Superior Tube, Fine Tubes Awarded Contracts by Airbus

Fine Tubes Ltd. (Plymouth, UK) and Superior Tube Company (Collegeville, PA), leading manufacturers and global suppliers of precision tubes for critical applications, have both been awarded contracts by leading airframe manufacturer Airbus, (Toulouse, France).

For Fine Tubes, the award represents not just an extension of its long-standing relationship with Airbus, but also a greater share of the aircraft manufacturer’s total tubing requirements, particularly hydraulic tubing. In addition to supplying both stainless steel and titanium tubing for the A320, A330, A350 XWB and A380 commercial aircraft models, they also will produce tubes for Airbus Defence and Space as well as Airbus Helicopters, formerly Eurocopter.

Over the course of the contract, their Plymouth facility will manufacture the tubing and ship it to Airbus sub-contractors worldwide. “This is excellent news for our company and reflects the reputation we have built up with Airbus as a reliable, quality partner, responsive to its total needs.” Stated Wade Burchell, the aerospace product manager for Fine Tubes.

For Superior Tube, a long-term supplier to other major manufacturers in the aerospace industry, the contract is its first opportunity to supply Airbus with tubes manufactured at the company’s plant in Collegeville. “We’re delighted that Airbus has not only made the decision to extend the scope of its previous contract with Fine Tubes, but also to award tubing business to Superior Tube for the first time. This confirms the fact that the partnership between Fine Tubes and Superior Tube can deliver real synergistic benefits to our customers,” added Brian Mercer, the director of sales and marketing for both companies.

Established 70 years ago, Fine Tubes is a leading metal tubing manufacturer with its headquarters and production facilities in Plymouth and sales offices in Germany, France, India and the U.S., as well as several agents across the globe, manufacturing both seamless and welded tubes, in a wide range of stainless steel, nickel, titanium and zirconium alloys, for critical applications in the oil, gas, nuclear and power, aerospace, chemicals and medical equipment industries.

They currently employ around 380 permanent staff and export products to over 35 countries worldwide, including Russia, India, China and the U.S. Recent projects they have supplied specialist tubing for include, the Airbus A380 and A350 series, the Sukhoi Superjet 100, the Gemasolar power station, and the CERN Large Hadron Collider.

Superior Tube is a global leader in the manufacture of precision tubing. From aerospace to power stations, and oil and gas extraction to medicine, its products are used in a range of industries. Based in Collegeville, the company’s manufacturing capabilities include seamless and welded tubes, straight lengths or coils, in stainless steel, nickel, titanium and zirconium. Fine Tubes and Superior Tube are a unit of AMETEK Specialty Metal Products, a division of AMETEK, Inc. (Berwyn, PA), a leading global manufacturer of electronic instruments and electromechanical devices.

www.finetubes.co.uk, www.superiortube.com, www.ametek.com