TMK-ARTROM is one of Europe’s leading industrial seamless pipes manufacturers and General Management Unit for all TMK-European Division’s companies. With hundreds of customers in Europe, USA and Canada it is a key global player in its field.
Company background
TMK-ARTROM began as IT Slatina, a state owned company established in Romania in 1982. Following the fall of communism it became the public limited company ARTROM SA in 1991. Having underwent the privatization process was listed in Bucharest Stock Exchange, in November 1995 and became a public private joint-stock company in 1999 with the Austrian company STARO Gmbh as the majority shareholder. According to initial designs Artrom was to have an annual production capacity of 100.000 tons. However, at the time privatization began, the actual annual production volume of the plant was only 26.000 tones. In 2001 the controlling stake in Artrom SA was bought by the German company Sinara Handel GmbH, known today as TMK-EUROPE. That year a large scale modernization plan was put into motion, which led to the ASSEL Mill being restored its designed capacity by 2004. The intended production volume of 100.000 tons was reached and eventually doubled after CPE (Cross Piercing Elongator), the second production line for seamless pipe, was commissioned in 2007. The production chain was made complete by the acquisition of Resita Iron & Steel Works, later renamed TMK-RESITA, by Sinara Handel GmbH in order to secure the source of billets necessary for Artrom’s production. Thanks to an extensive investment program, Resita turned around from a unlucrative and outdated operation into a modern, efficient company. Now TMK-RESITA produces the pipes billets for Artrom and continuously casted products for other Romanian and international consumers. The sister companies both belong to TMK European Division. There are two more companies in the European Division: TMK-Italia s.r.l, in Lecco, Italy and TMK-Europe GmbH, in Dusseldorf, Germany. In 2016 TMK expanded to another continent when it opened TMK Industrial Solutions in North America. Today TMK is one of the world’s leading producers of tubular products for the oil and gas industry. Since 2009 it has been ranked first in the world by volume of pipes shipped.
Products and Services
TMK-ARTROM manufactures a wide variety of tubes and pipes. The product portfolio includes mechanical tubes (for mechanical applications and general engineering purposes), seamless precision steel tubes, seamless tubes for boilers and high temperature (for pipe lines, pressure vessels, equipment for heat-exchangers and condensers), coupling stock (for hot rolled tubes used in coupling production), gas and water seamless, plain ends, black tubes (used for construction of long distance Pipe Lines for combustible liquids and gases and conveying gas and oil in oil and natural gas industries) and seamless steel pipes for low temperature service. TMK-ARTROM also offers Inside Skived and Roller Burnished (SRB) tubes of up to 12 m length used for the production of hydraulic cylinders and is a major supplier for companies dealing with skiving operations. Additional procedures can be performed according to customer specifications such as polishing of the outside surface of pipes, high-precision cutting of pipes to length with a limited tolerance, drilling holes in the pipe wall and other mechanical machining. The advanced seamless pipe finishing shop (Workshop No.5) launched in 2015 is equipped with tools for inside surface boring, thread rolling and cutting the pipes for manufacturing precision tubular goods. The products manufactured there are virtually ready-made goods used to manufacture hydraulic and telescopic cylinders with applications in automotive construction, aviation, and other industries. With a new heat treatment line for tubular seamless goods the plant which previously specialized in producing general-purpose mechanical pipes and only a small fraction of premium-segment products, is now a premium product manufacturer with just a minor fraction of general-purpose products. The annual capacity of the new line is over 160 thousand tones of pipes. Consequently TMK has become a supplier of high-tech products for mechanical engineering and for manufacturers of heavy equipment and lifting machinery. TMK-ARTROM supplies its pipes for automotive industry as Tier-1 (i.e. Dacia, Group Renault) or as Tier-2 for parts manufacturers companies serving major automotive end producers. As well TMK-ARTROM supplies for major mechanical parts manufacturers direct or via their supply chain, to major engineering companies as well for a large number of drill tooling producers for oil & gas industry. At this point, TMK-ARTROM has over 600 customers in Europe and another 60-plus in the USA and Canada. “The requirements for pipe products are becoming ever more stringent, but the new heat-treatment line, which I would call a small factory itself, allows us to manufacture pipe of much higher quality than previous technologies. We can even virtually anticipate consumer needs for the next 5–10 years,”- said Adrian Popescu, CEO of TMK European Division.
Investments, Eco policy and quality certificates
Thanks to its modern production equipment, TMK-ARTROM is a company with minimal impact on environment. An efficient Environmental Management System planned according to ISO 14001 has been implemented and certified in 2003, and has been integrated with the already existing Quality Management System certified according to ISO 9001. In January 2008 it was followed up by integration with the Occupational Health and Safety Management System, implemented according to OHSAS 18001. In November 2006, TMK- ARTROM obtained the IPPC authorization for integrated pollution prevention and control according to Directive 96/61/EC. The aforementioned new heat treatment line for tubular seamless goods has been developed in line with the this demanding environmental policy. One of the line’s impressive features is its lower natural gas consumption, which limits the environmental impact by significantly reducing the nitrogen oxide and carbon dioxide emissions, while increasing the profit margin. TMK ceaselessly works to adapt its technologies, production processes, and logistics to the needs of its customers. Many buyers have their own, unique requirements for pipes, pipe quality, prices, and delivery terms. TMK’s European Division has personnel specialized in analyzing those requirements and implementing solutions necessary to meet the client’s criteria. Innovation and modernization have been a key to TMK’s growth and attaining the important position it now enjoys on the global market. As such the investment program has been practically constantly on-going through all the years of the company’s existence. The proportion of premium products continues to increase in the order portfolio, and further developments may be on the horizon, such as the expansion of the product size range of the pipes to 10 3/4” (273 mm) with wall thicknesses up to 2.362” (60 mm) that would boost TMK-ARTROM’s market advantages in the high value-added premium products segment. The company also ceaselessly invests in its employees. Currently the number of personnel working in TMK-ARTROM and RESITA exceeds 2270 people. There are ongoing trainings, both optional and legally obligatory for all the staff. Professional training performed inside the company is aimed at familiarizing the newly hired employees with the corporate culture and rules as well as with further specialization and specifics of their job. Periodical updates and requalification are a necessity in today’s industry. Today TMK-ARTROM has a strong and professional team, fully equipped to handle business on a worldwide scale, which is reflected in its reputation as a flexible and dynamic manufacturer of high quality products, and one of the key players on the pipe production market. Bolstered by ongoing improvements and innovations, it is sure to further strengthen its position in the future.