TPi October 2008

news business & market

Acquisition of Indian FeCr smelter

Scandinavia and Germany, and work to further support the distribution business in this region. Mr Olsson’s expertise in distribution sales resulted in his more than doubling Hypertherm’s manual plasma business in the Nordic region in less than three years. In addition to his recent experience in the plasma cutting field, Mr Olsson has broad knowledge of the welding industry where he worked as a district sales manager and later as a regional sales manager for Elga, a Swedish manufacturer of high-end welding consumables. Hypertherm designs and manufactures advanced plasma cutting systems for use in a variety of industries, such as shipbuilding, manufacturing, and auto- motive repair. The company’s product line includes handheld and mechanised plasma systems and consumables, and CNC motion and height controls. Hypertherm Europe – Netherlands hteurope.info@hypertherm.com www.hypertherm.com Interpipe announces Q1 results for 2008 Steel pipe producer, Interpipe, Ukraine, has announced results for the first quarter of 2008. According to preliminary results, the company has recorded 12% growth in pipe production, with volumes up to 328,000 tons in the first three months of 2008 against the same period in 2007 (292,000 tons). Commenting on the results, Fadi Hraibi, director for product and resource management, said, “ In the first 3 months of 2008 Interpipe significantly increased sales on the CIS, North American (NAFTA), Middle East and North African markets. The growth in production volumes is explained by the mastering of API PSL2 pipe production at Interpipe NMPP and the launch of its continuous manufacturing regime. The opening of a sales office and warehouse in the United Arab Emirates also contributed greatly to Q1 success. ”

Earlier this year, a consortium of German and South-African companies led by Cronimet Mining GmbH invested in the mining rights for a significant chromium ore deposit in South Africa.

Cronimet Mining GmbH, part of the Cronimet Group, Germany, and investors from Dubai have acquired 70.5% of the shares of GMR Ferro Alloys and Industries Ltd from the Indian GMR Group. The remaining 29.5% of the shares remain widely held. The approval of the antitrust authorities has already been received. The acquired company, which is involved in the area of ferrochromium prod- uction, will operate under the name Cronimet Ferro Alloys (India) Ltd. The company is headquartered in Tekkali Mandal, Andhra Pradesh State. Founded in 1989 and certified in accordance with ISO 9001-2000, the company operates a ferrochromium melting plant that includes two melting furnaces with a capacity of 6 MVA and 9 MVA. The melting plant produces approx- imately 27,500 tons of ferrochromium annually. 75% of output is exported to Europe, China, Japan and Korea. The acquisition continues Cronimet’s expansion in the area of raw material supplies with ferro-alloys for the stainless steel industry.

Cronimet Group – Germany mail@cronimet.de www.cronimet.com

New regional manager for Hypertherm

Plasma metal cutting technology firm Hypertherm has appointed a new regional manager for distribution sales in northwest Europe. Magnus Olsson, previously a district sales manager responsible for Hypertherm Europe’s Nordic region, has been promoted to the new position of regional distribution sales manager, Northwest Europe. Mr Olsson will give operational leadership to the district salesmanagers in an area encompassing the UK, Northern Ireland, Scotland,

Butech 2009 International Machinery Fair

Butech 2009, the fourth Busan International Machinery Fair, will be held from 20-24 May 2009 in Busan, South Korea. The trade fair is organised by the Busan Metropolitan City, the Korea Industrial Marketing Institute and other industrial associations. Merebo Messe Marketing, Germany, is in charge of the European & North American Pavilion. The event will take place at the BEXCO Busan Exhibition & Convention Center, and will cover 26,500m 2 . The range of exhibits will be divided into machinery technology, factory automation equipment, die and mould industry, environment industry, tool and welding industry, and parts and material industry.

406 exhibitors from 25 countries participated in Butech 2007, and attracted 53,014 trade visitors.

Korea Industrial Marketing Institute – Korea kwj@kimikorea.com www.butech.or.kr Merebo Messe Marketing – Germany contact@merebo.com www.butech.merebo.com

In the first quarter of 2008, the company’s railway wheels production

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Tube Products International October 2008

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