AKD Engineering Ltd
AKD invests as decommissioning provides the platform for expansion
AKD Engineering Ltd
AKD invests as decommiss provides the platform for e
With a global presence and key partners in place, the UK-based oil and company is taking a proactive approach to offshore development Written by: Matthew Staff Produced by: James Pepper 2
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AKD Engineering Ltd Invests as decommissioning provides the platform for expansion
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KD Engineering has built a comprehensive and reputable portfolio in the energy industry over the past 50-plus years and remains committed to progression as it looks to capitalise on the global rise in decommissioning operations. Based in Lowestoft adjacent to the North Sea in the UK, the company’s subsea offerings across oil & gas, machining and design has made it a prime candidate for partnerships with some of the world’s leading organisations over the years.
AKD Decom Inde-Juliet 4
Having completed many of the original projects on platforms in the area to begin with as well as producing many of each construct’s components, it is perfectly positioned to engineer solutions at the end of the life cycle as well. “In regards to the decommissioning sector, our strategy is to continue along the route we’re on for the southern North Sea projects and they’re the platforms we’re looking at primarily at the moment,” said Sales and Marketing Manager, Denise Farr. “This strategy will then naturally
progress into the north and central North Sea with a lot more focus on the deeper water platforms too. “There’s going to be a lot more heavy engineering and a lot more decommissioning over the next few years.” Prosperous partnerships AKD’s confidence in making an impact in these developing sectors stems from a record which speaks for itself in terms of partners and projects. This includes one of its flagship contracts in a joint venture with AF
AKD FFS Loadout
We know where the market is developing and we look at that in depth. In our case, we did some decommissioning with a Norwegian partner over a two-year period and it worked really well so it seems natural to move into that region full time” — Martin Jolley, Managing Director, AKD Engineering Ltd 5
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AKD Engineering Ltd
We are part of the Camelia Group which is a big PLC and one of their targets with any operating company under their umbrella is to see investment and capital into their equipment, people and procedures which go along with that” — Martin Jolley
Decom for Shell in the Indefatigable Field which, over a two-year period, consisted of collaborative concept and deconstruction, and concluded with the removal and safe waste disposal once back on dry land. “We were able to carry out the full operation from start to finish and realised this was a potential business stream for AKD,” explained Managing Director, Martin Jolley. “A lot of the Indefatigable Field which we’ve taken out, we actually put in originally and we still have that relationship with Shell today.” AKD was the first in the UK to decommission platforms on a fulltime basis with its own tailor-made department, utilising its extensive skill sets already in place from its traditional offshore background. As well as the likes of Shell and BP, this has in turn led to collaborations with global oil and gas heavyweights including Technip on a Nigerian project, BP and Perenco to name but a few. Jolley continued: “It’s been part of the growth strategy of the business to form these partnerships and expand, and our next push will be into Norway over the coming years. “We know where the market is developing and we look at that in depth. In our case, we did some decommissioning with a Norwegian partner over a two-year period and it 7
AKD Engineering Ltd
Operations and head office located in Lowestoft, United Kingdom worked really well so it seems natural idea of what that true cost will be,” to move into this region full time.” Jolley explained. This facet stems directly from an Reducing risks ‘all under one roof’ element within Offshore projects can often be the business and the subsequent drawn out over a number of years ability to form solutions and project across the entire process, and this is management teams quickly and again where AKD comes into its own, effectively. with the ability to carry out in-depth Incorporating not only studies long before any engineering management and engineers but or deconstruction takes place. also a specific design component “We do the study, we send to the organisation, this advantage technicians offshore, we do laser ensures that the company can surveys, and then form 3D models remain as innovative and adaptable of the platform to produce a Cost as possible. Time Resource (CTR) model to give “It gives the client a feeling of the owner of that field or platform an comfort with the risk factor not so 8
Subsea Protection Structures (FMC)
AKD Shell Bridge high,” Farr added. “It also makes AKD very strong on a commercial level too, with everything managed in-house. “We’re not having to subcontract a lot of the work out and the client can therefore place a purchase order knowing their project will be entirely managed for them here at AKD.” The entrepreneurial flair and subsequent innovation has recently led to a health and safetyaddressing walk-to-work bridge being patented and set to enter the market next year; an idea attributed to the young and fresh impetus coming from within the workforce.
We’re not having to subcontract a lot of the work out and the client can therefore place a purchase order knowing their project will be entirely managed for them here at AKD” — Denise Farr, Marketing and Sales Director, AKD Engineering Ltd 9
AKD Engineering Ltd Invests as decommissioning provides the platform for expansion Around 10 percent of the business comprises of apprentices with local affiliations to schools and colleges ensuring the next generation of engineers look towards AKD as an employer of choice and that the eco-system of skills continues to develop within the business. Proactive investment As well as investments into its people, the company has historically remained equally dedicated to the improvement of its machinery and facilities. This has led to a recent £2 million injection into new five-axis machines in its workshops, but
Artist’s impression of Bridge
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its key development over the past year saw the acquisition of a new dockside facility in Lowestoft to complement its decommissioning ambitions. “There are some projects bubbling offshore with companies such as ConocoPhillips and Perenco but they may not come off for a few years so we’re already preparing our strategy by securing this land now,” Farr explained. The acquisition has entailed further investments into the buildings and staff featuring on the site and is indicative of the overall AKD philosophy, which will inevitably translate to its decommissioning aspirations on a
Leman Bridge (AMEC)
STATISTICS
global scale over the next three to four years. “In the future, I expect to see further investment in the group,” Jolley concluded. “We are part of the Camelia Group which is a worldwide PLC and one of their targets with any operating company under their umbrella is to see investment and capital into equipment, people and procedures which go along with that. “We are very people-orientated and proactive, and this belief in longevity and not stripping your assets will work hand-in-hand with the new blood we bring in to keep coming up with fabulous ideas and keep fresh eyes on the industry.”
Industry: Energy Founded: 1955 Headquarters: Lowestoft, UK Key People/Titles: Martin Jolley, Managing Director; Denise Farr, Sales & Marketing Manager Products: Oil and gas, machining, decommissioning, design, engineering, manufacture Revenue: £14 million Employees: 150 Website:
www.akd-engineering.co.uk
Visit us online:
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AKD Engineering Ltd AKD Engineering Ltd Horn Hill Lowestoft Suffolk NR33 0PX, UK Tel +44 (0)1502 527800 Fax +44 (0)1502 527846 info@akd-engineering.co.uk www.akd-engineering.co.uk
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