IPI Packers Open New Perth Facility

IPI Packers new facility at Tonkin Highway Industrial Estate in Bayswater was officially opened by Chris Rodwell (CEO Chamber of Commerce and Industry, WA) on Friday 4th November, 2022 with Ms Jessica Shaw MLA (Parliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Premier of Western Australia; Minister for State Development; Jobs and Trade; Tourism; Commerce; Science).

Left to right, Howard Kenworthy (Commercial Director), Clem Rowe (Founder and Exec Chair), Francis Ford (Managing Director, Australia), Jessica Shaw MLA, Chris Rodwell (CEO CCIWA), Garry Taylor (Smart Union)

The event included the entire Australian based team of IPI Packers with guests from local clients and industry bodies including APPEA, ADIA and CODA. All were welcomed by local Managing Director Francis Ford, who has risen to this position after 17 years with IPI having commenced at the company as its first apprentice in 2005.

The guests toured the facility before formal speeches and refreshments and saw a rubber research lab that has facilities unique in the Southern Hemisphere, a machine shop with a robot served advanced CNC lathe and a climate-controlled packer manufacturing shop.

The new IPI Packers facility in Bayswater WA include a modern office layout, a climate-controlled packer building facility, a medium-sized machine shop, advanced testing facilities, significant parts warehouse and excellent staff facilities.

The company was recently awarded a $1m federal government grant as part of the Modern Manufacturing Program. The largest award in Western Australia, it is helping fund advanced CNC lathes, robots, modern workshop facilities, advanced testing facilities and a new computerized operating system.

Mr Rodwell stated that CCIWA had 1,000 manufacturing companies amongst its membership of 7,000 and that manufacturing was a very important part of the state’s economy with IPI Packers being an excellent example of what could be achieved.

Ms Shaw, on behalf of the Deputy Premier Roger Cook, affirmed the support the state had for the manufacturing sector and commended IPI Packers for “blazing a trail” in the export market.

Founder and Executive Chair of IPI Packers, Clem Rowe, said that whilst he was very proud of what the business had now achieved, he was prouder of the team that had come together to achieve something more than he expected when he founded the company in 1999.

Guests included Claire Wilkinson, APPEA Director for WA and SA, seen here with Francis, Howard, Clem and Masoud Jangani (IPI Packers BDM for Asia-Pacific)

IPI Packers has greatly increased its work recently in oilfield, with a current emphasis on supplying specialist well plugging technology for the environmentally secure abandonment of old oil and gas wells offshore Western Australia, Indonesia, California, the Gulf of Mexico and in the Mediterranean.

In the mining sector, IPI Packers have developed innovative solutions for pure water hydraulic fracturing that are quicker, cheaper and safer than explosives. They are used for production in the world’s largest underground copper and gold mines, as well as for mine and tunnelling project safety through rock burst mitigation programs. It is also a market leader in permeability testing for major mining and dewatering projects and for certain products in the US water well market.

The company is now the world’s largest inflatable packer specialist having developed its own version of this niche technology that is replacing established North American variants with major oilfield clients. This follows earlier versions of IPI’s technology having previously replaced these variants on major civil engineering projects. IPI Packers typically exports 80 – 90% of its Western Australian production.

Apart from these new premises in Perth, IPI Packers has representative offices in multiple locations in the USA, Bulgaria, Chile and the UAE. Global staff presently number 90 with two thirds of these being employed at the Bayswater facility which is expected to see an increase over the coming months.

Some of the IPI Packers Australian team in their new workshops

You May Also Like

The Hydraulic Fracturing Method of In-Situ Stress Testing from a Field Equipment Perspective

Down Hole Tool Tale from WA

Our Advanced Packers for Geothermal Well Completions

Made Differently,
Perform Better

Discover why we’re the market leader for Inflatable Packers across a variety of industries. 

Learn More

 Made Differently,
 Perform Better

Twitter Linkedin Youtube
Industries
Company
Contact

Stuart Brown

Director

Stuart recently joined IPI as the Director of Oil and Gas, bringing with him 15 years of diverse experience in the industry, with a strong focus on inflatable packers. His extensive background encompasses a variety of roles, including field engineering, operations management, sales, and business development. This breadth of expertise, coupled with his international experience in markets across North America, Europe, Australia, and the Middle East, positions Stuart to effectively lead and expand IPI’s oil and gas operations on a global scale. Stuart holds a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Aberdeen and a Master’s degree in Finance from City University of London. His robust technical foundation and financial acumen uniquely empower him to drive strategic initiatives and foster growth within the company.

