Brush Transformers Gulf LLC, a joint venture between Britain’s Brush Transformers Ltd., the UK’s leading manufacturer of power transformers and part of FKI plc., and locally-based Al Nasser Industrial Enterprises (ANIE) inaugurated the first dedicated power transformer plant in the Middle East, in the Industrial City of Abu Dhabi (ICAD) last November.

The 20,000 square metre plant was officiallyopenedbyAbdullaNasserHuwailil Al Mansoori, Chairman of ANIE, and Paul Heiden, CEO of FKI plc. The operation will utilise state of the art design and manufacturing techniques, such as finiteelementanalysis,3Dmodelling and lean manufacturing.

The local availability of power transformers is expected to reduce the current reliance of the region on the import of units from Europe and Japan. The range of units the factory will build is between 33KV to 132KV voltage class, up to 90 MVA (megavolt ampere). This range is widely used in the transmission of power from a generating plant to the end-user.

In comments at the opening of the new plant, Abdulla Nasser said the partners were extremely proud of the new industrial venture. “This landmark project is a pioneering initiative for the UAE industrial sector. Local transformer production will support the industrial growth of Abu Dhabi, the UAE and the whole region, where economic growth and industrialisation have spurred the demand for power transformers. This partnership is evidence of the capabilities of Abu Dhabi in attracting investments into the industrial sector and providing the appropriate facilities and environment necessary for the growth of this sector.”

Speaking on behalf of Brush Transformers Ltd. at the opening ceremony, Paul Heiden noted: “This partnership between Brush and ANIE is an opportunity for Brush to continue serving our long-standing and valued customers in the region, with an improved level of local support.

”Noting the benefitsofestablishingthe plant in the UAE, Tim Walker, General Manager of Brush Transformers Gulf, says: “The production of units here will reduce delivery times, shipping costs and the possibility of damage during transportation. Dedicated treatment and a high level of support will be given to our local customers by our specialist team of support service engineers.”

Brush Transformers has been building transformers since 1879 and supplies units to a variety of industrial sectors around the world, including the Middle East region. The new company is expected to supply its products to oil and gas, steel, cement and other classes of the industrial sector as well as power companies in the region.

Well-known for over twenty years as a firm synonymous with science-rich innovation, a multi-disciplinary approach and flexibility, Woking, Surrey-based Paradigm has primarily focussed its attention on the provision of software solutions for the upstream oil and gas industry. In recent years, though, this service activity has been integrated into a global network of expert consultants dedicated to the solving of customer challenges.

That network has grown to become Paradigm’s Strategic Consulting arm, which has been designed to focus on strong coordination to allow for a better distribution of workloads, improved project management procedures, insight on best practices, resource sharing and many other elements

.Now, in recognition of the increasing importance of Abu Dhabi as a centre for the region’s upstream oil and gas industry, Strategic Consulting has moved here from Woking, and is being managed by Ian Hunt

.His key tasks, he says, will be to offer geophysical and reservoir related services up to prospect generation and integrated field studies and to apply Paradigm’s experience and innovative solutions across land and marine, time and depth imaging, and advanced reservoir studies to clients in the Middle East and North Africa region.

Paradigm claim that the expertise of their geoscientists, combined with their global presence, local experience and powerful computing resources, ensure a level of service that meets the most demanding challenges of oil and gas exploration and production. Their R&D professionals, including over 50 PhDs in the fields of Geoscience and computer science, work with the consultants to ensure that project objectives are met and the latest developments are immediately available through regular technology updates. Product inter-operability ensures a smooth and uninterrupted workflow between seismic processing, imaging, transformation, interpretation and well planning, maximising throughput efficiency while reducing cost, cycle time and risk.

The objective, Ian says, is to collaborate with clients to provide complete solutions, from seismic trace to drilling target, making use of the advanced technologies offered as part of their consulting workflows deliver more information from customer’s reservoirs, enabling oil and gas Exploration and Production companies to make better informed, timelier and more accurate drilling decisions

.With the oil and gas industry in Abu Dhabi, and in the Gulf as a whole, now set to spend hundreds of billions of dollars over the next couple of decades, the potential for future business is enormous – and British scientists will be at the forefront.