With the recent launch of its new third generation modular building unit and opening international service centres, Specialist Services is hoping to win over customers.
Oil field housing units whether onshore or offshore fall under the purview of very strict international guidelines. Meeting not only these but also the end customer’s needs is a challenging task especially when the customers are as varied and geographically spread out as they are in the industry.
With its nearly 30-year experience in designing, engineering, manufacturing and fabricating offshore and onshore modular buildings, UAE based Specialist Services has made a name for itself in the international arena with a strong presence in Asia.
G3 modular unit launch
The company recently launched its third generation or ‘G3’ modular building unit, its CEO, Ian Rogers who is based in Dubai’s expansive Al-Quoz industrial estate speaks to Oil & Gas Middle East about meeting customer expectations and providing all-round support to oil and gas operators around the world.
Modular units such as the G3 follow the internationally recognised CSC standard with a maximum length of 20 feet to match the size and dimensions of a typical shipping container.
The G3 unit in particular is an evolution in design says Rogers who speaks proudly of the unit’s ergonomics.
“We’ve done a lot of work on the exterior of the unit itself to make sure that all the things that need access are readily accessible so you can get to the HVAC for example, easily. Internally, we have had it ergonomically designed so that you can have up to five operators within it with additional storage space and extra lighting, it’s designed so that the lighting itself is less obtrusive,” he explains.
Although the general outer dimensions of the units are untouched in compliance with CSC standards and to keep shipping costs down, certain improvements in overall usability have been made.
“What we’ve done is we’ve listened to a lot of our customer feedback and refine the design of this particular unit to make it more user friendly so that is easier to maintain and easier for operators to work in and it also meets all the stringent offshore requirements and it is readily transportable,” says Rogers.
Maintaining standards
Working with an international client base has its challenges and the number one issue for any company with such a large remit is that of standardisation and Specialist Services is no different in this regard where there are compatibility and cost benefits to be made.
Rogers says that keeping to the highest industry standards does away with the potential headache that could arise when hiring and selling its products such as the G3.
“The challenges for our hire fleet particularly are being able to have a range of products that clients want but still keeping a degree of standardisation so that we’re able to offer it wherever customers require it,” he says.
“If you want anything to rent offshore in the UK in the North Sea, it has to be NORSOK certified, now that is not the case everywhere but if you have a fleet that is not homogenous, if you don’t have it all to the same specification, sure as eggs is eggs when you need a NORSOK unit you won’t have one available to that specification whether it’s needed or not,” he explains.
“The other thing that we’re doing is that we’re actively matching our clients’ geographic footprint, we’re setting up a business in Singapore for our hire fleet to serve Southeast Asia,” explains Rogers, who was based in Singapore working for generator rental firm, Aggreko prior to joining Specialist Services in January.
The company is also upgrading its services in Aberdeen for the North Sea and will be providing recertification for DNV and offshore standards for existing clients as well as those looking to hire units.
Other projects
The company which has four yards for construction, assembly and testing in Al Quoz, has seen an increase in production of its well testing and process equipment, much of which is going into Saudi Arabia and Kuwait and increasingly into Iraq.
It’s wireline products which it builds from scratch are supplied to the world’s major oil service companies such as Schlumberger and Weatherford.
The company’s latest project is in the fit out of an 180-man living quarter on an offshore process platform in the Bongkot 4A field development in the Gulf of Thailand for PTTEP, a Thailand based oil and gas exploration and production company.
Rogers says that Specialist Services was chosen for the project specifically for its fit out work expertise.
“For them [the oil companies] it’s probably a US$25 million out of a $650 million job,” he says, “but of course it’s a very important and integral part because until that’s ready the whole lot can’t go offshore.”
Rogers, who made the move into the industrial sales sector from a consumer sales background about 10 years ago believes that regardless of the industry, it is important to look after the customer.
“There’s not a lot of difference, it’s all about people,” he says, “it’s all about customers, delivering the service, doing the right thing, getting stuff done right first time, it’s not magic.”
