Latest news with #RobertsonGeo
Business News Wales
05-08-2025
- Business
- Business News Wales
Geophysics Company Targets Growth as It Launches New North Wales HQ
Borehole geophysics technology leader Robertson Geo has officially opened its new headquarters, bringing all UK operations under one roof and marking a major step in the company's continued expansion. The move to Tre Morfa Enterprise Park in Conwy from sites in Deganwy and Llandudno follows sustained growth for the award-winning business, which serves customers in more than 160 countries and operates from additional bases in the US and Hong Kong. The new 20,500 square-foot facility features a purpose-built manufacturing facility, modern offices, a training hub, and a world-class calibration centre that will serve as a standard-setter for the markets they support — including the renewables, geotechnical, offshore wind, mining, energy, and environmental sectors. The interior has Japanese and Welsh influences including Bonsai trees, slate from local quarries, a Kaizen 'ideas wall' and bespoke, tailored details marrying industry and contemporary design. The firm plans to expand further within the park to accommodate its growing Robertson Geo Services team. Speaking at the launch, Managing Director Simon Garantini welcomed guests and thanked partners and staff: 'It's emotional leaving our previous premises after more than 45 years, but this move marks the start of an exciting new chapter. 'The new headquarters gives us the space and facilities to realise our ambitions, collaborate more effectively, and continue innovating at the forefront of our industry. 'Our team has grown, international demand is increasing — especially in the US and Asia — and we're now well-positioned to steadily double both our headcount and sales revenue.' The new HQ will also be home to the RG Academy, a global training centre to host bespoke programmes and welcome delegates from across the borehole geophysical and petrophysical logging arena to North Wales. Guests at the event included Cllr Emily Owen, Deputy Leader of Conwy County Council, Bangor Aberconwy MP Claire Hughes, and senior representatives from OYO Corporation of Japan, Robertson Geo's majority shareholder. At the event, Hirofumi Amano, President and CEO of OYO Corporation, presented Simon with a framed copy of The Great Wave off Kanagawa by Hokusai. He said: 'This is a very big, beautiful building and will be a wonderful place to work for everyone at Robertson Geo. 'The picture we presented is a symbol of this company – how the crew and the boat will sail into the blue ocean and expand their horizons. We look forward to visiting again soon.' Claire Hughes MP said the commitment of Robertson GEO to Conwy was a boost for the local economy: 'This is a hugely impressive development for the area and a great example of a business with global reach choosing to invest in North Wales. 'With the company creating highly skilled jobs, exporting worldwide, and now training the next generation here in Conwy, it's a win for the whole region. That it coincides with the Year of Wales and Japan makes it even more special.' Cllr Owen added: 'This is really exciting for the area. To have a company making such strides globally and choosing to remain rooted in Conwy is fantastic – it's creating skilled jobs, supporting our economy, and flying the flag for Wales.' Emily Gleaves, Director of Abundant Properties, oversaw the build alongside MD Interior Fitout Specialists. Both based in Wirral, they collaborate on projects nationwide. 'This was a real partnership project from day one, and we're proud of the result. The feedback has been amazing, it's a building that reflects Robertson Geo's identity and gives its people a space to thrive,' she said. 'The way the staff in particular have embraced it and the looks on their faces when they saw the finished article was a great feeling.'
Scotsman
22-05-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
Geo giant digs deep to provide vital data for £1.5bn Scottish hydro development
Robertson Geo dug deep to capture vital geotechnical data for a £1.5bn hydroelectric scheme. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Located on the banks of Loch Lochy, near Inverness in Scotland, Coire Glas will be the first hydro storage project of its size to be constructed in the UK since Dinorwig Power Station in the 1980s. The Conwy-based provider of borehole geophysical and petrophysical logging technologies and services was contracted by Strabag UK Ltd to collect a comprehensive set of geotechnical statistics for the development. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Driven by energy firm SSE Renewables, the site will have a potential capacity of up to 1300MW, generating enough power for up to three million homes in a matter of minutes. Robertson GEO at Coire Glas Robertson GEO Managing Director Simon Garantini said the business - which also has locations in the US and Hong Kong – deployed a suite of geophysical probes in an exploratory tunnel more than one kilometre long and 700m below ground level. A 'challenging' task, he revealed the operation required equipment and new techniques they had never used before, including a 2,000m winch enclosed in a safety cage 'The exploratory work being undertaken for Coire Glas is among the most extensive ground investigations of its time, collecting and analysing a huge volume of geotechnical data before construction begins,' said Simon. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'The comprehensive scope of the ground investigation is not least required due to the site's proximity to the Great Glen fault line, which is visible from outer space. 'The geotechnical data will observe ground conditions to inform on the potential risks and challenges posed to a successful delivery of the project, so this was a hugely important task, pivotal to them moving forward.' The tunnel included three 'galleries' from which a series of long, near horizontal and angled boreholes were drilled, and a series of short 'televiewer' boreholes for imaging, deformability and stress testing. Work continued 24/7 with two teams of two engineers alternating on back-to-back 12-hour shifts. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Logistics underground could be difficult with equipment needing to be moved around underground whilst many other tasks were occurring simultaneously,' said Simon. 'The most challenging aspect of the logging operation was the development and deployment of a 'push' system to place logging tools in horizontal boreholes. 'Our team has considerable experience in using them on horizontal boreholes up to about 40m in length. However, these were up to around 280m so the magnitude of the task could not be underestimated.' He added: 'There were other challenges – notably in designing a push system for the raised boreholes up to 22m in length – but a manual arrangement using customised tubular push rods was engineered, which worked successfully. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'The work environment was noisy at times with the inevitable dripping water on sensitive equipment such as laptops, though together we resolved all these issues. 'The geophysical logging campaign we undertook formed a vital component of the overall ground investigation, providing high-quality calibrated data, not attainable by other means, at centimetre resolution in the boreholes.'
