Expanded Grovetown Foundry Goes Online!

With a hundred years of history to guide them, KSB and subsidiary GIW Industries, Inc. know how to plan for the long haul.

The global demand for mining products will continue to rise long term, and GIW is ready to meet this demand. From copper mines to wastewater operations, companies all over the world require heavy industrial centrifugal pumps to transport various mixtures of rocks and water. These are specialized operations and require high-quality, reliable pumps for minimal down time and optimal efficiency.

To meet this ongoing and growing need, KSB has invested in a significant expansion of the GIW white iron foundry in Grovetown, Georgia. Construction of the new facility started in 2014, and thanks to the hard work of our team and meticulous planning, the foundry will be fully operational in the second half of the year.

Larger facility, better products and service

This project is huge, both in physical size and in its impact on our products and customer service. The Grovetown foundry is now the No. 1 white-iron foundry in the world, boasting state-of-the-art equipment, highly efficient workflows, top safety features, and significantly greater capacity for both output and storage of very large slurry pumping equipment.

This new 50,000-square-foot facility has a 72-foot ceiling and six cranes to accommodate the heat treatment and melting furnaces, as well as the sand silos needed for manufacturing the large-scale slurry pumps for which we’re known. Additionally, the new space gives GIW the opportunity to increase the number of castings done for our customers. The new facility will produce 10,000 castings annually.

Looking ahead

GIW’s parent company, KSB Group in Germany, is investing $70 million over the 5-year project, $40 million of which is for the foundry alone. This large investment demonstrates how important the Grovetown facility is to the mining industry.

Considering the predictions for growth in mining, this investment makes a lot of sense. As reported on Mining.com, “global mining suppliers and equipment manufacturers should see the market expanding more than 8% per year through 2017 to $135 billion.”

Because the new buildings will allow more castings, GIW will also be increasing its employee base. We hired 10 new employees last year, and expect to add about 32 highly-skilled factory workers and staff over the next two years.

Later this year, work will begin on an expansion of the Grovetown distribution center to complement the foundry. This 45,000 square-foot building is scheduled to open mid-2016.

Additionally, if demand and growth continue, there are already plans for expanding the distribution center by another 35,000 square feet. Planning for growth helps ensure long-term success in any business, but it is especially important in an expanding industry like mining.

KSB has been at the forefront of the mining industry for 100 years. This longevity does not happen by chance and luck, but by steady investment and comprehensive planning. GIW continues in that tradition and has developed a complete vision for future growth.

[cta]We have the experience, the capacity and the rock-solid solutions necessary to meet your needs in every respect. If we can assist you in any way, please contact us at 1.888.TECHGIW (832-4449) or visit www.giwindustries.com.[/cta]