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NEWS
Lucky visitors go behind-the-scenes - Thursday May 17 2012
Members of the public were given a rare glimpse behind the scenes of one of the world's largest steel production and engineering plants and were
able to see one of the impressive 90 tonne electric arc furnaces melt a ladle full of steel at more than 1600 degrees.
Sheffield Forgemasters International (SFIL) held a special open day on Wednesday to allow guests to see what lies behind the gates
of the Brightside Lane site.
Hundreds attended the day which saw the first group of guests arrive at 9am and the last group leave at 10.30pm.
Hopeful apprentices, former retired workers and proud family members were given the chance to see what their loved ones get up to in the 64
acre site. One former worker, Tony Williams, aged 66, from Handsworth said he jumped at the chance of having another look round.
He said: "I started working here in 1961 as an apprentice electrician when it was British Steel - I was just 15 years-old and straight out of school.
"I started in the East Machine Shop, which is now the scrap yard.
"I wanted to come back and see how things have altered; it's brought back a lot of memories. In my day there were no hard hats, no safety
glasses or ear plugs and we had to buy our own steel-toe capped shoes, so it's very different today."
Visitors were taken on a two and a half hour tour of the site and were able to look inside the different areas of production, like the Forge, Foundry,
Melt Shop, the quarter mile long South Machine Shop and the latest addition to the site – North Machine Shop
Father and son Tim Hall, 48, and Bruce Hall, 19, from Chesterfield also attended the tour and said it was an 'incredible day'.
Tim said: "The scale of the site is unbelievable. I run a small engineering business in Chesterfield and so we work with a lot of the same equipment
but on a much smaller scale."
Bruce added: "My friend is an apprentice here and he knows about our business so we wanted to learn more about his place of work.
"It's good to see there is still some British industry leading the way."
Also in attendance was The Bentley Drivers Club, a father and son who travelled from Wiltshire and BT apprentices.
Mark Tomlinson, technical director of the Melt Shop, said: "We started running the annual open day five years ago and it has increased in popularity.
"We get so many requests from people wanting to look around the site and see what we do that we decided to hold a day-long event that gave people that chance.
"It's also a really good opportunity for employee's friends and families to understand more about what happens when their loved one heads off
to work." The Bentley Drivers Club has also thanked Forgemasters for the valuable open day and will be making a charitable donation to Neurocare
on its behalf.
Released on behalf of Sheffield Forgemasters International Ltd, by HR Media Ltd, Sheffield. For further information contact Billy Greenhalgh or Adele Forrest on 0114 252 7778 or email adele@hrmedia.org.uk
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Düsseldorf 2012 - More Exhibitors than ever before! - April 2012
The World's leading Trade Fairs for Wire, Cable and Tubes report excellent Business: More Exhibitors than ever before!
The trade visitors of wire and Tube again assessed the two top events overall as excellent. During the five trade fair days,
a total of 73,500 trade visitors from 111 countries came to Düsseldorf.
In comparison with the previous events, the evaluation of the products and services on offer has again improved. German and international trade fair visitors to the two trade fairs gave excellent marks for the offer range of the fairs.
In addition, there were more first-time visitors to wire as well as Tube.
DOWNLOAD THE FULL REPORT HERE
Messe Düsseldorf - Germany
Website: www.messe-duesseldorf.de/
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Appointment of new Executive Secretary - ITA - PRESS RELEASE
The International Tube Association – the world's largest and most influential personal membership association for the tube and pipe industries –
has appointed Dipl.-Ing. Peter Byroslawsky as its new Executive Secretary.
Peter has more than 40 years' experience in the tube and pipe industry and subsequently gained many years' experience in sales and marketing departments.
Prior to becoming a consultant in 2009, Mr Byroslawsky enjoyed a long career with Mannesmann Demag AG, latterly employed as General Manager
of the worldwide Central Marketing department for SMS Meer GmbH, Germany.
Mr Byroslawsky has experience in planning of national and international fair participation, including stand management, and public relations at a national and international level.
