Where Your Steel Is Made

Buyers rarely get to see the plant that actually makes their order. Here it is — the works, the lines,
the laboratory and the stockyard, photographed on the days we were there.

Straight answer first: none of these plants belong to us. We are a steel trading and export company,
not a mill. What we do is buy at these plants on your specification, follow the order through production, inspect the
finished batch and take it to your port. These photographs are on this page for one reason — so that you can see the
works behind your order instead of taking our word for it.

The works behind your order

Aerial view of our partner pipe mill's industrial park
Aerial view of our partner pipe mill’s industrial park
Aerial view of the mill's storage and loading area
Aerial view of the mill’s storage and loading area
Aerial view of the industrial park of a mill we source from
Aerial view of the industrial park of a mill we source from

Production lines

Coating, forming, welding and testing — the steps that decide how the material behaves in service,
not just how it looks on arrival.

Welded pipe production line
Welded pipe production lineForming and welding of round, square and rectangular tube.
Plastic coating line
Plastic coating linePE / PVC coating applied to steel pipe for water and drainage service.
3PE anti-corrosion line
3PE anti-corrosion lineThree-layer polyethylene coating for buried and offshore pipelines.
Shot blasting
Shot blastingSurface preparation before coating — the step that decides coating life.
Coating curing
Coating curingControlled cooling and curing so the coating bonds to the steel.
Hydrostatic testing
Hydrostatic testingEvery length pressure-tested before it leaves the line.

Stock, handling and the yard

Steel coil and plate storage
Steel coil and plate storage
Large diameter spiral welded pipe
Large diameter spiral welded pipe
Pipe storage yard at the mill
Pipe storage yard at the mill

More from the shop floor

24 further photographs from the same plants — the forming bays, the coating line, the
test stations and the storage areas, in the order you would walk them.

On the lines

Pipe mill workshop with overhead crane
Pipe mill workshop with overhead crane
Heavy machining of a large-diameter component
Heavy machining of a large-diameter component
Forming bay inside the pipe mill
Forming bay inside the pipe mill
Steel coil handling area
Steel coil handling area
Forming and sizing line
Forming and sizing line
Workshop structure and crane runway
Workshop structure and crane runway
Workshop bay with finished pipe
Workshop bay with finished pipe
Pipe production line
Pipe production line
Coating line bay
Coating line bay
Forming line
Forming line

Large-diameter pipe and coating

Large-diameter pipe end processing
Large-diameter pipe end processing
Pipe passing through the coating line
Pipe passing through the coating line
Large-diameter pipe on the handling line
Large-diameter pipe on the handling line
Coating line
Coating line
Large-diameter pipe processing
Large-diameter pipe processing
Spiral welded pipe
Spiral welded pipe

Testing and inspection

In-house inspection laboratory
In-house inspection laboratory
Hydrostatic pressure test station
Hydrostatic pressure test station
Universal testing machine — tensile test on a ring specimen
Universal testing machine — tensile test on a ring specimen
Ultrasonic inspection station
Ultrasonic inspection station

Storage and the yards

Aerial view of the works
Aerial view of the works
Plate and section storage racks
Plate and section storage racks
Internal storage bay
Internal storage bay
Pipe storage bay
Pipe storage bay

How an order moves through the plant

  1. Enquiry and mill selection. You give us product, standard, size, quantity and destination port. We come back with the mill, the price and the delivery terms — before you commit.
  2. Scheduling. The order is placed on the line. If your date is tight we tell you honestly whether it can be met rather than promising and slipping.
  3. Production with in-line testing. Chemistry, dimensions and, for pipe, weld and pressure testing are checked during production — not only at the end.
  4. Batch inspection and third-party witnessing. We inspect the finished batch. If you appoint SGS, BV, Intertek or TUV for EN 10204 3.2, the material is presented before packing.
  5. Packing, marking and delivery to port. Seaworthy packing, shipping marks, container loading, photographs sent to you before the container is sealed.

What this means for your order

Frequently asked questions

Do you own these factories?

No — and we will not pretend otherwise. We are a steel trading and export company. The plants shown here are mills we buy from. We do not own them, but we do place the order, follow it through production, inspect the finished batch and take responsibility for what reaches your port.

Can I visit the plant before ordering?

Yes. Buyers and their inspectors are welcome to visit. Tell us the plant you want to see and roughly when, and we will arrange it with the mill. If you cannot travel, we can arrange a live video walk-through of the line and the laboratory.

Can I choose which plant makes my order?

Yes. You can nominate plants, or exclude one. If your order does not depend on a particular plant we will propose the option that best balances price, quality and lead time — and tell you which plant that is before you order.

What if the plant cannot meet the delivery date?

We tell you as soon as we know, and offer the options: a different plant, a partial shipment, or a revised date. What we do not do is stay quiet and let the container sail late.

Related: quality control, testing & certificates ·
partner mills & verified qualifications ·
export packaging

Want to see a plant before you order?

Tell us the product, standard, size and destination port — and whether you want to visit or a
live video walk-through. We will arrange it with the mill.

Request a quotation