Adapting a new way of thinking – no steel, no concrete – Matrix uses the power of advanced materials to create a world of new possibilities where Australian resources’ businesses are protected and future proofed.
Chief Executive Officer Aaron Begley tells The Australian Pipeliner that the company started from humble beginnings in 1991 when he and his father set up business in a small shed the size of a garage. After seeing a gap in the market for deepwater floatation devices in the oil and gas industry, the pair manufactured a product known as syntactic foam.
“Since then, Matrix has gained a reputation as an industry leader in syntactic foam solutions and subsea buoyancy and has become a major exporter of Australian goods and services with customers located worldwide,” Begley says.
“Our head office in Henderson, Western Australia is home to Australia’s largest composite manufacturing facility with capabilities in epoxies, polyurethanes, and a wide range of engineering thermoplastics.”
The facility is ISO 9001 certified and boasts a large research and development office run by scientists and material engineers from a broad spectrum of high performing industry disciplines. Coupled with highly automated processes and extensive in-house testing and deepwater simulation capabilities, Matrix consistently provides quality solutions to industries where safety and reliability are critical.
However, with the cyclical nature of the deepwater drilling market and offshore oil and gas industry, Begley says the company started to look at different needs in other industries such as iron ore, LNG and alumina.
“We had all these skills and advancements we had grown over the last 20 years and knew these could be applied to the resources sector to build a sustainable income,” he says.
“Corrosion has always been a big issue, so we started to look at how we could apply our materials engineering and coatings knowledge to help minimise its effects.”
In late 2019 Matrix became a technology partner with Woodside, who were using a coating system called Humidur™.
Begley says Woodside were using the products extensively on its operations as the product could be applied a lot quicker than traditional coatings and had a longer life.
As a result, Matrix took on the exclusive distribution of Humidur in Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea (PNG).
Matrix then purchased specialised application equipment in June 2020 and has now been the Humidur distributer for 18 months.
“Not only has this created a new business line for us, but it has also created another channel to market,” Begley says. “It is not just the coating system we are offering but a whole range of solutions.
Humidur is a two-component solvent-free modified epoxy coating range designed to provide long-term corrosion resistance in highly aggressive and biological environments. Humidur can be used in all types of water (salt, brackish, fresh, drinking and wastewater) and in areas that utilise aggressive chemicals.
Having established a proven track-record in extending the life of production facilities and assets, reducing maintenance costs and minimising operational downtime, Humidur is now being used by many of Australia’s leading LNG providers to successfully reduce the cost of corrosion control.
Begley says in 2018, Veolia was contracted by Matrix’s client Portland Aluminium to repaint its ducting tower 162YC at the Portland site in Victoria.
Veolia was tasked with blasting the entire tower with a grit blasting system and apply a three-coat painting system for corrosion protection.
“Our client was faced with strong cost reduction targets and was looking at minimising the budget for this scope of work, as well as the overall timeline to complete the painting,” Begley says.
“To deliver on our client’s cost reduction targets and reduce the project’s overall timeline, Veolia proposed Humidur coating (distributed by Matrix) for corrosion protection on Portland Aluminium’s 162YC ducting tower.
“Unlike the three-coat painting system that Veolia used to apply in the past, Humidur is an environmentally-friendly single layer protective coating system. Humidur can be applied straight onto the substrate after surface preparation, which saves on primers and creates less waste.”
Humidur is surface tolerant, which means that it requires less surface preparation, reducing time spent on tools for coating removal. The Humidur system is weather-resistant and can cure underwater and in freezing temperatures; this proved to be highly beneficial during the wet and colder months.
As a result of using Humidur, the client was able to reduce its costs by 13 per cent, reduce its overall timeline by two months and reduce waste production by 30 per cent.
Begley says it is important for Matrix to continue developing complimentary technologies which not only improve the uptime for customers, but also create a cleaner environment too.
This article appeared in the January 2022 issue of The Australian Pipeliner magazine. Click here to view the digital edition.
