ABERDEEN oil and gas consultancy Altra Energy has launched a new service offering expertise in vibration measurement and analysis.
Altra has recruited a team of five specialists in the field of structural dynamics and has also opened an office in Glasgow, where the new service will be based.
Danny McGowan, managing director of Altra Energy, said: “We identified a gap in the market and decided to expand into the specialist field of structural dynamics to provide a service to new and existing clients that supports their safety and asset-management strategies.
“Vibration risk assessments on process pipework can help identify at-risk equipment to ensure safety and save costs, often avoiding unscheduled plant shutdowns.
“Our engineers use a combination of physical measurement, analysis and modelling tools to identify vibration and fatigue problems and provide robust, engineered solutions before expensive failures occur, often before they leave the drawing board.”
Altra will be targeting oil, gas, renewable energy and petrochemical industries with the new service offering.
Mr McGowan added: “There is a growing need to increase safety and reduce risks offshore and to have more understanding of the benefits that vibration and structural dynamics can deliver through the lifetime of an asset.”
Altra aims to increase annual turnover from £5million to £25million in the next three years and create about 200 new jobs, adding to the nearly 100 it employs at present.
The consultancy has already doubled in size since April, taking on more than 50 new people.
It has also formed strategic alliances with several companies to provide project management, construction and mechanical engineering capabilities which enables Altra to take on large-scale project work.