2009 APIA YPF Wollongong Tour
On 17 April, the YPF crew boarded two buses – provided by Sargent – to be taken around APIA members’ facilities in Wollongong. The tour provided an opportunity to learn about the entire pipe making process, with visits to the BlueScope Steel mill, the OneSteel pipe manufacturing plant and Bredero Shaw’s pipe coating plant.
- Pipe perfection: YPF gets educated on Gang at the ‘Gong - Article in the June Pipeliner 2009
- Pictures from the 2009 ‘Gang at the ’Gong’ Tour
In 2007 APIA organised a site visit to Wollongong for the younger members of the Association so they could learn about pipe making and coating “on the ground”. The 2nd Wollongong tour coincided with the POG (Pipeline Operators Group) Seminar and the APIA Dinner.The group visited APIA members’ facilities to learn about steel and pipe making and pipe coating.
The first ACT/NSW YPF event was on 5 Sept 2006 at the University of NSW. Numerous speakers from OneSteel, AJ Lucas (Andy himself attended), Alinta people shared their experiences in the pipeline industry with the students and encouraged them to consider the pipeline industry as a career.
April 2007 saw NSW YPF double in size. The Gang at the Gong tour, saw 20 YPF members from around the nation visited APC Socotherm, BlueScope Steel, Orrcon, OneSteel, BrederoShaw. This tour provided an opportunity for YPFers to see how a pipe was made right from the casting of the steel all the way through to the coated product on the stock pile. The YPFers also attended the Sydney APIA dinner which provided an excellent opportunity to network with the more experienced members of APIA. NSW YPF is aiming to increase its member base. Guided by experienced members NSW YPF plans to provide a platform for its members to grow professionally, technically and socially.