Beeken has employees in India, too.
By Deepak Chitnis
WASHINGTON, DC: Indian firm Quest Global Engineering, which is based in Bangalore, has acquired Beeken TechQuest, a US-based company that specializes in outsourcing engineering in the oil and gas sectors.
Quest Global posted expected revenues of a quarter-billion dollars in the fiscal year 2013, ending next month, making it one of the top engineering outsourcing companies in the entire country. The acquisition of Beeken TechQuest is expected to boost Quest Global’s interests in not just oil and gas, but also all other industrial divisions that use those two products: automotive, locomotive, aeronautics, industrials, and so on.
According to a press release put out by Quest Global, “This strategic acquisition will: Provide access to domain expertise and high level capabilities in upstream Oil & Gas Engineering, supplementing QuEST’s existing capabilities; Strengthen the company’s strategic delivery footprint in Texas, Oklahoma and Singapore by leveraging the local-global model; [and] Enhance engagement efficiency with existing Oil & Gas customers.”
Beeken TechQuest is small fry compared to its buyer, with about $4.5 million in earnings last year and a grand total of just 65 employees (23 in Houston, 42 in India), but was founded 10 years ago by Bangalore native B.N. Murali. He is now the vice-president of technology for Haliburton Energy Services, the company famous (or infamous) for its ties with former US vice-president Dick Cheney.
Houston is a hub for oil and gas engineering, with industry giant ExxonMobil headquartered there as well. As demand for energy in India continues to rise exponentially, the Beeken acquisition is seen by many industry analysts as a way for Quest Global to keep feet on the ground in that industrial hotspot.
“We are constantly on the lookout for superior technical and managerial talent to service our customers,” said Quest Global chairman and CEO Ajit Prabhu. “This acquisition will strengthen our position in the Oil & Gas vertical as well as our delivery excellence in Texas, Oklahoma and Singapore.”
“I am delighted with the acquisition of Beeken TechQuest Ltd, Houston, USA, and its joint venture, UFT Beeken Engineering Services Private Ltd, Bangalore, India, by QuEST Global,” said Murali in a statement. The Beeken team in the US has more than 400 years combined experience in the Oil and Gas Industry, and the Indian group has more than 100 years of combined experience. When this talent pool is leveraged by the extensive global resources of QuEST […] it will create a formidable and competitive service offering in the Oil and Gas industry.”
To contact the author, email to deepakchitnis@americanbazaaronline.com