Meet David, our QHSE and Facilities Manager!
With over 20 years of experience across a range of industries, David stepped into a QHSE role in 2015, and since then he has dedicated his attention to ensuring safe, secure, environmentally responsible, and healthy workplace practices. Having had previous experience supporting the offshore industry, two years ago David took the plunge and applied for the QHSE position at STR. David is an invaluable asset to our team and ensures our offering is delivered to the highest standards, adhering to all relevant QHSE standards and practices.
Sharing an insight into his career and how he ensures QHSE is prioritised across the group, here’s what David had to say.
Can you tell us a bit about your career history and how it has contributed to the progression into your current position?
I’ve had previous experience within several industries working from pharmaceutical analytical laboratories to quayside operations. My first venture into HSE activities was working for a survey company and seconded into an advisor role. From there, I completed my NEBOSH (National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health), became an HSE advisor for both onshore and offshore operations and after a few years, I wanted to further my academic achievements by embarking on a Diploma in Occupational HSE.
In previous roles I was responsible for multiple sites which has aided me, along with my expertise and experience, in undertaking my global remit at STR.
With extensive experience in health, safety and compliance roles, how do you ensure QHSE is prioritised across the business?
As a QHSE professional, my role is to ensure that these activities are viewed as a priority for STR and all its staff and as my primary function within the business, it gets my full attention. QHSE is a common discussion point in meetings across the business, with monthly updates given to the Board, management, and staff. I also support teams across the business; remaining accessible to differing working environments and engaging in conversation to identify potential improvements, areas of concern as well as the health and wellbeing of our employees.
A key aspect of my role is ensuring all new starts undertake a comprehensive QHSE induction, allowing me to introduce and explain STR’s core values and QHSE standards.
Leading QHSE activity in the group, can you outline a few strategies that are being implemented to ensure QHSE targets are being met?
Within STR, my aim is to make QHSE easily accessible to encourage engagement. We have recently introduced an online reporting system for safety observations to which all staff are encouraged to use this facility to report anything they think may be unsafe or potential ideas for improvement.
We’ve improved our means of auditing, adopting a more efficient platform, which is app based. This allows for pictures to be captured during audits for documentation, which increases the effectiveness of the process whilst also improving the evidence submitted to auditors.
By encouraging my colleagues to be involved in QHSE management, these updated systems have allowed us to use one system throughout the group; providing improved reporting and insights.
In light of STR’s recent ISO certifications for its UK facilities, what do you think this reflects about STR’s management standards?
Obtaining the three ISO standards (ISO: 14001, ISO: 14005, and ISO: 9001), first in our Great Yarmouth facility and more recently in Aberdeen, is a positive reflection on both the internal and external practices of the company.
To achieve multi-standard certification is not only a testament to STR’s management system but reflects the stringent compliance that is evident across each of its practices, processes and operations carried out by staff on a day-to-day basis across the entire group.
Subsea Technology and Rentals (STR), a leading global provider of specialist survey and inspection rental equipment, products and data enabling services to the offshore energy market is celebrating the launch of its Global Technology and Innovation Centre of Excellence after investing £ 1 million into the facility to drive its innovative solutions and support its growth plans.
The 30,000sq. ft facility in Great Yarmouth will be the home to the businesses’s standalone technology and innovation team responsible for STR’s research and development of its technical solutions and products.
The purpose built facility features state-of-the-art engineering and product development suites, mechanical and electronic assembly and testing areas supported by the recruitment of 19 new employees in Great Yarmouth.
The firm has experienced rapid growth during 2022 following the earlier announcement of investment from Baird Capital to support the STR’s growth with further plans to expand and strengthen its capabilities.
STR Chief Operating Officer, Scott Johnstone, said: “The launch of the new technology and innovation centre of excellence is a fantastic addition to the STR group offering. Through combining state of the art facilities with our experienced team and in-house technologies we will be better positioned to support our customers. We have a team with extensive knowledge in their field and as a company we have a proven and impressive track record of providing leading edge solutions and in-house products across the offshore energy market for more than 20 years.”
Photograph: STR Global Centre of Innovation and Technology
Email: erin.forbes@str-subsea.com
Tel: 01493 445440
Based in Aberdeen, Jill will spearhead STR’s organisation strategy, recruitment, talent development and delivery.
