GE’s previous drilling and production services operations in Aberdeen, Scotland. Montrose will provide new and existing customers with services 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 UK. The company said that $5m has been invested in the site.
The new site includes warehouse facilities and a new production control systems (PCS) building. The 20,000 square foot PCS building houses a clean room, test and assembly bays, and is fully equipped for all testing and flushing requirements on PCS equipment.
It also boasts a real-time diagnostic data link to GE Oil & Gas’ UK subsea production controls center of excellence, or SmartCenter, at Nailsea, near Bristol. The new 30,000 square foot warehouse offers consolidation and protection for customer-owned and rental stock.
David Smith, interim CEO of 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 of 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.”