Case Study: Aubin Group

Now a globally-recognised business, Aubin Group was founded in 1986 to design, develop and manufacture chemicals for the oil and gas sector.

In the early days, its work concentrated predominantly on additives to improve cementing work in wells, but a change in leadership in 2005 meant the company started to look at other industry challenges it could solve.

“The plan was to introduce more innovative solutions,” says Katy Gifford, chief executive of the Aberdeenshire-based company. “The business knew it would need some capital to create some truly unique products and so started talking to BGF.”

Cleaning the uncleanable

BGF backed Aubin Group with £2.25 million in 2013, enabling the business to invest in research and development and commercialise its new ideas. The money was also used to establish an office in the Middle East.

“That was a customer request,” explains Katy. “The company has long been sending products to the Middle East and customers there increasingly wanted to see someone on the ground.”

With access to its own lab and team of chemists, Aubin Group now offers a full suite of solutions for the oil and gas industry. One such product is a gel which is used to treat pipes that would otherwise be impossible to clean. The gel gets good results even when the width of the pipe is uneven or it has sharp bends.

The company also offers products for decommissioning old or expired offshore and onshore structures – making the process cost-effective and environmentally safe.

Bouncing back

Having recently suffered from what Katy describes as the “longest and most severe downturn in the oil and gas industry,” Aubin Group is once again setting its sights on growth.

“We’re positioning ourselves to go further, the pipelines portfolio has been very successful recently and we’ve also been getting more industry interest in some of our new technology.”

Aubin Group is now looking to solve even more challenges. “We are starting to investigate some other industries, but we are mostly focused on the oil and gas industry where we have a wealth of experience,” she explains.

Katy says BGF’s support has been instrumental in the growth of the business. “BGF have been very easy to work with. I joined the business about a year after they started working with us and they’ve been light touch and incredibly supportive.”

Value creation

Following BGF’s £2.25m investment in 2013, Aubin was able to: