IN this week's SME Focus we hear from an entrepreneur running a fast-growing oil services company exporting technology pioneered in the North Sea to a global market.

Name: Paddy Collins

Age: 53

What is your business called? Aubin Group

Where is it based? Ellon, Aberdeenshire.

What does it produce, what services does it offer?

Aubin supplies chemicals and chemical and engineering related services to the oil and gas industry. We provide made-to-measure solutions to tackle operational challenges across subsea, well services, pipeline and integrity areas. For example, our products are capable of repairing major breaches to pipelines. We created our AXI-Lokk technology in just three weeks to repair a breach in the leg of a North Sea platform.

Who does it sell to?

We predominantly sell to the oil and gas industry and see renewables as a potential growth area in the future. More than half of our business is in the Middle East. We have set up a subsidiary in the Middle East to manage this and as well as making materials in Scotland.

What is its turnover?

Turnover is almost at £10 million, up 40% on the previous year.

How many employees? 45.

When was it formed? 1986.

Why did you take the plunge?

I was experienced in oilfield chemical technology having worked for Clariant, BJ Services and Schlumberger in roles such as research chemist, sales, operations manager and North Sea manager. I was around 40 and had come to the point that I was disillusioned with working for big companies and felt I could have a happier life working for myself, and making my own decisions. From a young age I wanted to own my own company and it felt like it was now or never. I imagined myself sitting in an old folks' home wishing I'd done it and decided to take control to avoid feeling any regrets in later life.

What were you doing before you took the plunge?

I studied chemistry at university and after graduating went straight into the oil and gas industry. I had worked in a variety of technical, commercial and management roles. I then signed up for a three-year part-time MBA and 18 months into it I packed in the job and set up my own company called Ythan Environmental Services Ltd. I was operating it from office space within Aubin where I got to know the company's founder, Austin Tobin, well. He wanted to retire to Australia and I wanted to buy the business so we went off and talked to an accountant and I merged my company into Aubin and acquired half of the equity.

How did you raise the start-up funding?

I used my savings and initially was running the company from my spare bedroom. After a couple of years I reached the point where I needed to hire someone. Instead the opportunity arose to merge the business into Aubin, which meant we had increased resources and the ability to accelerate and grow. By this point my own company was doing fairly well and I had been working as a contractor. I used the money I had saved to merge with Aubin.

What was your biggest break?

In 2012 it was obvious we needed to gain more finance for Aubin to grow. I secured investment from the Business Growth Fund (BGF) and received £2.5million in 2013 to develop and commercialise new technology. Some of the products we developed as a result of the funding are now coming to market. For example, our EVO-Pig products are made from semi-solid elastic gel and are used for cleaning, debris removal and de-oiling in pipelines.

What was your worst moment?

The first year of running my own business was very difficult indeed. My wife wasn't working and we had three young sons all at school age. The money coming into the household was significantly less than the money going out. I was reaching the stage that I didn't know what to do and things weren't going as well as I had hoped. Then I got a call from an old colleague who asked me if I could do some service work to help them out with a problem.

What do you most enjoy about running the business?

I am an ideas person and I love seeing an idea become a reality. One of the most satisfying parts of the last couple of years has been the opportunity to hire people fresh into the industry to give them a start in their career and a base for them to go forward.

What do you least enjoy?

As we are a global business I have done a reasonable amount of travelling but I am six foot six and can find aeroplanes pretty uncomfortable. We have ambitions for expansion into North and South America and South East Asia so it's something I will need to learn to deal with.

What are your ambitions for the firm?

I want to globalise the technology we are developing here in the North East of Scotland. Every time a product begins its life at Aubin I like to take an international perspective and think about its scalability. Some of the products that we have in development have great potential for making things simpler and cheaper and allowing the impossible to become possible. They can help the industry reach its goals with less effort and decreased costs. These benefits present a big opportunity for us to grow and develop. We have huge ambitions for our subsea buoyancy technology that is currently in development. Our systems, called DeepBuoy and LiquiBuoy, have just enjoyed successful operational trials and so we are now looking to trial them in a North Sea operating environment. Both products include low-density, liquid materials which allow buoyancy levels to be quickly adjusted to precisely place, move and recover structures on the seabed with a high level of control.

What are your top priorities?

Aside from safety, which is obviously always a top priority, our main aims are to grow the company whilst retaining our culture; to get our new technologies qualified and in widespread use throughout the North Sea; and to take Aubin global.

What single thing would most help?

Having more customers who are willing to take a chance on new technology. The reaction to advancements in technology has been interesting to observe over the years. There is often an aversion to being first and companies will queue for second place.

What could the Westminster and/or Scottish governments do that would help?

The Wood Review (into maximising the recovery of oil and gas from the North Sea) is a very useful start. I'm looking forward to seeing the impact of the recommendations in Sir Ian Wood's report, as are many others in the industry. If we can realise these recommendations it will mean big incentives for companies like ours to grow and develop and to export our products and services.

What was the most valuable lesson that you learned?

It's the people who are the most important part of any business, even one like Aubin which seems very technical. You must treat everyone with respect, no matter what their role is within the organisation. I always knew this but it has also been really emphasised to me throughout my career.

How do you relax?

I'm not particularly good at relaxing! I try to read as much as I can. I also like to go for walks with my wife in the countryside. We have some lovely beaches and beautiful countryside scenery here in the North East of Scotland to take advantage of. I recently dusted off my old bicycle and have done a little bit of cycling too.