Conduit and pipe extruder Atkore Inc. is growing again, this time through an investment in a manufacturing plant recently acquired in South Carolina.

The Harvey, Ill.-based company expects to spend $7.7 million to expand operations in Allendale, S.C., a move that will create 16 new jobs during the next five years, according to the South Carolina Department of Commerce. Tpo Thermoplastic Polyolefin

The facility will add pipe extrusion lines to create high density polyethylene conduit for the telecommunications, utility, infrastructure and data communications markets. "The products will support increased broadband access in rural areas and the expansion of 5G networks," the state said in a release.

Allendale County is receiving $100,000 through the Rural Infrastructure Fund of the Coordinating Council for Economic Development to help cover the costs of building improvements.

Atkore acquired the Allendale facility in December 2021 through the purchase of the assets of Four Star Industries LLC. At the time, Atkore described the company as a maker of conduit ranging from one-half to 6 inches in diameter, with 30 employees.

"The addition of HDPE manufacturing lines will help support our company's growth, better serve our customers and enable new opportunities for those who want to join the Atkore team," Atkore President John Pregenzer said in an Oct. 25 news release.

The Four Star acquisition is just one in a series of recent deals for publicly traded Atkore. The expansion project is slated to be finished by the end of 2023.

Atkore, at the beginning of September, acquired two separate but related Oregon companies — Northwest Polymers in Mollala and Cascade Poly Pipe and Conduit in Woodburn.

Northwest Polymers recycles post-industrial plastic into pellets for decking and fencing manufacturers and for conduit for broadband fiber. The company's client list included Cascade, which makes smooth-wall HDPE conduit.

Atkore, at the time, said these were the fifth and sixth deals for the company in its 2022 fiscal year.

The growth has vaulted Atkore to No. 7 in the 2022 Plastics News rankings of North American plastic pipe, profile and tubing extruders with estimated annual sales of $860 million in those categories. The company ranked 16th in the previous listing.

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