Fine Tubes celebrates 75 years of tube manufacture

The company supplies a wide range of advanced stainless steel, nickel alloy and titanium tubes for the most critical applications in the aerospace sector.

Founded in Surbiton in 1943, Fine Tubes began construction of a 51,000ft² production facility in the northern part of Plymouth back in 1960 and then moved into its new factory in 1962. Fine Tubes has been a major local employer in Plymouth ever since and can look back on several key milestones. Since 2016, Fine Tubes has been part of the Specialty Metal Products division of AMETEK Inc.

Its early success in the aerospace market began back in 1957, when Fine Tubes started to supply tubing for the Vickers Viscount aircraft. Fast forward to 1965 and the company was manufacturing advanced stainless-steel alloy tubes for the Concorde, the world’s first supersonic airliner. By 1999, the company was manufacturing titanium tubing for the hydraulic systems aboard the Eurofighter. Today, Fine Tubes is one of the few suppliers qualified to produce the high-pressure titanium tubes used in the hydraulic systems of the Airbus A380 and A350 and has recently won a significant extension of its contract to supply the full range of Airbus aircraft.

“Fine Tubes can look back on a truly impressive history of technological achievement on an international stage,” commented Dave Cawse, operations director for Fine Tubes. “With so much of that achievement generated from our facility in Plymouth, Fine Tubes can claim to be a significant player in the story of UK manufacturing success. I look forward to the next 75 years!”

www.finetubes.com