Founded in 1986, TXAM Pumps sells all manner of products related to chemical injection pumping – except for the chemicals themselves. Based in Houston but with a presence in multiple states, the firm designs and manufactures electric, pneumatic, solar, circulation, beam, metering, and woodpecker pumps. Regardless of the type or model, most of its pumps are intended for chemical injection by clients in oil and gas and other markets.
The company also sells automation solutions such as pump controllers and multi-point injection systems, as well as pump parts and accessories.
“Ninety-five percent of our pumps are proprietary,” states Paul Brisbin, Regional Manager.
TXAM differentiates itself through a combination of leading-edge products, huge selection, and excellent customer service. “We have a patented design in our [pump] housing that gives a lot longer life to the packing and a lot longer life to the motor,” Brisbin notes. “We use an all-stainless-steel housing, so [our pumps] are very durable.”
The company’s HBT series of solar and electric pumps are among its most popular products. The HBT2 electric pump comes in either single or double-head format, can work to a maximum pressure of 6,000 PSI/400 Bar, and has a switch that can convert power from AC to DC for locales where AC power is not reliable. The HBT1 solar pump, meanwhile, can work to a maximum pressure of 2,000 PSI/140 Bar, comes in single or double-head format, has an innovative pump design, and is environmentally friendly and low-maintenance.
TXAM also carries a full line of Pneumatic pumps: the PTP2500 pneumatic pump, the 3500 and the 6500, which all come in single-head format and can handle a maximum pressure up to 6500 PSI; and the TX-BP beam pump, which is available either as single or double head format and can handle a maximum pressure of 1,000 PSI/70 Bar. An extended arm feature is available with the TX-BP Beam Pump.
Specialty items like the HBT EXP series of ‘explosion-proof’ pumps are certified to work in Class 1 and Division 2 areas such as oilfields. Safety is paramount in such environments, where even a small external spark can trigger an explosion.
TXAM also offers advanced solutions such as the IPC 2000 tank monitor and pump controller which lets operators remotely control their pumps and tanks from a laptop or cellphone. The control can monitor pump delivery and tank level, pinpoint pump location via GPS, and can be programmed to send out reports and alarms.
The 600TSP SCADA pump controller has tank monitoring and proportional control. Pump delivery can be controlled remotely, and the product offers an instant network connection to gather and analyze data in real time.
Thanks to such devices, customers can “get up in the morning, look at their computer and say ‘I don’t need to go out and check the chemicals today because everything’s running fine,’” says Brisbin. “The patented system we have will tell them if a pump is not running, and it also makes the pump very accurate and delivers exactly what you tell it to deliver.”
This is particularly good news for anyone with pumps in cold-winter climates such as “North Dakota [or] some location that you might not get to for three weeks because of the weather,” he says. These controllers are part of a general trend towards automation in the pump sector.
“We’ve got a lot of automation projects going on right now. One of these is the multipoint injection system. For a fifty-well pad of directional gas wells, instead of having fifty pumps, we’ve got multipoint systems that are very sophisticated. You can have up to sixteen injection points with one pump. It makes for a much smaller footprint on the location. The multipoint system is a new thing right now,” he says.
The multipoint injection system also ensures repeatable, accurate injection rates. An operator can enter the desired injection rate in gallons or quarts per day, and the system automatically takes care of the rest.
TXAM also sells parts and accessories, from stainless steel tubing and tube fittings to stainless steel atomizers, valves, bushings and nuts, site glasses, battery boxes, and gas scrubbers.
Not only does it make good pumps, but it also stocks a huge variety of them. “We carry a larger inventory than any of our competitors. Nobody comes close,” states Brisbin, who says the company maintains a huge inventory “on the ground in over eighteen locations.”
In addition to Texas where the company has multiple offices, it has offices or field offices in North Dakota, Oklahoma, Wyoming, Arkansas, Colorado, and West Virginia. TXAM has international representatives in South America as well.
These locations offer a wide inventory and excellent customer support, and staff are happy to help clients over the phone or Internet, in-person, or in the field with pump installation and repair, field work, technical assistance, and engineering.
“Service, reliability, and availability is what really separates us. We’re on call seven days a week. We have people that cover weekends. Somebody needs something, we can get it to them,” says Brisbin. “It’s not unusual for some of our guys to be out at one o’clock in the morning replacing a pump or helping someone repair one.”
Thanks to this combination of excellent products, wide selection, broad geographic reach, and customer-focus, TXAM has been expanding at a fast clip. “The company now has roughly three times the employees that we did when I came to work for TXAM in July of 2011; [we had] only one remote location and now we have 18,” says Brisbin.
There is discussion about opening a new field office in Alaska. The Alaska office won’t open, however, “until we have the right person. That’s the hardest thing and the most important thing—getting the right person,” he says.
Given its rapid rate of expansion, the company keeps certain criteria in mind when considering new personnel. In terms of service-technicians, it likes people who are “willing to work. You grab a guy that’s married, got a kid or two, and then wants to work, wants the overtime, wants to grow with the company. That’s the guy you’re looking for. We’re easy to work for, but you must be self-motivated. As far as a sales guy, we look for somebody again who is a self-starter and doesn’t need to be managed,” he explains.
“Staff who are hired are treated very well and as a company we want to keep our people whole when issues come up in life. It flows down from the very top of this company. We’re responsible for people. If you take care of the people, they will take care of you,” says Brisbin.
When it comes to promoting itself, TXAM relies heavily on face-to-face marketing and regularly attends trade shows and industry conferences.
In August 2019, the firm showcased new pump automation controllers and tank monitoring systems at the NACE Central Area Conference in San Antonio, Texas. Among other products, it demonstrated its 600TSP SCADA pump controller and IPC 2000 cellular pump controller and gateway tank monitor.
The company attended the Oklahoma Oil & Gas Expo held October 10, 2019. TXAM Pumps was a Platinum level sponsor of the event and displayed its latest pump automation systems at the show.
“You’ve got to be like a hound dog. You’ve got to have your nose on the ground, going door to door, being in front of people. That’s what we do,” affirms Brisbin.
Having the right people and focusing on keeping them is central to getting through economic downturns. TXAM tries to “get the right people and make sure the guys who get out there and get business understand what we’re responsible for. We’re responsible for all the people that we hired. We’re now responsible for them and their livelihoods and their family,” he says.
Moving into new markets is another way to get through any doldrums in the oil and gas sector. “We’re looking for other revenue streams now outside of pumps, simply because the market is only so big, and we want to grow this business as big as it can get,” explains Brisbin.
For example, he has been recently looking into the commercial possibilities of well-head containment products.
Despite this, TXAM remains committed to its chemical injection pump product line.
Brisbin has a clear vision of the future. “I see us continuing to grow and get smarter,” he says. “I see us turning to more automation. Five years from now, I see us with probably two or three more facilities throughout the U.S. There’s a lot of business potentially in Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois.”
