DuraTech Processes’ John Grimes is a big fan of the oil and gas industry, but as a finisher whose business is very focused on that industry, he also realizes the drawbacks.
John Grimes“The energy industry is very cyclical, and the transition to green energy will only add to the ups and downs of the market,” says Grimes, Executive Vice President of the Mansfield, Texas finisher. “There will always be a place for conventional oil and gas as part of the energy equation, but it may not be as reliable as it once was for businesses like ours.”
DuraTech has been a top coater using composite technology in its 45-year history, mainly in the oil services industry. Now, this 3rd generation of family-owned and operated business is focused on bringing its unique skillset into new, growth-oriented markets in need of powerful and environmentally friendly coatings.
To do this, the Hubbell family brought in both Grimes and Project Director Miranda Wilson to initiate a long-term growth strategy to complement its existing business in oilfield services.
For the DuraTech team, the goal is like many serving the energy sector: to find other industries they can service, too.
“There is a big need for us in the oil and gas industry today,” Grimes says. “A lot of service providers like us are trying to keep up with significant demand, but we are also looking to what may be happening 10, 20, or 30 years down the road.”
‘Healthy and Active,’ But Needing to Grow
DTP can plate a range of pipe sizes.In the short-term, he says the oil and gas business is “very healthy and very active,” but the uncertainty of the energy sector over the long haul has been a major focus of the growth plan for DuraTech.
While the company specializes in the application of composite coatings for large format industrial equipment — and developed an expertise in plating long parts used in the oil and gas industry — they have done so by utilizing silicon carbide and diamond particles in an electroless nickel matrix to significantly improve the corrosion protection and wear resistance of components.
DuraTech’s coating services dramatically extend the life of critical equipment used by its customers, and say their coatings are both more effective and eco-friendly than hard chrome plating.
Grimes says knowledge of composites — and a willingness to experiment — gives them the flexibility that allows DuraTech to create tailored solutions that produce high hardness, natural lubricity, excellent abrasion, and wear resistance.
40-Foot Long Plating Tanks for Large Parts
In addition, their plating tanks can handle parts up to 40 feet in length while at the same time easily handling parts smaller than 12 inches.
Grimes says that equipment used in oil and gas wells in different parts of the country — whether it be Texas, North Dakota, or Pennsylvania — often requires specific finishing needs that are unique to the aggressive conditions found in many wells, and DuraTech has mastered the processes for these needs.
“We’re biased, but we believe that our coatings protect equipment in certain conditions better than anyone else in North America,” Grimes says. “It is something that we have been very focused on for more than 45 years.”
DuraTech has a trademarked coating called Durabide, a premium product they say is a superior alternative to hard chrome. It is often referred to as NiCarb or Ni-Carb and has silicon carbide particles embedded within a nickel-phosphorus matrix.
Targeting Alternative Energy, Agriculture, Manufacturing, Aerospace
Miranda WilsonAnd while DuraTech’s process gives them expertise in handling tubular, over-sized no-line-of-sight parts that were previously considered uncoatable, they feel their robust plating technologies offer the potential to provide similar benefits to a multitude of industries that experience challenges and equipment failures due to corrosion and wear issues.
Grimes says they will be targeting the alternative energy, agriculture, paper/pulp manufacturing, aerospace, mining, and industrial manufacturing sectors with their coating solutions.
“We believe that if we take the same approach that we’ve had previously that we will have the similar success as we did in oil and gas,” he says.
To help spread the message, DuraTech brought on Miranda Wilson as a Project Director to help with not only their wastewater and pretreatment systems but with a savvy career in marketing to also rebrand the company and bring a fresh look to its website and messaging.
Grimes and Wilson have also begun researching many of the industries they might want to enter, including the geothermal sector, which may seem a promising opportunity with like-minded needs in the energy industry.
“We want to be cautious on how we go forward,” Grimes says. “We want to be methodical and disciplined in how we attempt to enter markets because we want to continue to be a leader. Ultimately, we want to bring value to the industry.”
Modern 85,000-Square Feet Facility
One of the key messages that Grimes and Wilson have been pushing is how modern DuraTech’s 85,000-square feet of space is, which includes manufacturing and a warehouse that was built in 2014. They now have eight tanks that can take 40-foot parts and plan to add more.
Wilson says the newer facility treats 100% of its wastewater in-house and only occasionally has sludge removed, which is a big plus when they seek clients who are also environmentally conscious.
“Everyone who walks through our facility remarks about the cleanliness of it,” she says. “It truly is a beautiful facility. And visitors are blown away by how clean it is, even in our waste treatment area.”
With the facility an asset to their push over the past two years to find new markets to enter, Wilson and Grimes say they will continue to explore those industries to find the right fit.
“We have made it a big focus for the company going forward,” Wilson says. “Maybe in past years, it was mentioned but then pushed to the side, but since John joined us two years ago, it is something that we have been actively working on every day.”
Grimes, however, says growing the finishing business which currently has about 40 employees, will mean finding clients in new industries that are long-term and productive.
“We don’t want to be chasing fads,” he says. “We are experts in coatings and how to apply them, and we want to find the right partners that we can help for the long term.”
Visit https://dtp.co
