News | Latest from TW Metals

Our Italian facility has recently completed cutting 20 tonnes of Inconel 718 plate for one of our customers in the Energy industry. Using our waterjet cutting technology, we were able to achieve a smooth and accurate cut, with no heat distortion. Well done to the team in Italy - keep up the good work!

This month, 35 years ago, Phil Orton became the first member of our IT department as a Junior Programmer in our Southampton facility. At the time, TW Metals was still Tubesales, and we hadn’t yet got mobile phones. Fast forward to 2022 however, Phil is now our IT Project Manager and works with 8 other IT professionals to provide our company with exceptional IT support across the UK, Europe, and SE Asia. We’d like to take this opportunity to thank Phil for all his hard work, dedication, and support over the years. Here’s to many more to come!

Watch the video here

TW Metals is excited to back Southampton's bid to become the UK City of Culture in 2025. Southampton is now in the final four locations in the #UKCityofCulture journey and we're so proud of everyone involved in getting our beloved city to this stage so far. Let's make it SO!

We'd like to say a huge well done and thank you to Antonio and Gerardo, whom both reached their 5-year work anniversaries with TW Italy this month. ?? As two of our warehouse operatives, we caught up with them both to find out about their time with TW so far…

Find out what they had to say about their time at TW Metals so far

We're so excited to announce that we will be exhibiting at CHEMUKEXPO 2022 from the 11th to the 12th of May. Registration for free visitor passes has now opened so be sure to book those tickets, and whilst you're there, come and see us on stand C5.

Book tickets here!

This International Women’s Day, our teams across the UK and Europe are celebrating our female colleagues and acknowledging our wonderful differences. The women in our Southampton office also received an extra special surprise this morning when Bartosz Belczyk brought in handmade resin gifts to thank his female counterparts for their contribution each and every day. At TW, we’re proud of our culture which forges positive visibility and equal opportunities for all, regardless of gender, race, or ability, and we always strive to challenge gender stereotypes, discrimination, and bias in whatever form that may be. Together, we are one. Together, we are TW Metals.

Check out Bart's homemade resins gifts here

With many mill lead times increasing, TW Metal is well-prepared for the storm ahead. Our facilities stock a wide range of Aerospace-grade plate and sheet for all your requirements including Aluminium, Titanium, and Stainless Steel. Get in touch with our team today!

This Employee Appreciation Day, we want to say a massive thank you to you, our terrific, hard-working teams across our divisions. We're proud of you each day and without strong and dedicated colleagues behind us, TW Metals wouldn't be where we are today. So, here's to you - thank you for all you do!

It's Pancake Day here in the UK and traditionally, we spend it indulging on crepes and pancakes galore. We asked some of our team in the UK what their favourite toppings were and surprisingly we have a tie between the classic Lemon & Sugar and Strawberries & Chocolate Spread. What do you like to top yours with?

Do the toppings match your favourites? Find out here...

With mill lead times on the rise, often increasing week-on-week, Chris Broome, one of our Inside Account Managers at our Southampton facility, has a Top TW Tip for you this Friday…

Read the Top Tip here...

We'd like to say a massive thank you to everyone who visited our stand at the Singapore Airshow 2022 last week. We were delighted to connect with the Aerospace community in SE Asia and we hope to see you again soon.

Introducing our latest virtual tour: Southampton - Headquarters for the European group of companies. Nestled in the heart of the UK South Coast, our Southampton facility is home to a hive of bustling departments, working to provide our customers with a plethora of material solutions for the Aerospace, Defence, and Commercial industries. Offering material solutions to the UK and Europe since 1969, we’re trusted suppliers to all major OEM and Tier 1 suppliers, with a key focus on quality and service. View for yourself how TW Southampton is fully equipped to serve all your material needs.

