V&M starts search to hire 200

By GRace wyler

gwyler@vindy.com

youngstown

V&M Star has started the hiring search to fill more than 200 new jobs as the company expands its facilities here.

The company announced Wednesday that it has launched a website — www.vmjobsonline.com — to solicit applications and provide more information about available positions.

The company said it plans to initially hire about 230 hourly and salaried workers to fill openings at V&M’s existing operations and at the new hot-rolling pipe mill.

The new fine-quality mill — a $650-million expansion project that has been in the works for more than a year — is expected to employ about 350 permanent workers. The remaining 120 employees will be contracted by V&M to work at the Youngstown facilities.

Officials from V&M and parent company Vallourec, along with state and local dignitaries, broke ground on the expansion at a ceremony June 29.

The mill is set to produce its first pipe by the end of 2011, said Skip Herald, managing director of Vallourec North America.

The hiring process is expected to take between eight to 12 months to complete, said Trina Rauscher-Cooper, V&M’s director of human resources.

“We will be looking for hot-mill operators, electricians, operations team leaders,” Rauscher-Cooper said. “We will be looking for very specific skills.”

In addition to hot-mill operators, available hourly positions include electrical and millwright maintenance workers, production operators and quality operators. Salaried positions include electronic technicians, finishing manager, process and maintenance engineers, IT analysts and training and development managers.

Applications can be submitted only via the website. The company will not take applications delivered onsite at V&M or accept unsolicited phone calls regarding employment inquiries.

Hired workers will go through an extensive training process and likely be involved in the final stages of the new mill construction, said Ken Johnson, V&M’s general manager responsible for production at the fine-quality pipe mill. Johnson is the project manager for the construction phase of the expansion.

“We want people to be part of the installation process,” Johnson said.