AN AMBITIOUS North-East engineering solutions provider is aiming to crack the US market.

As part of its plans, M5tec has secured a place at the world’s largest oil and gas conference in Houston, Texas, which will be attended by more than 60,000 energy industry professionals.

M5tec, based in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, intends to make valuable contacts and secure business leads by highlighting its industry-leading expertise at the prestigious Offshore Technology Conference (OTC).

It is the first time M5tec has attended an industry-wide conference outside Europe, and the move is part of a new strategy to expand into the global marketplace.

OTC, which showcases leading-edge technology for the offshore drilling, exploration, production and environmental protection sectors, represents a major opportunity for the company in North America.

More than 60,000 energy professionals, including engineers, operators, executives and scientists, from 100 countries are due to attend the conference, which features in excess of 2,000 exhibiting companies. In addition, OTC is due to attract more than 300 journalists from around the world.

Natalia Maslowska, M5tec’s business development manager, said: “OTC is the world’s foremost event for the development of offshore resources and is taking place in Houston, which is itself a global hub for the oil and gas industry, so this represents a significant business opportunity for M5tec.

“We are one of the fastest growing and most dynamic companies in the North-East and as such we seeking to expand outside the UK – and exhibiting at OTC represents a firm commitment towards achieving this ambition.

“OTC, which this year celebrates its 50th anniversary, provides the company with a major platform on which to promote its extensive capabilities, as well as offering extensive networking opportunities.”

M5tec, which was founded in 2014 by a group of time served engineers with experience in the Oil & Gas, Subsea, Nuclear and Renewables sectors, offers design, engineering and draughting services within various disciplines including Mechanical Electrical, Structural and Hydraulic.

It is a member of business development organisation, NOF, which supports the supply chain across the global energy sector to help identify new business opportunities.

Caroline Lofthouse, NOF’s head of stakeholder engagement, said: “M5tec is an NOF member which is an exemplar of the type of innovative and highly technical services available within the UK supply chain."

For more information on OTC, visit otcnet.org