Energy, Oil & Gas Magazine EOG 215 July | Page 50

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Motive Offshore shares big plans for business growth and international expansion

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’ m one of the founders of the business ,” begins Dave Acton , CEO of Motive Offshore Group ( Motive ). “ Along with James Gregg , COO , I recognized that there was an opening in the market for another company to supply marine equipment to the oil and gas industry in the North Sea . Our strategy was to build a rental fleet based on the needs of potential customers . We founded the business in 2010 , and it has grown from there to not only deal in rentals but also sales , product development and more recently , inspection .
“ We grew to 150 staff with more than a million-pound turnover and then we hit a key turning point at around the time of the Scottish Referendum . There was a bit of a downturn in the oil and gas industry ; work began to dry up and the demand for rental equipment depleted . To keep afloat , we had to sell some of our equipment which , in turn , meant we were unable to generate revenue . Then , in the summer of 2015 , we had the opportunity to move some equipment to the Middle East . While it was difficult to manage , we seized the opportunity and it ’ s fortuitous that we did , as the business has since gone from strength to strength .
“ The MENA region now accounts for approximately 25 percent of our group ’ s revenue . In a subsequent step , we settled on an inspection capability to diversify the business , and while rentals remain our biggest revenue generator , our inspection division is heavily involved in certifying lifting equipment and pressure vessels ,” Dave explains .
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