YOUNGSTOWN Tubular products manufacturer, Vallourec, is scheduled to hold a groundbreaking ceremony this afternoon for a $48 million expansion project at its Youngstown facility. The investment will establish a new premium threading line at the Mahoning Valley plant.

The ceremony is scheduled at the company's plant at 2669 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

The new facility will produce VAM high-torque connections, a type of specialized thread used on steel tubes in the energy sector. The connections are important in onshore oil and gas wells, particularly those that use long horizontal drilling techniques.

The new Premium Threading Line will increase the plant’s capacity to manufacture the connections, strengthening Vallourec’s position in the Oil Country Tubular Goods (OCTG) market in the United States, according to a company statement. The company stated that the investment provides a competitive, fully integrated domestic manufacturing route for its products.

The expansion will create 40 full-time positions and is intended to support existing jobs and reinforce the regional energy industry's supply chain.

“This expansion reflects Vallourec’s long-term vision and continued investment in the U.S. market,” said Philippe Guillemot, Group Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Vallourec, who is scheduled to speak at the event. “By strengthening our industrial base in Youngstown, we are building on the region’s proud manufacturing legacy and supporting all energies with high-performance, locally produced solutions.”

Vallourec has invested over $1.5 billion in the United States over the past 15 years. The Youngstown facility is the company’s main production site in North America and manufactures seamless tubes entirely from recycled scrap metal.

Construction on the new threading line began in July 2025 and is expected to be completed by early 2027.