Control valve engineering specialist, Severn Glocon Group has strengthened its presence in the subsea oil and gas market with the acquisition for an undisclosed figure of HP/HT (high pressure/high temperature) downhole tools company Calidus Engineering.
Now renamed Severn Subsea Technologies, the company will provide research, development and test facilities to enhance Severn Glocon’s subsea valves capability.
A former subsidiary of Badger Explorer (Norway), Calidus started life in 1999. Based in Redruth, Cornwall, the firm specialises in the design, development and manufacture of high quality, downhole tools and instrumentation for subsea oil and gas, seismic and geothermal environments.
Severn Glocon has said it is taking this strategic move in a bid to align its operations to better meet future technical challenges in subsea oil and gas production.
The former Calidus’ existing downhole products are expected to generate major sales opportunities in the global offshore oil and gas marketplace.
In addition to modelling and engineering design services, Severn Subsea Technologies’ Redruth (UK) facility has a machine shop equipped for manufacturing prototypes.
According to Severn Glocon, the business is set to become the nucleus for Group subsea R&D and systems integration activity, in tandem with small-bore subsea valve firm LB Bentley’s research & development team and the Severn Unival Brighouse valve innovation centre in Yorkshire.
The acquisition enhances core capabilities and is calculated to strengthen the group’s global positioning in the subsea market. Moreover, it is seen as building on the acquisition of LB Bentley in 2012.
Severn Glocon says it also increases the scope for new subsea systems developments based on LB Bentley’s valve technology.
Group CEO Maurice Critchley said of the Calidus acquisition that it underlined the firm’s ambitions to be at the forefront of technical developments for the oil and gas industry.
“Offshore operating conditions are becoming ever more extreme, so hardware engineers and manufacturers need to invest in developing breakthrough technologies,” said Critchley.
“As an industry we have a duty to collaborate and innovate. At Severn, we’re using intelligence-led R&D to identify potential technology gaps and focus our engineering expertise in the right places. Calidus brings a valuable new set of skills to our portfolio as we upscale our R&D efforts.”
Severn Glocon Group is headquartered in the UK and employs 800 people in various UK locations including Aberdeen, plus worldwide. The firm won a Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade in 2011 and group sales are currently growing at around 50% per annum.
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