MRC, headquartered in Houston, is the largest global industrial distributor of pipe, valves and fittings to the energy industry, based on sales.

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Their failure or success building a smart pipe will dictate the economic potential of the entire industry.

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Its report said that in the oil industry, firms reported a shortage of pipe fitters, riggers and technicians.

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While some fishermen are transitioning to different jobs in the areas of welding, pipe fitting, and sustainable agriculture, others are focused on restoring the fishing industry.

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Sun's announcement marks the information technology industry's latest step toward "utility computing, " a grid system in which companies pipe in data processing and storage from faraway server farms, says Nicholas Carr, author of The Big Switch, a book on utility computing published earlier this week.

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