EUTEX MARKS 21 YEARS AT GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY OF OTC

Just over 24 years ago, an ambitious Aberdonian left the Granite City for Houston, where he eventually set up a company with a life-long friend and colleague. Having learnt his trade and honed his knowledge in the North Sea oil and gas sector, Tommy Sutherland set up EUTEX, which is now a leading, global provider of electrical cables and hazardous area products.

From humble beginnings, the company has enjoyed exponential success, growing from $200,000 to $30million with a current workforce of 30 full time staff.

Celebrating its 21st anniversary this year, Eutex is now a global entity head-quartered in Houston, with bases in Calgary and Singapore. Over this period, the business has survived four oil and gas downturns and changing political landscapes on both sides of the Atlantic. This has resulted in a strong, driven and successful company which has truly come of age.

Having noticed a gap in the North American marketplace for European electrical cables and hazardous area accessories, Mr Sutherland decided to follow his instinct and invest the little money he had into starting a new company.

Offering complete, accurate and quality turnkey electrical solutions, Eutex offers a holistic approach to providing customers with the support and knowledge necessary to best use its line of specialist products, ensuring the job is right, first time. The business is committed to safety and excellence through all its operations.

As a leading company for hazardous area products and services, it has adapted and expanded its suite of products in response to the fast-moving, dynamic energy industry.

Mr Sutherland explained: “Over 21 years, I am proud to say that we have a built a legacy of trust, consistency and dependability, fuelled by our mission to be the number one solution provider for electrical cables and hazardous area accessories across the globe. Using innovation, technology and a focussed team of experts, we deliver value and cost-effectiveness for clients in a range of markets. Having started in the oil and gas market, we’ve diversified into the petro-chemical, food and beverage and pharmaceutical industries.”

Eutex was named one of America’s fastest-growing companies in 2015,following an unprecedented 100% growth in revenue. Out of three million privately owned companies in the United States, Eutex was ranked in the top one per cent for growth.

In 2009, Atec was formed as a subsidiary specialising in engineering, services and training services as a valued-added, complementary service to Eutex. Atec provides highly skilled hazardous-area inspectors, certified engineers, electricians and technicians and delivers a range of accredited training and education programmes for safe operations in hazardous areas.

With a workforce in Houston, Calgary and Singapore, Eutex is backed by a strong company culture, driven by customer care.

Today, the business is still led by the original founding executives and has maintained its privately-held ownership throughout its history.

Mr Sutherland explained: “Customer service is the number one priority for a growing company like ours and we instil this across all our teams. Without them, we would not be able to effectively service our clients, and provide the care, support and communications that are of the utmost importance to us.”

This approach has been highly successful with Eutex boasting a loyal customer base, some of whom have been with the business since the start.

Mr Sutherland added: “To be dealing with some of the same buyers we quoted for over two decades ago is testament to the work we do and the service we deliver. I thank our clients for their belief in us over the years, and our manufacturing support network and the vendors who work diligently with us to service the markets.”

Eutex will be celebrating its special anniversary at this year’s Offshore Technology Conference (OTC), which itself is marking 50 years since its inaugural show.

Looking ahead to the future, Mr Sutherland is confident that by the next milestone – marking a quarter of a century in business – there will be even more reasons to celebrate with new markets and acquisitions already in the pipeline.

Mr Sutherland concluded: “Coming out of this current downturn, we are continuing to focus on finding the most robust, cost-effective solutions for our customers to allow the industry to thrive in a lower commodity price era.

“By the time OTC is marking its 100th anniversary, we’ll be fast approaching our 50th. By then, who knows what we’ll have to offer? Perhaps a return to our roots and a North-east base. Until then? Haste ye back.”