11 minute read
Special Feature
Looking back on 80 years of Energy Industries Council
As EIC celebrates a milestone anniversary, Energy Focus takes a look at the sense of purpose that has allowed the organisation to evolve, transform and grow
In February 1943, during the height of the Second World War, 13 companies came together at a meeting in London to form the Council of British Manufacturers of
Petroleum Equipment (CBMPE).
They arrived with a clear and urgent sense of purpose: to explore how businesses could contribute and thrive when the post-war reconstruction of the oil industry began.
Today, that same organisation is known as Energy Industries Council (EIC), and has become the go-to energy supply chain trade association on a global scale. It helps fi rms up and down the value chain to export, diversify and grow across the globe.
EIC today employs 110 staff across fi ve regional offi ces, and has more than 800 members spread across more than 50 countries. It is responsible for hosting 130 worldwide events each year, and is tracking 12,000 projects on EICDataStream. Through these eff orts, EIC continues to facilitate understanding, dialogue and action that will help the world to address current and future energy challenges.
And the future will be challenging. We fi nd ourselves in volatile times that are distinctly lacking the sort of certainty that businesses crave and traditionally revolve their strategic decision making around.
Nobody can be certain when the confl ict in Ukraine will relent. Meanwhile, the fallout from the pandemic will be felt for quite some time as economies and supply chains recalibrate after two years of unprecedented shocks and shutdowns.
To achieve its goals of helping members to understand, identify and pursue business opportunities globally, EIC will need to continue operating with a powerful sense of purpose – akin to the same mission that the organisation fi rst began to target when it was founded in 1943.
As we look ahead, EIC stands taller and stronger than ever, all the while staying true to the same values and purpose that brought 13 companies together during the height of war in 1943
Celebrating 80 years of milestones
Indeed, the further back you look, the further forward you can see when it comes to EIC’s past.
Over the course of eight decades, the same core aim of supporting the hard working and wealth creating businesses that operate up and down the energy sector has not wavered. Today, that objective is more important than ever in underpinning what EIC does.
TIMELINE: 10 KEY EIC MILESTONES
1943
13 companies form the Council of British Manufacturers of Petroleum Equipment
1946
The fi rst overseas trade mission is undertaken, by boat to the Caribbean. More followed that decade, including a journey to the Middle East in 1947
1 1959
British Oil Br Equipment Credits Eq is formed is
1 1972
The council Th forms the North fo Sea Action Se Committee Co
Indeed, it is a highly collaborative organisation, no better demonstrated than through such initiatives as the Energy Exports Conference and the UK Energy Supply Chain Taskforce, which bring together government and industry to maximise opportunities and mitigate challenges.
Collaboration and cooperation have always been in EIC’s roots. This is no better underlined than by what the council’s Chairman stated as a core value back in 1949: “Make every eff ort to promote joint working,” he said.
So, how has EIC got to the point where it is celebrating its 80th birthday? The journey has been full of discovery, evolution and growth, and here we will chart just some of the key moments that have come to defi ne EIC’s story to date.
Within a year of being set up, the CBMPE had already expanded its membership base to 100 companies and formed a fi nance committee. Operating with two full-time staff , one of its main services was to send periodical summaries of important industry news to members, a core informative focus which remains to this day.
In 1947, long before the days of the internet, the council launched its fi rst ‘Guide to British Petroleum Equipment’, a procurement guide showcasing British engineering and manufacturing prowess to petroleum project decision-makers. This has been ever-present, today’s incarnation being EICSupplyMap – a fully searchable, online database of the detailed capabilities of all 3,500 British energy supply chain
(Left) (Left) EIC Connect EICConnect Malaysia, 2018. Thailand and Vietnam also received the Connect event model in that year. The EIConnect model was fi rst conceived in 2003 (Centre) The 1961–62 edition of the CBMPE’s Guide to British Petroleum Equipment. The fi rst edition of the Guide was published in 1947, featuring 176 members. It can be considered a predecessor of the Procurement Guide, an online directory of EIC members (Right) The CBMPE registered with Companies House in 1951. We would only adopt the Energy Industries Council name later, in 1981 companies with £1m-plus companies with £1m-plus revenue. Next year EIC will be launching an app-based version, and we are preparing a refreshed dataset for 2024.
A year before the inaugural procurement guide was released, the fi rst overseas trade mission to the Caribbean was completed, an undertaking that took three months via ship. More international missions followed in the ensuing decade, including journeys to the Netherlands in 1950 and Canada in 1957, inspring inspired EIC’s fi rst Country Report.
A major commercial milestone arrived in 1959 with the creation of British Oil Equipment Credits, a wholly owned subsidiary of the CBMPE that was designed to unlock international export opportunities for UK plant and equipment manufacturers. This facilitated major deals, including £7 million in orders from Mexico state oil fi rm Pemex in 1961.
International exhibitions grew in popularity during the 1960s, with the CBMPE attending and exhibiting at numerous international tradeshows and completing landmark missions to
1981
CBMPE broadens its member base and activities, renames as the Energy Industries Council
1995
EIC opens its fi rst offi ce outside the UK in Houston, US
2 2000
The EIC Projects T Database is D launched, later being la upgraded to u EICDataStream E
2002
The fi rst EIConnect event is held. EIC Global Energy magazine (now Energy Focus) is launched
2016
The fi rst edition of EIC’s Survive & Thrive series is launched
2021
ExxonMobil joins EIC as our fi rst operator member
markets in the Middle East and Latin America.
