This Belgian "Société Anonyme" - Limited Company - was founded in 1924 Our business started in 1924 with the manufacture of special hot-rolled profile sections, which, over many years, constituted the major part of our manufactured products However, already in 1932, a new Division dedicated to COLD-FORMING was set up in order to meet the demand for same from our customers

 

Initially, this Division produced open profile sections. This was in fact the basis of our current business which is the manufacture of tubing, the start of which occurred in the nineteen sixties. This was the period when we commenced on the harbingers of our business today

From the beginnings, when we were limited to small and medium-sized tube, the expansion of our new manufacturing programme occurred rapidly, which encouraged us to enlarge our range

Accordingly, in 1972, we installed a new machine permitting us to manufacture RHS up to a peripheral dimension of 1000 mm and 8 mm thick

Since this time, our sales of tubes have never ceased to expand.
At the end of 1983, we finally ceased our hot-forming activities


At this time we went through a major restructuring process. In February 1984, a change to the capital structure of our company occurred with the participation by BOELINVEST (holding 66% of our shares) and by COCKERILL SAMBRE (holding 30% of our stock)

LONGTAIN is thus undertaking a vast investment programme in new plant as well as in the modernisation of its existing plant and equipment

Firstly, the construction of a high performance production unit for welded steel tubes with the acquisition of 2 machines and the subsequent moving and modernisation of the existing plant in order to facilitate continuous production and the manufacture of tube in 12 m lengths

In November 1997, there was the take-over by EXMA (the tube manufacturer within the distribution branch of the COCKERILL SAMBRE Group) which would be setting up a new organisation provided with an investment plan.

This investment plan, already implemented, should allow the business to be endowed with a plant allowing us to face up to our competition by the year 2000, in its favoured market - Europe

1998 : Modernization of the line WD

1999: Integration at the USINOR group

2001: Modernization of the lineVS

2002: Modernization of the line WD , launching of the product PEGASE and Integration at the ARCELOR group (ARBED - ACERALIA - USINOR)

2004 : Integration at the CONDESA group