Kobe Steel chief apologizes to shareholders (US)

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Participants arrive for the general shareholders meeting of Kobe Steel Ltd. in Kobe on Thursday

KOBE (Jiji Press) — The chief of Kobe Steel Ltd. apologized to shareholders on Thursday over a product data falsification scandal involving the company. “We deeply apologize for causing inconvenience to shareholders and clients,” Mitsugu Yamaguchi, Kobe Steel president and chief executive officer, said at a general meeting of shareholders in Kobe. “We are working in a unified manner to prevent similar misconduct from happening again,” said Yamaguchi, promising to revamp the corporate culture of the company to restore trust. The management was grilled by many participants at the shareholders’ meeting, the first since Kobe Steel announced the data Continue reading→

Midhani to Cut Reliance on Chinese Special Steels Imports (US)

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Midhani, a Government of India enterprise under the Defence Ministry, produces special steel, super-alloys and is the sole manufacturer of titanium alloys in the country.

Hyderabad: The Mishra Dhatu Nigam (Midhani) Limited, a special grade metal maker, is looking at reducing dependency on China for the strategic metals used in defence products as it was facing issues over pricing and quality of imported materials, a top official of the PSU said. “There are issues in terms of pricing by Chinese companies on imports of some of the special grade metals used in making defence products. Apart from this, the quality of Chinese materials is also sometimes inferior,” city-based Midhani Chairman andContinue reading→

Norsk Titanium Marks Milestone in US Production (US)

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PLATTSBURGH, NEW YORK — June 18, 2018 — Norsk Titanium (NTi), the world’s first FAA-approved supplier of aerospace-grade, additive manufactured, structural titanium components, announced today a major milestone in qualified production. NTi’s Plattsburgh, New York Development and Qualification Center (PDQC) site was officially added to Boeing’s Qualified Producers List (QPL) on May 1 and initiated qualified production on May 15 by manufacturing its first part under the Boeing contract. This milestone is a culmination of recent company successes including certification under AS9100D and the October 2017 dedication of PDQC by New York Governor Continue reading→

International Titanium Association Honors Russell Gordon Sherman With Lifetime Achievement Award (US)

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Russell Gordon Sherman (pictured), who developed alloys and heat treating protocols for the titanium industry and pioneered the high-volume production of titanium aerospace fasteners, is the recipient of the International Titanium Association’s 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award. The ITA will formally present Sherman with the award at the TITANIUM USA 2018 Conference and Exhibition, October 7-10 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Frauke Hogue, FASM (Fellow of American Society for Materials), an ITA educational instructor and an executive and metallographer with Hogue Metallography, Pacific Palisades, CA, in a nomination form for the prestigious award, lauded Sherman’s distinguished career. “The entire titanium industry has benefited from Sherman’s research into developing a higher strength Continue reading→

US firm Lockheed Martin will transfer titanium tech. and new patriot missiles to Taiwan (US)

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Lockheed Martin’s Missiles and Fire Control department will transfer technology and training for Taiwan’s defense industry to produce its own aerospace and military grade titanium.

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The Ministry of National Defense (MND), on Friday, June 15 announced that the Unites States had agreed to transfer new military technologies to Taiwan to bolster the country’s domestic defense industry.According to reports, Lockheed Martin’s Missiles and Fire Control department will transfer technology and training for Taiwan’s defense industry to produce its own aerospace and military grade titanium, as part of a deal that will also include six sets of Patriot Advanced Capability – 3 (PAC-3) missiles and upgrade kits for PAC-2 missiles. The titanium production technology will allow Taiwan to bolster its armoring capabilities as well asContinue reading→

Rolls-Royce Titanium Parts Shortage to Delay 787 Engine Fix (US)

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Rolls’s turbine blades are forged at a handful of sites globally that it controls, including a new factory in Rotherham, England, that was billed as the world’s most-advanced facility when it opened in 2015. The company has only one supplier for titanium compressor blades, Techjet Aerofoils Ltd., a venture it partly owns, though efforts are underway to source further producers for both items, according to the people.