His broad experience has led him to undertake work in near, middle and far East, eastern European countries, Russia and, for example, during his work
for several years in a Chinese Joint Venture.
Mr Byroslawsky has been a member of the ITA's European Management Board and the International Executive Management Board since 2004.
Peter will be managing the ITA exhibition stand in Hall 4 at Tube Dusseldorf 2012 (26 – 30 March). He can be contacted via the ITA Secretariat at: byroslawsky@itatube.org
ITA
www.itatube.org
+44 1926 834681
Email: info@itatube.org
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Industry looks to Tube 2012
In just under three months that time will have come around again. Tube 2012, the number one trade fair for the pipe and tube industry, will be presenting technology highlights in the exhibition halls on the Rhine in spring 2012.
From 26 to 30 March 2012 the two leading international events wire, International Wire and Cable Trade Fair, and Tube, International Tube and Pipe Trade Fair, will be held concurrently in Düsseldorf for the 13th time.
Current registration figures for both trade fairs make the Düsseldorf trade fair organisers more than confident. At this stage (correct as of January 2012) 1,196 enterprises from 45 countries have already registered for wire. 2012 will again see the traditionally strong participation of exhibitors from Italy, Belgium, France, Austria, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom and Germany. Also positive to note is the high number
of registrations received from Sweden. The majority of overseas companies come from the USA, China, India and Taiwan. All of these 1,196 companies together currently occupy approximately 56,500 square metres of exhibition space.
Tube boasts 1,055 exhibitors from 44 countries, here most European enterprises come from Italy, France, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Switzerland, Spain, Turkey, Germany and the United Kingdom. Also positive is the number of registrations received from the Czech Republic. At present, the exhibitors of Tube occupy around 47,500 square metres of net exhibition space.
Tube occupies Halls 1 to 7a. Pipe and tube accessories can be found in Halls 1 and 2, trade and manufacturing follow in Halls 2, 3, 4 and 7. Forming technology is located in Hall 5. Pipe and tube finishing machinery is exhibited in Halls 6 and 7a, not forgetting the segment of plant and machinery
in parts of Hall 7a.
Tube presents the complete spectrum ranging from pipe and tube production to processing and the trade with tubes. Ranges include raw materials,
pipes and accessories, pipe and tube manufacturing machinery and second-hand machinery, tools and auxiliary materials for process engineering
and measuring and control technology. Pipelines and OCTG technology, profiles and profile technology, testing technology and special areas such as warehousing automation and control systems complement the extensive ranges on show.
Messe Düsseldorf
www.tube.de
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Steel tube industry back on course for growth worldwide
With an increase in worldwide production of 13 per cent to around 124 million tons last year, the steel tube industry was able to leave the previous year's slump behind it more quickly than expected. The remarkable aspect of this fact is that after only one year the record results of 2007 und 2008 were attained once again. A large part in this development was once again played by the Chinese steel tube manufacturers. With an increase in production
of 9.5 per cent to 58 million tons in 2010 they reached a world market share of 46 per cent. In the rest of the world, compared to 2009, production even increased by as much as 17 per cent to 67 million tons. This strong growth in percentage terms should, however, not disguise the fact that this was clearly below the record value of the boom year 2008 (almost 80 million tons).
Compared to 2009, all tube segments were able to increase in 2010, even if at varying rates. The highest growth was registered by the seamless
steel tubes segment with a worldwide production increase of 19 per cent to around 39 million tons. The recovery in demand for small welded tubes
(up to 406-millimetre external diameter) and large welded tubes was smaller, with increases of 11 per cent for both. With well over 60 million tons, the small welded pipes and tubes market segment was by far the largest product sector ahead of seamless tubes with around 39 million tons. The driving force behind this trend was once again the energy sector, which as a result of the renewed increase in oil prices, ensured increased investments.
The increased demand from the automobile manufacturing sector coupled with the recovery in the mechanical engineering sector later in the year, contributed to growth.
