Page 37 - ITAtube Journal 1 2026

Press releases
Fives Group – Fives OTO S.p.A.
Advanced automation drives Orrcon
Steel’s tube manufacturing
Orrcon Steel, a leading Australian tube man-
Safety is another major advantage. In
ufacturer and part of BlueScope, is achieving
addition to reducing manual handling, the
high performance with a fully automated
automated process ensures repeatability,
OTO tube mill from Fives. This technolo-
clean and consistent bundle formation, and
gy has enabled the company to increase
lower noise levels.
production of high quality structural tubes
for construction and infrastructure applica-
tions, further supporting Australia’s ongoing
energy transition.
Innovative technology
The OTO tube mill at Orrcon Steel’s Un-
anderra facility is a turnkey solution featur-
ing advanced automation at every stage of
the process, from coil loading to packaging.
Key innovations include a new loading
carriage with integrated burr rotation to
maximize productivity and enhance opera-
“Some of our other facilities have older
bundling equipment that requires a couple
of people to operate. Here, however, the
robots generally work with minimal inter-
vention from operational personnel,” adds
Brendan McNally, National Manufacturing
Manager – Structural Tube at Orrcon Steel.
These benefits demonstrate how advanced
automation can deliver measurable im-
provements in safety, efficiency, and oper-
ational performance across modern tube
manufacturing operations.
tor safety, a fast and reliable shear welder,
a high-quality cut-off, and a robotic pack-
aging system for high performance and
flexibility. The line is designed to produce
large structural hollow sections up to 10
inches in diameter, with wall thicknesses up
to 10 mm, and production speeds up to 80
meters per minute.
Safer and more efficient manufacturing
The entire tube manufacturing process is
enhanced by OTO i, a modular digital plat-
form that improves process performance
while providing operators with continuous
feedback on their daily activities. OTO i also
enables advanced automation of the robotic
packaging system. The packaging system
features three robotic arms that automati-
cally pick up and arrange tubes into square,
rectangular, or hexagonal bundles, ready for
bundling, warehousing, and dispatch.
“We have preloaded recipes in the automa-
tion systems that tell the robots what to do
and the size of the tubes. They automati-
cally pick and place the tubes according to
the preconfigured bundle arrangement.
They are well liked and widely regarded as
impressive, high-performing machines,” ex-
plains Harlan Peters, Maintenance Manager
at Orrcon Steel.
Fives automated OTO tube mill Orrcon Steel
ITAtube Journal April 2026 37
Fives Group – Fives OTO S.p.A.
Via Domenico Marchesi, 4 -
Zona Industriale
Boretto, 42022 - Italy
Tel: +390522481227
Mobile: +393486392942
monica.guerra@fivesgroup.com
www.fivesgroup.com