California Steel Industries announced Friday that its subsidiary, CSI Tubular Products Inc. (CSITP), produced the first pipe from its new electrical resistance welded pipe mill at the company’s Fontana, California plant, commencing orders for the fourth quarter.
The cost of the new mill totaled over $100 million, featuring API (American Petroleum Institute) grade high-strength line pipe, using induction welding technology. The mill also features full-body ultrasonic lamination testing and ultrasonic weld seam inspection.
With this and CSITP’s existing pipe mill, the company can now offer finished API pipe sizes of 4.5 inches to 24 inches in diameter and up to 80 feet in length, with wall thickness of 0.156 to 0.75 inches in various high-strength grades. Previously, CSITP’s production was limited to 16 inches in diameter, up to 60 foot lengths, and 0.406 inch wall thickness.
Annual production capacity on the new mill is expected to be approximately 400,000 net tons, bringing the company’s total tubular product capacity to over 600,000 tons.
According to a company statement, key suppliers and contractors of the new mill included iSMS Meer GmbH (welding and forming supplier), MillTech Company Limited (supplier of most of the finishing equipment), General Electric Sensing & Inspection Technologies GmbH, NOV Tuboscope, Kent Electric Company and Ledcor Construction, Inc.