BENTELER creates Europe's largest surface treatment center for tubes

Paderborn, October 13, 2022. BENTELER has commissioned a new galvanizing line for hydraulic line tubes at the Schloß Neuhaus site in Paderborn, Germany. For this, the company invested 1.7 million euros in the tube works. The new plant will be the largest surface treatment center for tubes in Europe. Following on from the company’s investment in a large-diameter tube galvanizing line for hydraulic line tubes in 2018, the new line is specifically designed for small tube dimensions.

Customer request for more galvanizing capacity implemented in record construction time

Demand for environmentally friendly surface coatings has risen sharply recently, especially for smaller tube diameters (10-16 mm). To meet customer demand, BENTELER has now invested in a new galvanizing line for small tube dimensions. In just nine months, the galvanizing line was designed in-house and built in cooperation with companies from the region. In addition to the technical possibilities, resource conservation was the focus of the construction project and thus the new plant is characterized by comparatively low electricity and water consumption during operation.

Metal processing specialist further expands market leadership

BENTELER is the leader in Europe with a very high market share in the field of galvanized hydraulic line tubes. By expanding the surface treatment center, the company is creating additional capacities and further expanding its leading market position. The new plant can galvanize up to 12,000 kilometers of tube per year – almost the diameter of the earth – ensuring security of supply for customers.

Christian Wiethüchter, CEO BENTELER Steel/Tube: "As metal processing specialists with more than 140 years of experience, we use our extensive expertise to develop world-class efficient manufacturing processes. It’s important to us to always be up to date, both technically and in terms of materials science. This also applies to the application of various technologies from steel production to hot and cold forming and various finishing processes such as surface coating. As a leading company, we offer expertise across the entire value chain from a single source, from which our customers and partners benefit in every respect."

By expanding the surface treatment center, BENTELER is meeting customer needs and is also strengthening the Schloß Neuhaus site by creating around ten new jobs. For this purpose, employees from BENTELER's own training and further education department will be trained to work on the plant.

Environmentally friendly coating systems find international application

The coating systems produced at the Surface Technology Center in Schloß Neuhaus, such as ZISTA® Seal and ZISTAPLEX®, are in demand worldwide. In making them, BENTELER works according to the guiding principle, maximum quality and optimum environmental compatibility. This also applies to corrosion protection. "Our surface coatings are particularly environmentally friendly. We have been producing the latest generation of chrome VI-free coatings since 2016. This means that our products meet both the requirements of our customers, who have to comply with increasingly stringent corrosion protection specifications, and EU requirements," explains Thomas Michels, COO BENTELER Steel/Tube.

The surface solutions protect components such as hydraulic line tubes from corrosion, thus extending the service life of, for example, construction or agricultural machinery. The expansion of the Schloß Neuhaus site means that producers in Europe, Asia and the USA, among others, can continue to rely on the proven quality of BENTELER coated tubes.