24 March 2014

Significant and sustained growth helps industry be more competitive and creates jobs

While parts of the Aberdeen based oil and gas industry has experienced mixed fortunes over recent years, Quartzelec, a leading international and independent electrical engineering group that provides a range of support services, has gone from strength to strength and is now looking to continue its expansion in the sector and recruit 10 more skilled electrical engineers and staff over the coming months to help meet its growing customer order book.

“There is a vast array of project critical electrical machines used right across the sector and keeping everything operational is a massive, ongoing task. We’ve invested heavily in our local workforce over recent years, with the seven staff that joined us since last Autumn taking the Aberdeen operation to 50; and we’re still actively recruiting,” stated Jamie Burns, the local General Manager who took on the role a year ago. “Both our marine and rotating machines businesses have seen a strong and consistent 25 per cent growth in orders over the past five years and we are also looking to open additional offices on the west coast and elsewhere in Scotland to service demand.”

As oil, gas and marine companies have endeavoured to minimise costs they have increasingly realised that the time and cost to fabricate and install a replacement electrical machine is often far more expensive and time consuming than preventative maintenance or implementing an effective repair.  This has led to a significant rise in the volume of service and repair contracts being awarded to Quartzelec. The cost of this work can be just the matter of a few hundred pounds while it’s possible for some to exceed a million – but in each case the customer ultimately has less down time and can be more competitive when delivering their products or services.

Quartzelec has a heritage that stretches back more than 80 years and provides design, manufacturing, installation and maintenance services to customers across a broad range of industrial and commercial sectors. In 2012 it relocated its headquarters to a purpose built facility in Rugby and in the financial year ending 30 September 2014, sales climbed to £58.4m from £53.6m and pre-tax profit at the group grew to £2.6m. The average number of employees across the business also rose by nine per cent.