Since STR was acquired by Baird Capital in January 2022, the business has continued to invest in its people as it focuses on strengthening corporate and regional capabilities to deliver service excellence to its customers.
Steve Steele, STR’s CEO, said “Two key tenets of our strategy are our people and our customers. With plans to significantly strengthen our global organisation, Jill’s extensive HR and energy industry experience will make an important contribution to our growth ambition as we continue to invest in developing our organisation and strengthen our international operations to meet the growing demand across the subsea energy market.
I’m delighted to have Jill join our management team and believe the appointment will better equip us to overcome some of the current challenges and capitalise on the growing demand for our technology and services.”
Jill Williamson, STR’s Group Human Resources Manager said, “I am excited to join the STR team and look forward to developing a group-wide HR approach that underpins the group’s wider business strategy, with a clear focus on our people.”
Photograph: Jill Williamson
Email: erin.forbes@str-subsea.com
Tel: 01493 445440
SUBSEA TECHNOLOGY & RENTALS (STR) IS PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THE RECENT APPOINTMENT OF ERIN FORBES AS GROUP MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER.
Based in Aberdeen, Erin will spearhead STR’s brand and customer experience strategy and delivery.
Since STR was acquired by Baird Capital in January 2022, the business has continued to significantly invest in its people, global equipment fleet, in-house technologies, and facilities to support customers regionally and internationally.
Steve Steele, STR’s CEO, said “To attract someone of Erin’s calibre and experience into STR is a great endorsement of our culture, strategy and ambition. Erin has extensive marketing and commercial experience and joins us from one of the largest survey and geo-data companies in the energy sector. As such, she has an in-depth understanding of the main challenges our customers face and how we can best support them.”
“I am thrilled to announce the appointment of Erin as it will provide us with greater capability and focus on expanding our brand and the STR customer experience internationally.”
Erin Forbes, STR’s Group Marketing & Communications Manager, said “It’s an exciting opportunity and a first for STR to appoint a Group Marketing & Communications Manager. This is a testament to the organisation’s evolution and growth in what is looking to be a bright future.”
Photograph: Erin Forbes
Web: www.str-subsea.com
Email: ka.henney-cant@str-subsea.com
FOLLOWING THE CONTINUED GROWTH OF SUBSEA TECHNOLOGY & RENTALS (“STR”) EUROPE, MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA (“EMEA”) OPERATIONS, STR IS PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THE APPOINTMENT OF ANDREW SEATON AND SEAN DEMANUELE AS SALES AND OPERATIONS MANAGERS.
Andrew joined STR in 2016 following 15 years with a subsea technology provider, as a member of our sales team, and has recently been promoted to Sales & Operations Manager – Great Yarmouth.
Sean, who has recently joined STR as Sales & Operations Manager – Aberdeen, comes with a wealth of knowledge and experience in the Offshore Energy sector in both technical and commercial positions.
These appointments come at a key time for STR’s EMEA team, following the recent investment by Baird Capital who are committed to investing in key personnel and resources to ensure we can offer our local customers with the expertise and subsea technology they have grown to expect.
Neil Jackson, Regional Director EMEA said, “In both our Aberdeen and Great Yarmouth facilities, we continue to invest in our people and subsea technology which provides us with a strong platform to continue to develop key relationships with existing and new customers. I am confident with both Andrew and Sean in their new roles, our customers will continue to recieve the level of service and expertise they have become accustomed to.”
STR Contact Information:
Photograph: Andrew Seaton and Sean Demanuele
Email: ka.henney-cant@str-subsea.com
Subsea Technology and Rentals (STR), a multi-disciplinary technology expert specialising in the design, production, rental and sale of innovative marine survey equipment, has committed to a multi-million pound investment in seafloor, vehicle and vessel-based positioning hardware from marine technology company Sonardyne.
STR’s purchase includes Sonardyne’s Long BaseLine (LBL), Ultra-Short BaseLine (USBL) and inertial navigation systems, equipment which will support survey and construction projects across the offshore energy markets.
STR , a Baird Capital portfolio company, continues to significantly invest in new technology. The size and spread of equipment ordered is considered a clear sign of STR’s confidence in the offshore energy market, as activity levels rebound sharply through this year and beyond, and in the commercial and operational value Sonardyne’s innovative subsea technology brings to STR customers.
