SERVICES | SUPPLIERS

Reading, UK, has appointed Charles Woodburn CEO, replacing Graeme Coutts, who reverts to the position of chairman, a role he had held until February when he stepped back in as CEO. Woodburn also has been appointed to Expro's main board. He previously worked at Schlumberger Ltd. for 15 years, including stints as wireline president and more recently overseeing the company's engineering and manufacturing operations. Woodburn has a PhD in engineering from Cambridge University.

Expro is a market leader in providing services and products that measure, improve, control, and process flow from oil and gas wells.

SeeByte,

Edinburgh, has named Bob Black CEO. He previously headed Capgemini's oil and gas division in Aberdeen. Prior to that, Black had 15 years of experience starting and growing international businesses in vice-president positions at SAIC. He is tasked with taking SeeByte deeper into global energy and defense markets. Black has a BS in mathematics and physics from the University of Glasgow and a PhD in physics from the University of Edinburgh.

SeeByte designs and builds software that gathers and analyzes data for remote and unmanned systems used mainly in underwater and similar harsh environments. Applications include pipeline surveying, condition monitoring, and integrity management.

Serimax,

Villepinte, France, has appointed Kenny Spink regional director responsible for activities in the UK and Scandinavia as part of its plan to extend its North Sea business. Spink will be based at the company's Scotland base in Evanton near Inverness. He joins Serimax after six years with RBG Ltd., where he was commercial manager. Spink has been tasked with identifying diversification opportunities and extending the Scotland base's fabrication services.

Serimax is an international, full-service welding company that plans, designs, manages, and provides fully integrated welding solutions onshore and offshore in the most extreme conditions and challenging environments.

Aveva Group PLC,

Cambridge, UK, has acquired Logimatic Holdings AS's Mars business—a shipbuilding process management system that optimizes project control, logistics, materials management, resource, and production planning. The Mars products and services will be merged into Aveva's enterprise solutions group and tightly aligned with its flagship Aveva Net solution. The new combination will create a world-class engineering and information management offering for marine and plant applications, with integrated materials and project management as well as operational planning for design, production, and construction. Aveva Mars will be based in Aalborg, Denmark, and will serve as a center of excellence for Aveva's project management solutions.

Aveva is a leading engineering IT software provider to the plant, power, and marine industries.

Logimatic, Aalborg, is an IT consultancy serving the marine and other industrial and municipal industries.

Layne Christensen Co.,

Mission Woods, Kan., has acquired Intevras Technologies LLC, Austin, for $5.5 million plus future incentives.

Intevras, a privately held holding company, focuses on the treatment, filtration, handling and evaporative crystallization, and disposal of industrial wastewaters. Its recent activity in the Barnett and Marcellus shale plays positions Intevras as one of the leaders in the treatment and disposal of heavy brine waters in oil and gas markets.

Layne Christensen's water services include single-source, full-service capabilities encompassing expertise in geosciences, water well drilling, pumps, water and wastewater transmission infrastructure, and water and wastewater treatment. In addition its water services, Layne Christensen also has businesses devoted to oil and gas exploration and production, minerals drilling services, and civil construction.

HB Rentals,

Broussard, La., has named Divalmir De Souza regional director for Brazil. Based in Niteroi, Brazil, De Souza will oversee HB Rentals' development in the country, including business development and company operations. He has served in various roles for several shipbuilding companies, including operations manager, senior surveyor, quality control manager, and fabrication engineer. He studied marine and mechanical engineering at the Brazilian Navy Academy and received an MBA in project management from Funcefet RJ.

HB Rentals, a unit of Superior Energy Services Inc., is a leader in onsite accommodations, operating from hubs in Broussard, Aberdeen, and Singapore.

Superior, New Orleans, is a leading provider of specialized oil field services and equipment focusing on production, intervention, workover, well services, and rental tools.

Wood Group Pressure Control (WGPC),

Houston, has promoted Bill Hooton to international sales manager. He has more than 30 years of industry sales and management experience. Hooton has served in a variety of sales-related positions during his 10-year tenure with Wood Group Pressure Control. He served most recently as northwest region/Canada sales manager and has worked in Houston, Calgary, Denver, Kuala Lumpur, and Singapore throughout his career. Hooton is a member of the American Association of Drilling Engineers and Society of Petroleum Engineers . He has a bachelor's in journalism from the University of Texas.

WGPC, part of Aberdeen-based John Wood Group PLC, Aberdeen, manufactures, installs, and services wellheads and christmas trees for land and offshore platform installations worldwide.

