TPI September 2020

Events calendar

www.read-tpi.com

September 2020

The trademagazine for tube and pipe products

JOINUS INTO THEFUTURE OF STEEL TUBES

The September issue

Meetus at TUBE December7 -11, 2020 Düsseldorf,Germany HALL 8A - STANDB60

2020

Getour app

www.marcegaglia.com

23-26 September Tube China (Shanghai, China) International exhibition www.tubechina.net

Welcome to the latest Tube Products INTERNATIONAL magazine. This issue we have a fascinating interview with the Topfibra CEO Mauricio Facchinetti starting on page 34; a feature on OCTG, gas & pipeline products on page 38; and a case study from the highly creative Timeless Tubes (see page 45). The magazine is due to be distributed at FABTECH 2020 in the US (see page 32 for information) and at Tube China 2020 (page 42). A recent study by auditing firm EY shows that almost half of bosses in 45 countries are speeding up plans to introduce automation following the recent pandemic, with the likes of Amazon and Ocado already using robots in customer fulfilment centres. This is also a trend we have been increasingly seeing in tube production, even before COVID-19, with a growing number of elements of the process now automated, especially where the work would be hazardous for a human team. A challenge faced by manufacturers is a reduction in available staff on their shop floors largely due to social distancing, which comes with health and safety concerns, and the need for new ecosystems to achieve efficient production. Having spoken to a number of companies in the industry during lockdown it is noticeable that those offering automated solutions have seen an increase in inquiries and companies are generally looking at their premises in a very different light. During a Zoom meeting with Martin McVicar of Combilift he said calls looking for quotes and space saving solutions had doubled during lockdown. “Demand for space has never been at such a high level, as COVID-19 is driving space constraints,” he said. In addition to automation, manufacturers are looking to boost their production space in order to comply with social distancing rules as economies around the world begin to re-open. It will be interesting to see how rapidly this situation changes the face of our industry.

18-20 November FABTECH (Las Vegas, USA)

International exhibition www.fabtechexpo.com

23-25 November Tube India (Mumbai, India) International exhibition www.tube-india.com

1-3 December ValveWorld Expo

(Düsseldorf, Germany) International exhibition www.valveworldexpo.com 7–11 December Tube Düsseldorf 2020 (Düsseldorf, Germany) International exhibition www.tube.de

2021

11-14 January STEELFAB (Sharjah, UAE)

International exhibition www.steelfabme.com

In the forthcoming November issue we have features on steel & stainless steel tubes; valves, fittings & flanges; and tube welding technology. The magazine is also due to be distributed at a number of trade shows. You can submit editorial to me at rory@intras.co.uk

25-28 January MACH (Birmingham, UK) International exhibition www.machexhibition.com 9-12 March EuroBLECH (Hanover, Germany) International exhibition www.euroblech.com

Rory McBride Editor in chief

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TUBE PRODUCTS INTERNATIONAL September 2020