TPi September 2017

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business & market news
18 TUBE PRODUCTS INTERNATIONAL September 2017
Uponor invests $17.4mn to expand
PEX pipe manufacturing
Uponor North America is expanding its
manufacturing facility in Apple Valley,
Minnesota, with completion expected
by January 2018. The $17.4mn
investment will be used toward the
expansion of an additional 58,000 ft2
to increase manufacturing capacity to
meet customer demand.
This is the tenth expansion since Uponor
began operations in Apple Valley in
1990. The most recent expansion took
place in 2016, when the company
invested $18mn and added 88,000 ft2 to
its manufacturing facility.
Uponor has also leased an 8,500-ft2
office and lab space in a building next
to its manufacturing annex, which
the company’s technology group will
occupy.
The building expansion is required to
meet forecast growth for its crosslinked
polyethylene (PEX) tubing in plumbing,
fire sprinkler, radiant heating and cooling
and hydronic piping systems used in
residential and commercial buildings.
The decision to expand again in Apple
Valley was partly due to the successful
cooperation of both the State of
Minnesota and the City of Apple Valley,
and their willingness to provide an
attractive business climate for Uponor’s
continued growth.
Uponor announced last year that it
was also consolidating the Canadian
head office with its eastern distribution
centre, which moved to Mississauga,
Ontario, in June 2016. The Canadian
headquarters moved into the same
building earlier this year. To further unify
the Canadian team and take advantage
of centralised efficiencies, the company
is expanding its estimation
and commercial piping
design services, also
located in Mississauga.
This alignment resulted in
the closing of the office in
Regina, Saskatchewan.
New features in Mississauga
include a training facility
that will hold up to 50
attendees, as well as a
hands-on application lab. To
complement the new venue
and its traditional plumbing
and radiant heating/
cooling training classes, the
new Canadian facility has
begun offering engineering
continuing education units
(CEUs).
Uponor, Inc – USA
Major integrated contract
for Coral South FLNG project
TechnipFMC, together with JGC
Corporation and Samsung Heavy
Industries, all partners in the TJS
Consortium, has been awarded a major
contract by Coral FLNG SA.
The contract covers the engineering,
procurement, construction, installation,
commissioning and start-up (EPCIC) of
the Coral South FLNG facility and its
associated risers and subsea flowlines
system, as well as the installation of
the umbilicals and subsea equipment.
The floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG)
facility will be designed to produce close
to 3.4 Mtpa of liquefied natural gas, and
will be moored in 2,000m of water depth
in the Area 4, offshore Mozambique.
DougPferdehirt, chief executive officer of
TechnipFMC, stated, “We are honoured
to be the leader of the execution of
this prestigious contract awarded
by Eni and its partners to the TJS
consortium. Combining TechnipFMC’s
unique capabilities in both FLNG and
subsea, we have been able to propose
to our client an optimum combination,
demonstrating the strength of our
integrated offerings.”
TechnipFMC plc – UK
The new facility will add an additional 58,000 ft2 of production
and packaging space to support Uponor’s PEX piping business