Page 3 - ITAtube Journal 1 2026

Foreword
Dr. Gunther Voswinckel
President ITA
Dear colleagues from the tube and pipe industry, dear readers of the
ITAtube Journal,
The year 2025 was again a very promising year for our tube and pipe
industry. Global production growth of 10% and even 37% produc-
tion increase of large pipes (OD > 16 “) bear witness to this trend.
Prospects for 2026 and 2027 are promising. The demands of climate
change with regard to decarbonization of our industry as well as
geopolitical challenges are having a lasting impact on the global pipe
market. The transformation to green steel tubes requires high levels
of investment and innovative technical solutions. New pipe markets
have emerged because of decarbonization. Examples include electro-
mobility, carbon capture and the planned supply logistics for green
hydrogen, which will require large quantities of tube products.
However, it must also be mentioned that these opportunities for the
tube and pipe industry vary from region to region, as demand has
changed, and production costs are regionally quite different. The
political measures must be assessed in a differentiated manner in
some cases.
The construction industry is becoming increasingly interesting, with
new architectural solutions intensifying the use of tubular products.
For plant manufacturers, technology providers and suppliers to the
tube and pipe industry as well, these dynamic times naturally offer
market potential that needs to be tapped into. In addition, there are
increasingly more innovative solutions for improved productivity and
customer benefits. These include innovative AI-based technologies
that are finding their way into the tube industry.
The geopolitical trouble spots have also boosted the traditional OCTG
business. To compensate for geopolitically risky oil and gas supply
sources, other production capacities for oil and gas have been and
are being massively expanded in regions such as North and South
America. This has led to a boom in demand for OCTG pipe products.
The new war in Middle East between the USA/Israel and Iran has
created another threatening stage. Its consequences need careful
monitoring. Hopefully, this military conflict will be resolved quickly.
It is great to see, that our world-leading trade fair, the Tube 2026
Düsseldorf show, is taking place these days and offers our industry
again the opportunity to intensify customer contacts as well as estab-
lishing new ones.
Innovative products and production processes will be presented and
discussed intensively and personally with trade visitors from all over
the world.
Looking forward to meeting you at our ITA booth in hall 1/C05 at
Tube 2026 in Düsseldorf.
Yours faithfully
ITA Team
ITAtube Journal April 2026 3