Turkey’s largest steel pipe producer, Borusan Mannesmann, which paused output at some of its mills in Turkey as of April 3, following the stoppage at its Vobarno plant in Italy due to the coronavirus outbreak, has restarted output at its Turkish mills as of April 13, S&P Global Platts learned Monday.
“We have restarted output at our Halkali works in Istanbul and Gemlik spiral-welded pipe works in Bursa with minumum workers, with all necessary protection measures taken,” the company said Monday, adding that the stoppage at its Vobarno plant in Italy is extended till May 3 in line with the Italian government’s decision to stop production activites due to COVID-19 outbreak.
The company is continuing pipe production at its US mill, which is classified as a mill with strategic importance within the scope of the US law, with minimal workers in a rotating protocol that takes into account all the necessary precautions against the COVID-19 outbreak.
BM’s Turkish mill capacity is 750,000 mt/year of longitudinal welded pipe and 300,000 mt/year of spiral welded pipe. Capacity for cold-drawn special pipe at its Vobarno plant in Italy is 28,000 mt/year.
The company’s US electric-resistance welded pipe mill in Baytown, Texas, has a capacity of 300,000 mt/year.
— Cenk Can
