Growth in the pipeline for Aberdeenshire's Stats Group

Stats Group, the Aberdeenshire pipeline technology company, is gearing up for further growth in the Asia Pacific region and has made a key appointment as part of its expansion plans.

Stats provides pipeline testing, repair and integrity services. Picture: Contributed

The firm, which is headquartered in Kintore, recently opened an operational base in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and will combine its operational resources in the Middle East – including a 50-strong team – to bolster contract opportunities in Malaysia, China, Australia and the wider Asia Pacific area.

Stats has appointed Angus Bowie as regional director to spearhead its growth push. This will extend his existing role as regional director for the Middle East North Africa, which he has held for six years.

Additionally, the firm has appointed Sam McKinnon as business development manager for Australia and New Zealand. Based in Perth, McKinnon is said to bring more than 25 years’ experience in the Australasian oil and gas industry, including spells with Cameron and Baker Hughes.

Stats provides pipeline testing, repair and integrity services, including the design, supply and provision of specialised test, intervention and isolation tools, to the international oil and gas industry.

It recently completed its first contract in Vietnam and other milestones in the region include the delivery of a major subsea intervention project in the South China Sea, as well as the successful completion of subsea pipeline repair projects in the East China Sea and Gulf of Thailand.

Group chief executive Leigh Howarth said: “We have made steady progress in the Asia Pacific region, winning a number of contracts with new clients, and are confident this will be a strategically important sector in the years ahead.

“Angus Bowie is highly regarded in the international pipeline community. His wealth of experience in developing and promoting our business will prove instrumental in expanding our footprint in key Asia Pacific territories.

“Supported by regional manager Gareth Campbell and with the industry experience which Sam McKinnon’s appointment brings, we are in strong position to replicate the international success we have enjoyed in the Middle East,” he added.

The company said it had invested significant capital in developing its subsea “Bisep” technology which is deployed when pressurised pipelines require to be isolated to allow repair, modification or tie-in activities. This was recognised earlier this year with the award of the Subsea Pipelines Projects Award by the Pipeline Industries Guild.

Stats operates from Kintore, Kendal and Inverurie in the UK, Edmonton and Calgary in Canada, Houston in the US, Abu Dhabi and Qatar in the Middle East and Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.