[December 1, 2011] MST Seamless Tube & Pipe is investing in its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility by adding a quench and temper heat treat line manufactured by Thermatool, an Inductotherm Group company.  MST has produced quenched-and-tempered products for many years, but bringing the process in-house will result in significant efficiencies and more control of product quality.

"Adding the quench and temper line gives us better control over the entire process from order entry to truckload deliver," said Ted Fairley, vice-president of sales and marketing.

To quench and temper products, material is heated to a uniform temperature above the transformation range then quenched with a liquid to achieve a high level of hardness.  The material is then tempered as the final step in the heat treating process.  MST's custom designed and built line will provide water quenching and will enable better controls of mechanical properties of the finished material.  The $4.5 mn capital expenditure will create cost efficiencies for the quench and temper process and enable MST to improve upon its already stellar delivery performance.  Michigan-based MST maintains a steady 98%+ on-time shipping performance each month and is committed to providing the exceptional service and products that are highly regarded worldwide.

"The quench and temper line gives us the ability to serve our customers better because we can provide even quicker response and delivery," said Les Whitver, vice-president of operations.  Bringing the process in-house allows for quick change over from order to order, reduced lead times and the ability to react to emergency repair situations more quickly.

MST will purchase the new heat treat line from Thermatool, a worldwide leader in quench and temper lines.  It will be built to cover MST's full range of products, including size ranges from 0.75" OD to 5.00" OD and a variety of grades including several carbon grades, chrome moly grades and other high chrome grades such as 9 chrome and 13 chrome.  MST anticipates the new line to be fully operational by late spring of 2012.  There is a 10,000# minimum order required for heat treated products.

For more information about Thermatool's products, including quench and temper lines, please visit:  www.thermatool.com.

Information provided by Tube and Pipe Technology.