More Local Orders Fill L&A Pressure Welding's Books

02 October 2007

Louis Chouaifaity at L & A Pressure Welding’s Revesby workshops in Sydney with pressure vessels built from SA/AS 1548 - 7-490T XLERPLATE® steel

Business is booming for family owned fabricator L&A Pressure Welding because of growing demand for specialist petrol and chemical bulk storage facilities.

"Orders have increased 20 per cent this year, and we're likely to experience continued growth over the next two to three years," Managing Director Louis Chouaifaity said.

Sydney based L&A Pressure Welding is currently filling orders for pressure vessels, columns and heat exchangers for Caltex, two Woodside operations, ALCOA, BP Queensland, and the Manildra Group. All projects involve the use of XLERPLATE® steel.

The largest of those orders is for 15 pressure vessels for the Woodside operated Pluto LNG project, 190 kilometres north west of Karratha in Western Australia.

"The vessels are three metres in diameter and weigh about 60 tonnes each," Mr Chouaifaity said."We're also fabricating a 50 tonne a mine generator column for Caltex that will be ready for delivery in January 2008."

"The column, which is 35 metres long and two metres in diameter, will require us to fit rings and a tray, fabricate a platform, and install insulation."

L&A Pressure Welding can fabricate vessels up to six metres in diameter, weighing up to 120 tonnes.

In house services include thermal and mechanical drawing, design, fabrication, hydrostatic testing, stress relief and project management.

The company, with 60 employees, has expanded four times since Mr Chouaifaity and his wife Anne founded it in 1981.

Recent projects include the fabrication of 32 pressure vessels for the Woodside operated North West Shelf venture. These were delivered in February this year.

"L&A Pressure Welding has established a reputation for quality workmanship, good service and timely project delivery," Mr Chouaifaity said.

"Our pressure vessels are made from XLERPLATE® steel because it can withstand our ultrasonic testing processes."