Ford Meter Box plans big expansion in Wabash
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A manufacturer of waterworks products in north central Indiana is set to undergo a major expansion.
The Ford Meter Box Company Inc. on Friday announced plans to invest up to $300 million to build a new, 300,000-square-foot facility adjacent to its headquarters in Wabash and create up to 126 jobs by the end of 2027.
The company, founded in 1898, said the new facility will substantially increase production of its brass products while also allowing room for future production lines.
Ford Meter Box makes a variety of products for the waterworks industry, including water meter setting and testing equipment, service line valves and fittings, and pipe coupling, restraint, and repair products.
President Steve Ford said the expansion is the largest in the company’s history and will help meet increased demand for water, wastewater, civil and industrial applications across the country.
“The new facility will complement existing manufacturing operations at the firm’s Manchester Avenue location in Wabash,” Ford said in a news release. “Parts of our present foundry will remain in production, and parts will be repurposed to better utilize space.”
The company plans to break ground on the project later this year. The site of the expansion is located about 83 miles north of Indianapolis.
In addition to its existing Wabash location, Ford Meter Box also has a manufacturing operation in Pell City, Alabama. The company employs about 800 people, including 600 in Indiana.
The Indiana Economic Development Corp. has offered Ford Meter Box up to $1.2 million in incentive-based tax credits, $350,000 in Hoosier Business Investment tax credits, and $200,000 in training grants.
The company will not be eligible to claim the incentives until Hoosier workers are hired for the new jobs and incentives are made. The city of Wabash and Duke Energy have offered additional incentives.
The expansion announcement comes four months after Ford Meter Box detailed plans to acquire certain assets of Baker Coupling Company Inc. in Pell City. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.