Tianjin Pipe International Economic & Trading Corp., P.R. China, has pierced the first billet on its new cone-type piercer and rolled a first shell on its new Assel mill, together with the assistance of SMS Meer, Germany.

The Assel mill is a key component in the modernization of the Assel facility. It is designed for a capacity of 121,000 tonnes per year, produces thick-walled seamless tubes, predominantly for roller bearings, ranging in diameter from 88.9 to 219.7 mm. The Assel mill and the cone-type piercer were successfully commissioned after a contract period of 16 months.

Tianjin Pipe already operates two seamless tube plants — a 6 5/8-inch PQF^® plant and a 14-inch MPM plant — that were also supplied by SMS Meer.

SMS Meer GmbH forms part of the Tube, Long Product and Forging Technology Business Area of the SMS group. SMS GmbH is the holding for a group of companies internationally active in plant construction and mechanical engineering relating to the processing of steel, non-ferrous metals and plastics. The group is divided into the Business Areas of Metallurgical Plant and Rolling Mill Technology, Tube, Long Product and Forging Technology and Plastics Technology. In the year 2004 some 9,500 employees worldwide generated a turnover of about EUR 2.20 billion.