Wood Group has acquired Cape Software ("Cape"), a Texas provider of simulation software and services for operator training and logic validation for SCADA and DCS industrial control systems used by the oil & gas and other process-based industries. Cape will become part of the MSi Kenny Products business within Wood Group Kenny. Cape's revenue for the year to December 31, 2013 was around $5 million.

Cape's VP Link® software product, used to simulate process responses on control networks and for interactive operator training, complements MSi Kenny's more comprehensive Virtuoso® simulation modellingtechnology, which is used for pipelines and processes. The companies' previous collaborations have resulted in the development and implementation of integrated operator training systems for upstream offshore oil & gas facilities, enabling critical unit operations to be rigorously modelled.

Michael Mai, a member of the Wood Group Kenny leadership team and president of MSi Kenny, said: "The acquisition of Cape expands our product and service portfolio for customers worldwide and is an important part of our technology-led growth strategy. VP Link broadens our existing operator training simulator to include a full-featured, hardware-based solution, so operators can train on the same type of equipment they will operate in the control room. 

"Cape also provides us with an avenue to bring our simulation technology to other industries for cost-efficient process optimization and monitoring. As process safety continues to be a core concern across industries we intend to expand on Cape's proven track record in the SCADA/DCS and safety systems verification market through Wood Group's global footprint.  Cape's technology and culture are well aligned with MSi Kenny's as demonstrated by our innovative technology collaboration on previous simulator projects for major oil & gas operators."