A TEAM of engineers and technicians from Arena Instrumentation have arrived in Russia.
The first member of the Ellesmere Port-based firm to set foot in the Russian city of Vyborg had a close shave with prime minister Vladimir Putin.
Arena Instrumentation, based at Rossmore Business Village, is due to start work on a vital pumping station, part of a new transcontinental gas pipeline.
The team is tasked with installing massive Rolls Royce Trent and RB211 engines to power the giant pumping station that will control the flow of gas.
Cliff Bathgate, senior manager with the Ellesmere Port-based instrumentation, installation and calibration company said: “The first of our team to set foot in the city, south of the border with Finland, landed in the middle of a visit from Russian prime minister Putin.
“He hadn’t been there long when a convoy of black Mercedes, flanked by a security team that included two helicopters, arrived at the outskirts of the city.
“He was told that the Russian prime minister was in one of the vehicles. He was on a visit to inspect the progress of the project.”
Mr Bathgate, who manages a team of 14 engineers who install, maintain, service and calibrate the machinery of Arena clients across the world, said a team of 10 engineers would be committed to the Vyborg project.
Speaking from his office at the Rossmore Business Village, he added: “Our engineers are very highly trained and well-respected wherever they go.
“But it is increasingly difficult to find the people with the right training and experience these days. That’s why we now run our own Arena apprenticeship scheme to train up our engineers of the future.”
For more information, visit www.arena-instrumentation.com.
