CHICAGO — Hunting Plc continues to expand its manufacturing business in the United States, the company said Thursday in an interim management report.

Ramped-up drilling in the Gulf of Mexico and strong global demand have bolstered Hunting’s premium connections business, the London-based energy services company said.

Hunting’s U.S. manufacturing business has also been buoyed by drilling in the Gulf, and its new, 98,000-square-foot facility in Houma, La., is now online, it said.

Also in North America, Hunting’s Stafford, Texas, facility has doubled its manufacturing capacity and Hunting Welltonic, part of the company’s well-intervention business, is expanding in the region, it said.

But Hunting noted that its drilling tools business has seen a "marginal" decline in trade as activity moves toward liquid-containing shales across North America.

Shale plays containing oil or natural gas liquids have seen more activity than those containing "dry" natural gas because of an extended period of low natural gas prices in the United States.

The company added that it will continue with its plans to open new distribution centers in Europe, the Middle East and Asia, as well as in North America.