Pultron Composites signs MoU with oil giant, Saudi Aramco
GISBORNE, NEW ZEALAND [3 December 2019]. Pultron Composites, based in Gisborne, New Zealand alongside its subsidiary
company, Mateenbar in Dubai are pleased to announce a joint Memorandum of Understanding with oil giant, Saudi Aramco.
Pultron has a long-standing reputation of success in innovation and industry-firsts using pultrusion technology.
Mateenbar™ is one of their great success stories, an industry-approved glass fibre-reinforced polymer (GFRP) rebar.
Mateenbar™ is corrosion-free and lightweight. It provides a longer lifespan and minimal life cycle costs compared to
steel reinforcement.Pultron CEO, Jasper Holdsworth was in attendance at the Future Investment Initiative, held in
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. As part of the Future Investment Initiative, a memorandum of understanding in the field of energy
was signed between Aramco and Pultron with a value of 93.75 million riyals ($NZ38.9m).
According to Saudi Aramco’s internal analysis, GFRP rebar is qualified to replace 10% of Saudi Aramco’s total steel
demand. They have recently mandated GFRP rebar to be included in its engineering standards for reinforced concrete
structures in corrosion-risk areas.
“The world’s largest company, Saudi Aramco, is endorsing our Mateenbar™ technology and mandating the use of GFRP rebar
in slab-on-grade, seawalls, sidewalks, drainage channels and other coastal structures,” says Jasper Holdsworth.With
Saudi Aramco’s non-metallic initiative, the MoU with Pultron aligns with their proactive approach to managing corrosion
in Saudi Arabia and throughout the Middle East. Mateenbar™ has made a name for itself in the Middle East as a superior
alternative to steel in aggressive environments.
The Trade Commissioner to Saudi Arabia and the GCC at the NZ Embassy, Ahmad Zakkout stated, “It's fantastic to see New
Zealand ingenuity being recognised in Saudi Arabia at the highest levels.”
Mateenbar is the principal supplier of GFRP rebar in the 21km-long Jizan Flood Mitigation Channel in Saudi Arabia. This
channel is the only defence for the 400,000 barrel per day refinery built in an area of high flood risk between
mountains and the coast. Once completed, it will be the largest project in the world to be fully-reinforced using GFRP
rebar. Mateenbar has also been used as reinforcement for the Grand Paris Metro tunnel, the iconic Burj Al Arab, the F1
race track in Abu Dhabi and over 300 other high profile projects worldwide.
The use of Mateenbar™ is also gaining momentum closer to home, as engineers are seeking improved whole-of-life savings
and sustainability, without compromising performance. The rebuild of the earthquake damaged State Highway 1 in Kaikoura
is one such project where Mateenbar™ was used, providing a non-metallic and corrosion-free solution.
Pultron Composites, an industrial technology company based in Gisborne, specialising in the development and manufacture
of customized fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) pultrusions. Pultron successfully developed more than 45 new specialist FRP
structural products for marine, mining, infrastructure, electrical, agriculture and recreation applications. For more
information visit www.pultron.com
Mateenbar™ is Pultron’s proprietary glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) rebar. It is leading the world in durable
rebar with distinct advantages including corrosion resistance; ¼ the weight of steel, high tensile strength (close to 2x
the strength of steel); non-conductive; non-magnetic and consumes 70% the embodied energy of steel. It is used in large
projects including bridges, tunnels, civil and infrastructure projects worldwide. For further information visit: www.mateenbar.com
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