TPi May 2014

12 / 68

business & market news
10 Tube Products International May 2014
MRC announces Chevron award
Chevron USA Inc has added MRC
Global and its subsidiaries as a strategic
valve supplier on the Future Growth
Project in Kazakhstan. Chevron has
also extended its worldwide master
contract to enable MRC Global and its
subsidiaries to transact business with
Chevron in Australia for approved pipe,
valves and fittings (PVF).
The companies have also reached an
agreement allowing subsidiaries of
MRC Global to provide PVF products
for maintenance, repair and operations
(MRO) to Chevron’s operations in
Thailand.
“We are very pleased that Chevron
added MRC Global as a strategic PVF
supplier in these major international
operations,” said MRC Global’s
chairman, president and CEO, Andrew
Lane. “Chevron has been our largest
customer for the past four years. As
MRC Global has grown and expanded
internationally, we are now in a position
to serve our top customers on a much
broader scale and have worked closely
with Chevron to add PVF capabilities
and support in Australia, Kazakhstan
and Thailand to our current North
America base MRO business.”
The announcement follows previous
expansions to the worldwide master
agreement naming MRC Global
as a preferred supplier to Chevron’s
operations in Canada, Brazil and Angola.
“Our worldwide master agreement
is built upon more than 60 years of
servicing Chevron’s business around
the world,” said Mr Lane. “A relationship
that began with MRC Global supporting
Chevron’s Richmond, California, facility
in the 1950s now spans six continents
and expands each year as MRC Global
continues to look for additional areas to
further serve Chevron by creating the
most efficient and effective PVF supply
chain possible.”
MRC Global Inc – USA
Nelson expands Brazilian operations
Nelson Global Products Inc has
announced a second recent acquisition
in Brazil: structural tube manufacturer
TuboPress.
TuboPress produces structural tube
assemblies such as step-ladders and
many others used by agricultural and
construction vehicle manufacturers.
The company, founded in 2003,
is centrally located with close
proximity to major commercial vehicle
manufacturers. Paulo Kunzel, former
owner of the business, will continue as
the operation’s general manager.
“We continue to execute our growth
plan through strategic acquisitions as
we broaden the Nelson portfolio of
products made in the South American
market,” said Sergio Carvalho, president
of Nelson’s on-highway business unit.
“We were impressed by TuboPress’s
growth and its close relationships
with key customers which are market
leaders.”
TuboPress will also be the home of
Nelson’s new exhaust product line in
South America.
“We’re continuing to execute our
strategic plan in South America and to
expand our product offering,” stated
Tom Gosnell, CEO of Nelson. “Our
large multi-national customer base will
benefit from local availability regardless
of where they produce commercial
vehicles.”
In May 2013, the company acquired
Envall, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, which
makes hydraulic and structural tubes
and low-to-high pressure hydraulic
hoses.
Nelson Global Products – USA
Technip awarded contract in Brunei
Technip has been awarded a contract
by Total E&P Borneo BV, covering
engineering, procurement, supply,
construction and commissioning
(EPSCC). The project aims at the
modification of the onshore facilities
as well as the construction of a new
onshore pipeline, in order to transport
Maharaja Lela & Jamalulalam South
(MLJS) gas to the Brunei Liquefied
Natural Gas (BLNG) plant. The
onshore modification work includes
de-bottlenecking of the processing
plant to enable handling up to five
million cubic metres per day (annual
average) from the greater MLJ field,
and associated assistance in start-up
and performance testing.
Technip’s operating centre in Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia, will execute
the contract with support from
the office of the group based in
Brunei. The project is scheduled
for completion in the second half
of 2015. Lim Kwee Keong, senior
vice president of Technip in Asia
Pacific, stated, “Following the front-
end engineering design that we have
completed in 2012, Technip was keen
on undertaking the EPSCC contract.
Vital for the brownfield tie-in of the
MLJS project, our familiarity with
the onshore facilities has made the
difference and gave us leverage in this
much sought-after development.”
Technip – France