GLOBAL data-storage giant EMC is looking to open an Aberdeen office to cater for a growing list of oil and gas-industry clients.
Ross Fraser, the company’s area director for Scotland and Ireland, said the planned north-east office would be another step in EMC’s substantial growth north of the border since the Scottish operation was launched 11 years ago.
The group – a sponsor of Scottish Rugby – expects turnover of £8million from oil and gas business in the current trading year, rising to £12million in the next 12 months.
Its UK turnover is about £700million, with Scotland – where business has been growing by up to 50% a year – contributing around £70million.
Massachusetts-based EMC specialises in the storage of company information, having started life developing memory boards for computers.
It now employs 48,000 people globally, including nearly 70 in Scotland. Most of the Scottish workforce is based at Livingston.
EMC attributes the growth of its Scottish business to a growing trend among companies to reduce and rationalise their information technology systems to save costs in the uncertain economic climate.
The firm is also seeing rising demand for cloud-computing services, which use distant servers to provide a range of applications or storage over the internet.
Mr Fraser said the group was seeking the right location for the new Aberdeen office, for which a technical consultant will be recruited.
He added: “Oil and gas is a very data-intensive growth area. We have the potential to help companies in the industry and we want to take that forward.”
EMC has already teamed up with energy-service giant Schlumberger to provide computer hardware and software solutions.
Mr Fraser named Marathon, ConocoPhillips, Wood Group, Petrofac, Halliburton, Talisman Energy as among the companies in the oil and gas industry for which EMC had worked.
