What Core Design does

Core Design Ltd. is a privately held Canadian downhole tool manufacturer founded in 1995 and headquartered in Leduc, Alberta. The company designs, patents, and manufactures custom-engineered sand control, flow control, hanger/packer, running tool, casing/tubing, and expansion joint products for the oil and gas industry, with a particular specialization in thermal enhanced oil recovery applications including Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD) and Cyclic Steam Stimulation (CSS). Its portfolio spans more than 50 distinct products, including Direct Wire Wrap Screens manufactured on the proprietary ARC-11S Direct Wire Wrap Machine (over 100 welds per second, ±0.0015" tolerance), pin-based Hydraulic Release Tools, hardened steel seal Flow Control Hangers accommodating up to 5m of thermal movement, and complete SAGD/CSS Completion Systems.

The company operates a 50,000 sq.ft. ISO 9001:2015 and API Q1 certified manufacturing facility on 7.5 acres in Leduc, with full in-house capabilities spanning 4-axis CNC machining, precision threading, bucking, milling, and turning up to 17" diameter. Its competitive positioning rests on patented proprietary designs — particularly positive-memory steel seals eliminating elastomeric failures in thermal wells, pin-based gripping mechanisms avoiding die marking, and gas-nitrided finishes maintaining tolerances under thermal cycling. Core Design sells direct to oil and gas operators via website inquiry forms and field-based engagement, with 24-hour on-location services for tubular makeup, downhole tool operation, and surface equipment support. Pricing is quote-based on custom specifications, with no public price list disclosed. The company is founder/owner-operated (Brian Klimack, Founder; Jesse Klimack, President; Lisa Smith, CFO), is privately held with no external institutional investors identified, and received $724,874 in non-dilutive funding from Prairies Economic Development Canada in December 2025.

Name

Core Design

Legal name

Core Design Ltd.

Website

https://coredesignltd.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Core Design Ltd. is a privately held Canadian manufacturer founded in 1995 that designs and produces patented downhole tools for oil and gas operators, specializing in sand control, flow control, and thermal enhanced oil recovery solutions for SAGD and CSS heavy oil applications.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Oil and Gas Downhole Tools

NAICS

Oil and Gas Field Machinery and Equipment Manufacturing (333132)

SIC

Oil & Gas Field Machinery & Equipment (3533)

akta.pro primary industry

Completion Tools & Subsurface Equipment (Packers, Liners, Valves, Sand Control) (EUALABAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Oilfield Equipment Manufacturing & Supply (Wellheads, BOPs, Surface Equipment) (EUALABAL)

Keywords

• Downhole tool manufacturing
• Sand control devices
• Flow control equipment
• Thermal well solutions
• Oil and gas completions

Headquarters

HQ city

Leduc

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Downhole Tool Sales: Sale of patented downhole tools including sand control devices, flow control devices, hangers, packers, running tools, completion systems, and casing/tubing accessories. Products are custom-designed and manufactured in-house.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Core Design Ltd. designs, manufactures, and supplies patented downhole tools for oil and gas well completion, with a specialization in sand control, flow control, and thermal well applications (SAGD and CSS heavy oil recovery). The company operates an API Q1 / ISO 9001:2015 certified 50,000 sq.ft. manufacturing facility in Leduc, Alberta, delivering custom-engineered products including surface tools, flow control devices, sand control screens, hangers and packers, running tools, casing and tubing accessories, and expansion joints, with fast turnaround from design to delivery.