Then came EIC’s fi rst serious foray into the North Sea. In 1971, three of its members decided to, in their words, ‘take the plunge’ into the fi eld of servicing and supplying equipment for North Sea operations. The council also arranged for energy giants Shell and bp to talk to member companies about the huge opportunities for British manufacturers in their backyard, later creating a dedicated North Sea Action Committee.
Diff erent name, expanded scope
By 1981, membership had swelled to 250 companies. It was at this point that a major decision was made to realign and rename the CBMPE to Energy Industries Council, or EIC.
The move was symbolic and important. As well as opening a new offi ce in London at Notting Hill Gate, EIC formed the Energy Advisory Committee to widen the scope of its activities and help embrace the entire energy sector.
In 1987, EIC held its fi rst seminar on energy and the environment, covering atmospheric emissions, water pollution, government attitudes, onshore exploitation of energy resources, nuclear energy, and alternative energy. Today, the council remains energy-agnostic and operates with the same purpose, but with an equally if not broader scope across the entire energy ecosystem.
A milestone was met in 1995 with the opening of EIC’s fi rst international offi ce in Houston, Texas. Meanwhile, to solidify its commitment to the North Sea sector, the organisation opened up its Aberdeen offi ce before the millennium.
The turn of the century marked the launch of another landmark EIC initiative that has gone on to provide insight and highly valuable knowledge to members. The Projects Database, a forerunner of what would become EICDataStream, is a vital CAPEX project tracking which builds on EIC’s rich legacy of communicating up to date, relevant information.
Just two years later, in 2002, the fi rst ever EIConnect event took place in Manchester before the launch of this very publication, which was originally released under the name EIC Energy Global magazine.
Alongside this expansion of information sharing, EIC opened several offi ces in the 2000s, including in Rio, Dubai and Singapore – all important moves which brought the organisation closer to potential markets for members to grow into.
A decade of modernisation
Recent history, especially the past decade, has seen EIC modernise its off ering and make smarter and more eff ective use of technology to serve its purpose.
In 2015, the third major version of EICDataStream was launched, adding new capabilities, greater depth to project data and a new, simpler user interface. By 2018, this asset had amassed data on 21,000 projects collectively worth US$10tn globally.
In 2017, the council opened up to members its EICAssetMap off ering, which today maps 27,500 global facilities across all energy sectors and their associated service opportunities for members. That was followed by EICSupplyMap in 2019. In the same year, EIC welcomed its fi rst non-UK legal entity into its membership in the form of the UAE’s Al-Yaseah, the company now being present on the council’s board. Meanwhile, EIC Connect events were held in Indonesia and the US for the fi rst time.
The context to these more recent EIC developments was the ‘lower for longer’ oil crisis of 2014, which forced all businesses, including EIC, to further automate business models, listen even more closely to clients’ changing needs, and diversify and internationalise wherever possible. Determined to support members through this immensely diffi cult period, EIC launched its Survive & Thrive initiative. First published in 2016, today it is seen as a critical annual assessment of the successful growth strategies used by energy supply chain leaders to adapt to challenging market conditions.
(Left) EIC’s fi rst serious North Sea foray came in 1971, when three members started servicing and supplying equipment for operations in the area
(Right) A job advertisement for EIC’s Rio offi ce, opened in 2000. Besides representing EIC in the South American region, Rio is currently a base for nearly 30 staff 21,0 $
The next chapter
As we look ahead to 2023, EIC stands taller and stronger than ever, all the while staying true to the same values and purpose that brought 13 companies together during the height of war in 1943.
EIC’s mission statement is clear: ‘To be the go-to energy supply chain trade association, globally’. As market uncertainty still looms large, EIC will continue to play a crucial facilitating role in the growth, expansion and success of its members, helping them to navigate through choppy waters.
EIC promises continued investment, creativity and absolute professionalism to meet its members’ ever-adapting needs, amplifying the voice of the supply chain, and always promoting the best business opportunities around the world, across all energy sectors.
80 YEARS: THE ENERGY INDUSTRIES COUNCIL
1943: The EIC is formed by 13 member companies working in the oil and gas industry 800
2023: Over 800 member companies worldwide in all energy sectors
1943: One offi ce in London 2023: International offices in fi ve regions
2016: Rebranded as Inside Energy, the EIC monthly magazine is now published in a digital format
1947: The fi rst edition of British Petroleum Equipment News
comes out. 2023: Now named the Procurement Guide – an interactive digital tool enabling access to supplier and contractor contact details via the EIC website
2017: EICAssetMap
launched – the only O&M database to map all major UK facilities across all energy sectors
2023: EICAssetMap coverage expanded to
Africa, Asia-Pacifi c, Brazil, Europe and more
The EIC
Celebrating 80 years of enabling our members to win work in the global energy industries
1957: EIC publishes the
Canada Report, its fi rst countryspecifi c industry report
2023: 12 Insight and Country reports
issued each year
1943: 1 UK event
2002: First EIConnect event in London By 2023: EIC Connect events are held worldwide 2023: 130+ global events; participating in 15+ international exhibitions and EIC fl agship event Energy Exports Conference (launched in 2018)
2019: EICSupplyMap
launched – the only database of all 3,500 British energy supply chain businesses and their detailed capabilities
2023: Ongoing works for expanding EICSupplyMap coverage
in Brazil, Texas, Malaysia and the UAE
