August 2013, Vol. 240 No. 8

Business Meetings & Events

Vallourec Dedicates New Ohio Plant

Tubular solutions company Vallourec dedicated a new pipe mill in Youngstown, OH, primarily designed to serve the North American shale market. The new $1.05 billion plant will have an initial annual production capacity of 350,000 tons of small-diameter seamless tubes of 223/8 to 7 inches.

“Implementation of this new state-of-art mill enables us to strengthen our premium products leadership in North America, said Vallourec Chairman Philippe Crouzet, during the ceremony June 12. “With this new pipe mill, we are able to participate even more actively in the development of shale hydrocarbons in North America, with an offer that responds to all of our customers’ needs.”

With the new mill, Vallourec’s integrated Youngstown site now includes a steel mill, a mill specializing in medium-diameter tubes (5-103/4 inches) and the new mill, which delivered its first pipe in December 2012 and began ramping up production throughout 2013.

Vallourec’s Youngstown operations employ 750, including 350 new workers hired as a result of the expansion. In 2012, Vallourec’s North American market share generated $2 billion in revenues, representing 29% of company’s total sales.