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    Market Segment

    September 8, 2023

    Tenaris Plans Blytheville Restart, Acquires Houston Pipe Processor

    Written by Laura Miller

    Tenaris is planning to restart its operations in Blytheville, Ark.

    The pipe producer said in a statement it will restart its Hickman North Campus in Blytheville this month.

    The campus, acquired by Tenaris as part of the Ipsco Tubulars acquisition, will bring additional heat-treatment capacity online to support the company’s US operations, it said.

    Additionally, Tenaris is celebrating the 30th anniversary of its welded pipe operations in Hickman.

    “The mill has been a key part of the company’s US industrial framework. Even during the pandemic, operations slowed but never stopped at the plant,” Tenaris said.

    Production began to be scaled up in 2022, and approximately 350 new positions have been added to the operations as a result.

    “This has been an incredible run, 30 years, and the longevity of the mill, through the lows and highs of what is a cyclical industry, is a testament to the resilience of our team here in Arkansas,” commented Luca Zanotti, president of Tenaris US.

    Separately, Tenaris announced it has acquired a pipe processing facility in Houston.

    Tenaris purchased the land, buildings, and equipment from Republic Tube LLC’s operations on the northeast side of Houston for an undisclosed sum.

    The acquisition adds heat treatment and finishing lines to complement Tenaris’ existing operations in the South, the company said.

    “We had been analyzing multiple possibilities to expand and strengthen our industrial footprint. We were already partially using Republic Tube to process some of our domestic production, and, by adding this facility to our network, we are improving process flow and efficiency, granting us greater flexibility to serve our US customers,” Zanotti commented in a statement.

    Luxembourg-based Tenaris is a global producer of seamless and welded pipe. Its North American headquarters are in Houston.

    Laura Miller

    Laura Miller is a reporter and editor for Steel Market Update. She has held various editorial positions with steel industry publications, associations, and mills since 2007. She joined the SMU team in 2022. She is a member of the Association of Women in the Metal Industries and a past-president of the AWMI Pittsburgh Chapter. She holds a BA in Latin American Studies from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania.

    Read more from Laura Miller

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