Nupi Americas Inc. will double the size of its manufacturing and distribution facility in Early Branch, S.C., with a $6.2 million expansion aimed at increasing production of polypropylene pipes and fittings.
The subsidiary of Nupi Industrie Italiane SpA makes Niron-brand components for distributing hot and cold water in plumbing and air conditioning systems at the site, where it has been operating since 2015.
"In two years, Nupi Americas will be able to manufacture 95 percent of the pipes sold in the United States, avoiding the long lead time importing pipes from Europe," Nupi Americas CEO Marco Genoni said in a news release.
The Niron product line launched in 1982 and is suitable for transporting drinking water.
Established in 2001, the subsidiary will construct a 50,000-square-foot facility similar to the existing one at the Southern Carolina Industrial Campus in Hampton County for warehousing and manufacturing.
The company's pipes and fittings are produced with random copolymer PP, which has a molecular structure that offers mechanical resistance and durability despite high temperature and pressures.
Nupi Americas also has a facility in Houston.
The parent company formed in October 2008 following the merger of Nupi SpA and Geco System SpA, which had each been in business for more than 40 years.