TPi January 2016

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58 Tube Products International January 2016
Fine Tubes Ltd – UK
Superior Tube Company – USA
How well-placed are Fine Tubes and
Superior Tube to take advantage of
these nuclear opportunities?
For a start, Fine Tubes and Superior Tube have integrated
their respective teams into a unified group with a common
focus on nuclear projects worldwide, including new-build and
maintenance programmes. Looking at both emerging and
mature markets, the Superior Tube and Fine Tubes nuclear
team plans to concentrate on the best approaches to take
in individual regions, working to build good relationships
with governments and key players in those countries where
nuclear power continues to grow.
Superior Tube and Fine Tubes both have strong track records
with in-core consumable items, such as instrumentation, fuel
cans, control rods and grid sleeves. The companies also
supply into the nuclear island, turbine island and balance of
plant for heat exchangers, steam condensers and structural
tubes.
There are different approaches for specific regional markets.
In India, for example, there are applications not manufactured
locally because there is insufficient expertise working with
such high-end materials as the Hastelloy® family of alloys or
6 Moly in stainless steel or, in nickel, Inconel® 600 and 625.
Engineering companies and plant operators therefore have
sought out companies like Fine Tubes and Superior Tube to
support them.
Fuel can tubes
And, because of the safety-critical nature of tubular nuclear
components, top-level contractors and plant operators
have insisted upon using suppliers with extensive nuclear
experience and proven track records in the nuclear industry.
The Russian market requires a different approach, according
to Mr Ferreira. Because the main nuclear plant operator,
Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation, has invested
heavily in developing its own model reactors and power
plants, the focus is on building relationships with distributors
and other organisations already well-established as part of the
supply base.
Whatever approach is taken, the opportunities are there, and
Fine Tubes and Superior Tube are in excellent positions to
take advantage of them. The two companies each have more
than 70 years of experience in meeting the most demanding
tubing requirements with innovative products and leading-
edge metallurgy. The synergy created by the partnership
between the two companies places them not only at the
forefront of technological expertise in the marketplace but
also provides them with the agility, flexibility and enthusiasm
to deliver the very best solutions to end users, operators and
original equipment operators around the globe.
The recent acquisition of UK-based Fine Tubes and US-based
Superior Tube by Ametek, Inc, a leading global manufacturer
of electronic instruments and electromechanical devices,
further enhances their ability to support customers worldwide.
Ametek already has a strong nuclear instruments presence and
is excited to collaborate on bringing additional comprehensive
solutions to the market.
In summary, the philosophy underlying the approach of
Superior Tube and Fine Tubes to the nuclear market is not
based on the pursuit of short-term transactional relationships
but on shared expertise and long-term partnerships.
Nuclear fuel element with fuel cans
Graph 3