JOHN Lawrie Tubulars Ltd, one of the largest purchasers and suppliers of steel tubular products in the UK, has one answer to the oil and gas industry’s challenge of reducing waste by repurposing pulled and surplus steel tubular pipe.
Iain Laing, Managing Director, says: “We repurpose redundant steel tubulars from the North Sea oil and gas industry as a high-quality alternative to new manufactured prime steel products in the construction piling industry. This is significant because we are extending the life of this product through repurposing, which is at the core of our business. Our aim is to minimise waste, pollution, water and the consumption of finite resources in order to improve sustainability, reduce environmental impacts and help cut greenhouse gas emissions. We can then share these greener credentials with our suppliers and clients to show the carbon emissions saved thanks to using our services.”
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Expanding Services
Vic Sinclair, CEO, added: “We have recently invested a seven-figure sum in developing our UK facilities and, following the purchase of a number of new assets, are now perfectly positioned to offer services to new clients in the mining, water wells and minerals industries (as well as construction) in order to maximise the opportunity for repurposing products that would otherwise go to waste.
“We aim to keep moving our Tubulars business forward, expanding our service offering and reaching new markets we have not previously worked with before. Innovation is key to our growth strategy so we’re looking forward to continuing to evolve our business to meet market demands.”
Our in-house services now include the manufacture of drill rods, casing products such as rotary percussive, BS 879, BS 4019, piling casing, micropile and casing advancement systems, helical piles, pipe and fabrication for rail and highways as well as swedged pipe for driven piles.
Our new, built-for-purpose UK based manufacturing facility at our Montrose operation includes seven CNC lathes in our new machine shop, as well as the creation of new friction welding facilities (the only friction welder on offer owned by a dedicated drilling equipment manufacturer) which sees us become the only business offering such a diverse range of services to the UK construction piling industry. Along with a new inspection building, these new facilities complement our existing pipe cleaning and fully automated saw cutting facilities.
Sourcing Pipe
We manage a vast and extensive inventory of tubulars for structural and construction uses, holding a stock of over 80,000 tonnes at any given time. We never say no to a package of tubulars from our oil and gas suppliers because we have the facilities and infrastructure to collect and transport pipe globally, from wherever our suppliers need, and hold it in stock until we have a requirement for it.
We work closely with a number of local businesses including Montrose Port Authority, situated just three miles away – where regular shipments of tubulars are received and exported. And our operation based at Althorpe Wharf in Scunthorpe is strategically located to assist with inbound/outbound delivery and storage of tubulars as well.
Reducing CO2e
We have recently outlined our commitment to improving environmental practices and reducing carbon emissions by investing in a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) based on our own unique steel tubular management processes. The findings detail that for every tonne of repurposed steel tubulars supplied there is a carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) saving of 97.21% over new manufactured prime steel products.
The report presents the environmental impact and benefits of the repurposing and onward delivery of our products, comparing the impact of our repurposed tubulars to that of new manufactured prime steel products throughout their lifecycle.
Employees
We are proud to be a business based in the North east of Scotland, employing a team of around 30 employees from the local Angus area, and the development of our service offering has seen our workforce nearly double over the last 12 months – including the appointment of a HSEQ Manager, a number of CNC Operators and a Machine Shop Manager.
This investment sees our company become the most valuable one-stop, fully in-house service provider to the construction industry in the UK. Our clients need look no further for all their steel tubular, drilling, casing and piling needs, and that’s because we source our stock from existing channels. This is the value-added proposition for our customers – taking perfectly good material already in existence and adapting it to suit a new purpose for a different industry.
