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Steel tube and pipe makers and the companies that supply them with new technologies say it is amazing to see the advancements in bending and cutting technologies in just the past few years, despite how the lull in demand for energy-related products from the sector has affected business.
While some metal manufacturers responded to economic downturns in the past two decades by retrenching, many behaved similar to Albertville, Minn.-based Fraser Steel, which has continued to reinvest.
The global specialist in precision tubular parts, components and assemblies has taken advantage of the temporary market lulls to make strategic equipment purchases that have expanded its production capabilities and positioned it for growth.
For example, during the Great Recession, Fraser Steel acquired a large-capacity rotary draw bender. The "big bender," which weighs 12 tons, enables the company to bend large pieces of round and square tubing as well as solid steel bars that previously were too big to handle in-house.
The finished bent parts are used primarily in cab enclosures on heavy equipment needed for agriculture and road construction, equipment needed as the country invests in infrastructure and farming.
"Even in a down market, there are pockets of opportunity," said Thomas Baxter Stephenson, president and chief operating officer of the precision tubular parts and assemblies manufacturer.
Fraser and other steel tube and pipe makers and the companies that supply them with new technologies say it is amazing to see the advancements in bending and cutting technologies in just the past few years. Despite the current lull, meeting the changing needs of energy extractors and refiners means using specialized and/or new technologies to provide the appropriate steel products.
The increasing complexity of accessing available hydrocarbon reserves to meet the world growing energy need is driving development of more advanced solutions. Improving efficiency also requires cutting edge technologies. A number of firms have been helping steel tube and pipe makers meet those needs with breakthroughs in sawing, bending, cutting and other related processes.
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