Unite threatens industrial ballot over ‘delayed’ pay rise
Offshore union Unite is threatening an industrial ballot over “delayed” payments to workers by Sparrows.
Sparrows
Sparrows takes over major offshore contract from rival EnerMech
EnerMech has today been dealt a blow after losing a major offshore contract to a rival engineering services company.
Sparrows toasts new markets with profit
Sparrows Offshore Group toasted success in new markets and celebrated further overseas expansion as it reported growth in underlying profits yesterday.
Sparrows and Hydra Group team up for Ghana crane work
Two companies with extensive Aberdeen holdings, Sparrows Group have launched a joint venture (JV) with Hydra Group Ltd to deliver crane lifting and inspection services in Ghana.
Sparrows Group wins Stena Drilling contract
Sparrows Group said it has been awarded a 20-month inspection services contract to cover Stena Drilling's global fleet of vessels.
Sparrow in pipe lay first
Sparrows Group has partnered with an Aberdeen-based engineering and manufacturing firm to offer the first fully electric-drive flexible cable and pipe lay system for rent.
Sparrows Group expands footprint into Trinidad and Tobago
Sparrows Group has expanded its footprint into Trinidad and Tobago after striking a deal to work with Miguel Mechanical Services.
Sparrows Group forms strategic partnership to deliver robot vision technology
Sparrows Group and OptiLift have formed a strategic partnership to deliver robot vision laser technology.
Sparrows adds to its Middle East presence
Aberdeen oil service firm Sparrows Group has expanded its reach in the Middle East after forming a local partnership with Zamil Group in Saudi Arabia.
Sparrows increases Malaysian presence
Sparrows Group has expanded into the Malaysian market after forming a strategic relationship with a service provider in the region. The move will see the company work alongside Efficient Technology Sdn Bhd (Eftech) as it looks to treble its business in Asia Pacific over the next five years. Sparrows will offer services including offshore crane maintenance, crane hire, fluid power, inspection and cable and pipe lay products.
Sparrow’s Kerr: From apprentice to boardroom
Almost 30 years have passed since Ewen Kerr walked out of Oldmachar Academy into the big wide world. He had wanted to work . . . something engineering-related; ideally training to become a draftsman. The North Sea seemed logical; after all it had been booming, only his timing was awful as the province had just been hit hard in the 1986 oil price crash. “My father was head engineer at John M Henderson’s here in Aberdeen,” recalls Kerr. “So maybe it was a genetic thing. But with the North Sea in recession, I couldn’t get a job. I ended up working in a bank for a year or two as it was all that was available. “I had done my Highers and I could have gone to university but I wanted to work. I made that choice. Whether it was right, well, you can look back and wonder. But I’ve done OK. “The career advice I got wasn’t very good . . . and that was to go and work in a bank because I couldn’t get a technical job. And to be honest, looking back, banking was a really good grounding. I even started doing my banking exams . . . economics, finance, that sort of thing; a good grounding for running a business.