Advancing Materials Science, Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies

Written by Scott Barbour, President and CEO

Early this week, ADS announced our $65 million investment to build a new Engineering & Technology Center in Hilliard, Ohio. It will be the most advanced stormwater engineering center in the world dedicated to product engineering, material science ­­–– including recycled plastics ­­   –– and manufacturing technologies.

No one else in the world is advancing the science around plastic products in this way.

We’re building the center now as the next investment in developing the right products with the right materials and the right processes. This investment will help meet our ambitious recycling and sustainability goals, while allowing us to develop cutting-edge products for customers’ future needs.

I encourage you to check out the press release to see the full capabilities and resources that will be at the new Engineering & Technology Center, which will include product development labs, a manufacturing technology lab, a hydraulics lab and materials science labs.

To be successful in our industry, we absolutely must utilize innovative materials science alongside advanced equipment and processes to create the market leading products. When those goals align, you’ll see products such as StormTech, or HP Storm Dual Wall Pipe.

I am particularly excited about the materials science and development capabilities the new Engineering & Technology Center will provide the company. When coupled with the organizational investments the company is making in technical talent, the center’s laboratory capabilities are key to achieving our recently announced 10-year sustainability goals, which include a commitment to recycle 1 billion pounds of plastic annually by 2032.

If you promise to build it, they will come

Leading up to this building the new Engineering & Technology Center, we spent the last two years investing in the product management, product engineering and manufacturing engineering organizations at ADS. To fulfill the potential of this investment in talent, we needed a single location with the industry-leading equipment, technologies and labs that can allow them to do their best work in developing the solutions that capture, convey, store and treat our most precious resource: water.

Finally, working with JobsOhio and the state of Ohio, we chose to stay, build and expand in Hilliard –– our home for two decades ­­–– in large part because of the city’s ongoing, business-friendly support for ADS’ work. Hilliard City Manager Michelle Crandall and her team have treated us like a true partner, and Hilliard is also making efforts to bring advanced manufacturing to the city as it grows. Being a part of the tech-driven manufacturing ecosystem here will ultimately draw on a growing pool of talent, which we and other companies can certainly benefit. With this investment, ADS will retain 322 existing jobs currently in Hilliard, and create 200 new jobs, resulting in $20 million of new payroll to the state.  

This is the beginning of something exciting and truly innovative in Ohio for ADS. Keep an eye out for more news around these developments as we plan to break ground on the facility in October.