Weir Oil & Gas and MTU Expand Relationship to Jointly Develop Purpose-Built Power System for Fracking

Two industry leaders to form new joint venture to provide continuous duty integrated system

HOUSTON (May 4, 2015) – Weir Oil & Gas and the Rolls-Royce Power Systems company MTU announced they will form a new joint venture company to oversee the development of their new power system to make hydraulic fracturing operations more efficient. Weir is the leading manufacturer of hydraulic fracturing pumps, and MTU is a market leader in heavy-duty industrial diesel engines. This broadens the relationship from the collaboration agreement announced in May of 2014.

The new joint venture will serve as a one-stop shop for the oil and gas exploration industry for sales and service of a system that will be used for hydraulic fracturing operations during the well completion stage of shale oil and gas projects.

The agreement was announced today at the Offshore Technology Conference in Houston where the first model of the combined system is on display at conference booth #344.

The Weir-MTU power system integrates the engine, transmission and hydraulic fracturing pump into one purpose built power system for fracturing. The new joint venture company, which will be named at a later date, is expected to be in operation by the beginning of 2016.

The Weir-MTU agreement builds on Weir's newly launched SPM® QE****0 pumping technology and the performance of the new MTU Frac Pack, which integrates the MTU Series 4000 diesel engine and the ZF 8 TX transmission. This combined solution addresses customer demand for more efficient continuous duty equipment.

Keith Cochrane, Chief Executive of the Weir Group, said “Weir has been using our engineering expertise to make our customers more efficient for nearly 150 years. This joint venture again shows our ongoing commitment to innovation which reduces our customers’ total cost of ownership and improves productivity. By combining the frac pump, transmission and engine into one power system and supporting it using MTU and Weir’s service networks, we will deliver significant benefits for our oil and gas customers.”

“The new joint venture between MTU and Weir Oil & Gas will provide easier access to a completely integrated pumping power system that addresses the challenges faced by frac site operators,” said Dr. Ulrich Dohle, CEO of Rolls-Royce Power Systems. “Not only have we brought our best engineering minds together to design a solution that enhances run times for the engine, transmission and pump, but we have also brought our best business minds together to provide customers with an exciting new source of innovative frac solutions.”

The market will be updated regularly as development work on the new integrated power system’s progress.

Jennifer Riley
Spokeswoman North- and Latin America
+86 21 568 008 10
charles@client-engine.com