COMTECH CO INVESTS EUR 10 MILLION IN BIG DIAMETER SPIRAL WELDED STEEL PIPE MANUFACTURING, COATING AND LINING FACTORY IN ZIMNICEA AND CREATE 120 NEW JOBS

05.28.2024 ZF English

COMTECH CO continues its strategic investments in the metallurgical industry, to consolidate its status as the preferred supplier of hot rolled steel pipes and producer of spirally welded steel pipes. After investing EUR 5 million in the coating line for small diameter steel pipes used in the oil and natural gas industry, COMTECH CO successfully complete the acquisition from ZIMTUB SA of the spirally welded steel pipe production unit.

SUMARRY          

January, 2020 – COMTECH CO aquires from ZIMTUB SA the spiral welded big diameter steel pipe plant in Zimnicea, Teleorman county, Romania, range: 219.1 – 1626 mm and the 3 layers polyethylene and polypropylene coating line, range: 219.1 – 1016 mm and starts the integration process within COMTECH CO.

2020 – 2022 – COMTECH CO complete modernization and new investments regarding:

• Modernization and automation of production equipment, all electrical and hydraulic equipment, automatic lifting installations;
• Increasing the quality of the products, by modernizing, optimizing and purchasing new equipment in the entire production hall, from the coil feeders and pipe forming, to the welding sources and up to the electromagnetic induction for heating the metal used for coating;
• Production quality control, through the purchase of a new automatic ultrasonic testing equipment, the automation and modernization of the Hydrostatic and Radioscopic testing system, as well as equipping the testing laboratory with new digital control machines and equipment;
• Improving working conditions, by modernizing of administrative spaces, offices, changing rooms, storage units and common spaces.

June, 2021 – COMTECH CO and NOKSEL Turcia signs an LOI through which they mutually express their desire to establish a JVCo, in order to supply steel pipes for natural gas, crude oil, water, and piling projects all over Europe and close regions.

2022 – COMTECH’s Zimnicea investment receives all the necessary certifications for production of high-quality steel pipes according to the international standards. Afterwards, the production of spirally welded steel pipes for construction, water transport, and heating systems has begun.

October, 2022 – COMTECH CO and NOKSEL Turkey signed a project based agreement for cooperation in manufacturing steel pipes in Comtech’s Zimnicea factory for TRANSGAZ Tuzla - Podisor gas pipeline, a project of over 300 km of pipeline that transfer natural gas from the Neptun project in the Black Sea.

November, 2022 – NOKSEL ROMANIA S.R.L., joint venture of NOKSEL Turkey and COMTECH CO. with equal shareholdings, is established.

2023 – COMTECH CO completed investment for production of gas transportation pipes and for expansion of manufacturing range and production flow. Further investment in Offline Ultrasonic Testing, Induction Heating, and Inside Sand Blasting and Lining are also accomplished.

2023 - In line with Romania’s green manufacturing goals and United Nations’ sustainable development goals, Comtech invested in rooftop solar power generation capacity of 400 kWp. Company aims to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2027, in an industry which has high carbon footprint.

March, 2024 – Following the audit and evaluation of TRANSGAZ, COMTECH CO obtains approval as an accepted manufacturer and starts the execution of the pipes for the Tuzla-Podisor pipeline project.

About COMTECH CO

COMTECH CO (www.comtechco.ro) is founded in 1997 and soon becomes one of the leading suppliers of seamless steel pipes. COMTECH CO is a local company, with an average turnover for the last 3 years of EUR 32,000,000, an average profit of EUR 3,000,000 and a number of 50 employees.

With an annual production capacity of 50,000 tons, COMTECH CO Zimnicea plant will be able to supply high-quality steel pipes and as a result to substitute annual imports into Romania of 45 million euros and bring a much greater economic value to Teleorman county. Around 120 new jobs will be created in the Zimnicea factory, most of which will be qualified, ranging from management to quality control, from machine operators to welding and inspection personnel.

With its up-to-standards production and quality assurance system, the Zimnicea plant will be available at any time for TRANSGAZ' steel pipe needs.

Soonest, the plant will acquire the certification and technical ability to manufacturing 100% hydrogen carrying steel pipes with net zero carbon emissions.