Ferndale, WA – February 18, 2009 – Samson, the worldwide leader in performance cordage, held a ribbon cutting ceremony on February 10, 2009, to celebrate its recent business expansion that will enable the production of a broad range of products for the offshore oil and gas industry. The multi-million dollar expansion includes the addition of new technical engineering staff and sales staff, as well as adding more than 35,000 square feet to Samson’s Lafayette, La., synthetic-rope manufacturing plant. The new space accommodates new braiding and take-up equipment specifically tailored to produce very long, large-diameter synthetic ropes. Samson has more experience replacing wire rope with high-performance synthetics than any other rope manufacturer in the industry, and now with greater manufacturing capability, Samson provides an unparalleled product and service package for high-tech synthetic rope solutions for demanding offshore applications.
The expansion adds enough floor space to accommodate two new rope braiders and support equipment: a Herzog 48-strand horizontal braider, a Herzog 2000 12-strand single braider, and 65-ton capacity take-up equipment. With the new capacity, Samson is producing a broad array of high-performance synthetic ropes, including tethers, long lifting winch lines and specialty working lines.
The new Herzog horizontal braider and take-up equipment are capable of producing synthetic mooring tethers in very long lengths, with strengths of 2000 metric tons or greater. This braider produces both traditional polyester tethers and Samson’s MoorLite™ tethers made from Dyneema SK-78 HMPE fiber. Samson MoorLite™ tethers offer the lightweight flexibility and stiffness for deepwater and ultra-deepwater mooring applications that translate into significant installation efficiencies and operational cost savings.
The Herzog 2000 single braider produces very long continuous lengths of 12-strand torque-free braided high-performance ropes. These products are targeted for replacement of wire rope in heavy lift-sling and winch-line applications. Samson high-performance non-jacketed single braids will now be available in sizes up to 200mm in diameter with strengths exceeding 2050 metric tons. With Samson’s recent development of cyclic bend-over sheave (CBOS) enhancing Deep Cool™ Technology, Samson ropes can outperform the wire and other conventional synthetic fiber ropes already in use in winch-line applications. These ropes will be an enabling technology for a variety of ultra-deepwater offshore subsea applications where wire rope cannot be used because of its breaking length.
In addition to increasing capacity, Samson is adding new staff to support the offshore industry. The Samson’s technically trained sales team is being expanded in both Europe and Asia; new applications engineers and field support staff are joining the team in Europe, Asia, and Lafayette, Louisiana; and the Research & Development team is expanding with new experts in high-performance rope systems.This dedicated and skilled team of experts work alongside customer’s offshore engineering teams to create and install custom-engineered solutions to meet unique project specifications.
The Samson team also includes master-distributor partners who provide innovative design and fabrication of high-performance synthetic rope systems: Southwest Ocean Services (SWOS), located in Houston, TX (www.swos.net); Gaylin International PTE Ltd, located in Singapore (www.gaylin.com); and Endenburg BV, located in The Netherlands (www.endenburg.com). These stocking distributors provide sales, customer service, specialty fabrication, and technical expertise around the globe.
With the additional capacity and capabilities, combined with the most advanced R&D organization in the industry, a dedicated team of application/sales engineers, a master distributor network available worldwide, and location on the Gulf of Mexico, Samson can provide unprecedented service to the offshore industry.
About Samson:
For well over 100 years, Samson has been recognized as a worldwide leader in the development and manufacture of high-performance ropes. Among its many innovations, Samson invented the double braid and pioneered the first high modulus polyethylene fiber ropes. Today, Samson engineers continue to pioneer the use of new fiber technology and the development of innovative coatings and constructions to produce ropes with unprecedented performance characteristics. Samson’s research and development team is meeting an ever expanding market need for products with exceptional performance in critical applications. Samson is part of Wind River Holdings™ portfolio of operating companies. For more information about Wind River Holdings™ visit www.windriverholdings.com.
