Description of Business
The Plexus Group is an established oil and gas engineering and service business based in Aberdeen, with an office in London and subsidiaries in Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei.
The Plexus Group has developed and patented a friction grip method of engineering for oil and gas field wellheads and connectors, named POS GRIP® which involves deforming one tubular member against another to effect gripping and sealing.
POS-GRIP® technology was invented by the Plexus Group’s founder and non executive chairman, Ben van Bilderbeek, an accomplished engineer and successful entrepreneur with over 35 years’ industry experience, and a track record of developing and commercialising specialised wellhead and drilling equipment.
The Directors believe that the patented POS-GRIP® wellhead technology delivers significant advantages over existing ‘slip and seal’ and ‘mandrel hanger’ wellhead technologies, and provides:
- Enhanced safety
- Larger metal-to-metal seal areas
- Virtual elimination of movement between the sealing parts
- Fewer components
- Simplified design and assembly
- Enhanced corrosion resistance
- Simpler to manufacture
- Reduced installation cost
- Lower unit cost
- Increased reliability
POS-GRIP® wellhead technology is ideally suited to enable some of the more extreme fields, particularly for high pressure and high temperature (HP/HT) conditions where it has particular advantages in gas environments for which there is increasing demand throughout the world.
Plexus’ patented POS-GRIP® friction method of engineering wellhead systems and other Plexus products have been deployed in more than 400 oil and gas wells to date in Australia, UK and Norwegian North Sea, Egypt, Brunei, Cameroon, Russia, Trinidad, Tunisia and Malaysia. International blue-chip customers and end users include Apache, BP, ConocoPhillips, Equinor, Petro-Canada, Shell, Repsol Sinopec, Total, Tullow Oil and Wintershall.
In 2019 Plexus established a joint venture, Plexus Pressure Control Ltd, with UK-based BEL Valves which enables Plexus for the first time to supply operators with highly qualified surface Xmas trees and valves, alongside its own POS-GRIP® surface production wellhead systems.
The Plexus POS-GRIP® “HG” metal-to-metal seal technology is well proven and is leak-proof and maintenance-free over the life cycle of a well, raising wellhead standards to a new level, providing substantial OPEX savings and bringing significant environmental benefits to an industry determined to eliminate methane gas leaks.
In March 2019, Plexus announced that its Russian licensee Gusar had secured its first major contract to supply Plexus jack-up exploration gas exploration wellhead equipment to Gazprom, the world’s largest gas company, marketing a significant opportunity for Plexus.
Plexus is also developing new markets for its proprietary technology. A recent Joint Industry Project (‘JIP’) has developed a best in class POS-GRIP® Deepwater HGSS® Subsea Wellhead design with the encouragement of, and in collaboration with a number of key oil and gas operators and service companies including ENI, Royal Dutch Shell, Tullow Oil, Wintershall, Total, Breda, Transocean, Oilstates and Lloyds Register. Plexus will be seeking opportunities to introduce this subsea wellhead design to the market where significant technical, operational and cost saving advantages can be demonstrated to the customer.
The company’s long-term goal is to develop POS-GRIP® technology as the future industry standard for wellhead design. This objective includes the distribution of POS-GRIP® technology through licensees, and maximising market penetration in areas where it has already had success with jack-up exploration wellhead rental application licences, both with TechnipFMC outside of the CIS, and Gusar LLC within the CIS. The Directors believe that over time the Plexus Group can become a member of the ‘first tier’ of global wellhead system suppliers.
Plexus’ business operations are in Aberdeen, and business opportunities are sought worldwide.
+44 (0) 1224 774 222
info@plexusplc.com
Plexus Holdings plc
(Registered Office Address)
Highdown House
Yeoman Way
Worthing
West Sussex
BN99 3HH
Plexus Ocean Systems Ltd
(Physical Address)
Plexus House
Burnside Drive
Dyce
Aberdeen
AB21 0HW
Plexus Ocean Systems Ltd
(Registered Office Address)
Johnstone House
52-54 Rose Street
Aberdeen
AB10 1HA
Craig Francis Bryce Hendrie
M.Eng (Oxon)
Chief Executive Officer
Profile
After gaining a Masters Degree in Engineering Science from the University of Oxford, Craig began his career with ICI plc in 1996 as a machines engineer. He joined Plexus in 1998 and was instrumental in the development, testing and analysis of the original POS-GRIP products. As Technical Director, Craig was responsible for overseeing new technology and concept development, product testing and analysis. Having also beeing involved in day to day company management, business development and PLC matters, he is now CEO.
Michael George Park
MA CA
Chief Financial Officer
Profile
Having qualified as a CA in 1991, Mike spent 13 years principally in the oil and gas industry with Ingram Cactus and Weatherford, where he was Financial Controller for the West Africa and UK divisions. Mike joined Plexus in 2004 as Group Financial Controller and became Finance Director of Plexus Ocean Systems in 2011. Within his time at Plexus, Mike has been involved in the IPO and Admission to AIM process as well as many other initiatives alongside core responsibilities of accounting compliance.
Anastasio Johan Michael James van Bilderbeek
BSc M.Eng
Executive Director
Profile
Anastasio graduated from the University of Texas, Austin with an engineering degree, and subsequently joined British Gas plc as a drilling engineer. He spent 2 years with British Gas Plc and gained invaluable experience in all aspects of E&P drilling, well design, planning and execution. On leaving British Gas, Anastasio joined Plexus to learn all about installing Plexus proprietary wellheads around the world. Having gained in depth practical experience in the field, he spent some time in Houston, Texas on product development and testing, before moving to Egypt to head up the sales and marketing team for a number of years, which proved very successful. On his return from Egypt he has spent his time in Aberdeen and London involved in various commercial and operational aspects of Plexus.