Welspun dedicates new pipe plant in Little Rock

Posted on 28 April 2009

By John Lyon Arkansas News Bureau

LITTLE ROCK — India-based pipe manufacturer Welspun will always be special to Arkansas, like a “first date,” Gov. Mike Beebe said Tuesday.

Speaking at a dedication ceremony at Welspun’s new $150 million facility adjacent to the Port of Little Rock, Beebe said several major manufacturing companies based outside the Western Hemisphere have chosen to build plants in Arkansas in the past few years, but Welspun was the first.

“Just like your first date,” Beebe said, pausing to acknowledge his wife, Ginger, “it’s those that came early on that you have a special feeling, a special place for, and Welspun came early on for Arkansas.”

Welspun — the company’s full name is Welspun Gujarat Stahl Rohren Ltd. — announced plans for the Little Rock facility in July 2007, saying at the time the plant would cost $100 million and employ as many as 250 people. The plant now employs more than 300 people, most of them from the local community.

“The commitment that Welspun made to Arkansas has not only been met, it’s been exceeded,” said Beebe, who was adorned for the occasion with a ceremonial garland of red roses and white carnations. “They have actually invested more money and hired more people than they committed to do.”

Welspun is the second largest pipe company in the world. The Little Rock plant, the company’s first manufacturing facility outside of India, has the capacity to produce 350,000 tons of pipe per year.

Welspun CEO and chairman B.K. Goenka said the company began as a textile manufacturer, and it formed its first relationship with Arkansas in 1994 when Bentonville-based Wal-Mart placed the first order in the U.S. market for Welspun’s towels. Welspun now supplies textile products to almost every retail chain in the U.S., he said.

“For us it’s like coming home. Destiny has brought us back to Arkansas, and may I say we are glad to be here,” Goenka said.

Tuesday’s ceremony featured a mix of Indian and American customs. Some women wore traditional Indian dress, and music playing as guests arrived included both a school marching band and a sitar.

Beebe said after the ceremony it was gratifying to see new manufacturing jobs created in tough economic times.

“It’s nice to see some good news,” he said.