SMS group supplied and successfully commissioned a heat-treatment facility and pipe threading line at Axis Pipe and Tube in Houston, Texas. The two new plants enable the company to produce OCTG (oil-country tubular goods) tubes used in natural gas and crude oil production. The heat-treatment line includes a natural-gas-fired walking-beam hardening and tempering furnace, a water quenching unit and a 10-roll hot straightener. The new state-of-the-art equipment allows Axis Pipe and Tube to extend its product range, opening up new customer segments.