In November 2008, TMK invited members of the investment community to Tagmet to take a closer look at one of the year’s key strategic investment projects; a 600k tonne capacity Premium Quality Finishing seamless rolling mill.
Tagmet’s five-strand continuous bloom caster. Supplied by SMS Demag, it was launched in July 2006.
Gas cutting the blooms. The steel billets are then taken to the PQF mill, reheated, pierced and brought onto a cooling bed.
The technology, precision and speed involved in the PQF process make it quite an experience.
An unprecedented level of automation was achieved at Tagmet with the commissioning of the PQF mill.
Fully automated production process.
Tagmet PQF Quick Facts:
- 600,000 tonnes per annum (tpa) SMS Meer Premium Quality Finishing (PQF) continuous pipe rolling mill producing high-performance 73-273 mm drill, casing, tubing and line pipe. Net capacity increase of 420,000 tpa
- Production capacity in accordance with, and exceeding, international and API standards
- Billet consumption rate improved by 140 kg/tonne
A research note from the Uralsib Metals and Mining team (November 2008)
TMK
Analyst site visit to Tagmet
Positive impression from assets.
Last week TMK (TMKS – Buy) hosted a site visit for analysts to its Tagmet pipe plant, located in Taganrog (southwest Russia), one of TMK’s four major Russian subsidiaries. The company was represented by senior VP for strategy Vladimir Shmatovich and Tagmet management. We were shown the new superior premium quality finishing (PQF) mill launched at Tagmet last month. The mill is Russia’s only operating PQF and is capable of producing new-generation OCTG pipes. The new PQF mill left us with a very positive impression, and we expect TMK to fully benefit from it next year, when production will be ramped up.
PQF mill: 600 kt of premium seamless OCTG pipe.
The new PQF mill was launched at the end of September and has total annual pipe capacity of 600 kt. The mill was manufactured and installed by SMS Meer, a leading German supplier of pipe rolling equipment. The mill is currently operating in test mode, producing around 20 kt of pipes per month, and is scheduled to reach full capacity in 1Q09. The pipes are intended for both the Russian and export markets, including North America (for finishing facilities owned by TMK subsidiary IPSCO), the EU and the Middle East.
