Caspian Energy (CE): Could you please tell about the story of Weir Oil & Gas?
Altug Bilgic, General Manager of Weir Oil & Gas RCA: Weir was founded in Glasgow, UK in 1871. The company evolved through mergers and acquisitions. Today, the company is headquartered in Glasgow, UK with a global footprint (https://www.global.weir/).
Throughout its history, Weir acquired several companies to expand its product portfolio and geographic coverage. Today, Weir is a global organization and the market leader in offering comprehensive engineering services to various industry segments including Oil & Gas, Mining, Power, Water and Petrochemical and various industries.
CE: Can you share the public details of the management and partnership structure of Weir Oil & Gas? Is the management of the company in Azerbaijan 100% owned by Weir Oil & Gas or is there a local strategic partnership?
Altug Bilgic: Weir Group Plc. is a public company registered at the London Stock Exchange. Its current market capitalisation is approximately GBP5 billion.
Weir Oil & Gas is wholly owned by Weir Group Plc as a division. Weir Oil & Gas RCA is also wholly owned by Weir as a branch of Weir Oil & Gas.
CE:What is the story of foundation of Weir Oil & Gas in Azerbaijan? Why, when, how?
Altug Bilgic: Weir Oil & Gas RCA was established in Azerbaijan’s capital following the significant population of pumps installed offshore on BP assets off the coast of Baku in 1999. Weir Solutions was established under Weir Engineering Services Ltd to support the installed pump base and focused heavily on the maintenance and overhaul of pumps operating under BP assets.
In an effort to expand its market size and product portfolio, on 4th July 2008, Weir purchased SOS Ltd, a company originally established in Baku by Hunting Oilfield Services Ltd. in the 1990s. Weir-SOS is committed to delivering market leading products and services which meet the technical and commercial challenges of customers operating across the full spectrum of offshore, marine and onshore oil and gas activities.
Weir Oil & Gas RCA has been operating under the Weir Engineering Services Ltd through its two entities – Solutions and SOS – to support its Oil & Gas customers at its own facility in Baku with design, manufacturing, overhaul and refurbishment capabilities.
To further expand its product and service offerings to a wider geographic footprint, in 2018 Weir established a new geozone of Russia & Central Asia (RCA) with Baku operations to be the focal point of all activities performed in the region. Today, Weir Oil & Gas has the capacity to work on a wide variety of equipment, such as steam turbines, compressors, pumps, electric motors, valves and oilfield equipment (OCTG) and wellheads within a wide variety of industrial sectors across Azerbaijan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Turkey.
Weir Oil & Gas RCA is committed to supporting Oil & Gas, Power Generation, Water Treatment and General Industrial clients across the RCA geozone fully through its OEM status on rotating equipment as well as Oil Field Services, which include OCTG repairs and manufacture as well as pressure control equipment.
RCA geozone plays a vital role in Weir Group’s business plan and as of today, Weir is considering establishment of JVs in Russia and Uzbekistan, both to be headquartered in Baku, Azerbaijan and reporting to the RCA business.
CE: What are the short & long term business objectives of Weir Gas & Oil in Azerbaijan and in the world?
Altug Bilgic: Weir’s global mission is to become the “Most Admired Engineering Organisation” in the world.
Weir is one of the world’s leading engineering businesses providing innovative solutions which lower its Clients’ Total Cost of Ownership and increase productivity.
In Azerbaijan, Weir is committed to supporting its client base with local Engineering support, manufacturing, and exporting products made in Azerbaijan. Increasing the “Made in Azerbaijan” tag on our products is one of our biggest goals.
Long-term, Weir Oil & Gas RCA intends to become the Engineering Centre for Oil & Gas and Rotating Equipment for the RCA region and support the rest of the EMEA region as well. To date, Weir has supported projects in Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Egypt, UAE and Malaysia by providing Technical Experts and the list is ever increasing.
CE: What are the investments of Weir Oil & Gas in Azerbaijan?
Altug Bilgic: Weir’s investment in Azerbaijan is through its wholly owned two entities (Weir SOS and Weir Solutions), both of which are operating under the Weir Oil & Gas RCA organisation.
Weir operates inside a 3,500 m2 facility along Salyan Highway and owns manufacturing equipment as well as assembly and testing facilities. Weir holds all relevant ISO and API certificates as well as complying with local legislature.
The company manufactures and repairs OCTG such as OCTG cross-overs, well control cross-overs, drilling cross-overs, premium threading, drill pipe pup joints, lift nubbins, lift subs, piping repairs, hard banding.
The company also provides re-designs, overhauls and repairs for rotating equipment, such as centrifugal pumps, submersible pumps and motors, liquid-ring vacuum pumps, centrifugal compressors, reciprocating compressors, power turbines, steam turbines, valves.
Weir’s strong heritage in design and manufacturing of machinery also allows it to Re-Engineer components and become a spare parts supplier to any brand of Rotating Equipment.
CE:Are there any corporate social responsibility projects that Weir Oil & Gas support in Azerbaijan and in the world?
Altug Bilgic: Weir has a strong relationship with charities and universities on a local and global level and social responsibility projects are encouraged on an individual business level.
Weir Oil & Gas RCA is already in communication with local institutions to start joint educational programmes specifically on Engineering to support local technical know-how and transfer Weir’s knowledge to the country. Weir has signed an MoU with Azerbaijan State Oil and Industry University (ASOIU) with the intention of developing students and faculty on Weir’s experiences in Oil & Gas industry.
CE: Could you please tell us about the human resources policies of Weir Oil & Gas in Azerbaijan?
Altug Bilgic: Weir Oil & Gas RCA’s staff currently has a 95% localisation level, with 20% of the personnel female. Weir’s policy on diversity and equal opportunity extends across the globe and is also implemented in Azerbaijan.
Health and Safety at Weir currently has a zero LTI (Lost-Time Incident) track record since 2008, which is a world-class performance. Weir’s dedication to sustainability is measured through KPIs and consumption of natural resources are monitored regularly.
Thank you for the interview
