Ward Manufacturing Revenue and Competitors

Ward Manufacturing, Inc. was founded in Blossburg, Pennsylvania by Mr. Joseph Ward in 1924. Beginning in a modest fashion with approximately thirty employees, a small line of cast iron steam and drainage fittings were manufactured along with cast iron plugs and bushings. In the following four years, the demand for Ward products increased rapidly. In 1928 the manufacturing facilities doubled in size, and the product line was expanded to include the 4" size fittings. At the same time, Class 150 malleable iron fittings were introduced in sizes ranging from 1/8" to 4". During the next decade Ward continued to grow in size and stature to become an increasingly important factor in the American pipe fittings industry. Further expansion was completed in 1938 with the addition of a facility to produce malleable iron pipe unions. Continued growth and the increasing demand for competitively priced products called for higher volume and more efficient molding facilities. To satisfy this business pressure, a totally new and highly automated foundry was erected in 1955. To this day, through careful maintenance, continued improvement and reinvestment, this facility produces fittings with the most automatic molding equipment available. May 1980 marked another major milestone in Ward's history. Beginning with Class 300 malleable fittings, a series of new products offerings were introduced into the Ward line. The new products included: Class 300 brass-to-brass seated unions, beam clamps, C-clamps, Wardlox plain-end fittings, and Couplox grooved end fittings. In 1990 the Teelox mechanical branch connector, meter swivels and ferrules, connecting nuts and a revolutionary new product called WARDFLEX were added to Ward's product offering. WARDFLEX Corrugated Stainless Steel Tubing for piping of fuel gases was originally introduced into the U.S. in 1986 under the name of SOFLEX. At that time Hitachi Metals America (Piping Components Division) was actively working on developing standards for this product with the American Gas Association and the Gas Research Institute. Although SOFLEX had been used in Japan for a number of years, it was virtually unheard of in the USA. This required a substantial effort be made in promoting the concept of using "flexible" gas tubing versus conventional steel pipe particularly in multi-family housing projects. Also, unlike Japan, there are numerous levels of approvals required in the U.S. prior to use of the product. There are an estimated 14,000 individuals who may or may not need to grant their approval to the use of WARDFLEX in their particular area of jurisdiction. In 1990 Ward Manufacturing became part of the Hitachi family and was assigned the responsibility of promoting this new technology. Also at this time the product name was changed to "WARDFLEX". The product was to be distributed from the Ward plant in Blossburg, PA. Soon after the American Gas Association certified the WARDFLEX system for use in the U.S., Ward Manufacturing immediately set out to market the product all across the United States. Since that time, WARDFLEX has gained recognition in the four major model codes in the U.S. and has Code recognition of one type or another in all 50 states. WARDFLEX is typically distributed through Plumbing and Heating or HVAC wholesalers. This also is a large part of the Ward customer base, so the network was already established for promoting this new product. In late 1990, Ward Manufacturing signed on its first distributor in Indiana. At the end of 1996, Ward had established a distributor network that maintains inventories in over 300 locations across the United States or Canada. Today the number of WARDFLEX distributors has grown to nearly 600. Demand by both the contractors and distributors continues to be strong and the outlook for the future is very optimistic. Ward Manufacturing President, Mr. Doyne Chartrau, announced in July 1994 that a production facility for WARDFLEX would be located in Blossburg, PA. In 1998 production was relocated to the state of the art new manufacturing facility in Lawrenceville, Pennsylvania. This manufacturing facility was doubled in size during the summer of 2000 to satisfy the growing demand for WARDFLEX.