In the first of two features with Julia Lutfy, Business Development Manager, IWOCS, we discuss the past year, and how she and the team have handled the different challenges that 2020 has brought.

The site at Skene in Aberdeen has been a hive of activity with a new delivery. Can you explain what happened?

We were very excited to receive four complete, new intervention workover control system (IWOCS) spreads to our equipment fleet.

How will the new IWOCS help our customers?

The new IWOCS equipment is DNV GL rated and NORSK certified. This will allow us to work in markets such as Norway, which has stringent requirements. The units have up to 33 functions, are 10,000 pounds per square inch (psi) pressure rated, with emergency shutdown as standard. They will boost our capabilities running deepwater umbilicals.

The addition of four systems will also help us with utilisation levels, which have historically been high. We now simply have more capacity to take on work in different regions across the globe, which is a real focus for us.

This is a fantastic achievement, especially considering the changes that have happened to the IWOCS team over the past year.

Indeed! This has come about after years of hard work by a group of people who’ve seen the downturns and the challenges this industry has thrown at them and still managed to come to work and get the job done every single time – resulting in a multi-million pound investment by Proserv into their futures.

Following the sale of our field technology services business unit last year, we became our own standalone team. We took on new people, relocated, built a new global strategic growth plan, and have had to deal with COVID-19. To say it’s been a crazy year is an understatement!

How has COVID impacted IWOCS operations?

COVID is something none of us predicted at the start of this year and yet it continues to dominate our weeks. For us, the most important thing has been to keep our team and our clients safe. Proserv acted fast, with diligence and, most importantly, focused on keeping communications open with everyone.

Within the IWOCS team, the office staff went to work from home early in the outbreak, so that the operations team could then have as much space as possible on-site. We worked with our clients to understand their processes and procedures as soon as possible and managed them in line with each project. Our team has continued to monitor every aspect of the pandemic and communicates daily, as we understand it has affected every part of people’s lives, work and home, as well as physical and mental health.

We are proud to say we have continued to manage each project and come in on time, within budget, meeting every client’s different needs with regards to COVID. It’s not been easy some days, but this is a formidable team that knows how to focus on the job in hand.

What has been the biggest achievement regarding the changes you’ve experienced over the past 18 months?

For the business, it’s been a phenomenal year of progress through the formation of a clear strategic growth plan, with the right people in place to execute it. Continued positive customer feedback has led to enhanced capabilities on-site and expansion of our work scopes globally. Most recently, of course, we received backing from the management to purchase new equipment as part of that growth plan.

For me, the biggest achievement has been seeing our team go through all this turbulence yet learn, develop and grow. When I first joined, it was just a few people working exceptionally hard every day to get a job done. Now I can see the change in them as they know they are part of something bigger. Their expertise and relentless ‘can do’ attitudes are shining through, as they build this business into a global operation and the opportunities become limitless.

No matter what challenges have been thrown at us in the past year, we have pivoted and adapted. It’s a sign of the strength of the team that they come in every day and keep one thing in mind – no matter what is going on around us, we will get the job done for our clients. They always come first.

Kieron Malster is an Electronics Assembly Technician for Proserv at our Artemis House facility in Great Yarmouth. Having recently completed his apprenticeship with Proserv, we sat down with Kieron to discuss his apprenticeship journey over the past four years.

You’ve recently completed a four year apprenticeship with Proserv. Why did you decide to become an apprentice?

I have always been more of a hands-on learner, so endless hours in a classroom really did not appeal. I always wanted to get into industry as fast as I could to pick up key practical skills and experience. This made an apprenticeship perfect for me.

Describe a typical day during your apprenticeship

A typical day would start with a morning brief, relaying any recent company news like project awards and safety themes, before moving onto the tasks to be carried out that day. At the start of my apprenticeship I shadowed a qualified technician on a project, picking up workshop skills along the way. I worked in many different areas, to help discover my strengths and areas of interest. Towards the end of my apprenticeship I was at a point where I was competent in my work. I could work independently to run my own project. I also discovered the area of work I wanted to pursue in my career.

What has been the most challenging aspect about being an apprentice?

I would say I initially found it challenging being in an environment with so many experienced, qualified technicians. I was aware that my skills were very limited to begin with.

I soon realised this was nothing to worry about. No one expects you to be brilliant when you first start as that’s the whole point of the apprenticeship. If you’re hardworking and dedicated, you will learn and develop your skills over time. Some of the guys here have been in the industry their whole lives and have a wealth of knowledge to pass on to the next generation.

What has been the most rewarding aspect about being an apprentice?

I think the most rewarding thing was being able to work on a variety of mechanical, electrical, electronic, topside and subsea projects. This really helped me determine what I wanted to do in the future. I feel like, without this, I may have ended up working in an area I was not enthusiastic about, which could have prevented me from reaching my full potential.