Take the tour here

It's not just the Aerospace team that is growing - our commercial team in France has just welcomed David Grandguillot to the team as a new Outside Account Manager. David has joined with ample experience in the metal industry, specialising in Stainless Steel for the last 10 years. David is a huge tennis fan and a big Rafael Nadal supporter. He also enjoys watching rugby and used to play and coach ultimate frisbee during his time, living in Canada. We hope you'll all join us in welcoming David to TW!

The Aerospace team is growing in Southampton! We're so pleased to welcome the wonderful Joanna Jones as a new Inside Account Manager within the team. Joining forces with David, Rob, and Charlie, Jo will be helping to support our customers with all their aerospace-grade raw material requirements. Welcome to the team Jo!

Find out more about Jo here

Is saving energy a key priority for you and your industry too? Our fantastic fiber laser machine opens the door to energy-efficient production and helps to reduce waste within the industry. Thanks to its excellent efficiency, our fiber laser consumes less power than traditional manufacturing machinery but still provides a high-quality, accurate cutting finish.

Did you know that since January 2021, the raw material cost for nickel has risen by 24%? With nickel continuing to rise month-on-month, TW Metals is working hard in the background to ensure you get the material you need at the most cost-effective price. Speak to our team today about securing your nickel raw material for 2022.

Check out our trend graph here

Happy Chinese New Year to all our employees and colleagues who are celebrating the Lunar New Year today. As we enter the Year of the Tiger, we are reminded to emerge stronger than before, whatever comes our way - a resonating reminder of rising from the effects we have all felt from the last two years. Together, we are stronger!

It's "Wheels up" for the Singapore Airshow 2022 and TW Metals! The team is so excited to be back exhibiting at the prestigious event from the 15th to the 18th of February at the Changi Exhibition Centre. Visit our team on booth C-N72 to discover more about our capabilities and how we can transform your Aerospace raw material supply.

Did you know that our laser machine is the cutting-edge technology you need with sustainability in mind? Using an innovative eco-friendly nozzle, we can use 60% less nitrogen, compared to other cutting methods. Plus, we are decreasing the waste in the industry without the use of harmful resources - helping to provide efficiency and energy-saving performance.

We're proud to announce that our Singapore facility has achieved the AS9100 and AS9120B accreditation after just 5 months of trade. Congratulations to everyone involved in achieving this prestigious accreditation. For all your Aerospace raw material requirements within SEA, speak to our team today!

Where can you get a range of quality on-the-shelf Stainless Steel and Nickel Plate? TW Metals, of course. Our range of plate comes in sizes from 5mm, up to 50mm, in grades 200/201, 400, 600, 601, 625, 800H/HT, 330, 825 for Nickel, and 310 for Stainless Steel. In addition to our stock range, our Fibre Laser is ready and waiting to cut your material, up to 30mm, however intricate your design may be.

Located in the heart of Singapore, our SE Asia facility stocks a wide inventory of product forms and grades, ideal for critical, instrumentation, fluid control, heat exchanger, and gas applications.

Find out more here...

It's the first week of the year and our laser machine is already all fired up. Here we are cutting some Nickel 625, 6mm thick plate into 5000 part pieces for one of our commercial clients. The intricate ability of this machine means that our customers can cut their complex designs with 0.05mm deviation accuracy.

Check out the parts here

We'd like to wish all our customers and employees a very Happy New Year, from everyone at TW Metals. May your 2022 be full of prosperity, good health, and happiness!

We'd like to wish all our clients and employees a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Eat, drink, and be merry, but most importantly, spend time with the ones you hold dear.

We absolutely love our new Snowflake Decorations that we were recently tasked with, using our fibre laser cutting machine at our Birmingham facility. From the precision cutting to the beautiful finish, the detail of these snowflakes is a cut above the rest! With the ability to cut sheet from 0.5mm, up to 25mm, with 0.5mm position deviation accuracy, our laser machine features an eco-friendly nozzle that reduces nitrogen consumption by up to 60%. Both brilliant and environmentally friendly!

Look how wonderful the snowflakes are!

