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I N N O V AT I O N S • A P R I L - J U N E 2 0 1 4
Look around at one of the technologies you interact
with – your cellphone, tablet, touchscreen monitor. Now
ask yourself where it came from – not guessing which country
in which it was manufactured, but how it actually came into
being. Who dreamt it up? Or what drove its creation? Chances
are, the origin of several of your gadgets, or at least their respective
components, can be traced back to one world altering event – the
global military conflict of the early 1940s.
Although many of the technological advancements of that time
were directly related to combat efforts, such as developments in
heavy weaponry, aircraft and naval vessels, there were many less
overtly celebrated breakthroughs in supporting fields like electronics,
communications and industrial technology – including … momentous
advancements in the transportation of hydrocarbons.
Consider the first subsea pipeline, constructed in the UK in 1942.
This engineering feat was a test of the Allied ability to run pipelines in
the English Channel, which ultimately supported troops following the
Normandy landing in 1944. Although the energy industry didn’t take
immediate advantage of this technology, the inevitable advance toward
commercial subsea development had begun.
Around this same time, T.D. Williamson was recruited into the
pipeline business – via what became a pigging project – to support
the war effort. As a result of the immediate and intense international
need for more oil and gas, TDW experienced its first era of accelerated
onshore research and development growth.
For the next 60 years, TDW focused on solving the increasingly
complex challenges of onshore operators, developing a portfolio that
covers nearly every aspect of pipeline service. But near the turn of the
millennium, increasing offshore demand for equivalent expertise and
services compelled TDW to look to the sea.
Already a global company, with manufacturing facilities and service
centers throughout the world, TDW was well positioned to meet
offshore operators where they were. Of particular value were its strategic
hubs in the Gulf of Mexico and North Sea. From these hubs TDW
began engineering a new wave of offshore pipeline solutions, helping
operators manage risk, optimize throughput and extend asset life.
So, the next time you pore over a platform’s Piping and
BY MIKE BENJAMIN
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT –
MARKETING & TECHNOLOGY,
T.D. WILLIAMSON
E X E C U T I V E O U T L O O K
From the
Land,
to the
Sea
