Germany's Benteler Steel/Tube Selects Louisiana for $900M U.S. Expansion

CADDO, La., Oct. 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- At a news conference with Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, Benteler Steel/Tube today announced it will build a new hot rolling tube mill in Caddo, Louisiana, strengthening the company's position in the North American oil country tubular goods (OCTG) market. The facility – a total investment of nearly $900 million – will be Benteler Steel/Tube's first U.S. production facility and will create more than 1,000 construction jobs, an estimated 675 full time jobs when at full capacity, and numerous indirect jobs with suppliers and service providers to the plant.

"We are pleased to announce that Northwestern Louisiana will be home to the first U.S. production facility for Benteler Steel/Tube," said Matthias Jaeger, president and CEO Benteler Steel/Tube GmbH. "With the growing demand for high-quality steel tubes for exploratory drilling in the U.S., and Louisiana's proximity and access to energy customers, Benteler Steel/Tube's Caddo Parish plant is poised to play an important role in meeting U.S. domestic energy needs."

The decision to site and construct a production site in the U.S. is an important element of Benteler Steel/Tube's global business growth strategy. Currently, more than 25 percent of Benteler Steel/Tube products flow into North America. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the United States is expected to increase crude oil and natural gas consumption over the next 25 years. With a renewed focus by the U.S. government to reduce energy imports and increase domestic production capacities, demand for Benteler's products in the U.S. is expected to increase.

Benteler Steel/Tube is a specialist in the manufacturing and processing of seamless hot-rolled steel tubes and seamless cold-drawn precision steel tubes, serving international customers in the automotive, OCTG/line pipe, heat transfer, hydraulics/precision engineering, and construction sectors. Exploratory drilling requires high-quality steel tubes that can withstand immense stresses and Benteler's product portfolio includes a range of steel tubes that meet the extreme requirements in energy exploration.

A memorandum of understanding has been agreed upon between Benteler, the State of Louisiana, Louisiana Economic Development, the North Louisiana Economic Partnership, The Port—Caddo-Bossier, The Red River Waterway Commission and other key community partners in Caddo Parish. Groundbreaking on the new facility is scheduled for the spring of 2013 and completion is planned for the second half of 2015. In the initial phase, Benteler will build a hot rolling tube mill with new and sophisticated manufacturing technology along with several finishing lines for the production of seamless tube solutions.

About Benteler Steel/Tube
Benteler Steel/Tube is a business unit of the global Benteler Group, which is headquartered in Salzburg, Austria. Founded in 1876, the company is proud of its more than 135-year history of success. The Benteler Group employs a total workforce of 30,000 employees at 170 locations in 38 countries. The successful business unit Benteler Steel/Tube, headquartered in Paderborn, Germany, specializes in manufacturing and processing of seamless hot-rolled steel tubes and seamless cold-drawn precision steel tubes. There are four Benteler Steel/Tube sales offices located in North America, including headquarters in Houston, Texas.

Further information about the company can be found at www.benteler.com. For more information about Benteler in Louisiana, please visit: http://bentelerjobsinlouisiana.com.

SOURCE Benteler Steel/Tube