Morton Grove, Ill. (April 24, 2013) — John Crane has appointed a new general manager of Australia, opened a customer service center in Perth, Australia, and signed two major contracts as offshore natural gas discoveries in the Oceania region drive business growth and investment.
The new general manager of Australia, Craig Coulston, will bring more than 30 years of company experience to his new position. He will assume responsibility for all aspects of the business in Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea. Dave Hill, Vice President of John Crane’s Asia Pacific region, said: “Craig brings a wealth of knowledge to this position. He will provide the strong leadership required to continue building the infrastructure needed to support the growth in this region.”
One of the recent contracts is to supply more than 30 dry gas seals for use in the Ichthys Field, a huge natural gas field off northwest Australia — representing the largest discovery of hydrocarbon liquids in Australia in 40 years, estimated at more than 500 million barrels.1 John Crane also won a large order in New Zealand for a project with Refining NZ to supply seals, couplings and systems that will support a significant capacity increase for the customer. This project follows the signing of a five-year reliability contract with Refining NZ in 2010, demonstrating the strength of a positive, long-term customer relationship.
Duncan Gillis, President and CEO, John Crane Group, added: “The significant offshore natural gas discoveries allow Australia to continue to grow its exports of natural gas while balancing its energy security. This means higher demands on our customers, whom we will support by investing resources as needed, while remaining committed to increasing local employment opportunities and supporting communities within this region.”
In addition to the new customer service center in Perth, John Crane Australia anticipates opening a gas seal service facility to support local customers.
About John Crane
John Crane is a global leader in the design and manufacture of mechanical seals, couplings, hydro-dynamic bearings, seal support systems and filtration systems. The company serves a variety of markets, including the oil and gas, chemical, pharmaceutical, pulp and paper, and mining industries. John Crane employs more than 7,000 people and has operations in over 50 countries. 2012 revenues were more than $1.5 billion. John Crane is the largest division of Smiths Group, a global technology business listed on the London Stock Exchange (SMIN).