3 2
T H E M A G A Z I N E F O R T H E U K O F F S H O R E O I L A N D G A S I N D U S T R Y
UNIVERSITY SPIN-OUTS
SUPPLY CHAIN
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
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
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
and
.
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
