TPi July 2015

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July 2015 Tube Products International 21
business & market news
Sutor receives new steel pipe export order
for Saudi Arabia
Sutor Technology Group, a China-based
manufacturer and service provider for
fine finished steel products used by a
variety of downstream applications, has
announced that its subsidiary, Ningbo
Zhehua Heavy Steel Pipe Manufacturing
Co, has entered into a new contract
to supply approximately 3,000 metric
tons of large-diameter submerged-
arc straight seam welded pipes for
a dredging project of Saudi Arabia
National Oil Company.
Lifang Chen, chairwoman and CEO
of Sutor, commented, “The products
to be supplied under this contact
are all high-valued welded pipes that
meet American Petroleum Institute
standards.
“We are proud of Ningbo Zhehua’s
advanced technologies, which enable
us to supply steel pipes for national
projects both in China and abroad.”
The company exports steel pipes to
overseas markets such as the Far
East, the European Union, Southeast
Asia and Africa, and last year received
European Union Pressure Equipment
Directive and Construction Products
Regulation certificates. Sutor uses
a variety of in-house developed
processes and technologies to convert
steel manufactured by third parties into
fine finished steel products, including
hot-dip galvanised steel, pre-painted
galvanised steel, acid-pickled steel,
cold-rolled steel and welded steel pipe
products. The company also provides
fee-based steel processing services.
Sutor Technology Group Ltd – China
JMC announces investment in VectorBloc
JMC Steel Group is making a significant
investment in VectorBloc, a structural
connection system for modular con-
struction developed by Vector Praxis.
“JMC will be providing capital and
technical expertise for the support
and development of the VectorBloc
system,” said Barry Zekelman,
chairman and CEO of JMC Steel Group.
“This investment is paramount for the
partnership of both of our companies.
By investing in Vector Praxis and their
VectorBloc system, JMC is enabling
the development of exciting new
opportunities for the structural steel
industry.”
The main purpose of JMC’s investment
in Vector Praxis is to develop the
VectorBloc system’s potential in the
modular construction marketplace.
Since VectorBloc uses hollow structural
sections (HSS) as the structural
members of the modules, it is an ideal
partnership for JMC as the system
promotes the use of HSS in modular
construction.
“We are extremely proud of the fact
that JMC has thrown its support
behind VectorBloc,” said Julian
Bowron, president of Vector Praxis
and VectorBloc. “JMC’s vision and
engineering support will be key as the
VectorBloc connection system becomes
a vehicle for scaling the modular industry
through supplier collaboration.”
Vector Praxis specialises in high-end
architectural fabrication founded on
a multi-material, multi-process skill
set. The company also designs and
produces one-of-a-kind tooling and
fixtures.
JMC Steel Group – USA
Vector Praxis Inc – Canada
New oil and gas VP at Victaulic
Victaulic, a global manufacturer of
mechanical pipe-joining systems,
has appointed Ian Lawless as vice
president, oil and gas, Europe.
Mr Lawless, who moves from his
previous role as manager of Victaulic’s
UK business, will focus on bringing
effective piping solutions to owners,
installers and engineers in the growing
European oil and gas market. With
eight years’ service at a senior level
within Victaulic, Mr Lawless has
experience of working in Europe,
Canada, Australia and Asia Pacific. He
has a proven track record of working
with key stakeholders to specify
products that help reduce installation
time, enhance on-site safety and ease
future maintenance.
“Refineries, biofuel and chemical plant
projects that we’ve been involved
in have demonstrated the many
advantages of using our mechanical
pipe-joining systems,” commented
Mr Lawless. “Up to 50 per cent
of piping in these plants is for
utility services, for which Victaulic
products are well suited, so there’s
great scope for efficiency gains. I’m
looking forward to working with EPC
companies and owners in the oil
and gas sector to help them achieve
maximum benefits on their piping
projects.”
Victaulic – USA