Just one year on from establishing a new entity in Australia, pipeline technology specialist STATS Group, is looking forward to a bright future after securing frame agreements with some of the region’s largest Tier 1 operators.
A wider market understanding of the company’s patented BISEP double-block and bleed isolation technology has laid the foundations for growth, which is being realized with contract wins and formal long-term strategic relationships.
STATS has been engaged on a large variety of Australasia projects since 2017 when it made its market entry with the hot tap isolation of a 10-inch liquified petroleum gas (LPG) pipeline in Victoria on behalf of a major operator, using its double block-and-bleed BISEP tool.
Building on a reputation for innovation and responsiveness, in 2020 STATS was awarded a long-term call-off contract by Santos to cover its assets in Queensland and South Australia.
Last year, STATS was in demand when the company was commissioned to complete two 12-inch BISEP intervention projects in Darwin; four, 14-inch BISEP work scopes in Perth; and in Victoria’s Bass Strait the company provided a range of hot-tapping and remote isolation services on an offshore platform.
Encouraged by the positive client support, last November STATS announced plans to set up a Perth-registered business with a planned investment up to US$1.3 million (A$2 million) in equipment and support infrastructure.
“We are finding that once our BISEP’s have been used in a shutdown or maintenance scenario, it changes an operators’ perception of how isolation projects can be executed, and this is reflected in the significant uptick in activity we are now experiencing,” said Gareth Campbell, STATS Group’s regional manager for Asia Pacific.
STATS global approach to expanding its geographic presence is to establish a strong local infrastructure with a permanent portfolio of equipment and personnel, the company said. P&GJ