Tenaris S.A. entered into a definitive agreement to acquire from PAO TMK, a Russian manufacturer of steel pipe, 100% of the shares of its wholly owned U.S. subsidiary IPSCO Tubulars Inc. for $1.2 billion. IPSCO Tubulars is a U.S. domestic producer of seamless and welded OCTG and line pipe products with an annual production capacity of 450,000 metric tons of steel bars, 400,000 metric tons of seamless pipe and 1,000,000 metric tons of welded pipe. The acquisition will add a first U.S. steel bar production facility at Koppel, Pa.; complement Tenaris’ seamless production in Bay City, Texas, with a second facility in Ambridge, Pa.; and bring additional heat-treatment, welding and finishing facilities to better serve customers.

Gestamp, which designs, develops and manufactures highly engineered metal components for the automotive industry, opened a new plant in San Luis Potosí, Mexico. The $86 million facility will be equipped with state-of-the-art machinery for hot stamping and hydroforming for the manufacture of chassis parts. Hot-stamping technology is focused on producing parts that are both lighter and safer, therefore improving energy consumption. Hydroforming technology allows the forming of complex shaped steel using the force of water so they can be integrated into the vehicle’s structural components.

Danieli will build a new steel plant in Morocco that will produce 800,000 tons per year of billets measuring 5 x 5 inches (130 x 130 mm) to 7.9 x 7.9 inches (200 x 200 mm). The melt shop will include a 100-ton electric-arc furnace (EAF) with the most advanced technological packages: an off-gas laser system, electrode regulation system and an automatic EAF de-slagging door. Danieli Automation will supply a Level 2 process-control system. Plant start-up is scheduled for mid-2020.

U.S. Steel accepted an award from the High-Performance Computing for Manufacturing Program (HPC4Mfg) Special Call: Steel and Aluminum, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, to expand its manufacturing capabilities for advanced high-strength steel (AHSS). The goal of the winning project is to enhance the company’s hot-strip mill model used in creating AHSS. This type of steel is used by automakers to manufacture economically lightweight vehicles to meet increasing fuel-efficiency requirements.

Evraz North America will receive approximately $29.7 million from Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada’s Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) steel and aluminum program, which was created last year to help bolster the competitiveness of the industry in Canada. The contribution is part of the company’s planned $83 million investment over the next three years into equipment upgrades and expansion at mills in Regina, Saskatchewan, and Red Deer, Alberta. The upgrades include a new heat-treat line in Red Deer that will greatly increase the capability to provide premium-alloy-grade quality in the OCTG product range.

SECO/WARWICK received an order from a U.S. manufacturer of flat-rolled aluminum sheet for a sow and T-bar preheat furnace system to achieve maximum product quality, energy savings and melt safety. The furnace offers optimum airflow management and a heating system that promotes efficient heat transfer throughout the work. It includes a patented movable baffle system and fixed base airflow spacers for maximum heat transfer to varying height loads. The system is PLC-controlled with remote I/O and dual operator-interface control stations.

Nucor Steel Marion Inc. of Marion, Ohio, granted SMS group the final acceptance certificate for the supplied walking-beam furnace after successful commissioning. The furnace, which went into service in the existing bar mill, is capable of delivering 120 short tons per hour of hot billets at 2255°F (1235°C). The NOx content of this furnace is close to 25 parts per million, making it the most energy-efficient furnace with the lowest emission values within Nucor.

Tenova LOI Thermprocess received an order from Fonderie Pandolfo for the delivery and installation of a twin-chamber melting furnace (TCF). This order will double the Italian company’s production rate. The TCF, with a capacity of 65,000 tons/year, is designed for aluminum scrap recycling. In order to cover a broad range of scrap, it combines pre-treatment and melting in one furnace.

International heat-treatment codes and standards require welders to conform to heating parameters for the target workpiece, including heat-up time, temperature uniformity, soak time and cool-down time.

Arconic Inc. will invest approximately $100 million to expand its hot-mill capability and add downstream equipment capabilities to manufacture industrial and automotive aluminum products in its Tennessee Operations facility near Knoxville, Tenn. The project, which is expected to create 70 new jobs, is already under way and should be complete by the fourth quarter of 2020.