At around 13 million tons, the European steel tube manufacturers achieved an increase of 13 per cent in 2010 compared to the previous year, which corresponded to the average worldwide growth rate. In terms of percentages the increase in production output by the German manufacturers was somewhat lower. Here, in 2010, an increase in production of 10 per cent to just over 3 million tons was registered. In this connection, it must admittedly
be taken into account that the German steel tube industry had emerged from the crisis year 2009 in a better state overall than other European producers due to the good employment situation in the large tube manufacturing sector.
German Steel Tube Association
www.wv-stahlrohre.de
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Tata Steel to expand steel tubular product offering and services
Tata Steel has inked a distribution agreement with Eisenbau Krämer (EBK) to expand its product offering and services to the offshore renewable energy market.
Huge quantities of wind turbine foundation structures called jacket foundations are required for wind tower structures due to the increased activities
in the renewable energy sector. The Hartlepool facility will launch a central supply base for the distribution of steel tubular sections utilised in the production of jacket foundations. Work on the facility is slated to commence in October 2011, with completion slated for spring 2012.
At the new facility, components will be produced from steel tubulars and then made ready for welding into the final structures, resulting in the reduction
of output times and enhancement of cost effectiveness to the customers, who can now get all types of steel components from one supplier.
Groundwork comprises cutting-to-size, welding, shot-blasting, coating and profiling. Materials that are stored in the kit form will be supplied to fabricators located across UK and Europe through the UK rail network and local deepwater ports.
Tata Steel's director for tubes, Ramsay Ross stated that this investment strengthens Tata Steel's presence in the renewable market. The wind tower
hub launched in Scunthorpe in 2010 to fabricate and supply steel plates for fabricators was an important part of this strategy, he said. The next step is this separate development, in which the company will alter the buildings and invest in new properties at Hartlepool, he said.
Under the supply deal with EBK, Tata Steel and EBK will produce steel tubes with diameters ≥400mm using the plates produced at Tata Steel's facilities
in Dalzell or Scunthorpe. Besides supplying tubulars for jacket foundations, Tata Steel also offers small-sized sections and tubulars ideal for all types of major and minor steel works in the fabrication of wind turbines.
Tata Steel Europe
www.tatasteeleurope.com
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France's steel tube and pipe exports rise
In the January to November 2011 period, France exported EUR2.2bn of steel pipes and tubes, up by 28.9% YoY, EUR 384.5 million of cold rolled steel
bars, up by 26.6% YoY, EUR501.2mn of cold rolled steel strip, up by 10.62% YoY, EUR 371.1 million of cold drawn wire, up by 22.7% YoY and EUR664.2mn of metal structures and parts, down by 9.5% YoY.
According to the statistics released by the French Ministry of Economy, Finance and Industry, France's total steel product exports amounted to EUR 13.89bn in the first 11 months of 2011, up by 13% YoY, while its basic steel product and ferroalloy exports amounted to a value of EUR 9.76bn,
increasing by 11.08 per cent YoY.
The cumulative value of France's steel product and ferroalloy exports has risen steadily since March 2010 on year on year basis. In the first 11 months
of 2011, steel and ferroalloys ranked seventh among the most exported products of the country.
Meanwhile, in the period in question, France's basic steel product and ferroalloy imports totaled EUR 9.9bn, up by 19.2% YoY. During the given period, France imported EUR 1.66 billion of steel pipes and tubes, up by 17% YoY, EUR 435.4 million of cold rolled steel bars, up by 26.7% YoY, EUR 617.5mn
of cold rolled steel strip, up by 18.2% YoY, EUR 413.2 million of cold drawn wire, up by 19.7% YoY and EUR 1.27bn of metal structures and parts, up
by 3.65% YoY.
SteelOrbis
www.steelorbis.com
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APL Apollo Tubes lists on NSE
APL Apollo Tubes, a leading manufacturer and exporter of steel pipes and tubes, has been admitted to trade in National Stock Exchange (NSE).
The Equity Shares of the company have been listed and admitted to dealings on the National Stock Exchange of India Ltd (NSE) under the symbol 'APLAPOLLO' in the 'EQ' series with effect from December 14, 2011.
