Techint

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The Organización Techint group is a multinational group based in Argentina, founded in 1945 by Italian immigrant Agostino Rocca, which currently holds stock in over 100 engineering, steel, oil, gas and service companies.

Techint's company name was originally "Compagnia Tecnica Internazionale" (italian, Technical International Company), but was changed shortly after to Techint, its abbreviated telex code. Techint is the world's biggest manufacturer of seamless steel pipes, mainly used in the oil industry. Techint, with its subsidiary Tenaris NYSE: TS, is the largest steelmaking company in Latin America, (fifth in the Americas).

Companies owned by the Techint group through Tenaris include: Siderca and Siat (Argentina), Confab (Brazil), Tamsa (Mexico), Algoma (Canada), Dalmine (Italy), Silcotub (Romania) and has a joint venture with NKK (Japan), holding 51% of NKK shares since 1999, the first time a Japanese steel company was under foreign control.

On August 23, 2005, the Techint group bought 99.3% of Mexican Hylsamex for 2,217 million dollars. In a press release, Techint informed that the Mexican steel manufacturer, and its previous steel manufacturers Siderar (Argentina) and Sidor (Venezuela) would be under a new subsidiary called Ternium, headquartered in Luxembourg.

Techint's influence in Argentina was, and remains, formidable. Its sheer size and technical prowess allowed it to navigate the numerous economic crises, while being a preferred destination for top engineering graduates. Its "young professional" training program was considered Argentina's best.

A staple of large engineering projects all over South America, Techint participated in the privatization drive of the early 1990s. Its bids came in second place for the two electrical companies serving the Buenos Aires area, but consortia including Techint prevailed in other segments.

Techint is not limited only to production of steel. They also provide many services for other companies, for example, Telecom Argentina used Techint's services during the 90s when upgrading Argentina's phone systems. Techint installed thousand of underground cables for Telecom (mostly in Buenos Aires).

A significant part of Techint's core manufacturing might is concentrated in the San Nicolás-Villa Constitución oil-and-steel corridor.