Carol Jackson

The largest supplier of refractory products and services in the U.S. celebrated the grand opening of its newly constructed, state-of-the-art monolithic refractories manufacturing plant in South Point, Ohio, featuring new processes and technology and marking a new chapter in the company’s 150+ years of operation.

HarbisonWalker International (HWI), headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, announced in February 2017 that it was investing $30 million to build a technologically advanced refractories plant as the next step in its strategy to continuously improve performance and respond to customers’ needs. Ground was broken for the new plant on June 8, 2017. The plant began shipping products in spring 2018, opening in just one year and within its planned schedule and budget.

“Our new plant at South Point is a game-changer,” said Carol Jackson, chairman and CEO, HarbisonWalker International. “It is the most advanced refractory facility in North America and, likely, in the world. It reinvents how we’re producing and delivering quality monolithic products. It represents the future of our company and, in many ways, the future of US refractories manufacturing.”

The plant utilizes lean manufacturing techniques throughout its operations to maximize material flow efficiency and production.

“While some of the advanced technologies, processes, and equipment at South Point may be similar elsewhere – what makes this plant so outstanding is the ingenious design, engineering, and configuration of these elements. This configuration – combined with our overall approach – is completely revolutionary,” said Douglas Hall, senior vice president, Integrated Supply Chain at HarbisonWalker International.

Watch the time-lapsed video of the construction of the new facility below.