Charlotte Pipe and Foundry Company celebrated the grand opening recently of its state-of-the-art $460 million Oakboro foundry, set on 700 acres in Stanly County. The business, which has operated a cast iron foundry in uptown Charlotte for more than 100 years, makes cast iron, plastic pipe and fittings for plumbing applications.
“While our uptown Charlotte location has provided stakeholders with a solid platform to deliver outstanding results, our new Oakboro Foundry will allow a more efficient layout of our plant and equipment and give us the flexibility to expand to meet future needs,” said Roddey Dowd Jr., vice chairman for the company’s board of directors, in a news release.
CEO Hooper Hardison said the move was a strategic one to improve production so the company can continue service for the next 100 years. He also said it will open a new window of economic growth for Stanly County, reports The Charlotte Observer.
“Even better, the region is already home to many of the Company’s associates who will benefit from reduced commute times and increased amenities within their work environment,” Hardison added. The Oakboro plant started operations in early September, with more than 530 employees. Another 500 construction workers were in Oakboro for three years prior, working to open the site.
Charlotte Pipe invested $58 million in the plant’s environmental system and controls, which includes a 70,000-megawatt substation — enough to power 70,000 houses, reports The Charlotte Observer. A rail spur was added to connect to a short railway in central North Carolina. Founded in 1901, the Charlotte-based company has seven plants across the U.S. Its subsidiary Neenah Enterprises, Inc. is based in Wisconsin and operates three municipal casting plants in the country.