TPi July 2009

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newsbusiness & market
20 Tube Products International July 2009
Motion and control technologies
specialist Parker Hannifin has introduced
a new supply service aimed at users
of fluid instrumentation. Complete
packages of tube fittings and tubing
can now be purchased via a single
order, thanks to an alliance with Sandvik
Materials Technology.
In addition to simplifying purchasing,
the volume of Parker’s business means
that it has been able to secure Sandvik
tubing at competitive rates without
compromising quality.
A further advantage of the new service
relates to product quality control,
ensuring fluid instrumentation tubing
components have genuine integrity, and
perform to specification – vital for plants
processing harsh media or in corrosive
environments. This quality control
begins with an audit trail for the raw
materials. Sandvik melts its own steel
to ensure quality control from the point
of steel melting, right through to the
finished product. This level of attention
to detail extends throughout the design
and manufacturing chain up to and
including verification of performance by
independent third-party test houses.
Parker Hannifin’s alliance with Sandvik
covers seamless instrumentation tubing
in 316/316L stainless steel, plus a range
of the most commonly used exotic
alloys, including 304/304L, 6Mo, 321,
SAF 2507, 625, 825 and Hastelloy
C276.
In addition to serving the mainstream
market for stainless steel tubing,
Sandvik is known as a pioneer of
engineered materials for dealing with
the exceptionally harsh pressure and
corrosion-prone conditions faced
by users in the offshore oil and gas
industry.
Parker Hannifin’s range of threadless
tube fittings includes not only twin-ferrule
compression types – which feature the
corrosion-resistant Suparcase ferrule
technology – but three further fitting
innovations to allow users to make
tubing connections faster, smarter,
cleaner and safer. The company's
latest innovation, Phastite, delivers
compression-style assembly to high
pressure connections up to 20,000 PSI,
providing an alternative to welded and
cone-and-thread connections.
Parker Instrumentation Products
Division – USA
Parker Instrumentation Products
Division, Europe – UK
Awards ceremony
to showcase
innovation in
recycling
Valpak, a UK provider of producer
responsibility and recycling solutions,
will host its 8th annual awards ceremony
on 24 September. The Valpak Awards
2009 acknowledge excellence and
innovation within the field of recycling
and waste management, and new award
categories have been introduced this
year to recognise forward thinking in the
area of carbon reduction, education and
resource management.
Entry is open to a number of
organisations and individuals, from
retailers, reprocessors and local
authorities, to young innovators under
the age of 18. This year’s ceremony
will be held at Shakespeare’s Globe,
London. The evening will commence
with a drinks reception, followed by a
three-course dinner.
Valpak – UK
Tube and fittings supply alliance
RathGibson appoints sales VP
RathGibson, a manufacturer of welded, welded and drawn, and seamless
stainless steel, nickel, and titanium tubing, has appointed Kirk Thorne to the
position of vice president – sales and marketing.
Before joining RathGibson, Mr Thorne worked for Lennox International. While
at Lennox, Mr Thorne’s career included positions as vice president of sales and
marketing for Allied Air Enterprises, vice president and general manager for
Lennox Hearth Products, general manager for Lennox-Benelux, and director of
global business development for Lennox Global Limited.
In his twenty five years of experience in industry, Mr Thorne has initiated
growth strategies, developed and executed product and brand initiatives,
consolidated product lines, increased efficiencies, as well as improved value for
the customer.
“RathGibson is unique in the tubing
industry,” commented Mr Thorne. “We
have diversified into such dynamic
segments as subsea umbilical tubing, light
wall titanium, andU-bend tubing. Different
alloys for applications in solar power,
geothermal energy, and desalination have
been added to our product portfolio.
In the past few years, RathGibson has
dramatically expanded into new markets
and consistently upgraded equipment,
processes, and quality systems.
I look forward to continuing these
initiatives that have well-positioned
RathGibson for the future.”
RathGibson – USA
Kirk Thorne, RathGibson’s new vice S S
president, sales and marketing