Unique Group - Energy Focus September 2023

UNIQUE GROUP

Energetic and Agile Unique Group Buoyed by Opportunities

UNIQUE GROUP

Unique Group’s 30-Year Journey in Ocean and Subsea Technology and What Lies Ahead

At Unique Group, a spirit of exploration endures after 30 years, as the company develops technology and engineering solutions to complex ocean and subsea challenges. COO Martin Charles tells Energy Focus that the company is expanding with a new facility in Saudi Arabia, supporting the Kingdom’s energy industry, while growing its vast product and service range around the world including an AI solution.

PRODUCTION: David Hill

Martin Charles, COO

INDUSTRY FOCUS: SUBSEA TECHNOLOGY

//When COO Martin Charles joined Unique Group 18 months ago, his vision was to build on the stellar reputation of the international subsea technology and engineering business. 18-months into his challenge and he is delighted with progress, amazed at how far the company has come in such a short span of time. Praising the “phenomenal team” for adopting a culture of continuous improvement, Charles is confident that the portfolio on offer will allow Unique Group to embed itself deep within client operations, becoming integral in projects that are so vital.

“We have four core lines of business that have been operating under Unique Group for 30 years, headquartered in the UAE. Those four core lines are Diving and Life Support Products, Survey Equipment, Unmanned Surface Vessels (USVs), and Buoyancy and Water Weights®,” he says.

All globally relevant and accessible, and all supported by strong Research

Gandhi since the establishment of the company in 1993. Initially, he saw the potential to build an electronic equipment company catering to the wider subsea industry with a major focus on oil and gas industry and began with three employees.

Today, the company is home to more than 600 experts and is certified by multiple global standards agencies.

“We have manufacturing sites in Cape Town and Sharjah for the diving business, and our Buoyancy and Water Weights® manufacturing site is in the Isle of Wight, UK. We operate out of four global regions, with 18 operational bases within these regions, and we are growing aggressively,” says Charles.

He highlights Saudi Arabia as a key market. “We are increasing our footprint by two thirds and looking to double the workforce.

“We moved into a new facility in August and that will support all four of our product lines which are growing in this region. From here, we will support

Unique Group acquired the facility in January and has spent time perfecting the space. A brand-new workshop area is complemented by state-of-the-art facilities, and Charles expects further investment as interest across the company’s products and services range booms.

“We will have a number of our USVs and a large survey division there. Buoyancy and Water Weights® is very active in Saudi Arabia, as is the diving division. We have secured a number of contracts recently and, as such, we need to invest in our diving facilities and stock holdings further,” he says, adding that Saudi Arabia and the Middle East are the strongest growth regions for the company right now.

Unique’s founder, Harry Gandhi, has always been keen on the region, seeing the growth potential and establishing the company in Hamriyah Free Zone, Sharjah, to take advantage of the major opportunities. “The Middle East represented the perfect place to set up an organisation. We started building the business in the Middle East, as we grew over time and became more successful, we started expanding to other global markets implementing the same business model,” he says.

PROVEN EXCELLENCE

Recent case studies prove the value of Unique Group products and services. The company was established to bring about change in the industry through excellence. “I envisioned a company that would stand out for its commitment to excellence, innovative products, and long-term client relationships.” says Gandhi.

In Qatar, during the pandemic, Unique Group was on hand to perform recertification and preventative maintenance operations on lifeboats. Performing in an offshore environment and requiring bespoke engineered solutions to make the recertification possible, Unique Group utilised a range of skills in its portfolio to delight the client, a large petroleum company.

Uni-Pact, one of Unique Group’s leading USVs, is a small and light unmanned solution (length 3 m, beam 1.6 m, draft 0.45 m and weight 412 kg) that is adaptable for various applications. It can be used to support a wide variety of nearshore projects, such as hydrographic surveys, data harvesting, UXO (unexploded ordnance) surveys, coastal and harbour monitoring and mapping, habitat mapping, seabed mapping and classification, data harvesting and survey of freshwater reservoirs where the use of petrol and diesel engines is prohibited.

The Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) partnered with Unique Group to perform a carbon-conscious bathymetric survey at Cape Ferguson in April 2022 for an upcoming jetty extension project. The goal was to acquire bathymetry data for seabed modelling. Unique Group’s Uni-Pact USV was selected as the autonomous survey vessel to meet the client’s requirements.

In Dubai, Unique Group worked on the deepest dive pool in the world, supplying two 316L stainless steel

static wet bells – comprising a pressure vessel, a control panel and supply and monitoring umbilicals – and installing underwater. The company also completed the surface control system, with everything completed to IMCA and ASME standards. The company’s Buoyancy and Water Weights® division recently completed a 1760 MT load test on a derrick crane in the UAE, using 18 Water Weights® and Seaflex WaterLoad bags of capacity 35t, 100t and 110t - the largest water bag available on the market. Another UAE project saw Unique group safely place 1200m HDPE piping on the seabed composed of silt, gravels sand, and sandstones using concrete sinkers. The cost savings and efficiency provided by an integrated approach from the Unique Group buoyancy and Water Weights division and engineering personnel left the client delighted.

“The solutions we can achieve for our clients by delivering synergy and turnkey solutions, looking at cost and environmental impact, are remarkable. We have that global

footprint, and we are well-positioned to tap into resources and strong intelligence-base,” says Charles.

“Seeing our products and services make a significant impact in the industry brings immense satisfaction,” adds Harry Gandhi.

VERSATILE & DIVERSE

Expertise across multiple sectors is a key strength for Unique Group. Charles – a mechanical engineer with history in executive management, and subsea products and services across offshore wind and oil and gas - is eager for the company to further entrench cross-division projects activity and knowledge sharing in a bid to offer more to customers.

“Our distinct lines of business and the synergies we can leverage across those lines is a differentiator,” he says. “We have very different, bespoke expertise to tap into across the range. Our agility around that – all inhouse capability – combined with our decision making is exceptional.

“We are driving mobility through

INDUSTRY FOCUS: SUBSEA TECHNOLOGY

our HR teams,” he adds. “With the advent of improved communications, and a transparent approach, we are moving people around different parts of the world, maintaining their work environment with Unique while being linked into various initiatives and progress plans, we have in place.”

For Harry Gandhi, creating an environment where people can thrive and deliver their best work has always been a core focus. When he started the company alongside just two colleagues, his approach was to create a culture of loyalty which in turn has led to substantial growth and client satisfaction.

“We have always strived to provide the best, and the continued support of our team has been instrumental in helping us achieve our goals. Together, we have overcome challenges and celebrated victories, and I am truly grateful for the strong

bond we share as a team.” he says.

There have been challenges along the way, he says. “We navigated the complexities of regional legislations and regulations, ensuring compliance and maintaining a knowledgeable team to support operations across multiple countries. Finding the right talent has been another hurdle, but through investment, acquisitions, training, and fostering a positive work culture, Unique Group has attracted top talent and ensured a commitment to quality and technical expertise.”

This expertise is helping the company to continue on its growth path, with multiple sectors now recovering following a Covid-slump. Diving and Life Support related products and services, and the medical technology Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment Chambers have been particularly strong, and Charles is happy with the way forward in

these two industries where Unique Group provides products that truly live up to the company name.

“Diving and Life Support is an interesting division right now,” he says. “Since the pandemic, we have seen some excellent growth and lots of opportunities in traditional oil and gas, renewables, and defence. We have seen this market come back very strongly. We are in the middle of development of a significant project for the Indian navy with built-in-India dive support vessels where we are delivering the full saturation dive system. We are using lots of new technologies and new developments on this project and for this market. There is a lot of IP around that which we expect to leverage across global markets.”

The company’s order book in the medical technology space is also

Continues on page 8

660t load test in progress using Water Weights solution

INDUSTRY FOCUS: SUBSEA TECHNOLOGY

Continued from page 6

exciting with multiple applications for medicinal enhancement using Unique Group dive chambers. “That market was really challenged through the Covid period, but we are seeing it come back with strength across all our sectors,” says Charles.

