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Pipe Tek expands pipeline capabilities, integrating mechanical installation, testing and integrity services to streamline mine site delivery.
On a mine site, a pipeline is only as effective as the mechanical system supporting it. Every valve, flange, connection and section of pipe needs to be installed, aligned and tested to perform as intended.
Once mechanical installations are complete, the entire system then needs to be tested and ready for commissioning – often sitting across several contractors.
Pipe Tek is helping mine operations bring pipeline maintenance under one roof, supporting both mechanical installation, such as pipework valve fitting and controlled mechanical bolt-up, alongside responsibilities involving keeping assets running.
This, the company said, is a natural extension to its established pipeline construction, testing and integrity capabilities.
“There’s a lot that happens around a pipeline before you get to testing and commissioning,” Pipe Tek chief operating officer Taddam Farrant told Australian Mining.
“Pipework, valves, flanges and bolted connections all have to come together properly. If we’re responsible for those activities as part of the same package, we can manage them with the overall project outcome in mind.”
Mechanical installation is where engineering drawings and specifications meet the realities of a mine site. Access can be restricted, tie-ins need to be carefully sequenced and existing infrastructure can limit installation options.
Pipe Tek’s approach balances the consideration of these requirements with broader package delivery, ensuring installation and maintenance work go hand-in-hand.
The company’s teams can undertake pipework installation, valve fitting, flange management and mechanical bolt-up, coordinating those activities with the wider construction and testing program.
This turnkey management creates a direct connection between how a system is installed and how it will ultimately be tested.
“The advantage is that we’re not looking at bolt-up, valve installation or pipework in isolation,” Farrant said.
“We’re looking at how all those components need to come together to deliver a functioning system, and then making sure the installation is ready for the testing and commissioning stages that follow.”
Whilst mechanical bolt-up – assembling structural components such as flanges – might seem like a relatively straightforward part of a larger project, for Pipe Tek, this sits at the centre of ensuring strong outcomes. Pipe Tek incorporates controlled bolt-up into its mechanical delivery, with installation, inspection and documentation managed as part of the wider project requirements.
“When these activities are coordinated by the same contractor responsible for the broader package, potential issues can be identified while crews are still working on the installation, rather than becoming someone else’s problem further down the delivery chain,” Farrant said.
On top of this, it means less time spent coordinating interfaces and more clarity around who owns the outcome.
“The important thing is having accountability for the finished installation,” Farrant said.
“If something needs to be resolved, there’s no question about which contractor’s scope it falls into.
“Our team is responsible for getting the package delivered.”
Pipe Tek’s mechanical capability also builds on its existing expertise in pipeline testing and integrity. Once the pipework and mechanical components have been installed, the company can continue through inspection, quality assurance and control and testing, including hydrotesting and verification, creating a continuous delivery model from mechanical installation through to proving the completed system.
“We’ve always had a strong focus on what happens once the pipeline is installed, how you test it, verify it and make sure it’s fit for service,” Farrant said.
“Now we’re able to take more responsibility for what happens before that point as well.”
The move into broader mechanical delivery puts a greater emphasis on the role Pipe Tek can play when supporting mining projects across Australia.
The company can support clients across engineering and procurement before moving into field construction, mechanical installation, testing, commissioning and ongoing integrity – meaning one team responsible instead of balancing multiple.
“The pipeline is only one part of the overall system. Our goal is to be able to take responsibility for more of that system and give the client a complete delivery solution,” Farrant said.
The result ensures fewer interfaces, a clearer line of accountability and a contractor that understands the project from installation to operation, giving Pipe Tek another string to its bow in supporting mine sites.
Not simply as a pipeline testing and integrity specialist, Pipe Tek is positioning itself as a contractor capable of delivering the mechanical package that surrounds the pipeline.
This feature appeared in the November 2026 edition of Australian Mining.