H1FY12 Performance (Consolidated basis) Net sales during the first half is up by 63% at Rs. 6.19bn as compared to Rs. 379.4 crore in the
corresponding period last year.
EBIDTA is up 42 per cent at Rs. 50.5 crore as against Rs. 355mn in the corresponding first half ended September 30, 2010 Net profit for the first half
has risen by 24.6 per cent at Rs. 214.4mn as against Rs. 17.21 crore during the same period under review and EPS (not annualised) for the period
ended September 30, 2011 stood at Rs. 10.56.
Volume of steel pipes and tubes during the period has risen by 47 per cent to – 142000 MT as compared to corresponding first half of last year.
Growth in volume is on back of higher contribution from Greenfield facility at Hosur, additional capacity from recently acquired Lloyds Line Pipes
and better offtake from urban infrastructure projects
APL APPOLO
www.indiaonline.com
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INDOMETAL 2013 (20-23 February) Jakarta, Indonesia
Eyes on Southeast Asia – Space bookings for indometal 2013 now open!
Düsseldorf/Germany (Messe Düssledorf) – indometal 2013 – Messe Düsseldorf Asia's brand new trade fair for the metal and steel industries
in Southeast Asia is set to take place in Indonesia from 20 – 23 February 2013 at Jakarta International Expo.
The 4-day exhibition is designed as a platform for metal and steel businesses to tap into Indonesia's vast markets. "We are proud to announce that
we are further expanding our presence in Southeast Asia, offering our customers and partners even more opportunities to widen and strengthen
their presence in Indonesia and the region", says Gernot Ringling, Managing Director of Messe Düsseldorf Asia.
With a population of 240 million and its ideal geographical position, Indonesia presents the largest market in Southeast Asia and the fastest growing economy after China and India. "We trust that these factors combined with growing domestic demand, investment in capacity addition and favourable government regulations will benefit all participants at indometal 2013", he adds. Moreover the steel industry in ASEAN registered a double digit growth
of 16.8% in 2010, mainly due to the high growth rates in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.
The integration of Southeast Asia's economies into a single production base, the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA), is yet another attraction of the region
as tariff barriers are eliminated among its member countries. indometal 2013 addresses all partners involved in the metal and steel industries from raw materials, processing and equipment to production and logistics. In order to provide transparency and to offer improved orientation the organisers have divided the range on display in the following six main segments:
- Metallurgical technology
- Thermo process technology
- Foundry machinery, equipment and supplies
- Accessories and components
- Semi-finished and finished products
- Tubes
With the theme 'Forging Ahead' the debut of indometal 2013 is jointly organised by Messe Düsseldorf Asia and local exhibition organiser PT Wahana Kemalaniaga Makmur (WAKENI). Besides their dedicated team, expertise, extensive global network and commitment to delivering world-class events,
the organisers will also work closely with the GIFA, METEC, THERMPROCESS and NEWCAST teams at Messe Düsseldorf GmbH to provide the ideal gateway to Indonesia's dynamic metal and steel industry. In addition, indometal 2013 benefits from the comprehensive support of the following industry organisations:
- Federation of Indonesian Metalworks & Machinery Industries Association (GAMMA)
- Association of Metalwork and Machinery (ASPEP)
- Association of Indonesian Metal Foundry (APLINDO)
- Indonesian Foundrymen's Association (HAPLI)
- Indonesian Electric Cable Manufacturer's Association (APKABEL)
- Indonesian Iron & Steel Industry Association (IISIA)
- Indonesian Automotive Parts & Components Industries Association (GIAMM)
- The Indonesian Packaging Federation (IPF)
- Indonesian Exhibition Companies Association (IECA)
- Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN)
- Ministry of Industry, Republic of Indonesia
For more information on indometal 2013, please visit www.indometal.net
Download the PDF here
Indometal
http://www.indometal.net/
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NOV and Ameron in merger agreement
National Oilwell Varco, Inc (NOV) and Ameron International Corporation have entered into an agreement under which NOV
will acquire Ameron in an all cash transaction that values Ameron at approximately $772 million.
