The board of directors of US firm MFRI Inc, based in Niles, Illinois, has given the go-ahead to its Perma-Pipe unit for a new insulated pipe factory to be built in Damman, Saudi Arabia.

Development and operation will be handled by the company’s Perma-Pipe Middle East subsidiary, which already has a pipe plant in the UAE.

The new facility will serve the local oil and gas industries and a growing market for cooling networks in the kingdom The plant is close to Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain and is within 20 miles of Saudi Aramco. The plant technology includes Perma-Pipe’s spray Pur insulation and a number of jacketing systems made from polyethylene, metal and FRP.

Along with its lines of pipe products, the Damman facility will also supply custom pipe spools and a broad range of pre-insulated fittings.

The company’s fibreglass jacketed, polyurethane foam insulated piping system and (up) its leak detection system

Perma-Pipe Inc is the largest manufacturer of pre-insulated piping systems in North America. It provides engineered system layout review, product selection based on the client’s needs and complete project management from estimating to on-site technical service.

The company also offers a quality assurance programme. Products go to a broad customer base, including industrial chemical and petroleum producers, airports, governmental agencies, and institutions such as housing projects, universities, and prisons.

MFRI is also the parent company of Thermal Care, also based in Niles. It is a leading manufacturer of energy-efficient liquid chillers and plant circulating systems used to remove heat from industrial processes for customers around the globe.

Other MFRI business units are Midwesco Filter Resources, which manufactures air filtration elements, and Midwesco Mechanical and Energy, which provides energy-efficient heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems for large commercial, industrial and institutional projects.