Grainger & Worrall has appointed Mark Powell to a newly created role of director, foundry operations, aligned with its roll-out of a GBP 6 million efficiency investment plan.

Sandvik won a contract to supply more than 500 km of super duplex stainless steel umbilical tubes, encapsulated by Prysmian, for Brazil's Mero pre-salt oilfield in the Santos Basin. The order is for the Mero 1 phase, operated by the Libra Consortium.

Mauser Packaging Solutions is investing in new quart and gallon F-style metal can lines at its Memphis, Tennessee facility to more than double combined capacity. The gallon line is expected to be operational in Q3 2020.

Flosil Group plans to set up a forging and casting plant on the 10-acre Goodrich Gasket facility at Kelambakkam near Chennai, to serve Aramco, Petronas and ADNOC.

Mueller Water Products is building a finished goods brass foundry in Decatur, Illinois, expected to employ 250 workers and increase production capacity for the water infrastructure industry.

Turkmenistan's President approved Türkmengaz State Concern entering a contract with Sumitomo Corporation Europe Ltd. to procure pipes and equipment for drilling and production of wells at the Galkynysh gas deposit.

Charl-Pol, a maker of welded mechanical parts for heavy industry, has begun construction of a fifth plant in Baie-Comeau, Quebec, with an investment of CAD 3 to 5 million. The lower bound is used here.

EDF Renewables awarded Saipem an EPCI contract to build the 450 MW Neart na Gaoithe offshore wind farm off the Fife coast in Scotland, covering 54 turbine jackets and 2 substation jackets. Offshore installation will be carried out by the crane vessel Saipem 7000.

Scania is building a new foundry at its Södertälje plant in Sweden to produce engine blocks, investing about SEK 1.6 billion. The foundry is due in 2020 and will triple capacity to 90,000 tonnes of molten iron per year.

Welspun Corp has been awarded contracts to supply 147 thousand metric tonnes of pipes for oil and gas and water projects in North America, Saudi Arabia and India. The pipes will be produced at its US and India facilities.

Luster Mekaniske Industri (LMI) won its largest contract to date from OneSubsea to supply a pipe system for a subsea wet gas compressor system on the Ormen Lange field, with Shell as operator; value undisclosed and delivery planned for 2022.

ANDRITZ received an order from thyssenkrupp Rasselstein to supply a new trivalent chromium plating line for its Andernach, Germany packaging steel plant, with first coil production scheduled for Q1 2022.

Ardagh Group sold a 57% stake in its Food & Specialty business to Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, which merged it with Exal into Trivium Packaging. The Food & Specialty part was sold for USD 2.5 billion, and Ardagh keeps a 43% stake in Trivium.

Vallourec was awarded a five-year contract, with a possible two-year extension, by Abu Dhabi National Oil Company to supply tubing and casing worth USD 900 million plus mill-to-rig services. Deliveries from Vallourec mills in Europe, South America and China are expected to start in second half of 2020.

Russel Metals announced an agreement to acquire City Pipe & Supply Corp., a supplier of pipe, valves and fittings to oil and gas companies in Texas and New Mexico. The announcement was made on August 19, 2019.

Northwest Pipe Company was selected by Garney Construction to supply both sections of the treated water pipeline for the Bois d'Arc Lake project, representing over 22,000 tons of engineered steel pipe for the North Texas Municipal Water District.

Mueller Water Products plans a new state-of-the-art brass foundry at 2700 N. Jasper Street in Decatur, Illinois, to increase production capacity. Up to 250 employees will work there and construction is expected to begin in fall 2019.

Charl-Pol acquired the Fabnor plant in Sept-Iles, Quebec with a local partner in summer 2019, with operations starting there in December.

Chelyabinsk Metallurgical Plant, part of Mechel Group, produced 1.2 thousand tons of fittings for Gazprom's Portovaya and Divenskaya compressor stations in the Leningrad Region, supplied via Mechel-Service. Construction completion is scheduled for October 2020.

Speyside Foundry Holdings, backed by Speyside Equity Fund I, acquired Hazleton Casting Co. in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, with the transaction completed in mid-June 2019. The value was not disclosed.

MacLean Power Systems announced a $5.3 million initial investment to upgrade equipment and the 67,000 sq. ft. foundry in Alabaster, Alabama, adding aluminum mold making and handling. Development begins mid-2019 with production expected in Q1 2020.

Udmurtia oil and gas equipment maker Technovek plans to expand its foundry section in Votkinsk with a 297 million ruble project, of which 146 million rubles may come as a concessional loan from the Fund for Industrial Development. The upgrade aims to raise monthly output of gate valves and fountain fittings and to boost exports by 202% by 2023.

Manchester Tank and Equipment, a division of McWane Inc., plans a propane tank manufacturing facility in Campbellsville, Kentucky, investing over $10 million and creating 175 full-time jobs. The plant will occupy an existing 238,000 sq. ft. building and supply components to the company's facilities.

Vallourec Soluções Tubulares do Brasil was awarded a contract by TechnipFMC to supply about 12,000 tons of seamless steel rigid line pipe for the Mero 1 pre-salt field in the Libra block. Pipe supply starts at the end of 2019.