Baker Hughes Inc.,

Houston, has promoted Martin Craighead to president and COO. Previously, he served as senior vice-president and COO since May 2009. During his career at Baker Hughes, he served as president of the drilling and evaluation group and as president of Baker Atlas and Inteq. He joined the company in 1986 and has worked in engineering, operational, and managerial positions throughout North America, Latin America, and Asia-Pacific. Craighead has a BS in petroleum and natural gas engineering from Penn State University and an MBA from Vanderbilt University.

Baker Hughes provides reservoir consulting, drilling, pressure pumping, formation evaluation, completion, and production products and services to the worldwide oil and gas industry.

Parker Drilling Co.,

Houston, has selected UniversalPegasus International Inc., Houston, as its automation and electrical engineering provider of choice for several significant oil and gas field development projects in the US and Russian arctic regions. UniversalPegasus' offshore division provided Parker with electrical, automation, and mechanical engineering services in support of the design and construction of offshore drilling packages in Arctic Russia and the Alaskan North Slope.

Parker provides drilling services offshore and onshore, including drilling rigs, project management, and rental tools to the oil and gas industry.

UniversalPegasus is a leader in engineering, project management, and construction management for the energy industry.

Subsea 7,

Georgetown, Cayman Islands, has agreed to merge with Acergy SA, London, in a combination that will have a market value of $5.4 billion and a workforce of 12,000. Subsea 7's shareholders will receive 1.065 Acergy common shares for every Subsea 7 common share. The new company's board will have a majority of independent directors and be chaired by Subsea 7's current chairman, Kristian Siem. The new entity, to be named Subsea 7, will be led by CEO Jean Cahuzac, COO John Evans, and CFO Simon Crowe. Completion is expected by yearend or first quarter 2011, subject to shareholder approval, regulatory approvals, and other customary completion conditions. Both companies' boards have unanimously agreed to recommend the combination to their respective shareholders.

Acergy is a seabed-to-surface engineering and construction contractor to the offshore oil and gas industry worldwide.

Subsea 7 is one of the world's leading subsea engineering and construction companies, with a focus on SURF (subsea umbilicals, risers, and flowlines) and life-of-field markets.

Clariant Oil Services,

Houston, has scored 99% on the safety recertification audit of its Canadian operations, conducted under the auspices of the Alberta Ministry of Human Resources & Employment. That's up from 97% in 2009, 95% in 2008, and 93% in 2007. The 12-day audit comprehensively analyzed health and safety systems, procedures, and processes at Clariant offices and facilities in Calgary, Lloydminster, Drayton Valley, and Slave Lake, Alta. Clariant recently embarked on a worldwide effort to reaffirm its commitment to safe operations that includes initiatives for employee engagement, accident prevention, and recognition of safe work behaviors.

Clariant is a global leader in the provision of specialty products and services to the oil and gas industry for the upstream production, pipeline, refinery, and exploration markets.

TAM International North Sea Ltd.,

Aberdeen, is investing about £1.8 million to expand its Aberdeen area operations. Currently employing 35 people at its West Tullos base near Aberdeen, TAM North Sea expects to increase its workforce by 20% over the next 3 years as part of a global strategy to expand the business. Serving Europe, Russia, Africa, and the Middle East, the Aberdeen facility will act as the primary training center for those regions. It will also provide a state-of-the-art warehouse area, permanent display area, and modern, fully equipped offices.

TAM North Sea is a subsidiary of Houston-based TAM International Inc., an independent oil field services company that provides inflatable and swellable packers and other downhole products and services for drilling, completion, and workover operations to the oil and gas industry.

Armstrong International Inc.,

Three Rivers, Mich., has named Patrick B. Armstrong president and CEO. He succeeds David M. Armstrong, who died July 15, 2010. Patrick Armstrong most recently served the company as its vice-president of engineering and manufacturing. He holds an engineering degree from Western Michigan University and has more than 25 years of experience in engineering and manufacturing.

Armstrong International provides intelligent system solutions for steam, air, and hot water systems that improve utility performance, lower energy consumption, and reduce environmental emissions for the refining, chemical, power, and other industries.

Wartsila Corp.,

Helsinki, has appointed Trudy Schoolenberg vice-president, global R&D. Previously, she worked for Royal Dutch Shell in several leading positions in operations, R&D, and technical services since 1989. Most recently she held the position of general manager, strategy, for Shell Chemicals in London, leading overall strategy and portfolio development. Prior to that, she was deputy site manager and production manager at Shell's Pernis refinery in Rotterdam. She has a BS in industrial design engineering (product development), an MS in mechanical engineering, and a PhD in physics.

