Pipes for nuclear plants to be produced in Chomutov, providing work for up to 150 people

15 Apr. 2010 | CzechInvest, Sandvik | Swedish company Sandvik investing hundreds of millions of crowns in expansion.

Production of special pipes for steam generators used in nuclear power plants will employ up to 150 people in Chomutov. The multinational Swedish concern Sandvik AB intends to expand its local subsidiary, Sandvik Chomutov Precision Tubes, spol. s r.o., and to invest several hundred million crowns in highly specialised technologies required for the nuclear industry; additional financing is required for structural modifications of the existing company.

“The company has been operating in Chomutov since 1994, when Sandvik acquired part of the former Válcovny trub Chomutov,” says Alexandra Rudyšarová, acting CEO of CzechInvest. “Besides numerous high-skilled jobs for Chomutov, the company’s expansion of its plant will bring additional orders for Czech suppliers operating in northern Bohemia.”

“Sandvik chose from among several locations around the world where it could produce this new type of pipes. Besides the Czech Republic, the other possible locations were the United States, Canada and Sweden itself. The company eventually chose Chomutov because, first of all, our Czech subsidiary has extensive past and present experience with producing pipes from high-alloy steel, and because Sandvik can receive investment incentives here,” Dan Kurucz, CEO of Sandvik Chomutov.

Construction work on the expansion of the plant will begin this year. Sandvik anticipates that installation of the necessary technologies with take nearly two years. The first pipes made from a special alloy of nickel, chrome and iron should leave the Chomutov plant at the beginning of 2012.

“We are currently working at maximum installed capacity, so there isn’t room here for such demanding production and in such volumes. Every pipe must fulfil strict quality requirements in order to withstand the extreme conditions in nuclear power plants, so before they are sent to customers, each pipe will undergo strict quality trials using standard as well as laboratory and non-destructive methods,” adds Dan Kurucz.

Pipes for VVER-type nuclear power plants were last produced in Chomutov in the 1980s and were thus intended mainly for Russia. Of course, at that time much lower alloyed steel was used than at present. “So, for us this is essentially a completely new product. However, we have ambitious goals – we would like to achieve a double-digit percentage of the world market in this product,” says Dan Kurucz, explaining in the company’s plans.

More about Sandvik:

The history of the Chomutov-based firm dates back to 1870, when the first steel mill was established here. In 1887 the Mannesmann brothers established the first rolling mill and three years later produced the world’s first thin-walled seamless pipe. In 1994 part of Válcovny trub was acquired by the Swedish company SANDVIK AB, which is one of the biggest global producers of seamless stainless-steel pipes. The company currently employs approximately 500 people in Chomutov.