Mueller Water Products

Mueller Water Products, Inc.
Traded as NYSE: MWA
Industry Water infrastructure
Headquarters Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Area served
 North America
Key people
  • Gregory E. Hyland (Chairman, President and CEO)
  • Evan L. Hart (Chief Financial Officer)
  • Robert P. Keefe (Chief Technology Officer and Chief Information Officer)
Revenue $1.184 billion (2014) [1]
$124.1 million (2014) [1]
$55.5 million (2014) [1]
Total assets $1.3 billion (2014) [1]
Total equity $351.6 million (2014) [1]
Number of employees
 4,200 [1]
Divisions
Website www.muellerwaterproducts.com

Mueller Water Products, Inc. (MWP) is a publicly traded company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. It is one of the largest manufacturers and distributors of fire hydrants, pipe fittings and valves in North America.[2] MWP is made up of two business units—Mueller Co. and Anvil International—that oversee 15 brands and subsidiaries including Echologics and Mueller Systems.[3]

History

Mueller Water Products was incorporated as a standalone business on September 22, 2005, but the company traces the history of its business units, subsidiaries and brands back as far as 1850, when Frederick Grinnell purchased a controlling stake in Providence Steam and Gas Pipe, Co., the forerunner to Anvil International.[4][5] In 1857, the forerunner to Mueller Co. and Mueller Systems was founded by H. Mueller in Decatur, Illinois.[5] Providence Steam and Gas Pipe became General Fire Extinguisher Co. in 1892 after merging with several sprinkler manufacturers, and was later renamed Grinnell Co. in 1919, after the company's president, Frederick Grinnell.[5] In 1899, 12 companies incorporated as United States Cast Iron Pipe and Foundry Company, which would later be known as U.S. Pipe after dropping "cast iron" from the company name in 1929.[5] Grinnell Co. became known as Anvil International in 2000.[5]

Jim Walter Corporation acquired U.S. Pipe in 1969, and in 2005, it acquired Mueller Co. and Anvil International. The three businesses were combined to form Mueller Water Products. The combined entity was then spun off as the publicly held Mueller Water Products, Inc. in 2006, moving its headquarters from the company's birthplace of Decatur, Illinois, to Atlanta, Georgia.[4][5][6] Initially, MWP operated with three business units—Mueller Co., Anvil International, and U.S. Pipe. However, in 2012 MWP divested U.S. Pipe to Wynnchurch Capital, Ltd., retaining only the valve and hydrant division, which now operates under the Mueller Co. business unit.[7]

Organization

Structure

Mueller Water Products is a publicly traded company governed by a board of 10 directors,[8] including former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin.[9] It is divided into two business units—Mueller Co. and Anvil International. Each of these units oversees several related brands and subsidiaries.

Mueller Co.

Mueller Co. is one of the largest North American manufacturers of valves and fire hydrants. It oversees several brands and subsidiaries that specialize in valves, fittings, utility meters, water infrastructure, leak detection, and pipe condition assessment.[10]

Name Description
Echologics Echologics specializes in non-invasive acoustic detection of underground leaks and pipe condition assessment.[11][12] It has conducted and completed projects in North America, Europe, Australia, South Africa, and Singapore that have mitigated the loss of millions of gallons of drinking water via leaking infrastructure.[11] In 2012, Mueller Service Co., which also provides assessment and remediation services for water utilities, was consolidated under the Echologics brand.[13]
Henry Pratt Co.[14] The Henry Pratt Company develops, manufactures and sells valves, valve actuators and control systems for use in potable water, wastewater, power,

industrial, and nuclear applications. The company was founded in 1901 as a metal fabricating shop, and it designed and developed the first rubber-seated butterfly valve in 1926. The company is headquartered in Aurora, Illinois, with manufacturing facilities in Aurora, Illinois, and Hammond, Indiana.[15]

Hydro Gate [16] Hydro Gate provides water control gates for multiple industries and applications including flood control, water treatment, irrigation, dam projects, and hydroelectricity. Its products include cast iron and fabricated slide or flap gates, rectangular butterfly gates, stop logs, wall thimbles, lifts, and accessories.[17]
James Jones Company[18] James Jones Company manufactures bronze wet barrel fire hydrants, and a variety of bronze

water service valves and fittings for potable water distribution systems. The company was founded in the early 1890s by James Jones, and expanded from primarily manufacturing bronze valves to also manufacturing bronze fire hydrants in 1926. The company’s administrative headquarters are located in Ontario, California, and it has ISO2001-compliant manufacturing facilities located in Illinois, Tennessee, and Alabama.[19]

