SPONSORS OF EAST ANGLIA FEATURE
parts of the industry – for example, oil and gas companies work very differently from offshore wind developers. And even within offshore wind, different companies have different contracting strategies and are looking for different types of supplier relationship. And we’re bringing companies together to take advantage of shared opportunities, perhaps where there are complementary skills or where an opportunity is too big for a single SME.
We’re helping companies to understand how the dynamics of the supply chain are changing. “Customers” and “suppliers” are becoming interchangeable terms, because many companies are finding that their customers are their suppliers for something else. It’s no longer a linear relationship; it’s multi-lateral. It’s about having a strong trusted relationship, so that the parties understand who does what, what we supply each other, how we operate, our standards, our ethos, our culture. All of that is crucial if we are going to build solid relationships for the long term.
The major companies are definitely looking for long-term supplier relationships. They’re telling us that they are prepared to invest time and effort into building relationships before they award contracts because they want the confidence that the companies they’re working with are robust, have credibility, and are the right sort of companies that aren’t going to fail.
We’re also facilitating dialogue between developers, government and SMEs, to give the best information we can about the
major project and investment timescales. We don’t have all the answers, but we can provide the basis for making informed plans for investment in growth. We know roughly within a three to six month period when major project decisions or milestones are likely to happen. Things might change; project timescales might change; but we can reduce the uncertainty that holds people back.
STATE-OF-THE-ART FACILITIES FOR CONFERENCES AND TENANTS OrbisEnergy has a state-of-the-art conference centre, where we invite major international companies such as the French giant Areva to meet local businesses and find out about the region’s capabilities. It’s an ideal opportunity for local suppliers already in the supply chain (or wanting to join) to investigate face-to- face what the industry requires and how they can access those projects.
As well as the conference facilities, OrbisEnergy is a specialist innovation and incubation centre, primarily for offshore renewable energy - offshore wind, wave and tidal – and supporting services. Our ‘anchor’ tenants include two major energy companies: SSE Renewables and East Anglia Offshore Wind. We are attracting lots of companies to gravitate towards Lowestoft and OrbisEnergy, to be part of – and next door to – some of the major players. Some tenants are start-ups; and some companies are providing direct and indirect support to the supply chain. Cooper Lomaz, the recruitment company, has recently moved in. Their Operations
Manager Mark Fletcher says: “All the big operators have offices in the Orbis Centre. It is the place to be for anything related to the energy industry.”
A LONG-TERM BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY THAT’S GLOBAL While there are significant business prospects for construction and installation, the long-term opportunities will be around operations, maintenance and asset management of the windfarms; that’s the 20 to 25 year business after a windfarm is installed. The region is ideally positioned for longer term operations and maintenance, building on many years’ experience of the oil and gas industry off the East Anglian coast.
This is not just a local opportunity. It is a global business; there are global opportunities for companies based in our region. We’re here to help them to maximise their growth potential, with our partners EEEGR (East of England Energy Group) and New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership, supported by the local authorities across Suffolk and Norfolk. It’s our ambition to drive growth and to bring wealth and job creation opportunities to the region for the next twenty years; and we can also service a global market from Suffolk. We’re already starting to realise that ambition.
Johnathan Reynolds OrbisEnergy Centre
www.orbisenergy.net
FUTURE OFFSHORE WIND PROJECTS: Having its fabrication facilities situated at Hamilton Dock which has open access to the North Sea, Sembmarine SLP with its experienced local work force, now in excess of 250 personnel, continues to generate inquiries from International and UK offshore wind developers.
With solid experience in offshore engineering, the company is in a prime position to support the planned East Anglia offshore wind projects.
Sembmarine SLP
www.slp-eng.com
Click to view more info
www.windenergynetwork.co.uk
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