Earlier this week, our Southampton team donated presents for disadvantaged children as part of Wave 105's Mission Christmas appeal. These presents will mean that vulnerable children across the South Coast of the UK will have something to wake up to under the tree on Christmas morning. We're super proud of the team for their generosity, and we want to say a huge well done to everyone involved in the collection.

See how big our donation was

Did you know that the raw material surcharge of 316 Stainless Steel has increased by 67% since January 2020? The cost per kg may be increasing but our teams are working hard in the background to ensure you get the material you need at the most cost-effective prices. Speak to the team today to see how we can secure your raw material for 2022.

See the alloy surcharge trend here

The Christmas Tree is up at HQ and what's this that we spy too? Is that a new wall display in our reception areas? Yes, it is! Featuring the European company history, our reception area is looking much brighter and offers visitors a chance to learn more about our fantastic company.

Check out the company history wall here

Only 24 sleeps to go until Santa makes his way around the world in less than 24 hours. Did you know that his sleigh bells are made from sheet metal, fabricated into a spherical shape? We imagine the head elf would have sourced the finest 316 Stainless Steel to adorn the sleigh and guarantee that beautiful finish. Now, we may not have supplied Santa with his 316 sheet yet, but our commercial clients can still benefit from 316's excellent formability, weldability, and corrosion resistance.

It's Tuesday afternoon and the team is at the Oval Lingotto in Turin, Italy, attending Aerospace & Defense Meetings Torino 2021 for the next two days. We're so excited to be here, meeting with the Aerospace community in Italy again. Find us on stand 235 to discover how our expertise and flexibility enables us to provide supply chain efficiency through our tailor-made supply options.

Just under a week to go until our Aerospace team will be attending ADM Torino 2021 at the Oval Lingotto in Italy. Our team is so looking forward to connecting with the Italian Aerospace community again whilst helping visitors find solutions for all their supply chain requirements. Meet us on stand 235 - we can't wait to see you!

Who doesn't love to save a bit of money, especially when it comes to maintenance costs? Our portfolio of super duplex tubes and plates perform exceptionally well in a variety of environments in process industries, resulting in lower life-cycle costs. It also serves as a very competitive alternative to nickel alloys! Our super duplex tube is supplied in straight lengths up to 6m or can be cut to size to meet your requirements.

When we share kindness, we create a ripple effect - we make others happier and feel motivated to help others. With #WorldKindnessDay taking place tomorrow, our Southampton office has been spreading kindness by raising money for the Royal British Legion. The office management team has also shared their gratitude with staff today by treating everyone to some yummy cakes. Thank you TW Metals team, for making the world a kinder place.

With many aircraft currently in Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) for their annual C checks, we understand that quality material and rapid response times are your top priorities. We engage quickly so you can get your projects off the ground as fast as possible, often providing services at the weekend and in the evenings.

Got a heat exchanger that needs re-tubing? Never fear, TW Metals are here! *cue batman signal* Available in Stainless Steel 316 and 6Mo, Duplex, Superduplex, Monel 400, and Inconel 200/201, 600, 625, and 825, our large inventory of tubes is stocked in sizes ranging from 0.063" OD, up to 3".

Hubble, bubble, toil, and trouble, spooky season is here! To celebrate the ghoulish festivities, our Southampton facility has been running a pumpkin carving contest and we're proud to announce the winner. Our most popular pumpkin was carved by Lianne Simpson with her tiny smile pumpkin (1st to the right of the TW Metals pumpkin). Congratulations Lianne, and a massive well done to everyone that got involved - the pumpkins look spooktacular!

Take a look at our spooktacular pumpkins here

We're here!! The team is so excited to be exhibiting at MRO Europe in Amsterdam and helping the MRO community find solutions for all their maintenance, repair, and overhaul activities. From our range of diverse products to offering aerospace-specific technology approvals, we partner with our customers to ensure supply chain efficiency through our tailor-made supply options. Find us on stand 8032 – we can't wait to meet you all. See you soon!