“We’re witnessing increasing demand for our technology and services across the Offshore Energy markets ,” says Scott Johnstone, chief operating officer, at STR. “Timely access to the latest generation of hybrid subsea technology to get these shallow and deep water projects executed on time is critical to us and our customers, which is why we’re making this investment now”.
“The value that Sonardyne’s latest 6+ LBL hardware and INS systems bring to offshore operations is clear. Used with Sonardyne’s Fusion 2 combined LBL and INS topside software, surveyors can do more with less kit deployed. Using a single combined operating system makes set up time and complexity is reduced, compared with other systems. So subsea construction operations, from millimetre accurate metrology through to real-time SLAM calibration of sparse LBL arrays, are just simpler and faster”.
“This is even more critical today than ever, as operators look to reduce, as practicably as possible, the carbon emissions associated with their projects, delivering the energy the world still needs, but with as low an impact as possible.”
STR’s order includes a large pool of Compatt 6+ LBL transponders, structure-mounted Gyro Compatt 6+s and ROV-mounted ROVNav 6+ ROV LBL transceivers. Sonardyne’s 6+ hardware uses the company’s exclusive Wideband 3 signal architecture, providing fast position updates of mobile targets as well as enabling sensor data, for example inclination and depth, to be embedded with acoustic ranging data – helping further de-risk operations at critical moments, such as structure touchdown.
STR has also invested in Sonardyne’s SPRINT-Nav hybrid underwater vehicle navigation technology. Combining Doppler-inertial navigation and depth sensing in a single pre-calibrated instrument, SPRINT-Nav offers high performance platform navigation without the challenges of separate sensors, size, weight, integration and alignment.
In addition, STR has invested in multiple Sonardyne Mini-Ranger 2 USBL systems and a large pool of Wideband Sub-Mini 6+ transponders (WSM 6+). In combination, Mini-Ranger 2 and WSM 6+ have fast become the go-to positioning system for offshore renewable energy site survey and characterisation operations, tracking and positioning a wide array of sensor systems. Quick to mobilise, easy to operate and then move to the next assignment, it’s a versatile and valuable rental pool asset.
“STR is very much a forward-looking company, both in terms of anticipating customer demand as activity increases, but also in terms of adopting the latest, most advanced technologies that provide the most value,” says Alan MacDonald, sales manager at Sonardyne.
“STR was the first company to invest our Syrinx DVL in 2016, followed up two years later by being the first to purchase Fusion 2, and our 6 plus hardware variants. We look forward to continuing to work with STR, supporting the company and its clients across the Offshore Energy market.”
Subsea Technology & Rentals (STR) is delighted to announce the launch and official opening of its Houston facilities and to mark the occasion, is hosting its opening on Wednesday 27th and Thursday 28th April 2022.
Since STR successfully expanded in the Americas in January 2021, the organisation has gone from strength to strength, having established key relationships with existing and new customers which has set a strong foundation in the region for future opportunities. In order for STR to continue support these opportunities it was vital for STR to invest in local facilities and resources date to provide our customers with the expertise they have become accustomed to.
The opening of STR’s Houston facilities, which are STR’s largest facilities globally, is a pivotal moment in STR’s journey, boosted by the recent investment by Baird Capital.
Ka Henney-Cant, STR’s Vice President – Americas, said “I am extremely proud of STR’s journey to date globally and in the Americas. This strategic expansion is being driven by STR’s Leadership Team, following the recent success of our international expansions in Australia and Singapore. We believe that this expansion firmly positions STR as a global leader in the provision of subsea technology.”
“Today is a great day for everyone at STR, and we couldn’t have achieved this without the support and teamwork of our global colleagues who have worked remotely during a global pandemic to ensure our success, characteristics which epitomises our key values.”
Steve Steele, STR’s CEO, said “With an investment of over $1.5m in our new purpose designed facility, this will provide us with the platform to attract the best talent, showcase our in-house technology and provide better support to our customers across the energy markets.”
STR Contact Information:
Photograph: Ka Henney-Cant and Steve Steele
Email: lennon.jones@str-subsea.com
