2001-2009

In 2001 EEW started to become an international company by founding a works which is located in Sacheon on the southern coast of South Korea. The first phase of EEW Korea began with the production of 6.1 metre (20 ft.) pipes. In 2004 the second phase was completed with the installation of a 13.2 metre (43 ft.) production line. A workshop for the prefabrication of components up to 26 metres in length and with a weight of maximum 30 tonnes is also available. EEW Korea is equipped with the most modern machines and has an annual production capacity of 120,000 tonnes. Since completion of the 13.2 metre production line EEW Korea has been awarded five annual export awards by the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy.

In June 2005 a 12 metre production line was installed in Erndtebrück to economically produce large diameter thin walled pipes.The heart of this production line is a 12.2 metre (40 ft.) three roll bending machine.This production line practically revolutionized the production of large stainless steel pipes which are used for loading or unloading on the jetties of LNG terminals. Whereas up until this time all of these pipes could only be obtained in 12 metre lengths with jointers, they were now available without jointers and it did not take long for this fact to be reflected in client's specifications or the competition's investment plans. This additional production line increased the production capacity in Erndtebrück by another 25,000 tonnes per annum.With the foundation of EEW Special Pipe Construction in Rostock in 2008, EEW made a commitment not only for the offshore oil & gas industry but also for the new emerging renewable energy sector. EEW-SPC is the heavy weight in the EEW Group, producing pipes with outside diametre up to 7,000 mm (275”), wall thicknesses up to 127 mm (5”) and maximum combined lengths up to 120 metres (395 ft.). The maximum piece weight which can be handled in Rostock is 1,000 tonnes. With an annual production capacity of 100,000 tonnes and located in the seaport of Rostock with a heavy load quay available, EEW-SPC has the ideal location for serving the offshore wind projects. Having delivered more than 259,000 tonnes of pipes for offshore wind farms since its foundation in 2008, EEW-SPC already has a very impressive reference list.

2008 also saw the foundation of EGS do Brazil which is a company dedicated to the production of stainless steel pipes in Campos dos Goytacazes, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This company is a joint venture between EEW, Gothe and Schulz all having equal shares. The company produces stainless steel pipes predominantly for Schulz' fitting production but also serves the local market with welded pipes. In the course of construction of EEW-SPC in Rostock EEW were not very satisfied with the suppliers of the various welding machines, as these did not meet EEW's high expectations. They had to be reworked or improved upon by EEW's engineers to bring them up to standard. EEW decided to manufacture the next welding machines themselves and it was only a logical consequence that this work be outsourced, this resulted in the foundation of a new EEW daughter company in 2009 called WELDEC GmbH. WELDEC produces welding machines, pipe transport systems, manipulators as well as NDT test equipment.

During the global economic crisis in November 2009 a company called Pickhan Umformtechnik was experiencing serious financial and capacity problems. At this time EEW-SPC was considering using this company as a sub-supplier for producing large diameter cones which were needed for an offshore wind farm project. To avoid this company going into liquidation the decision was made for EEW to take over 100% of this company thus securing the forming capabilities. The forming of very heavy plates into various shapes is an absolute niche market and the know-how and experience of this company makes them one of the world's leading experts. With 18,000 m² premises and state of the art machinery they were perfect fit for the EEW Group, this company is now known as EEW-Pickhan Umformtechnik GmbH.
The youngest member of the EEW Group is EEW Malaysia was founded in 2009 and is excellently located in the Tanjung Langsat Industrial Complex near Pasir Gudang on the south coast of Malaysia with access to the local harbour. The EEW Malaysia production programme covers more than ninety percent of the typical SAW pipe demand in Malaysia, South East Asia and Australia. The first phase introduced was the production of pipes with larger dimension i.e. O.D. from 1,270 mm to 5,000 mm (50” - 200”) with wall thicknesses up to 120 mm (5”) and single lengths up to 4,200 mm (13.8 ft.). The second production line was officially opened on 6th February 2010 and produces pipes with O.D. from 406 mm up to 1,219 mm (16” - 48”) with wall thickness up to 40 mm (1.625”) in single lengths up to 12,500 mm. As in the other EEW locations EEW Malaysia can also prefabricate components, in this location up to a maximum length of 36 metres with a maximum piece weight up to 80 tonnes.