U.S. Pipe
The United States Cast Iron Pipe and Foundry Company was incorporated in 1899 as a consolidation 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.
In December 2006, Walter Industries plans to spin off its water products division into a separate publicly held corporation to be known as "Mueller Water Products".
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)
History
U. S. Pipe was formed out of the merging of 14 cast iron pipe manufacturers in 1899.
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 1953, the company purchased Birmingham's Sloss Industries and subsequently relocated its headquarters from New Jersey to 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 Walter Industries group.
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 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.
- 1952 - Company merges with Sloss-Sheffield Steel & Iron Company
- 1953 - Corporate offices moved to Birmingham at 3300 1st Avenue North
- 1969 - U.S. Pipe acquired by Jim Walter Corporation
- 1971 - Sloss Furnaces closed and donated to city of Birmingham
- 1988 - Parent corporation name changed to Walter Industries, Inc.
- 2005 - Walter Industries acquires Mueller Water Products for $1.9 billion
Internal Links
External Links
- U.S. Pipe
- Sloss Industries
- Walter Industries
- Mueller Water Products
- American Cast Iron Pipe Company
- Kubota
- Buderus
- Ductile Iron Pipe Research Association