The new GIW Industries iron foundry in Grovetown, GA, is fully operational, according to a statement by KSB AG, the manufacturer of industrial pumps and valves that is the foundry’s parent company.
GIW Industries, formerly Georgia Iron Works, is a subsidiary KSB, based in Frankenthal, Germany, and a specialty manufacturer of industrial pumps and valves. The centrifugal pumps it produces are used to transport slurries of earth and water in mining and wastewater processing.
GIW currently has two foundries casting white iron, stainless alloys, heat-resistant alloys, nickel-based alloys, and carbon and low-alloy steels, which are offered as-cast, pre-machined, or finish machined for pressure, process, mining, and industrial machinery applications.
The Grovetown site already included a 210,000-sq.ft. foundry pouring castings up to 32,000 lb. At Thomson, GA, a 90,000-sq.ft. foundry pours castings up to 5,000 lb., and stainless steel castings up to 2,500 lb.
The new foundry is a $40-million part of an overall $75-million project. It covers 50,000 square feet and includes sand storage, melting equipment, and heat-treating operations for nearly 10,000 tons/year of white iron alloys cast as valves and pump housings. Some products may weigh up to 20 tons, according to KSB.
The next stage of the development will be a 45,000-sq.ft. distribution center that will open in 2016. It will be designed for expansion to 80,000 sq.ft. at some future date.