TPI January 2009

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10 Tube Products International January 2009
newsbusiness & market
German pipeline manufacturer egeplast
has hosted a special event to celebrate
its centenary year.
The Gröter company began as a jute
spinning works in 1908, founded
by Engelbert Gröter. Now known as
egeplast, the company manufactures
underground pipelines. Since 2001, the
enterprise has had its head office in
Greven, Germany, where it occupies
a modern factory for manufacturing
polyethylene pipes.
In August 2008, egeplast welcomed
more than 500 guests to celebrate the
company’s one-hundredth anniversary
with an entertaining discussion in a
conversational tone with Christa Thoben,
the NRW minister for economic affairs,
and a look back at the company’s history
set within a musical play. The company
asked guests for donations to PolioPlus
from Rotary International instead of gifts.
A total of €20,000 was collected, which
will be used for universal vaccination
programmes against polio.
The event was not intended to be a
conventional anniversary celebration.
As Dr Ansgar Strumann, CEO at
egeplast, explained, “We do not wish to
merely look back on our special history,
but primarily to look forward to the
future. This is why we organised a future
symposium as part of our celebration,
where people from the trade could
discuss current industry trends. ” The
symposium offered talks from well-
known speakers on the subjects of
trenchless construction, plastic
innovations in pipeline construction,
disposal and telecommunications.
The symposium included a presentation
of HexelOne by the company’s head
of development, Dr Thorsten Späth.
The new plastic pipe is manufactured
solely from polyethylene using the new
HexelOne production procedure, which
enables leftover pieces to be recycled
in an environmentally friendly manner.
Werner Weßing from E.ON Ruhrgas AG
spoke on the outlook for plastic pipes in
gas infrastructure, in particular the need
for innovative, efficient solutions for the
competitive transportation of natural
gas as a source of energy.
The company has recently created a
2,000m 2 test area for pipe installations,
where it can demonstrate products
to customers and conduct air
injection trials with fibre optic
cables. Approximately half
of the company’s turnover is
for export, and the company
has several distributorships in
Europe. The company’s Greven
production location produces
50,000 tonnes of plastic pipes
each year.
egeplast Werner Strumann
GmbH & Co KG – Germany
100th anniversary celebrations
egeplast development manager ▲ ▲
Dr Thorsten Späth presents the new
HexelOne pipe
Relaxed discussions with the NRW ▲
▲
minister for economic affairs Christa
Thoben, Dr Ansgar Strumann, Dr Nina
Strumann, Edith Strumann and Werner
Strumann
100 years of egeplast as a stage play in movement ▼ ▼
and music
Exclusive
commercial agent
for ThyssenKrupp
ThyssenKrupp Metallurgie GmbH,
Germany, has announced the
appointment of Metal Trading SARL, as
its exclusive commercial agent for the
sale of primary copper, zinc and nickel
in France, Belgium and Luxembourg.
The agreement is effective immediately.
ThyssenKrupp Metallurgie GmbH
is one of the largest metal trading
companies in Europe, with an annual
turnover of around €1.2 billion. It is
a legally independent firm within the
ThyssenKrupp Group.
Metal Trading SARL, based in
Louveciennes, France, is a privately-
held non-ferrous metal trading company,
specialising in zinc and zinc residues,
with a 2007 turnover of €45 million.
Thyssen Krupp Metallurgie GmbH –
Germany
Metal Trading SARL – France
Boiler World
Expo 2009
BoilerWorldExpo2009willtakeplace
at University Ground, Ahmedabad,
Gujarat, India, 20-22 March 2009,
with the approval of ITPO (India
Trade Promotion Organisation). The
event is being organised by KMG
Business Technology.
The show aims to promote the
growth, expansion and develop-
ment of boiler industries in India.
More than 300 companies will
participate, including businesses
from Japan, USA, Germany, Italy,
Taiwan and Singapore.
KMG Business Technology –
India