Liberty Ostrava invests CZK 35 million in a new line for the non-destructive testing of seamless pipes in its tube plant
Ostrava 30 January 2020 - Liberty Ostrava has completed the installation of a new non-destructive control test line for seamless tubes worth CZK 35 million. The new, fully digital system, which meets the most demanding standards, replaces the analogue system from the 1990s. The investment will enable the plant to extend the test range of tubes used for oil and gas transport, allowing it to test tubes used for boilers and heat exchangers as well as larger steel structures. The supplier of the new digital system was Institute Dr. Foerster of Germany, which is among global leaders in this sphere.
" This project is a further step forward in the process of digitizing our operations. The installation of the new test system will allow us to extend the range of tubes we can test into small diameter tubes, which we were not able to do before. This is very important in booking new orders, especially for boiler tubes,” said Michael Hermann, who is in charge of maintenance and investment in the tube plant of Liberty Ostrava
The quality of tubes produced at the Small Stiefel mill of Liberty Ostrava, used for gas or oil distribution, boilers, heat exchangers and steel structures, has up to now been tested using an analogue system from 1996, which was unable to test tubes with diameter below 60 mm. The new test line will enable non-destructive testing of the entire product range, i.e. seamless tubes of 21.3 mm - 140 mm diameter.
„The quality of seamless tubes is tested by an electromagnetic method able to detect defects on both the external and internal surfaces along the entire length of the tube. The new test system will help us capture any potential defects much more efficiently, so we will be better prepared to meet the ever more stringent requirements of customers and foreign standards for the testing of high quality tubes,” added Libor Kubíček, a non-destructive test specialist.
Liberty Ostrava is an integrated steel business with an annual production of c. 2 million tonnes of steel, which is mainly used in construction, machinery and oil & gas industries. The company is a domestic leader in the manufacture of road barriers and tubes. In addition to the Czech market, it supplies its products to more than 40 countries around the world. Together with its subsidiaries in Ostrava, the company has 6,150 employees. As a result of the above-standard greening, the company manufactures its products with a minimum possible environmental footprint. It is part of Liberty Steel, a global steel and mining business. Liberty Steel is part of the GFG Alliance, a global group of energy, mining, metals, engineering, logistics, and financial services businesses, headquartered in London, with a presence in around 30 countries worldwide. The Alliance has a global workforce of around 30,000 people and a turnover exceeding US$20 billion.
