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March 16th, 2010
- Projects
Vienna Austria - Siemens VAI Metals Technologies lands Chinese wire rod mill order.
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| Siemens VAI Metals Technologies has received an order from the Chinese company Handan Iron & Steel Co to supply mechanical equipment for a bar mill and a mill train for the wire rod mill. The project is scheduled to be completed by late 2010. Handan ordered a rod outlet for the wire rod mill from Siemens at the end of 2009. The scope of supply also includes parts of the cooling system, pinch rolls, a convertible dividing shear a fixed cold shear with a cutting force of 1,200 tonnes, guides and equipment for the oil air lubrication system as well as spare parts including 15 rolling stands. The wire rod mill will have a roughing and an intermediate mill, each with six RedRing stands, and a four-stand pre-finishing mill, including guides and oil-air lubrication systems. These plant components will complement the rod outlet that Handan Iron & Steel had previously ordered from Siemens. When complete, the wire rod mill will be able to process about 700,000 tonnes a year of standard carbon and alloy steels as well as bearing and spring steels.
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March 16th, 2010
- General
Essen Germany - Ferrostaal sells first cable recycling plant in the United Arab Emirates
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| Ferrostaal AG is expanding its activities in the field of recycling and environmental technology and is taking advantage of its presence in more than 60 countries to do so. The sale and financing of a cable recycling plant to Gulf Star Metals in Ajman will see the first machines from this sector installed in the United Arab Emirates.
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March 16th, 2010
- Market Stats
Vienna Austria - Chinas role in worldwide wire and cable markets.
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| ICF news letter this month gives a good overview of Chinas remarkable 10 Year Transition. In 1998, China exported US$ 0.9 billion of wire and cable products. In 2007 less than ten years later these exports passed US$ 10 billion and kept rising to US$11.9 billion in 2008. The compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for the rise from 1998 to 2008 is 28%, which compares with a 9 % CAGR for the corresponding ten-year increase in worldwide consumption of wire and cable products. These data are based on international trade statistics in the harmonized code 8544 product category, which includes all insulated wire and cable, along with, insulated conductors fitted with connectors, harnesses, and other cable assemblies. For complete news letter use this link
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March 16th, 2010
- General
Nairobi Kenya - Kenya to tap power from its neighbors after grid connection
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| Kenyas unstable power grid will soon receive a major boost from a planned power line interconnection with Tanzania and Zambia. The three countries have agreed to link their grids allowing those with deficits, like Kenya, to tap from those with excess energy. We met early this month and agreed to build the Zambia-Tanzania- Kenya interconnector, said Anastas Mbawala, director for Tanzanias Energy Regulatory Authority. The decision comes shortly after President Kibaki and Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi signed a bilateral pact which will see the two countries merge their power grids.
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March 16th, 2010
- General
Cleveland Ohio - Lincoln Electrics New Pipeliner ® 80Ni1 MIG Wire
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Lincoln Electric has introduced new Pipeliner ® 80Ni1 MIG (GMAW) wire to its line of Pipeliner ® consumables developed to meet the rigorous demands of the global pipe welding industry. It is designed for semi-automatic or automatic welding of root, hot, fill and cap passes on up to X80 grade pipe and root passes on up to X100 grade pipe. Pipeliner ® 80Ni1 is capable of producing impact properties of 69 95 J (51 70 ftlbf) at -50C (-58F) to meet the demands of tough pipeline jobs. This new wire increases productivity with enhanced arc characteristics and provides optimal wire placement for narrow groove joint configurations.
All Pipeliner ® products feature ProTech ® foil bag packaging to ensure reliable performance and are manufactured to lot control standards and tested per AWS A5.01, Class S4 Schedule H. Actual certificates of test available at www.lincolnelectric.com.
For more information, visit www.lincolnelectric.com to obtain Bulletin C1.100.4.
The Lincoln Electric Company, headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, is the world leader in the design, development and manufacture of arc welding products, robotic arc-welding systems, plasma and oxyfuel cutting equipment and has a leading global position in the brazing and soldering alloys market.
