TPi January 2016

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January 2016 Tube Products International 47
Steel tubes and pipe
Steel supplier to SKA MeerKAT project
South Africa was awarded the bulk
of the SKA (Square Kilometer Array)
telescope project, and Robor subsidiary
Tricom Structures was selected as the
fabricator of the back-up structure
(BUS) of the antenna for the MeerKAT
project, which is the precursor to the
SKA project.
The backup structure weighs around 25
tonnes and consists of 6,000 different
components that have to be perfectly
aligned to ensure the structure can
accommodate the highly accurate and
sensitive reflector panels for MeerKAT.
The components that make up the
elliptically shaped support structure
are either welded or bolted into larger
assemblies.
Tubular steel was the material of choice
for this application as it provides the
right characteristics for the demanding
specifications. The tubular steel
components were manufactured and
precision laser cut by Robor.
The first 12 months of the project were
essentially a prototyping phase with
many design revisions along the way. A
prototype was delivered in 2014 and to
date a total of six units have seen their
way to the Carnarvon site. The last of
the pre-production models has been
dispatched, and Tricom is expected to
deliver more units on a monthly basis,
with a total of 64 units planned for
completion by the end of 2016.
Established in 1922, Robor is a
manufacturer and supplier of welded
steel tube and pipe, cold formed steel
profiles and associated value added
products.
The company also supplies, distributes
and adds value to carbon steel coil,
plate, sheet and structural profiles.
Tricom Structures Ltd became part of
the Robor Group in July 2015, and
is now a 100 per cent
subsidiary of Robor
Energy, a division of
the Robor Group.
Tricom’s capabilities and
services, which consist
of engineering and
design, manufacturing,
product development
and support, packaging
and shipping, including
warehousing, will
provide Robor with
additional opportunities
within various markets,
including renewable energy, telecom,
powerline and most structural
businesses.
Tricom also has a dedicated engineering
and design team that works to various
international design standards.
Robor has long been encouraging the
use of tubular steel sections in South
Africa, not only for their aesthetic appeal
but also because they can meet the
exacting quality demands of world-
class projects.
Robor – South Africa
Steel tube stockholder
European Tubes Ltd, a steel tube
stockholder specialising in seamless
tubes, was first established in 1988.
The initial concept was to purchase
material from Europe to supply to
the domestic market, hence the name
European Tubes.
The company has now been trading
for over 25 years. The business has
grown and developed over the years
but the core values remain the same:
the company strives to offer the best
solution for its customers, with a main
focus on offering a quality product at a
competitive price.
Being a family-run, independent
company means it is not tied to
any mills. This allows it to purchase
material from any source, anywhere
in the world. Sourcing material in
this manner means the company can
choose the supplier that best suits
the needs of customers, in terms of
specification, price, quantity and lead
time.
A large range is held in stock, but the
company states that it knows where to
obtain items that are not in stock.
Being based in the North West of
England provides easy access to the
motorway network to service domestic
customers, and the company uses
approved logistics suppliers to service
export customers.
In 2015 European Tubes updated
its fleet of vehicles to ensure it can
continue to offer a reliable delivery
service.
The company also installed a new
high-performance automatic saw
with an inline deburrer, to assist with
customers’ growing demand for
cutting services.
The new machine complements the
nine other automatic saws that the
company currently has in its fully
stocked warehouse.
European Tubes Ltd – UK