U.S. Pipe & Tube Mill Projects Going Strong
Pipe and tube mills are designed for the production of metal pipes and tubes, which are essential components in various industries including construction, manufacturing and infrastructure development. While a slowing in the U.S. pipeline sector has caused activity in this area to lag a bit, projects at these mills are still going strong, accounting for more than $2.5 billion worth of active projects. As might be expected, the highest number of pipe and tube projects is in Oil Country, with Texas taking the lion's share of projects, although Michigan shows overall higher estimated spending thanks to a project that has seen years of delay.
Texas is set for three grassroot stainless steel pipe mills as well as a significant expansion at an existing mill. Construction on the largest of these grassroot mills is expected to begin in the coming months in Splendora, about 35 miles northwest of Houston. Husteel Company Limited (Changsha, China) is planning a manufacturing plant to produce tube and pipe with a diameter of 60 to 114 millimeters and wall thickness of up to 10 millimeters for the oil and gas industry. The mill is expected to begin production by the end of next year. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Metals & Minerals Project Database can learn more by viewing the project report.
In Baytown, Texas, Jindal SAW USA LLC (Baytown) is expanding its 300,000-ton-per-year pipe and tube mill by constructing a 200,000-square-foot facility to produce electric resistance welded (ERW) steel pipe. ERW pipe is made from steel coil with the weld seam running parallel to the pipe. It has a fast-manufacturing process and is ideal for large productions of smaller-diameter pipe. Jindal's project kicked off earlier this year and is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2025. Subscribers can learn more by viewing the project report.
After Texas, Alabama has the most active pipe and tube mill projects. Capital projects include a plant expansion and a separate equipment addition project, not to mention several planned maintenance projects. The expansion is taking place at Hanna Steel Corporation's (Hoover, Alabama) steel tubing mill in Northport. Construction is underway on a 9,000-square-foot building addition that will house a new slitting line, which processes large coils of steel into narrower strips or coils of specific widths, a process that is crucial in the initial stages of manufacturing pipes. Subscribers can click here to learn more.
In Enid, Oklahoma, Bri-Steel Corporation (Edmonton, Alberta) since last year has been renovating a facility formerly owned by drilling equipment manufacturer GEFCO (Conroe, Texas) to establish its second North American seamless pipe mill. The project is expected to begin winding down in the coming months and upon completion, the mill will produce seamless pipe from 12 to 36 inches in diameter with walls up to 3 inches thick. It will make carbon steel and alloy steel pipes. Subscribers can click here to learn more.
Another brownfield project is set for Mansfield, Louisiana, where Global Seamless Tubes and Pipes Private Limited (West Bengal, India) will renovate a 160,000-square-foot site that was closed by mining equipment maker Hensley Industries Incorporated (Dallas, Texas) in 2015. The project is expected to begin this fall, taking about a year to complete, when the plant will begin ramping up to full production of 20,000 tons per year of seamless pipe. Subscribers can learn more by viewing the project report.
While there are several other projects at pipe and tube mills in the U.S., one large project in Michigan is worth mentioning as its estimated total investment value approaches $1 billion, although it has seen years of slippage in its originally proposed kickoff date and has been deemed by Industrial Info as having a low probability (0-69%) of being constructed as planned. Toward the end of this year, Nobilis Pipe Company (Novi, Michigan), a startup hopes to begin constructing a 1 million-square-foot seamless pipe mill in Michigan capable of producing 160,000 tons of pipe per year. The mill is being as established with green credentials as it is planned to be powered by 100% renewable energy and will reduce and recycle waste. Nobilis is aiming for a 2026 start date, although site selection should be completed and work commenced by the end of this year for that to become a reality. Subscribers can click here to learn more about the project.
Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI Metals & Minerals Database can click here to view reports for all of the projects discussed in this article and click here for the related plant profiles.