Product overview

Core Design is a downhole tool manufacturer specializing in patented sand control, flow control, and tool innovation solutions since 1995. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of over 50 distinct products across multiple categories: Surface Tools (Casing Swivel, Cement Head systems), Flow Control Devices (FCD, Cyclic Control, Inflow/Outflow Control), Sand Control Devices (Direct Wire Wrap Screens, Perforated Base Pipe), Hangers & Packers (Hydraulic Retrievable/NRetrievable Hangers, Completion Expansion Packers, Zone Isolation systems), Running Tools (Hydraulic/Mechanical Release and Obtain Tools), Casing & Tubing equipment (Vacuum Insulated Tubing, Bull Nose tools), and Expansion Joints (Completion, Drilling, Separation types). Core Design provides complete Completion Systems for Cyclic Steam Stimulation (CSS) and Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD) operations. All products are manufactured in-house at their Leduc facility with API Q1 and ISO 9001:2015 certification, supporting fast turnarounds from design to delivery for thermal enhanced oil recovery applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Casing Swivel A bearing assembly tool that allows rotation of the casing below the swivel while keeping equipment above stationary during cementing operations, sold to oil and gas operators for surface cementing applications.
• Cement Head Pump Around Plug A cement head tool that allows rotation, reciprocation, pumping and plug launching simultaneously with a solid top plug for casing cementing operations.
• Cement Head Pump Through Plug A cement head tool with a through-bore top plug allowing rotation, reciprocation, pumping and plug launching simultaneously during casing cementing.
• Casing Spider Table A bearing assembly that holds casing string weight while rotating the casing, used on drilling rigs without rotary tables.
• Flow Control Device A dual-purpose injection and production distribution control device for SAGD and CSS wells with sliding sleeve assemblies and customizable orifice settings, providing zonal isolation and selective steam injection in horizontal wellbores.
• Staging Diverter Pup A sliding sleeve assembly for SAGD and CSS wells providing selective opening/closing of sections and steam distribution control.
• Gravel Pack Joint A pre-assembled sand control tool with dual sand control liners containing three media types for filtration in vertical and directional wells.
• Direct Wrap Precision Punch Screen A precision punch screen with 3-5x higher slot density than traditional slotted screens, featuring advanced digital slot control for superior strength and efficiency in sand control applications.
• Direct Wire Wrap Screen (DWWS) Wire wrap screens manufactured using ARC Specialties ARC-11S Direct Wire Wrap Machine with ±0.0015 tolerance and advanced welding technology delivering 3-5x higher slot density than traditional slotted screens.
• Perforated Base Pipe A custom hole pattern base pipe designed for maximum flow efficiency and durability in filtration, drainage, and well completion applications.
• Slip-On Wire Wrap Screen A wire wrap screen designed for slip-on installation over base pipe for sand control applications.
• Water Well Screens Screens designed for water well applications requiring sand control and filtration.
• Flow Control Hanger A thermally enhanced casing hanger with hardened steel seals for SAGD wells, allowing thermal expansion and movement up to 5m while maintaining seal.
• Debris Seal Cup Packer A steel-bodied packer with elastomer cup design for debris containment and zone isolation in thermal wells, tested to 650°F and 5,000 psi.
• Polished Bore Receptacle A tight tolerance honed ID receptacle with gas nitrided finish for use with Flow Control Hangers, allowing thermal movement up to 5m.
• Tie Back Sub A tool assembly for tie-back into existing Hydraulic Retrievable or Non-Retrievable Hangers to seal off breaches in damaged hangers.
• Hydraulic Retrievable Hanger A hydraulically set and mechanically retrieved casing hanger for production liner suspension with bi-directional slips.
• Hydraulic Non-Retrievable Hanger A hydraulically set non-retrievable casing hanger for permanent suspension applications in thermal and conventional wells.
• High Pressure Hydraulic Retrievable Hanger A high pressure version of hydraulic retrievable hanger with steel mesh seal elements for extreme pressure applications.
• Completion Expansion Packer Combines completion packer and expansion joint functions with steel seals for thermal wells, eliminating the need for separate expansion joints.
• Mechanical Zone Packer A rotationally set packer for damaged or reduced ID casing with thermal elastomer seals tested to 650°F and 3,000 psi.
• Retrievable Bridge Plug A compact plug with seal assembly, bi-directional slips, and bypass valve for well isolation up to 5,000 psi and 650°F.
• Sliding Sleeve Packer

Quantifiable outcome

• Thermal movement accommodation up to 5m
• +3 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Halliburton: One of the world's largest oilfield services companies, offering a broad portfolio that includes sand control screens, packers, completion tools, and integrated thermal recovery services. Competes with Core Design in the same downhole tool categories, particularly in the Canadian heavy oil market.
• Weatherford International: Global oilfield services provider with extensive downhole tool offerings including sand control, packers, hangers, and expandable technologies. Competes with Core Design in completion tool categories used in thermal and conventional wells.
• Schlumberger (SLB): Largest oilfield services company, offering a full suite of completion, sand control, and production solutions including specialized thermal recovery products. Provides the broad-based competition Core Design faces in larger integrated tenders.
• Forum Energy Technologies: Manufacturer and provider of oilfield equipment including downhole tools, completion products, and surface equipment across multiple categories. Indirectly comparable as a broad oilfield equipment supplier competing in overlapping product categories.

Direct peers

• NCS Multistage: Specializes in inflow control and flow completion tools for SAGD, CSS, and tight-oil applications, with headquarters in Calgary and a major manufacturing footprint. Directly competes with Core Design's Flow Control Device and zone isolation offerings in thermal wells.
• Downhole Products: Manufacturer of centralizers, stop collars, and downhole completion accessories for oil and gas operators. Comparable product category (completion accessories) and similar scale specialty-tool manufacturer profile as Core Design.
• Packers Plus Energy Services: Canadian-based designer and manufacturer of downhole completion tools, including patented open-hole packers and stimulation systems used in SAGD, CSS, and tight-oil wells. Direct competitor to Core Design in thermal heavy-oil completions across Western Canada.
• Benoit Machine: Alberta-based oilfield equipment manufacturer producing downhole tools and custom machined components for the Canadian upstream market. Similar business model (specialty manufacturer, custom tools, in-house CNC machining) and customer base as Core Design.
• Innovex International: Supplier of downhole solutions including completion tools, packers, hangers, and flow control equipment serving global oil and gas operators. Highly comparable product overlap with Core Design's hangers, packers, and running tools portfolio.

Emerging players

• Terves Inc. Specialty manufacturer of dissolvable, reactive, and specialty downhole tools for completion and intervention applications. Overlaps with Core Design in custom downhole engineering and oilfield-grade materials innovation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/core-design-ltd/?viewAsMember=true

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Core Design