The First Minister today welcomed plans by Scottish oil and gas maintenance business, Reel Group, to establish a new operation and office in Mumbai.
The company aims to capitalise on the opportunities offered by India’s growing offshore oil drilling market by creating an Indian operation and offering their experience and expertise to the emerging market.
Reel was established in Aberdeen in 1995 to provide inspection and testing services to the oil and gas market. It has since established global operations in the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia.
First Minister Alex Salmond said:
“Scotland has a long-established, strong reputation as a global hub for oil and gas and I am delighted that Reel are taking their skills and expertise to the emerging Indian energy market by establishing operations in Mumbai.
“The company’s decision to create new offices reflects the enormous opportunities for Scottish businesses in India’s growing economy, particularly in the fields of energy.
“The Scottish Government and Scottish Development International continues to work hard to secure investment to Scotland and to support Scottish enterprise and innovation overseas. I wish Reel every success with their ambitious plans to develop business in India and encourage more home-grown companies to explore the vast opportunities that lie in this emerging economy.”
Reel’s India country manager Simon Wickes said:
“This is a very exciting development for us in terms of entering a new and very promising marketplace and bringing jobs and specialist skills to India. There is a very well educated and highly motivated workforce in India and we look forward to utilising those qualities as we develop our business there.
“We also understand the importance of learning ourselves so we ensure we build an operation that fits comfortably with local cultures and practices and also offers our customers services of the highest quality.”
Chief Executive of Scottish Enterprise, Lena Wilson, said:
“This is a fantastic step forward for Reel Group and it’s very encouraging to see the company proactively capitalising on the huge opportunities that exist in India’s growing markets.
It’s also an excellent opportunity to build on the strong relations Scotland already enjoys with India, further raising Scotland’s profile as a globally competitive country in the process.
“As opportunities for trade and investment partnerships with India continue to grow, our challenge is to support more Scottish companies to explore the business opportunities that exist in India and the rest of the world. Internationalisation represents the single biggest opportunity for growing Scottish companies and it is our role to help ambitious companies realise just how attainable international success can be.”
REEL was formed in Aberdeen in 1995 to provide comprehensive inspection and testing services, including non-destructive testing, to the oil and gas industry.
Reel provides inspection and maintenance services and support to the offshore drilling industry and to subsea intervention diving contractors. Since 2008 REEL has been part of part of the Global Energy Group.