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March 15th, 2010
- General
Sarajevo Bosnia - Bosnia aluminum producers seek government aid to survive
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| Bosnia's aluminium producers and processors, the country's top exporters, warned on Wednesday that many of them will not be able to survive unless the government helps them get access to more and cheaper funds soon. "The water has risen to our neck and some of us will drown if the government fails to help us," said Predrag Covic, general manager of the Kapis cable plant and head of the aluminium industry association, which groups 12 Bosnian companies. The base metal sector is key in the small Balkan country, impoverished after the 1992-95 war, but the global economic downturn last year has triggered a 25 percent fall in output and halved its exports. The metal sector accounts for about half of the country's overall exports.
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March 15th, 2010
- General
Carthage Missouri - Leggett & Platt Chief Operating Officer named to Board of Directors of the National Association of Manufacturers
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| Leggett & Platt announced that Karl Glassman, its Chief Operating Officer, has been named to the Board of Directors of the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM). Mr. Glassman's nomination was approved by the NAM board on March 5, 2010. Glassman joins over 200 industry leaders on the NAM board, including executives from Leggett & Platt peer companies such as Emerson, General Electric, Illinois Tool Works, HARSCO Corporation, and others.
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March 15th, 2010
- General
Santiago Chile - State Grid of China and Quadra Mining to develop Chile copper mines
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| According to a statement issued State-owned public utility, The State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC), plans to cooperate with Canadian miner Quadra Mining Ltd and jointly develop copper mines in Chile, to secure raw material supplies for electric cables and to expand its investment portfolio with Quadra. State Grid International Development Ltd (SGID), a wholly owned subsidiary of SGCC, will form a 50-50 joint venture with Quadra to develop and operate Quadra's Sierra Gorda project, Franke Mine and other copper assets in Chile. The Sierra Gorda project and Franke Mine are valued at $900 million in assets, said the Quadra statement.
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March 15th, 2010
- Reports
Istanbul Turkey - Turkeys Celik Halat ve Tel Sanayi posts loss in 2009
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| In 2009, Turkish steel wire and rope producer Celik Halat ve Tel Sanayii A.S. produced 36,673 metric tons of steel products, 18.76 percent lower compared to the company's 2008 output. In the given year, the producer's steel rope output totaled 6,583 metric tons, declining by 22.03 percent, its galvanized wire production amounted to 1,187 metric tons, down 19.36 percent, spring wire output regressed by 47.17 percent to 4,139 metric tons, its bead wire production decreased by 32.05 percent to 8,350 metric tons, the company's single strand rope output saw a rise of 46.92 percent to 2,912 metric tons, while its pre-stressed wire strand production totaled 13,503 metric tons, up 2.93 percent, all compared to 2008. Last year, product sales of Celik Halat ve Tel Sanayi dropped by 17.32 percent to 36,931 metric tons. Exports accounted for 26.24 percent of the total sales. The company's net sales revenue in 2009 amounted to TRY 75.9 million ($49.41 million), declining by 24.94 percent year on year, while its loss for the year totaled TRY 3.29 million ($2.14 million), compared to a profit of TRY 5.36 million in 2008. Based in Kocaeli in northwestern Turkey, Celik Halat ve Tel Sanayii has an annual production capacity of 45,000 metric tons, while its domestic market share is about 35 percent.
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March 13th, 2010
- General
Fond du Lac Wisconsin - Perth Ontario based Central Wire brings 50 jobs to former Charter wire Fond du Lac plant
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 As many as 50 new jobs could be created in Fond du Lac as the result of a wire manufacturer's plans to set up operations in a vacant steel plant. ATheCanadian-based company will receive $163,000 in tax credits to buy, equip and begin using a shuttered facility in Fond du Lac - a $3.3 million project expected to create 29 jobs, Gov. Jim Doyle's office announced Wednesday. The tax credits will go to Central Wire Industries Ltd., which manufactures stainless steel wire, nickel-alloy wire and related products used in various markets, such as the auto and aerospace industries.
