Sandvik Materials Technology, Sweden, has inaugurated a new state-of-the-art, fully automated ultrasonic testing facility for pipes in the oil and gas industry. “The new facility puts Sandvik in a world-leading position as a manufacturer of OCTG (Oil Country Tubular Goods),” said Per Olsson Artberger, Sandvik Global Product Manager for OCTG.
“This major investment is a substantial achievement for all involved, and a milestone in Sandvik’s enhanced strategic focus on demanding applications within oil and gas such as OCTG (Oil Country Tubular Goods),” said Per Olsson Artberger, Sandvik Global Product Manager for OCTG.
“This ultrasonic testing facility will increase our capabilities and capacity significantly. Despite the downturn in the oil and gas market, we see continued good business opportunities for Sandvik material grades, especially in the Middle East and Caspian Sea regions.
“The new, automated facility provides us with much speedier throughput and greatly enhanced testing capabilities, and puts Sandvik in a world leading position as a manufacturer of OCTG.”
The energy sector, including oil and gas, is a key strategic focus for Sandvik. Ultrasonic testing was the limiting factor in achieving maximum output with the existing facility. To solve this, Sandvik invested in both capacity and state-of-the-art technology to meet the industry’s toughest requirements for defect detection.
Per Olsson Artberger added: “It also builds on the strategic alliance between Sandvik and Tenaris on the exclusive joint supply of corrosion resistant alloy OCTG materials and technology to the oil and gas sector. We now meet the industry’s most exacting standards, and can exceed customer requirements.”
Work commenced on the test facility in August 2015, with commissioning and site acceptance testing prior to the inauguration.
