TPT September 2012

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Industry News
6 September 2012
Thermatool and WEMPCO
agree induction welders deal
THE International Tube & Pipe Fair in
Düsseldorf marked a significant day for
both Thermatool and Western Metal
Products Company limited (WEMPCO)
of Nigeria, in association with Salzgitter
International, as an agreement was
signed for the future supply of 22
Thermatool high frequency induction
welders.
Mr Lewis Tung, managing director of
WEMPCO, Mr Walt Albert, president
of Inductotherm Heating & Welding
(Thermatool’s European headquarters)
and Mr Theobald Albrecht, director of
business Africa, Salzgitter – signed the
deal at the Inductotherm Group stand
at Düsseldorf.
Mr Tung, having already taken
consideration from the operation and
service of a Thermatool Alpha Shear
System and Welder installed in 2011,
expressed his future intention to use
European built Thermatool equipment
in his tube, pipe and profile production.
This considerable investment will span
a five-year plan for which Thermatool
has committed to provide complete
support, service, spares and on-going
training of the WEMPCO personnel in
their Ikeja and Ibafo factories. The first
of these welders is scheduled to be
delivered later this year.
Thermatool – UK
Email:
Website:
Graebener Group steps up
activities in China
FOR the domestic machine building
industry China is a huge market with
great potential. The Graebener Group
has long recognised this and is set to step
up activities in the market after having
operated its own office in Shanghai for
several years.
Looking for a suitable and competent
cooperation partner, the Graebener
Group, with its core companies
Gräbener Maschinentechnik, Reika
and Kleinknecht, has finally found the
company Tangshan KaiyuanAutowelding
Systems. The contract for a joint venture
between the two companies was signed
last week.
“The aim of this joint venture is to
increase our activities, especially the
activities together with our partner, on the
Chinese market”, explains Dr Theodor
Gräbener, managing director of the
Graebener Group. When choosing this
company, the decisive factor was that
Kaiyuan is operating on a European
level and supplies products which are
of similar quality. “This company can
provide excellent technological standards
and meet all our requirements.”
In addition to this the company – with
approximately 1,000 employees – has a
very comprehensive and efficient sales
and service network in all of the Chinese
provinces. “And this is exactly what a
European company needs in order to
expand and strengthen its position on
the Chinese market.” According to Dr
Gräbener, this cannot be accomplished
from Europe. Therefore, the joint venture
is an “ideal complement”.
Reika GmbH & Co KG – Germany
Fax: +49 2331 96 90 36
Email:
Website:
Gräbener Maschinentechnik GmbH
– Germany
Website:
Mr Lewis Tung,
managing director
of WEMPCO,
Mr Walt Albert,
president of
Inductotherm
Heating & Welding
and Mr Theobald
Albrecht, director
of business Africa,
Salzgitter.
Sealing the joint
venture deal