TPT September 2022

WE LD I NG

Tube welding capabilities expanded after six-figure technology investment

distortion on heavy wall thickness butt welds. New 20 tonne capacity Fronius endless torch rotation cladding equipment has also boosted capabilities. This will allow complex geometry welding of racetracks and cross or intersecting bores to be completed in one single operation, providing additional precision engineering cost and time savings. Alongside investment in extra equipment, two new welders have joined to provide increased cladding and butt-welding capacity while Express Engineering’s trainee welding engineer has qualified as a CSWIP 3.1 welding inspector as part of continued professional development.

He said: “We now offer a full range of specialist welding services, ranging from simple corrosion-resistant overlay (cladding) all the way to precision pipe welding and fabrication in exotic alloys. We are developing products for all areas of oil & gas, from the inter surface arena to below-the-mud line operations. “Our extended capabilities will see us not only able to improve the support current oil & gas customers enjoy, but also expand our precision welding services into a wider range of industrial applications such as the nuclear and defence sectors.” Arc Machines Inc narrow gap equipment butt welding has also been added to improve the capability to deposit lower weld volumes on downhole tooling for the offshore sector, increasing productivity and reducing

UK-BASED oil & gas subsea equipment company Express Engineering has announced a six-figure investment in new precision welding equipment and capabilities as it expands its sector operations to support customers. The move comes as the company completes its relocation to its new 48,000ft 2 assembly and test centre in Gateshead, UK. It also sees the relocation of the welding department to a newly refurbished facility with the addition of a new carbon steel specific welding area with an additional buttering/cladding station for larger parts up to five tonnes, automatic butt-welding and manual fabrication. Gary Thirlwell, managing director, believes investment in additional precisionwelding capabilities will provide advantages over other conventional systems as well as applications.

Express Engineering www.express-engineering.co.uk PTL acquires Stanley oil & gas division PIPELINE Technique (PTL), a provider of solutions in the onshore and offshore infrastructure welding, coating, and fabrication services sector, has announced that it has agreed to acquire the oil & gas division from Stanley Black and Decker, the international pipeline services and equipment company, which operates in more than 100 countries. PTL, which is backed by specialist energy private equity firm Bluewater, has acquired the three groups of companies that make up the oil & gas division: CRC-Evans, Pipeline Induction Heat (PIH), and Stanley Inspection (including MicroAlloying, part of Stanley Inspection). The acquisition means that PTL can service every part of the energy mix, including oil & gas, renewables (including wind and hydrogen) and carbon capture, as well as the wider infrastructure sector. It also means that PTL will begin deploying the newly acquired technologies to a much wider range of sectors and applications. Martin Somerville, managing director of Bluewater, which owns PTL, added: “We are delighted to back Frederic and his team in this transformational acquisition of Stanley Oil and Gas. This represents another substantial corporate carve-out deal for Bluewater, and we are extremely excited by the growth potential for the combined group.”

Pipeline Technique www.pipeline-technique.com

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SEPTEMBER 2022