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March 13th, 2010
- General
Beijing China - Baosteel raises April wire rod prices by 150-300 yuan/t
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| Xinhua reported that China's top steel producer Baoshan Iron & Steel Co (Baosteel; 600019.SH) has taken the lead to raise manufacturer prices of steel wires for April as steel product market has shown signs of recovery. The prices of the company's most steel wire products went up 150 to 300 yuan/metric ton (tonne). However, Baosteel hasn't yet released its steel plate prices for next month. Industry insiders say that Baosteel's price rise is mainly attributed to cost pressure as well as booming demand from downstream industries Currently, Baosteel's automobile sheet and appliance board products are in short supply on the market. The company has started to restrict production of some silicon steel products in an effort to expand auto sheet production. Steel prices have kept on rising since the beginning of March,, showing a strong trend of market warming.
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March 13th, 2010
- General
Highbridge Somerset - Wire rope firm bucks the trend
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| UK wire rope specialist Techni-Cable Ltd is celebrating the start of the new decade after recording growth in its business. Managing director Trevor Heyworth established Techni-Cable as a one-man operation in 2005, with marketing manager, Alex Keen, joining in 2007. At the start of 2009, Techni-Cable moved to bigger premises and recruited six new members of staff to become an eight-man operation. Techni-Cables products include stainless steel wire rope, stainless steel cable, wire rope fittings and stainless cable components, as well as small diameter stainless and galvanised cable, PVC, nylon and plastic covered wire ropes and assemblies, catenary wire, stainless cable railing balustrading, gym cables and cable grips.
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March 13th, 2010
- General
Manila Philippines - Steel price hikes loom
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| Higher prices of steel construction materials loom as global steel prices hit record highs due to higher input costs, an industry source yesterday said. Our source warned that the price hikes would cover reinforcing bars, galvanized iron sheets (GI) and other steel-based materials as the country enters the peak season for construction. Based on the monitoring of the Department of Trade and Industry for the week March 1 to 5, the prices of construction materials were: steel wire 1.65 mm (gauge 16), up from P65 to P80, and 1.25 mm (gauge 18), from P70 to P100; corrugated GI sheets (gauge 26), up P1 from a week ago to P51 and; steel bars, P119 to P121 for 10 mm and P168 to P176 for 12 mm.
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March 12th, 2010
- General
Tokyo Japan - Japan studying monthly Asian deals for wire rod exports
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| Japan's integrated steelmakers are studying whether to seek monthly deals of their wire rod exports to the rest of Asia for April to June 2010 shipments, a break with their normal practice of negotiating quarterly supply contracts. Also, they have an idea of requesting various customers to accept a shorter lead time of one month than the present two months. It is about time for the Japanese steelmakers to start negotiations on their wire rod exports to Asian destinations for April to June 2010 shipments. But they still find themselves in a wait and see position due to uncertain prospects of contract renewal negotiations on their imports of iron ore and coking coal for fiscal 2010.
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March 12th, 2010
- General
Wellington New Zeeland - Growing demand, high scrap costs see Pacific Steel raise prices
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| Farmers and construction companies will face higher costs after the country's only producer of reinforcing steel and wire puts up its prices next Monday. Pacific Steel Group is raising the price of its reinforcing steel bar and wire rod products by 7 per cent to 9 per cent, due to the rising cost of steel scrap and a weaker kiwi dollar. Pacific Steel, a division of Fletcher Building, supplies largely to the building trade and fencing wire distributors. The company is the country's largest recycler of steel and all its products are made from locally-sourced scrap. But it must still compete with overseas buyers who use the international price for steel. Pacific's general manager Ian Jones said the price was being affected by several factors, including continued demand in China, improved demand in the United States, and rising iron ore prices. The move partially reversed a fall in prices for steel bar and wire rod products last year when commodity prices fell. Wellington-based Steel & Tube said it would be affected by the price hike because it bought and distributed Pacific Steel products. Steel & Tube's chief executive, Dave Taylor, predicted steel prices would trend upwards over the next year and he expected other steel providers would follow suit as the global industry struggled to realign supply with demand.
