PWS supplies ultramodern plant for production of pipes for pipeline construction

Düsseldorf, November 12, 2009

Commissioning of the new spiral tube welding line at Stupp Corp. in USA

At the new Stupp Corporation pipe mill in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA, the new spiral tube welding line supplied by PWS GmbH, Germany, a company of SMS Meer, Germany, officially went into operation in August 2009. The first pipe was produced on the line just 15 months after receipt of the order. By close cooperation with the customer a commissioning before the scheduled date was achieved. The Stupp facility has been completed in the fourth quarter of 2008. The new tube welding line produces pipes using the submerged-arc welding process. It is designed for an annual capacity of 240,000 t.

The mill developed by PWS operates using the offline process (two-stage process) and produces pipes in a diameter range from 24 to 60“ with wall thicknesses from ¼ to 1“. The maximum pipe length is 80 feet. Material grades up to X80 are welded on the line, producing predominantly pipes for the construction of oil and gas pipelines to the API-5L standard.

Apart from the key machines for the production of spiral-welded pipes, PWS also supplied all the machines for the pipe finishing area, such as pipe end dressing machines, hydrostatic pipe testers and the corresponding machine groups. The automation of these and other key machines as well as the integration of the periphery and handling equipment for the complete plant was also carried out by PWS. The highly efficient plant provides extraordinary productivity and product quality and supports competitiveness.

Stupp Corp. is one of the leading suppliers of steel pipes for the energy market and manufactures pipes to the API-5L, API-5CT, ASTM, AWWA and ASME standards. An agreement has already been concluded for spiral-welded pipes from the new mill to be supplied to one of the leading gas providers in the USA.