A Cowes company with roots stretching back to the 1960s is searching for former employees on the Isle of Wight as it prepares to celebrate its 60th anniversary.
Yokogawa Marex is planning a diamond anniversary celebration in November and wants to reconnect with people who have worked for the business during its 6 decades in Cowes.
The company’s story began in 1966 with the formation of Marine Exploration, which would later become Marex before eventually becoming part of Yokogawa.
Its early operations were a world away from the software development for which the company is now known, with work centred around the offshore oil exploration industry.
Marex became widely recognised for its expertise in oceanographic analysis, undertaking complex data studies for oil and gas companies to provide information needed for the construction and deployment of offshore facilities.
Data buoys were deployed offshore to collect telemetry readings including temperature, pressure and wave heights.
Information was stored on computer hard drives which were physically collected from the buoys and brought back to Cowes, where the data could be downloaded and analysed.
The company’s marine work also included the use of MV Triton to deploy data buoys and undertake other operations.
These included side-scan surveys and diving inspections of gas pipelines crossing the Solent.
The pipelines would be surveyed to identify sections undermined by tidal currents, before a barge was used to deposit shingle over affected areas.
Marex also had a Military Division which designed, manufactured and operated diver transport vehicles, including the Diver Transport Vehicle Type A5.
By the late 1980s, the company was moving increasingly towards the technology which would shape its future.
Marex established its Software Division and developed the pioneering PROMACE Data Historian, providing process information, analysis and monitoring for industrial facilities.
Its technology was used across industries including chemicals, oil and gas, energy, pharmaceuticals and food and beverage production.
Marex subsequently became part of the Westland Group and then GKN before another major change in 1997.
That year, Japan’s Yokogawa Electric Corporation acquired Marex as part of its strategy to enhance its control and safety solutions, creating Yokogawa Marex.
A major investment followed to develop Exaquantum as a replacement for the PROMACE system.
More than 4,000 Exaquantum systems have since been deployed around the world, helping companies with manufacturing processes, quality and safety.
Despite becoming part of an international business, Yokogawa Marex has retained its presence in Cowes.
Today, more than 45 people are employed by the company on the Isle of Wight, developing software solutions and operating a global support helpdesk.
Yokogawa’s wider Tokyo-based group employs around 18,000 people and has an annual turnover of $4billion.
Divisional Director Wayne Matthews has said:
“I am privileged to be the divisional head of this worldwide business that has its roots very much grounded on the Isle of Wight and which continues to thrive here.
“Over the years, through a series of mergers and changes, the company has evolved into what is now a worldwide high-tech company – part of the wider Tokyo-based Yokogawa group, which employs 18,000 people and has a turnover of $4 billion a year.
“We want to invite former colleagues from across the six decades to a 60th birthday event later in the year.
“If you used to work at Marex or know somebody who did, or if you have memories of the part Marex has played in the town of Cowes, please email us at [email protected]”
The anniversary celebration is planned for November, with the company keen to hear from former members of its workforce who are still on the Isle of Wight.
If you were an employee of Marex, you are invited to be part of the celebrations by emailing [email protected].