Under the agreement Ameron's stockholders would receive $85 per share in cash in return for each of the approximately 9.1 million shares outstanding. The boards of directors of NOV and Ameron have unanimously approved the transaction, which is subject to customary closing conditions, including the approval of holders of at least a majority of Ameron's outstanding shares.
Ameron is a multinational manufacturer of highly engineered products and materials for the chemical, industrial, energy, transportation
and infrastructure markets. The company produces fibreglass-composite pipe for transporting oil, chemicals
and corrosive fluids, and specialised materials and products used in infrastructure projects, such as poles and construction materials.
The company is also a provider of water transmission lines and fabricated steel products such as wind towers.
NOV designs and manufactures equipment and components used in oil and gas drilling and production operations,
the provision of oilfield services, and supply chain integration services to the upstream oil and gas industry.
James S Marlen, chairman, president and CEO of Ameron International Corporation, commented, "Ameron's board of directors believes that the proposed transaction with NOV represents an outstanding value for Ameron's stockholders. The Ameron businesses, while confronting a challenging business environment at this time, hold strong positions, and we have structured the businesses to capitalise on growth opportunities as markets recover.
NOV has the resources to fully capitalise on the established business strategies and fully realise the potential of each of the Ameron businesses."
Pete Miller, chairman, president and CEO of NOV, remarked, "The acquisition of this leading fibreglass pipe provider will enhance the scale and scope
of the solutions we offer to our oil and gas customers worldwide. Ameron's marine and offshore products will expand NOV's offering into seawater handling systems in new oil and gas drilling and FPSO vessels, and our combined oilfield composite pipe operations will benefit from purchasing efficiencies and scale."
National Oilwell Varco, Inc – USA
www.nov.com
Ameron International Corp – USA
www.ameron.com
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TMK IPSCO breaks ground on new research and development centre
GLOBAL pipe manufacturer TMK IPSCO has broken ground on a new 51,000 square-foot research and development centre in Houston, Texas. The state-of-the-art facility will serve as the heart of the company's innovation initiatives – new product design and development, experimental and validation testing, and advanced metallurgical research. The research and development centre will serve TMK IPSCO, as well as the global operations of its parent company, Moscow-based OAO TMK.
"This new facility is a testament both to our commitment to innovation and to our position of leadership in our industry," said Piotr Galitzine, chairman of TMK IPSCO. "The work we do here will lead to advancements in the production of pipe and pipe connections, which are becoming increasingly important as oil and gas companies continue to expand into difficult, unconventional drilling environments. Other products are on the drawing board as well"
The TMK IPSCO research and development Centre will bring in-house much of the analysis, modeling and testing work that is currently performed by outside providers. The building will feature a high bay testing area, a variety of support laboratories, 27,000 square feet of office space, and a two-and-a-half story glass entry atrium at the center point. The facility is scheduled to open in the Autumn/fall of 2011.
Two high-tech connection testers rated at four million pounds and two million pounds of tension, respectively, will be among the key pieces of equipment installed at the new research centre. Other key equipment will include a scanning electron microscope (SEM), a collapse tester, tensile and fatigue testers and a corrosion testing lab, among others. Other work would involve simulation, modeling and analysis work in the areas of alloy design, welding, mechanical forming, connection integrity and non-destructive testing.
In addition to connections testing, TMK IPSCO's research and development centre will also work to improve the quality of steelmaking itself, engaging in a wide range of metallurgical research involving both carbon- and micro-alloyed steel.
"This is a very exciting endeavor for TMK IPSCO," said Prasenjit Adhikari, the company's chief technology officer. "The research and development centre puts our company at the cutting edge of technology. Not only will we have some of the world's best equipment and processes here, but we'll have some of the world's top professionals in the fields of engineering, science, manufacturing and metallurgy."
The centre will serve both TMK IPSCO and OAO TMK, and will collaborate with numerous organisations, including MIT, the Russian Research Institute for the Tube and Pipe Industries (RosNITI), and several other top industrial forums, research labs and universities.