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March 12th, 2010
- General
Kuala Lumpur - Southern Cable to host Malaysian executive dinner
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| Southern Cable, Malaysia's leading telecommunication and power cable manufacturer is to host a dinner event for executives and senior management of customers and business partners, designed to build a rapport relationship and to create more business opportunity. Malaysia's leading wire and cable manufacturer for the electrical power and telecommunication industry, Southern Cable has announced to host a dinner event for executive and senior management, in a bid to foster and improve relationships between Southern Cable and its industry partners. Scheduled for tomorrow 13 March 2010, the event is to be held at the glamorous Pavilion Kuala Lumpur and will host over 400 guests from senior management and executive positions. With invites to executives from Penang to Johor, from Sarawak to Sabah, the event is being run in conjunction with experienced corporate events organizer RSVP.com.my.
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March 12th, 2010
- Personnel
Abu Dhabi, UAE - Ducab HV announces CEO appointment
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| Ducab,one of the leading manufacturers of high quality power cables in the Middle Easthas announced at WETEX 2010 the appointment of Jon Vail as the CEO of a new company Ducab HV Cable Systems. This comes exactly one year after announcing the formation of the joint venture company in which Ducab has a 50% share with Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) and Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority (ADWEA) each holding an additional 25%. The new company will sell cable systems in the voltage range of 66kV to 400kV, covering the highest voltage currently used in the GCC and operating as the first dedicated high-voltage facility in the region. Once fully operational, the company plans on selling over Dhs1bn of cable and associated services annually, approximately 60% of which will be consumed in the UAE.
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March 11th, 2010
- Product Releases
Bristol, CT, U.S.A. - TAK Presents New Economical Servo Controlled Feed and Cut System
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 A recent project demanded
an accurate and repeatable strip feed and cut to
length system that could process long lengths
(8h-42h) of tempered steel strip from a coil,
providing a minimal burr cut at a high throughput
rate. Feed length changes had to be easily
accomplished with minimal down time between
set ups. These cut lengths are used in a constant
force spring application that required an
end forming operation on both ends. The
tempered strip therefore had to be annealed for
approximately 1.5h on each end.
To accomplish
this, an RF heating system and coil was positioned
ahead of the feed and cut system. A 3
inch long section would be heated during the
cut cycle while the material was stationary, and
the subsequent feed would position the 3h section
in the center of the cut station. To operate
in conjunction with the feed system, there
would need to be a pause feature provided
within the feed controls. The timed pause function
also had to be adjustable to allow for different
time cycles, depending upon the specific
material that was being processed.
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March 11th, 2010
- Market Stats
Brantford Ontario - US steel mills to raise wire rod April list prices
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| Purchasing Magazine reports that at least three U.S. wire rod producers have announced price increases for April that would take list prices for low-carbon grades up to $765-$770 because of "significant increases" in scrap costs this month. Market reports indicate that shredded scrap, for example has increased 11% to $368 gross ton this month. Evraz and Keystone Steel & Wire have announced $60-65/ton increases on low-carbon wire rod, prices while Nucor's Bar Mill Group has announced a $60 increase on low-carbon grade wire rod and a $70 increase on medium-carbon, high-carbon and welding grades.
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March 11th, 2010
- Market Stats
London U.K. - Copper gains for a second day in London and New York on Chinese imports
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| Copper advanced for a second day in New York and London as shipments to China rose by 10 percent in February compared with the previous month, signaling sustained demand from the worlds largest user. China imported 322,282 metric tons of copper and copper products last month, the Beijing-based customs office said today. That was 2 percent less than the same month a year ago, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. A price difference between the contracts traded in Shanghai and London had favored imports and this gap has now closed.