Novelis held a ribbon cutting in Warren, Ohio, to mark the completion of a $4.5 million upgrade to pretreatment and coating capabilities for aluminum beverage can sheet. The investment was first announced in November 2017.

Novelis has started work on expanding its Pindamonhangaba plant in São Paulo state, Brazil, with an investment of 650 million reais (about US$167 million) including a rail terminal. The expansion adds 100,000 t/y of rolling capacity and 60,000 t/y of recycled output, with completion expected in 2021.

Severstal has agreed to buy a Korean compressor for its Cherepovets Iron and Steel Works, with first deliveries scheduled for autumn 2019. The investment exceeds 500 million rubles and aims to cut electricity consumption.

Metso is establishing a new foundry in Vadodara, India, with a capacity of 20,000 tonnes, and is increasing mineral equipment capacity at its Metso Park in Alwar by 35%.

Machine Fabriek Elburg is taking over the activities of Nannoka Vulcanus BV, effective 1 April 2019, under the new name Vulcanus Castings BV. The Langerak (Doetichem) iron foundry produces cast semi-manufactured products for tractors, drives, vacuum pumps and earthmoving machines.

Harsco Industrial IKG broke ground on a new 12,000 sq m grating production plant in the Advance Querétaro Industrial Park in El Marqués, Mexico, with an investment of about 17 million dollars and 158 initial jobs. The plant will supply industrial grating to Mexico and Latin America.

The Hyderabad Bench of India's National Company Law Tribunal approved Maharashtra Seamless's resolution plan to acquire United Seamless Tubulaar Pvt Ltd through the insolvency process.

thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions won an EPC contract from ArcelorMittal to replace one coke battery at the Tubarão steel plant in Espírito Santo, Brazil, maintaining 600,000 tons per year of coke output. More than 700 jobs will be created at peak construction, which is expected to start in mid-2019.

US steel producer Nucor has acquired POK, a precision castings company with a facility in Guadalajara, Mexico. POK serves oil and gas, mining, sugar mill and pump and valve customers.

Check-Mate Industries, a West Babylon, New York metal stampings and tool and die maker, will invest more than $16 million in a new factory in Thomasville, Georgia and create 230 jobs.

Novelis announced a $175 million investment to add 100 kilotonnes of rolling and 60 kilotonnes of recycling capacity at its Pindamonhangaba plant in Brazil, with construction starting February 2019 and completion expected in 2021.

Constellium agreed to supply Czech aerosol maker Moravia Cans, which packages Unilever's Dove antiperspirants, with aluminium alloy from its Neuf-Brisach site in France.

Constellium supplies Czech aerosol can maker Moravia Cans with its Aeral aluminium solution for producing Unilever's Dove antiperspirant aerosols, using drawn and wall ironing technology.

Mueller Water Products signed a definitive agreement to acquire Krausz Industries, an Israeli maker of pipe couplings, grips and clamps, for $140 million in cash. The deal is expected to close in December 2018.

Spanish cooperative Ampo inaugurated a new 12,500 square metre machining plant in Idiazabal, Gipuzkoa, built with a €22 million investment. It will machine valves in-house and add 20 jobs.

Anhui Tunxi High Pressure Valve Co. received approval for its adjusted plan to produce 200,000 industrial forged steel valves per year, which involves expanding its production plant, adding a valve cover line and a smart warehouse. The project has entered formal implementation.

Germany's Thyssenkrupp and India's Tata Steel have notified the European Commission of a planned steel joint venture. The deal is under EU merger review with a deadline of October 30, 2018.

Henderson acquired all assets and operations of HP Piping Solutions, a high-pressure piping fabricator serving North American oil and gas, with facilities in Southwest Houston, Pearland and Midland, Texas.

Berendsen Fluid Power won a tender to become the preferred supplier of hydraulic and pneumatic valves to BlueScope Steel's Port Kembla steelworks and Springhill metal coating facility. The agreement was announced on 24 August 2018.

Pennex Aluminum plans an expansion at the World Trade Park in Leetonia, Ohio, on 20 acres bought from the port authority, initially creating at least 45 jobs.

Thomas Dudley Ltd is constructing a brand-new foundry in Tipton alongside its existing foundry, with an investment of over £10 million that includes a Disamatic D3-Z-425 moulding line increasing capacity by 50%.

Palmer Manufacturing and Tank will invest $16 million in its Garden City, Kansas manufacturing facility, which was re-acquired by its original owner, and grow to employ 201 people within three years.

Greif opened a steel drum and container plant in the Vorsino industrial park in the Kaluga region, Russia, with first-phase investment of 800 million rubles and 50 jobs created. Planned output is two million drums per year.

Novelis agreed to acquire Aleris, a global rolled aluminum products supplier, for about $2.6 billion including assumed debt, to diversify its portfolio and expand in Asia and automotive. The deal was announced on July 26, 2018.

Tata Steel and ThyssenKrupp announced a merger of their European steel operations as a 50/50 joint venture. The article does not give a deal value.

Vallourec subsidiary Valinox Nucléaire signed a contract with Framatome to make more than 47,500 tubes for the eight steam generators of the two new EPR units at Hinkley Point C in England. Production will begin in 2018 at Montbard, France.