Open / Close Advertisement

Joint Venture Awards Contract For New 240K-Ton Pipe Mill

According to an announcement by SMS, the two companies will build and outfit a longitudinal submerged-arc welding facility for Al Gharbia Pipe Co. SMS will engineer and supply the production equipment; Larsen & Toubro will be responsible for building the mill and installing the equipment

The mill, which is to begin production in 2018, will have an annual capacity of 240,000 tons, ranging in outer diameters from 18 to 56 inches. The mill will be capable of processing steel grades up to X80 meters and will produce pipe lengths up to 12.2 meters.

SMS said the production line will consist of an edge miller, a crimping press, an SMS JCOE pipe-forming press, a tack welder, inside and outside welder, mechanical expander and a hydrostatic pipe tester.

SMS said its JCOE pipe-forming process allows mill operators to change between pipe dimensions quickly, allowing even for profitable runs of smaller batches. SMS said the presses come equipped with variable speed pumps, providing for an efficient hydraulic system with pressures up to 450 bar.

The mill also will be outfitted with an automated shaping system.  

Al Gharbia Pipe Co. is a joint venture among investment company Senaat, JFE Steel and Marubeni-Itochu Steel (MISI). The new company is leveraging JFE Steel’s large-diameter, longitudinally welded steel pipe technology, MISI’s sales capabilities and Senaat’s industrial footprint in Abu Dhabi, where the mill is to be built, according to SMS.

The mill is intended to supply the energy sector and is targeting markets in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. SMS said the mill owners are betting on growing demand arising from projected oil and gas production increases.