A specialist company providing valve-testing services to the oil and gas industry is to create 30 new jobs in Fife after announcing a seven-figure investment.
Score (Europe) Ltd intends to establish a second base in the region at Southfield in Glenrothes to store, test and distribute valves to its global client base.
The company refused to say how much it is investing in the new facility, but the amount is understood to be in the minor millions of pounds.
The project is also to receive a Scottish Government-backed regional selective assistance grant of £248,000 towards the establishment of the new facility.
Peterhead-headquartered Score has had a presence in Fife for almost 30 years through its specialist testing facility at Cowdenbeath.
The current set-up allows valves to be evaluated in extremes of heat and cold to ensure they are capable of operating in the harshest of environments.
The new facility will also have a testing role, but it will concentrate on pressure flow through the valves to make sure they complete their primary function of regulating oil and gas flow along pipeline systems.
The 30 new jobs which will double Score’s workforce in the region will be created over the next three years and will include a number of apprentice training positions as well as opportunities for time-served engineers. There will also be a new sales function created.
Score Europe’s deputy managing director Conrad Ritchie said he was delighted the new Fife facility was coming to fruition.
He said: “The hub complements the facilities at our headquarters in Peterhead, where one of the world’s largest stock of valves is kept.
“It will continue the Score tradition of innovation and excellence by developing engineering and process improvements for use in the wider group of companies.
“It also reinforces our aim to improve efficiency and reduce our carbon footprint.”
The company was supported in the planning process by the council’s Invest In Fife team and by Scottish Enterprise.
Councillor Lesley Laird, Fife Council’s executive member for business, enterprise, economy and planning, welcomed the investment decision.
She said: “Following more than 25 years in Cowdenbeath, the loyalty and the skills of the Fife workforce has been a major factor in their decision to expand into Glenrothes.
“The company has a reputation as a very good employer and places a strong emphasis on training and apprenticeship.
“Our employability and skills team will actively support Score’s apprenticeship and recruitment programme to secure eight apprentices a year in Fife, across the two facilities in Cowdenbeath and Glenrothes.
“We welcome the 30 new jobs their investment will bring to Glenrothes, the opportunities for the community and the wider benefits this will bring to the local economy.
“Invest in Fife has worked closely with Score to bring this to fruition and we look forward to seeing the continued growth of the company in Fife.”
The Score group of companies employs more than 1,400 people in 32 locations worldwide.
The firm is active in a number of markets including intelligent valve management and the repair, refurbishment and testing of gas turbine equipment.
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