Amiantit opens SR 30 million new Amipox GRE pipe plant in Dammam

The production of the new plant will be high performance glass reinforced epoxy pipes. The strategic objective of the new facility is to meet the continuous demand for high performing corrosion resistant piping systems by the Kingdom's expanding oil, gas and petrochemical industries.

The new plant, located in 1st Industrial City, Dammam, is fully owned by Saudi Arabian Amiantit Company and has been built at a total cost of SR 30 million. The state-of-the-art facility is fully automated and includes a computer controlled filament winding pipe production unit. It produces under the license of Amipox International Technology which also is fully owned by Saudi Arabian Amiantit Company.

Performing the opening ceremony, Fareed Al Khalawi, President and CEO of Saudi Arabian Amiantit Company, said "This new manufacturing facility is one of the finest in the world and is a visible example of Amiantit's leadership role in pipe manufacturing technology . We can all be proud that Saudi Arabian Amiantit is the world's biggest fiberglass pipe manufacturer and that we have reversed the import of technology transfer, since we are now using and exporting our own pipe manufacturing technology."

The Amipox plant produces glass reinforced epoxy resin pipes within the range of 80mm and 600mm diameters in a standard pipe length of nine metres and in pressure classes up to 3000psi (200 bar). The plant has an annual production capacity of 1600 MT, which equals 130 kilometres of average diameter pipes.

The current stage of the facility covers 1800 square meters of the 7600 square meters building space, with the remaining area reserved for phase two which will include a second pipe production line and a fitting production line. The total area of the Amipox site includes an additional 7500 square meters open yard area.

Amipox GRE products serve a variety of markets including industrial, oilfield, chemical, offshore, and marine. GRE pipes are lightweight, easy to transport, easy to install, and are extremely resistant to corrosion. They are used as a cost effective alternative to metallic piping which often degrades and fails due to corrosion.