TPi April 2012

business & market news

Coupled Products awarded damages Coupled Products, a Michigan, USA- based automotive supplier of tube and hose assemblies, has won a significant award in a jury verdict in an Oakland County Circuit Court, in a breach of contract lawsuit it filed against Navistar International Corporation. The jury granted Coupled Products a substantial award for damages, agreeing that Navistar breached a 2010 supply agreement. Northbrook, Illinois-based company, acquired Coupled Products from Dana Corporation in 2007. In early 2010, Navistar and Coupled Products signed a short-term supply agreement for parts made in Coupled Products’ plants in Indiana and Ohio. Prior to its natural expiration, Navistar cancelled theagreement, leavingCoupled Products with numerous unshipped parts and significant unrecovered costs. Unable to resolve the dispute, Coupled Products filed a lawsuit in July 2010.

Ginsberg, one of the principals of SG Industries. “We would have preferred to have settled the dispute outside of the courtroom, but we had to protect our employees and our assets, even if it meant utilising our legal system as a last resort.” “Navistar is a strong and well-respected US-based company,” said Mr Ginsberg. “They make excellent trucks and military vehicles and we certainly enjoyed and appreciated the opportunity to play a role in that process.”

Prior to the filing, the two companies enjoyed a decades-long commercial relationship, with Navistar buying brake and air-conditioning lines from Coupled Products. SG Industries, a

Coupled Products, LLC – USA www.coupledproducts.com

“Navistar was an important partner of ours at the time,” commented Brad

Pickle expansion project increases capacity MST Seamless Tube & Pipe will break ground this year on a construction project that will expand the manufacturer’s pickling capabilities, improve its billet inspection process and add four new full-time employees. expansion project will vastly improve flow in the mill and greatly improve lead times for our customers.”

house the pickle lines, extended billet inspection area, a new crane and acid tubs. Dubbed the Pickle Expansion Project internally, MST expects the improvement to provide an additional 450 tons per month of finishing capacity and improve overall material flow through the existing steel mill. “Pickle capacity has always been an issue at MST,” commented Ted Fairley, vice-president of sales and marketing. “But this pickle

The expanded pickle capabilities help to better utilise the available draw bench capacity, which means more bench turns of operation.

The Michigan, USA-based seamless tube and pipe manufacturer has invested $6mn in this capital expenditure and will construct a new 9,600ft 2 building to

MST – USA www.mstube.com

IPP Mardale – one year later Chris Daly, the recently promoted managing director of IPP Mardale, is excited about the future. “It’s been a fantastic year for us, since Mardale was acquired by the IPP Group in December 2010. We have gone from strength to strength, experiencing terrific support from our customers and suppliers.” strengthen and maintain our position in the marketplace. With this kind of support, our highly skilled workforce and commitment to quality, IPP Mardale is fast becoming the industry leader.”

This will further develop our growth and enhance our industry recognition.”

Rob Leacy has been appointed sales manager – white metals, as of 1 February 2012. Jared Ayres, group CEO, said, “The appointment of Rob underpins the key principles and objectives of our business plan, putting quality personnel in key positions. Rob’s experience in the white metal markets, particularly duplex and super duplex, is second to none and his appointment will greatly benefit our UK and international sales teams.”

IPP Group has also made a number of new appointments. Richard Bratt- Wyton joins IPP Europe as quality engineer. With over 20 years’ experience in butt weld fittings in a manufacturing capacity, he was previously quality manager and works manager of another well-known UK fittings manufacturer. Gavin Maxwell, group technical director, commented, “We believe Richard will be a great addition to our existing team, bringing substantial experience to the group.

The IPP Group has serious commitment to the subsea market and Mr Daly has some aggressive plans for the future. “The acquisition of Mardale by the IPP Group has allowed us to access substantial stocks, and the Norsok approval of the manufacturing division of IPP Scomark has helped to

International Piping Products (Europe) Ltd – UK sales@ippgrp.com www.ippgrp.com

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April 2012 Tube Products International