Vallourec inaugurated a new research center in Rio de Janeiro, due to open in October. The center, located next to Petrobras’ CENPES, will focus on Vallourec’s pre-salt activities, with the support from Vallourec’s center in Belo Horizonte, which was recently expanded. The Rio center will benefit from synergies with the Federal Universities of Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais among others, in areas such as the environment, robotics, and energy use.