Austria-based Benteler Group has announced that it has opened a new threading line at its US-based Shreveport plant which produces OCTG. The new threading line is part of the company’s plant extension plan with an investment of $20 million.
“Previously, our tubes for the oil and gas market left the Shreveport plant as so-called 'green tubes', requiring further processing by external companies before they could be used at drilling sites. With the new threading line, we will now carry out these process steps in-house,” Thomas Michels, COO of the BENTELER Steel/Tube Division, stated.
With the new threading line, which will initially create 32 jobs at the plant when it goes into operation, Benteler will expand its value chain and thereby enhancing its proximity to its end customers. The new process significantly reduces lead times for the company’s customers, enabling it to serve customers more competitively in both the Mid-Continent region and the Rocky Mountains.