| Smart Pipe Company, Inc. Announces Move to Katy |
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Smart Pipe Company, Inc. CEO Stephen Catha and Katy Area EDC CEO Lance LaCour announced the relocation today of Smart Pipe to a new and expanded facility in the Westgreen Business Center, Building #8, at 1426 Vander Wilt Lane, in Katy ( 77449). Founded in 2004, Smart Pipe has developed an innovative pipe lining technology for the rehabilitation of old and degraded pipelines with a focus on the oil and gas market in urban and difficult to access areas. Recently, the Company received the elite designation of "Most Promising Technology" at the Rice Alliance 2006 Energy Technology Forum, and was recognized as runners-up in the 2007 Global Pipeline Awards held in Rio de Janeiro.
Smart Pipe has also recently become a portfolio company of Shell Technology Ventures Fund 1 B.V. (STV). STV Fund’s majority investor is Royal Dutch Shell. The new Katy area facility includes 12,500 square feet of office and systems assembly and testing space and will be home to the Company’s executive management team, sales, and administrative staff. In announcing the move, CEO, Stephen Catha, noted; "we are delighted to be in a position to contribute to the development of the Katy area and appreciate the support we have received from the Katy Area EDC". Katy Area EDC President, Lance LaCour echoed similar comments: "On behalf of our KAEDC Board of Governors and all of our members, we thank Steve Catha and the other members of the Smart Pipe Board and management team for selecting the Katy area. They bring a wealth of talent and new employment opportunities to the greater Katy area. We are very pleased to have Smart Pipe as a new member of our regional business community. We will do all that we can to support their continuing growth and development. Let me also thank KAEDC Vice President, Frank Lombard, for his work on this project." Smart Pipe is predominantly focused on high pressure, long length oil and gas transmission and distribution lines. The target market is urban and/or difficult to access areas such as under a city or through wetlands. Smart Pipe believes that in most urban areas, the company can reduce replacement costs by up to 50%. This is assuming the alternative to their system is a "dig-and-replace" method or repetitive repairs to an aging pipeline or where time is of the essence. The benefits of Smart Pipe products and services are noted below: High Pressure Applications – with the inclusion of the high strength fabric windings, Smart Pipe is able to use this liner in high pressure applications up to 1,440 psi. Higher pressures than this can be accommodated with more windings. This also allow Smart Pipe to produce their liner system as a standalone pipe or to be contained within an existing host steel pipeline. Portable Factory – The Smart Pipe System is manufactured in a portable factory which can be transported to the pipeline. Smart Pipe is continuously formed and inserted into the host pipeline with a size range from 6" to 16".However; larger diameters can be provided by building a further portable factory. Longer pulls – with the inclusion of the carbon fiber pulling tapes, laid longitudinally along the complete length of the product, Smart Pipe can pull continuously into a pipeline up to approximately 10 miles (in a relatively straight pipeline) without stopping, at a current speed of approximately one mile per day. Prior to insertion into the host pipe, Smart Pipe forms the liner into a "C" shape, which reduces the overall circumference by about 40% and is then reformed to be a tight fit against the host pipe inner circumference. 24/7 Monitoring – with the inclusion of the fiber optic monitoring system, which is laid longitudinally along the product, Smart Pipe can provide continuous monitoring of the pipeline for leakage and strain; and, can also be adapted for third party intrusion. About the Katy Area EDC The Katy Area Economic Development Council is a non-profit, private 501(c) 6, full-service economic development corporation that was incorporated in October 2003 with the mission of establishing the Katy area as the premier location for families and businesses through planned economic growth and development. Since its inception, the Katy Area EDC has helped facilitate the creation of thousands of announced quality jobs, millions of sq. ft in new and leased buildings, and hundreds of millions of dollars in announced capital investment in the Katy Area. |
