Offshore wind companies Rovco and Vaarst, are to merge under a new brand called Beam to drive their development and deployment of AI and autonomy enabled services in the sector.
The new UK-based company said uniting their capabilities will provide an “unrivalled offering in cutting-edge automation technologies”.
Through its mission to automate offshore wind, these innovations deliver efficiencies and reduced costs for survey and subsea work across all lifecycle stages, it added.
The technologies that have made Rovco and Vaarst industry technology leaders in the survey and subsea sector remain at the core of the new brand offering, said the company.
Beam added it will “focus on industry-defining R&D and transformative partnerships to deliver new industry-leading innovations”.
Rovco was founded by Brian Allen (pictured) in 2016, who launched technology spin-off Vaarst in 2021.
He will continue in the chief executive role at Beam, with the merger of the two companies creating a combined workforce of over 200 employees.
Beam is set for further expansion in the coming year, hiring over 150 new employees across the UK in a variety of high-technology roles at its Bristol, Aberdeen and Edinburgh offices. Global growth will also see Beam recruit an additional 50 positions in other global markets, including 25 in the US and 10 in Asia.
“Piecemeal policymaking, supply chain issues and the rising workforce shortage have created hurdles in the green energy transition and fuelled a continued reliance on oil and gas,” said Allen.
He added: “It’s never been more important to find ways to cut costs and project timelines.
“This merger under a united brand makes Beam the only company in the world with a unique combination of subsea AI, computer vision, sonar and autonomous advanced robotics.
“Our mission is to deliver real world impact in the offshore wind industry by making it cost competitive with oil and gas, which is a pivotal step in ending the world’s dependence on fossil fuels.”