Page 3 - ITAtube Journal 32022

Foreword
Dr. Gunther Voswinckel President ITA
Dear colleagues from the Tube and Pipe industry, dear readers of the ITAtube Journal,
The Corona pandemic seems to be under control and the impact on the supply of goods has improved. Logistics costs have returned to near normal levels. The galloping inflation has slowed down. Raw material costs for hot rolled coils, plates and round billets have passed their peaks. Pipe prices are still high and the OCTG market is booming, especially in the US. The situation for the tube indus- try seems rosy, were it not for the geopolitical turmoil and difficult energy costs in most parts of the world, especially in Europe.
While our thinking and actions over the past 70 years have been shaped by the assumption that international trade strengthens peaceful coexistence in the world, we had to painfully realise at the beginning of this year that this maxim unfortunately has only limited validity.
This painful realisation now has a direct and significant impact on the further strategic orientation of our industry. Whereas previously only quality, delivery time and costs were decisive, geopolitical and logistical risk considerations are now increasingly coming to the fore. All sources of supply are being critically scrutinised, and one can only hope and warn that international trade will not suffer too much as a result.
The increasing momentum in the rebalancing of the energy market continues to drive demand for pipes. Markets such as the USA, India, Europe and the Arab states are characterised by high demand for steel products and pipes. Some steel and pipe producers and engineering companies operating or equipping high-capacity plants have been able to massively increase their economic success.
Despite the travel restrictions caused by the corona pandemic, the International Tube Association ITA has been successful in maintain- ing the exchange in our industry. The ITA is hosting several webinars for our tube industry in 2020, 2021 and 2022. In addition, we have also participated in some webinars conducted by other renowned organisations with our tube market overviews.
It was great to see that our largest industry event, Tube Düsseldorf 2022, and the regional event Tube India 2022 were well attended and once again provided an opportunity for our industry to meet and share the latest innovations. In addition to the trade fairs, the ITA also organised web-based and hybrid conferences. The positive response to these events was indicative of the impressive optimism in our tube industry
Yours faithfully
ITA Team 3
ITAtube Journal December 2022