Vallourec, a world leader in premium tubular solutions, announced the successful production of its first pipes at its new state-of-the-art mill in Youngstown, Ohio. This new mill, which has created 350 direct jobs, will be mainly dedicated to the production of small diameter OCTG to support the long term development of shale oil & gas exploitation in the U.S.

Following the piercing of the first billet on 29 June 2012 and the commissioning of the different equipment of the rolling mill, the first continuous production was achieved on 26 October 2012, on schedule for first sales to occur in the beginning of 2013.

With an initial production capacity of 350,000 tons of seamless pipe per year, this new offer will complement the range produced by Vallourec in North America and will consolidate the group’s leadership position as a provider of competitive and fully integrated premium tubular solutions.

The pipe produced in the new Youngstown mill can be equipped with the latest-generation VAM® premium connections dedicated to exploitation in demanding conditions.

With over 2,300 people in 19 manufacturing facilities and service operations in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, Vallourec in North America primarily serves the local oil and gas markets. Key products include oil country tubular goods (OCTG), line pipe, drill pipe and premium threading services of VAM® and Atlas Bradford®. Most other market segments are served by Vallourec’s specialized entities in Europe and Brazil.

In 2011, the North American market generated €1.4 billion in revenues, representing 26% of Vallourec’s total sales.