U.S. Pipe

The United States Pipe and Foundry Company is the largest American producer of ductile iron pipes and fittings for the utility and industrial market. The company operates two plants in the Birmingham District as well as manufacutring facilities in Chattanooga, Tennessee; Burlington, New Jersey; and Union City, California. It was founded by the merger of several cast iron pipe makers in 1899

Facilities in Birmingham

Facilities in the Birmingham area include:

• Bessemer Pipe Plant (former Howard-Harrison Iron Company),
• North Birmingham Pipe Plant (former Dimmick Pipe Company), purchased in 1911

History

U. S. Pipe was formed in 1899 as the United States Cast Iron Pipe and Foundry Company out of the merger of 12 companies and 14 plants located in 8 states, including the south's first pit cast plant built in 1882 in Chattanooga (former David Giles Company). The "Cast Iron" portion of the name was dropped in 1929. The headquarters of the new company was located at the Burlington, New Jersey plant.

Operations at all U.S. Pipe plants used the pit cast method until 1921. At that time U.S. Pipe purchased the rights to a new casting process from a Brazilian named Dimitri Sensaud deLavaud. This centrifugal cast process (the deLavaud process) would revolutionize the pipe industry and place U.S. Pipe squarley in the lead as the major pipe manufacturer in the world. The first plant to use the new process was the North Birmingham Plant. With the first technology for mass production of iron pipe, U.S. Pipe negotiated profitable licensing arrangements with other pipe manufacturers such as American Cast Iron Pipe Company (ACIPCO), Kubota of Japan, and Buderus of Germany.

During World War II the factory was re-tooled in order to supply artillery shells and other armaments to the U. S. Military.

In 1952 U. S. Pipe purchased the Sloss-Sheffield Steel & Iron Company. A year later, the combined company relocated its headquarters from Burlington, New Jersey to new offices at 3300 1st Avenue North in Birmingham.

In the 1960s financier Harry Figgie initiated a hostile takeover of U. S. Pipe. Tampa, Florida-based Jim Walter Corporation submitted a friendly counter-offer and folded U. S. Pipe into its industrial holdings (known since 1988 as Walter Industries) in 1969. In 1971 to company closed down Sloss Furnaces and donated the plant to Birmingham for use as a museum of industry. Walter Industries was bought by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts and Company (KKR) in 1991.

In 2004 the company settled a lawsuit alleging racial discrimination against black employees. Two years later it changed some workplace policies after protest from the United Steelworkers, which represents the factory's work force.

In 2005 Walter Industries acquired Mueller Water Products fir $1.9 billion and moved U. S. Pipe under that division. Walter plans to spin off the Mueller Water Products division as a separate publicly-held company in December 2006.

In 2006 U. S. Pipe announced plans to construct a new $45 million automated pipe plant in the Birmingham area. It is evaluating sites adjacent to both its Bessemer and North Birmingham plants. The City of Birmingham and Jefferson County have pledged to support construction of the new plant with public incentives.

References

• U. S. Pipe History at USPipe.com
• Hubbard, Russell (September 8, 2006) "U.S. Pipe considered China for new plant before coming home." Birmingham News.

External Links

• U.S. Pipe
• Sloss Industries
• Walter Industries
• Mueller Water Products
• American Cast Iron Pipe Company
• Kubota
• Buderus
• Ductile Iron Pipe Research Association