This month 20 years ago, Matthew Welland joined the warehouse team at our Southampton facility as a Production Planner for Philip Cornes Southampton. Fast forward to 2021 and Matt is now one of our Plate Saw Operators, responsible for organizing transportation of material across the shop floor and cutting material to specification for Aerospace and Commercial contracts. We’d like to take this opportunity to thank you Matt for all your hard work and dedication over the years. Here’s to many more to come!

Find out more about Matt

Here we are on a Monday afternoon cutting some Alloy 330, 5mm plate into washers. This job involved cutting 1060 washers and only took an hour to complete – that’s a washer every 3.5 seconds! ?? Our fibre laser is the cutting-edge technology that we all need, with sustainability in mind. Did you know that laser cutting decreases waste within the industry without the use of harmful resources? It also features an eco-friendly nozzle which reduces consumption by up to 60%!

Check out the video here

Nos sincères félicitations to Simon Duployez and Emma Courtel, our Branch Manager and Inside Sales Manager for achieving two fantastic lengths of service milestones. Simon who oversees the running of the facility is celebrating his 10-year work anniversary, whilst Emma, who supports our clients with all their material solutions, is celebrating her brilliant 15-year work anniversary. We recently caught up with them about their time at TW...

Find out what Emma and Simon said

One week to go until MRO Europe! We're so excited to meet with the MRO community again and discover new opportunities. Our team will be on-hand to help you find solutions for all your MRO activities – find us on stand 8032 at RAI Amsterdam for the full three days. The team is so looking forward to meeting with you all face-to-face once again.

We'd like to say a massive congratulations to Martin Reaney who is celebrating his 30-year anniversary with TW Metals. An incredible achievement in every aspect, Martin began his journey with TW in 1991 as a Warehouseman before progressing through the company and eventually becoming our Group H&S and Facilities Manager in 2019. Thank you for everything you do for us Martin, including your years of hard work and dedication - things truly wouldn't be the same without you.

We caught up with Martin, here's what he had to say...

It's all about our Poland facility this Thursday as two of our fantastic colleagues are celebrating tremendous length of service milestones with TW Metals. Aneta Borowicz is celebrating her 15-year work anniversary, whilst Zbigniew Walat is celebrating his 10-year milestone. We'd like to say a massive thank you to you both for all your hard work and dedication over the years. Here's to many more to come! ??

Read what they had to say about their time at TW

Our wonderful Head of QHSE, Compliance, and Facilities, Ann Davis, is celebrating her 15-year work anniversary this month. After starting with TW in 2006, Ann began her journey within our Aerospace contracts department before becoming the HSE Manager in 2010 and then progressing into the role she knows and loves today. We'd like to give our sincere thanks to Ann for all she has done for TW and we look forward to many more years of her working with us.

Much like the world we live in, Aerospace Extrusions come in all shapes and sizes from angles and H-beams through to wide flanges, channels, T-sections, and many more. Playing an important role within the modern aerospace industry, extrusions are vital components in the build and maintenance of aircraft across the world, with many being used within the cabin interiors and structure. In-stock and ready to be shipped at a moment’s notice, our global range includes over 50,000 different sizes!

An excellent opportunity to connect with the defence community again, our team is looking forward to attending the exhibition at the ExCel in London for the next three days. If you see them around, be sure to say hi!

It's Monday and our Aerospace team are already off to a great start. We have just become members of Make UK Defence, the defence trade association which champions and supports defence manufacturers and the wider defence supply chain. Well done to everyone involved in gaining our membership with Make UK Defence.

Our new highly durable, wipeable pipe schedule sheets are here! Perfect for workbenches, desks, or even the home office, our handy pipe schedules are ideal for determining desired pipe measurements and feature both imperial and metric sizing. Pipe stock is available in both Nickel and Stainless Steel grades from our facilities across the UK and Europe. If you’d like to get your hands on one of our pipe schedule sheets, get in touch with us today.

