TPi October 2008

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newsbusiness & market
16 Tube Products International October 2008
Cronimet Mining GmbH, part of the
Cronimet Group, Germany, and investors
from Dubai have acquired 70.5% of
the shares of GMR Ferro Alloys and
Industries Ltd from the Indian GMR
Group. The remaining 29.5% of the
shares remain widely held. The approval
of the antitrust authorities has already
been received.
The acquired company, which is involved
in the area of ferrochromium prod-
uction, will operate under the name
Cronimet Ferro Alloys (India) Ltd.
The company is headquartered in
Tekkali Mandal, Andhra Pradesh State.
Founded in 1989 and certified in
accordance with ISO 9001-2000, the
company operates a ferrochromium
melting plant that includes two melting
furnaces with a capacity of 6 MVA and
9 MVA.
The melting plant produces approx-
imately 27,500 tons of ferrochromium
annually. 75% of output is exported
to Europe, China, Japan and Korea.
The acquisition continues Cronimet’s
expansion in the area of raw material
supplies with ferro-alloys for the
stainless steel industry.
Earlier this year, a consortium of German
and South-African companies led by
Cronimet Mining GmbH invested in the
mining rights for a significant chromium
ore deposit in South Africa.
Cronimet Group – Germany
New regional
manager for
Hypertherm
Plasma metal cutting technology firm
Hypertherm has appointed a new
regional manager for distribution sales
in northwest Europe.
Magnus Olsson, previously a district
sales manager responsible for
Hypertherm Europe’s Nordic region, has
been promoted to the new position
of regional distribution sales manager,
Northwest Europe. Mr Olsson will give
operational leadership to the district
salesmanagers in an area encompassing
the UK, Northern Ireland, Scotland,
Scandinavia and Germany, and work to
further support the distribution business
in this region.
Mr Olsson’s expertise in distribution
sales resulted in his more than doubling
Hypertherm’s manual plasma business
in the Nordic region in less than
three years. In addition to his recent
experience in the plasma cutting field,
Mr Olsson has broad knowledge of
the welding industry where he worked
as a district sales manager and later
as a regional sales manager for Elga,
a Swedish manufacturer of high-end
welding consumables.
Hypertherm designs and manufactures
advanced plasma cutting systems for
use in a variety of industries, such as
shipbuilding, manufacturing, and auto-
motive repair. The company’s product
line includes handheld and mechanised
plasma systems and consumables, and
CNC motion and height controls.
Hypertherm Europe – Netherlands
Interpipe
announces Q1
results for 2008
Steel pipe producer, Interpipe, Ukraine,
has announced results for the first
quarter of 2008. According to preliminary
results, the company has recorded 12%
growth in pipe production, with volumes
up to 328,000 tons in the first three
months of 2008 against the same period
in 2007 (292,000 tons).
Commenting on the results, Fadi Hraibi,
director for product and resource
management, said, “In the first 3 months
of 2008 Interpipe significantly increased
sales on the CIS, North American
(NAFTA), Middle East and North African
markets. The growth in production
volumes is explained by the mastering
of API PSL2 pipe production at Interpipe
NMPP and the launch of its continuous
manufacturing regime. The opening of a
sales office and warehouse in the United
Arab Emirates also contributed greatly
to Q1 success.”
In the first quarter of 2008, the
company’s railway wheels production
Butech 2009
International Machinery Fair
Butech 2009, the fourth Busan International Machinery Fair, will be held from
20-24 May 2009 in Busan, South Korea. The trade fair is organised by the Busan
Metropolitan City, the Korea Industrial Marketing Institute and other industrial
associations. Merebo Messe Marketing, Germany, is in charge of the European
& North American Pavilion.
The event will take place at the BEXCO Busan Exhibition & Convention Center,
and will cover 26,500m2. The range of exhibits will be divided into machinery
technology, factory automation equipment, die and mould industry, environment
industry, tool and welding industry, and parts and material industry.
406 exhibitors from 25 countries participated in Butech 2007, and attracted
53,014 trade visitors.
Korea Industrial Marketing Institute – Korea
Merebo Messe Marketing – Germany
Acquisition of Indian FeCr smelter