TPI January 2014

business & market news

Axis breaks ground for new facility Officials of Axis Pipe and Tube, The Prolamsa Group and state and local officials participated in ground breaking ceremonies in Bryan, Texas, USA, for a new pipe and tube facility. The company will invest in excess of $150mn in the new state-of-the-art facility. Company officials were quick to praise the Bryan area. “We are pleased to become a part of the Bryan community. We looked at a number of possible locations throughout the south-eastern and south-western United States for a plant site. Bryan offers a unique combination of factors that includes a technically oriented work force, close proximity to customers and suppliers, and a business-friendly environment.

of the main markets for the oil and gas industry.” The new 183-acre facility will produce ERW energy tubular products in diameters up to 16", with wall thicknesses up to 0.625". The plant will be fully integrated with a slitting line, mill, finishing floor and heat treatment facilities, and will have the capability to produce a wide range of API grades.

The plant is scheduled to begin production by mid-2014 and will produce more than 300,000 tons a year of energy-related tubular products aimed at meeting the growing demand of the US oil and natural gas industries. The facility will operate as Axis Pipe and Tube, Inc, a division of The Prolamsa Group.

Prolamsa Inc – USA sales@prolamsausa.com www.prolamsausa.com

“From Bryan we have easy access to the highways and the rail system, allowing for quick, efficient delivery to our customers, many of whom are located right here in the heart of one

Axis Pipe and Tube, Inc – USA www.axispipeandtube.com Contract success at hospital development

approval process by the local health authority for use within a hospital environment.

the hospital in Whitehaven, Cumbria, UK. A further agreement has been made to supply 137 floor gully units and nickel bronze gratings for shower applications and 28 plant room drains. The gullies were selected because of their construction in cast iron and their design in accordance with the BS EN 1253 standard. The VortX products were required to go through a rigorous

Iron technology company Saint-Gobain PAM UK, part of international materials company Saint-Gobain, has added to its supply contract to the new West Cumberland Hospital by agreeing a contract to supply shower gullies and floor drainage products from its new VortX range. The company was already supplying its Ensign Soil cast iron above-ground pipes and fittings to

The hospital is due for completion in December 2015.

Saint-Gobain PAM UK sales.uk.pam@saint-gobain.com www.saint-gobain-pam.co.uk

Half century in the Channel Islands Lilleshall Steel in Gloucester, UK, part of the Barrett Steel Group, recently celebrated its first fifty years supplying customers in the Channel Islands. the happy result of our customers knowing and trusting us.”

Wales, Bristol and the Forest of Dean with a range of mild steels. The company combines a local, personalised and tailored service, backed by the resources of independent steel stockholder Barrett Steel Group. Barrett Steel consists of 42 companies operating from 28 locations across the UK, and is divided into four divisions: general steels, engineering steels, tubes, and international. Recent expansion has seen a stockholding and processing facility being opened in Houston, Texas, USA. The numerous steel stockholding companies and divisions operating across the UK serve customers worldwide.

Michael J McCarthy, proprietor and managing director of Five Oaks Ironworks in Jersey, explained why the company has been a customer for so many years: “We have been purchasing our steel products from Lilleshall Steel Services since the early 1970s and have remained loyal customers because of the excellent service they have given us. We always have had a first-rate trading relationship because they have always offered us a very personal service coinciding with their frequent visits to us over here. We are sure of many more years enjoying the company’s exceptional service.”

Sales manager Danielle Ferkin, who has worked at the company for the past ten years, commented, “Our industry has changed dramatically over the past half-century. As a hardware supplier we originally supplied customers in Jersey and Guernsey with products as diverse as buckets and horseshoes. At first there was no supply chain network on the Islands. Now our lorry loads from Poole consist of mild and stainless steel, including products for use in harbours and marine applications, and hotels and schools for new build and maintenance projects. Our lasting arrangement with the shipper, Channel Seaways in Poole, who deliver directly to customers, has

Barrett Steel – UK sales@barrettsteel.com www.barrettsteel.com

Lilleshall Steel also supplies customers in Gloucester, the West Midlands, South

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Tube Products International January 2014

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