History

Celebrating 75 years of the EIC

It’s been an incredible journey for the EIC and its members, starting way back in London in 1943 with 13 oil and gas companies. Over the years we’ve expanded our range of products and services, and opened offices around the world, and now support over 650 member companies across all energy sectors.

A special thank you to our 75th anniversary sponsors who will be supporting us throughout the year:

Timeline

Key 75 anniversary events

1943

In February 1943, 13 firms met in London to form the Council of British Manufacturers of Petroleum Equipment (CBMPE), as we were known then, to look at how companies could benefit when the post-war reconstruction of the oil industry began.

1946

First overseas trade mission to the Caribbean is carried out.

1947

The EIC launches its first publications British Petroleum Equipment News and the EIC Procurement Guide. Both are still in print, with the former being renamed EIC Inside Energy.

1981

London office opened in Notting Hill Gate

1995

The EIC opens its first office outside the UK, in Houston, the US.

1999

EIC offices open in Aberdeen and Brazil.

2002

The first ever EIC Connect event takes place in Manchester.

2004

The Dubai office is opened

2005

The Teesside office is opened

2008

EICDataStream is launched, quickly becoming one of the world's leading CAPEX project tracking databases.

EIC Training department is formed.

2009

The EIC's Head Office moves to a new location on the South Bank of the River Thames in Vauxhall.

2017

EICAssetMap launched, the only operations and maintenance database to map all major UK facilities across all energy sectors.

EIC Connect events held in Indonesia and the US for the first time.

2018

The EIC celebrates its 75th birthday, making us one of the oldest trade associations in the world.

This year sees us take our EIC Connect model to Malaysia and Vietnam.

House of Lords afternoon tea

To celebrate this incredible milestone we'll be holding a series of events throughout the year, starting with afternoon tea at the House of Lords on 15 March.

This exclusive EIC member event is being hosted by Lord Popat with our special guest of honour Minister of State for Trade and Export Promotion, Baroness Rona Fairhead.

Global celebration

As you'll know the EIC has a network of offices in the UK and around the world who are all keen to get involved in the 75th anniversary celebrations.

A special celebration is taking place in Rio on 19 March, while the other offices are all busy planning lots of fun, inclusive activities – we'll update you as soon as we get dates and venues confirmed.

Charity cycle ride from Aberdeen to London

Proceeds from all EIC 75th celebration events will go to two charities selected by EIC staff: Cancer Research UK and The Ocean Cleanup.

Perhaps the most noticeable event we've got planned is the EIC charity bike ride. Starting out from our Aberdeen office, Team EIC will cycle via our Wynyard office down to the London HQ.

They'll be covering about 580 miles in five days (8-12 June) – an impressive feat and one very worthy of support.

Founding members

We're incredibly proud to say that four member companies have been with us from the very start.

These are:

We'd like to use this space to thank them for nearly eight decades of support and will be working with them to support 75th anniversary events at their locations – watch this space for more information.

Looking ahead

From the very beginning our mission has been to support companies, large and small, to maximise business opportunities, at home and abroad. Looking ahead, we’ll continue to adapt to the changing markets, doing everything we can to ensure a bright future for all our members. Some key developments to look out for in the near future are:

Work is underway to extend EICAssetMap to cover the Middle East and Norway in 2018, and ultimately all regions of the world will be included
EIC Fit4Energy SME scale up course to be launched in partnership with Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen
EIC Innovation Matchmaking – a new database concept matching operators’ requirements with suppliers’ proven capabilities in the field of technology and innovation
EIC Supply Chain Map – a new database detailing the full capability and registry of UK suppliers across all energy sectors