Saudi Steel Pipe Company (SSP) recently opened its new induction bending facility in the Second Industrial City of Dammam, adjacent to its pipe mill facility.
The new facility will enable SSP to supply more volumes of hot induction bends to local and overseas markets.
“With the new facility, bends in sizes from 2 inches to 48 inches and maximum thickness of 100 mm can be produced” said SSP official Mohammad Al Shaheen.
SSP is looking to expand its sales of such bends in the GCC area, Iran and the Mena region by adding new clients to its existing customers’ list.
Long-term contracts with major customers had made the market more stable for SSP’s induction bend business. Once you have pipeline requirements, the need for induction bends follows, Al Shaheen added.
The new facility is very versatile and includes in addition to the existing bending machine, a new one with greater capacity, a heat treatment furnace, two beveling machines, and a hydro-testing facility.
Built on land of 35,000 sq m, the facility is really a one-stop shop for all requirements of induction bends, says Al Shaheen.
The process utilises localised heating generated through high frequency induction power to bend pipes to different radiuses and shapes. Applications for products emerging from the facility are numerous in the oil and gas, petrochemical, and power generation industries as they serve as a substitute for welded elbows and fittings. They are also used frequently in architectural structures for making creative shapes.
Induction bending can be done for any type of pipes regardless of their original manufacturing process (submerged arc welded, electric resistance welded, seamless etc) or its material type (carbon steel, alloy steel, copper, nickel). The process is also applicable for different structural steel (such as I & H beams, angles, square bars etc).
The approval list of SSP’s induction bends includes many prestigious oil and gas companies and contractors such as: Saudi Aramco, Qatar Petroleum (QP), Bahrain Petroleum Company (Bapco), Kuwait Oil Company (KOC), Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC); Gasco, Adnoc, Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Oil Operations (Adco), Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) and Total Yemen.
“The commitment towards quality and after-sales service enabled SSP to win many prestigious projects in 2008, such as supplying bends for the Manifa Potential Offshore Project for Saudi Aramco,” said the company.
“Two projects for KOC and other projects for QP and PDO were awarded during the same year. In 2009, SSP signed two long-term contracts with Saudi Aramco which include supplies in different thickness. Contracts with Bapco, QP, PDO, Total Yemen and Gasco were also secured.”
Core business
Saudi Steel Pipe Company has been a pioneer manufacturer for ‘high frequency induction (HFI) welding’ carbon steel pipes since 1980 and is known as a versatile manufacturer of that product in the region.
Annual capacity is 240,000 tonnes of HFI steel pipes produced through four distinct production lines for sizes from half-inch to 16 inches. It is currently upgrading its capabilities to include 18-inch and 20-inch categories by the end of 2009.
“A commitment to quality is readily visible in the investment of state-of-the-art electronic control and tube tracking system,” says SSP.
SSP is approved for ISO 9000, ISO 14000, API 5L, API 5CT and UL and has a remarkable list of accreditations from prestigious customers such as Saudi Aramco, Shell, Qatar QP, Bapco, KOC, KNPC, Gasco, Adnoc, Adco, and PDO plus many other oil and gas companies and contractors around the region.
SSP is a joint venture between Saudi Arabia’s Rabiah & Nassar Company, AL Khorayef Sons Company, Fahd Al Saja and Korea HuSteel Pipe Company.