TMK IPSCO Opens New ULTRA(TM) Premium Connections Production Facility in the Marcellus Shale Region

DOWNERS GROVE, Ill., May 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- TMK IPSCO, a leading producer of energy tubular products in North America, celebrated the opening of its new Brookfield, Ohio, manufacturing plant on Friday, May 7, with a ribbon cutting ceremony held at the new facility. The facility is dedicated to threading pipe with TMK IPSCO's line of ULTRA Premium Connections to support TMK IPSCO's growing market share in the Marcellus Shale gas plays, where ULTRA has been one of the first manufacturers to make premium connection sales.

The new plant will have an annual manufacturing capacity of up to 100,000 tons of threaded pipe and will create as many as 120 jobs in Ohio as the Marcellus Shale Region reaches its full potential.  Piotr Galitzine, chairman of TMK IPSCO, noted that "unconventional gas, especially in shales such as the giant Marcellus, hold the promise of energy security for the U.S.—our pipe and connections will help unlock that."  Vicki Avril, president and CEO of the company, added, "Here in Ohio, in the western wing of the Marcellus, we are ideally placed to help unlock this abundant resource for our customers and Americans everywhere.  Locating our new plant in the Marcellus region has the added benefit of access to the skilled work force of the state of Ohio."

The TMK IPSCO executive team was joined at the opening by Ohio state and local government officials including Governor Ted Strickland; Congressman Tim Ryan; Max Blachman, US Senator Sherrod Brown's representative for Northeast Ohio; Lisa Patt-MacDaniel, Director of Ohio's Department of Development; Trumbull County Commissioners, and Brookfield Township Trustees. Also in attendance were twenty newly hired employees from the Brookfield plant and their families plus TMK IPSCO employees from across the country and local contractors who were involved in the start up of the plant.  

The event began with tours of the facility conducted by the new Brookfield employees followed by a pipe threading demonstration.  Governor Strickland opened the ceremony with a rousing speech welcoming TMK IPSCO to Ohio to add to the state's proud history of steel production.  He declared that the United States was built using "Mahoning Valley steel," calling steel the "fabric of America" used to build everything from the Empire State Building to cannon balls and aircraft carriers.  Congressman Ryan followed the Governor by praising TMK IPSCO's investment in the energy industry as he noted that the pipes threaded in the new facility will be used to drill for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale region in which Brookfield is located. He called for expanded use of natural gas as a source of clean energy through the retrofitting of buses and trucks across the nation.  On behalf of Senator Brown, Max Blachman thanked TMK IPSCO for choosing to open the facility in Ohio, bringing not only jobs but "dignity" to families in the state.  He credited the successful placement of the Brookfield facility to the collaborative efforts of the Mahoning Valley's various regional development offices.  Lisa Patt-MacDaniel cited the programs, including the job creation tax credit, offered by Ohio's Department of Development which was instrumental in making the Brookfield facility a reality.  TMK IPSCO Chairman Piotr Galitzine completed the speeches by declaring that the opening of the Ohio facility was only the beginning of TMK IPSCO's strategic North American expansion, declaring that "TMK IPSCO is not going to stop in Ohio!"  He stated that while many wrote off America's pipe industry during the economic downturn of 2009 that "there is nothing to write off here," going on to promise that the pipe threaded in the Brookfield facility would be used to drill for natural gas in the Marcellus to ensure America's energy independence for decades to come.  

A contingent of TMK IPSCO representatives including Mr. Galitzine and Ms. Avril joined the honored guests to conclude the event with the ceremonial ribbon cutting and champagne toast.  Following the toast, the celebration continued with refreshments and fellowship among the employees, their families, and representatives from local companies that were involved in construction and start up of the new facility.

TMK IPSCO operates in North America as a division of TMK, the largest pipe producer in Russia and one of the three global market leaders.  TMK IPSCO is a leading producer of energy tubulars.  It operates one steel mill and ten pipe mills and product finishing facilities in eight states across the United States.  TMK IPSCO's pipe mills produce a wide range of seamless and welded energy tubular products including oil and gas well casing and tubing, line pipe, drill pipe, standard pipe and hollow structural sections.  TMK IPSCO also manufactures premium connections for oil and natural gas drilling and production under the ULTRA brand name.

TMK IPSCO manufacturing plants are located in:

TMK (LSE: TMKS) is one of the world's leading manufacturers and suppliers of steel pipes for the oil and gas industry.  The company operates 22 production sites in Russia, the United States, Romania, and Kazakhstan. In 2009, TMK shipped 2.8 million tonnes of pipe products and supplied companies in more than 65 countries.

For further information about TMK IPSCO, including ULTRA Premium Connections, please visit our web site at www.tmk-ipsco.com.

SOURCE TMK IPSCO