Ohio steel mill to close temporarily

Vallourec Star, a company that produces seamless steel pipes for the oil and gas industries, has announced plans to temporarily idle its Youngstown, Ohio, steel mill operations for three weeks in the middle of February.

In a statement, Vallourec says the decision is in response to declining oil and gas markets. The company says it has already taken steps, including adjusting production schedules and minimizing the use of contractors, to mitigate the sharp decline in demand for pipe steel caused by the sharp drop in oil prices. 

Vallourec Star says it is continuing to adapt operating plans to business demands, adding that the economic realities the company is facing call for additional action, which means the Youngstown plant will be closed for three weeks. “We are carefully monitoring market developments and will continue to adapt quickly to this unstable business environment,” the company reports.

Vallourec Star is a joint venture between France-based Vallourec and Sumitomo Corp. of Japan. In addition to Youngstown, the company has operations in Houston and in Muskogee, Oklahoma.