Another mention would be Proserv recognising my ambitions and giving me additional opportunities to develop and further my career. My manager (Lee McLean – Manufacturing Manager) has given me a lot of support. He has been a brilliant mentor over the last year. At the beginning of my final year he gave me the opportunity to lead a team of electronics technicians. I am still doing this now. It’s something I truly enjoy and has helped me to set my goal of pursuing a career in management.

What area of expertise are you now working in?

My main area now is the Artemis 2G subsea electronics module (A2G SEM). I was taught how to build them by shadowing and being mentored by a qualified electronics assembly technician. Eventually I got to a level of competency where I can build them on my own.

I was initally nervous about working on such an intricate, key component for our subsea control modules (SCM). However, the electronics technicians have been building them for many years now, so I was taught by the best. I now oversee the build and test of these A2G SEMs, and we are constantly looking for ways to improve our building/testing processes. In addition, we are planning for future growth to expand our production capacity in Great Yarmouth.

I think technology is something that sets us apart. Our SCMs are proven to be some of the most reliable in the industry. We are seeing a lot of new projects come in where we apply our technology and engineer it to coexist with existing subsea equipment. This is something that not many companies are prepared to do.

What has been your favourite memory from throughout the apprenticeship?

A highlight for me would the team building week we went to through the Outward Bound Trust. Myself, three other apprentices from Great Yarmouth and about seven apprentices from various other Proserv sites in the UK got the chance to go away to the Lake District for a week. The week was filled with team building activities: hiking, raft building, canyoning, kayaking, camping, and plenty more.

We had a brilliant time, meeting apprentices from other sites and finding out what they do and finding out more about the business. It was a great experience overall that I never would have done without Proserv organising the trip.

Now that your apprenticeship has finished, what are your ambitions for the future?

I plan on moving into management later in my career, but there are many opportunities that may pop up along the way. There are so many examples here at Proserv of apprentices progressing through the company. Some have gone on to be team leaders, project managers, sales reps, engineers and department managers. It is always good to keep your options open. As Proserv operates in multiple countries, opportunities come up to relocate as well.

What would you say to those thinking about going down the apprenticeship route?

I think the main two options are normally to get an apprenticeship, or complete A-Levels and university. There is nothing wrong with either of these choices. You just need to find out what suits you.

If you are the type of person who likes to get stuck in with practical work and wants to get into industry sooner, then an apprenticeship is the way to go. You’ll become a valued member of a team with experience, and from this point, the only way is up.

I am looking forward to being a part of the future of Proserv, as there are exciting times ahead!

Nick Koster, Aftersales Manager – Field Service, Proserv Controls explains that positive customer feedback provides a real boost for our Great Yarmouth service team.

Providing high-quality service support is so important to Proserv that it is ingrained in our core corporate values: to be “serious about service”.

In these challenging times, when every sector around the globe is under strain, and all businesses are looking for those gains and differentiators to help protect the top-line, it is encouraging to see our own Great Yarmouth based service offering stepping up to deliver much-valued support to its clients – and that this is being recognised via excellent customer feedback.

Topside and subsea services

Our team, which primarily serves the North Sea, offers a broad range of topside and subsea know-how and expertise: from flushing, pressure testing and spare parts supply, through to planned maintenance of wellhead control panels and hydraulic power units, as well as the installation and commissioning of topside and subsea controls equipment, including site integration testing (SIT) capabilities.

Customer feedback is key for any company to understand how well it is performing and, just as crucially, to learn what it can do better. At Proserv, we take these views seriously so we can continue to shape a service team alert to the core needs of the market, whether that relates to speed of response or offering high-quality, reliable maintenance skills leading to significant cost-savings for customers.

We also pride ourselves on the positive relationships we have forged over time with a breadth of operators across the North Sea market, including both independents and majors. The Great Yarmouth team is led and driven by two vastly knowledgeable engineers, Dale Riggall and Shawn Cork, who have been with the company for many years and who set the high technical standards that our success is built on.

First-rate feedback

We recently carried out two separate SITs: one for an independent producer and another for one of the world’s leading supermajors.

The customer feedback we subsequently received from both parties was extremely motivating. The independent operator referenced our “level of professionalism, safety, ownership and proactiveness” with Proserv being “a pleasure to deal with” as a service partner.

The supermajor similarly highlighted our positivity of approach and the safe, responsible way we carry out our work scopes. But this firm also observed that we had identified, “…two issues with equipment that could have led to both HSSE and major cost implications for the project.” Pinpointing such concerns only came about due to our “thorough experienced approach” to our responsibilities.

Our service offering at Great Yarmouth wants to make a real difference to the efficiency and performance of our customers’ equipment, as that’s what the team is all about.

For the numerous longer-serving experienced technicians and engineers within our group, as well as the younger recruits, enterprising and hungry to learn, it is always hugely rewarding to hear such approval from those we work alongside.

Ultimately, when one of the world’s biggest oil and gas companies credits Proserv with a “level of support that’s sadly missing from most companies these days”, such positive words are a testament to the dedication and professionalism of our entire service team.