OIL & GAS
Fighting fit
A new government programme aims to help UK companies gear up to supply
to the o shore renewables industry. How does the scheme work, what are the
bene ts and how do companies get involved, asks Steed Webzell
foundation upon which F40R was built,”
states programme manager Andrew
Stormonth-Darling. “We’ve used the
same business excellence principles, but
supplemented it with sector-speci c
requirements.”
The sector-speci c strand provides
interactive support and coaching,
centring on o shore wind knowledge and
experience. Here, the focus is on six key
areas: sector knowledge; sector-speci c
HSE; cost reduction and competitiveness;
capacity and capability; commercial
risk management; and technical risk
management.
“We look to educate companies
about the unique aspects of the
o shore renewables sector and
identify their value proposition to
this market, where they will sit in the
supply chain and who their customers
will be,” explains Stormonth-Darling.
“Companies have to complete both
sections to a minimum standard that
we set.”
NO EASY RIDE
By Stormonth-Darling’s own admission,
the programme is no easy ride, which
makes it important to have senior
EARLY ADOPTER
Aberdeen-based Balmoral was among 20 companies selected to participate
in the F4OR pilot programme, which launched in late 2018. The company
provides buoyancy, protection and insulation solutions for the o shore oil
and gas sector. However, in 2018, Balmoral began to develop its o ering
for the o shore renewable energy market, allowing it to provide advanced
cable protection systems, surface/sub-surface buoyancy systems, bend
restrictors/sti eners and J-tube seals.
In gaining F4OR accreditation, Balmoral now enjoys endorsement
from an independent body as it diversi es further into the world of
o shore renewable energy. Ian Milne, sales manager – renewables,
Balmoral, says: “We were excited when we rst learned of F4OR as we
felt it was a great t for our innovative approach in general, and for the
o shore wind industry in particular. Going through the accreditation
process is rigorous and brought out the best in our team. I’m very
grateful to F4OR for their support throughout the exercise. I believe
achieving F4OR status demonstrates that our processes and people
are among the best in the industry.”
Fit 4 O shore Renewables (F4OR)
is a unique free-of-charge
service that helps the UK supply
chain get ready to bid for work in
the o shore renewables sector.
At present, UK supply chain companies
represent 48% of the content that
makes up current UK o shore renewable
projects, but the expectation is for more.
“The political ambition O shore wind:
Sector Deal sets a target of 60% by
2030,” says Stormonth-Darling. “However,
the ambitions are huge under the net zero
agenda,” he adds.
The programme, run by sector R&D
centre ORE Catapult, is a journey of
business improvement and sectorspeci
c capability building that typically
takes 12 to 18 months to complete.
Participating companies can range from
those with no o shore renewables
experience seeking sector entry,
to established suppliers wanting to
benchmark their position and drive
business excellence. Indeed, two parallel
strands make up the programme:
‘business excellence’ and ‘sector speci c’.
The former focuses on themes such
as people; strategy and leadership;
process and operations; design and
project delivery; health, safety and the
environment; and quality. In this way it
is not dissimilar to the established Fit
4 Nuclear supply chain development
programme (see also www.is.gd/arolir).
“The Fit 4 Nuclear programme was the
F4OR has representatives
from the three main wind
turbine OEMs in its industrial
advisory group
76 www.operationsengineer.org.uk Winter 2021
/arolir)
/www.operationsengineer.org.uk