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March 11th, 2010
- General
Brantford Ontario - Think tank assesses electricity transmission design
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| Moving huge quantities of electricity over vast distances Underground in superconducting DC cable system would boost efficiency and safety according to the Electric Power Research Institute. The institute describes the design of a superconducting direct current cable system capable of moving thousands of megawatts of electricity between regions in a 252-page report published March 3. The proposal is timely in light of the U.S. governments focus on upgrading the nations outdated electric transmission grids and distribution systems by 2030 with a network of powerful superconducting cables. The move comes in response to increasingly frequent power failures and other power supply-related problems that have plagued the countrys power systems in recent years.
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March 10th, 2010
- Product Releases
Atllanta Georgia - Alcan Cable offers Ultra HS(TM) high strength steel core transmission cable as high temperature, low sag solution in power transmission applications
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| Alcan Cable, part of Alcan Engineered Products - a business unit of Rio Tinto - introduces its Ultra HS(TM) steel core wire for use at maximum benefit with Aluminum Conductor Steel Supported (ACSS, ACSS/TW) and Aluminum Conductor Steel Reinforced Self Damping Conductor (ACSR/SD) products for power transmission line applications. "We are pleased to introduce this new stronger steel core product, Ultra HS(TM), which offers lower sag on transmission lines and thus saves on tower height," said Howard H. Atkins, director, Business Development and Marketing, Alcan Cable. "There are cases where standard steel core wire in ACSS will not provide the necessary sag profile. Our new Ultra HS(TM) steel core wire gives our customers another option."
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March 10th, 2010
- General
Frankfort.Kentucky - Bekaert Shelbyville plant may hire 10
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| Bekaert, plans to add a hot-dip galvanizing line at its 260,000-square-foot plant in Shelbyville. Bekaert Corp.s Shelbyville plant introduced their potential growth plans at a February 25 meeting of the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority in Frankfort.
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March 10th, 2010
- Projects
Mumbai India - Taihan Electric Wire Co. receives major order from Reliance Infrastructure
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| Taihan Electric Wire Co. The South Korean electric-cable maker received a 1.62 billion rupee ($35 million) contract to build a power-cable network in Mumbai. Reliance Infrastructure Ltd. placed the order, Taihan said in a regulatory filing yesterday. The stock fell 2.4 percent to 16,550 won.
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March 10th, 2010
- General
Bridgeville Pennsylvania - Universal Stainless announces base price increases
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| Universal Stainless & Alloy Products, Inc. Monday announced base price increases of 3% to 5% on all stainless and low alloy grade products manufactured at its Bridgeville and Dunkirk facilities. The increase will be effective for all new orders entered March 15, 2010. Current material and energy surcharges will remain in effect. Chris Zimmer, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, commented, "We are committed to providing our customers high quality steel with industry leading delivery performance and lead times. This price adjustment is necessary to support our ongoing reinvestment into our facilities to better serve our customers."
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March 10th, 2010
- General
Abuja Nigeria - Jonathan orders reopening of Ajaokuta Steel
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 Two years after the revocation the concession of the Ajaokuta Steel Company Limited and National Iron Ore Company of Nigeria to Global Infrastructures Holdings Limited, Acting President Goodluck Jonathan, has ordered that the plants be reopened. Addressing the media in Abuja on Monday, the Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, explained that the reopening of the plant would gulp about N650m, which would be spent on re-operationalising certain aspects of the plants.
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March 9th, 2010
- Press Releases
Christchurch, New Zealand - Inosym Ships Largest Reels
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 Inosym shipped our largest reels in Dec 2009 to Egypt and Malaysia. The reels were steel drums 4000mm and 3600mm in diameter. Designed to carry a maximum cable weight of 25,000kg at drum twisting speeds of 28RMP.
It was a great achievement for our engineering and logistics teams proving that Inosym can design, manufacture and supply the full range of Reels and Drums for all cable making processes worldwide.
