Secondments keep TTS up in the field

A DTI Global Watch Service product story

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Jul 1, 2002

The UK DTI's International Technology Service has provided financial and practical support for two secondments that are helping a Northumberland company keep up with developments in its field.

Companies servicing the oil and gas industry have to be nimble on their feet as competition becomes more fierce in a constantly changing market and as the recovery of hydrocarbons becomes more advanced and drilling goes deeper and deeper.

A Northumberland company, Torque Tensions Systems (TTS), wanting to stay ahead of the competition with the hydraulic products it manufacturers mainly for the industry, looked overseas at world leaders in their field.

TTS, a privately-owned company established just four years ago and located at Bedlington, approached the DTI's International Technology Service which granted financial and practical support for two secondments: David Campbell, 34-year-old design director, who lives at Ashington, to spend three months with Integra Technologies at Pasadena.

This Texan company provides a bolt-working service and supplies technical expertise to the major operators and diving support companies in the Gulf of Mexico and land-based refineries.

And John Wilkinson, 54, its business development director, who lives in Jarrow, to spend nine months split between Integra and Maxitork, of Rio de Janiero.

Maxitork is the largest bolt-working provider in Brazil.

The brief for Campbell, who has recently completed his secondment, was to study the latest design and manufacturing processes for hydraulic products on land and above and below sea level while the priority for Wilkinson, who completes his secondment in October, is to concentrate on new methods for completing mechanical joints in deep sea operations.

Gerald Vineberg, chairman of TTS, said that the company wanted to gain further expertise in design and manufacturing techniques of mechanical and hydraulic bolting systems in their specialised field.

What met the criteria for successful product development within the United Kingdom did not necessarily satisfy the growing demand of similar or advanced product manufacture in world markets.

TTS, which has four full-time employees and subcontracts the manufacture to local companies, firmly believed that the lessons learned through the DTI secondments, using the best practices employed by the host companies Integra and Maxitork, would also allow the company to broaden its expertise in working practices, legislation, climatic and operational issues in heavily industrialised foreign markets.

Vineberg said: " The additional information the secondments will bring to our business is paramount in keeping the United Kingdom aware of new technology in this area as well as determining the future and longer term strategy of our business.

It is going to strengthen our position at home and globally".

The TTS secondments are supported by the DTI's International Technology Service.

The secondments service, which supports UK employees from any discipline to any country for periods of three to 12 months, aims to help UK SMEs (small and medium-sized companies) improve their performance by benchmarking themselves against overseas companies and adopting leading edge techniques and management practices.

It enables them to learn best practice, improve productivity and develop overseas links with other businesses.

The service provides both financial assistance and practical advice to companies with up to 250 staff.

The DTI grant provides about 50% of the direct costs of the secondment and there is also financial help for language and presentational skills training if needed.