Sparrows Group marks global growth milestone with multiple new facilities to meet service demand
21st September 2021: Sparrows Group (Sparrows), the engineering and maintenance services specialist for the international energy and industrial sectors, today announces global expansion with its move to six new, purpose-built facilities in Abu Dhabi, Kazakhstan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Australia and the USA. The growth has been driven by increased demand for its services in these countries, such as the maintenance of critical machinery in the energy and industrial sectors, and is set to create 200 jobs.
Notably, burgeoning demand for its services in minerals extraction and wider industrials has seen Sparrows’ headcount in Australia increase over 200% in the past nine months alone. As such, the company has moved into a new, 2,100m2 complex and workshop in Perth, to accommodate a further 40 jobs in the next quarter. In Kazakhstan, the organisation has demonstrated its commitment to the region by establishing its first 1,330m2 facility for equipment repair and maintenance, including a training centre and workshop.
Stewart Mitchell, CEO at Sparrows, said: “Over the past few years we have been pursuing a robust diversification strategy and these new facilities demonstrate the success we’re seeing throughout the Caspian, Middle East, Australia and USA as a result. Although it has been a challenging time for many businesses, we are working in more industries than ever, from mining to defence. This increased capacity allows us to support more clients, assuring the reliability and integrity of their safety critical equipment.”
In addition, Sparrows has increased its Middle East footprint with substantial new facilities in Abu Dhabi and Qatar. In Abu Dhabi, the 7,300 m2 premises will house a team of 100, with the company hiring more than 50 new roles. The new 5,000 m2 facility in Doha, Qatar, will provide space for the maintenance and refurbishment of large components, including drilling equipment. Currently housing 34 personnel, Sparrows expects employment at the facility to increase by ~15% by the end of 2021. Lifting and crane operation training will continue to be available in the country though the company’s partnership with RelyOn Nutec. In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the company has moved to a new office in Al Khobar to accommodate their rapidly growing workforce and is set to open an additional facility in the Jubail area soon to meet increase in demand from industrial customers.
The new USA facility in Lake Charles, Louisiana, has been opened to provide local support to industrial and marine customers in the region, in addition to facilities in Houma and Slidell. Providing cylinder tear down, inspection and repair, hydraulic testing, and maintenance and repair of mechanical, hydraulic, and rotating components, Sparrows expects to increase headcount there by 70% before the end of the year with the addition of more technical staff.
Mitchell adds: “We see enormous potential in these locations to provide services to the energy and industrial sectors. Across the Middle East we’ve seen an uptick in training needs and along with our recruitment drive across the region we’re already planning to install a pedestal crane for lifting and crane operations, in addition to our existing crane simulator. We intend to continue to invest in both people and equipment to accelerate our growth.”
The Sparrows Group is a global provider of engineering and maintenance services to the oil and gas, renewables and industrial sectors. The firm supports customers by delivering a broad range of expert solutions that optimise efficiency and ensure the performance, reliability and safety of critical equipment and people.
