Profab buys Specialised Welding

Hazelmere fabrication company Specialised Welding Australia Pty Ltd will merge with Singapore-based engineering firm Profab International to create an entity that will service the global oil, gas and petrochemical industries.

The merger will see SWA, which has clients including Woodside, BHP Billiton, BP and Alcoa, retain its name and businesses under the Profab International group banner.

SWA managing director Willi Laufmann said the merger will allow the company to combine its specialist skills in exotic metals with Profab's carbon steel expertise to offer clients a complete end to end suite of services.

"Another advantage is gaining additional specialist experience in heat transfer products through Fraser Thermal Technology - a subsidiary of Profab," said Mr Laufmann.

"From a corporate perspective, this amalgamation will result in better market penetration and increased business sustainability, allowing SWA to increase its scope, while remaining focused on our core field of specialist engineering."

Profab produces large heavy duty carbon steel-based structures, pressure vessels, and process modules for the oil and gas industry and counts BHP Petroleum, Ranhill Worley and Petrosea as clients. It has subsidiaries in Malaysia and Singapore with its primary manufacturing operations based on the island of Batam, Indonesia.

SWA is known for its high quality manufacturing using high performance alloys, particularly exotic alloys, in the mechanical and thermal design and manufacture of pressure vessels and heat exchangers for mineral processing and oil and gas refineries.

SWA has assisted major projects in Australia and South East Asia supplying reactors for BP's refinery in Western Australia, stacked heat exchangers for Caltex Brisbane and various equipment for Shell Eastern Petroleum Singapore.

SWA was established by Mr Laufmann in 1973 and has since grown to employ around 100 personnel with an annual turnover of more than $20 million.