Tippins

In 1923, Leon H. Tippins founded Tippins & Springle Inc. in Pittsburgh together with a business partner. The company initially focused on selling used machinery and equipment for power plants and coal mining operations. In 1927, he established his own firm, the Tippins Machinery Company. In 1946, his son expanded the product portfolio to include the sale of used equipment and machinery for the steel industry.

Over the following years, Tippins built up expertise in the manufacturing and modernization of rolling mill equipment for both steel and non‑ferrous metals. The company became a specialist in Steckel mills, plate mills, and cold rolling mills. 

Major orders of Tippins included the supply of a hot strip mill to Canadian steel producer Sidbec-Dosco Ltd., a mini hot strip mill built for Tuscaloosa Steel in 1984, and a Steckel mill combined with a slab caster to Ipsco Steel in 1997, the patented TSP (Tippins Strip Process). 

In 2005, Tippins and SMS Demag formed the joint venture SMS Demag Tippins LLC. Later, SMS took over all shares of Tippinc Technologies. Through this partnership, SMS group expanded its expertise especially in Steckel mills.