Annual Report 2007 - Muehlhan AG

18
oil & gas oFFshore
New growth in the offshore field
by the 1970’s, the Muehlhan Group had already transferred
its experience from surface protection for ships to oil
drilling and production platforms for the first time. in the
meantime, we have become active in the field not only in
the Gulf of Mexico and in asia, but also in the northern
North Sea, the region with the most challenging environmental
conditions in the entire oil & Gas offshore business.
the customers for whom we work are among the
most demanding in this market. formidable safety regulations
and quality specifications allow only a few providers
of services in the field of surface protection on platforms.
Muehlhan is one of them.
We are developing the offshore business division with our
Group’s proven strengths: our know-how and the high
level of training for our employees fulfill the requirements of
our customers for productivity, safety, quality and environmental
protection to the highest degree. at the same time,
we are fitting into the smooth production operation without
problems, and are making their unimpeded progress possible.
Sales increase with the potential for the future
if the sales trend develops positively, the oil & Gas division
will also become a stable and lucrative pillar of our
business activities. the rising world demand for energy –
driven in no small part by strongly growing players like in-
dia or China – requires increased investments by the oil
companies in their production facilities. this increases the
demand for high-quality surface protection services that
will be required in the future, and in the global context:
a service provider that operates around the world in a
reliable manner, with identical services of quality that are
always consistent.
Muehlhan is currently reviewing the ways in which the
Group’s global corporate network can be expanded for
a high quality service offering in the oil & Gas offshore
field that is comparable throughout the Group. at the same
time, existing customer relationships, including those in the
North Sea, are to be continuously expanded in the next
few years. the specific target for 2008 is to double the
number of man-hours, and to lead the business division
into profitability.
industry services
Strong sales growth in industrial market segments
With its specialty solutions, our industry division meets
customer requirements that are quite varied and often very
individualised. the services are performed in association
with the marine division, but also away from the water. as
such, we have since come to be among the top providers of
coatings for wind turbine tower parts, provide for optimum
surface protection for chemical and petrochemical and
tank and production equipment, and coat steel specialty