Weir commits to Australian unconventional gas development with first local manifold trailer manufacturing

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SPM(R) Manifold Trailer with SPM(R) Safety Iron(TM) connections manufactured by Weir Oil & Gas, the first such manifold trailer built in Australia. (Photo: Business Wire)

Weir Oil & Gas, a global leader in the design, manufacture and support of equipment for hydraulic fracturing, has announced that it has established the first manifold trailer manufacturing capability in Australia.

SPM(R) Manifold Trailer with SPM(R) Safety Iron(TM) connections manufactured by Weir Oil & Gas, the first such manifold trailer built in Australia. (Photo: Business Wire)
SPM(R) Manifold Trailer with SPM(R) Safety Iron(TM) connections manufactured by Weir Oil & Gas, the first such manifold trailer built in Australia. (Photo: Business Wire)

The investment will provide cost-effective hydraulic fracturing technology and allow the country – which has some of the largest resources of unconventional gas in the world – to capitalise on the development of local manufacturing as the industry develops.

“Australia is poised to benefit from the fracking revolution that is helping make the United States energy independent, but without local suppliers, costs can be significant as critical equipment needs to be imported. In-country manufacturing is Weir’s customer-driven solution and a key element of our global strategy,” said Mark Pickles, regional director of Asia Pacific for Weir Oil & Gas.

Manifold trailers are integrated, self-transportable pipe connection systems essential to hydraulic fracturing operations. They connect multiple high-pressure pumping units that supply water, other fluids and propping agents to wells undergoing fracking operations. The pumped fluids fracture tight rock formations and the propping agents hold these fissures open to allow the natural gas to flow more freely to the surface.

According to the press release on the Business Wire, Weir has sales and service facilities in Adelaide, Perth and Queensland. It delivered the first manifold trailer from its Adelaide headquarters to Condor Energy in August of this year. The trailer was specifically designed to enable rapid connection in the field in order to reduce rig-up and down time on site and to meet or exceed Australian Department of Transportation regulations.

Adertisement

“Weir is the first and only company to manufacture manifold trailers in Australia. Our mission is to be wherever and whenever our global energy and resource customers need us, delivering innovative products and services and becoming their trusted partner of choice. As Australia’s unconventional gas industry continues to develop, Weir will be there to support it,” Pickles said.

Weir Oil & Gas is a division of The Weir Group PLC –  one of the world’s largest engineering companies which employs more than 15,000 people across seventy countries. Founded in 1871, Weir has more than 200 manufacturing and service facilities globally which serve the oil and gas, minerals, power and industrial markets.