TPT January 2010

C ontents

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E ditorial I ndex ............. 0 2 I ndustry N ews ............. 0 6 T echnology U pdate . .... 0 40 G lobal M arketplace .... 0 84 S pecial R eport : The future of the global tube and pipe industry put under the microscope . .................... 0 118 A dvertisers I ndex ........ 0 128 F ront C over S tory LINSINGER Tube cut-off machine, Type Multi-Cut MC 4 developed and manufactured by LINSINGER Austria. LINSINGER’s four saw blade technology is the most productive low-cost solution available for tube cut-off. Ideal for round, square and rectangular tube cut-off at high speed. LINSINGER Multi-cut is for inline- operation in ERW lines as a flying tube-cut off aggregate requiring highest possible availability. It utilises four cutters working simultaneously around the pipe for a surprisingly fast cut. If one of the four has an early lifetime end, it goes into a park position. The remaining three tool heads cut tubes continuing until the scheduled tool change. Thereafter there is a decrease of the tube line speed or an increase of the cutting speed. LINSINGER machines are engineered and manufactured in Austria. LINSINGER offers an extended product range for the tube and pipe industry. It covers mainly circular sawing machines for cutting of steel billets and tube layers, milling machines for edge preparation for wind tower construction and shipbuilding and pipe bevelling machines for bevelling of tube ends.

Entering 2010 with optimism While I was at FabTech, Chicago I had my first opportunity to converse with individuals in the industry face to face. This proved to be an invaluable way to not only learn about the products and machines in greater detail – and importantly to see them in action – but also proved a good litmus test to help me judge how the industry is faring, and what the level of optimism of engineers and managing directors at tube and pipe firms really is. After all, where else would you meet people not only from every corner of the US, but from Europe and Asia too? What I found, at an encouragingly busy show, was a refreshing, if cautious, sense of optimism, even from companies in the worst hit regions of the world – the US among them. The cruel fact is that many companies have become much more lean – sadly mainly through redundancies – but that should leave them in good shape for the recovery. It seems that the world simply cannot do without quality pipes and tubes and that the industry has largely survived unscathed, because there really are no cheap substitutes for machines that have been developed over decades. Although we are by no means out of the woods yet, the signs are undeniably promising. As I saw at FabTech, a continued emphasis on quality craftsmanship, innovation and attention to detail should remain the hallmarks of the industry as the world enters a more economically buoyant period. Read our exclusive special report on the future of the industry on page 118 for an in-depth analysis of the state of the industry. Next issue is our Düsseldorf special so don’t forget to let us know if you will be

exhibiting any new machines at the show. Also in the issue will be features on ‘straightening technology’ and ‘finishing, end-finishing and superfinishing’ so make sure you get in touch. All that remains is for me to wish all of our readers a happy and prosperous 2010. Rory McBride, editor, Tube & Pipe Technology

Editor • Rory McBride Features editor (USA) • Dorothy Fabian

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