Imtech Industry International
Rejuvinating prospects
During the last year, business for Imtech Industry International has proven resilient against ongoing market unpredictability.
The electrical, mechanical, and ICT solutions provider has a history of delivering integrated projects to large-scale installations that include consultancy, design, project management, implementation, and maintenance. The mother company’s roots, Imtech N.V., stretch back to the mid-1800s but its modern profile took shape in 1996 when it incorporated ICT solutions into its services, thereby expanding its capabilities to be at the cutting edge of modern industrial technology. Today it employs more than 29,000 people and retains a customer portfolio of more than 23,000 clients, and the last 12 months have brought up a number of projects in both old and new disciplines.
Manager of the sales department Patrick Bekel of Imtech Industry International talks about changing business experienced by Imtech since it was last featured in European Oil & Gas (issue 9 2012), highlighting one particularly notable project: “We are increasingly focusing on brownfield rejuvenation projects and the last year has been very successful for that. Currently being executed, for example, is an engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contract located in Brunei, in which we are rejuvenating the complete control, automation, and electrical infrastructure of an oil terminal. That includes not only the instrumentation side but also handling a new concrete building where the heart of the system lays. Another project we are now undertaking is an EPC contract in Gabon, where we are supplying systems to increase the reliability of a plant located in the middle of a jungle. There is a lot happening at the moment and Imtech is moving into increasingly complex contracts, adding value by solving clients’ more difficult issues.”
Imtech’s move toward more complex solutions is a natural progression of its business and reflects the evolving needs of the oil and gas market. Whereas clients previously would bring Imtech a detailed project design of how to solve its issues, many customers today are simply approaching with just a problem definition from which the company must create its own design. The complexity of the solution therefore lies with Imtech.
Rather than being a problem, however, Imtech has recognised this shift in the market as an opportunity to improve itself and the services it offers. The Brunei EPC contract, for example, requires zero shut down time. Imtech has created and begun executing a plan that exchanges all instruments, controls, and cables in the plant whilst the plant continues to operate. Not only is the task itself an extensive one but additional risk mitigation actions are also needed to ensure safety during removal, exchange, and start-up of the new system. To date this has been carried out successfully and without incident. In this way, Imtech has made itself stand out from the market.
“We have the ability to execute complex projects and are very strong in being able to identify the risks involved,” Patrick says. “We work according to procedure and execute projects in all kinds of environments. If there is a rejuvenation or an expansion of an existing platform or flow station, we can come in without shutting the installation down and rejuvenate the complete system. The market today is more demanding of solutions like this.”
With wide ranging capabilities and a track record of success, Imtech is currently focusing on expanding its oil and gas customer base. Though it has been involved with the sector for many years alongside its work in the onshore industry, buildings, and traffic management, the company sees many available opportunities in the oil and gas market that it is now beginning to pursue, primarily through locating itself closer to clients. The recent contract in Brunei, for example, has been carried out by Imtech Brunei and new branch offices are about to be opened in Oman and Nigeria, hubs of oil and gas activity for the company. Clients in the region can therefore receive support from people with local knowledge and based in the same time zone.
New locations will continue to reinforce Imtech’s desire to widen its business as it has done over the last year, particularly within the vibrant rejuvenation sector. Furthermore, in 2011 the mother company Imtech N.V. received a ‘Royal’ designation from the country’s monarchy, granted to organisations that have more than 100 years of history and are distinguished in their nature, size, and reliability within the Dutch market. Royal Imtech N.V. is a reflection of the wider organisation’s achievements and forms the foundation for many more years of success.
Patrick concludes with his outlook on the future: “There are a lot of opportunities at the moment, especially on brownfield rejuvenation projects. We have been recognised by the market as a company possessing a lot of knowledge and experience in the brownfield environment and have actually been approached many times already. Beyond that, we are looking at creating a more integrated project approach so that clients can receive all services from a single vendor, which will become increasingly important as project complexity increases. Future plans for the organisation include looking at new acquisition opportunities and starting a global network of companies able to support the maintenance of our clients.”
Imtech Industry International
Services: Electrical, mechanical, and ICT solutions