Almetyevsk pipe plant

"Almetyevsk pipe plant" joint stock company

ATZ Joint-Stock Company is the only pipe manufacturer in Tatarstan. It first appeared on the map of the Tatarstan industry in 1966, when oil and gaz production was intensively developed.

The reason for the plant to be built was because of the need for small mobile pipe manufacture for the nearby oil fields. Electric pipe-welding mills in the first little workshop produced some 10000 spiral-welded pipes with a diameter of 159-426 millimetres.

In the mid-70s, the plant was expanded by governmental order and a new manufacture of thin-walled pipes was started for the development of melioration. The plant produced about 500000 tons of pipes each year these were in great demand throughout the USSR. Mostly the pipes were used in Central Asia for the construction of irrigation and gas supply systems.

So, in the process of development, the manufacturer switched its original task of the provision of local regions with oil and gas pipes to the large-scale needs of melioration within the USSR under the supervision of the Melioration and Water Supply Ministry.

When perestroika began, ATZ was in a troublesome situation, i.e. the grandiose melioration programmes were curtailed and the demand for thin-walled pipes for water supply dropped. Moreover, after the collapse of the USSR, the plant lost its traditional consumers, the Central Asian republics.

In 1989, A.M.Tokarev was elected ATZ's CEO. It was Tokarev who led the plant to the market economy. The only solution to the problems was to replace outdated products with new ones which would be in great demand in the domestic market. (There is, however, strong competition in Russia, since about 12 large plants specialise in pipe manufacturing).

In a short period of time (1992-96), the plant managed to re-equip its workshops in spite of complicated economic conditions (the insolvency of its consumers). They disantled out-of-date facilities, which produced non-competitive goods, and installed up-to-date production lines for manufacturing seam-welded pipes.

Since the modern equipment was commissioned, the range of the products has significantly widened. Today the plant can annualy produce over 250000 tons of pipes of different sizes and types with a diameter of 20 to 426 millimetres (over 50% of them with polyethylene lining).

The new products have been certified to comply with both international and Russian State Standards.

The advantage of ATZ products is their corrosion-resistant polyethylene coating applied by hose extrusion (technology of the German MANNESMANN). The quality conforms to both international and Russian standards and meets all today's requirements which are set for coatings of special- purpose oil and gas pipelines.

The plant has developed corrosion protection methods for the inner surface of pipes by applying SOROP epoxy materials delivered by E.WOOD, UK. SOROP inhibits internal corrosion during the transport of sulphur-bearing crude, petroleum products, corrosive oilfield waters and potable water. This coating features advanced mechanical properties: it remains intact when a pipeline is cleaned with a pipe cleaning brush, clips, etc.

ATZ has found several technical methods for the inner protection of field welds made when pipes with internal coating are used for pipeline construction, and can offer consumers such pipes with ends protected from corrosion. Butt seams are welded via methods and no additional measures to protect welding joints (inside) are required.

At present, more than a half of produced pipe is supplied with a highquality polyethylene coating.

The Company's market strategy in Povolzhye has allowed it to make TATNEFT, which formerly delivered pipes from URAL and other regions, ATZ's largest customer (up to 70%).

ATZ products enjoy a great demand and are successfully being used in the oil and gas fields of Tatarstan, Bashkiria, Udmurdia, the Samara and Perm regions and other oil producing areas in the Russian Federation.

Besides Tatarstan and other neighbouring regions, these pipes are delivered to the central regions of the Russian Federation (Lipetskaya, Voronezhskaya, Kurskaya, Belgorodskaya, etc) where they are used for gas supply systems.

According to a recent survey of oil and gas research institutes, the quality of the pipe polyethylene lining provided by ATZ is the best in Russia.

Apart from its own pipes, the plant can coat consumers' pipes (with the diameter of 89-530 millimetres).

It may be confidently stated that ATZ has overcome its economic crisis. The sales return was 14% larger in 1996 than that in 1995, while in 1997 a 42% (against 1996) increase is planned.

While widening the range of its products, the plant continually improves technology and quality. It works cooperatively with many Russian reseach institutes in solving scientific and technical problems.

Service is also improving. The plant has already developed commercial production of pipeline fittings (laterals).

In the near future, ATZ will begin production of its first lot of thin- walled bimetallic pipes the specifications of which are not inferior to those of non-rusting high-alloy steel but whose price is two-two and a half times lower.

Another jobbing mill which will produce pipes with diameter of 10-35 millimetres will be put into operation in 1997.

While broadening its market, ATZ is committed to meeting its customers' needs as fully as possible.

/ from "VOLGA" magazine (official publication of the International Oil and Gas Exhibitions 1997) /
E-mail: mvv@atz.ru
http://www.atz.ru