Tenaris invests $180M in Brazilian mill

Tenaris invests US$180 million in Brazilian mill to support deepwater challenges. The new U-and-O forming presses at Tenaris’s mill in Pindamonhangaba will produce casing and tubing to face offshore E&P challenges, especially for the Pre-­Salt. Next week, Tenaris will start up two new presses at its mill in Pindamonhangaba, a municipality in the state of São Paulo, Brazil.

"The investment comes in response to the oil and gas industry, which is demanding products with ever-more rigorous technical specifications. The new presses will manufacture tubes with greater wall thicknesses in more sophisticated steel grades, capable of performing in hostile deepwater projects, such as high-pressure, sour, or highly corrosive environments," says Renato Catallini, Tenaris regional manager for Brazil.

Equipped with German technology, the new presses will allow the company to manufacture tubes with wall thicknesses up to 1.5 in. and diameters between 12 3/4 in. and 48 in.

"This project represents another step towards technological differentiation for Tenaris, and follows our commitment to quality, safety and sustainability, the values that guide our entire industrial system," adds Catallini.

An additional benefit of the new equipment is the significant reduction in energy consumption. Up to 35% savings can be achieved during the entire manufacturing process, due to the machinery’s high-efficiency motors, hydraulic pumps and state-­of‐the-­art transformers.

Another highlight is the modern control system. The U-­and-O forming presses contribute to increasing productivity and assuring product quality.

With this new technology, Tenaris addresses market needs and strenghtens its partnership in current and future offshore E&P projects,while increasing local content and promoting the technological advancement demanded by the Pre-­Salt development. The company is also installing its fifth research and development center, at Ilha do Fundão in Rio de Janeiro. Representing a US$38 million investment, the center is expected to be inaugurated by December 2013.