TPT May 2008

I ndustry N ews

Shanghai conference set to discuss steel mill rolls

RathGibson acquires Mid-South Control Line Inc RathGibson, USA, has announced the acquisition of Mid-South Control Line Inc (MSCL), USA, as part of a commitment to the oil and gas sector. Located in Marrero (LA), Mid-South Control Line is a leading global source for downhole control line tubing used in land-based and subsea oil and gas wells. Established in 1989 by Rick Lore, MSCL has supplied major oil companies and service companies throughout the world. The company has a range including coil tubing, encapsulated control line products, instrumentation tubing, NAS class filtration services, spooling units, certification and tubing support products. MSCL and RathGibson have partnered on many projects, and this acquisition is a natural extension of their on-going collaborative efforts. Mr Harley Kaplan, chairman and CEO of RathGibson stated, “Mr Lore and MSCL have built a solid reputation for service, quality, and value within the well completion sector of the energy market. MSCL is a strategic acquisition, which has RathGibson well positioned to continue to grow in the energy sector. The Mid-South Control Line name will be retained as well as the solid management and product team which Mr Lore has developed at MSCL.” RathGibson is a worldwide manufacturer of highly engineered stainless steel, nickel, and titanium tubing for diverse industries such as chemical, petrochemical, power generation, energy (oil and gas), beverage and pharmaceutical. RathGibson’s corporate headquarters are located close to Chicago in Lincolnshire, Illinois. Other RathGibson manufacturing locations include Janesville (WI) and North Branch (NJ), a Greenville Tube branch in Clarksville (AR), and a Mid- South Control Line branch in Marrero (LA). RathGibson also has strategically placed sales offices in Houston (TX), Shanghai in China, Manama in Bahrain, Knoxfield in Australia, and Seoul in Korea. RathGibson – USA Fax : +1 608 754 0889 Website : www.rathgibson.com

CISMRC 2008, a conference for the steel mill rolls industry, will take place from 3-4 June 2008 in Shanghai, China. Hosted by the China Iron and Steel Association (CISA) and the Chinese Society for Metals (CSM), the event will be organized by the Metallurgical Council of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (MC-CCPIT). The world production of steel has seen a dramatic acceleration in growth over the last five years and reached a record level of 1.24 billion tons in 2006. It is widely expected that the results for 2007 and 2008 will show even higher figures for steel consumption and production. The strong steel production growth, together with the industry-wide restructuring for higher quality products, have greatly revitalised the equipment suppliers including mill roll manufacturers. This is particularly true for China, where steel production has surged from 151 million tons in 2001 to 423 million tons in 2006. In the same period the share of flat rolled products climbed from less than 40 per cent to 49.26 per cent when a large number of state-of-the-art rolling mills for plate and strip, large sections and seamless pipe had been built and put into operation. With the rapid development of the steel industry, the roll manufacturing industry has flourished. Today, there are more than 300 roll makers, including over 30 international leading players in China catering to the

300,000t market with an aggregate capacity of over 700,000t. Great achievements have been made in roll manufacturing and application that have supported the rejuvenation of the global steel industry. There are opportunities still ahead but also many challenges facing both roll suppliers and users. To discuss and face these challenges, the inaugural China International Steel Mill Rolls Conference will be held in conjunction with the 5 th China International Steel Congress and 11 th International Metallurgical Industry Exposition (Metallurgy China). The conference will attempt to understand the current status of the roll manufacturing industry, facilitate experience sharing in roll manufacturing, application and management, and promote the development of roll manufacturing. The conference will invite the leading roll manufacturers, steel enterprises, R&D entities and concerned associations and government agencies to speak on a range of topics. These topics will include the current trend in rolling rolls research, manufacturing and application in China and abroad, new roll materials, roll management technology, quality assurance, and roll application/ maintenance. Metallurgical Council of CCPIT – China Fax : +86 10 85110094 Email : roll@mc-ccpit.com Website : www.chinarolls.com.cn

 A range of experts will discuss steel mill roll technology in Shanghai, China

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