Industrial Tube general manager Ian Foster.

 New Zealand’s leading tube manufacturer is celebrating another company milestone, achieving 10 years in the stainless precision tube market.

Waikato-based Industrial Tube entered the stainless market in 2013 when it purchased machinery and stock from Stainless Tube Mill.

Reflecting on the journey, Industrial Tube general manager Ian Foster says the company has made great progress and achieved a huge amount in 10 years.

“Initially, we operated the stainless mills in Auckland, and then in 2014, added a purpose-built extension for the new stainless plant to our existing facility here in Hamilton,” he says.

“Once the Auckland machinery refurbishment was completed and functioning, we installed a second polisher and added a larger mill from STM Australia. This enabled us to produce 5, 6 & 8-inch tube, all requiring considerable effort to ensure we had the right equipment, capability and capacity to support our customers.”

In 2017, Industrial Tube’s mill team shifted their focus to efficiency, adjusting the plant to enable the production of regular sizes and lengths of tube up to 20 metres, and polishing up to 12 metres, which the company continues to offer today.

“Most recently, we commissioned an internal polisher for the larger sizes of tube, which was designed and built by our internal engineering team. Combined with our BLM LT7 3D tube laser cutter, we are now able to produce almost any requirement in the market,” says Mr Foster.

“We are seeing real benefits from this, recently being awarded two large contracts for stainless steel components, involving several of our processing solutions,” he adds.

Throughout Industrial Tube’s journey, Foster says the team has strived for quality, and at times, have had to supply replacement products when they missed the mark.

“We have always stood by our service promise, which is the basis of our business philosophy, and are grateful that our long-term suppliers Acerinox (Bahru) and Thyssenkrupp operate with a similar ethos,” he says.

Foster says Industrial Tube is in the stainless tube business for the long haul and will continue to offer all merchants and customers the same Industrial Tube high-quality product and service we are renowned for.

Industrial Tube is a privately owned and operated company, founded in 1985 with its manufacturing base in Hamilton. Industrial Tube began as a manufacturer of precision carbon tube.

More than three decades on, Industrial Tube offers a wide range of value-added services, as well as the production of the stainless hygienic and architectural tube, pre-galvanised tube, and the Ag-Steel horticulture product range.