Alabama-based firm building R&D facility in Crawfordsville

CRAWFORDSVILLE – American Flow Control, the valve and hydrant division of American Cast Iron Pipe Co., announced Friday the formation of American Innovation LLC and construction of a new research and development (R&D) facility in Crawfordsville.

“We’re thrilled American Innovation has selected Crawfordsville as the destination for its new R&D center,” Elaine Bedel, president of the Indiana Economic Development Corp., said. “With a highly-skilled pipeline of talent coming from our renowned universities with high-ranking engineering programs, Indiana is the ideal location for companies like American Innovation to locate and develop new solutions that will propel business forward for years to come.”

American Innovation will invest $9 million to construct, equip and furnish its new R&D facility, featuring state-of-the-art equipment and technologies for enhancing existing valve and hydrant products, as well as developing new infrastructure-related products.

The 30,000-square-foot facility – to be known as the American Flow Control Center for Innovative Excellence – will be built on 17 acres in the Crawfordsville Commerce Park. Construction is due to begin this summer with completion in spring 2020.

The company plans to hire up to eight research and development personnel, including engineers and technicians, by the end of 2020.

The company chose Crawfordsville in part because of its accessible location and proximity to several major engineering schools.

Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., American Cast Iron Pipe Co. was founded in 1905 and employs approximately 2,600 people.

“Engineering and STEM-related jobs are exactly the kinds of talent opportunities we want to attract to our community,” Crawfordsville Mayor Todd Barton said.

The Indiana Economic Development Corp. offered American Innovation LLC up to $130,000 in conditional tax credits based on the company’s job creation plans. The tax credits are performance-based, meaning until Hoosiers are hired, the company is not eligible to claim incentives.