  •  Rolls suppliers struggle to meet demand for compressor blades
  •  Issue could be compounded by glitch with new batch of turbines

Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc is wrestling with a shortage of parts needed to repair hundreds of faulty engines that power Boeing Co.’s 787 wide-body jets, further stretching a tight timetable for repairs. The fix for excessive wear on the Trent 1000 turbines is taking about three days longer than planned in some cases due to a shortfall in stocks of compressor blades, said the people, who asked not to be named as the supply bottleneck hasn’t been made public. Airlines are already being forced to lease replacement planes, sometimes for months, to maintain flights while Rolls-powered 787s are grounded for repairs. The number of idled jets reached 43 last week, according to the people, and the strain on component supplies could worsen after it was revealed Monday that durability issues extend to an earlier version of the engine. The parts crunch comes as Chief Executive Officer Warren East prepares to unveil job cuts from steps to simplify Continue reading→

VSMPO-AVISMA Reports an Increase in Exports to European Countries (US)

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VSMPO-AVISMA published one’s annual report. In 2017, the Corporation continued to strengthen its leading positions as the key supplier of titanium products for foreign consumers. Last year, the main export route of VSMPO-AVISMA were European countries – their share rose to 47%. Despite a reduction in the Corporation’s revenue in ruble equivalent due to ruble strengthening, it still reached 72.4 billion rubles. Net profit was 19.1 billion rubles, and EBITDA reached 29.1 billion rubles. In volume terms, the sales of titanium increased by 14% to 28.8 thousand tons. The increase in export was 26% due to a higher demand from foreign aircraft industry companies. Last year, the main export routes for VSMPO-AVISMA were European countries – their share rose to 47%, while USA isContinue reading→

AddUp acquires DED steel 3D printing firm BeAM (US)

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AddUp, the French leader in the design, production and marketing of metal 3D printing machines and production lines, based in Clermont-Ferrand, a joint-venture between Fives and Michelin, today announced the acquisition of BeAM, based in Strasbourg, a leader in the Directed Energy eposition (DED) technology, an additive manufacturing process dedicated to the production of large parts and the repair market. Created in 2012 in Strasbourg with subsidiaries in Cincinnati and Singapore, BeAM is a French manufacturer of industrial metal additive manufacturing machines which use the DED technology and has a broad range of customers both in France and abroad, in particular, in the aeronautics, defense and energy sectors. The 100% acquisition of BeAM will enable AddUp to expand its portfolio of Continue reading→

Avic Guizhou Orders Second SMS Ring Roller machine to produce nickel and titanium alloy rings for jet engines (US)

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From left to right: Martin Gellhaus, Head of Sales Ring and Wheel Rolling SMS group; Wei Zhijian, General Manager Guizhou Anda; Li Qiangsheng, Director of Mechanical & Electrical department, AVIC Logistics. The SMS ring-rolling process rolls heated blanks radially to reduce wall thickness, for products up to 10,000 mm diameter.

Avic Guizhou Anda Aviation Forging Co. Ltd. has awarded SMS group the contract to supply an additional ring rolling machine. The new ring rolling machine, type RAW 400(500)/200(250)-2500/800 DM, is to be erected at the plant it operates in Anshun, China. Production is scheduled for mid-2019. The new ring rolling machine is capable of rolling seamless rings with diameters of up to 2,500 millimeters and a maximum height of 800 millimeters. Anda plans to use the RAW to manufacture jet engine rings made from titanium and nickel Continue reading→

Les Tréfileries de Saarstahl Conflandey à coeur ouvert (FR)

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En février 2006, les Tréfileries de Conflandey rachetées par le groupe SAARSTHAL deviennent Conflandey Industries. Les deux usines de l’entreprise produisent une multitude de fils de tous types, de tous diamètres, revêtus ou non de zinc, de cuivre, … qui seront livrés dans plus de 60 pays sur les 5 continents avec une réputation de qualité centenair

Il y a 20 ans, Les Tréfileries de Conflandey ouvraient leurs portes au public. Cette année, l’entreprise renouvelle l’opération les 15 et 16 juin, pour répondre à une demande largement exprimée par les salariés et l’entourage. Conflandey Industries est filiale du groupe Allemand SAARSTAHL, spécialiste mondialement reconnu dans la production d’acier haut de gamme en fils ou en barres. Les usines SAARSTAHL sont implantées en Sarre à Völklingen, Neunkirchen, Burbach, … Elles produisent annuellement 2,7 millions de tonnes d’acier et comptent plus de 6500 collaborateurs. Mais avant d’appartenir au Groupe SAARSTAHL, les Tréfileries ont connu une longue histoire qui a débuté en 1901 avec la création de la société à Conflandey. Après une période faste dans les années 70-80 (grand prix de Continue reading→