Businessweek

Mueller Industries, Inc. manufactures copper, brass, plastic, and aluminum products. The company also resells imported brass and plastic plumbing valves, malleable iron fittings, faucets and plumbing specialty products. Segments The company’s businesses are aggregated into two segments: the Plumbing & Refrigeration and the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM). The Plumbing & Refrigeration segment is composed of the Standard Products Division (SPD), European Operations, and Mexican Operations. The OEM segment is composed of the Industrial Products Division (IPD), Engineered Products Division (EPD), and Jiangsu Mueller–Xingrong Copper Industries Limited (Mueller-Xingrong), the company’s Chinese joint venture. Plumbing & Refrigeration The Plumbing & Refrigeration segment includes SPD, which manufactures a line of copper tube, in sizes ranging from 1/8 inch to 8 inch diameter, which are sold in various straight lengths and coils. The company operates in the air-conditioning and refrigeration service tube markets. Additionally, it supplies various water tube in straight lengths and coils used for plumbing applications in virtually every type of construction project. SPD also manufactures copper and plastic fittings, line sets, and related components for the plumbing and heating industry that are used in water distribution systems, heating systems, air-conditioning, and refrigeration applications, and drainage, waste, and vent systems. A major portion of SPD’s products are used in the domestic residential and commercial construction markets. The Plumbing & Refrigeration segment also fabricates steel pipe nipples and resells imported brass and plastic plumbing valves, malleable iron fittings, faucets, and plumbing specialty products to plumbing wholesalers, distributors to the manufactured housing and recreational vehicle industries and building materials retailers. The Plumbing & Refrigeration segment markets primarily through its own sales and distribution organization, which maintains sales offices and distribution centers throughout the United States and in Canada, Mexico, and Europe. Competition: In the U.S. copper tube business, the company’s the domestic competition includes Cerro Flow Products, Inc.; Cambridge-Lee Industries LLC (a subsidiary of Industrias Unidas S.A. de C.V.); Wolverine Tube, Inc.; KobeWieland Copper Products LLC; and Howell Metal Company (a subsidiary of Commercial Metals Company). In the copper fittings market, its domestic competitors include Elkhart Products Company (a subsidiary of Aalberts Industries N.V.) and NIBCO, Inc. The plastic fittings competitors include NIBCO, Inc.; and Charlotte Pipe & Foundry. OEM The OEM segment includes IPD, which manufactures brass rod, nonferrous forgings, and impact extrusions that are sold primarily to OEMs in the plumbing, refrigeration, fluid power, and automotive industries, as well as to other manufacturers and distributors. The company extrudes brass, bronze, and copper alloy rod in sizes ranging from 3/8 inches to 4 inches in diameter. These alloys are used in applications that require a high degree of machinability, wear and corrosion resistance, as well as electrical conductivity. IPD also manufactures brass and aluminum forgings, which are used in a variety of products, including automotive components, brass fittings, industrial machinery, valve bodies, gear blanks, and computer hardware. IPD also serves the automotive, military ordnance, aerospace, and general manufacturing industries with cold-formed aluminum and copper impact extrusions. The OEM segment also includes EPD, which manufactures and fabricates valves and custom OEM products for refrigeration and air-conditioning, gas appliance, and barbecue grill applications. Additionally EPD manufactures shaped and formed tube, produced to tight tolerances, for baseboard heating, appliances, and medical instruments. As of August 16, 2012, the company acquired 100 percent of the outstanding stock of Westermeyer Industries, Inc. (Westermeyer), located in Bluffs, Illinois. Westermeyer designs, manufactures, and distributes high-pressure components and accessories for the air-conditioning and refrigeration markets. In 2010, the Company purchased certain assets from Tube Forming, L.P. (TFI). TFI had operations in Carrollton, Texas, and Guadalupe, Mexico, where it produced precision copper return bends and crossovers, and custom-made tube components and brazed assemblies, including manifolds and headers. Customers: IPD and EPD primarily sell directly to OEM customers. Competition: Competitors, primarily in the brass rod market, include Chase Brass and Copper Company, a subsidiary of Global Brass and Copper Holdings, Inc. History Mueller Industries, Inc. was founded in 1900.