To support our continued growth in the Aerospace market, our Southampton facility has recently welcomed a new addition to the team. Please join us in welcoming Stephen Scrivens to the TW family as one of our Outside Account Managers. Steve has joined us with a wealth of knowledge of the Aerospace industry, including extensive experience working closely with major OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers in a sales and operations capacity. Steve is looking forward to getting stuck in, and we can’t wait to see him grow within the business. For all your aerospace and defence material solutions, contact Steve or the team today!

A new generation of all-terrain armoured utility vehicles is on its way! A collaboration between 4 nations, the BOXER programme looks set to develop a uniquely modular military vehicle, ensuring maximum strategic and tactical mobility in operational scenarios. Supplying the defense industry with high-strength material which meets project requirements is an area we're proud to support. Military-grade material available includes the Aluminium 5000 series and Aluminium 6082, in both sheet and plate forms.

What day is it today? Ah, it’s Friday the 13th! ?? Chances are you’ve heard of this so-called ‘unlucky’ day but where did this belief come from? Like many superstitions that have evolved over time, it seems it is difficult to pinpoint the precise origins, but we do know that Friday and the number 13 have been regarded as unlucky in certain cultures throughout history, including Norse mythology and Christianity. We asked the TW team in the UK whether they were superstitious about the day, and we got some interesting results

Find out the results here!

We’re very proud to announce that we are joining forces with local companies across Southampton to support our vibrant city in her bid to become the UK’s City of Culture in 2025, as a patron of the Gateway Club. TW Metals Europe may have significantly grown its presence throughout Europe but the one thing that has never changed is the company’s love of Southampton. It’s where we first established our company’s roots within Southampton Docks, back in 1963, and it has provided us with bountiful opportunities to thrive and grow into the international company that we are today. We’re so excited to be involved and can’t wait to celebrate Southampton as a city of culture.

TW is expanding in Singapore! ?? We're proud to announce that we have a new facility located at 32 Kian Teck Drive, Singapore 628849. We're so excited to be able to offer a more comprehensive and dedicated service to our clients throughout South-East Asia, including a large and diverse inventory of seamless hydraulic and instrumentation tubes in stainless and nickel alloys - all of western origin.

Find out more here!

It's been a week of celebration at TW Metals! We’d also like to congratulate Chris Broome, our Inside Account Manager within Southampton on over 25 years of service with TW Metals. Joining the company in 1995, Chris works within our Commercial team, supporting our Oil and Gas clients, in particular. Thank you for all you do Chris, the team wouldn’t be the same without you!

Find out more about Chris and his time at TW Metals here

This week, our Sales and Marketing team in Southampton have been taking part in their own mini bake-off. We saw some strong contenders including a classic Victoria Sponge, a citrusy Lemon cake, a wonderful Banana loaf (not pictured), and a delicious Vanilla and Chocolate Cheesecake. In the end though, the clear winner came from Gemma Batchelor with her beautiful Chocolate and Pistachio cake, which was just as yummy as it looks. A huge well done to Gemma, Mary Berry would be proud! A big round of applause to all the other contestants too - Robert Sawyer, David Colliss, Lauren Hatch & Paul Kemp.

Check out the cake photos here. Warning: Food envy may occur!

Our Poland facility is celebrating not one, but two fantastic colleagues this week - Ola Bukowinska and Aleksandra Ducka. Ola, our Head Account in Poland has achieved her 15-year work anniversary whilst Aleksandra, our Contracts Administrator, has reached her 5-year milestone. Both women have hit great milestones this month at TW Metals and we couldn't be prouder. We'd like to say a huge thank you to them both for all their hard work and dedication over the years!

Let's see what Ola and Aleksandra had to say about their time at TW Metals...

Protecting the supply chain couldn’t be easier with TW Metals. Our team is working hard in the background to ensure you have the right material when you need it, even with demand increasing. We're all ready when you are!

