A & B Pipeliners hosted the grand opening of its new facility in Sedgewick on Thursday, April 21, feeding a crowd of 700 people, who were also treated to tours of the new building.

A&B Pipeliners took another huge step forward on Thursday with the grand opening of its new facility in Sedgewick.

The company was started in 1957 by Les Arnett and Ray Burgess, but Arnett bought out Burgess in 1970.

Arnett and Burgess put down roots in Sedgewick in 1974, built a new office in 1996, and solidified its long-term committment to the area with the grand opening of the new maintenance and fabrication facility.

Senior Equipment Manager Steve Arnett said the new building in Sedgewick is the third in as many years for the company, with a new Athabasca facility built in 2014, and a new Blackfalds shop in 2015.

The company also has a brand-new North Dakota division.

Arnett said that the pipeline sector has been hit hard with the current marketplace, and so A & B looked to diversify, going into fabrication as well as pipeline integrity.

Sedgewick will be the company’s main maintenance location and with the improved fabrication capabilities, Arnett says state-of-the-art equipment and tooling will allow them to chase some large projects.

The new 38,000 square foot shop includes administrative offices as well as a fabrication/welding bay, equipment wash bay, and mechanical bay.

The fabrication bay includes a 14’ x 24’ water plasma table that is cutting edge technology. Arnett says with this alone, the company has the potential to increase production nine times over.

With the company’s Athabasca fabrication shop booked solid to the end of September, adding increased fabrication capability in Sedgewick gives the company the ability to expand its production.

A & B has diversifed its operations from just pipeliners over the past half-century, and the new shop includes state-of-the-art fabrication equipment like this 14’ x 24’ plasma table.

For the grand opening on Thursday, the designer of the plasma table flew in
from Quebec to give demonstrations, to audiences that included A & B employees from around the province, and locals.

Arnett’s particular pride and joy is a unique and efficient equipment wash bay that includes undercarriage sprayers that reduce the time for washing an excavator from six hours to 40 minutes.

The design of the wash bay contains dirt and sediments in a pit, and allows the water to be captured and recycled through the system.

“We’re getting a lot of notice on this,” Arnett says.

For now, it’s just their own equipment that is going through the bay.

A new parts department that is already almost full to capacity will provide quick access to all A & B facilities, but particularly to those in the maintenance bay.

A look into the new eight-bay vehicle and equipment maintenance bay tells you immediately that some things have changed.

There are no pits in this facility, and no lack of light, as each door is a sunshine door, flooding the building with natural light year-round.

Arnett says that the building meets the highest R-rating that Scott Builders is currently capable of delivering in Alberta.

“It’s as green a facility as they can currently build.”

Mechanical bays include another state-of-the-art system, this time for the oil system, which evacuates all oil and fluids, as well as having on-the-spot refill fluids, with hoses capable of reaching anywhere in the bay.

The supplier tracks fluid levels automatically and refills the exterior tanks when needed. Technicians also have a library of equipment manuals at their fingertips.

State of the art fluid stations in the maintenance bay use cutting edge technology to automate the fluid replacement for technicians, and virtually takes care of itself by sending a signal to the supplier when fluid levels drop.

Arnett said the company now has 12 divisions, with Sedgewick being the maintenance centre for the entire company.

The new building doesn’t mean a change is in the works for the old site, which will be repurposed and continue to be used, Arnett says that if the buildings become unsuitable for what the company needs, they will likely look at rebuilding them, too.

The company will continue to occupy the old county administration building as well.

One thing Arnett expected to receive, with the grand opening of the new building was resumes, and he was not disappointed.

“I look forward to an opportunity to hire, as work picks up,” he says.

Arnett and Burgess was awarded Contractor of the Year by Kinder Morgan Canada, reflecting a 0 TRIF achievement, received the TransCanada Silver Safety Award; the Top Quartile Safety Award from TransCanada Pipelines, and was an Alberta Venture Contractor of the Year Nominee for 2015.

Leslie Cholowsky
Editor