Steel tubular manufacturer TMK IPSCO signed a lease on a building in Brookfield, Ohio, where it will install new equipment that will further expand the threading capacity of its ULTRA Premium Connections product line. The facility, which will have an annual manufacturing capacity of up to 100,000 tons of threaded pipe, should begin operations during the second quarter of this year. Initial employment will be approximately 50 people, with long-term employment levels expected to reach 120. The Brookfield site is near Youngstown, Ohio, approximately 40 miles northwest of TMK IPSCO’s existing steel mill in Koppel, Pa.

The new facility will be capable of manufacturing both premium connections and API connections. It will also support TMK IPSCO’s growing market share in the Marcellus Shale gas plays, where ULTRA has been one of the first manufacturers to make premium connection sales.