TPi July 2017

business & market news

Jobs secured as Liberty House takes control of Tata Speciality Steels business

International industrials and metals group Liberty House announced in May that it would be creating around 300 new steel jobs and making multi-million pound investments to secure the future of five sites across the UK. The news came as Liberty formally completed the £100mn deal to acquire the Speciality Steels division of Tata Steel UK, protecting the jobs of 1,700 existing staff at three major sites at Rotherham, Stocksbridge and Brinsworth in South Yorkshire, smaller sites in Bolton, Lancashire and Wednesbury in the West Midlands, and two distribution centres in China. It also announced expansion plans expected to generate an additional 300 production jobs in the business. Speciality Steels produces a range of high-value steels used in the manufacture of vehicles, aircraft, industrial machinery and equipment for the oil and gas industry. Liberty said it Precision components are made at Liberty’s advanced machining centre

The company claims to now have the largest arc furnace capacity in the UK

capital investments at Stocksbridge and investing in additional capacity and new technology. The acquisition marks a major step forward for Liberty’s Greensteel strategy as it gives the group the largest arc furnace capacity in the UK, a key component in its plan to increase low-carbon steel production based on recycling metal in furnaces powered by renewable energy. As part of the Greensteel strategy, sister company SIMEC is actively considering investment in bio-diesel power generation at Speciality Steel sites.

would invest up to £20mn in new plant and equipment in the first year alone to boost competitiveness and secure international market leadership for the business, which is being re-launched as Liberty Speciality Steels. The business will increase output substantially at the electric arc furnaces, casting shop and bar mill in Rotherham, with larger plans across the wider Speciality business in the years ahead. Production from the arc furnaces is expected to rise to over one million tonnes per annum, and there are plans for the bar mill to roll over 400,000 tonnes per year. In addition, the business will grow its position in the aerospace markets, utilising recent

Liberty House Group – UK www.libertyhousegroup.com

MRC Global awarded expanded PVF contract MRC Global Inc has announced that its subsidiary, MRC Global (US) Inc, has been awarded an agreement to be the preferred provider of pipe, valve and fitting (PVF) products and services to PBF Energy Company LLC. The five-year agreement includes all project and maintenance, repair and operations needs. to continue to grow our relationship together,” said Andrew R Lane, MRC Global president and CEO. “Our quality programme and record of reliable service to PBF has given us the opportunity to work alongside them as the industry recovers from the current downturn.” As part of the agreement MRC Global will now service the Torrance, California, and Chalmette, Louisiana, refineries that were recently acquired by PBF, in addition to its refineries in Delaware, New Jersey and Ohio. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, MRC distributes PVF and related products and services across the upstream, midstream and downstream sectors. MRC Global Inc – USA www.mrcglobal.com “We have a long history with PBF and I’m grateful that they have chosen

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TUBE PRODUCTS INTERNATIONAL July 2017

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