Canadian distributor Market Solutions International, which services the oil sands region of Canada, recently purchased 100% recycled STRUXURE® Construction Mats from AXION. The 16 ft long mats are to be used in Northern Alberta as a temporary surface under heavy equipment with tracks and treads in wet conditions at oil and gas pipeline construction sites.
According to GBI Research, the global oil field services market is forecast to increase by 40% from $152 billion in value in 2012 to $213 billion in 2017. Western Canada, where AXION's mats are being put into field trials by multiple energy service companies, accounted for 3 million of the 3.2 million barrels of oil per day the country produced in 2012, according to the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers. Canada has become the world's 6th largest oil producer and continues to be the largest supplier of oil to the United States, providing the country with over 35% of its imported oil.
"There are some major pockets of increased oil and gas exploration across North America. This shipment of mats brings us into the Western Canadian expansion, the second major geography for our mats, following sales in Appalachian region," commented Steve Silverman, AXION's president and CEO. "The value of our products is evident to this industry. Our mats last longer and are lighter than the traditional hardwood alternative. They reduce the overall cost of the industry's expansion because they can be used repeatedly and cost-efficiently, moved from location to location due to their light weight."
Problem Solvers for Tough Environments
The mats solve two logistical and environmental problems for oil and gas companies, for whom absorption of fluids is a growing concern. The construction mats are impervious to moisture and do not absorb fluids. In addition, recycled drill pad liners, diverted from landfills, are used as a raw material, providing a closed loop solution for the oil and gas industry. A longer lasting, lighter mat is produced using a byproduct as an ingredient, reducing total project costs while supplying a 100% recycled product.
Manufactured using AXION's patented recycled structural composite formula -- produced from 100% post-consumer and post-industrial plastics - the mats are extremely strong and durable. Impervious to rot, fungus, insects, and moisture, they are suitable for wet or harsh-temperature environments such as in gas and oil pipeline construction sites; access roads; work platforms; swamp access; wet job sites; staging and laydown sites; difficult terrain; remote work camps and job sites. Through AXION's buyback program the company purchases STRUXURE® mats at the end of their useful life, recycles them into new mats, and provides a credit to the customer toward new purchases.
Market Solutions International markets and distributes products that deliver technological advancements and are proven to have a positive environmental benefit. It is a specialty distributor to the energy and infrastructure construction industries in western Canada, serving both public and private companies.
"AXION's product line offers a fantastic combination of superior durability, very competitive pricing over the life of the products, and environmental benefits. We have received strong interest from oil and gas producers for STRUXURE® Construction Mats and they are eager to put them into field testing," stated Market Solutions International's Vice President of Business Development, Tom Kaptian.
