Oil and gas engineering specialist, EnerMech, has extended its cranes and lifting operation in the USA with the acquisition of Louisiana-based Diversified Oil Field Services Inc (Diversified).
Diversified has a 20 year pedigree of providing crane inspections, repairs and maintenance services to the offshore industry throughout the Gulf of Mexico. Other services include hydraulic repair, testing and design, equipment rental and cranes sales.
Cranes and lifting services is one of seven business lines EnerMech provides to energy sector clients and it holds cranes and lifting contracts with major operators in the UK and Norwegian North Sea, the Caspian, Middle East, Africa, Singapore and Australia/
The acquisition is a strategic move to develop EnerMech’s crane offering in the USA, Mexico and other Latin American countries including Trinidad, Venezuela and Brazil, but it will also create additional opportunities for other services such as hydraulics, hose integrity management and equipment rental.
Diversified president Stan Elmore and co-owners Nathan Charrier and Ernie Guth will continue to be an important part of the new business and along with 20-plus staff have transferred to EnerMech.
Vince Kouns, President of EnerMech’s US region, said: “Diversified Oil Field Services is a reliable, profitable and well respected business which we have been tracking for some time. This acquisition adds immediate scale to our cranes and lifting division in the US and, aligned with our international experience, creates a mature and well-resourced addition to the GoM offshore cranes sector.
“Having a strong track record in the region will open up contractual opportunities for us with existing international customers, particularly the drilling contractors who in general feel that the service offering in the region from existing vendors is poor.
“When we commit to something we do it wholeheartedly and this deal puts our own people on the ground and close to key markets like the shipyards in Pascagoula, Mississippi and Mobile, which we believe is crucial to building relationships and winning work.”
EnerMech recently invested $20 million (£13 million) in opening new facilities in Houston’s Energy Corridor, at Villahermosa in Mexico, and in a range of the latest Process, Pipeline and Umbilical equipment.
The cranes business line will continue to operate from Diversified’s 17,000 sq ft facility at Slidell and will be headed up by Cranes General Manager Garry Stuart, who recently relocated from the company’s UK headquarters in Aberdeen. EnerMech also plan to open a second Louisiana base at Lafayette to service central GoM operations and will tap in to a rich seam of oil and gas professionals living locally to help grow the business.
Garry Stuart added: “Partnering with Stan Elmore and his team at Diversified gives us a very strong platform to replicate in GoM the global success we have enjoyed with our cranes and lifting services. Our business model is tried and tested and by offering an integrated service we can add real value to clients who are want to improve efficiency while controlling costs.
“We will be recruiting experienced professionals who want to be part of the next phase of EnerMech’s growth plans and we estimate our US cranes and lifting division can add upwards of $10 million (£5.96 million) revenue in a relatively short timescale.”