Proserv Controls boosts Middle Eastern presence with latest acquisition

Aberdeen-based Proserv Controls says it has expanded its offering in the Middle East and North Africa by snapping up the Abu Dhabi arm of Stirling-headquartered Dron & Dickson, a specialist in hazardous area and industrial electrical equipment.

Proserv, which specialises in controls technology, has swooped on the trade and assets of Dron & Dickson Electromechanical Contracting (DDEC) LLC, explained that the deal complements its sites in the likes of Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Doha and Dammam.

Following the transaction, terms of which were not disclosed, the entire DDEC business and inventory will be fully integrated and absorbed into Proserv’s Middle East-based service operation and will relocate to the company’s state-of-the-art new facility in Abu Dhabi, which was opened in 2020.

Proserv says the deal complements its 'breadth of offering and capability' in the Middle East and North Africa. Picture: John Borowski.

Davis Larssen, chief executive of Proserv Controls, said: “Our Abu Dhabi team has pushed forwards proactively in the past two years, forging key relationships with major local operators and, despite the global challenges of the pandemic, has moved into an upgraded new facility and added significant headcount to its team. This deal is the perfect fit for the business, with many obvious synergies, including shared values around service excellence and a strong regional reputation for those engineering skills and expertise.

“Looking ahead, we now have an even deeper and wider offering that we can present to the region’s [national oil companies] and our other key customers.”

Angus Rodger, Proserv’s general manager in Abu Dhabi, said the deal presents “genuinely exciting possibilities for us”, for example having “real potential” in the service side of the business. “By being able to send a combination of both hydraulic and electrical know-how offshore, as a single service provider, we can now cover a far wider scope of maintenance, upgrade, commissioning and installation work,” he added.

Dron & Dickson Group MD Colin Rowley said: “After nine years, we are delighted to pass on our Middle East business to Proserv. We are confident this move represents a perfect outcome for both our team members in the UAE and our highly valued supply partners.

“This deal allows Dron & Dickson to firmly focus on growth opportunities in the UK and European markets, and further pursue our strategic objectives both within the energy sector and diversification into new market segments.”

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