Unique Group, a leading integrated offshore solutions provider, has completed the acquisition of the Aberdeen-headquartered, load-testing equipment provider, Water Weights.
The newly acquired specialist will be an addition to Unique Group’s well-established Buoyancy & Ballast division, reinforcing its vision to deliver bespoke engineering solutions to customers worldwide.
Unique Group’s manufacturing and global supply chain capability, along with Water Weights’ distribution capabilities, will provide significant synergy potential to reach clients globally.
Both companies will share their extensive network of partnerships and distribution agreements at regional bases around the globe, complemented by integration with other Unique Group business units.
Graham Brading, Group Director – Buoyancy & Ballast at Unique Group, said: “We are excited to combine the expertise of Water Weights with our own. Through our existing buoyancy & ballast capability we specialise in the manufacture and distribution of air-filled buoyancy bags. With the addition of the Water Weights business, we further strengthen our position in supply of equipment and services to the load-testing industry.
“Both companies have a long-standing track record in helping clients to achieve cost savings while enhancing safety. We will now be able to combine our expertise and service clients effectively from a wider range of locations.”
Melfort Campbell, former Principal Shareholder of Water Weights, comments: “This is an exciting development for Water Weights. Joining Unique Group gives us the opportunity to grow further, both in terms of geographical reach and depth of service offerings. There is a great synergy with Unique Group which has a strong global presence in all of our markets and is well placed to continue supporting our clients. It is a great opportunity for the Water Weights employees to continue to develop and grow the business.”
Sahil Gandhi, COO at Unique Group, commented: “Unique Group has experienced a period of sustained growth and investment recently, despite the global challenges faced by the oil & gas sector and its related supply chain. The group continues to build a strong market presence globally, with Water Weights further enhancing our ability to service clients with integrated solutions from our multisite divisions and nine regional offices.”
Unique Group produces its flexible buoyancy & ballast products at a state-of-the-art facility on the Isle of Wight.
About Unique Group
Founded in 1993 Unique Group is a market leader in the delivery of engineering expertise, sales and rental equipment and the latest technology for the marine, diving, pipeline and subsea market sectors. Unique Group provides bespoke, off-the-shelf engineering solutions and cost efficiencies across the oil and gas supply chain — onshore and offshore, surface and subsea. Unique Group employs over 500 people worldwide through its seven multi-site divisions: Survey Equipment; Marine & Subsea; Diving & Life Support; Buoyancy & Ballast; On-Site Engineering; Specialised Boats and Medical Technology. Its 200-plus dedicated engineering specialists work across nine strategically important global oil and gas regions — USA, UK, Europe, Singapore, India, South Africa, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and UAE.
About Water Weights
Water Weights, established in 1979, revolutionised the practice of proof load testing with the introduction of the Water Filled Proof Load Bag. The conventional method of using steel or concrete weights to test the safe working operation of cranes on North Sea oil & gas installations was a high cost to the industry as well as a potential safety issue.
The highly engineered and certified system allows a safe, practical and economical method for all types of proof load testing. Water Weights offers a wide range of associated services and engineering management to a wide customer base – Defence, Construction, Process, Power and Utilities, and Marine and Shipping industries, as well as the Oil and Gas industry where we originally began.
Water Weights operates from a total of nine offices, with presence in the UK, The Netherlands, USA and Canada. In addition our international group of Associates and Approved Operators offer a worldwide network of services in over thirty countries.
