CiDRA Oilsands has announced the creation of a new business unit to manage the growth and expansion of services in the areas of asset integrity and management. This business unit compliments CiDRA’s focus on process optimisation services for the oilsands industry, and together they form the basic framework to address several key initiatives of operators; enhanced recovery, asset availability and resource sustainability.

Ryan Houston has been appointed asset integrity manager to manage and grow this new business unit of CiDRA’s Canadian subsidiary, located in Ft. McMurray, Alberta. Ryan comes to CiDRA with extensive experience and in-depth knowledge of the industry’s needs, and will play a key role in managing CiDRA’s rapidly growing expansion in asset integrity and management systems.

Prior to joining CiDRA, Ryan was regional maintenance manager with Acuren Group, a leading nondestructive testing (NDT), inspection and materials engineering firm. While at Acuren, Ryan held the role of turnaround manager, where he and his team successfully managed a highly competitive recruitment project, employing over 300 employees with varying technical designations. Working with this team, they were able to achieve the largest, most organised and most effective turnaround in Acuren’s history. Prior to Acuren, Ryan was service operations manager with Convergint Technologies, a North American service-based integrator, where he managed major projects and service contracts within the industry.

These announcements are made as CiDRA’s HALO™ services are fast becoming the industry’s preferred method of automated pipe wear measurements and wear pattern characterisation. Since it began serving the oilsands industry in 2003, CiDRA has successfully launched a series of innovative products and services, based on SONARtrac® and SMARTring™ technologies, that have been tailored to meet the unique challenges of its customers involved in surface mining operations.

"We are extremely pleased and excited to have Ryan join the CiDRA Oilsands team", said John Viega, president of CiDRA Oilsands. "His leadership experience and track record for managing and expanding services for enhanced recovery and efficiencies will enable CiDRA to deliver unprecedented asset and process optimisation services to our customers."