TPi November 2014

business & market news

Top suppliers acknowledged Marmon/Keystone held its annual Supplier Recognition Day at the Butler Country Club in Butler, Pennsylvania, USA, to commemorate the quality performance of suppliers in 2013. 48 multinational supplier representatives qualified for the celebration. Led by Marmon Distribution Services, Inc president Alan L Wilkinson, this was the 20 th outing held since the inauguration of Marmon/Keystone’s Supplier Quality System (SQS). zero defects and outstanding service for the year 2013. The eight suppliers honoured with this distinction were: American Tube (Birmingham, Alabama); Independence Tube (Chicago, Illinois); Industrial Hard Chrome, Ltd (Geneva, Illinois); Jiuli USA (Houston, Texas); Maruichi Leavitt Pipe & Tube LLC (Chicago, Illinois); Vallourec, Inc (Houston, Texas); Webco Industries Inc (Sand Springs, Oklahoma); and Welded Tube of Canada (Concord, Ontario).

and world market for Manitowoc products and business obstacles. Marmon/Keystone
has been a wholesale distributor of tubular products for over 100 years, and inventories more than 15,000 sizes and grades of carbon, alloy, stainless and aluminium tubular and bar products. The company also offers a full range of value added services to enhance manufacturing needs. Service centres and sales offices are located throughout North America, with corporate headquarters in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Mr Wilkinson and Marmon/Keystone vice president commercial Ron Lenhart presented perfect performance awards to suppliers who achieved the highest scores in the areas of on-time delivery,

The featured speaker was Glen E Tellock, chairman, president and chief executive officer of The Manitowoc Company, Inc. At the event he discussed the company

Marmon/Keystone LLC – USA sales@marmonkeystone.com www.marmonkeystone.com

Safety and efficiency during storage and transportation

would not damage the freshly coated surface. Finally, train wagons were loaded with System88 for a durational test of the system in practice. As a result the system was approved by TÜV Nord in 2005. Since 2005 System88 has been implemented in the pipeline industry, and over 10,000 trains and trucks have been equipped with the adjustable transport system. Every five years the tests are repeated to guarantee safety during long-term use. Dhatec started to extend its logistic programme with Pipe Stop, in 2009, for storing pipes in the range of 8" to 150", and its latest development – the Pipe Carrier Premium (2013), suitable for both transport and storage of small diameter pipes between 4" and 20". The systems are based on the same quality standards and share the following advantages with System88: reliable transport and/or storage system; adjustable to a range of sizes; each pipe is stably nested, with sideways support; safe for pipe and coating; reusable and highly durable; and weather proof.

After establishing itself in the oil and gas industrywithpipe-endprotection,Dhatec started in 2002 with the development of a safe and efficient transport system as an alternative to traditional wooden supports. The patented design of the adjustable transport system is claimed to eliminate the disadvantages of other support systems. System88 consists of a zinc plated steel profile on which LDPE blocks can be positioned that are secured with locking pins. Due to the wedge-shaped blocks, pipes are supported sideways, and risks for deformation of the pipe are reduced. Each pipe is blocked separately, and finite element analysis shows almost four times less displacement and almost two times less stress compared to a situation where pipes are supported by a (wooden) beam. During an extensive testing phase of multiple years, the advantages were proven in practice. Collision tests between train wagons showed that the frictional resistance of the blocks is satisfactory. Tensile tests on the block proved the quality and strength of the PE compound material, which is guaranteed for five years. Coated pipes with a temperature of 80°C were loaded on System88 to prove that the blocks

For over 20 years Dutch company Dhatec has been working on a research and development programme that keeps pipes in optimal condition during logistics of line pipes. Several solutions have emerged during the years to improve safety of the logistic process, including System88, Pipe Stop and Pipe Carrier Premium. Dhatec has studied the supply chain of pipelines in detail. During each step in this logistic trail there is a risk of damage to both the pipe and its coating layer. Dhatec isolated dangerous situations during transport and storage, and this resulted in the creation of solutions that safeguard the quality of the pipe and improve the process in terms of efficiency and safety.

Dhatec Line pipe Logistic Solutions – Netherlands

info@dhatec.nl www.dhatec.nl

Safe storage for small diameter pipes

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Tube Products International November 2014

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