Scottish logistics firm ASCO aims to bring North Sea supply expertise into defence
ASCO, a Scottish company that manages large spare-part warehouses for offshore oil rigs, announced a strategy to enter the UK defence logistics market and target over £100 million in contracts by 2031.
ASCO operates a high-capacity warehouse near Aberdeen’s airport, storing flanges, turbines and other essential parts for offshore oil platforms and delivering them within two days. Leveraging decades of logistics experience for oil, gas and offshore wind, the firm plans to adapt its material-management system to support the Ministry of Defence and the Royal Navy, targeting more than £100 million in defence-related revenue by 2031.
CEO Mike Pettigrew, formerly of Babcock, cites recent security challenges, including the rapid evolution of battlefield technology, as a driver for more agile procurement. ASCO has already shared its model with senior Australian naval officers and appointed a 28-year British Army veteran as principal defence advisor. The strategy dovetails with Scotland’s “responsible defence industrial growth programme,” which will receive matched UK funding for new Defence Technical Excellence Colleges.
Why it matters
Bringing proven offshore supply-chain methods to defence could make UK military procurement faster and more resilient.
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