TMK IPSCO operates in North America as a division of TMK, a global market leader in energy pipe production. TMK operates 23 production facilities around the world. TMK product offerings include a wide range of seamless and welded energy tubular products including oil & gas drill pipe, well casing and tubing, line pipe, LD pipe, standard pipe, hollow structural sections and related services. TMK also manufactures premium connections for oil and natural gas drilling and production under the ULTRA™ Premium Connections and TMK Premium brand names.
PR Web
www.tmk-ipsco.com
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ChTPZ steel pipe sales up by 45 per cent in Q1 2011
CHELYABINSK Tube Rolling Plant of Russian has announced its production results for Q1 of the current year. In Q1 ChTPZ's steel pipe sales increased to 488,000 tons up 45 per cent compared to 337,000 tons in Q1 2010. Its sales volumes of large diameter pipes, OCTG and seamless industrial pipes increased by 94%, 26% and 33% respectively compared to Q1 2010.
The strong performance in sales volumes of steel pipes and also of core products for trunk pipeline systems arose due to an increase in demand from ChPTZ's main oil and gas customers, primarily Gazprom.
In 2010, ChPTZ launched its new large diameter pipe mill, Vysota 239. In March this year, Vysota 239 produced 52,000 tons of LD pipes. In Q1, the sales volume from the new LD pipe shop totaled 131,000 tons including 114,000 tons shipped to Gazprom's Yamal Ukhta Torzhok pipeline project.
Steel Orbis
www.chtpz.ru
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Sandvik announces Q1 2011 segment results
DEMAND improved for Sandvik Materials Technology during the quarter. Order intake rose 14 per cent and invoiced sales 21% at fixed exchange rates. Order intake for products for the energy sector and mining industry remained strong and the improvement continued for products used in the automotive, electronics and consumer goods industries. Earnings were negatively impacted by production disruptions in tube and pipe manufacturing, which also resulted in an increase in inventories.
The global market situation gradually improved during the quarter, primarily in Europe and North America. The market for high-alloy products for the energy sector remained strong during the quarter although invoiced sales to the nuclear power industry decreased slightly compared with the preceding quarter due to a planned, lower delivery level. Demand also increased for products to the automotive, consumer goods, chemical and engineering industries, while the volume trend for medical technology applications remained weak.
The tragic events in Japan during the quarter have not, to date, led to the cancellation or postponement of orders from the nuclear power industry. However, it is still too early to assess the long-term consequences. The ongoing capacity expansion is currently progressing as planned.
An agreement was signed with Westinghouse for deliveries of cladding tubes to nuclear power stations during the quarter. The agreement extends over several years and corresponds to a total value of more than SEK 3bn.
Capacity utilisation increased in several areas but recurrent production disruptions in tube manufacturing resulted in lower deliveries and increased costs, and that working capital rose due to greater production inventories. A number of activities are under way to counteract the disruptions, and both improvements and growing deliveries were noted in March. In April, a fire occurred in Sandviken's wire production plant. The effects will impact production and deliveries of wire products during at least the second quarter.
Working capital was 30% (28) of invoiced sales. Operating profit amounted to SEK 362 million (312) or 7.9% (7.8) of invoiced sales. Changed metal prices had a positive effect of about SEK 80 million on operating profit. Changed exchange rates had a negative impact of about SEK 50 million. Return on capital employed for the past 12 months was +9.6% (-1.9).
Mr Jonas Gustavsson, former president of the Wire and Heating Technology product area, has been appointed president of the business area and will take up his new position on May 1st 2011. He succeeds Mr Peter Gossas, who will retire according to agreement.
STEEL GURU
www.steelguru.com
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Industry support for ITA biennial conference
PLANS are well advanced for the International Tube Association's next major technical conference in Europe, to be held in Düsseldorf, 7-9 November.
The conference will focus mainly, but not exclusively, on four main topics: OCTG, large diameter line pipes, pressure tubes and precision tubes,
embracing both welded and seamless technologies. In addition there will be essential market overviews of each of the main topics as well as a keynote speech.
