Producer

McWane Ductile

US market leader; 3 foundries (Birmingham AL, Youngstown OH, Ogden UT); founded 1921; significant recent capacity investments; ANSI/AWWA C151 certified

1

Inputs supplied

1

Goods downstream

3

Facilities

0

Stories

What they make

1 input McWane Ductile supplies

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Goods downstream

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What else they do

Business segments

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  • Ductile Iron Pipe (Water Mains)

    65%
  • Fire Hydrants & Valves

    20%
  • Fittings & Accessories

    15%

Intelligence

What's known

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  • Origin2023

    McWane Inc. was founded in 1921 in Birmingham, Alabama — the city that had been the center of the Southern US iron and steel industry since the 1870s. Birmingham's unique geographic concentration of iron ore, coal, and limestone within a 30-mile radius made it the only major Southern steel city; it was nicknamed "the Pittsburgh of the South." McWane started making iron pipe from Birmingham's iron production and grew through the 20th century to become the dominant US ductile iron pipe manufacturer, operating foundries in Birmingham, Youngstown Ohio (a traditional Midwest iron and steel city), and Ogden Utah. McWane became the subject of a 2003 PBS Frontline documentary "A Dangerous Business" which documented systematic workplace safety violations, environmental law violations, and worker deaths across McWane facilities — describing a pattern of putting production over safety. Multiple McWane executives and the company itself faced criminal convictions for environmental violations and workplace safety failures. The company subsequently invested in compliance and safety improvements. McWane Ductile remains the market leader in US ductile iron pipe for water distribution, supplying the underground pipes that carry drinking water to American homes — the same company that provides the physical infrastructure for US water security has a historically documented record of regulatory non-compliance that is an unusual contradiction for a company in the critical water infrastructure supply chain.

    McWane Inc.