TPI July 2011

developments products &

Tube, pipe, bar and sheet

within the sub tier network to major companies such as Halliburton, Cameron and Schlumberger. In order to continue its high level of customer service, the company has implemented a state- of-the-art automated information system, adopted the latest concepts in supply chain management, and installed new processing equipment.

TW Metals Ltd, based in Southampton, England, is the international headquarters of a wholly owned private USA company, which stocks, processes and distributes speciality metals. The company’s product mix includes tube, pipe, bar and sheet in stainless, aluminium, alloy and carbon, as well as a variety of high alloys such as nickel and titanium. When TW opened its facility in Southampton in 1963 as Tubesales Ltd it quickly established its position as a distributor of instrumentation tube. Rebranded as TW following a parental merger, the company is still recognised as holding a wide range of instrumentation tube. Its major markets are aerospace (both airframe and engine), and oil, gas and petrochemical. Following a strategy of globalisation TW has developed the expertise to market and export products worldwide. Sales manager Mike Street reports that TW now exports over 56% of its sales to 136 countries around the globe. TW International has facilities in France, Poland, India, Singapore and China, supporting global offload to major aerospace companies such as Boeing, Airbus and Rolls Royce. It further supports oil gas and petrochemical industries for a wide variety of uses, such as down hole drilling and further services contracts

TW Metals sales manager Mike Street

cleaning equipment to help support demand and to complement its wide range of services. The recent purchase of a Kasto Tec AC4 bandsaw has reduced sawing times across the company’s full range of materials, with major gains being seen in the sawing of super alloys where cutting times have been reduced by as much as 50%, while maintaining blade life. Blade deviation monitoring, detects and attempts to correct any deviation of the blade from the set parameters during cutting allowing fast accurate cutting, giving TW the confidence to run the saw unmanned on large orders of high value material. Full material utilisation is key on high value products, and this has been improved over the company’s existing saws due to the ability of the Tec AC4 to complete the last cut from a length of material while only requiring a remnant length of 35mm, on a fully automatic cycle. The company has also reacted to the need for investment in an ultrasonic wash tank. This twin stage system, incorporating a detergent and ultrasonic wash, and a de-ionised water rinse, is capable of processing tubes up to 1,500mm in length, and removes grease, cutting oil and debris from external and internal surfaces of the material. This allows the company to fully utilise wet abrasive sawing technology for the high speed cutting of stainless, Inconel and titanium tubes.

TW Metals is currently experiencing a solid increase in the requirements for supply of raw materials in all of its markets. Customers are reporting good order books and there is cautious optimism about the sustainability of the demand. Concern is now centred on lead times, which have dramatically extended, and the availability of most product forms and alloys. TW Metals has seen increases in most production lead times and forward planning is now a priority for customers if demand is to be met in the coming months. TW’s investment in inventory allows it to manage the increase in requirements. Processing, and in particular the number of cuts per month, are continually on the increase (currently in excess of 35,000), and TW has invested in new cutting and

TW Metals ltd – UK press.office@twmetals.co.uk www.twmetals.co.uk

The New Kasto Tec AC4 bandsaw

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July 2011 Tube ProducTs InTernaTIonal