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March 9th, 2010
- Projects
Aberdeen, Scotland - Technip awarded two contracts for field developments in UK North Sea
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| Technip has been awarded by Talisman Energy (UK) Limited two engineering, procurement and installation contracts, worth in excess of 40 million on a lump sum basis, for the development of the Auk North and Burghley fields. The fields will be tied back to Talisman's Fulmar A platform and the Premier Oil-operated Balmoral Floating Production Vessel respectively. The Auk North contract covers the fabrication and installation of a production pipeline, the installation of an umbilical*, a power cable and subsea equipment. The Burghley contract covers fabrication and installation of a production pipeline and a gas lift pipeline, as well as the installation of an umbilical and subsea structures. Both contracts include pre-commissioning and commissioning support. Technip's operating center in Aberdeen, Scotland will execute the contracts, which are scheduled to commence in the field in the second quarter of 2010. The pipelines will be welded at Technip's spoolbase in Evanton, Scotland. Two vessels from the Technip fleet will be used for the offshore installation campaign: the Orelia diving support vessel and the new pipelay vessel, Apache II.
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March 9th, 2010
- Acquisitions
Versailles France - FCI buys cable maker MergeOptics assets
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| Connector and cable assemble solutions provider FCI, has acquired the assets of MergeOptics, a manufacturer of active optical cables (AOCs) and optical transceivers. The acquisition will allow FCI to leverage MergeOptics' leadership position in AOCs to complement FCI's passive and active copper cables assemblies to address data and communications market applications. Data centers and high performance computing applications require that the data-rate performance per channel as defined by various standards be maintained over long lengths of cable. Current applications feature both copper high-speed I/O solutions for short-to-moderate lengths. Applications that require longer cable lengths employ the use of fiber optics via either active optical cables or through the use of transceivers. The market requirements for increased speed and port density continue to drive suppliers towards higher speed solutions increasing the utilization of active optical cables and transceivers as the market drives toward 25Gbit/s per channel high-speed I/O solutions. "MergeOptics' leading position in active optical cables extends FCI's existing high-speed I/O portfolio of passive and active copper solutions," said Pete Curwen, corporate VP and general manager of FCI electronics division. "With this complete portfolio of I/O product solutions, we will be able to provide our customers with more complete and innovative solutions to meet their needs today and in the future."
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March 9th, 2010
- Acquisitions
San Jose, California - Mountz, Inc. acquires fastener importer Mr. Metric
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| Mountz, Inc. acquired all assets of Mr. Metric, Inc, a fastener importer and distributor located in San Jose, CA. The value of the deal was not disclosed. Mr. Metric will serve as the flagship brand name for all Mountz fastener products. Fastener products will be integrated into the Mountz logistics system and sold under the strong Mr. Metric brand name. Mountz plans to roll out a fresh and revived Mr. Metric brand to a combined 6,000 active customers. Mountz is the nations premier manufacturer and supplier of high quality torque tool products used to properly torque fasteners. Mountz serves the world's largest producers of industrial products. Mountz is ISO 9001 certified and ISO 17025 accredited and operates in over 30 countries. San Jose has been its local headquarters for 45 years.
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March 9th, 2010
- General
Brantford Ontario - Stainless steel buying returning but at lower level
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| Moderate growth in metalworking this year could boost supply of stainless steel by as much as 19% to 1.64 million net tons in the U.S., forecast Charles Turack, vice president of sales and marketing for Outokumpu Stainless in New Castle, Indiana. However, this compares with a 26% decline in 2009 to 1.37 million tons-and will keep purchasing well below the 2.27 million ton annual average in 2000-2008. "Stainless steel sales are showing some improvement as funding for maintenance and repair projects in such key markets as chemicals and plastics processing are being released," Turack tells the Toll Processing ‘10 conference in Orlando sponsored by the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association. "However, stainless steel buying by end users continues to be only for what's needed to fabricate against the end-product order books." Still he admits he is somewhat more bullish than a recent Steel Market Research forecast of 10% growth in purchasing by stainless steel buyers in the U.S., Canada and Mexico who cut their invoiced by 23% as a group in 2009.This editor suggests that the slow recovery may have it roots into the extreme prices for nickel some years ago that led manufacturers to redesign and look for material substitutes.
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