Milliken Valve Co.[20] Milliken Valve Co. develops, manufacturers, and sells plug, check, and butterfly valves, as well as related water, wastewater, and industrial controls and actuators.[21] In 2011, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration awarded Milliken with its "Star" worksite designation, recognizing its implementation of an effective health and safety management system.[22]
Mueller Systems Mueller Systems is a manufacturer and distributor of advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) and automatic meter reading (AMR) technology, as well as residential, commercial and fire-line meters and related products.[23] Founded as Hawes and Hersey Company in 1859, Mueller Systems is the oldest manufacturer of water meters in the United States.[24]
U.S. Pipe Valve & Hydrant Division [25] U.S. Pipe Valve and Hydrant Division (USPVH) produces fire hydrants and gate valves, as well as a variety of other potable water flow control products for water distribution

systems and fire protection. USPVH products are manufactured in the company’s plants, which are ISO9001-certified and located in the United States.[26]

Anvil International

Anvil International oversees multiple brands and subsidiaries specializing in a variety of industrial applications including oil and gas, mining, fire protection, HVAC, plumbing, and mechanical. Anvil's brands include:

  • Anvil EPS-Engineered Pipe Supports
  • Anvil Strut
  • Beck
  • Canvil
  • Catawissa
  • Gruvlok
  • J.B. Smith
  • Merit
  • SPF/Anvil

Sustainability

MWP utilizes various processes and has instituted a number of corporate policies to encourage conservation and sustainability in its manufacturing and service offerings. It is the only manufacturer of valves and hydrants that utilizes the lost-foam casting process, which reduces the amount of required materials for casting and reduces the amount of waste and emissions generated by the casting process.[27] Mueller Co. offers all of its waterworks brass products in low-lead varieties.[27] MWP is also a member of the U.S. Green Building Council.[27][28]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 "Annual Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 for the Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2014". Mueller. Retrieved 2014-12-01.
  2. ↑ "Mueller Water Products, Inc. Company Description". Hoovers. Retrieved 2012-08-20.
  3. ↑ "Brands". Mueller Water Products. Retrieved 2012-09-19.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Profile: Mueller Water Products Inc.". Reuters. Retrieved 2012-09-19.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 "A Proud History". Mueller Water Products. Retrieved 2012-09-19.
  6. ↑ "Mueller Water Products moving HQ to the ATL". Atlanta Business Chronicle. 2006-04-26. Retrieved 2012-09-19.
  7. ↑ "Mueller Water Products, Inc. Signs Agreement to Divest U.S. Pipe". Reuters. 2012-03-08. Retrieved 2012-09-19.
  8. ↑ "Board of Directors". Mueller Water Products. Retrieved 2014-03-18.
  9. ↑ "Shirley Franklin elected to Mueller Water Products’ board of directors". Water Technology. 2012-11-03. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  10. ↑ "Intelligent Technology. Smart Move.". Mueller Water Products. Retrieved 2012-10-25.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 James, Adam (2011-11-03). "The U.S. Wastes 7 Billion Gallons of Drinking Water a Day: Can Innovation Help Solve the Problem?". ThinkProgress. Retrieved 2012-08-19.
  12. ↑ Kenter, Peter (2011-06-24). "Mueller Water Products’ Echologics unit detects leaks in water pipes". Daily Commercial News and Construction Record. Retrieved 2012-08-19.
  13. ↑ "Mueller Service Co. Is Now Part of Echologics". Echologics. Retrieved 2012-12-10.
  14. ↑ http://www.henrypratt.com
  15. ↑ "A History of Innovation, Development and Experience". Henry Pratt Company. Retrieved 2012-10-25.
  16. ↑ http://www.hydrogate.com
  17. ↑ "Hydro Gate Line Card". Hydro Gate. Retrieved 2012-10-25.
  18. ↑ http://www.joneswaterproducts.com
  19. ↑ "Who We Are". James Jones Company. Retrieved 2012-10-25.
  20. ↑ http://www.millikenvalve.com
  21. ↑ "About Milliken Valve". Milliken Valve Company. Retrieved 2012-10-25.
  22. ↑ "Milliken Valve, LLC. Is Awarded OSHA's Star Designation" (Press release). Milliken Valve Company. 2011-03-11. Retrieved 2012-10-25.
  23. ↑ "About Us". Mueller Systems. Retrieved 2012-08-24.
  24. ↑ "Hersey, Sparling Meter Announce Merger Plan". Chicago Tribune. 1959-09-08.
  25. ↑ http://www.uspvh.com
  26. ↑ "Who We Are". U.S. Pipe Valve & Hydrant. Retrieved 2012-10-25.
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 27.2 Brochure 062911.pdf "Environmental Stewardship". Mueller Water Products. Retrieved 2012-12-13.
  28. ↑ "Mueller Water Products". U.S. Green Building Council. Retrieved 2012-12-13.