TPi October 2010

developments products &

Major projects supported by Chinese pipe manufacturer

Metals International Limited specialises in ERW line/casing pipe, longitudinal welded pipe (LSAW/DSAW), spiral/ helical welded (SSAW) pipe, black/ galvanised tube, seamless tubing and

piping, alloy pipe, seamless/welded stainless tubes and pipes, concrete weighted coated (CWC) pipes, FBE/2LPE/3LPE/2LPP/3LPP coated pipes, hot/induction bends, monolithic

these devices is the App Store, where users can easily download and install applications. TubeCalc can now be found within the App Store. Increasingly companies are discovering apps as a tool to promote their brand or product. An app is a more interactive experience than traditional marketing methods and can be especially powerful when the unique features of the device, such as the iPhone touch-screen and GPS location, are incorporated within an app. While websites are still the dominant form of interaction with customers, apps can offer the same information in a much more interactive and personal form. Apps can be easily and relatively inexpensively designed for numerous functions, and Bananas Design and RiesArt anticipate that many more apps will be developed for the tube and pipe industry. isolating joints, cast iron pipe, copper tube, flanges, pipe fittings, valves and pressure vessel plates. Major orders for the company include 40,000 metric tons of API X70 PSL 2 24" ERW line pipe, and 20,000 metric tons of API 5L X52 40"/48" DSAW/LSAW line pipe for the Ambatovy Project, Madagascar; 105,000 metric tons of spiral welded line pipe for the New Skikda LNG Project, Algeria; and 1,200 metric tons of ASME SA213 T11/T22 38mm boiler tube for the Austria Boiler Project. The company also acted as agent to supply 200,000 metric tons of API 5L X70 PSL 2 42" UOE DSAW line pipe for the QGC LNG Pipeline Project, Australia, and various other steel pipes. Metals International Limited – China metalsintl@klsteel.com www.klsteel.com

Steel pipe from Metals International

Apple apps as marketing tool booming

Apple applications (apps), which can be used on the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch, are becoming important marketing tools for companies. An app for the tube industry, called TubeCalc, is now available. For years people have been trying to find an easy way to calculate certain values of a specific industry norm, avoiding the need to have to check various tables. In response, RiesArt initially tried to develop a traditional calculator. This calculator was complicated to make, very expensive and carried a high risk of a critical mistake being made. Inspired by the functionality of the iPhone, RiesArt, in cooperation with Bananas Design, has now successfully developed the TubeCalc app. TubeCalc can be used to calculate important functions of hollow tube sections using the construction industry’s European Standard EN10219 norm, while operating at the same time as an ordinary calculator. EN10219

applies to cold formed welded circular, square and rectangular structural hollow sections. TubeCalc allows the user to calculate mechanical data such as mass, (superficial) area, moment of inertia, radius of gyration, plastic and elastic modulus and the torsional. Benefits of TubeCalc include instant outcomes on all tube size ranges covered by EN10219; reduced user errors; clear display showing inserted data at all times; minimised need to re-input data, as inserted data will remain in place; instant switch option between metric and US Standard units; the ability to use values from TubeCalc in the normal calculator mode; and no more need to check tables. The iPhone caused a revolution when it was released in the smartphone market three years ago, and quickly gained a large market share. The iPad is set to do the same thing in the emerging tablet market. Together with the iPod Touch, there are already more than 85 million devices running the iPhone OS. An important factor of the success of

Bananas Design – New Zealand info@tubecalculator.com www.tubecalculator.com

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Tube Products International October 2010

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