With the opening of Paladon Systems’ latest office, we take some time to talk with our Scottish External Sales Engineer Peter Duncan
Can you give us a little background about yourself?
I was born and have lived in Aberdeen all my life. I’m married with one five year old boy, with another child due at the end of August. Being locally born and bred, I like to contribute to my community and this is the main reason that I’ve been a Special Constable for nine years. When not juggling my family and professional commitments, I try to find time to fit my hobbies in which include football, F1 and swimming.
With regards to my education and early career, after school I studied Automotive Mechanics and Electrics at Aberdeen technical college. Coming joint top in my class with an NVQ Level 1 qualification I was fortunate enough to win an apprenticeship with the Anderson Car Group. Originally conducting pre-delivery inspections, I quickly became proficient and started studying various automotive hydraulic and electrical subsystems on day release; working towards a City and Guilds qualification in Motor Vehicle Engineering. Unfortunately the Anderson Car Group closed during my apprenticeship and, with very little automotive engineering opportunities available in Aberdeen at the time, I spent the next sixteen years in various outside sales roles including the supply of compressors and generators for North Sea platforms. It became very clear to me during those sixteen years that the best career opportunities in Aberdeen were all related to the Oil and Gas industry and so I started looking for a technical role in that industry. It was just at this time that I was introduced to Paladon Systems’ Managing Director Brian Ennever.
Why did you want to work for Paladon Systems?
It was when supplying compressors and generators for the offshore Oil & Gas industry that I first became aware of Paladon Systems. They had a good reputation for supplying quality products and services in the North Sea and also for developing advanced valve automation solutions. Also Brian Ennever struck me as a person with integrity and vision, and someone I’d like to work for. So in summary, I wanted to work for Paladon Systems because they had a good reputation, were heavily involved in engineering which closely matched my educational background and were led by Brian.
Since starting in September last year, how have you found the market and customers in Aberdeen?
The vast majority of local valve companies and engineering houses have been very helpful with introducing me to their specific technical and commercial requirements. My job has also been made a lot easier due to Paladon Systems already being well trusted in the market and having had a presence in Aberdeen for many years. The UK based and centralised decision-making of Paladon Systems also helps us better support our clients when compared to some of the large valve automation suppliers with headquarters located overseas.
How do you see yourself developing the market in the near term?
I think one of the most critical activities will be the continued education of graduate engineers new to the industry with regards to the various operating benefits provided by Paladon Systems designs; particularly the instrumentation and design engineers. As a colleague of mine once said, there is always someone in the market who can make cheaper, lower quality and less reliable products, and so I see a big part of my job to be making sure that our clients understand how the operating features and benefits provided by Paladon Systems’ solutions will result in increased process uptime for them; ultimately saving them money whilst reducing the impact of their operations on the environment.
You’ve just said that Paladon Systems save their clients money and help them be greener, can you elaborate?
Saving money really relates to increased system and process reliability and hence increased process uptime. One example where Paladon Systems’ technology can help our clients achieve increased process uptime would be our development of compact electro-hydraulic manifolded systems which are far less prone to leaking and mechanical damage than surface mounted control systems. Also, our smart partial stroke testing systems with comprehensive diagnostic capabilities allow our clients to implement cost effective preventive maintenance programs. With regards to being greener, it would mainly be through the design of hydraulic systems able to operate on biodegradable fluid and with operating power requirements far lower than those of traditional valve automation technologies. Some of our self-contained electro/hydraulic systems require less than 100W to operate and so can be powered by integrally mounted solar panels and rechargeable batteries. There is also our innovative Autonomous Shutdown Valve (ASV) that offers clients a step change in environmental performance, but that is an entire topic in itself. I recommend that clients have a look on our website to find out more about this exciting product and contact me should they wish me to go into more detail.
In closing, could you please tell us how you see Paladon Systems future in Aberdeen?
With our proven track record and continued focus on developing new technologies, I see the future as being very positive for us in Aberdeen. As North Sea operations continue to drill deeper, higher pressure and more unpredictable wells tied back to existing platforms, I see the requirement for High Integrity Pressure Protection Systems (HIPPS) becoming an increasingly active market and, with Paladon Systems able to provide a single point of contact for the provision of turn-key and fully certified systems, I think we’re very well positioned to support these types of critical operations. I would like to see us increase our presence in the Aberdeen market by hiring a local Inside Sales Representative to help reduce the time taken to generate quotations and answer technical questions. Later we will have to consider having a locally based onshore and offshore field service team to support the ever increasing Paladon Systems equipment base.