Masoud Jangani

Director

Masoud joined IPI Packers in 2022 as the Oil & Gas Region Manager for the Asia Pacific, bringing over 20 years of experience across operations management, technical sales, and business development in the resources sector. His diverse career spans both the mining and oil & gas industries, where he has held key leadership roles at global companies. In 2024, Masoud was appointed Director of the Mining, Water, and Geotech product lines (MWG), driving strategic growth and expansion across these sectors. Masoud holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering and graduate certificates in finance and business law.

Garry Taylor

Dave Knell

Director

David (Dave) Knell has been involved with the manufacture and application of inflatable packers for over 35 years. He started his career as an apprentice aged 15, and within a year, was running packers offshore, in Western Australia. Dave was the first employee of IPI and has been instrumental in the development of IPI’s manufacturing facility and capabilities. His knowledge of building packers is backed by extensive experience in the field, an innate understanding of real-world applications, and a fierce attention to detail. Dave is currently focused on expanding IPI’s ISO9001 certified manufacturing operations on a global scale, to better serve customers and to foster the continued growth of the company.

Francis Ford

Director

Francis joined IPI in 2005, based in Perth, Western Australia, as an apprentice. He developed his skills in manufacturing, tool and packer design and field operations across multiple industries – mining, water, civil/construction and oil & gas. His level of expertise and understanding enabled him to progress into leading IPI’s R&D efforts as manager. This included leading key custom / OEM designs and their practical developments, for multiple clients as well as continuing to progress the design and development of IPI’s unique systems. Now as engineering director, he is developing IPI’s engineering team to better support clients by improving our predictive packer modelling and fostering the continuous improvement of our packer tools and technology. A member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers and author of several technical papers, he is credited in several industry patents.

Joel Adams

Director

Joel Adams is a hydrogeologist, turned packer expert who has spent 30 years applying inflatable packer technology to complex downhole problems. His experience includes well testing for nuclear waste site characterization, water resources, water rights, rock stress testing, water well rehabilitation, and plug and abandonment (P&A). Joel has been leading the team as Director – North America since 2007 and has been associated with IPI, either as a key customer, agent or employee, since its founding in 1999. He led the introduction of IPI packer technology to P&A work, offshore in the Gulf of Mexico, and the establishment of DuraFRAC® packers as the market leader in the water well hydrofrac market. With numerous publications and presentations, Joel is a recognized expert in well testing and custom packer system design.

Howard Kenworthy

Director

Howard joined IPI in 2005 as commercial manager when IPI had 5 staff and was making customized product to order. His prior career was with UK public companies in retailing and financial services, leading operating companies. He holds an MBA which he took a few years after his degree from Oxford (Philosophy, Politics and Economics). He has led IPI’s distribution development with standard products and established most of IPI’s international operations as part of his role in business planning, finance and strategy. This included joint ventures in the USA, Chile and Indonesia. He was based in South East Asia 2015 to 2022, prior to relocating to Sharjah in the UAE, from where, as Commercial Director, he continues to develop and co-ordinate planning and strategy, the group’s global distribution and financial operations.

Clem Rowe

Founder and Executive Chair

Born and bred in Western Australia, Clem is a Curtin University graduate with a degree in mechanical engineering. Early in his career, Clem worked on offshore engineering projects in Western Australia and France. While working offshore, Clem was first exposed to inflatable packers, manufactured by a small Australian company that he subsequently joined in 1988 as Engineering Director. Clem established IPI in 1999 and has grown it from a small Western Australian manufacturing operation, to the world-wide manufacturing and distribution organization that it is today, by carefully selecting a competent team, that shares his values of quality, innovation and customer service. Clem is a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, the Institute of Hydrogeologists and the Institution of Engineers, Australia. He is the author of multiple articles and papers on inflatable packers and their application and has several international patents to his credit.

Our Company

Made Differently, Perform Better 

Discover why we’re the market leader for
Inflatable Packers across a variety of industries. 

Our Industries