US oil and gas giant snaps up North East family firm

Apr 15 2009 by Andrew Mernin, The Journal

ABOUT 400 workers at a manufacturer have been told their jobs are safe after the company was sold to an American oil and gas business.

Gateshead group Anson, which makes products used globally in oil and gas exploration, has been sold for an undisclosed sum to US oil and gas corporation National Oilwell Varco.

Anson was unavailable for comment yesterday but The Journal understands staff at the firm’s Team Valley factory have been told their jobs are not at risk following the takeover.

The company started life almost three decades ago and today employs about 400 people in the region and an additional 40 at its operations around the world in Aberdeen, Dubai, Louisiana and Houston in the US, Singapore and Moscow.

It was set up in 1981 by the Anderson family in a factory at Blaydon and within two years moved to a larger premises on Gateshead’s Team Valley and opened an office in Scotland.