NIBCO expansion expected to create 30 jobs in Augusta County

Published August 7, 2018 by Robert Powell, III

Elkhart, Ind.-based NIBCO Inc. plans to invest $14 million to update and expand operations in Augusta County.

The project is expected to add 30 jobs at the company’s Stuarts Draft plant. 

Additionally, NIBCO has purchased a building in Buena Vista from STAG Industrial for $3.7 million, according to CBRE | Charlottesville. The 173,055-square-foot property, located at 3200 Green Forest Ave., was originally built in 1988 with 27,500 square feet added in 1996.

NIBCO makes valves, fittings and flow-control products used in construction and in irrigation systems.

“Our metal fittings business is growing rapidly and our capital investment in infrastructure and people will enable us to increase capacity in Virginia for existing products and expand new product offerings,” NIBCO President and CEO Steven Malm said in a statement.

NIBCO said it will add new equipment at the Stuarts Draft plant while updating its technology, training programs and new product development process.

The plant’s 117 existing employees will be retrained on new technology.

Founded in Indiana, NIBCO’s manufacturing history spans 115 years. It operates 11 manufacturing plants in the U.S., Mexico and Poland.

After buying HK Porter Co., NIBCO acquired and expanded a copper-fitting manufacturing plant in Stuarts Draft in 1969.

The company will get help in its job creation and retraining efforts through the Virginia Economic Development Partnership’s Virginia Jobs Investment Program (VJIP).

VJIP provides consulting services and funding for employee training activities at companies that are creating jobs or undergoing technological change.