As part of our #WorldRefillDay initiative and competition, we recently announced that we'd be giving away some of our reusable water bottles to our customers, and we're pleased to say that they have now arrived! These bottles could save up to 150 single-use plastic bottles from use every year, saving our environment from more plastic pollution. Keep an eye on the post over the next week - one of these could be landing on your doorstep very soon.

Our team is attending the Space-Comm Expo at Farnborough Airport today and tomorrow. They're looking forward to seeing what this exciting new event has to offer. If you see them around, be sure to say hi!

This week, Paul Strange at our Longbridge facility celebrated a whopping 25 years of service at TW Metals! We’d like to congratulate him on his tremendous efforts over the years within our Commercial Sales Team as an Inside Account Manager. What a fantastic achievement!

Discover more about Paul, and find out what his unpopular opinion is here

After a whopping 26 years, we said farewell to the fantastic Alan Cameron yesterday as he left for retirement. Joining the warehouse team in 1995, Alan has worked across various roles during his time with TW, including being promoted to Team Leader a few years after starting, then Warehouse Supervisor in 2007, before becoming the Facilities Coordinator at our Southampton facility in 2014. We'd like to thank him for all his hard work and dedication over the years and wish him the very best of luck in his new venture into retirement. Enjoy Alan!

Throughout Europe, our dedication to quality and customer service is second to none. This can be seen in some recent vendor rating results from one of Aerospace clients. Our Italian branch received top marks across the board including on-time deliveries, quality, communication, and flexibility. Well done to all the team at TW Italy, keep up the fantastic work!

With the world starting to open up again, the aerospace industry is en route to recovery. Helping you to navigate change, and plan for a brighter future in the air, TW Metals are ready for take-off, and here to support you all the way.

Check out our route to recovery!

Did you know that only 10% of all plastics worldwide are recyclable? That means that majority of our plastic waste ends up in landfill sites, our oceans, or littered across our communities. In honour of #WorldRefillDay, we will be giving away a TW Metals refillable water bottle to the next 100 customers that place orders with us. By choosing to reuse, we can save our environment from millions of pieces of plastic and keep it plastic-free for the future.

Here's some more information on how to turn the tide on plastic pollution

Did you know that in a recent study, 21% of downtime incidents in Data Centres were a result of a fire? Fire suppression can be a tricky subject, but it's also critical to saving the equipment, and data stored. Luckily for data centres, TW Metals are here to save the day by supplying 316 Stainless and Duplex tubes used in water mist systems. This range of tubes is able to withstand the high pressure needed to create the atomised water droplets, and resist corrosion.

We were recently sent these incredible photos from one of our clients, just look at the transformation our products go through! Here we have some Aluminium sheet that has been used to create custom-made parts for Spitfire restoration projects. We're always so amazed to see what our clients create from our fantastic products.

Check out the photos here!

Delivering exceptional products and service to the Aerospace industry for over 60 years, TW Metals are proud to be approved and trusted by all major OEM & Tier 1 supplies such as GKN, Rolls-Royce, Leonardo, Bombardier, Airbus, BAE Systems, and Collins Aerospace.

Contact our team today!

It is hard to imagine how the aerospace industry achieves current levels of performance, strength, speed, and range without the application of titanium. The impressive mechanical properties include superb corrosion resistance, strength-to-weight ratio, and fatigue resistance. Did you know TW Metals are Europe’s leading distributor for Titanium tube? #titanium #tubing #aerospaceindustry #defence #sheetmetal #metalsupplier #aog

This material is a cost-effective combination of high mechanical strength, corrosion resistance, and excellent fabricating capabilities. This blend allows for a reduction in tube wall thickness, providing a more reliable operation and lower lifecycle cost. #superduplex #stainlesssteel #tubing #metalfabrication #heatexchangers

Our Stainless Steel 21-6-9 tubes offer outstanding air corrosion resistance and the ability to operate effectively when exposed to high temperatures. Their strength and toughness make them ideal for manufacturing aircraft components including engine parts and hydraulic tubes.

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