Andrei Karunos

O

n November 15 the territory of the Chelyabinsk Tube-Rolling Plant, which is a production core of the ChTPZ Group, became the site of commissioning the first-stage facilities to make bent taps for large-diameter pipes. The new enterprise is called SOT JSC (Construction Taps of Pipelines). It has become one of the units in the pipe-component division of the ChTPZ Group (ZAO ChTPZ-Complex Pipe Systems).

It has taken 17 months to build SOT, investments in the plant construction have amounted to $20.5 million. The commissioning of the new production facilities is part of the Group’s strategy aimed at providing complex supplies to the transport infrastructure of the oil and gas industries. In 2003 under this strategy the ChTPZ Group integrated two enterprises, the Magnitogorsk Mechano-Assembling Billets Plant and the Special Assembling Units Plant.

The design capacity of the first-stage production facilities at SOT is 2,500 taps a year. After commissioning the second-stage facilities the plant will be able to double its production volume and will get, by the estimate of Andrei Komarov, the chairman of the board of directors of the ChTPZ Group, about 50% of the Russian market of bent taps.

The pipe-bending mill has been supplied by the company Cojafex BV (Netherlands). The equipment makes it possible to produce taps with a diameter of up to 1,420 mm and practically not being limited by wall thickness. The range of the new enterprise’s products includes components, which are most needed by the oil and gas industries and which have to meet especially strict technical requirements. Until recently these products were, mainly, imported.

At the first stage SOT will be making "black" (with no coating) taps. Later on, as the second-stage project is to be implemented, an anticorrosion coating section will be set up. Besides, the second-stage facilities will also have the second pipe-bending mill for making taps with a diameter of up to 530 mm.

The plant’s products are meant for the domestic market, although they will be quite competitive in the world market as well. As is expected, their main consumers will include the Russian companies Transneft, Transnefteproduct and Gazprom. Their representatives attended the commissioning ceremony and gave high marks to the plant’s potential. First vice president of Transnefteproduct Vladimir Karamanov reminded that ChTPZ and Transnefteproduct have been successfully cooperating in recent years:
"Two years ago ChTPZ put in operation the line to make coating on trunk pipes and this let prolong the service life of pipelines by more than 2.5 times. The production of bent taps in plant conditions and under rigid quality control will permit to raise even more the reliability and safety of pipeline operations".
Vladimir Karamanov assured that products of SOT will be certainly used in constructing new pipelines because the enterprise is unique by its capabilities and the ChTPZ Group as a strategic partner was always distinguished by the quality of its products, terms of their manufacturing and competitive price.

In the opinion of Viktor Yarygin, the chief engineer of the company Transneft, the commissioning of SOT means "the development of a healthy competition in making this type of products in Russia". He expressed hope that new taps "will be competitive by both price and quality".

Representative of Gazcomplectimpex JSC, the purchasing agent of Gazprom, Mikhail Likhachev noted that the Russian gas monopolist is trying to reduce its dependence on import shipments of pipes and equipment. However, it did not succeed in placing satisfactorily enough orders for making pipe components at Russian plants. That is why the commissioning of the new plant is a timely step. "We have a broad program on supplies of products from the ChTPZ Group", said Likhachev. "And it is very important that it has now become possible in Chelyabinsk to make taps with a diameter of up to 1,420 mm, as Gazprom is their only consumer".

The first supplies of SOT-manufactured bent taps will be provided to Transneft, This is the trial order. The question of signing long-term contracts for supplying pipe components can be raised after certifying and licensing the product.

As Andrei Komarov believes, the important task has been accomplished in the Russian pipe industry: from now on, the main consumers can get pipe products as complete units. He expressed confidence that thanks to the high quality of SOT products it will be possible to reduce the accident rate at sections of trunk oil and gas pipelines, where the ChTPZ Group is supplying its pipes to.

According to the business plan, the SOT project should be recouped in three years. "But I think that, as usual, we will do it faster", said Andrei Komarov. The Group is counting on a high profitability of the new production facilities. After putting the second-stage facilities in operation the profitability should amount to no less than
30%. And managers from the ChTPZ Group intend to work out before the end of this year a realistic plan of supplying bent taps.

Reference:
The ChTPZ Group includes the Chelyabinsk Tube-Rolling Plant, Chelyabinsk Zinc Plant, Special Assembling Units Plant (Moscow), Magnitogorsk Mechano-Assembling Billets Plant, VostokMetallurgMontazh, the metals trading company MeTriC. The personnel employed at the Group’ enterprises numbers 12,000 persons. Its annual turnover exceeds $600 million.