TPi October 2012

business & market news

Ten-year titanium extrusions deal

manager of Plymouth Engineered Shapes. “We are proud to be a supplier on the A350 XWB programme.” Established in 1924, Plymouth Tube Co opened its Hopkinsville facility in 1981 as Plymouth Engineered Shapes. The company makes extruded stainless, titanium, nickel alloy, carbon and carbon alloy shapes – net, near-net, and semi- finished extrusions. Markets served include aerospace, defence, energy and various industrial applications.

its aerospace-focused titanium shapes operation at Hopkinsville, Kentucky. Plymouth’s president and CEO, Donald C Van Pelt Jr, stated that, “The Hopkinsville plant has been successful since its early days, due to the quality and drive of the people here and their ability to make challenging super critical components for aerospace and industrial customers.” “We have a long cooperation with Airbus and are excited to be awarded this contract as the aerospace market surges forward amidst this period of increasing worldwide air passenger traffic,” said Kevin Rahnert, general that sets it apart from the competition. “Our objective is to extend the life of our North Sea assets to maximise profitability without compromising safety,” Mr Reid explained. “Severn Unival’s philosophy is to consider each control valve individually as well as treating the population as a whole. This ultimately proves to be the most cost-effective approach. It underpins precise technical specifications that enable shrewd repair, retrofit and replacement activity.” Andy Woodward, sales manager for North Sea Services at Severn Unival, believes that ageing assets require carefully prioritised maintenance routines to ensure safety, integrity and reliability. The firm’s extensive repair intelligence data, coupled with the expertise of its engineers, mean management work-lists are well-

Semi-finished

titanium

airframe

extrusion Plymouth Engineered Shapes has been awarded a contract from Airbus. The scope of the ten-year agreement includes titanium extrusions that will be utilised throughout the programmes for the A350 XWB, including A350-800, A350- 900 and A350-1000. In support of the Airbus contract and to ensure its continued success as a semi- finished titanium airframe extrusion producer, in November 2011 Plymouth Engineered Shapes announced an expansion plan. A $12.1mn capability and capacity investment is planned for producer CNR International (UK) Ltd has awarded engineering specialist Severn Unival a three-year contract to manage control and choke valve populations across its five North Sea platforms. Severn Unival’s brief is to ensure that the control and choke valves on these mature assets operate effectively and efficiently to support productivity and satisfy KP4 Health & Safety objectives associated with ageing platforms. The contract, which was won following a competitive market tender, demonstrates CNR’s on-going confidence in the quality of Severn Unival’s technical support. It will run back-to-back with a previous three-year contract initially awarded in 2006, then lengthened with all available extension options. CNR’s instrument technical authority, Craig Reid, says it is Severn Unival’s intelligence-led engineering

Plymouth Tube Company – USA aero@plymouth.com www.plymouth.com North Sea valve management appointment

optimised to focus attention where it is most needed.

“All North Sea operators are faced with the challenge of ageing assets,” Mr Woodward explained. “CNR understands the importance of taking proactive measures to identify – and predict – potential ‘bad actors’ in order to optimise performance. Our considered approach to valve management means we offer tangible added value through exceptional technical support. I believe this is the secret to our enduring relationship with CNR, and it is a pleasure to work with such a like-minded organisation.”

Severn Glocon Group – UK sales@severnglocon.co.uk www.severnglocon.com

CNR International (UK) Ltd – UK www.cnrl.com

Multi-million dollar contract for IPP IPP East Coast, a member of the IPP group of companies, has secured a multi-million dollar contract to supply low temperature carbon steel seamless pipe, fittings and flanges for a major oil and gas operator and EPC in Bass Strait, Victoria, Australia. Jason Berg, managing director of IPP East Coast, commented, “This is a major client and IPP East Coast is proud to secure this pivotal and prestigious contract. "We have been in discussions for this project since 2011 and to secure an

order of this nature is a very strong indicator to the market, that IPP East Coast is one of the world’s premier project supply companies,” he added. International Piping Products – UK sales@ippgrp.com www.ippgrp.com

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Tube Products International October 2012

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