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Home > ÖSTERREICH > Akzente
PIPES AND VALVES, ITALY LEADER IN ENERGY COMPONENTS
Rome (Ign) -. Pipes and valves are much more complex industrial products than it is commonly believed. They must, in fact, respond to very harsh technical and safety standards, as in many cases they are fundamental components for the production process, particularly in the energy sector, from the refineries to oil and gas pipelines and the cooling and fuelling systems of the turbines in the electrical power stations. Basically, these components are the nerves of the system, that must guarantee absolute safety conditions. And Italian industries are the leaders in this field.
According to data provided by the valve industry association AVR (www.associazioneavr.it), the total turnover in 2006 reached € 4 billion, a 14% increase compared to the previous year, and a further 2.3% growth is expected for 2007. The division exports 61% of its production, employing 15,000 members of staff. The main countries that Italy exports to are mainly European Union members states (49%), followed by North America and then by South America. Entering into the detail of the individual divisions, we must mention the performance of the valve industry for liquids and gas, which saw constant growth throughout 2006, with historical levels never reached before. This is also in relation to the increase in the cost of raw materials, which is reflected in the price of the products, but this is certainly not the only factor.
The international markets continue to pay special attention to Italian products, because of the quality offered and the post-sale support service, that the professionalism of the Italian companies can guarantee. The most significant and recent supplies were for gate or globe valves with high performance for the thermal electric power stations in China and the orders for spherical and butterfly valves in the Middle East for gas pipelines. The petrochemical and oil and gas industries - in particular in the Middle East - are markets which are constantly growing, keeping Italian manufacturers constantly active and present. And the growth in export in the division continues to be higher than average in the sector, equal to 6.7%. This is particularly the case for spherical shutters, flanged closings or closings to be welded and valve casings, made with carbon steel for low temperatures and that are sold both as semi-processed and finished products, with international safety certificates.
In the pipe field, Italian products stand out especially due to their continuous research into the absolute quality that the companies work towards. This is an element that seems to be increasingly important and that has allowed Italian industries also to conquer new and important markets, such as Azerbaijan, which during 2005 imported pipes and hydraulic products from Italy, amounting to a value of about $ 5 billion, and Georgia, which represents a market in constant development, destined to take on increasingly important dimensions. One of the biggest Italian industries in the field is Socotherm, (www.socotherm.it), a world leader in cladding for off-shore and on-shore pipelines and for crude oil distribution. The company acquired a new on-shore contract in Venezuela over the past few days, in fact, for a $ 2.4 million job for applying special anti-corrosive external high-density polyethylene cladding on 460 km of pipeline.
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