Industry leader launches centre of excellence
13/02/2009
iicorr Ltd, a specialist in corrosion, integrity and inspection, has launched a Centre of Excellence for the oil and gas industry in partnership with leading universities. With an investment of over £150,000 from iicorr, the online site will help raise asset integrity standards internationally and promote the sector to engineering students.iicorr, part of the Stork NV group and employing more than 200 people at its Aberdeen HQ and bases around the world, has compiled a comprehensive database of asset integrity management information and also trained its team of experts to provide a quick, responsive, cost-effective resource for the oil and gas industry.
iicorr Technical Director Mark Wilson said: "Nothing like this exists outwith the major operating companies. iicorr's Centre of Excellence will have two distinct streams. The first is the knowledge bank containing a library of documents covering processes on integrity work at all international locations. It will be updated regularly so will be a first port of call for anyone in the industry looking for technical documents and best-practice on future projects involving any kind of integrity work."The second part is that we will have a large team of experts available to answer specific technical questions with a fast response time. iicorr has invested substantially in the Centre of Excellence and we are confident new and existing customers will benefit enormously."
iicorr has entered into a collaboration agreement with Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen and is in talks with other universities in the UK and at key locations for the oil and gas industry including Perth, Australia, and Houston, Texas.
The intention is to liaise with the academic bodies and industry organisations to help build knowledge by using the intelligence generated by the site. For example, identifying the most frequently asked questions will highlight which areas of the industry could benefit from additional R&D as well as potentially shaping courses – including distance-learning options – offered by the universities because they have up-to-date information on the needs of industry. Students could also benefit by having access to all the stored information.
"We want to reach the stage where we have complementary contacts with the universities located where we are around the world and we can lead projects, go in and lecture to students and also offer them placements," said Mr Wilson. "iicorr will be helping to drive forward understanding and intelligence development in a major sector of the oil and gas industry which will in turn lead to more efficient working and better cost-effectiveness."
Professor John Watson, Dean of the Faculty of Design and Technology at Robert Gordon University, said: "We pride ourselves on the University's close links with industry and this project is a prime example of how students in asset integrity management will benefit from working on real industry problems. It is initiatives like this that help Robert Gordon University produce graduates with the skills that industry needs, giving us one of the best graduate-level employment records of any university in the UK.
"Membership of the Centre of Excellence will also ensure that staff and researchers within the University maintain access and contribute to a state-of-the-art knowledge database."
The database will be run through a subscription system, with different levels of access to information available.
iicorr has invested more than £150,000 in establishing the Centre of Excellence, which is part of its ambitious growth strategy. The company is expanding rapidly, having doubled in size since 2006.
