June 2009 Vol. 236 No. 6

In The News

Welspun Dedicates World-Class Steel Pipe Plant In Arkansas

Welspun Gujarat Stahl Rohren Ltd. (WGSRL), commissioned its first manufacturing facility outside of India in Little Rock, AR on April 29.

Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe, guest of honor Consul General of India Sanjiv Arora, Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola and Chairman and Managing Director of the Welspun Group B.K. Goenka along with 600 invited customers and guests, participated in the grand opening.

Adjacent to the Little Rock Port, the state-of-art spiral pipe and coating facility is located on a 740-acre parcel and has annual capacity of 350,000 tons. One of the largest industrial initiatives in the state of Arkansas, this facility employs more than 300 people, mostly from the local community.

Goenka said, “At the foundation ceremony in June 2007, Governor Beebe and I made a pledge to the people of Arkansas that no matter what; we will fulfill our promise to open this facility and achieve our dream of building one of the finest mills in the world here in Arkansas. Despite the global meltdown and financial crisis, we kept our commitment. Today, I can proudly say Little Rock is rocking with these new jobs and these jobs are here to stay.”

Gov. Beebe remarked that “This state-of-the art facility is a prime example of what global investment is doing for Arkansas. We thank Welspun for helping to create the economic growth we need in our State, and we continue working everyday to bring more companies and jobs to Arkansas from all corners of the world. ”

At a cost of $150 million, the plant marks one of the largest industrial investments in Arkansas. WGSRL is part of the $3 billion Welspun Group. The company started its activities in 1995 and has supplied pipes for world’s deepest pipeline project in the Gulf of Mexico. WGSRL has multi-nation presence with total capacity of 1.45 million metric tons/year. Welspun offers line pipe from ½ inch to 100 inch.