7 and 8 November 2011 will be devoted to conference sessions, with a late afternoon optional visit to the SMS Meer workshop on 8 November,
which will include a site tour, networking drinks reception, buffet and entertainment. On 9 November there will be an opportunity to visit the Europipe
and Vallourec plants in Mulheim, although numbers will be restricted for safety reasons. Other features of the event that offer excellent networking opportunities are table top exhibits on both conference days and a drinks reception immediately after the end of the first day.
SMS Meer is the main conference sponsor, and a number of other organisations will be sponsoring elements of the event, including Messe Düsseldorf, Reika GmbH, Graebener GmbH and IMS Messsysteme GmbH. Following discussions between officials of the European Steel Tube Association (ESTA),
the German Steel Tube Association (Wirtschaftsvereinigung Stahlrohre eV), the European Metallurgical Equipment Association (EUnited Metallurgy)
and ITA president Dr Gunther Voswinckel, the ITA is pleased to announce that these three influential trade organisations have agreed to support the conference. Also supporting the conference is the Europaischer Blech Verband (EFB).
The ITA's sister organisation, the International Wire & Machinery Association, is the main organiser of a concurrent wire conference, CabWire, which is also being held at the Congress Center, Düsseldorf.
For regular updates about this major event for the pipe and tube industry, including details about table top exhibits and sponsorship opportunities, please visit: www.itatube.org/dussconference.php
ITA
Website : www.itatube.org
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Sandvik concludes additional agreement for delivery of steam generator tubes and expands production capacity
Sandvik Materials Technology has concluded an additional multi-year supply agreement for steam generator tubes for the nuclear power industry.
The agreement is valued at SEK 1.5bn and deliveries are scheduled to commence in 2012 and continue through 2014.
The customer is the Chinese company Harbin Electric Corporation (QHD) Heavy Equipment Company Ltd and the steam generator tubes will be used
in nuclear power plants in China.
As a consequence of this agreement and the very high demand from the nuclear power industry, Sandvik's Board has approved a further expansion
of production capacity for steam generator tubes. This will take place at Sandvik Materials Technology's plants in Sweden and the Czech Republic.
"The investment further strengthens Sandvik's position as a leading supplier of steam generator tubes for the rapidly growing nuclear power industry. Including the order from Harbin Electric, we have signed supply agreements for a total value of SEK 8 billion in this area since the beginning of 2009,"
says Peter Gossas, President of Sandvik Materials Technology.
Sandvik – Sweden
Website: www.smt.sandvik.com
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A new name on the scene in Aberdeen
Specialist tube and pipe distributor Van Leeuwen Wheeler has acquired the Aberdeen assets of Mardale Pipes, a specialist supplier of duplex
and super duplex stainless steel to the oil and gas industry.
The acquisition sees Van Leeuwen Wheeler gaining a 9,000sq ft warehouse at Dyce, together with stocks and machinery. The company is relocating
its Dundee sales team, headed by sales manager Dave Franklin, to the new Aberdeen location and will be retaining members of the Mardale team.
Part of the Netherlands-based Van Leeuwen Pipe and Group, Van Leeuwen Wheeler has major stockholding hubs in Middlesbrough in the North East
and Brierley Hill in the West Midlands with access to over 100,000 tonnes of tube in group stocks. With a growing presence in the offshore sector,
the company supports operations in many of the major oil and gas fields around the world, both from its UK and European stocks and via mill direct
supply. The company's regional manager for Scotland, David Blakey, describes the move into Aberdeen as a key strategic development. He says:
"We have long recognised the importance of having an active presence in Aberdeen and this development gives us a stockholding capability at the
heart of the oil and gas industry. We will be focusing on the specialist supply of duplex and super duplex materials which complement our core
capabilities in stainless and carbon steels. With the acquisition of this strategic location, we are uniquely positioned to offer a large portfolio of materials backed up by the necessary technical expertise."
The Aberdeen operation on Kirkhill Industrial Estate, Dyce, has been re-named Van Leewuen Wheeler and is now open for business.
Van Leeuwen Wheeler – The Netherlands
Website: www.vanleeuwen.com
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