Engineering firm Decom reinforces board with entrepreneurial duo

Decom Engineering (Decom) has announced the addition of two entrepreneurs to its board, saying they will help it expand into new markets as it pursues strategic growth.

The Northern Ireland-based firm says it has developed technologies that provide “greener, faster and safer” options for decommissioning in the energy sector, and it in January said it had invested more than £250,000 to set up a base near Aberdeen to target North Sea oil and gas clients.

Ian Bailey, group chairman of the English-speaking arm of the Siemag Tecberg Holding Company, the German-based global provider of shaft-hoisting used in mining and other sectors, has been appointed Decom’s chairman.

He specialises in markets in Southern Africa, North America and Australia, all of which Decom is eyeing as key target markets – and his CV includes serving as managing partner of Blanes & Engineers Group in South Africa before the Siemag Group acquired the respective businesses in 2006.

Additionally, strategic consultant and offshore veteran Keith McDermott has joined as a non-executive director. Decom said his role as commercial director and shareholder with Aberdeen’s Ecosse Subsea Systems saw him help build it up over eight years until its eventual £50 million sale in 2018 to Oceaneering. He was also the founder and managing partner of Brilliant Red Consulting.

Decom boss Sean Conway said the appointments come as the firm embarks on a period of “strategic growth”. He added: “We are delighted to have Keith and Ian on board, and their combined experience and success in industrial sectors closely linked to our own business will be instrumental in helping us grow into new markets in the coming years.

“Both appointments add a depth of experience to Decom which will underpin our drive to consolidate our position with existing clients, while rolling out our specialist equipment and skills in global markets.”

Keith McDermott, who is credited with helping drive the growth of Aberdeen’s Ecosse Subsea Systems, has joined the Decom board as a non-executive director. Picture: contributed.

Decom says it has developed a range of cold-cutting saws that are deployed on energy-sector decommissioning projects in need of pipelines and associated infrastructure being safely removed.

The firm also specialises in pipe-coating removal whereby decommissioned or surplus pipelines can be stripped of multiple coatings, enabling them to be repurposed on other projects. Decom also said it ended last year “on a high note” by securing global contracts valued at more than £400,000.

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