“We have a number of product developments and solutions that will be taken to the market later this year. In September, we have launched a state-of-the-art generative AI chat solution – Aquila Subsea, which is set to revolutionise the industry by providing instant and accurate responses to a wide range of queries related to marine survey, empowering survey engineers and researchers to swiftly understand manuals, troubleshoot issues, and access critical information.”

Aquila Subsea marks a monumental leap forward as the first-ever generative AI chat solution tailored specifically

for the subsea survey industry. By harnessing the power of artificial intelligence, Unique Group is delivering an unparalleled value addition to survey engineers and researchers, facilitating rapid resolution of technical challenges. With its comprehensive repository of manuals, data sheets, and manufacturer’s information, the AI platform guarantees precise and reliable solutions for queries of all complexities, providing access to a Knowledge Repository with over 10,000 Survey Equipment solutions. Unique Group is excited to announce that limited signups to access Aquila Subsea are now open.

QUALITY MANAGEMENT

Success in supporting these varied industry sectors sees Unique Group rely on a diverse and widespread supply chain which is thoroughly vetted and examined to ensure efficiency as well as environmental impact. The company is

ambitious for continuous improvement and has adopted consciousness of environmental impact as a core value.

“We take it seriously,” confirms Charles, referring to the nature of the company’s work and its environmental effect. “Our focus on products and services such as unmanned surface vessels support our aims of delivering environmental enhancements to support turning our industry greener than it has been.”

He says that the supply chain spend is “enormous” and this is part of the driver behind an enhanced quality management system focus. Ultimately, Unique Group must deliver cost effective solutions for projects and clients, and this is not about being low cost – “It’s about quality and timing,” says Charles.

“We are looking at expanding our supply chain and elevating it within the group to drive focus and visibility,” he adds. “We want to improve terms

Diver launch and recovery system on a client vessel in the UAE

and deliverables to be lean across the business. We have a range of initiatives going on and we are always focused on continuous improvement.”

The enhanced quality management system, which Charles champions as game changing within UG, is encouraging efficiency with every decision. “We are delighted at the uptake and the trend identification and outputs from the system that is supporting driving change,” he says. “It’s all about operational excellence – improving schedules and terms,

driving out waste, enhancing quality, and improving solutions and cost for our clients is a significant step change that will deliver real improvements through 2023 and beyond.”

In the Buoyancy and Water Weights® division, supporting green energy is a key focus and innovation is underway to ensure the company is a strong partner to the wind energy industry. By providing floatation devices for power cables and floating wind facilities, Unique Group calls on its core competencies but is adapting for new scenarios. As well as building on the green energy effort, these initiatives also support efficiency and risk reduction strategies.

“We have some solutions that we are really eager to present to the market. It is a genuine attempt to be part of the energy transition through the products and services that we have right now, with a step change.” says Charles.

In just 18 months, the COO has enjoyed a fast pace and an agile environment as well as embracing the clear opportunity for synergy across the group. Through this, clients have

been delighted and the company’s reputation – started by Harry Gandhi in 1993 – has been advanced. Earlier this year, the company also announced the appointment of Sahil Gandhi to the position of Chief Executive Officer (CEO), succeeding Harry Gandhi, who will now assume the position of Chairman of the Group. With Sahil at the helm, Unique Group is poised to achieve even greater success and drive innovation in the subsea technology sector. The future is equally as exciting as the past 30 years.

“We are still looking at organic developments, and we have some great innovations underway right now, but we also have an eye on the M&A marketplace to complement our existing services and platforms,” Martin Charles concludes, adding that Unique Group will always go beyond the conventional to deliver for clients and create a positive impact.

// WE HAVE SECURED A NUMBER OF CONTRACTS RECENTLY AND, AS SUCH, WE NEED TO INVEST IN OUR DIVING FACILITIES AND STOCK HOLDINGS FURTHER //

CMB Media Group does not accept responsibility for omissions or errors. The points of view expressed in articles by attributing writers and/ or in advertisements included in this magazine do not necessarily represent those of the publisher. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead is purely coincidental. Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained within this magazine, no legal responsibility will be accepted by the publishers for loss arising from use of information published. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or stored in a retrievable system or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the publisher.