WIRELINE ISSUE 30 WINTER 2014

UNIVERSITY SPIN-OUTS

SUPPLY CHAIN

Trials of PhotoSynergy Limited’s LIGHTPATH technology have been conducted in the North Sea with feedback from industry informing its development. Pictured is the demonstrator SLS9000 three-way lighting system developed for Boskalis

the position and orientation of seabed operations down to 3,000 metres to reduce the time for installation, maintenance and repair by ROV pilots. For Holoxica, the oil and gas sector is becoming an increasing area of focus after early market success in the medical and scientific sectors. Inevitably, Javid explains there are challenges involved in taking the technology to market. “It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster ride – it’s exhilarating and terrifying at the same time,” he says. “I’d advise any technical start-up to get some business acumen on board at an early stage.” But it helps that “the oil and gas industry has a reputation as an early adopter of advanced technology”, he says. “It’s not afraid of technology, it embraces it – and we’re finding people very receptive to new ideas.” For more information, please visit www.holoxica.com and www.photosynergy.co.uk.

continue to be, crucial to its success. “Getting a good team together with the right skills and experience is key. You have to keep a totally open approach and listen to everyone, because you never know which piece of information could make all the difference. “Also, we may be a small company but we have a big support network through the School of Physics and Astronomy, as well as the wider university, and because of this, we can offer a range of practical engineered and bespoke solutions.” PSL technology is now in use by several industry players. Subsea is the prime area of focus to highlight diving umbilicals and other subsea apparatus, as well as for guide path illumination in a diverse range of settings. Bibby Offshore, for example, uses different colour lights for each diver to eliminate confusion when the divers are working closely together in poor light conditions. PSL is also looking to take its products into the wider industry arena, including topsides and marine application. The firm has also recently undertaken trials for its deep-water SLS7000, a version of LIGHTPATH that may help identify

presentations to trade shows and exhibitions, and he notes that “it’s important to forge relationships to figure out the industries for your products”. He adds: “Because we have a background in science and engineering, we know how people in the oil and gas sector think. They value safety above all, but they also value timely delivery and high quality. You need to understand that – and be able to deliver on it – to earn trust. And, in turn, they understand that we have to spend time on design and technology.” Clear vision The entry of both companies into oil and gas illustrates the breadth of the industry’s £35 billion UK-based supply chain, which today encompasses fledgling technological enterprises to global service companies. For PSL, a key milestone was winning the 2014 Innovation for Safety Award at the Subsea UK Awards, resulting in enquiries from across the globe, including Australia, Thailand and South Africa. Don believes the team that has developed around PSL is, and will

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