In view of the planned installation of the world’s largest continuous ERW tube welding line, Zekelman Industries has decided in favor of SMS group as partner and main supplier.

The new 28-inch line featuring a capacity of more than 400,000 tons per year is going to complement the Atlas Tube Division of Zekelman Industries. With more than 150 million USD – the largest private investment of the American steel industry over the past decade – the project is a clear sign of confidence in the market and the American steel industry. The highly automated ERW tube welding line has been ordered in April 2019 and is scheduled to go on stream already in mid-2021. It will create a total of 75 new jobs at Zekelman Industries.

The new welding line enables the North American company to extend its product range: in future, structural and piling tubes can be manufactured with diameters ranging from 10 3/4 inches to 28 inches (273 to 710 millimeters) and wall thicknesses of up to 1 inch (25.4 millimeters). In addition to that, it is possible to produce square and rectangular hollow sections with dimensions of eight inches x eight inches up to 22 inches x 22 inches or 34 inches x 10 inches.