Wartsila is a global leader in complete lifecycle power solutions for the marine and energy markets.

Axens,

Rueil-Malmaison, France, has agreed to acquire Rio Tinto Alcan's activated alumina business based in Brockville, Ont. The Brockville plant provides a wide range of activated alumina-based products for various applications, including desiccant/dehydration, refining, air separation, Claus plant, petrochemicals, tertiary butyl cathechol removal, hydrogen peroxide, and water treatment. The terms of the deal are not disclosed. The transaction is expected to close by the end of September 2010.

Rio Tinto is a leading international mining group headquartered in the UK, combining London-based Rio Tinto PLC and Melbourne-based Rio Tinto Ltd.

Axens is an international provider of advanced technologies, catalysts, adsorbents, and services with a focus on the conversion of oil, coal, natural gas, and biomass to clean fuels as well as production and purification of major petrochemical intermediates. Axens is a fully owned subsidiary of IFP New Energy, formerly Institut Francaise du Petrole. IFP is a public-sector research and training center, aimed at developing the technologies and materials of the future in the fields of energy, transportation, and the environment.

Key Energy Services Inc.,

Houston, has agreed to purchase subsidiaries of OFS Energy Services LLC for about 15.8 million shares of Key common stock and about $75.6 million cash. The deal is expected to close in third quarter 2010 subject to customary closing conditions. Upon closing, OFS will own about 11% of Key's outstanding shares. The OFS subsidiaries being acquired employ about 880 people and operate in the Haynesville, Barnett, and Woodford shales and Permian Basin under the Davis, Swan, and Quail brands. The acquisition includes 8 coiled tubing units (with 2 more units slated for delivery this year), 34 workover rigs, 123 vacuum trucks, 10 saltwater disposal wells, 3 drilling rigs, and a wellsite construction business.

Key Energy Services is the largest provider of onshore well service rigs in the world, providing well intervention, fluid management, pressure pumping, coiled tubing, horizontal drilling, fishing and rental, wireline, reservoir engineering, and ancillary oil field services.

OFS Energy Service is privately held oil field services company of ArcLight Capital Partners LLC, a leading investment firm focused exclusively on the power and energy industries.

Allied Power Group,

Houston, has named Christian Bell as its new controller. He will oversee the complete financial operations, budget preparation, accounting, and forecasting functions for the company. Bell started in the accounting industry 14 years ago and previously worked for another Houston-based turbine services company. He holds an MBA and has experience working in the Big Four and as a business owner.

Allied Power offers industrial gas turbine (IGT) owners parts, repairs, and service, including one of the world's largest inventories of GE and Westinghouse components. The company also specializes in the repair of IGT components, including hot gas path and combustion components from GE, Westinghouse, and other leading original equipment manufacturers.

Nalco Co.,

Naperville, Ill., has acquired Casper, Wyo.-based Fabrication Technologies Inc. Renamed Nalco Fab-Tech LLC, the company is a leading premier supplier of enhanced oil recovery mixing and injection equipment with references for alkali surfactant polymer, polymer, water, and carbon dioxide injection facilities throughout the US and Canada. The company employs 60 people and designs, fabricates, and installs complex injection and fluid treatment facilities. Nalco Fab-Tech backs the purpose-built equipment with onsite commissioning, start-up, and operator training services. The acquisition of Nalco Fab-Tech brings to Nalco critical engineering, project management and fabrication capabilities to complement its existing water treatment process expertise across a broad spectrum of industries. It also allows Nalco to complete its integrated EOR solutions platform started in 2008 with the formation of Tiorco, a joint venture of Nalco and Stepan Co.

Meanwhile, Nalco has opened a new corporate office and R&D facility in Pune, India. The $8.5 million, 60,000 sq ft facility will serve as the headquarters for sales, marketing, and supply chain operations for NLC Nalco India Ltd., as well as house a new, state-of-the-art technology and innovation center. The center includes an advanced analytical laboratory that will provide diagnostic services, and plans call for adding a microbiology services laboratory.

Nalco is a leading water treatment and process improvement company, delivering solutions to reduce energy, water, and other natural resource consumption; enhance air quality; minimize environmental releases; and improve productivity and end products while boosting the bottom line.

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