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Seamless Pipes & Tubes: Industry Overview

The seamless pipes and tubes industry is almost a century old. It was the demand of transportation sector that gave birth to the concept of the product. Today petroleum sector consumes the majority of seamless pipes and tubes manufactured. Indian seamless tube industry is around 55 years old. The first plant in the country was set up as a joint venture between TISCO and Stewart Llyods (UK) at Jamshedpur. The plant is currently being run with the installed capacity of 55,000 TPA. .

Seamless tubes are mostly used for the application where strength, resistance to corrosion and product life are the prime factors. The high metallurgical strength and corrosion resistant-properties make these pipes and tubes ideal for oil & gas industry, steam boilers, chemical, pharmaceuticals and other industries.

Manufacturing Technology
Seamless pipe is manufactured using hot rolled round bar billet of carbon steel or steel alloy. The billets are cut to the specified length depending upon the requirement of the buyer. Billets are heated at the high temperature of 1200°C - 1300°C in the melting furnace. Then seamless tube is formed with help of piercer. The pierces is drawn over the solid bullet to create a hollow shell or mother blank. The end is crimped at one end in hot conditions and then they are air-cooled.

The tubes are surface treated (pickled, powder coated and lubricated), so it can be furthered for the next process of tube drawings. Based on the demand for different finishes, the tubes are subjected to single, double or triple drawing. Each tube is annealed at the temperature of 750°C. Tubes are then straightened, cleaned and cut into the exact sizes. The finished tubes are tested for quality on various industrial parameters, before being stacked in the inventory.

End Uses
The versatile seamless pipes and tubes find application in several industry sectors which include:

• Refineries & Petrochemical Plants
• Fertilizer Industry
• Steel Plants
• Sugar Plants
• Power Plants
• Automobile Manufacturing Plants
• Railways
• Defense (aircraft, missile, nuclear power plants)

Market Outlook
Presently, the size of Indian seamless tube production is almost 1.1 million tones. The expected demand by the next year is estimated at 2.5 millions, which is almost double of the current demand. Escalating demand presents a big opportunity for established seamless tube manufacturers and suppliers, but the yawning gap between the demand and indigenous supply restricts the scope for the new entrants. Pricing of the finished product can be kept competitive to attract potential customers. Experience of the promoters in trading of the product will surely provide an additional advantage.