ADS Hosts Groundbreaking for $65 Million Engineering and Technology Center

Lt. Gov. Jon Husted joins Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc., state and local government, and economic development officials in event celebrating the construction of the most advanced stormwater engineering center in the world

HILLIARD, Ohio (October 10, 2022) –– Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (ADS) (NYSE: WMS), a leading provider of innovative water management solutions in the stormwater and on-site septic wastewater industries and the largest plastic recycler in North America, today broke ground on the company’s industry-leading ADS Engineering and Technology Center in Hilliard, Ohio, near the company’s existing headquarters. The expected $65 million investment in the project will fund the development of the world’s most advanced stormwater engineering, research and development facility focused on product engineering, materials science and manufacturing technologies.

“The Engineering and Technology Center will be where ADS creates new and innovative products, finds better materials - including with recycled plastics ­­– and develops the manufacturing processes that allow us to be more efficient in producing these cutting-edge stormwater solutions,” said ADS President and CEO Scott Barbour in his remarks at the groundbreaking celebration today. “The breakthroughs we make here will allow us to be even more competitive, continue to grow, and be successful in the markets and communities we serve, and give us new capabilities in protecting the environment and our most precious resource: water.”  

The new Engineering and Technology Center project will create 200 new jobs and will result in $20 million of new payroll. In addition to support from the Ohio Tax Credit Authority, JobsOhio, Ohio’s unique private economic development corporation, and One Columbus, its regional economic development partner, also provided site selection and partnership assistance.

“Ohio is a national leader in manufacturing and research and development across sector lines, and ADS is an example of a company that generates client-driven solutions while positively impacting Ohio’s communities, economy and people,” said Ohio Lt. Governor Jon Husted. “Companies continue to call Ohio home because they know they can thrive and grow here.”

The ADS Engineering and Technology Center is expected to open in late 2023, expanding ADS’ engineering and technology operations, allowing the company to consolidate all of the current product development and testing operations and manufacturing engineering development into one central location. It will include:

• A product development lab focused on the full range of a product’s life cycle including:
• An area to prepare product samples for testing.
• A fabrication lab to develop prototype parts and test fixtures.
• A lab to analyze structural performance of prototypes under different conditions.
• A 3D-printing lab to rapidly develop and vet concepts.
• A hydraulics lab that supports ADS’ water treatment businesses including separation, traditional filtration and low impact development filtration.

• An advanced technology lab for manufacturing and engineering prototyping.
• Materials science laboratories providing:
  • Extensive performance-based materials test capability.
  • Analytic tools to generate structural and chemical information on investigated materials.
  • Extrusion capability for development of next-generation product formulations.