brand New agreements, new Aberdeen base: Bilfinger Salamis purchases into a brighter future
Brand brand New contracts, renewals as well as the opening of a unique Aberdeen base have now been flipping the fortunes of Bilfinger Salamis after having a stark begin to 2020.
The vitality solutions company has possibly perhaps not been as “hard hit” as some within the sector.
It specialises in asset integrity and upkeep, areas that operators “have to, and generally are, continuing to pay money on”, according to handling director Sandy Bonner.
On that front side, 2020 happens to be a “huge 12 months for basic inquiries and tendering”, with “four or five major contracts” up for renegotiation or renewal.
I can genuinely say that we’ve done really well in retaining those and with picking up some more work”, Bonner said“As I sit here now.
“We truly have actuallyn’t lost such a thing significant it is therefore now simply an instance when trying to obtain as numerous mobilisations and primed for next year’s turnaround.”
The names associated with the operators Bilfinger has won these relates to have to be held private, but a spread is showed by them of assets over the North water they’ll be taking care of.
This, in turn, has permitted the business to have 300 employees straight back through the scheme that is furlough redeployed overseas.
This very good news follows some darker times early in the day in 2020 for the company, with worker disputes over furlough and redundancies.
Bilfinger had a really strong 2019, with shows work that is including the hookup for the full total Culzean platform.
The good outlook proceeded to the very very first quarter, before Covid hit.
Although work is seasonal for contracting businesses like Bilfinger Salamis, the business needed to make 180 individuals redundant as work dry out. It predicts 2020 will undoubtedly be marked by a year-end that is significant and a 50% cut in profits.
For Bonner, that has been using the company for 25 years, it has hit harder compared to the final brutal downturn of 2014-16.
“I think the effect is wider, since it has impacted everybody around Aberdeen, if it is taxis, resort hotels, aviation, decommissioning. Everybody is impacted.
“I think previous downturns had been determined by oil cost, but this time around you’ve got the oil price decrease, doubt with Brexit, the governmental landscape in the usa, as well as on top of the a pandemic where we’ve been adjusting to tips since it evolved.”
It was “hugely challenging”, he stated, with management telephone telephone calls on a basis that is almost daily keep an eye on frequently-changing Covid guidance and to stay up to speed in operators’ mobilisation and assessment plans.
Now straight back as much as 1,500 staff, along with the Forties shutdown in the way, work being granted, and possibly a good vaccine, the 2021 perspective is completely brighter.
“We are confident we are going to have an improved 12 months the following year,” he said. “The work has to be performed, upkeep, asset integrity, repairs have to be done.
“If the vaccine begins to roll call at Q1, then chances are you would genuinely believe that would help operators’ confidence when it comes to doing more work.
“i am going to state we don’t think it’s ever going to be just how it absolutely was five or ten years ago with lots of the latest construction work.”
Compared to that end, Bilfinger has been making techniques for quite a while to fill gaps by employed in heated affairs the overseas wind and decommissioning sectors.
Renewables is a “obvious marketplace for us to continue to grow in”, Bonner said, discussing the transferable abilities of an organization that employs a higher quantity of rope access specialists.
Bilfinger has had success in Yarmouth, Denmark in addition to Baltic states with offshore wind discounts, such as for example from the Sheringham Shoal wind farm.
“ exactly what we’re centering on now, like every business within our sector, is getting off fossil fuels,” Bonner stated. “Still continuing to buy the spot, but wanting to get into clean power.
“We’ve got more decommissioning work now, we’ve got more asset integrity and advanced level assessment work, and we’re obviously chasing more operate in wind and renewables and which may ideally fill the space you won’t make it through brand brand new construction or hook-ups or drilling.”
Bonner said Bilfinger Salamis has to “capitalise” on that experience because the federal government unveils pledges for 40GW of UK wind that is offshore 2030, with fresh investment entering updating British ports for such work.
The company has exposed a brandname logistics that are new at Core 3 at Murcar, a couple of minutes away from its hq in Bridge of Don.
The website has 30 staff – with plans for as much as 70 once Covid limitations simplicity – and houses its rope access and examination kit, as well as demo areas, classrooms and fulfilling facilities.
“That’s an investment for the following 15-20 years also it provides development to grow in those areas,” Bonner said.
“Plus it is perhaps maybe maybe not not even close to the Western Peripheral Route, the heliports, as well as in between Peterhead and Aberdeen Harbour therefore we’re going to complete evaluation and client demonstrations, it is got a bit of meeting area and therefore which we can use even as we can invite consumers again.
Decommissioning is another market that is “accelerating”, in accordance with Bonner.
He rattled down a listing of tasks out of this 12 months alone: Voyageur Spirit, Banff, Tyra, Ninian North, Enquest Producer, the Brents, to mention several, while Brae Bravo is with in preparation.
“There happens to be a large amount of motion within the year that is last” he said. “The market has shifted.”
Element of that comes down seriously to large heavy-lift vessels that may perform operations in just a matter of moments (after substantial preparation), Bonner stated.
“We have actually a component to relax and play in that,” he said. “We were taking part in major tasks within the last three, four years approximately.
“With some federal federal government help, then ideally topsides should come to British ports.
“We’ve got cleansers, riggers, scaffolders, various types of trades. We’ve got asbestos licences along with other things.
“There’s lots of various trades which can be similarly relevant to your decommissioning market when they enter into British ports.”
