TPI July 2013

business & market news

Keighley achieves Nadcap accreditation The technical services division of Keighley Laboratories has achieved Nadcap accreditation for a materials testing laboratory (MTL), a status recognised by the majority of global aerospace primes as a mark of quality assurance excellence. As one of the few Nadcap-accredited MTL facilities in the UK, Keighley Labs has been successfully assessed for the evaluation of aerospace welds, tensile, impact and bend testing, metallographic and micro indentation hardness procedures, and specimen preparation and machining.

“Companies such as Keighley Laboratories go above and beyond achieving Nadcap accreditation, to obtain Merit status, and they should be justifiably proud of that. We are determined to support continual improvement in the aerospace industry, by helping companies such as Keighley Labs become even more successful.” Debbie Mellor, MD of Keighley Labs, commented, “This is an important breakthrough for the company, since it raises our profile and reputation within the aerospace industry and enables us to obtain greater recognition for our expertise in weld and materials testing.” “It helps us to retain existing customers within the Northwest Aerospace Alliance and beyond, establishes our technical credentials for fresh market opportunities in other industries and paves the way for further export business in weld testing and other special processes.” The Nadcap application, which was supported by numerous key aerospace customers and Airbus itself, involved divisional technical services director Matthew Mellor, senior metallurgist Peter Hanson, and quality manager Tim Clegg, in a thoroughly intensive programme.

The UK company also gained Merit grade, which rewards superior performance in Nadcap audits and reduces subsequent audit frequency. Accreditation has also prompted affirmation and prolongation of its Airbus approval, the aircraft manufacturer having adopted the Nadcap programme for its global supply chain.

Combinedwith UKAS accredited testing and certification to many international standards and Civil Aviation Authority approval of in-house weld specimen supervisors, this confirms the company as a centre of excellence for weld testing, at a time when there is a Europe-wide shortage of the necessary expertise.

“Achieving Nadcap accreditation is not easy; it is one of the ways in which the aerospace industry identifies those who excel in superior special processes,” said Joe Pinto, executive vice president and chief operating officer at the Performance Review Institute, whichadministers the Nadcap programme.

(from left) Keighley Labs MD Debbie Mellor, Tim

Keighley Laboratories Ltd – UK info@keighleylabs.co.uk www.keighleylabs.co.uk

Clegg, Peter Hanson and Matthew Mellor Investment in large-diameter pipe mill

Corinth Pipeworks already has an HF welded pipe plant and a spiral- welded pipe plant from SMS Meer in operation. With the new JCOE large- diameter pipe mill the company is now completing its range of production techniques for pipe welding.

18.3m, in high-strength steel grades up to X100. The annual capacity will be 400,000 tons. With the JCOE technology from SMS Meer, Corinth Pipeworks SA, a leading pipe supplier to the gas and oil industry, will be able to meet the stringent quality criteria for these highly stressed pipes. The LSAW pipes will be used in future energy supply projects in the Mediterranean region, in the Gulf of Mexico, in Latin America, in West/East Africa and in the North Sea.

Corinth Pipeworks SA has signed a contract with SMS Meer for the supply of a JCOE large-diameter pipe mill for longitudinally welded pipes. With this investment in the new pipe mill, Corinth Pipeworks is expanding its product range in order to meet the growing global demand for high-strength offshore and onshore energy pipes. The new mill will be able to produce LSAW pipes with outside diameters from 18" to 56", wall thicknesses up to 40mm, and pipe lengths up to

The mill is scheduled for commission- ing at the beginning of 2015.

Corinth Pipeworks SA – Greece info@cpw.gr www.cpw.gr

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Tube Products International July 2013

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