Chicago, Illinois-based Evraz Inc. NA, announced Thursday plans to expand its Portland, Oregon structural tubing facility to add API pipe manufacturing capacity. The multi-million dollar investment will position Evraz to meet the growing demand for oil country tubular goods (OCTG) products in the energy sector.
The expansion is scheduled to be complete by August 2012 and will bring the mill's total capacity up to 250,000 tons of API pipe and structural squares, rounds and rectangles. Evraz will supply steel for the API pipe facility from its sister sheet mill next door. The facility will continue to support the structural tubing market in addition to the new OCTG product line.
"Energy exploration in the Bakkens region and western Canada is rapidly expanding, and our customers are looking for more high-quality heat-treated API pipe than we can supply from our western Canadian mills," said Mike Rehwinkel, President and CEO of Evraz North America. "Our Portland facility is ideally suited to help fill this need, both in terms of its geographic location as well as the manufacturing expertise of our local team."