Meet the expert 

Hi Jean-Noël, could you start by telling us a bit about your professional background? 

I have worked in the quality assurance field for more than 20 years. I began my career in the automotive sector, and also worked in the medical device field. For the past 14 years, I have been working in the rubber and oil & gas industry with Trelleborg.

And what attracted you to the oil & gas sector?
In all honesty, it was a bit of an accident – but I am definitely not complaining! I was working in the rubber contingent, and an oil & gas opportunity became available – I liked the sound of the industry and its unique challenges – so here we are!

How would you summarise your current role with Trelleborg? 
The overall aim of my role is to ensure quality compliance across our range of hoses, based on extensive, stringent guidelines throughout the business.

And what sort of skills are required in order to ensure quality? 
For starters, it is important to understand all of the current guidance and regulations surrounding oil and gas, and to constantly stay abreast of industry trends and best practice. Then these need to be translated and applied into the world of Trelleborg Oil & Marine and our extensive range of products – the largest selection on the market today.

What is the most interesting or challenging thing about your role?
I think that for me, effectively communicating the requirements to the various links in the company is always an interesting challenge! I enjoy the process of working through and discovering the most efficient ways to ensure that the provision is both in-line with what the customer requires, while also benefitting the company in terms of strategic production.

Are there any specific projects you are currently involved with?
At the moment, I am working on a project in Mozambique to provide seawater intake risers – these require particularly large hoses in order to cool down the LNG liquefaction process.  
I was also involved in the Cryoline project as the quality correspondent throughout the industrialization stage of the project. It was very interesting to see the different approaches between the development team and the production team. The development team were very enthusiastic and eager to move forward to a concrete solution – part of my role was to help them to take a step back and ensure alignment between customer requirements and regulations. 

So, looking ahead, how do you see the progress of FSRU projects in the Africa region, or indeed globally?
I think that interest is definitely increasing. Companies used to be a little hesitant to invest in LNG, however recently, there has been a definite growth in enquiries surrounding LNG transfer – particularly in small-scale solutions.  
We’re seeing increasing demand for small-scale LNG in Europe, most notably in the Baltic region where local governments have shown great support for the adoption of LNG as a marine and road transport fuel. 
The number of FSRUs is also expected to rise over the next few years, with multiple projects already planned in places such as Lebanon and Africa. 

How important is the role of the supplier in terms of raising safety and operability standards across the oil and gas industry?
I think it is pivotal – we have the knowledge of the project, state of the art technology and the best opportunity to share this expertise with the end user.

What do you most enjoy about working at Trelleborg?
Autonomy in our daily roles, most definitely. We are given the freedom to manage projects from end-to-end, from supplier to final delivery. The collaboration across all of the departments is also very rewarding. There is lots of opportunity to interact and improve as a team.

Finally, Jean-Noel, when you are not hard at work, what do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
I have two sons – spending time with them is very important for me. I also like to run – it is not only beneficial for bodily health, but also enables you to free your mind from the day-to-day stresses. I also enjoy spending time in my city, near Clermont-Ferrand. There is always live music, concerts – it’s a great place to live.

Contact Jean-Noël Vincent