TPi January 2015

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business & market news
20 Tube Products International January 2015
Tenaris confirms full purchase of
Socotherm Brasil
Tenaris has confirmed the purchase
of the remaining 50 per cent of the
participation of Socotherm Brasil, which
belonged to Socotherm Americas – a
division of ShawCor.
The Socotherm Brasil coating facility,
located beside the Confab welded pipes
mill in Pindamonhangaba, São Paulo,
was previously managed in partnership
by Tenaris and by ShawCor. The
company to date has been constituted
by Tenaris and Socotherm Americas, 50
per cent respectively.
As of 4 September 2014, Tenaris
became the sole owner of 100 per cent
of the shares of the company, with
full autonomy for the coating business.
Its range of solutions for coatings,
produced in the welded pipes facility,
is now offered to the market under the
Tenaris brand.
“The integration of this coating company
with our operations will enable Tenaris
to better serve our customers, offering
a complete pipe and coating solution
mainly for the oil and gas industry
worldwide,” said Renato Catallini,
president of Tenaris in Brazil.
In Brazil, the challenges of the
exploration in deep and ultra-deep
waters of the Pre-Salt layer, the
perspectives from Petrobras and from
Sergipe Basin and Amazon Region,
demand innovative and technological
support for coatings solutions.
The Tenaris Research and Development
Center in Rio de Janeiro, which was
inaugurated in April 2014, will have a
fundamental role in the development
of new coatings for local and global
markets.
Tenaris will continue its strategic
relationship with Socotherm and
ShawCor worldwide as suppliers of
coating solutions for pipeline projects.
Tenaris SA – Luxembourg
Fine Tubes appoints new HR business partner
Fine Tubes, a manufacturer and global
distributor of precision tubes for a
wide range of critical applications,
has appointed Claire Baker as HR
business partner.
In line with its continued growth, the
company has re-structured its HR
department to ensure that the changing
needs of the business continue to be
met in line with best HR practice. Within
the new structure, Ms Baker will have a
key role in helping to create a working
environment that encourages and
supports continuous improvement at all
levels of the company.
With more than ten years’ HR
experience, Ms Baker has held
positions as HR manager and senior
HR advisor within the manufacturing
sector, including roles with Toshiba
Information Systems and Plessey
Semiconductors Ltd. In addition to
a 1 st class honours degree in human
resources management, she has a
diploma in business management.
Steve Tomlinson, head of HR,
commented, “We are pleased to
welcome Claire to Fine Tubes. With her
knowledge and understanding of the
business role that HR can play within
a manufacturing environment, she will
undoubtedly be making an important
contribution to the future development
of the company.”
Fine Tubes manufactures both seamless
and welded tubes, in a wide range
of stainless steel, nickel, titanium and
zirconium alloys, for critical applications
in the oil and gas, nuclear and power,
aerospace, chemicals and medical
equipment industries.
Fine Tubes Ltd – UK
ROI calculator for valve inventory
Wachs Water Services has release a
new ROI Calculator. The free tool is
based on a sophisticated yet intuitive
algorithm that determines the ROI of a
valve inventory programme.
ROI (return on investment) gauges
investment performance. It is calculated
as a percentage, taking into account the
cost of the investment, and the gain from
it. An ROI greater than zero indicates
that the investment yielded more than
its cost. When allocating scarce financial
resources among competing projects, it
is generally wise to choose the project
with the greatest ROI.
The higher an ROI for an asset inventory
programme, the greater cost savings
(ie gains) enjoyed by the utility and
community. Cost savings include
reductions in collateral damage, labour/
equipment, outage disruptions, traffic
disruptions and water loss. Being
able to show a tangible, positive ROI
allows utilities to increase their chances
of obtaining O&M and/or capital
improvement funding, whether in the
form of rate increases, loans, budget
allocations or other sources.
The ROI Calculator can be found online
at
Wachs Water Services – USA