TMK to raise pipe production

Russian Tube Metallurgical Company (TMK) has signed a contract with German SMS MEER on supply of the new pipe-rolling mill with continuing casting with a total capacity of 600,000 tons of pipes a year to the Taganrog Metallurgical Works. The start of the new mill is planned for the 1st half year of 2008. The new mill will be used to produce pipes under the international standards for oil-gas pipelines as well as pipes used in machines building with diameter of 73-273 mm and thickness of wall from 5 to 25 mm. In addition, TMK announced its intentions to increase the output of pipes with large diameter 2-3 times to 1.5 million tons a year in 2-3 years time. The total amount of investment planned to invest by the end of 2006 in overall modernization of the plants, belong to the company, is estimated in $400 million. TMK unites the four leading enterprises in the Russian pipe industry – Volzhsky Pipe Plant, Seversky Tube Works, Sinarsky Pipe Plant, Taganrog Metallurgical Works, and also the Romanian enterprises such as ARTROM Pipe Factory and Resita Metallurgical Combine.