Mumbai: PSL, a global manufacturer of high-grade large diameter Helical Submerged Arc Welded (HSAW) pipes in India will commission its new pipe- manufacturing facility on its site which is located outside Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, Port Bienville Industrial Park. Its subsidiary PSL North America will be setting a $199 million facility on 156 acres of land allocated by the State of Mississippi besides an attractive package of fiscal incentives. The site has been very strategically chosen with access to barge, railroad, and trucking facilities, in order to minimize overall freight costs.

Ashok Punj, Managing Director, PSL said, "In commissioning their mill on schedule, PSL NA has effectively seized the First Mover Advantage by becoming the only one among the new generation 2-step mills to commence production in Calendar Year 2008. The other mills are not expected to be in production till 2009." He further said, "PSL North America can now commence execution of the $400 million order received by it in May 2008 in order to achieve and maintain its scheduled compliance."

PSL was exclusively capable to accomplish this project in record-time on foreign soil for the following three key reasons- Firstly, it had the demonstrated ability to build and successfully start-up twelve spiral pipe mills previously, both within India and abroad. Secondly, since PSL both manufactures the equipments in-house and operates the completed plant, potential execution problems were eliminated. Thirdly, PSL had become very effective in training its staff on the various design, plan, and engineering aspects within the pipeline domain. PSL had, in effect, the cumulative experience, resources, and knowledge to execute the project.

PSL is also an investor in similar state-of-the-art capacities, machining facilities, and engineering resources from its bases in Gujarat. It is the only Indian company with a similar two-step pipe mill in Kandla, and is the third such company in the world with such a facility. It is also a world-wide provider in manufacturing and coating of pipes for transporting hydrocarbon products, water products, and steel structural applications.