DERBY has beaten off competition from cities across the country after being chosen by a Texan oil and gas company as the location for a new UK "centre of engineering excellence".
Cameron, which is one of the world's largest producers of equipment for the offshore oil and gas industry, has selected Derby following a year-long, nationwide search.
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Charlotte Peach from Marketing Derby with Aberdeen engineering manager Paul Morley (left), city council leader Paul Bayliss (right) and Terence Scutton, Derby engineering manager for Cameron.
The Houston firm, which employs 22,500 people in 50 countries, has pledged to create up to 40 highly-skilled engineering jobs, with the possibility of more in the long term.
The company said it was drawn to Derby because of its rich pool of engineering talent and its transport links.
Cameron scoured the country to find a suitable location that would complement its existing operations in Aberdeen, Leeds and London.
Paul Morley, Cameron's UK engineering manager, said: "The reason why we wanted to set up another base in the UK was to develop the growth of our drilling and production systems' after-market business, which we currently run out of Aberdeen.
"But Aberdeen is home to several oil and gas companies. This means that competition for the services of a small pool of skilled engineers is fierce.
"We wanted a location where there was engineering talent. But it also had to be somewhere we would not run the risk of investing in those staff, only for them to move on to another competitor nearby."
Cameron undertook a survey of the UK to find a suitable spot and rounded its search down to the Midlands.
A shortlist of four cities was drawn up ? Derby, Nottingham, Birmingham and Coventry. This was then cut to Derby and Coventry.
Mr Morley said: "We visited Coventry first. There were two issues we faced there. The first was that Jaguar Land Rover were already recruiting hundreds of engineers and the second was that the development of the city itself had yet to really get off the ground.
"Derby, on the other hand, really opened our eyes. As well as already having a reputation for engineering, it is a developed city ? and its regeneration is continuing, despite what is happening in the wider economy. There is a real buzz about the place.
"You could say Derby won the beauty contest ? but it also won the skills contest.
"There was a number of things we were looking for in our new location.
"This included the ability to link up with local universities and good transport infrastructure ? including road, rail and air ? which Derby has.
"And, of course, we wanted somewhere that had a depth of engineering talent."
Cameron is considered to be a major global player in the oil and gas sector.
The firm, which was founded in 1833, designs and manufactures technology that can control the flow of oil and gas drawn from reservoirs deep underground.
It provides its technology to oil and gas companies, drilling contractors and independent producers across the world.
Cameron's Derby office will be headed up by engineering manager Terence Scrutton.
He said the new staff would be taken on in two phases, with an initial 20 engineers being taken on straight away and a further 20 once the office is established.
He said: "We will provide extensive training to those who join us and our aim is to make Derby a centre of excellence for after-market engineering.
"In terms of recruitment, we will look to eventually create up to 40 jobs but, if it is successful, we are not ruling out the possibility of taking on more."
Cameron is yet to select a building in Derby for its new offices.
But the firm is working closely with its appointed commercial agent, Birmingham-based Knight Frank, to find premises.
Mr Scrutton said he hoped Cameron would be settled into a building by January.
The Derby area is already home to a number of successful global companies, including Rolls-Royce, Bombardier and Toyota.
Councillor Paul Bayliss, leader of the city council, said Cameron would be a welcome addition to the city's high-tech engineering sector.
He said: "I'm delighted that Cameron has chosen Derby as its home and welcome the firm to the city.
"This is yet another example of a high-tech engineering company choosing Derby and I wish them great success in the years to come."
In the run-up to the decision to choose the city, Marketing Derby, a public and private sector organisation, which aims to attract investment, has been working with Cameron.
Managing director John Forkin said: "To be able to attract a global name like Cameron is a further endorsement of the Derby workforce.
"Cameron will be a substantial player in our high-tech sector ? albeit a slightly new one to Derby, as the firm is involved in the oil and gas industry.
"People in Derby probably do not appreciate how positive the city's reputation now is to high-tech businesses. The fact that a US-based firm wants to expand here is a great illustration of this."
Cameron is now planning to hold an open day on November 16 at Pride Park Stadium, where potential new recruits will be able to find out more about the company and the positions it is creating.
For full details, see the Derby Telegraph's jobs section on Wednesday.
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