TPi January 2016

Steel tubes and pipe

Steel supplier to SKA MeerKAT project South Africa was awarded the bulk of the SKA (Square Kilometer Array) telescope project, and Robor subsidiary Tricom Structures was selected as the fabricator of the back-up structure (BUS) of the antenna for the MeerKAT project, which is the precursor to the SKA project. the pre-production models has been dispatched, and Tricom is expected to deliver more units on a monthly basis, with a total of 64 units planned for completion by the end of 2016.

including renewable energy, telecom, powerline and most structural businesses. Tricom also has a dedicated engineering and design team that works to various international design standards. Robor has long been encouraging the use of tubular steel sections in South Africa, not only for their aesthetic appeal but also because they can meet the exacting quality demands of world- class projects.

Established in 1922, Robor is a manufacturer and supplier of welded steel tube and pipe, cold formed steel profiles and associated value added products. The company also supplies, distributes and adds value to carbon steel coil, plate, sheet and structural profiles.

The backup structure weighs around 25 tonnes and consists of 6,000 different components that have to be perfectly aligned to ensure the structure can accommodate the highly accurate and sensitive reflector panels for MeerKAT. The components that make up the elliptically shaped support structure are either welded or bolted into larger assemblies. Tubular steel was the material of choice for this application as it provides the right characteristics for the demanding specifications. The tubular steel components were manufactured and precision laser cut by Robor. The first 12 months of the project were essentially a prototyping phase with many design revisions along the way. A prototype was delivered in 2014 and to date a total of six units have seen their way to the Carnarvon site. The last of

Robor – South Africa info@robor.co.za www.robor.co.za

Tricom Structures Ltd became part of the Robor Group in July 2015, and

is now a 100 per cent subsidiary of Robor Energy, a division of the Robor Group. Tricom’s capabilities and services, which consist of engineering and design, manufacturing, product development and support, packaging and shipping, including warehousing, will provide Robor with additional opportunities within various markets,

Steel tube stockholder European Tubes Ltd, a steel tube stockholder specialising in seamless tubes, was first established in 1988. The initial concept was to purchase material from Europe to supply to the domestic market, hence the name European Tubes.

In 2015 European Tubes updated its fleet of vehicles to ensure it can continue to offer a reliable delivery service. The company also installed a new high-performance automatic saw with an inline deburrer, to assist with customers’ growing demand for cutting services. The new machine complements the nine other automatic saws that the company currently has in its fully stocked warehouse.

any mills. This allows it to purchase material from any source, anywhere in the world. Sourcing material in this manner means the company can choose the supplier that best suits the needs of customers, in terms of specification, price, quantity and lead time. A large range is held in stock, but the company states that it knows where to obtain items that are not in stock. Being based in the North West of England provides easy access to the motorway network to service domestic customers, and the company uses approved logistics suppliers to service export customers.

The company has now been trading for over 25 years. The business has grown and developed over the years but the core values remain the same: the company strives to offer the best solution for its customers, with a main focus on offering a quality product at a competitive price.

European Tubes Ltd – UK sales@europeantubes.co.uk www.europeantubes.co.uk

Being a family-run, independent company means it is not tied to

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January 2016 Tube Products International